eight feet (plus four paws) in the fort

Firsts

2012-01-07T09:49:00.001-07:00

Video from Z's first day of earning turns:

No Snow?

2011-12-29T11:19:00.002-07:00

"Weather is a great metaphor for life - sometimes it's good, sometimes it's bad, and there's nothing much you can do about it but carry an umbrella." ~Terri Guillemets

Colorado's had a slow start to the snow season. The lack of snow is amplified especially in comparison to last year, one of the largest snow years ever. Somehow, though, I've been managing to have as much fun skiing as ever. Even if the snow has been underwhelming, I've thoroughly enjoyed the exploration of a few big backcountry days, the fun of skiing resort groomers with my kids, photographing the extraordinary mid-winter light and an incredible day of hiking and skiing w/ Z. Conditions in town (where we're ahead of typical averages for snow) have been really fun with skate skiing on the golf course and ice skating at the neighborhood park.

Z ready for a backcountry run in 3,2,1...

Go!

The hike up on a particularly nice early December day.

The turns down on that same day.

Proof.

Rocky Mt National Park just before Xmas.

We found one little place where the wind doesn't blow.

"The hiking was easy" he told me.

Almost there.

Winter sun & wind

It's the Light

2011-11-28T15:33:00.001-07:00

Something about the northern New Mexico light always brings out the camera.

B&W

2011-11-14T13:55:00.001-07:00

A black and white series from a recent day in the hills:

Haiti 2.0

2011-10-30T10:48:00.000-06:00

Thoughts on a second trip to Haiti, September 2011

A trip to Haiti, or any developing country, for that matterwill quickly help put your life in perspective and help you appreciate allthose little things that make life tick back home. Take a moment from the second day of my most recent trip,for example. It’s an almost absurdscene watching an expensive 1000-pound fluoroscopy x-ray unit being unloadedoff the back of a truck by hand. No heavy equipment, no crane, and no dolly for that matter. It’s been a great challenge and successstory to get to this point after the machine was generously donated by (ourlocal) Poudre Valley Hospital, money was raised for the logistics of shipping ahalf-ton, unwieldy machine to Haiti. I’m reminded that nothing is easyhere. But it also makes things wemight not think twice about extra special to the Haitians. Consider that afterthe unloading of the unit the locals carried off every last bit of packingmaterial and cardboard to be used in their homes.

We’d hoped the x-ray machine would help us complete anOrthopedic mission dreamed up by my friend Jana Gottino and me where we wouldhelp earthquake victims with follow-up they needed after the initial medicalteams came and left. We started this trip with high hopes and expectations but temperedthem, knowing they can lead to disappointment when you are heading toHaiti. We put together a team of13 people from Colorado with an orthopedist, a pediatrician, nurses, anengineer, a massage therapist, a photographer and great support staff. I wasoverwhelmed when I asked PVH if they knew where to get a hold of old x-rayequipment and they donated a fluoroscopy unit. Since so much work went intotrying to get the unit shipped to Haiti, it was discouraging when we showed upthere and it had not arrived. Team spirit soared when it arrived the next day,only one day late!

When I left for this second trip to Haitian ChristianMission in Fond Parisien I wondered if anything in Haiti would have improvedsince my June 2010 trip, but I was pleasantly surprised by at least a fewthings. Some of the earthquake rubble in Port au Prince was indeed cleaned up.New villages are being built for people from the tent cities and one even hadgardens in front of each structure and a playground.

But because much of the initial influx of aid immediatelyfollowing the earthquake has now waned some conditions are now unfortunatelyworse. This time the electricity was off for hours at a time daily. The kidswere not allowed to attend school the weeks we were there because of a“presidential mandate” even though it is a private school and they get nopublic funding. Cholera, just introduced in the last year, has now killed over30,000 Haitians.

Despite all of this, this trip was even more rewarding thanmy previous trip because of our fantastic team dynamics and the feeling that wewere able to accomplish some of what we set out to do. Our goal was to do smallsurgeries with low risk so as to help without doing more harm like causingsecondary infections.

Even though our focus was these minor surgeries, Haitianscome from far away with every conceivable malady. One of the most memorable parts of my trip was anobstetrical case. A pregnant woman showed up with the baby’s umbilical cordexposed below the baby’s head. This is an obstetrical emergency because it willquickly cause fetal death from cord compression. John, our pediatrician heldthe head off of the cord and we were able to hear that the baby still had aheartbeat. We decided to start a Cesearan section on the mother. The 2anesthesia providers, the pediatrician and I have attended hundreds of thosesurgeries but none of us had ever performed the surgery alone. We worked wellas a team in less than ideal conditions with the electricity out and the wronginstruments and had a good outcome with a healthy mom and baby. This experience exemplifies what it islike to practice medicine in Haiti where excessive bureaucracy and malpracticefear are removed and we can focus solely on the question of whether or not wecan help a person with only the people and limited tools available.

However, the high points are contrasted with equally lowones. For example, I’ll never forget when a lifeless young woman was carried inwith diarrhea and fever. She was so dehydrated from her cholera that we couldnot even get a blood pressure to register on her and she was the closest livingthing to death I’ve ever seen looking like a skeleton with sunken black eyes.This is an image that will stick with me forever.

The most lasting and powerful gifts from my trip are myrelationships with the Haitian interpreters. HCM provides the mission teamswith interpreters who have grown up attending their schools. These people arebrilliant young men and women who speak multiple languages and have evenlearned impressive amounts of medicine from visiting physicians. They are soeager to learn but they have exhausted the Haitian educational system and evenif they could get higher education they might not find employment in a countrywhere few people can work.

It’s hard to understand but I’m comforted by the belief thatthere is good in the world and that the human spirit can overcome hardships ifwe simply work together and know that things can change. It’s humbling and inspiringto see these interpreters have such positive attitudes and strong faith despitetheir lack of opportunity and lot in life.

Mytrips remind me not to take my shelter, my clean water, my electricity, myfood, my opportunities and even my education for granted. I feel blessed tohave what I have and all that I have learned from the Haitian people.

Highlights

2011-10-20T09:39:00.002-06:00

The 2010-2011 ski season was one giant highlight reel. It started early, went late and never really stopped snowing in between. Here's what the camera saw. One for the ages.

Tour de Fat 2011

2011-09-06T11:04:00.001-06:00

Not much to say about this craziness except it's becoming my favorite day of the year in Fort Fun.

Imprinting

2011-07-09T08:09:00.009-06:00

I grew up with a rocky canyon for a backyard; aspen trees and higher terrain were in the neighborhood, too. But trips we took to the high, cool mountains of Colorado left a lasting impression on me.

My sister and me 27 years ago at a friend's cabin in Mt. Crested Butte. It's still there. And the view is unchanged.

These places still mean a lot to me. Being able to "imprint" the sights, sounds, and smells of the Colorado high country on our kids is great fun. Circle of life, eh?

This trip was all about bikes. Bikes, bikes, bikes. Dirt jumps, singletrack, riding lifts, biking around town.

Oh, and flowers. This trip was about flowers, too.

Happy Birthday, America!

My Dad rolls his fat tire cruiser under the backdrop of the Butte:
Here's to hoping some places never change.

Point of View

2011-06-22T13:06:00.002-06:00

The perspective from my bike seat last weekend:

(1)

(2)

(3)

Vedauwoo - Land of the Earthbound Spirit

2011-06-13T09:32:00.005-06:00

We took a little northern pilgrimage this weekend to bask in the view of surreal stacked and balanced boulders and to sacrifice a few marshmallows into the fire.

This place Rocks!

Free Solo:

Hiiiiiii-Ya!

Garden Tour is just getting started:

Aspen Leaves:

Sundowner Part 1

Sundowner Part 2

Favorites

2011-05-27T10:44:00.003-06:00

There are a lot of ways to link together the 25+ miles of trails in Horsetooth Mountain Park. But including a climb of Audra Culver and a descent of Wathen never gets old.

Historic Snow Pack

2011-05-18T14:44:00.004-06:00

Up high in the mountains in our neck of the woods it's been an incredible snow year. We skied powder day after powder day and knew it was good. But now were seeing just how big a year it really was. Snow pack measurements are showing 200% of normal, but the proof is easy to see for yourself.

I skied a favorite line of mine on Sunday and took a picture from the same place as when I skied the line 2 years ago (pretty much an average year).

April 2009:

May 2011:

Fun. The boaters are frothing at the mouth waiting for the river to come up. Almost makes me want to take up kayaking again. Almost. :)

And the result of playing around with my new camera. Music is by Steve Martin. Yes, *that* Steve Martin.

For the Birds

2011-05-02T11:39:00.003-06:00

GBH in the backyard:

2011's new crop of owletts:

Mary Jane

2011-04-25T14:55:00.004-06:00

Had some fun skiing with my camera last week.

Hu-why-eee

2011-03-23T11:56:00.006-06:00

Have you ever wished you could bottle a moment in time? I’m sitting at my desk here in Colorado on a cool, windy, dry March day trying to uncork a minute from just a week ago in Hawaii.

Its 78 degrees, with a refreshing ocean breeze blowing; my hair and board shorts are still wet from the ocean and I can feel the salt water in my nose. My mind is fully converted to “island time” where I don’t have a schedule and the constant and reassuring sound of the surf is always in the background like a rocking chair for my psyche. The recent gentle rush of riding a surfboard down a wave has left a smile on my face and the excitement of swimming next to a sea turtle is still palpable. I’m watching the kids. Z is imitating the older teenagers launching off waves with a boogie board and M is playing contentedly in the sand and surf.

It’s just a fleeting instant, but it’s a good one; a vacation in every sense of the word.

And in pictures:

M cruises a wave:

Z could not get enough of the surf:

The majestic Na Pali coast, bird's-eye view:
Cliff hike:

Gotta make your own shade:

Swimming with the fishies:

Color:
Sun up:

to sun down:

Home away from Home

2011-03-07T20:51:00.006-07:00

We're headed to the tropics next week and when we get back it will be spring, so I've been wrapping my head around what a great winter it's been. The mountains have been home away from home more than ever this year.

Here's a collection from the last few weeks.

This spot is a favorite of mine. With changes in the weather, time of day and the slow progression of the season, the shot never looks the same:

Version 1:

Version 2:

Version 3:

Cameron Pass has as much or more snow than in any season in 30 years, but we did manage a few sunny days:

Self portrait from a day riding lifts:
Where is everybody?

As much about the up as the down:

Kid Vid

2011-02-27T19:46:00.001-07:00

Determination.

Big Snow

2011-02-06T13:27:00.004-07:00

Some snow was in the forecast yesterday, but we headed up into the brunt of a huge storm. There was over a foot of new in the parking lot when we got there and nearly another foot on the car when we were done 6 hours later. Obviously not the best day for having a camera out, but this gives the general idea. Wow. One of the deeper days I've ever skied.

Snow Fun

2011-01-23T16:52:00.005-07:00

Opposite of "no fun" must be "snow fun."

Couldn't ask for more than to wake up to this view:

Z warms up:

Looks like the right day for the new fat sticks:

Conditions varied throughout the day. Sometimes it was snowing hard, while other times it was snowing *really* hard:

Toughkids making Dad proud:

Frame grab from a video. Z gets deep:

Good Day

2011-01-11T11:32:00.004-07:00

Soft, deep snow, great terrain, and my good friend, Bob, added up to a excellent day sliding on the snow.

Out with the Old

2011-01-07T18:29:00.005-07:00

In with the New. A few pictures from the end of 2010 and the beginning of 2011.

Two from a sweet early morning ski day a few weeks ago:

New Year's Eve was the coldest day I've ever skied. Minus 15 in the lot, dropping from there, but at least it was windy, too. Camera was frozen most of the day, but did manage this one:

This fox spend the night curled up on our landscape rock:

And a suburban bird:

Family Ski Trip

2010-12-24T10:57:00.002-07:00

We're back from a snowy family ski week in Winter Park. Lots of fun.

Giving Thanks

2010-12-13T21:19:00.003-07:00

Thanksgiving in NM. Hardly had the camera out, but for one sunrise:

Ghost Walking

2010-11-29T20:41:00.001-07:00

Saturday project for M and me:

Looks like winter, feels like winter, smells like winter...

2010-11-20T20:08:00.004-07:00

Must be winter.

Felt fortunate to ski on a beautiful early November day last week. The sun was out for a while and the picture taking was good. Then the clouds came...

Ski Season

2010-11-14T20:37:00.001-07:00

I've been acquiring material for the new season, so I better post up this "Best of 09-10 Ski Season" video before it gets stale.

Where were we?

2010-11-09T20:44:00.002-07:00

Pictures have been piling up...

The Sun, the moon, critters and kiddos

2010-09-26T09:52:00.006-06:00

Shorter days, cooler nights, the Harvest Moon, and football season. For some reason Fall inspires me to pull out the camera again.

An August sunset:

M gives the "thumbs up" before tearing up a few miles of aspen-lined singletrack:

M smiles by the Yampa River:

We've been seeing this tail-less fox every evening:

Eleven-year-old portrait:

Pigskin:

(A few days past) the Harvest Moon:

The Big Dipper from a moonlight hike at Bobcat Ridge:

Playing under the moon:

Summer Smorgasbord

2010-08-05T14:18:00.002-06:00

Smorgasbord: collection containing a variety of sorts of things. So there ya go.

Random dress up night for the girls while watching a baseball game:

Heretofore mentioned baseball game:

Backyard color:

Riding my bike in big circles (photo courtesy of (read: stolen from) the Laramie MTB Series):

M poses in the late evening summer light. Always true, but this summer especially, it's like I can see her growing up right before my very eyes. *sigh*

S smashing a little yellow ball:

And, very few things are as satisfying as picking and eating something delicious off a plant in your backyard:

Ho Hum, More of the Same

2010-07-21T11:01:00.003-06:00

Had an opportunity for some more Colorado high-country riding earlier this week. Another day of cool temps, thin air, rain, fast and flowy dirt, rocky and rooty trails, lung-busting climbs, mind-blowing scenery -- who could resist?

This time it was Summit County. I needed to drop the kiddos off in Keystone for their week of parent-free adventure, leaving me with the afternoon for exploring. I was having a hard time narrowing down my list of "must-do" trails, so I attempted to ride them all. (It felt that way, I guess, but I really only scratched the surface). Gold Hill - Peaks - Carter Park - Little French - Colorado Trail. Bit off a little more than I could chew, but c'est la vie.

Transformation of the Colorado landscape. The beetles have changed the forests from green to brown to gray and now (in Summit Co especially) they're logging the dead trees. Makes more room for the wildflowers, I suppose.

A tough week and the culmination of months of bike riding left me feeling a little empty even at the beginning of this ride. Luckily just 90 minutes or so in put me in town where I filled up on some junk food, er, prime endurance fuel, I mean:
Last time I was through these parts I was chasing several hundred other wheels and barely pulled my nose off of the handlebars. So I took a little more time to see the sights this time around:

I didn't bring a watch on this ride, but pretty soon the afternoon showers passed and the sun started sinking low to the west. The nice light brought the camera back out:

This trail has got a section on it like no other I know. Fast, and mostly buttery smooth for miles and miles. A payback for the long climb up the other side. Puts me in an absolutely fantastic frame of mind. Then to slow down and soak in a view like this is icing on the cake.

More Summer Adventures

2010-07-18T08:51:00.004-06:00

From a trip to Aspen last week:

Big hill:

Columbines:

Bike-cam:

Z rides:

Skinny trail:

Taking a break out of the rain:

M rides:

Z flies:

Not Exactly Red White and Blue

2010-07-08T14:16:00.003-06:00

Not exactly red, white, and blue, but I did spend the 4th in a very colorful local. I was pointing the camera all over the place, here are a few of the keepers.

These guys (as per usual) were plentiful:

Happy Dog:

How about purple, blue and green. Close enough.

Familiar view:

Camp:

And a pretty nice place to eat a granola bar:

A Week in Haiti

2010-06-26T08:37:00.006-06:00

Guest Blogger! Susie's summary of her incredible week in Haiti with the Help Haiti-Santiam Mission is below (written with the help of her ghost writer, me).
------
First of all, I need to give a heartfelt “Thank You” to everyone who has offered their support (financial and otherwise) and interest in my trip. The range of physical and emotional experiences in only a single week was like nothing I’ve ever gone through. I’m still adjusting to my starkly contrasting life and medical practice here and trying to process all that happened. (Not to mention, I’m still trying to catch up on some sleep, too). Everyone has asked me how things went, and my response has typically just been one word: “crazy.” Below is my attempt to provide a little more detail and a glimpse into my experience in one tiny piece of Haiti.

Like everyone, I was horrified by the news and images from Haiti when the earthquake struck in January 2010. I knew the situation was desperate before the disaster, but I didn’t realize until I looked it up that Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere. (For a fascinating explanation of why things are the way they are in Haiti, and especially why they’re so much worse than the other half of the island (the Dominican Republic), I recommend the Haiti chapter from Jared Diamond’s book, Collapse.) However, no pictures or news reports could have ever prepared me for what it was like to be there, interact with the Haitian people and to be a care provider. It seemed almost as if the earthquake was last week, not 5 months ago. Rubble, debris and trash are everywhere and even the President’s palace is still in ruins.
Millions have been moved into tent cities, but there didn’t seem to be any progress towards rebuilding.

So this spring, when my friend Paul Neumann from the Fort Collins residency invited me to join their Stayton, Oregon based team on a mission trip I jumped at the chance without hesitation. Paul has a partner who is Haitian who had been to the mission even before the earthquake and their hospital sent a team in January as well. My kids are now old enough and can understand my desire to do this.

Many of you helped me to raise the almost $3000 for medical supplies that we carried down stuffed into our maximum weight-limit checked baggage. Four of us Coloradoans joined the Oregon team: Steve Tippin (an office partner of mine), Brooke Tippin (Steve’s daughter and a nurse at Children's in Denver) and J Gottino, (a massage therapist who is about to start nursing school).
(L to R:J, Susie, Mrs. Betty Prophete, who started HCM, Brooke and Steve)

We spent the week at the Haitian Christian Mission in Fond-Parisien (they have several other sites, too). (Fond-Parisien is about 20 miles east of Port-au-Prince near the Dominican border). This organization was set up in 1974 by the Prophet family. Now in Fond-Parisien there is a small hospital (one open room with 6 beds and an OR and a delivery room), a clinic with living quarters for visitors above, a school and a church.

There is a tent city like this one on the Mission grounds now too after the earthquake.

Monday through Friday we ran urgent care first-come, first-serve clinics and saw almost 200 patients per day (I’m estimating well over a thousand patients for the week, but no records to verify). The patients would begin to line up outside starting at 3:30 in the morning!

We saw the entire spectrum of horrible human ailments including things I’ve never seen in my 15-years of practicing medicine. Many untreated chronic medical issues, skin infections from the living conditions and malnourished and dehydrated children were common examples.
But we also spent a day trying to help a man who was crushed by a sausage box (!) falling off a passing Tap-Tap (the colorful, overloaded buses named for the “tap-taping” of passengers to get on or off). This was one of the most heart-wrenching experiences for the whole team as the problems of getting a backboard (we used a church pew!), “ambulance,” an x-ray machine, etc. were nearly impossible and he ended up paralyzed below the neck. Difficult medicine in the best of circumstances, but with limited resources and no referral sources, we were often left shaking our heads or in tears, helpless.

Example of the colorful and ubiquitous "Tap-Tap" buses.

The "best" hospital in all of Haiti where our cervical spinal injury patient was finally taken.

Some of my most rewarding experiences come through creating lasting relationships with many folks working at the Mission (the Haitian translators and “administrators”) my fellow team members, and many of the patients we interacted with.

My "clinic" for the week and my awesome Creol translators, Zachary, VJ, and Figgins.

Steve's "clinic."

My new lifetime friends, Sabine and J.

Much of the “medicine” we did was just the most basic things: hydration, treatment for parasites, or basic pain meds. Since these things are so lacking they can make a huge difference. The Haitian people were beautiful, gracious and a joy to be around, despite their seemingly hopeless circumstance.

Sweet Brooke. The children loved to see their images on our cameras.

Did I make a difference? I honestly don’t know. The scale of the existing problems in Haiti coupled with a horrific natural disaster seems overwhelming. But like all big problems, you do whatever bit you can do and certainly there were hundreds of people who’s lives were improved (if only temporarily, in some cases) by our visit. The Mission, as modest as it was, seemed an island of hope, too. Focusing on feeding and educating children as a path forward, they’ll continue to get my support. And, of course, the week has made me examine my own life, to be thankful for the little things (clean running water, yay!) and it feels extra nice to give my kids and hubby those long squeezes.

Oh Canada

2010-06-21T10:11:00.004-06:00

The family spent a week in Banff, Alberta, dodging raindrops, soaking in the majestic scenery and scanning for wildlife. I filled my 4 gig memory card with nearly 500 photos. Most didn't make the cut, but sorting through the rest for a blog post has still be daunting. Anyway, here's a more or less random sampling of the photo evidence.

The classic Lake Louise:

Hiking the Athabasca Glacier:

Weather pours up the valley:

The roar of Lower Johnston Falls:

M and I found all the things we needed to make a doll on the way:

We spotted a few of these guys along the Icefields Parkway. Tried our darnedest to catch a glimpse of their shyer and more exciting cousins, but no such luck.

The whole crew:

And a couple of the kiddos:

Z at the Lake Louise Ski Area:

Great trip to a place I could spend a lot more time in.

White Rim

2010-05-09T21:12:00.007-06:00

Pictures from a long and beautiful day riding bikes in Canyonlands National Park.

Three

2010-04-27T21:00:00.002-06:00

Three fuzzy heads looking at me:

And momma watching from a nearby tree:

LAX

2010-04-04T21:35:00.004-06:00

A few from Z's first lacrosse game on Saturday.

Kinda wondering what they feed those Denver kids?

On the attack:

Levitating:

Pow Day

2010-03-29T09:11:00.002-06:00

The coldest day all winter was a spring day at Loveland.

Zach and his buddy Riley pegged the fun meter. I was just along for the ride.

Wipeout:

V is for Victory:
Proud Papa

Stirring

2010-03-23T07:34:00.008-06:00

Sun one day, snow the next and the critters are stirring. Must be Spring.

Vicious guard dog:

Red Tail out the bedroom window this morning.

Mr. Fox in the backyard.

Art Fair

2010-03-10T20:51:00.003-07:00

Always a highlight of the school year, the kids get to show off all their hard work at the Art Fair.

"Sneeze" by Molly:

Zach by "Reflection"

Z's Chameleon:

"Cupcake" by Molly:

10th Mountain Hut Goodness

2010-02-24T20:23:00.005-07:00

We are just back from a long weekend in Summit County. A family ski day at Copper Mountain; the kids back for school with the Grandparents; then a couple of peaceful snowy days for S and me at 11,600 ft (Janet's Cabin). As always the pictures tell the story.

Goggle Day:

In a cabin in the woods:

Trail building:

Storm self-portrait:

Signatures:

The big boys showed themselves on Tuesday:

Night time from the deck:

Snowscape:

Sky, trees, snow:

S climbs:

Sign of a good day to come when your skis look like this in the morning:

Monarch-Silverton-Red Mountain Video

2010-02-11T11:21:00.001-07:00

Tells the story of our trip. No plot, really, just beautiful hilly places, good friends and loads of soft, fluffy snow.

Hold This Space

2010-02-08T22:30:00.002-07:00

Placeholder for Silverton and Red Mountain Pass pictures. The shutter got a workout.

Good Day

2010-01-26T11:17:00.000-07:00

Reliving some powder memories from a *very* good ski day about 3 weeks ago:

Catching Up

2010-01-20T21:12:00.002-07:00

A few happenings have been piling up in my iPhoto library...

A New Years Moon Set:

A couple from a surreal ski day:

Some Steamboat Howelson Hill love:

Molly learns to skate ski:

And a trouble-making trio:

City of Angels

2009-12-30T20:55:00.004-07:00

A few samplings from our trip to SoCal.

City Lights:

The Pacific:

Some rich guy's house:

Muscle Beach:

Breakfast on the 17th floor:

An old LA resident:

And I guess It Is a Small World After All:

Ski Days

2009-12-20T21:01:00.005-07:00

A collection of photos from several days of skiing this fall:

An eagle along the Poudre:

My two favorite colors: blue and white.

First turns of the year back in November:

B&W:

DA making it look easy:

Up:

Moose:

Nokhu:

Critter:

Z's on the up, S's on the down:
Skin track:

On a Roll

2009-11-14T17:20:00.003-07:00

I'm on a roll with the video camera. Here's one from a bike ride on Veteran's Day, and I've got a ski one in the works.

Longboarding

2009-11-09T08:34:00.002-07:00

Zach and I have been planning to make this video for a while. Been too busy a few times and gotten weathered out a few times, but we finally found the time yesterday. Music is by M Ward.

More Pixels

2009-11-01T20:48:00.003-07:00

Pictures from the last week.

A Sunrise Ahead of the Storm:

Big October Snow:

A Great Blue Heron (GBH) in the backyard:

And a couple of Halloween Rockers:

Catching Up

2009-10-26T21:04:00.005-06:00

Haven't been taking a lot of pictures, but here are a few that have been piling up:

The Z & D Sunday project:

Biking Blue Sky on a Grey Day:

Oso shoots a corn cob:

Z seeks the right pumkin:
Buddies:
S lookin' gooood:
Molly stands on a hay pile:

Walkin' the Dog

2009-10-05T21:03:00.003-06:00

Took the camera along this morning:

The Kids

2009-10-03T08:50:00.005-06:00

Doing their thing last weekend:

Doggie Cam

2009-09-27T09:25:00.001-06:00

Full Speed:

Are you ready...

2009-09-25T11:18:00.001-06:00

for some (ten-year-old) football!

A few more from Nuevo Mexico

2009-09-13T17:57:00.001-06:00

Colors

2009-09-06T11:32:00.005-06:00

In the midst of a wide-open-skies and crystal-clear-colors mini-vacation in New Mexico.

Pup-date

2009-08-16T12:03:00.002-06:00

Getting bigger...and goofier.

biking da 'boat

2009-08-13T21:27:00.002-06:00

A few pixels from last weekend in Steamboat.

Finish Line!

2009-08-10T08:21:00.002-06:00

The Betty Crocker Rockers!

195 miles, 32 hours, and still lookin' good:

Three from the Weekend

2009-07-27T11:04:00.001-06:00

one:

two:

three:

Nooner

2009-07-23T08:30:00.002-06:00

Some lunch breaks are better than others. Every once in a while I can squeeze this one in. A short drive and 45 minutes of pedaling puts me here:

It rained almost 3 inches on Monday night in this area. Most of the trail held up ok, but parts here and there took a beating:

WWMBD

2009-07-20T10:43:00.004-06:00

I needed to rendezvous in Salida on Friday evening with my (long lost) children.

What Would a Mountain Biker Do (WWMBD)? Plan a few rides on route, of course.

Enjoying the view. 12,000' on the Colorado Trail:

Near Salida I took a spin on the spectacular Rainbow Trail.
Salida:

Wasn't a bad weekend for some river time, either:

Summer time ride

2009-07-16T22:16:00.001-06:00

Beautiful summer night for a ride. It was like our own private trail -- didn't see a sole.

Masterpieces

2009-07-13T19:43:00.002-06:00

Two recent kiddo works of art to share.

Y-O-Ming

2009-07-12T17:48:00.002-06:00

Mountain Bikers at Curt Gowdy State Park = Kids in a Candy Store

4th of July at Two Miles High

2009-07-05T21:18:00.004-06:00

We took to the hills for the long weekend:

Puppy meets wildflowers:

Roadside views:

Picked up some sleep-deprived campers:

Then spent a few days in Breckenridge.

Riding bikes:
Z tries out the race course. This shot was captured seconds before he launched over the berm and landed spectacularly on his bike. Ouch!

Just after chasing 750 other bikers over hill and dale for 5+ hours:

Happy B-Day America.

And Mother Nature's light show this morning.

Who needs sleep

2009-06-28T10:08:00.006-06:00

Ahhh, the joys of a new puppy.

Current score:
"Lucky the Puppy": 7 nights vs. "Good Nights Sleep": 0 nights

:)

The little mutt has been dominating our lives, but she's a pretty fun little guy and I guess we'll probably have to end up keeping her. :)

Pics:

On Monday night me and the puppy enjoyed (me more than her, I think) one of the best electrical storms I've seen around here:

And in the "on the bright side" department, because of the puppy schedule I've seen more sunsets and sunrises in the past week than in the previous 6 months.

Two Big Days

2009-06-21T21:24:00.003-06:00

Saturday I spent the better part of the day pedaling a bike on dirt trails. Flowers and a rattlesnake were the only two occasions for which I pulled out the camera:

Today was Puppy Day. Bell to Bell. :)

Tackling the 'Tooth

2009-06-17T21:31:00.002-06:00

I'm not exactly sure where the motivation came from, but when M told me she wanted to hike to the top of Horsetooth Rock by herself, I was happy to go along.

The Girl powered her way up in solid time. I was super impressed and downright proud.

Super Commute - Road Version

2009-06-15T21:21:00.002-06:00

A few times every year I take the long way home. Here was tonight's version.

Rist Stove Praire from work
Find more Bike Rides in Fort Collins, Colorado

Bike Fest

2009-06-14T20:46:00.003-06:00

Had a bushel of fun at the neighborhood park Family Bike Festival on Saturday.

Bike Polo proved to be an entertaining spectator sport:

These guys appeared to be having a lot of fun:

And Z and M took more than a few turns at the Paperboy Challenge:

Tour de Flores

2009-06-10T10:50:00.003-06:00

Inspired by the pending Firecracker 50, I came up with this ride in Horsetooth: see if I could maximize the total vertical feet climbed with bottom (almost) to top climbs.

Took the day off work and mostly managed to dodge the rain/hail/lightening.

First climb: feeling humid, but cool:

Flowers every which way:

After two climbs and about 3 hours I stopped by the van for a pb&j:

The final two climbs hurt a little more, so the camera stayed away.

Awesome ride in a painful sort of way.

5 hours in the saddle, 32 miles and 7,800 vertical feet climbed. Whew.

Outta Town

2009-06-07T14:09:00.002-06:00

Popped the top on the vee-dub, and broke the seal on our camping season this weekend.

Some neighbor-friends came along, too.

Saw some critters.
Big:
and small:

S stands under Long's Peak:

An artist at work:

Raging spring waters:

And big colorful skies:

June 3rd?

2009-06-03T21:13:00.003-06:00

Full spectrum bike ride.

Sun:

Rain:

Hail:
Almost expected it to start snowing somewhere. :)

Ski Now, Pay Later

2009-06-01T20:54:00.004-06:00

We rallied up to Rocky Mountain National Park for what was most likely my final ski day of the season on Sunday. Super fun crew, lottsa snow, and good weather made the score 3 for 3 on the day.

Skied a "backwards" line: drive to 12,000 ft, ski down 2000 ft and boot back up. Good for an instant gratification ski fix.

Cue soundtrack. How about "Highway to the Danger Zone": :)

May goes out in style:

Chris turns:

My turn, photo by Chris:

Bob shows us the way back up:

More backwards. Raining in town, sun on the peaks.

Chris still working to perfect his Blue Steel.

Long's Peak:

And back to the car before the hurricane touches down:

Tourney Champs

2009-05-31T21:04:00.001-06:00

Puppy Shopping

2009-05-23T21:46:00.002-06:00

Stopped at the Boulder Farmers Market on the way:

I'm guessing those are organic nachos and free range funnel cakes :)

Fuzzy drowsy puppies (3 1/2 weeks old):

Riding between the raindrops

2009-05-21T21:36:00.005-06:00

Starting to make a habit of this Wednesday night thing.

jl u-turns:

greeen:

clouds (a):
clouds (b):

jl pushes his zero speed (that's his chain he's carrying in his hand)

artificial daylight:

and the route:

Pegging the Fun-o-meter

2009-05-17T20:57:00.007-06:00

S & M jetted off to Oregon for a girls weekend. Not to be outdone, Z and I worked pretty hard at our own funhog weekend here in the FoCo.

Friday, Stop 1, New downtown Skate Park:

Stop 2: Who screams for ice cream.
Friday night we watched this:
Some dust flew in my eye and it got all watered up (again just like the last time I saw it, and like back when I was 10 and it happened for real). Great story.

Saturday:

Today we capped it off with a mountain biking, dirt jumping, lake swimming funapalooza.

Who needs daylight?

2009-05-14T20:50:00.003-06:00

Some sights from yesterdays' evening + night bike ride.

Owl Update

2009-05-09T20:18:00.002-06:00

Here's a picture from yesterday of the Momma and one of the owlets. The trees are leafing out and the owlets are stretching their wings so it won't be long until they're off on their own.

Again?

2009-05-07T21:54:00.003-06:00

Funny how the human brain tends to forget painful experiences. (Explains multiple childbirths, I suppose). After only 6 months the suffering of this ride was only a distant memory. Did it again Wednesday night to refresh the exerience. ;)

Jeff brought along his map-geek toy:

V-D-O

2009-05-05T09:22:00.003-06:00

Worked through a little video from the Hut trip, too.

An amazing place, some crazy weather and of course some creamy powder turns are the themes.

Thanks to CJ for turning me on to the music.

Happy Birthday to Me

2009-05-03T20:42:00.003-06:00

For my birthday I got a billion little white presents all falling right outside my front door and waiting for me first thing in the morning. (Plus the undivided attention of my favorite person to share it with.) :)

Weekend in pictures

2009-04-26T21:31:00.002-06:00

Friday:

Rain/snow last weekend made for perfectly tacky hero-dirt trails this weekend. Saw a total of one other person on this ride. Sweet.

Saturday. Z did some ball kicking. No pics though. This is from the Eightfeet archives.

M debuted her first original composition here:

Sunday:

Got lucky and saw the Rocks actually win.

Got double lucky as the rain held off until the end:
I think we packed in enough fun to get us through the week.

Spring Happenings

2009-04-21T20:59:00.004-06:00

Stopped by the owl nest this morning and saw Momma owl leaving to hunt:

Figured that must mean the owlets would be seen soon, so I stopped by on the way home, too. Sure 'nuff there were a couple of fuzzy heads in there:

...and all those April showers brought some not-yet-May flowers:

Let's get ready to ruuuumble!

2009-04-16T18:34:00.001-06:00

Z and I race the Pinewood Derby on Saturday.

Roadside Attraction

2009-04-13T10:34:00.005-06:00

It says something about the vastness of the Never Summer range that this peak, spectacular and looming right over the road, has no name. But labeled or not, the descent is irresistible.

The "Outdoor Stairmaster," as DA called it:

The day started out grey...

...but ended with blue sky and warm sunshine.

The video tells the story. Climb, ski, satisfaction.

a to z from Eight Feet on Vimeo.

Just like Lyle says...

2009-04-09T21:34:00.003-06:00

"The sun comes up
in a coffee cup..."

Or in this case, a muddy bike water bottle, I guess. Hmmm. Not sure exactly where I'm going with this. But the sun did come up and I've always liked that song.

Checking on the folks over in Masonville:

A Grouse:

And rollin' home:

Who's watching Whom

2009-04-08T18:35:00.004-06:00

I've been visiting these guys as often as I can to watch for the little fuzzy ones. No babies to see, yet. Those big yellow eyes always see me before I see them.

Momma hasn't left the nest for a few weeks now:

Dad is usually keeping a close watch nearby as well:

Cute Warning

2009-04-07T20:55:00.002-06:00

If you're adverse to cuteness you might just want to skip right over this post and be on your merry internet-surfing way. :)

Baby Borrowing

2009-04-06T20:54:00.002-06:00

We got to borrow this cute baby for a while yesterday and I made this picture:

Old Friend

2009-03-31T20:48:00.003-06:00

The calendar has already told me, but this guy stopped to pose on his way for dinner letting me know that Spring is here:

Adventure Day

2009-03-29T20:37:00.003-06:00

It's nice to see winter go down with at least a little wimper with some snow in town and in the hills, too. DA and I went up to the pass on Saturday to investigate.

Big views were the order of the day:

Puurdy:

Soaking it in

And a video:

Desperate Times

2009-03-22T09:25:00.001-06:00

call for desperate measures. Due to S's work schedule, I found myself on my mountain bike in the dark on a Saturday morning. Never regret an early start, though.

Spring Breakin'

2009-03-18T22:02:00.003-06:00

We just returned from a few glorious sun-shiny days of skiing and hot-spring-soaking in Steamboat Springs. A few of the sights:

A coyote in North Park:

Sunset:

Moonset:

Ski Area:

And the ski crew:

Green

2009-03-17T21:14:00.000-06:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day.

Glad I Brought It

2009-03-09T09:42:00.004-06:00

I don't know how many times I've lugged the big camera skiing only to have the whole day be socked in and never see the sun. But days like yesterday make it worth it. More than a foot of new snow and bluebird. The skiing wasn't half bad either. ;)

Looking alpine:

Jon drops over the horizon:

Bobby frames the Diamond Peaks:

Jon blurs:

My favorite:

Me. Photo by Jon:

Signed, sealed and delivered:

Lunchtime

2009-03-07T14:39:00.002-07:00

Had a front row seat watching this Redtail Hawk make a quick lunch of an unfortunate rodent.