Chlorophyll

Chlorophyll, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A close-up of my Abyssinian banana plant. These really are cool plants, and they grow quickly.

Anyone out there growing banana plants?

New Years Nordic ..

About six years ago, Jennifer and I had the perfect New Year's Day snowshoeing in Quebec. A wonderful cold sunny day in knee deep powder. This was the first time we had paid to go snowshoeing as we were at a resort and may have been on some Nordic trails leaving the lodge area. It marked the first time that we decided we wanted to learn to Nordic ski, as it appeared enjoyable. For the past three years January First has been reserved for the Polar Bear Plunge. So this year the second was when we went Nordic skiing.

The original hope for the weekend was a getaway trip to a lodge or hut of some sort. But with higher temps and rain in the forecast, it just didn't seem worth it. And since we didn't really have our trip planned out well in advance, we were scrambling to make something happen. It wasn't worth it and we decided to stay in town and do day trips. Unfortunately, as of this writing that only amounted to one day trip, but that is how it goes.

There was supposed to be snow in the forecast for the passes until around Noon. So we planned our outing to coincide with the stoppage of precip. Unfortunately, the forecast was not perfect and it was raining for forty miles or so before the pass. There was a touch of wintry mix at the pass and the precip turned once again to rain shortly on the other side. Since this was bringing us down we drove past our intended target of Cabin Creek and headed to Lake Easton hoping it would not be raining there. Unfortunately it was raining there too, although perhaps a touch lighter. We decided to head back to Cabin Creek with the idea that if the rain was making things unenjoyable we'd shorten the trip and go home.

We arrived at the parking lot to see Ken's car there. The lot was slush soup and we geared up quickly under a light rain. Once on the trails and moving, the rain was more of an afterthought, and it varied between mist and rain and everything in between most of our lap. We had a good time, although there were lots of families to pass and not ideal passing opportunities on the trails. Near the end of our lap, I heard, then saw Ken and called out to him. He stated he was finishing up teaching a lesson and would meet us at the end of the trail. We agreed to do a lap with he and Liz.

First lap family dodging

As things go, waiting a bit at the trail head made the rain more noticeable and made us a bit cold. We were having second thoughts. But as Ken arrived we decided to go for it and had a nice second lap where blue skies were seen for the first time in a week. The second lap was nicer as we were more accustomed to the loop and neither of us fell the second lap out. While the tracks were not recently groomed the snow conditions were pretty good and we had a good time. After the second lap we parted ways.

Rare January blue sky

I'm a little fed up with the price of a Sno Park Pass ($80) and the lack of grooming going on. Many areas have yet to see their first groom, and this is not always due to snow accumulation. Ken and I discussed sending some nastygrams to the state.

Cabin Creek ..

Jennifer woke up with a sore throat so we cancelled our plan to ski at Lake Wenatchee and camp in Leavenworth. She was still interested in doing something so we went to Cabin Creek once again. We have found it smart that if you are not going to get there first thing in the morning that it is a good idea to wait until Noon to get there. That way the morning people are leaving and there are less people out on the trails. We also managed to get the best weather (no rain) that we have had at Cabin Creek all year. We did one loop and called it a day so Jennifer wouldn't get too run down. The groom was a bit tracked out but the snow was soft and forgiving. I fell once going uphill when I didn't spread my skis enough. Other than that it was a good time.

Not quite blue skies, but no precip

Water as Smooth as Glass

Beverly Beach State Park north of Newport, OregonSeptember 28, ..

Old Town Church

This is the front of the Catholic church that is in the middle of Old Town Albuquerque, NM and is still in use.

A Luscious ANT Truss Bike

A little while ago I finally test rode an ANT Truss Bicycle for the first time, and the memory now seems like a dream. I cannot describe how much I love this frame design, specifically as executed by ANT. I have a separate post about truss frames, so I won't go into it again here. But something about that truss, in combination with the double plated fork crown, just "hits the spot" for me visually, and I've fantasised about riding one more times than I care to admit.





Luckily, I know Jim A. - a great mechanic at Harris Cyclery - who owns a glorious truss frame ANT, which I was able to ride. In retrospect, I can just kick myself for not taking the pictures before lowering the saddle, because the bike looks better with more seatpost showing. But in my excitement I was not thinking clearly and I hope you can overlook this aesthetic blunder.





Jim's ANT was built in 2007. It is a 53cm frame with 700C wheels, built for fixed gear.





The paint is liquid coat and the colour is a shade of dark cherry that appears to drip seductively as it catches the light.





Photographing this part felt a little wrong, but I decided an invasion of privacy was in order here to show the full darlingness of this sexy creature.





As I've written before, the truss frame is one design that I actually prefer to be TIG-welded (or fillet-brazed) as opposed to lugged, because lugs - to my eye - would look too busy here. The key for me is that these welds to be cleanly done, and this frame does not disappoint in that respect.





Jim A. set up this bicycle very similarly to the way I would have done. The upside-down Nitto Albatross handlebars strike the perfect balance between aggressive positioning and comfort. The single front caliper brake and the fixed gear rear wheel are uncluttered, simple to operate, and in keeping with a vintage look. I would put the brake lever on the right handlebar, but otherwise would set everything up just the same.





The copper rails and rivets on this Brooks B17 complement the frame beautifully. Those are Jim's initials carved into the toptube, in case you spotted them.





Rear brake(less) bridge. Though I have seen some truss frame bicycles equipped with fenders, racks and all sorts of extras, I think it looks best without - pathracer style.





The Sugino 75 is a really nice track crankset that the Co-Habitant thinks I ought to get, should I ever upgrade my fixed gear roadbike. Truthfully, I kind of don't get what the big deal is with this particular crankset, but sure - it looks nice enough.





These Pauldropouts are beyond "nice" though: I'm afraid I will salivate if I look at these for too long. Mmmm!





I wasn't especially attracted to Phil hubs until I saw this on Jim's bike. Gosh, this just looks so perfect.





And from another angle...





I rode Jim's truss bike briefly and slowly - It was in such perfect condition, that I was scared to death to let anything happen to it. Sadly, there was no one around to photograph me, as Jim was working and the Co-Habitant was busy buying components. But just imagine me looking both ecstatic and terrified as I pedaled this graceful machine along West Newton side streets, past pensioners and mothers with baby carriages... Of course they all wanted to ride it. As their eyes followed the glistening Phil hubs with longing and admiration, I felt like the luckiest girl in town.





I don't know how useful it is to review a custom-built bicycle, and one ANT truss frame may not necessarily feel or handle like another. But in case you are curious...





The first thing I noted, was that the bicycle felt significantly lighter than I expected it to. I guess because of the truss construction, I assumed that it would be on the heavier, clunkier side - more like a roadster. But this truss was whippet-sleek, lightweight, elegant and compact.





I got on and was surprised at how far forward I had to lean in order to reach the handlebars - Jim must have used a long stem to compensate for the swept-back Albatross bars. The aggressive posture made it easy to accelerate once I began riding and to go faster than I had intended.It was at this point that I realised how unaccustomed I'd gotten to riding fixed gear without foot retention, and also to the brake being mounted on the left. Thankfully, I figured it out in time to stop for the next red light - but after that I slowed down and was more careful. The ride was comfortable - nothing hurt and there was no excessive strain or pressure on any part of my body.For a bicycle with 28mm tires, it did not feel harsh over bumps. It felt stable, but then I tend to feel more stable on fixed gear bikes in general, so I don't know how telling that feedback is.Having never ridden a vintage pathracer, I cannot compare it to one - but I am fairly certain that the geometry of the ANT truss frame is modern and does not emulate actual vintage pathracers. If I had to categorise the handling, more than anything it felt like a light and fast "casual" bicycle for those who are used to roadbikes but want something a bit gentler and more upright for Sunday afternoon rides with friends.





While some might question the practicality of a vintage-styled pathracer in an era when racing is done with dropbars and commuting is done with fenders and racks, I think that's beside the point. The classic truss frame pathracer is an idealised examplar of what ANT can create, and I find that appealing. Not all bicycles need to be versatile and practical in every respect.When I get myANT, it will be almost exactly like this one - just because I want to support and celebrate what I believe to be Mike Flanigan's craftsmanship at its best.





Though I only managed to take this shabby picture of Jim A. with his bike, some day I will meet him outside of work and take a nicer portrait. Until then, I thank him for entrusting me with his Truss. This is truly one of my favourite bicycles.

The Dream? The Adventure!

I don't know what climbing, specifically alpine climbing, means to anyone including myself. I can no more tell you why climbing is so important and good for me than I can tell you how the universe was created or what "life" is.


But I know it started as a dream, a wish for adventure and a ability to comprehend what I saw in nature as something more than just special.

No matter what I climb, the type of terrain or how much I enjoy the moment it is all related to being in the mountains eventually and alpine climbing.

I get teased sometimes about my obvious boot fetish. Couple of things happened recently to bring me back to the original "dream", cold feet and why my desire of wanting to climb so badly.

The boot fetish is based on the reality of spending a lot of time out doors as a young kid. My parents hunted, fished and skied. Of course all that slowed down when they had kids..at least until we (the kids) could walk. And by walking I don't think we had to be able to walk far before we were off on their adventures. From my childhood I remember three things from those adventures, cold feet, how I liked heights when everyone else got scared and how much fun it was to be in the snow.

So the boot fetish should be easy to understand. I had cold feet from day one!

In the late 1950's the lookout shown above was the first place I remember seeing, and others talking about, climbing. I can remember my Dad walking with me out to the lookout and back hand in hand on that set of stairs. I was in the 2nd grade. Imagine my surprise to find out the Needles had its, "first recorded technical climbing is April 1970, Fred Beckey, Dan McHale, Mike Heath climbed the South Face of the Warlock, an 8 pitch climb rated 5.9." That ascent is of course a a full ten years after me seeing climbers in the Needles.

The view of the Needles from the lookout.


That was 50 years ago and I still get a thrill remembering the journey. It was another 10 years before I was to actually climb. But not because of a lack of desire. As I aged I remembered the thrill of that simple visit to the Lookout and the awe I had for the guys climbing on the rocks.

Learning to ski held my attention as did dirt bikes, basketball, football, bicycles, guns, knives and swimming. In the late '60s and early '70s our high school library carried a French magazine called "Paris Match" and even though I was taking French I couldn't read much of it. But, my Oh my, the pictures! Rene Desmaison made me WANT to be a alpine climber. Add a subscription to National Geographic my Grandmother gave at Chrismas every year since I was born (really, since I was born) and how could I not WANT to climb :)


" Readers of Paris Match read his dramatic reports and a radio audience measured in millions shivered with him during a live broadcast caught in a storm on the north face of the Grandes Jorasses......

In the 1960s when many of the so-called “last great problems” in the Alps were being addressed, Desmaison played a leading part in solving them. One attempt on the unclimbed Central Pillar of Freney, high on the Brenva face of Mont Blanc, became a France v Britain race. A team including Chris Bonington, Ian Clough and Don Whillans had a day's lead and were attempting the difficult overhanging crux of the climb when a group led by Desmaison appeared, attempting the same pillar by a nearby line. Bonington recalled that the corner crack they were trying to climb was too wide for their pitons but too small for the protective wooden wedges they were carrying. A request to the French for suitable gear met a firm and not unreasonable “non”, as the same gear was needed on their own route. Bonington and Whillans persevered, overcame the crux and dropped a rope to the rest of their team which the French then asked to use to ascend the difficult pitches. The rope was left, but seemingly failed to find a mention in French accounts of the climb.

Desmaison's closest brush with death came in the winter of 1971 attempting a new route on the Grandes Jorasses. With Serge Gousseault, a newly qualified Chamonix guide, the two climbers became trapped by violent storms sweeping the mountain face. After six days of slow, difficult climbing the weather had closed in. They reached a summit cornice, an overhanging lip of snow and ice, only a short distance from safety but were unable to move, hanging from pitons in a festoon of ropes. Rescue helicopters twice arrived above them but failed to understand Desmaison's signals for help. On the 12th day Gousseault froze to death and it was two days later that Desmaison, near death himself from cold and dehydration, was air- lifted to safety. Two years later he returned and completed the climb, once more arriving on the summit in a storm. "
René Desmaison, French mountaineer, guide, author and film-maker, was born on April 14, 1930. He died on September 28, 2007, aged 77

So between Desmaison and Gaston Rebuffat, another French Alpinist with a penchant for photography, writing and good climbs I was hooked long before I ever owned an ice axe.

Skiing, when I started, most still used leather boots. And the boots could be used for walking as required as well as skiing. Not cutting edge technology by any means even then but a whole lot of fun. Not a lot of difference between skiers and climbers then from my limited perspective.

Then while in high school our family moved to a little town just east of Mt. Adams. From our new home you could see Mt Hood, Mt Adams, St Helens, and of course Mt Rainier!

Now I just had to learn how to climb mountains! Of course I had no clue just how much mountains and climbing would come to influence the rest of my life.

A duplicate of my first "climbing" boots, age 14. Army surplus, alpine troop, ski and mtn boot. Bought in Lewiston Idaho with paper route money shortly before seeing Mt. Hood up close for the first time.

That was my start. Yours?

Trave and Stormy

After Bonita had her fill of running for fun (see previous blog) I let the ponies out into the big pen to play. They ran and ran and then took a good roll. some of the photos are blurry as the camera couldn't focus on them fast enough.

The Badlands

I have been to the Badlands in South Dakota a few times now, and with each visit I enjoy the area even more. My previous trips were just quick "through-visits" on my way home from other travels out west. This time, however, I was able to spend almost two full days in the area. I arrived in Badlands National Park after spending the day traveling through the Pine Ridge Reservation and visiting Wounded Knee. The whole area is beautiful and I can only imagine what it must look like in the summer, when things are a little 'greener'. The grasses everywhere were still quite brown, nothing had really greened up yet.



As I arrived in the Badlands I started noticing a lot of standing water in the low-lying areas along the side of the road, and some patches of snow here and there. When I got to the park's visitor center the staff informed me that they had quite a bit of moisture in the past couple of weeks, in the form of both rain and snow. Consequently, there were lots of puddles and in some places larger pools of water. In the larger pools, choruses of frogs were croaking and singing to their heart's content. These pockets of water really made the visit interesting for photographs, as I was able to make several exposures of the hills of the badlands reflected in these pools of water.

While making the image above, about half an hour after sunset, a car pulled up alongside mine on the side of the road. A voice came from the window... "Great spot, huh?" I turned and voiced my agreement, then got up (I had been sitting on the ground with my tripod set low to get the above shot) and walked over to the car to chat some more. The friendly voice in the car belonged to Carl Johnson, who is currently the artist-in-residence at Badlands National Park. As it turned out, he's a photographer, too. He lives in Anchorage, Alaska but explained that he was a guide for a while in the Boundary Waters, up the Gunflint Trail. I said "No kidding... I'm from Grand Portage." To which he responded "I used to work as a security guard in the Grand Portage Casino during the winter, in between my summer guiding job." What a small world! It turns out he worked at the casino back when I was managing the marina in Grand Portage. At any rate, we had a nice visit and we swapped website information. If you'd like to visit Carl's site, go to http://www.carljohnsonphoto.com/ and if you'd like to see his work from the Badlands, click on the "Blog" link at the top of his main website page. He has some nice work, and its worth a bit of your time to visit his site.

(Above: My car's shadow on the painted hills of the Badlands....)

Tomorrow, I head for home. The Badlands marks the last of my "tourist" stops for this trip. I am staying in Duluth tomorrow night, and tuesday night I am scheduled to give a slide show and a talk about my trip and my photography in general to the Duluth-Superior Camera Club. Hopefully they will like what I have to share!

Metate Arch, Devil's Garden

After our hike in Little Wild Horse Canyon we headed through Capitol Reef National Park then south toward the town of Escalante. We stopped at the BLM visitor center in Escalante and picked up a few maps for the area where we were planning to go over the next few days. We also filled up our two 7-gallon water containers and inquired about where we were allowed to camp once we were in the interior of the monument. Once our questions were answered and we were stocked up on necessary supplies we headed for Hole in the Rock Road. Our first hike was only about 10 miles down the dirt surface of the road, which was also near "Devil's Garden", an "Outstanding Geologic Area" according to the sign marking the turn-off to Devil's Garden. We found a place to camp near the garden then hiked down to check out the sandstone formations that make up this unique location.





































Devil's Garden certainly is an outstanding area, with interesting sandstone "hoodoos" everywhere you look. There are also a couple of arches, the most interesting of which is "Metate Arch". As arches go it's not a very big one, but it is beautiful. I photographed Jessica standing under the arch to provide a sense of scale. After wandering amongst the hoodoos until just after sunset, we then hiked back up to our camp to wait for our friend Roger, who was the best man in our wedding and would be joining us for tomorrow's hike to Zebra and Tunnel slot canyons.

The Berlin Family :: Bible Records

Photocopied pages from a Berlin Family bible were received from Patricia (Berlin) Miller in January, 1995. She identified it as the bible of John D. Berlin. Patricia is a descendant of Solomon Berlin, son of John. She had no idea who had possession of the family bible. I can only wonder where it might be but am thankful to have copies of these pages.

[BIRTHS]Familien Register.
Geburten.John D. Berlin was born Dec. the. 8.,1792Susannah Berlin was born March the 9 D 1804Solomon Berlin was born May the 26 D. 1827Catharine Berlin was born May the 21 D 1830Lydia Berlin was born Feb the 22 D. 1832Josiah Berlin was born June the 24th 1834Jacob Berlin was born September the 30th 1836.Mary Ann Berlin was born October 17th 1838Sarah Berlin was born December 25th 1840
[Note: the following three are in a different handwriting.]Elisabeth Berlin was Born April the 28th 1843 -Lovina Berlin was Born the 8th of May 1845J. Milton Berlin was Born the December ..7.. 1848
[MARRIAGES]Familien Register.
Gterbefálle.John D. Berlin was married to Susannah Huffman Feb the 16th 1826
[DEATHS]Familien Register.Gterbefálle.Mr. John D. Berlin died Nov 11, 1879 aged 86 yrs, 11 mo and 3 daysMrs. Susan Berlin died Apr. 22, 1880, aged 76 yrs, 1 mo and 13 daysJoseph Milton Berlin youngest son of John and Susan Berlin, died May 22, 1856, aged 7 yrs, 9 mo, and 16 days.Jacob Berlin was killed in battle of Shiloh Apr 7, 1862, aged 25 yrs, 6 mo, and 7 days.Josiah Berlin died March 27. 1869 aged 35 years 2 months 20 daysSolomon Berlin died Sept 22, 1872. aged 45 yrs 3 months 26 days.Catharine Berlin Richmond died Nov 15th 1903 age 73 - 5 months 24 d
[Note: The next two names are in a different handwriting.]Lydia Berlin Woodruff died May 17th 1913 aged 81 yrs 2 months 26 dSarah Berlin Greene died April 22d 1916 aged 76 yr 3 months 3 days
[Note: And in yet a different handwriting.]Elizabeth Berlin Coppes died Feb. 19. Feb. 1931 at home in Nappanee and buried at So. Union Cemetery Locke.Mary Winder died July 20 – 1933
[Note: Lovina Berlin Yarian died May 3, 1932 but her death is not listed.]

"A Kneebar Too Far" 29 Coolum Cave

I could have died happy after ticking this one.

73 attempts and several cycles of injury and recovery. The swoop out of the roof really spooked me the first few times, a few people had collected the wall on the other side. Then once my focus had shifted away from the fall and toward the next moves it was pure joy.





photo: Phil Box

Skiing la Grave is a bit different...

The Full Spectrum of Gloves?

When the rock does this to a set of picks in a few pitches...think what it will do to gloves?







How every alpine glove eventually ends up.





One of the topics that came up in the requestswas more glove info. Most of us are on a constant search for a better glove. That might be a warmer, more durable, more water proof or easier to dry glove. It depends on your need at that moment for that particular adventure. If anything it is worth noting that few of us climb in the same gloves. And there are a gazillion manufactures out there. I am about as anal on my glove choices as I am on my boots so..as always buyer and reader beware ;-)





Here are some examples of the glove styles I use constantly.

full leather gloves

glove liners, both wool and synthetic

wool gloves or mittens

all synthetic gloves

leather and synthetic combination gloves





Dave in his prefered BDs.

(I own mittens but so seldom use them I'll leave them out of the conversation)



The brand names that I prefer at the moment are Outdoor Research and Mountain Hardware. My partner's (all of them) most commonly used glove is one form or another fromBack Diamonds. And I have used BD glovesmyself.





The flip side to Matt's pair of BD gloves above.



And all better now ;-)



It wouldn't have been my first choice but still good enough to get Matt up the Ginat last week in less than stellar weather.



The brand name gloves I have useda lot in the past are:

Dachstein

Helly Hensen

Gates

Chouinard

Black Diamond

REI



Here is how I divide up my glove choices and there is some over lap generally. But easy to get somecash wrapped up in gloves.



Liners/approach gloves

leather/rap or bush whack (think 10' highslide alders or Devil's club)

XC ski

DH ski

tech climbing gloves

alpine climbing gloves

cold weather gloves



My first go to glove is the BD Polartec liners either Midweight or the Heavyweight. And I generallyloose them before I wear them out. And I wear them out by melting them on a stove. Awesome glove. Works for approaches, XC skiing, spring DH skiing, as a lwt tech glove or a warm weather alpine glove or nasty bush wacking. Many designs like them but these are the best I have used.



http://www.blackdiamondequipment.com/en-us/



Leather?I use them in the alpine on bush wacks and on nasty steep raps with 7mm twins My favorites are a pair of thin steer hide I buy at Lowe's. But they have to fit perfectly and they aren't cheap. They generally last 4 or 5 years with consistent use with a chainsaw and around the yard. I'm also partial to the Metolious full finger belay glove. Although i never use them for belaying. I like a glove you know isn't going to come apart in use. This is the glove I usefor the free rap off the Midi's bridge in cold winter temps. It is awesome and cheap. Mine are now 10 years old and just getting broken in. Nice glove!



http://www.metoliusclimbing.com/belay_glove.html











I use my gloves for all sorts of stuff but the only skiing specific gloves I use are made by these guys:http://www.lillsport.com/

I generally have pretty warm hands and seldom sufferthrough the scream'in barfies even in pretty cold weather. So a lwt XC glove often gets used for DH skiing. I like Model ”S” 0103-00 for what it is worth.These make a decent thin dry tooling glove as well.



Thomas Smiley photos: www.smileysmtphoto.com



ALPINE CLIMBING GLOVES

Alpine climbing for me generally means winter. In spring, summer and fall any combination of gloves on this list can and generally do get used. But winter I have some old favorites. Mtn Harware and OutDry are my favorites along with a couple of pair of the OR gloves. You canread more on the Mtn Hardware Hydra and the OR Vert in earlier blogs.

I have found the OurDry to keep my hands dry even when the entire outer shell and insulation is soaking wet and frozen stiff. Not the best situation but then my buddy's are often in some version of the Black Diamond Gortex or BDry and have wet hands and frozen gloves. Some difference but not a lot. OutDry seems more durable as it is harder to punch a hole in the water proof liner..."I think". But nothing scientific here just anecdotal evidence.

The one thing I have convinced myself of is that thin gloves like the Hydra work very well in some pretty cold conditions. When it gets colder I used to be convinced a removable liner was mandatory. Not any more. Truth is when it gets really cold and I need a warmer glove, I really need moreinsulation. Liner may or may not be useful depending on how good the glove is and how easy it is to use. If it is that cold drying the glove out hasn't been a problem as the inner of the glove doesn't get verywet.

I used the Mtn Hardware Typhon this winter as my back up, warmer glover to the Hydra. Dave was using the MtnHardwareJalapeno when he got cold or wet enough. I thought the Jalapeno easier to use and justas warm as my wool lined Typhon. Typhon's liner comes out, the Jalapeno's doesn't.

From Mtn Hardware Inow use the Minus One, the Hydra, the Torsion and theTyphon depending on temps, useand need.. I'll likely start using the Jalapeno next winter.

I like a thinner glove with leashless tools so I don't have to remove my gloves for any reason. But get cold enough and the thicker gloves require me to pull the gloves off more than I want. Removeable liners that stay on when you pull the shells work well there. Big gloves, the Typhon and Jalapeno for example, are like good double boots, a pain in the ass to climb in...but without them you (me anyway) wouldn't still be climbing.

http://www.mountainhardwear.com/

One of the things I found interesting this winter is the gloves I can generally climb with in Canada just weren't warm enough in the Alps this winter. That was a surprise. Thankfully I took some warmer gloves along but I wasn't happy climbing in them generally. It took so getting use to the thicker and stiffer gloves on technical ground and with my (tight) Nomic or Ergo handles. I used the Quarks with a more open grip some specificallyfor that reason. While I didn't have cold hands on that trip it was PP planning all around on my part. Look around andtry what you think will work for you. When you find some that do, be smart and buy 2 pair. Gloves are like climbing footware you'll want the RIGHTpair for every occasion

Pray you don't end up with this glove collection! And these are just the good ones ;-)