While trying to take pictures of the woodpecker, this little guy kept buzzing the feeder that was a few feet from my head. I think he just wanted his picture taken.
Monday, August 10, 2009
Today's visitors
I saw this Downy Woodpecker walking up and down the flower stalks like he was eating a corn cob. He seemed quite happy and there are a million of these 4 foot stalks in my wildflower bed.
While trying to take pictures of the woodpecker, this little guy kept buzzing the feeder that was a few feet from my head. I think he just wanted his picture taken.
While trying to take pictures of the woodpecker, this little guy kept buzzing the feeder that was a few feet from my head. I think he just wanted his picture taken.
Mom Joyce comes to town
My mom flew out last Tuesday evening to visit. It was a busy week with a weird mix of weather.
We started with a plan to go to the Wednesday outdoor concert with some friends. The skies looked pretty dark and we kept getting a bit of drizzle. Our friends decided to tough it out, so we loaded up the car to go. Just as we were closing the back door, a big bolt of lightening hit the mountains. Enough for us. We went back inside. Then the rain and wind started. Our friends all packed up and the picnic moved to our house. Just as well.
We had a nice few days, but by Saturday it had started cooling down in a big way. We had tickets to the symphony (outdoors). You can see how mom and Julie were dressed for the event. That's hot chocolate instead of our normal wine. It got down to 37 at the house and we had our first frost of the season.
On Sunday the weather was perfect. I went out for a 15 mile run and then we headed to the Park City Silly Market. Its more arts and crafts than farmers market, but as you can see, it has become quite popular, especially on nice days.
Julie and mom (in her newly purchased hat).
We also hit the annual Luxury Home Tour. It is a fund raiser for the Peace House, a shelter for battered women. The houses we saw were nice and two were quite impressive, but my highlight was watching the 25-30 Lamborghini's come rolling down the mine road from Stein Erikson's. It was apparently some touring club. They had quite the collection of police cars escorting them, front and back.
Mom's on the plane heading back to Maryland. Safe to say a good time was had by all.
We started with a plan to go to the Wednesday outdoor concert with some friends. The skies looked pretty dark and we kept getting a bit of drizzle. Our friends decided to tough it out, so we loaded up the car to go. Just as we were closing the back door, a big bolt of lightening hit the mountains. Enough for us. We went back inside. Then the rain and wind started. Our friends all packed up and the picnic moved to our house. Just as well.
We had a nice few days, but by Saturday it had started cooling down in a big way. We had tickets to the symphony (outdoors). You can see how mom and Julie were dressed for the event. That's hot chocolate instead of our normal wine. It got down to 37 at the house and we had our first frost of the season.
On Sunday the weather was perfect. I went out for a 15 mile run and then we headed to the Park City Silly Market. Its more arts and crafts than farmers market, but as you can see, it has become quite popular, especially on nice days.
Julie and mom (in her newly purchased hat).
We also hit the annual Luxury Home Tour. It is a fund raiser for the Peace House, a shelter for battered women. The houses we saw were nice and two were quite impressive, but my highlight was watching the 25-30 Lamborghini's come rolling down the mine road from Stein Erikson's. It was apparently some touring club. They had quite the collection of police cars escorting them, front and back.
Mom's on the plane heading back to Maryland. Safe to say a good time was had by all.
Thursday, August 06, 2009
The Kahn's in Australia
I mentioned that our friends Bruce and Carol Kahn had packed up and moved to Australia. Here are a few pictures they sent. Looks a bit like living in Hawaii.
Hannah got ripped off on the school year. She had just finished her year in the states and had to dive right back into it in Australia. Now she is going to a private school, very close to where they live. I love the uniforms!
Looks like a great place!
Hannah got ripped off on the school year. She had just finished her year in the states and had to dive right back into it in Australia. Now she is going to a private school, very close to where they live. I love the uniforms!
Looks like a great place!
Monday, August 03, 2009
Park City Art Festival
Each August, Park City has a large Art Festival and about 40,000 people role into town to see it. I think it is only second to Sundance as Park City's biggest event. I read that it has now become one of the top 10 art fairs in the U.S..
The only way to really see the size is to take a picture from upstairs on the deck of one of the restaurants. I tried at one, but they were closed, just prepping for the dinner crowd. They kicked me out. Here you can see roughly one side of a third of the distance of one direction.
Julie and I spent some time Friday evening and then a return visit on Sunday. We were all prepared with measurements for areas in our house that need art. No such luck. Our only purchases were a few gifts. We did much better last year.
The shoppers were busy shopping. The artists tried to stay alert on their feet for yet one more day. This kid had it figured out though. He just curled up in a chair and slept as thousands of people walked by.
Hopefully next year will be more productive.
The only way to really see the size is to take a picture from upstairs on the deck of one of the restaurants. I tried at one, but they were closed, just prepping for the dinner crowd. They kicked me out. Here you can see roughly one side of a third of the distance of one direction.
Julie and I spent some time Friday evening and then a return visit on Sunday. We were all prepared with measurements for areas in our house that need art. No such luck. Our only purchases were a few gifts. We did much better last year.
The shoppers were busy shopping. The artists tried to stay alert on their feet for yet one more day. This kid had it figured out though. He just curled up in a chair and slept as thousands of people walked by.
Hopefully next year will be more productive.
Things that just won't die
Have you noticed how things being made today just don't seem to last like "they used to make them"? I find that products seem to understand their warranty and fail just after it expires. Sometimes you run across the exceptions.
Back in January, Barbie Reid came out to visit us and do some skiing. Unfortunately she tore her ACL on the mountain. She got home, eventually had surgery and is now mending well. Not long after getting home, she sent us a "thank you for my visit and for ruining my knee" gift, a nice white lily. We water the plant about once a month if we remember. In response to all this love and attention, it has bloomed nonstop since we got it. This is going on 7 months!
I buy the dog cheap toys. One way to find them cheap is to get them off season, like Halloween pumpkin toys in December. Instead of having the traditional squeaker, this has an electronic voice that when squeezed says "Trick or Treat". We are at two and a half years and this $5 toy still talks.
And finally, before we started Ganymede Software, John Walker and I managed a group of people doing technical marketing for two of IBM's networking technologies: APPC and APPN. We made some marketing giveaways for conferences, including the luggage tag you see below. The technologies are now either dead or at least meaningless, but this luggage tag from about 1993 is still traveling the world!
I wish there was a much longer list of things that last incredibly well, but that just doesn't seem to be the case.
Back in January, Barbie Reid came out to visit us and do some skiing. Unfortunately she tore her ACL on the mountain. She got home, eventually had surgery and is now mending well. Not long after getting home, she sent us a "thank you for my visit and for ruining my knee" gift, a nice white lily. We water the plant about once a month if we remember. In response to all this love and attention, it has bloomed nonstop since we got it. This is going on 7 months!
I buy the dog cheap toys. One way to find them cheap is to get them off season, like Halloween pumpkin toys in December. Instead of having the traditional squeaker, this has an electronic voice that when squeezed says "Trick or Treat". We are at two and a half years and this $5 toy still talks.
And finally, before we started Ganymede Software, John Walker and I managed a group of people doing technical marketing for two of IBM's networking technologies: APPC and APPN. We made some marketing giveaways for conferences, including the luggage tag you see below. The technologies are now either dead or at least meaningless, but this luggage tag from about 1993 is still traveling the world!
I wish there was a much longer list of things that last incredibly well, but that just doesn't seem to be the case.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Smart man? Sissy boy?
As I have mentioned numerous times, I am running a lot to try and qualify for the Boston Marathon. As a side event, I have always admired the brutality of a local summer run in Park City called the Jupiter Peak Steeplechase.
You start at the base of the Park City Ski Resort and run eight miles up to the top of Jupiter Peak. Then you run back down. 3,000 feet vertical each way. I did my shortened but steeper version of this the other day. I figured I was in better shape to run this now than I have been in a long while, so what the heck? The race is next weekend, August 8th.
Jupiter is the tall one under the cloud.
The smart/sissy in me has decided to blow it off. I was talking to a very accomplished runner about my brilliant training plans. He told me I was being an idiot and that a run like that would cost me weeks of my marathon training.
OK, the marathon is a lot more important to me but if I really do run Boston next year, I should be in great shape to prance up Jupiter next August!
You start at the base of the Park City Ski Resort and run eight miles up to the top of Jupiter Peak. Then you run back down. 3,000 feet vertical each way. I did my shortened but steeper version of this the other day. I figured I was in better shape to run this now than I have been in a long while, so what the heck? The race is next weekend, August 8th.
Jupiter is the tall one under the cloud.
The smart/sissy in me has decided to blow it off. I was talking to a very accomplished runner about my brilliant training plans. He told me I was being an idiot and that a run like that would cost me weeks of my marathon training.
OK, the marathon is a lot more important to me but if I really do run Boston next year, I should be in great shape to prance up Jupiter next August!
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Another happy hike
Went for a hike with Julie today. We went up to almost 10,000 feet in elevation, where the flowers are still blooming. They were everywhere....
and every color.
This is the Solitude ski area in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
You can look through the Wasatch Mountains, all the way across the Salt Lake Valley, and see a distant mountain in the Oquirrh range.
Julie with a majestic background.
The trail we were hiking had lots of hikers and bikers today, even though to get to it you had to climb something known locally as Puke Hill. It's a steep access road with about a 900 foot gain.
Ignoring the crowds, a large bull moose had hunkered down in the aspens, only about 100 yards off the trail. Even at hiking speeds you had to look very close to notice a different shade of brown in the trees. In spite of Julie's angst, I walked down to get a better view and a picture of him. I watched very him carefully. As long as he didn't bother to stand up, I didn't have to bother to run screaming like a scared little girl.
The photo is with a 200mm lens. If you double click to see a bigger picture, you can see how fuzzy his new antlers are.
After our hike we treated ourselves to a Royal Street lunch, our first of the summer. Yummmmm!
and every color.
This is the Solitude ski area in Big Cottonwood Canyon.
You can look through the Wasatch Mountains, all the way across the Salt Lake Valley, and see a distant mountain in the Oquirrh range.
Julie with a majestic background.
The trail we were hiking had lots of hikers and bikers today, even though to get to it you had to climb something known locally as Puke Hill. It's a steep access road with about a 900 foot gain.
Ignoring the crowds, a large bull moose had hunkered down in the aspens, only about 100 yards off the trail. Even at hiking speeds you had to look very close to notice a different shade of brown in the trees. In spite of Julie's angst, I walked down to get a better view and a picture of him. I watched very him carefully. As long as he didn't bother to stand up, I didn't have to bother to run screaming like a scared little girl.
The photo is with a 200mm lens. If you double click to see a bigger picture, you can see how fuzzy his new antlers are.
After our hike we treated ourselves to a Royal Street lunch, our first of the summer. Yummmmm!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Keep your balls out of your mouth!
Here's a sign from our local golf course. Seems like something you wouldn't really have to tell anyone.
Today's little visitor
Jasper was down off the deck at in a part of the yard where he normally doesn't hang out. This made Julie curious. She saw that jasper had cornered this little raccoon behind one of our AC compressors.
Fortunately, we were home to call Jasper off and after a while the raccoon wandered off. As cute as they are, they have sharp claws, sharp teeth and can carry rabies. I would prefer the raccoon to remember our house as a very scary one and to stay away.
In the past week or two, we have had chipmunks, squirrels, fox, deer and moose around the house. Quite the little zoo.
Fortunately, we were home to call Jasper off and after a while the raccoon wandered off. As cute as they are, they have sharp claws, sharp teeth and can carry rabies. I would prefer the raccoon to remember our house as a very scary one and to stay away.
In the past week or two, we have had chipmunks, squirrels, fox, deer and moose around the house. Quite the little zoo.
Running grinds to a halt
In all my running training, I knew the most important thing was to keep getting stronger without getting hurt. Seem to have blown that one lately.
I probably ran too hard about a week ago with the half marathon followed by a run up to Jupiter Peak. Somewhere along the way, I knotted up my right calf. Even after four days of ice, stretching, heat and Ibuprofen, my slow four mile run this morning became a shitty two mile run and two mile walk. It just keeps knotting up. This appears to be my body's way of saying "stop making me run so hard you old fart!"
I went and got a massage this afternoon so I am hoping the masseuse was better at loosening it up than I have been. Quite the bummer.
I probably ran too hard about a week ago with the half marathon followed by a run up to Jupiter Peak. Somewhere along the way, I knotted up my right calf. Even after four days of ice, stretching, heat and Ibuprofen, my slow four mile run this morning became a shitty two mile run and two mile walk. It just keeps knotting up. This appears to be my body's way of saying "stop making me run so hard you old fart!"
I went and got a massage this afternoon so I am hoping the masseuse was better at loosening it up than I have been. Quite the bummer.
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