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Massey Monday: Lazy Sunday
After forty days and forty nights of rain (okay, about a week, but seriously), we were fortunate enough to see the sun this Sunday. Let's just say that it was nice. And, of course, the Masalicious wasted no time in showing us how the day should be spent. Let's just say it wasn't her first time. She didn't even want to go run...well, correction she wanted to go for a run the second the sun beam disappeared (and I obliged for about a half hour later). I've been in an instag.ram mood lately so all of the pictures from today are square and vintage-ish. I sure hope that I don't spend too much time missing the sun beam of yesterday!
Muckified
After what seems like weeks of riding in rain and wind every day, I was looking forward to the local CCCX mountain bike race scheduled for Sunday, as Sunday's forecast was sunny and lovely and oh-so-nice. But as luck would have it, the race got rescheduled for Saturday. Saturday's forecast = more rain, more wind, more misery. It turns out those meteorologists know what they are talking about once in awhile. Ft Ord is usually the best place around for getting some mountain biking during the rainy winter months because the sandy soil drains so well. In fact, Ft Ord is at it's best in the winter as everything is generally remains rideable, as opposed to the summer months when huge sandpits make the trails better suited for cyclocross than riding. Unfortunately we've had so much rain over the last week or two that even the Ft Ord trails were a muddy, mucky mess, and the rain was still falling. This was going to be epic.
There's that old adage that goes something like "showing up is half the battle." Well yesterday that was the whole battle. I was the only entrant in the women's pro/expert field. Luckily my old training buddy Sue finally decided to cat up and raced in the expert 35+ category, so we got to race together. She was also the only entrant in her category, so we both won! Don't think that made it easy though! Sue and I love to push each other silly, so we drilled it on the course. She's a ridiculously strong climber, so every time I would get a little gap on the downhill or flat parts, she'd be right back on my rear wheel on every climb. We battled together for the better part of 3 laps and then somehow I got a gap on her.
This photo of rain drops and mud splatters from Tim Westmore pretty much sums up the day.
By the 4th lap the rain was pouring and my rear derailleur was no longer cooperating. The drivetrain wasn't liking all the wet sand. I was left with only the front chainrings, and even then I still had some chain suck issues. I was relieved when I came through the start/finish line at the end of the 4th lap and they told me I was done. We were supposed to do 5, but in those conditions, 4 laps was good enough for me. I haven't done my 'cross races in conditions like that, much less a mountain bike race. Two hours of good hard racing in less-than-ideal conditions...mission accomplished.
The best part of tearing up a drive train in mucky muck conditions is that I have a brand new drive train that will be ready and waiting for me up at Bike Station Aptos this week! Yippie!
Here are a few photos of that Terry took after the race (and after he decided to unlock my car holding all my dry clothes 20 minutes after I'd finished!). You can see that it was a little mucky.
Muddy bike and Wellie's Wellies.
Sometimes I disgust myself.
Lovin' Sue's boots!
Lonely podium (but I'll take it!).
And hats off to teammate Ron Riley for another win! He's 76 years old! So impressive.
Up next...Boggs 8-Hour next Saturday.
Thirsty Thursday: Snow Yosemite
Rambler: Beth Drink at Hand: 2008 Yosemite View Chardonnay...well that worked out rather fortuitously!
The last 2 weeks have been anything but "springlike" around California. Here on the coast we've had some serious rain and a some wind to go along with it, while the Sierra is getting pounded with storm after storm, each dumping feet of snow up there. This week has been so bad in the high country that all the roads to Yosemite are closed from snow, ice, flooding, rockslides, downed trees/power lines, or a combination there of (though I just heard that the main highways will be open again tomorrow). All this talk of a snowy Yosemite Valley made us think back to our own snow-venture we had up there back in 2008. Terry's parents came out to visit for Christmas, and on Christmas day we headed up to the national park, dragging a lovely winter storm along with us that dumped roughly 18" of snow over the course of 2 days.
The great thing about visiting Yosemite in a snow storm on Christmas is that you pretty much have the place to yourself. Unfortunately all the snow made a lot of spots inaccessible, but we were still treated to some fantastic scenery. We all wished we had snowshoes to get off the roads and out of the parking lots for a bit, but it was still beautiful. The snow stuck on the trees for the duration of the three days we were there, which accordingly to locals, is a rarity...it normally falls off or blows off as soon as the sun comes out. Blue skies and snowy trees...doesn't get much better. Enjoy this mix of photos from both of us.
Our first hike shortly after arrival (and chaining up!)
See how hard its snowing?!
Trees and snow...made for black and white.
This is one of my favorite shots ever. Deer butts!!!
It was so cold that Bridal Veil Falls was just barely flowing.
But the Merced River still had plenty of water running.
The next day the sun came out and made everything spectacular. Terry was on fire capturing some dramatic light throughout the Valley.
Two photographers = two perspectives on the same subject.
Clearing storm.
Unfortunately we won't be making it to Yosemite any time soon. I can only imagine how incredible the park must look with all that fresh snow. Perhaps next winter. And next time we are taking snow shoes!!
Two Word Tuesday: Coastal View
Massey Monday: Beach Running
Massey loves the beach. We usually go to Del Monte Beach in Monterey. We decided to go there because her little paws are a bit beat up from the Creek Side Ft Ord trails. I ended up walking about a mile and a bit, while she passed me multiple times and ran the length of the beach more than once. If I had to guess, she ran a bit over 5K. Since it had been a while since we'd ran on the beach, she was afraid of the water (I don't understand it either) again. But, once she saw a pelican or gull fly over the water, her fear just disappeared. She even got quite close to catching a bird (see one of the shots below). She had a great run...and then when we got home, she curled up on her chair under her blanket. Massey could do worse.
Last Week
Last week involved a lot of catching up and finishing up for me. My new job starts soon, and it seems that all those little projects that I had slated to accomplish during my down time just haven't gotten done. Add in a couple of graphic design projects for the Terry and a friend, and it made for a busy week of hovering over the computer. Even though I didn't get to head out on any adventures (besides my bike rides), I did still grab the camera a few times. We have a lovely tree that surprised me with some beautiful spring blossoms.
The CSA box continues to inspire yummy dinners, though I'm getting a little tired of cutting chard leaves from stems. Every week!
My outside Crocs. Appears they need a bath.
Tails of finished projects (scarf and a beanie).
The never-ending scarf. I knit and knit and its still not done!
My cuties posing for the camera. Poor Massey had 2 ticks get her just above the eye. Hopefully her fur will fill back in up there.
And speaking of that never ending scarf and that 4-legged cutie...she decided that the needle holding the stitches on that scarf were a chew toy while I was out for a ride. I came home to the scarf on the ground and only a chewed nub of a needle by it. She had taken all the other pieces in the other room and hidden them under her blanket. Terry found them later. Fortunately she was quite careful when she pulled the needle out of the stitches and I was able to slide a new needle back into place without dropping a stitch. She's a very considerate saboteur.
Thirsty Thursday: Henry Coe State Park
Thirsty Thursday is the third and final of our brand spankin' new weekly recurring posts. Back when we were cadets at the finest institution of higher learning in the entire country, otherwise known as your United States Air Force Academy, we looked forward to Thursday nights. The only bar we had on "campus" would open and Firsties (seniors) could go to Haps Place and enjoy pitchers while all the poor underclassmen were confined to their rooms for study time. It sort of marked the unofficial start of the weekend, even though we still had to go to class and march to lunch and shine our boots and do all the other military stuff required of us on Fridays. So during our Welliver Photography staff meeting last week, we decided that we should have some sort of post on Thursdays about stuff we might do on an upcoming weekend or something we've done on a past weekend. Somehow the words "Thirsty Thursday" rolled off my tongue, and then it was stuck in my head. The idea was born. Each Thursday we'll post some photos meant to inspire our readers to get out there and do something or see something cool. And in keeping with the Thirsty theme, every post will include the drink at hand while writing the post (that will usually be wine for Terry and beer for me). The photos will be a mix from both of us. So without further ado, here's the first installment of Thirsty Thursday.
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Rambler: Beth
Drink: Sapporo Beer...Kampai!
Last weekend we headed up to Henry Coe State Park hoping expecting to find some wildflowers. Coe is known for its spring display of California Poppies, and given the number of flowers we've seen sprouting up at Ft Ord lately coupled with the numerous poppies dotting ditches and pastures around here, we figured we'd see good blooms at Coe as well. Unfortunately, temperatures have been too cold at Coe so far this spring for the wildflowers. We saw about 5 flowers the entire day--and no poppies. Zero.
The great thing about Coe is that its a beautiful place nearly any time of the year (except in the summer when its easily 100° there every day). Rolling, grassy hills, gnarled oak trees, sprawling manzanita groves, and the occasional deer. Coe also gets a thumbs up from me for allowing mountain bikes...its an endlessly challenging playground of fire roads and singletrack if you can carry enough water! We bumped into some guys headed out who had done 50 mi on dirt. Only downside--no dogs allowed, so no Massey adventures.
Here are a few photos from our flowerless hike last weekend, a mix from both of us. Enjoy.
Henry Coe State Park is located roughly 13 miles east of Morgan Hill, CA. Take the E. Dunne Avenue exit off the 101 and then follow the signs. Park admission price: $8.
Enjoy your weekend...get out there and do something!
Two Word Tuesday: Wedding Day
This post is going to have a few more than 2 words, but future Two Word Tuesday posts will not. As a result of our staff meeting that Terry eluded to here yesterday, we came up with a couple of regular features we plan to post each week. Every Tuesday we'll be posting a photo and just 2 words to describe it. That's all. Pretty simple, eh? So without further ado (and as a bit of a happier post than last Friday's about our beloved Japan), here is the first installment of Two Word Tuesday.
A Case of the Masseys
Because every Monday is another Monday and you just need something to brighten your day. So, as a result of our Friday Welliver Photography staff meeting (see Beth's recent twitpic), we have decided to start (or end) every Monday with a post about Massey...Massey Monday. There's something about coming home after work and seeing the little ball of excitement that strips all you stress and worries away. Every time I come home I'm reminded of Hobbes waiting for Calvin to come home from a long day at school. So, every Monday, we will be posting a picture or two of her, along with a bit of her story through our eyes. Sometimes they'll be pictures from the weekend or sometimes they'll be pictures from her puppihood or sometimes they'll just be lazy shots taken with an iPhone. These pictures are her in her element...birding. Although she has yet to catch one, she sure does try and she sure looks like she's having a good time. Birding, or course, starts off with the search...then the chase (often times water seems to creep into the mix)...and usually ends with her running as fast as she can back to me. I can just hear the words, "Did you see me...did you, did you, did you?" And then, we usually repeat. By the way, she does not distinguish between bird species whether a quail, hawk, goose, or duck...a bird is a bird is a bird.
Remembering Japan
The horrific images coming from Japan this morning are positively heartbreaking to me. Japan was our home for three and a half years. In that short time we fell in love with a country and a culture unlike anything we've experienced anywhere else. We are forever infected with a love of simplistic living amongst fast-moving chaos that is Japan. So much of Japan is a conundrum, with high-speed trains and neon lights mixed in with mom and pop noodle shops and ancient shrines. We were fortunate to live in a suburb of Tokyo, so a 30-minute train ride east took us into the heart of one of most lavishly modern cities in the world, while a 30-minute drive west took us into lonely and wild hills with idyllic mountain streams tumbling through gorges of towering rock down to tiny little villages hanging perilously on the edge of time. So as I watched scenes of shear devastation and destruction flash across the tv screen this morning, I wanted to cry. The big cities, like Sendai near the quake's epicenter, are built for "the big one". We lived in a 9-story apartment tower built to sway back and forth in the event of a quake (and it did!). But all those little villages are simple wooden houses and buildings. For those coastal towns that might have withstood the shaking, the tsunami has most likely done them in. Not much can withstand the power of a tsunami. Lives and livelihoods forever lost. Simple lives of rice farmers and fishermen. Gone.
Processing photos from our time in Japan has been on my list for several months now. Our collection of images from there is overwhelming in size, which has made it hard to start. But this morning I sat down and started looking for those images that spoke to me about the simple life. I found a few.
A number of the images I stumbled across this morning are from a road trip we took to the western part of Honshu, the main island in Japan. Few tourists visit this area, so my blond hair and blues eyes were quite the novelty in some areas and we couldn't count on someone to speak English to help us read a menu like we could around Tokyo. But we really saw rural Japan...a part of Japan that is quickly dying with its aging, negative-growth population. The brunt of the devastation happened on the opposite coast on the opposite end of the island from these images, but the scenes are similar--villages tucked neatly into coves between a wall of mountain and a relentless ocean, and wide plains squared off into rice paddies.
Our thoughts are with you Japan.
Fifty in the Morning
I've been on a little kick with the 50mm Nikon Nikkor lens borrowed from Terry's mom. Its a fully manual lens that requires a Photodiox adapter to work on our Canon cameras. It takes some patience to focus it and a little bit of trial and error to get proper exposure in bright light, but I'm starting to figure it out. I especially like the f/2 aperture, which is a larger aperture than we have with any of our regular lenses. Here are a few photos that I took in the morning over the weekend...makes it look like we had a lazy weekend, but between mountain bike races and running the dog and a tag-team webpage design effort (he codes while I do graphics), it was a busy one. Happy Monday!
And one image that wasn't from the morning...Marianne's makes the best ice cream! And luckily our local market carries it so we don't have to go to Santa Cruz to get it.
About That Bike Racing Thing...
Excuse me while I talk a little bike racing on our photography blog. I still deliver photos, but I have some news to share first. This season is shaping up really well so far. First off, I joined a new team this year, Team Bike Station Aptos. I'm really excited to be a part of a team full of so much fun energy. Its going to be a fun year racing with these guys!
I also found out late last week that I was selected into Honey Stinger's Hive Grassroots Athlete Sponsorship Program. I started using Honey Stinger energy products last year and love them. Their organic energy chews are the best energy chews I've had (and I've tried just about every chewy energy product on the market!). A few months ago I saw a post about the Hive grassroots program and filled out an application, not expecting to actually get accepted...but I did! I'm stoked to have Honey Stinger goodies fueling me this year.
The biggest news in the last few days is about the biggest race I'll be doing this year. Monday evening that magical e-mail popped in my inbox saying "Congratulations! Your entry into the 2011 Leadville Trail 100 mountain bike race is confirmed." I'm headed back to Colorado to ride 100 miles above 10,000' in under 12 hours on my mountain bike.
The race has grown exponentially since Lance and the Race Across the Sky movie put the race on just about everyone's radar a few years ago; so much so that you have to enter a lottery to get a spot. I was lucky enough to get a spot last year only to show up a few minutes late at the first time cut-off and not finish. I had mixed feelings about doing the race again this year...on one hand I don't like unfinished business and I want that belt buckle. On the other hand proper preparation means a whole lot of training, which means whole lot of time away from non-bike-riding Terry. We don't often let Terry ride a bike. Things like this happen when Terry tries to ride a bike:
Ultimately, the crazy switch in my brain is always getting flipped to the "on" position, so I'm excited about heading back to the Rockies to race in the oxygen-deprived air. I don't like how last year ended. I need redemption. This means sacrificing backpacking photography trips in the Eastern Sierra this summer and going out when conditions aren't great or the legs/body/mind aren't feeling up to it.
But it also means fun rides in beautiful places with awesome friends. And this year there will be no more icky sticky Lousyana clay mud (see above) at the edge of a mosquito-infested swamp. This year I have real mountains to climb for training. And some of my favorite people will go on rides with me to keep those long days fun.
And how can I not be excited about going back for a pre-race prep ride up the beautiful Mayflower Gulch in Colorado?
See you on the trails!Watching a Mountain Bike Race
Seasoned Welliver Photography readers would assume that Terry is the author of this post given the title. But this time its me, Beth, writing about watching a bike race. Yes, I was supposed to be racing, but a few weeks back I was recovering from something horribly nasty that decided to live in my throat, nose, head, and anywhere else something gross can live (dare I say thrive?) for the better part of 2 weeks. Icky! So instead of racing the season opener, I went to cheer on my new Bike Station Aptos teammates at the local CCCX mountain bike race at Ft Ord. I had 3 teammates in the race. They did 5 laps. Total race time was about 2 hours. That means I stood along the trail to cheer and snap a few photos 15 times over the course of 2 hours. In other words, I had a lot of free time while waiting for them to come streaking by each time. The experience made me deeply appreciate Terry's dedication and patience while I race my bikes! Below are a few of the images I captured during my "down time".
It was a beautiful day for a race...
I was a little surprised to find a few early season wildflowers (amongst the annual bumper crop of Ft Ord Poison Oak).
And of course weather nerd couldn't help admire some pretty clouds now and again...
This is proof that I really was at a bike race. Go Courtney!
The race was at Ft Ord's old Fam Camp...complete with old playground relics sprinkled here and there.
Actual race photos of people actually racing their bikes can be found here. Note: taking race photos is super hard. I also gained a greater appreciation for Terry as well as all those other phenomenal race photographers we have floating around NorCal. Y'all have serious talent as photographers.
Next weekend I get to go race my mountain bike on those trails. Yeehaw!
MFT - Day 2 and 3
The Mas Is Back
The Mas (a.k.a. Massey) has been out of commission for the last couple of weeks...which means we've had a very energetic puppy for a while. Let me explain the details of her injury. We were out running at Creekside; or should I say, I was out running at Creekside and she was exploring the fields in front, behind, and all around me. Everything was just fine until we got back home and I was doing the normal "tick check" and found she had a nice 1/4" gash on her chest. She seemed not to notice of course. Unfortunately, after giving her a bath, the cut wasn't going to close without assistance. Thus, we had to take the poor little thing to the vet for a staple. The staple meant no running...which did not go over well with her. Take a look at these photos to understand...pure joy...they are from previous runs (before the two week intermission).
Fortunately, everything has healed and she is good to go. She had the staple removed (rather it fell out) last Thursday. We like to think she willed it out of her body so she could go running again. Here are just a couple of shots from her run today...suffice it to say, she was a bit out of shape. But really, that doesn't matter to her...she just loves being out there.
Palmer Lake Hike
I'm finally processing and organizing the roughly 2500 photos I took between September and December last year. Expect a few posts from the archives over the next few weeks. October started my whirlwind of travelling and photographing following my escape from the Air Force in September. I started the month of October in Colorado Springs as I headed back to the United States Air Force Academy to watch the women's soccer team play a match and catch up with old friends.
There is something magical about Colorado in October. Bright blue skies, yellow aspens, and crisp autumn afternoons in the sun are down right intoxicating. Fall was always my favorite time of year when we lived there, but I rarely got to enjoy it because I was either playing or coaching soccer, and October is the peak of the college soccer season.
After a great weekend of soccer games, catching up with friends, and an awesome college football game that saw Air Force sink Navy for the first time in 7 years, I was ready for a hike. So Coach Friend, his daughter, the sweetest great dane, and I headed out to hike from Monument up to Palmer Lake late Sunday afternoon. We were treated to one of those beautiful Colorado afternoons that make one happy to be alive. It was one of those days when I kept saying over and over in my head "Colorado does not suck!"
Enjoy a few photos.
Kitchen Adventures
A few weeks ago we decided to start having a fresh box of fruits and vegetables delivered from a local farm, otherwise known as the CSA box. Each Wednesday, a brand new box of garden fresh organic goodness shows up on our door from J&P Organics. Each box is a surprise...we get a little information about what might be in the box each week, but really we don't know exactly what we'll find until we open that magical box. The best part of the CSA box is trying new stuff we've never had before, like chard and kale, as well as trying new recipes, like a yummy cauliflower cabbage potato soup and the most amazing sweet potato and chard gratin. I've also tried a few other kitchen experiments like homemade bread and parsnip fries. So far everything has turned out well (Dad, don't look so surprised!).
Here are a few photos from the last couple weeks of kitchen adventures. More to come I'm sure. I might start doing a weekly recipe post here just for fun.
Old Ord
A couple weeks ago my cyclocross-racer-weatherman-photographer friend invited me out to shoot a few places in Ft Ord when I hadn't been before. He's been going out there for several years and has documented the changing landscape there. I'm always happy to go shoot some desserted and decaying buildings. First we went to the old stockade. I'd never been in a jail. Very interesting. Slightly depressing.
A mystery of the abandoned Ft Ord is all the chairs. Lone chairs were left all over the place.
From the stockade we headed over to the old Engineering building. We decided it would be a great place for a dance club. Plenty of space for a stage for live music, a space upstairs for a VIP room, sweet industrial feel...just need to replace a few windows. I found the graffiti fascinating (there are some talented artists out there, in spite of their choice of canvas).
I have a thing for electrical boxes I guess...
Broken view...
A Photo A Day...DONE!
I've never done the whole new year's resolution because I couldn't really think of anything that did seem trite on January 1st. I should eat healthy anyway, I should work out anyway, I should be nicer to people anyway, and I should floss my teeth every day anyway. But last new year, Terry and I decided that we would take at least 1 photo every single day for the entire year of 2010. We were actually living 2 time zones apart due to my military assignment at the time, so we figured it would be a fun way to stay in each other's business throughout the year. Fortunately we only ended up being apart for about 8 months of the year, so that was a bonus (yet there are no photos of us together...guess that's the problem with both of us having a camera in hand!). Terry did the POTD project, too, and hopefully he'll be posting his top pics later this week. I've alluded to my thoughts on the project in a previous blog post. I've definitely grown as a photographer this year, but so many days found both of us taking a picture of something without substance just to get an image. Not ideal for building a portfolio, but we still had a good time. Glad we did it, glad it's over.
I went back and picked my favorites for the last year. I wanted to do one a month, but some months I sucked and some months I did well, so it isn't exact. There are photos here from Louisiana, Alabama, Texas, Colorado, Iowa, Arizona, and California. The entire year also saw photos from Mississippi, Oklahoma, Texas, Arkansas, Missouri, North Carolina, South Carolina, and New Mexico. Funny, my very first image last year remains one of my favorites from the whole year.
I did a mountain bike race on New Year's Day. A muddy mountain bike race.
Then I had to go to a military training course in Alabama that required me to bring both pairs of combat boots.
Our sweet little Brittany Spaniel was very excited to see me when I came home.
So that's it. I'm not taking a photo all day today. I have no resolution for this year either. I want to ride my mountain bike a lot and I want to get out and take more photos in the beautiful scenic spots around California. But I'm not tying myself to anything measured. Go out, have fun, live. That's what 2011 is about.
Happy New Year!