Alum Creek P1 Video

This is one of the two trails I ride as often as I can, Alum Creek's "Phase 1" Trail. Someone recorded this hi-res video of an entire 6 mile lap, though they finished in just under 30min. I think a good lap time for me has been closer to 40. At 13:00min you can see a pretty awesome boardwalk section that usually keeps me nervous, followed by a wicked rooty descent. And the section after 23:00min, just after the trail dips back into the woods from the road, is a pretty fun, techy part. Because the camera is strapped to the rider's chest, it's hard to tell when he is climbing and when he is going down. The elevation gain/loss is not crazy, but it is very much like a roller coaster in my opinion.

Alum Creek P1 whole lap on Pinkbike

Holidays, Excitement

This video is a tiny excerpt from our conversation with Ellie last night before "bedtime," just after watching our town's firework display from the end of our driveway. It's a long one but I'm glad we caught a bit of Ellie's hilarious ranting which is something I want to look back on forever. The volume is low, so crank it up. You can hear me say "I love you, El" a couple times, at around 02:30 and 02:50, which was my weak attempt at shutting down the conversation and wrapping up the video, but Ellie keeps on trucking. So we kept rolling.

Amazing (100 Days of Emery: Day 1)

This is one of those "once in a lifetime" shots considering i was a fumbling idiot, trying to get the camera off ten-second-timer mode, and didn't even look through the view finder as I took this one of two shots... Amazing

Photo Essay

Garden of Eden, Bikes, Babies, and coffee

Finally getting some stuff done around here. Once you find the motivation to get up off the couch, everything changes for the better. I'm getting smarter about starting and/or finishing important chores during each day. This, in turn, is helping me realize my potential for doing other things--maybe art, or sewing projects, which I've been reluctant to pursue as of late.

Our garden is starting to look like something: soil has been turned; weeds have been weeded; two raised beds are constructed and finally planted (kale, lettuce, spinach, tomatoes, jalapeno, onions); bush beans have been sown; zucchini mounds are mounded; strawberries seems to be doing their thing; Asian poppies are popping; irises are iris-ing; and hydrangeas look to be surviving. That AND our lawn is mowed, thanks to our gracious neighbor who said we could borrow his (working) mower.

I've been getting super excited about biking. New cycling shoes are being shipped and new pedals (Crank Brothers "Candy" eggbeater pedals!) are waiting to be installed. One of my mechanic buddies said he would go with me to take our 'cross bikes on some singletrack at a nearby trail park which has got me bursting at the seams with excitement.

Meanwhile, Ellie is becoming her own little person, talking like crazy, naming things, feeding her babydoll, walking, climbing, feeding herself, and playing in the dirt. Not to mention that she sleeps like a champ through the night and two solid naps every day.

Did I mention that "Baby 2" is almost here? Just less than 2 months away and wanting to settle on a name is driving me crazy. It is impossible but I'm starting to get pretty excited. Plus I know Ellie is going to be an awesome big sister and she is proving it every day.

And I've been loving my French press coffee lately.

Pickin

Today we went with our family (including a caravan of siblings, a nephew, and a few cousins) to a pumpkin farm and orchard to harvest sundry things that comprise the cliche cornucopia of this season, including several pounds of Fuji apples (that we picked!), a gallon of cider, and a couple pumpkins.

It was the first time I had gone "pickin'" and will hopefully ripen into years of tradition.

This week we will fashion our Halloween costumes and maybe roast some pumpkin seeds while drinking pumpkin beer and consider the goal of eating pumpkin pie every day of November.

Finding Stuff: The Dog!

100 Days of Ellie: Day 100!

100 Days of Ellie: Day 84

Home

This blog might be changing up hardcore. Ms. Ellise Clementine was born last week and I think my focus is going to be about our family and not just me and bikes and maintaining arguments with antagonistic people.

I haven't even made time to write up our birth experience, let alone the cute things Ellie does, or the fact that I just put some kale in the ground and that our basement is almost finished thanks to our dad; so enjoy a photo for now and hope that I can pick this back up.

If nothing else, this might be completely gutted and turned into my journal about being a dad and all the cool stuff we're doing.

Peace and love

Soak it up

The sun is out, the snow is almost gone, and neighbors have been appearing, shaking out the stiffness of hibernation. A few days of golden warmth to get us up and about before the spring rains wash the world and loosen up the ground. It's amazing: within two almost-warm days I've seen two neighbors that I didn't see all winter.

Other than preparing for the arrival of Baby Girl, my mind is focused on starting some seeds and cleaning up the yard. Maybe getting some mulch. So much to do!

I might wear shorts tomorrow just "because." The sun is lifting our moods and will hopefully help us kick the proverbial It into high gear.

Qualities of Happiness

Love - better than being loved is loving somebody
Optimism - "the more painful the event, the more profound the lesson"
Security
Courage
Spirituality - go beyond the boundaries of your own life
Freedom (of Choice)
Proactivity - "don’t wait for events or other people to make [you] happy"
Health
Altruism
Perspective
Humor - a "shift of perception"
Purpose

Attack of the Abominable Snowman & Happiness

Way back in college, someone started a saying; a simultaneous question and exclamation, the history of which I can only conjecture: "What the D?" Probably a perversion of "What is the deal...?" it rivals another favorite of mine: "W-T-F?"
And that's what I'm asking the world, with all its snow, piled atop layers of more, merciless snow and ice: What the D?

At first it was beautiful and exciting and fun. But after so much of it, it's hard not to get frustrated and bummed out about it. Aldy is stuck inside a lot more than on warmer days; I'm constantly having to shovel the driveway and have lost the ability to bike to work; C's job is affected when schools are closed and meetings are canceled for snow emergencies; and we're all uneasy about the mounting ice/snow pile on our roof and the new, mysterious trickle of water down in the basement.  It makes me want to freak out!

But each time I realize I am starting to be overwhelmed with pessimism, I give myself a moment to collect as many optimistic, positive thoughts that I can. Aldy really enjoys playing in the snow and I can let him hang outside for a long time while I shovel and scrape the driveway; the water in the basement was coming from one, isolated spot, and C's dad suggested that maybe the problem with the water leak isn't as big as we were worrying about.

It's been helpful that C has brought home a few books that explore Happiness and (through her) I've been channeling optimism and considering what it is that makes me happy. I say "through her" because I don't really read. I mean, I can read, but for whatever reason I have a strong aversion to reading and absorbing information through books--especially non-fiction. Unfortunately, I have no interest in fiction. Either way, I haven't exactly figured out what are my values, but they include optimism for sure. So, for now, we're waiting out the snow. With C growing a baby, we're limited in what snow sports we can partake, but eating food is still on the table. Get it?