Congratulations, Chris!

Thank you to everyone who visited the Transplantable Rose during the blog tour and entered the drawing for a copy of Nightshade, the sixteenth mystery in the China Bayles series by Susan Albert.

Congratulations to the lucky winner - Chris Quinones of Massachusetts!

A Country Ride in 49x16 Gearing...

We've finally set up my fixed gear bike, and the build came out much spiffier than I initially planned. Concerned citizens saved me from putting cheap components on a nice frame and I was able to get good deals on a very nice crankset and wheelset. One tiny problem however: the crankset has a 49t chainring and the wheelset came with a 16t cog, so the bicycle is geared insanely high. I decided to keep the cog and replace the chainring, most likely with a 44t. But that has to be special ordered, and in the meantime I really wanted to ride! Opinions are split on whether it is wise to ride on the road in such a high gear, but the consensus is generally "no." Having tried it, I agree - though it wasn't nearly as bad as I anticipated.

Riding in traffic was fine: It was not difficult to start at intersections, and to stop I simply used the brakes. Braking with my legs would have been out of the question after accelerating, but with good brakes this isn't an issue. I then went on a 20 mile ride on the Minuteman Trail, which is pretty flat but with a sustained upward/downward incline depending on the direction of travel. The gearing was doable. I felt it in my leg muscles, but not in my knees, and was fine the next morning. But while doable, it wasn't much fun - in the sense that I prefer to cycle at a high cadence and most of the time that wasn't possible in this gearing. It was exciting how fast the bike accelerated on flat stretches, but the upward inclines felt like walking up an endless staircase. It was neat to experience just as a way of physically understanding how different gear ratios work in fixed gear, but I would not want to ride that way on a regular basis.

On my previous bike the gearing was 48x18, which felt slightly too low toward the end. So I am thinking 44x16 on this one should feel just about right. The bike is great and I am looking forward to many country rides in an appropriate gear in the coming months. Don't know why, but it feels really good to ride fixed gear when it's cold outside!

It's Not About the Weather

While we wait for Hurricane Sandy to arrive, I am still finding sand caked on my bike from an earlier rainy, muddy ride. It seems that every time I have ridden this bike so far, it has rained. Of course today, on my inaugural ride with fenders, it is sunny and dry. A friend consoles me by reminding me of the approaching hurricane. Surely I will have the opportunity to test the fenders then. I take the idea seriously and begin to mentally map out a route on some local trails, before realising how utterly insane that is. When the townsfolk are stocking up on canned goods and flashlight batteries, I should probably stay indoors.




With the season marching on toward starker days, I find myself thinking of weather.As cyclists we all tend to have an idea of the "perfect weather" for riding. For some it's the height of summer. For others it's that elusive "60 degrees and sunny, with a mild breeze." A few riders I know prefer cooler temperatures, and some even claim to enjoy rain. I think for me, the biggest revelation has been that, when push comes to shove, I can feel good in almost any weather.






After a recent post describing a rainy ride on dirt roads, a reader wrote:"It's in our nature to want to be comfortable and coddled, but you celebrate the joy of pushing yourself through rain and mud." I felt guilty reading this, because honestly I don't feel as if I am overcoming discomfort or pushing myself when I ride in those kinds of conditions. And I think that is the key to my being able to do it. The secret is to find a way of being comfortable, to just go with it and appreciate the situation for what it is, rather than spending energy on trying to overcome it. Maybe this is just a different way of looking at the same thing, but to me it makes a big difference. Rather than pushing through discomfort, I extract comfort.




Part of it is of course practical considerations. Figuring out how to dress, eat and drink in different conditions. Over the summer I stumbled upon some tricks that enabled me to ride in heat in humidity like I'd never managed to do before. And last winter, I discovered that riding in sub-20 degree temperatures was also very doable with the help of strategic layering. But equally important is the attitude. We have to be curious, interested. We have to want the experience.




What is my idea of perfect riding weather... Probably high 40s to low 50s, with heavily overcast skies. I feel most alive then; the raw energy in the air makes me want to ride faster, further. But in the end, it's not about the weather, but about finding comfort in whatever is thrown at me, about feeling coddled by the beauty of the surrounding landscape.

Beachcombing #3

Padre Island National Seashore
Corpus Christi, Texas
February 16th & 17th, ..

Emancipated But Still Vote Free Here in DC

It's Emancipation Day here in the District of Columbia which is sometimes called " the capital of the free world." In reality our fair city is a bizarre little fiefdom where the denizens are still denied the right to vote basically because Republicans fear that one more Democratic voice will tip the world into the abyss. DC Vote is working to change that. Check it out.

Jug Balloon

Red Phoenix Emporium

Climbers, you know I'm a style watcher. And you've seen a couple of my photos from various fashion launches.

This year I have been honored to become more involved in Red Phoenix Emporium.

RPE is a family business and I can't tell you how proud I am of their progress so far.



Getting to the point of shooting for the new collection has taken a whole year and I can't help but share of a few scenes from the day with you.

Here's a peek at Red Phoenix Emporium Autumn/Winter Collection

The collection is on the website. It's the "All that Glitters" collection.



Kristen is on fire modelling our newpure silk dress, a photographic print of a Thai sunset, repeated and reflected. The necklace hangs three slabs of Agate from a string of Tibetan Mountain Coral







Jo wears silk with a photographic print of ruined monasteries on frozen ground, takenon our recent trip across the Tibetan Plateau.






You already know these abs. They belong to Nate

He sports the new dude wear from Red Phoenix,An addition to the usual RPE, this is my influence.

The "Double Dragon" pants in Chinese brocade featuring the double dragon motif. Necklace: "They Only Come Out at Night" Lava stone, obsidian skulls, dyed turquoise skulls and a suspended central Pyrite skull and black onyx crucifix. Lusciously dark.















Heloise is a stunner in the silk Chili dress, a photographic print of dried chillies from a roadside eatery on the first bend of the Yangtze, of all places.









This collection includes the sequined shift dress, here in black. Also comes in bronze and silver.














Double Dragon again.









We are delighted to haveWinona the intern on board!!!






Thanks Nate, for standing in the middle of the city in pyjamas.

You pulled it off well.












Here's the stylist team,Lotus and Willow on the shoot, working under a heavy burden of gems.










No one got arrested, mercifully.



Wear RPE and stay out of fashion prison.



jj

Wordless Wednesday - One of the Joys of Summer!

August 1998. Digitized ...Copyright © 1998/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Drivers are Not a Different Breed

I have been reading some bicycle blog posts lately where the authors describe feeling betrayed when their non-cycling friends say something nasty about cyclists - you know, the kind of thing a clueless and self-entitled driver might say, but certainly not a friend who happens to be a driver. I mean, they're different, right? Those drivers who cut us off and shout at us are bad people, whereas our friends are good?



Problem is that this difference is fictional. After all, each of those nasty drivers is also someone's dear friend. As hard as it may be to believe, they are not usually "bad" outside the context of being behind the wheel. Likewise, just because someone is our friend does not mean they are incapable of thinking or doing things that would outrage us. We can disagree on issues and never know it until that issue comes up, and my experience has been that cycling is one of those issues - right up there with abortion. Once I began cycling for transportation, I learned fairly quickly not to discuss it with friends, co-workers or relatives who are non-cyclists unless I wanted these conversations to turn into heated debates, or all out fights.



Recently a friend and her husband were visiting Boston, and I met them for dinner at an outdoor cafe. I knew that they were both avid recreational cyclists, so I let my guard down and was speaking to them about bicycles - the pros and cons of different roadbikes, that sort of thing. I was feeling good that finally here was someone from my "real life" I could discuss bikes with. Then some cyclists rode down the street past us and the husband shook his head. "Those idiots are going to get themselves killed." I was confused. "What... Why?" He then explained how stupid it is when cyclists "think they are cars" and cycle "right on the road, without bike lanes or anything." "I hope you don't do that!" he added as my friend nodded. Turns out there is this huge national park where they live, and that is where they ride their bikes - unless it is an organised charity ride, which is the only time they'll go on the road. Not only are they drivers the rest of the time, but having exposure to cycling has done nothing to make them empathise with transportational cyclists. We could have spent the rest of our meal fighting, but instead I changed the subject - it wasn't worth it to me. After dinner they took a taxi to their hotel, and I walked around the corner to where my bike was locked up, then rode home "as if I were a car." Those drivers who hate cyclists could be anyone - our friends, our relatives, and even, apparently, other cyclists. People are people, ever ready to feel frustration and annoyance.

Logan Barber

Climbers, you know some memories, even recent, can seem unreal as if they could never have really happened in a world as busy and complicated as this. Jet travel creates sudden disconnections.

I find myself reliving the holds, move by move, on the magical red sandstone of Kalbarri Gorge Western Australia.

Simon Carter, Monique Forestier, Lee and Sam Cujes, Coco Carter and I spent a few days there.

Days from another thread of a different story. This story is not about that.

But being in W.A. got me thinking about the indomitable West Aussie climber Logan Barber.











Logan answered my plea to the internet for an accomplice in China for Easter .

We had about a day and a half cross over in China. That's worth a trip. Lee had told me this guy was someone I should go out of my way to meet. I think his words were "He's another me from W.A."








Logan leaves a trail of drill dust behind as he sends his latest new route on the fresh walls of Dragon City crag.
He gave it 27 (Aus). Sandbag alert!

I've got a good advantage of reach on Logan, but I couldn't find anything useable within reach through the upper sequence. The guy can lock down hard on rubbish small holds.


















Lock down!!!















I was just grateful to the climbing gods for getting me through the run outs on the lower section when it was my go. Balance and guesswork.
























Looking across the valley from dragon City crag, I have to keep reminding myself where I am.

A country that remained so mysterious to so many of us for so long. So vast, so different.







The next morning we head to super crag Lei Pi Shan where Logan has put so much heart and soul into his long project Storm Born. It's his last day in Yangshuo. Like so many Yangshuo routes now, it extends from the ground to the last useable rock.

I jug the 40M to the top for a photoshoot, plans change, Logan and David Kaszlikowski send the nails-hard arete route on the right end of the crag (see below).

I swap out Logan's draws on Storm Born, I still can't remember how I did that, I know I thought I was pretty clever at the time. I put up local legend Abond's shiny new green draws.

Logan resigns himself to the fact that projects don't stay exclusive round here.

They were still there on my last visit.




















Acclaimed Polish photographer and world climber David Kaszlikowski.




















Logan is back in China as we speak. He'll be lugging that drill through the muddy fields and dusty villages on the good quest.




Logan beneath the towering Lei Pi Shan.



Photo: jjobrien iPhone

Find him on Facebook: Logan Barber

He won't answer, he's in China.




jj




ps. this post lost all it's photo links and I've reconstructed it as good as I can.

If anyone knows why google albums would undo it's own links let me know.

Cloud Galaxy

Last night we headed out to try and do some photography of the annual Perseid meteor shower. For about the past week we have been seeing quite a few meteors streaking through the sky each night, but last night was supposed to be the "peak" of the shower. We stayed out from about 10:30 PM until 3:00 AM and while we did see a lot of meteors, it didn't seem to be quite as many as last year. The view of the Milky Way Galaxy is what really stole the show. We started off our evening at Paradise Beach just south of Judge Magney State Park and the view of the Milky Way over Lake Superior was tremendous. As we sat and enjoyed the view we heard wolves howling off in the distance. A couple of hours later we packed up and headed to one of the fire towers in Grand Portage. When we got there, however, a very large cloud bank was moving in from the west and we were only able to get a few shots in before the Milky Way was completely obscured by the clouds. In this photo you can see the edge of the cloud along the bottom of the photo. I thought it made for a pretty interesting image to show that cloud advancing over the Milky Way with the fire tower in the foreground. It was a fun night outside, and to go along with hearing the wolves we also saw a pine marten and a small rabbit, both of which ran down the road in front of us at different times. So, not only a good night for stargazing but also a good night for wildlife!

Arizona Sunset

I hesitated to post two sunset pictures in a row, but you take what Mother Nature gives you – the good along with the bad...







Benson, Arizona. Sunday, January 8th ...

More of Williamsburg VA

More of Williamsburg. Today we had a nice lunch together. We were the only ones in the restaurant which meant the server could chat with us. Sometimes that is a nice thing, sometimes that is not so nice. It was ok today. Nathan commented on the great copper plated menus and he told us the guy who ordered them got fired over it. They were very pricey and he ordered 500 of them. Very strange, since maybe 100 would have been enough for this place. Ah, the things we learn from talking to people.



And for Jack and Diane:

Good Day Sunshine

One of the things I love most about Florida is the sun. We are settling into our "winter" routine and enjoying being here again. I am really loving all of the sunshine after being in cloudy and rainy weather.





It was a bit cold today though. Not too cold to wear shorts while playing pickle ball and hiking by the river. But cold enough that at dusk, I could see my breath in the air. We built a campfire to keep us warm and at some point it was still too cold to be outside. I'm not complaining though. As long as the sun shines and I can be outside, I'm a happy girl.

The iGene Awards for Kinexxions

It's time for the Annual iGene Awards in which we announce our “best” blog posts from last year in five categories. Created by Jasia at Creative Gene for the Carnival of Genealogy, this year marks the 5th anniversary of the awards.



And this year, the ceremony for kinexxions is coming to you from Salt Lake City! What better place for such an event? And now, the winners...



Best Picture: Going through my Mother's papers after her death last February, I discovered a photograph that I had never seen before. In Mom :: Before she was Mom I presented that photo and several a lot of others. Is this my Mom?





Best Screen Play: The post Joslin Rendezvous :: The Homestead discusses a few of the trials and tribulations encountered by Virgil Joslin when he homesteaded in South Dakota in the early 1900s. Additional material written by his son Irwin would be used to create a feature-length movie that would star Sam Elliott and Meryl Streep as Virgil and Mary Joslin.



Best Documentary (investigative research): This past summer I decided to take on my Switzer family in Columbiana County, Ohio and found that there were Not One, Not Two, Not Three, but Four of Them! with “them” being men named Jacob Switzer. One of them was my ancestor, but which one? Yes, this is one of a series of posts, all of which are listed here.



Best Biography: The rules are going to be stretched a little in that two series of posts are being selected, neither were actually “written” by me. The Life of Hazlette Brubaker presents the story of my Grandmother's life, as told in her own words, in a series of 15 articles.



The Berlin Family :: John D. and Susannah is the first in a series of articles that includes family Bible Records as well as 35 letters written between 1861-1895 between family members. (Links to those documents are included at the bottom of the selected post.)



Best Comedy: Humorous writing is not really my forte (I've often been told that I have a very dry sense of humor, almost humorless.) At any rate, I've selected One Half of an Old Mare called Van Dora for this category. Maybe you “had to be there” but finding Van Dora in the inventory of the estate of William B. Jones had Carol and me cracking up for several days.



And that brings to a close the iGene Award Ceremony for ..... hmm, well, not just yet. Since I've been doing a bit of traveling I thought I'd modify the categories in several areas and present a “travel” version also...





Best Picture: Nature's Trifecta



Best Screen Play time with Geneabloggers: Ah... Anastasia and St. Augustine



Best Documentary: It Sounded Too Good to Pass By



Best Biography Unique Event: Badlands :: Where the Buffalo Do Roam



Best Comedy: A Great Big Ball of Twine

Written for the 114th edition of the Carnival of Genealogy.