Northern Lights!

Last night before going to bed I saw that the aurora index was rising and that there was an expected CME impact to occur overnight, so I decided to head out and see what I could see. The lights were pretty good as soon as I left the house, but faded quickly. I decided to stay out until at least midnight since the lights often flare up around then, and sure enough they did! Between midnight and 1:00 AM there was a pretty spectacular show, with dancing lights directly overhead and somewhat to the south as well. By 1:00 AM the clouds had moved in and the lights were no longer visible. It sure felt good to photograph the aurora again, as it has been way too long since I've seen a good display such as this!

Photographing clouds over Speckled Trout Lake

A couple of shotsfrom last weekend in Northern Minnesota. We had gone out paddling on a local lake mostly to look for Loons (of which we did find two) but also just to get out on the water and hopefully get some nice pictures. As sunset approached we were treated to some very nice clouds which reflected quite nicely on the super-calm waters of the lake.

Sharing the couch

A recent photo of my cat, Kasie, and dog, Codee, sharing the couch one evening.

dc space reunion/benefit for Tom Terrell

DC Space, 2005
Originally uploaded by IntangibleArts There is a home town party this weekend at the new 9:30 Club in the form of a dc space reunion party/ benefit for Tom Terrell, who is fighting cancer. The 9:30 Club and dc space were located in what once was a forlorn F Street shopping district during the late 1970s and through the 1980s. The Hecht's Departent Store is now a Macy's, and Woodies is going to be an outlet for Madame Tussaud's Wax Museum. The 9:30 Club has since moved to V Street, near Howard University, and now that area, too is coming back.

dc space, once on the corner of 7th and E, closed in 1991, but it's spirit is still alive. ( Yes, it's a Starbucks, but at least they didn't tear it down. Workers found an old office upstairs that once belonged to Clara Barton.) Over fifty artists, including the founders of both 9:30 and space, are gathering to celebrate its thirtieth anniversary, and in the spirit of the ole place, are donating their talents this Sunday, July 29th. Doors open at 4. Twenty dollar donation. Performances including music, poetry and film go on until 1 a.m.

Yucca Blossoms

Close up of some yucca blossoms.

Grivel? ...What is happening there?

A few friends have climbed on these and everyone seemed to like them dry tooling. My buddy Jack Roberts was pretty excited switching from a Petzl sponsorship to Grivel this winter. I know from our recent conversations that he liked climbing on the new tools as well.



I see Will Simms is now on the Grivel line up. His buddy Jon Griffith off Petzl and on BDs.



"Never the arrow always the Indian."



Anyone climbing on any of theGrivel versions of this onehere in North America?









"Grivel has for nearly 200 years led the development of Ice Climbing equipment, but to move ahead in this rapidly changing “fast &furious” new age of technology and materials, we decided to make a radical improvement in our approach to development. This is the reason we decided to create a new dept. a real Laboratory for Development, a place where we can explore the possible and beyond. With all these recent changes in materials and design we chose to invest in this bright future, brought about by mixed climbing, competition and rising standards. To head this new department we have brought in a new face, Stefano Azzali a man devoted to climbing and climbing equipment, no stranger to high tech radical materials. Stefano’s work in this field of new technologies and avantgarde design qualifies him to lead “Grivel’s Racing Development”. (Grivel Reparto Corse) It’s almost second nature to a man coming from Modena, the home of design, engineering and above all “Speed”. We look forward to the future as we are proud of our past."

Lizard in the Trash

My hubby was sitting out on the patio the other evening and heard a strange noise. He finally tracked it down to a rustling in the trash can. When he looked he saw a lizard in the sack that is in a plastic basket type trash container. Poor thing in their with hubby's stinky cigerate butts and ashes. After taking it's photo we released it into the garden. We have no idea how it got there. Did one of the cats put it there? Or did it manage to climb into the container? Seemed an odd thing for a lizard to be climbing if that is how it got there.