building a dream

Mouse Branch Overlook - one hot afternoon

2011-07-30T14:33:00.000-04:00

Sunday Drive

2011-03-20T21:58:00.002-04:00

dillon state park - first day of spring

2011-03-20T14:00:00.002-04:00

denison biological reserve - trail head view

2011-03-19T17:00:00.000-04:00

Sub9 Death March - 44 miles mud, gravel and fun

2011-03-12T23:47:00.001-05:00

Pre-Death March

2011-03-11T22:23:00.005-05:00

Hickory Ridge Fire Tower in Hoosier National Forest

110 feet tall - 309 steps to the top

Amazing views!

We drove in from Ohio today - checked out the general area, passed a couple of the cemeteries on tomorrows checklist and made a trial run up the fire tower. I admit about two thirds of the way up I was a bit skeptical but Jen made me keep climbing and it was definitely worth it despite the tower swaying in the breeze. We relaxed the rest of the evening at The Rawhide Ranch - fire and a couple Fat Tire's to get us ready for tomorrow's great adventure.

Gettin' Ready

2011-03-03T22:57:00.002-05:00

DB LOOP

2011-02-21T23:22:00.000-05:00

Test Ride - Right Loop

2011-02-21T23:02:00.002-05:00

SOLD

stretching our legs

2011-02-20T23:14:00.002-05:00

Ray's Women's Weekend - 2011

2011-02-18T23:04:00.001-05:00

longest two miles.....

2011-02-13T23:31:00.000-05:00

after trudging through powerline in 4 - 6 inches of tire sucking wet snow

very happy to be back on the arboretum loop

not good:

winter ride at phase one

2011-01-30T00:04:00.000-05:00

beautiful winter ramble @ mingus mill

2011-01-24T23:39:00.002-05:00

hoover - winter run

2011-01-17T19:56:00.001-05:00

snow riding at JB -- 8 miles!!

2011-01-15T23:36:00.000-05:00

lazy big...

2011-01-13T20:11:00.000-05:00

better late than never...xo

2011-01-06T20:21:00.000-05:00

cold beginning - warm ending

2011-01-05T21:12:00.000-05:00

winter walk - phase one

2011-01-03T20:22:00.000-05:00

happy new year!!

2011-01-01T20:31:00.000-05:00

birthday 2010

2010-12-30T20:09:00.000-05:00

The Frozen Olentangy

2010-12-26T15:30:00.000-05:00

new socks rock

2010-12-24T19:58:00.000-05:00

sunday geocaching

2010-11-29T11:17:00.003-05:00

MVMBA Chili Ride

2010-11-20T23:14:00.001-05:00

november at tsali

2010-11-14T23:22:00.000-05:00

Headed to the Mouse Branch Lookout

A view from the Right Loop

comforts of the office

2010-10-29T02:58:00.000-04:00

sunday...

2010-10-18T10:56:00.003-04:00

...coffee with kaj

...spoiled

mvmba hallow-weenie-pizza ride and roast @ momba

2010-10-16T10:53:00.001-04:00

weekend with walter

2010-10-12T10:29:00.000-04:00

the boy with the red hat

2010-10-07T18:03:00.000-04:00

really? crazy!

2010-10-03T18:12:00.000-04:00

Take-A-Kid Mountain Biking Day 2010

2010-10-02T17:53:00.001-04:00

geocaching chicago style

2010-09-30T10:42:00.001-04:00

Seasonal Shots around Good Manor

2010-09-18T18:10:00.000-04:00

pedal 4 pets

2010-09-18T03:05:00.000-04:00

44 miles...perfect autumn day.

along the olentangy river

2010-09-12T18:07:00.000-04:00

labor day adventures on 28

2010-09-07T10:37:00.002-04:00

Playing around at Juney Whank Falls

2010-09-06T17:58:00.001-04:00

ride the darby

2010-08-07T03:07:00.000-04:00

Exploring Good Manor

2010-07-17T17:52:00.000-04:00

we'll be back

2010-07-03T10:39:00.001-04:00

doubleheader-between games

2010-04-30T03:20:00.000-04:00

Port Townsend 2010

2010-03-29T10:35:00.001-04:00

winter walk

2010-03-14T10:32:00.001-04:00

Happy New Year's Eve

2009-12-31T13:30:00.002-05:00

Birthday Thanks

2009-12-30T13:27:00.000-05:00

thanks to all for wonderful birthday wishes...a first on my birthday..vietnamese food.

as the sun comes up on christmas 2009

2009-12-25T07:26:00.000-05:00

baking and playing

2009-12-24T23:22:00.000-05:00

still smiles after the ultra competitve christmas eve games...

hustle and bustle of 12/23

2009-12-23T23:15:00.000-05:00

Finally Home - Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow

finished....

2009-12-21T11:34:00.000-05:00

2009-12-16T06:28:00.000-05:00

good manor's welcoming holiday glow

goofballs

2009-12-15T23:00:00.001-05:00

2009-12-14T16:05:00.001-05:00

2009-12-14T15:21:00.000-05:00

really...at good manor it is.

2009-12-13T23:59:00.000-05:00

to be continued....

goofiness

2009-12-12T20:30:00.000-05:00

2009-12-11T20:00:00.000-05:00

thank you dear friend

winter walk

2009-12-09T15:32:00.000-05:00

2009-11-13T15:43:00.000-05:00

on secret path

2009-11-01T11:20:00.000-05:00

Fall Ride

2009-10-11T22:11:00.003-04:00

sunday afternoon in mid-october...after what seems like a month of rain i escaped to dillon for a relaxed afternoon ride as the colors are starting to turn and the air is turning crisper and crisper as we tick off the days of autumn...i rode solo today as dillon was just a short little side trip from my mom's house where vera was dropped off for an afternoon of pampering....i had forgotten about all the roots and mainly rocks at dillon but it was one of those days and everything rolled so smoothly under the tires allowing me to truly enjoy the beauty of the day and the solitude of the woods...seriously i only saw two riders during my time on the trails...but squirrels, they were everywhere darting up and down trees, across the trails, under the leaves, here, there and everywhere...i pulled to the side of the trail to let the two bikers pass in the opposite direction and randomly look down to see this heart rock staring back at me...one more thing to bring a smile to my face...

and to top of the ride, i get back to my mom's to find a hot plate of chicken and mashed potatoes ready for dinner and a tired, tired vera....i have been trying to motivate myself to post about squam but it still seems like just yesterday so my next installment will be all about my most memorable excursion to new hampshire.

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-08T08:12:00.003-04:00

Three and a half action packed days, not enough sleep but as I sit here ready to jump into the work week ahead, I do feel refreshed and ready to go. It could be the fact it"s a short week or that Lani will be arriving from Novia Scotia on Thursday or our upcoming departure for New Hampshire less than a week...but most of all it is the wonderful weekend filled with friends...old and new. The weekend started off with a wedding on Saturday, a quiet Saturday night with Kim and a good bottle of wine but the highlight was Sunday night's fire. We had our normal cast but extended a warm 2000 degree welcome to Jen, Stefani, Amy and Steve. We have started losing the sun earlier and earlier, the evening temperatures are cooling off all signs of the start of fire season at Good Manor - so keep those weekend night open because if we are in town there is always the possibility of a spontaneous gathering.

summer 2009

2009-08-22T00:12:00.014-04:00

well i am back and can't believe i have not posted since may - but the summer has seemed to pass just that quickly. i had grand plans of posting of our wonderful trip through chicago and onto valley ridge for a week. but really what more can be said about valley ridge??? it is truely a place to get away, to feel the magic and beauty of what wisconisin has to offer and then add the smiles, love and laughter that kathy and bill to make the whole VR experience surreal and new time and time again. chicago was, well as expected, a lot of laughs and general foolery with laura and jane. we can alway shave a good time regardless if it is two hours or two days.

unfortunately, i had a mtb crash just before going to wisconisin so my riding was cut short due to some residuals and then was ordered off the bike until July -- man, was that tough - to feel OK but not have an outlet for all that physical energy---but do not fret I am back on my bike and note taking another chance to ride this year for granted.
the summer has been and interesting one for me to say the least. i have worked a lot on getting to know myself which has really enriched my relationships with many and opended the door to new ones...have i changed? have you noticed a difference?? maybe yes and maybe no - but i embrace the opportunity to be able to start each day with a smile on my face and an eagerness to start the new adventure of the day. so, ok. yes, I may have chnaged a little and a mere couple of months ago would not have published this for the world to see...i have learned that being true to yourself can make all the difference...i will embrace my life for what it is and make the most of everyday....enjoy a few shots of summer mixed in a slew of self portraits courtesy of my blackberry, darius.

2009-05-22T18:55:00.006-04:00

after watching a discovery channel special with deb and kelly in the dead of winter, we have all been planning a trip to check out the beaches in erie for some beach glass treasures, sure we did not repel down the ocean side cliff and collect strainers and strainers of glass as they did in oregon but we did collect a little glass and had our own little adventuresome rumble (or tumble in deb's case) down to the last beach...kim had the beach glass find of the trip, stop by her blog to see her yellow treasure...but we all came away with some glass, heart rocks, smooth rocks and other unique finds...we hit a few of my favorite erie county spots...arts bakery has the worlds best iced sugar cookies, a must stop. in an effort to keep this a low budget trip and competing with local graduations we ended up staying at the microtel, yes i typed that right the microtel -- it was not as bad as anticipated we did have microrooms but they were clean microrooms so all was well in hotel land. a quick trip to the erie cemetary to snap a few shots before we headed back to ohio. back in ohio we spent the week in anticipation of kim's new arthroscopy which i can report was successfully completed yesterday..now the rehab begins but we have to accelerate the process so kim is ready for our june much anticipated excursion to wisconsin and valley ridge...we are counting down the days!

Nest of Stones

2009-05-15T09:40:00.005-04:00

since moving into good manor we have been blessed by the ever present killdeer...the killdeer make their nests on the ground typically in stone and gravel. the first year at good manor, we had our first experience with the killdeer and their nests. the killdeers defense/protection mechanism is diversion, if their nest is in danger they will move away from their nest acting as if their wing is injured, squawk loudly, and even roll on the ground for added effect...yes, i was fooled the first time this happened but after a little research was very impressed by the little guys acting skills. this year a pair of killdeer have decided our driveway was the perfect place to lay their eggs...first one, then two and finally all four. the incubation period is 24 to 28 days which puts their hatching date smack dab in the middle of our trip to valley ridge, hopefully the family will still be around when we return but by then the little ones will be off and running. unlike most birds, killdeer are in their eggs longer and come out eyes open ready to fend for themselves...i really hope we get to see them upon our return to good manor...in the meantime, our wheelbarrow sits right in the middle of our turn around to protect the nest from unsuspecting vehicles.

we are off to erie this weekend to explore some beaches with deb and kelly...looks like it may be a soggy treasure hunt but we are always up for an adventure!

Wood Turning - Take One

2009-05-13T21:29:00.003-04:00

Last week I took my first wood turning class and I am hooked...already checking Craigs List for used wood lathes. I was of course the odd one out in class, three retired men and one guy in his mid-forties all telling old shop class stories....but I am ready for my next class...ready for more pens, then spindles, then bowels and pepper mills...the possibilities are endless. I was looking at an on-line woodturning catalog today and saw a couple kits that I already have ideas on how to alter and put my own spin on it or would it be turn on it...ok enough...here are a couple shots of the process...of course I did not get a shot of the blank before we started but you will get the idea.............stay tuned for more.............

spring travels

2009-05-01T14:56:00.001-04:00

settling back into life at good manor after an april full of travel...i spent a week, well week and a half, traveling to north carolina, california and then back to north carolina. the first part of my trip was spent riding and camping with my COMBO mountain biking friends. the weather couldn't have been better and the trails were picture perfect. yes, there was a lot of climbing but what goes up...must come down.....after getting my dirt fix, i headed west to spend a couple wonderful days in the mountains with a sweet, sweet friend - noreen even made an appearance here and there and provided us with several laughs - all kidding aside i felt so at home in this little part of the world - it truly was beautiful and mesmerizing. my carolina trip was interrupted by a quick business trip to napa but after flying overnight on thursday, i arrived back in asheville safely, albeit a bit tired. it was so nice to be welcomed back to the mountains with open arms...saturday's drive on the parkway will never be forgotten, nor will the congested jaunt through cherokee...what a sight!! i know i have said it before but thank you nina for a wonderful visit to your mountains....plenty of beauty along with a good deal of laughter...i can't think of a better way to usher in spring.

artfest via blackberry

2009-04-10T23:01:00.000-04:00

my blackberry

2009-03-22T20:01:00.000-04:00

yes, it is an extension

of me these days but i have fell in love

with the camera - i like the less then perfect

quality pictures - here are a few i've captured over

the past month of so....

vera at debbie's:

kim enjoying a few margarita's at don patrone's after a rough

day at the office:

me in baraboo:

on my way home in detroit - yep, just as i felt..very fuzzy:

a random Tuesday night out at Betty's:

driving home from john bryan last week -- my first warm ride of the year:

after happy hour with bryce and jen:

Fun in the Woods

2009-02-24T19:37:00.000-05:00

I spent a good deal of the weekend in the woods around Central OH...Saturday was a little wet and Sunday a little chilly but definitely one of my favorite places to be...Sunday we were working on some alternate routes as the mountain biking trails at Alum Creek to make the trails a bit more user friendly for beginning riders....we started the day working in the balmy 10 degree weather but were quickly warmed up with the hike back to the work site, moving bridges and benching some new trail. Here are a couple shots -- above alternate route around the log pile, below we moved the bridge to make a better approach and the picture is still a WIP but it is covering a black corrugated pipe we used to ride over.

It's February and I'm Back

2009-02-16T20:08:00.000-05:00

Where have I been? Well, Christmas - my birthday - New Year's and January have passed without a single blog entry...I have been here just not in the blogging sort of mood -- did I have time? yeah, pretty much...pictures to post? yep, had them too..who knows just took a little blog hiatus but here are a few shots of what has been going on in my world:

christmas eve:
Christmas...

Ellen & Co.'s trip to Good Manor:

New Year's at SharonAndrews...photos courtesy of sharonandrews herself:

and the January snow:

Not pictured is the superbowl party at my mom's attended by kim, deb and kelly to name a few...deb's birthday celebration at moretti's and of course this weekend's valentine's day party...since my last blog i have also joined facebook, wanna be my friend? LOL...it is pretty funny though to see who all comes out of the woodwork. hmm, what else? oh, yes -- my new year's resolution...watch more movies...that will be another post. but my favorite so far..to kill a mockingbird...who knew there were so many references out there to this movie...i can't believe it has taken me this long to watch it...now i need to read the book.

what next? a lot going on this year...mountain bike racing..both in and out of state...gotta get in shape...artfest in april, mtn bike trip to NC in late april, valley ridge in june, back to squam (YIPPEE!!) in september and a few others thrown in...this and a lot more in store for 2009...and I promise, my next post will not be so delinquent.

Crazy Dogs of Good Manor...

2008-12-07T10:22:00.000-05:00

Snow began to fall Saturday morning which is when Biggie comes to life...believe it or not his partner in crime today was Ms. Vera Bell...a quick video of them playing in the pre acuumulation flurries...of course, I missed the best parts:

The snow fell throughout the day giving us a mere couple inches but I'll take that for an early December snow fall. By the end of the day, the dogs (and kim) were worn out.....

and here is Kaj recooperating from his recent bout with the flu:

Traditional Lighting of the Licking County Courthouse

2008-11-29T21:42:00.000-05:00

Every year the Licking County Courthouse in Newark is lit for the first time of the season...the evening is full of carols, waiting for santa claus and of course finally the lighting...i have many memories going to the courthouse as a kid dressed in snowsuits anxiously waiting for santa to arrive....before we caught up with my mom, mike, deb, kelly and the rest of deb's clan we stopped for some cashew turtles at Goumas' the best chocolate in licking county....

kim bundling up before venturing onto the square

you have to stop for a piece of chocolate

before the lights go on

after they are lit and a happy kelly

finally, an updated picture of the four of us!!!

my mom and mike

the gazebo even got some holiday love.

And just in case you have not had enough..see it for yourself:

Thanksgiving Day...

2008-11-27T21:26:00.000-05:00

....started at kim's mom's house for meal number one of the day,. here is kim, heather and kim's two nieces....oh yes, vera belle is also there front and center...

late afternoon we headed to my mom's house...where we ate some leftovers and pumpkin pie before planning our big plans for black friday...

thanksgiving day also bring the birthday of two of our furry friends...ruby j and miss nelly...they got stuffed toys from my mom but they were quickly confiscated by bully biggie....

Happy Birthday Ruby and Nelly!!!

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-26T21:50:00.000-05:00

Today I give thanks to those who have touched my life this year in more ways than I could ever express. 2008 has had its ups and downs but you have all been there to make some part of everyday special....wishing you a very special thanksgiving with your friends and family...I love you all!!!!!

**Special thanks to sharonandrews, heather and nina for a few of the images you enjoyed in the slideshow.

First Snow...Can You Smell It?

2008-11-17T21:57:00.000-05:00

I love the smell of late autumn snow falls, have you ever noticed? Next time take note -- go outside, close your eyes and take in the crisp clean smell of fresh snow..it is almost as good as those first few hints of spring....no accumulations to write home about but i will take anything, if it is going to be cold, we might as well have snow...here are a few shots around good manor this evening:
I spent sometime outside playing frisbee with dakota and the game continued in the barn when i got a bit chilled:

then just a little fun with photoshop:

and to end -- we took a random trip to walmart last night with deb and kelly....we picked up a candle at the recommendation of sharonandrews, a buddha find and i got a pair of shoes to trek around the yard in the wet, cold and hopefully snowy yard this winter.

DW Weekend at Good Manor

2008-11-12T10:55:00.000-05:00

The DW's minus poor Wingie made the trip to Good Manor earlier this month-we had a great time despite the lack of smile on kim's face.....thanks eveyone for making the journey to Ohio.

YES WE CAN

2008-11-05T01:55:00.000-05:00

I'M PROUD TO BE AN AMERICAN...PROUD TO ELECT BARACK OBAMA AS PRESIDENT OF THE USA....AN EVENING IN AMERICAN HISTORY NOT TO BE FORGOTTEN....AS OBAMA SAYS....AMERICA - A PLACE WHERE ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.........

Halloween 2008

2008-10-28T21:15:00.001-04:00

We attended two Halloween parties this year....the first was hosted by sharonandrew's daughter in Westerville...sharon, kim and marcy went as the supremes...look at them...to cool for school:

Noreen was along to chaperon the event and ensure the safety of the Supremes:

The next party was at my Mom's....here we have Witch Kim, Deb as the Kiss Fan, the Red Devil Kelly and I was a mad scientist for the evening...

We played lots of games including pool, word games, a halloween madlib and a cookie decorating contest...here is my winning cookie, ok maybe not, i can't find the picture!!

Happy Halloween!!!

Washington DC

2008-10-25T20:35:00.000-04:00

Leonard and I took a quick trip to DC last week for a work related seminar but had a little time to explore ...enjoy....

we started off in arlington at the cemetary...

watched the changing of the guard.....

saw the eternal flame...

without a cab in sight we walked back to dc...the view back to dc from memorial bridge...
VALOR - a gift from the people Italy...

the lincoln memorial...
leonard by a pillar in order to fully appreciate the size...
Mr. Lincoln...
looking off the lincoln memorial stairs down the mall....
WW2 Memorial

the washinton momument from its base....
and at night...

chicagoland company

2008-10-08T00:16:00.000-04:00

we were blessed with the company of our chicagoland friends, laura and jane, this weekend...although i didn't catch a lot of moments on film we had an eventful couple of days starting at the airport friday night through a visit to my mom's on sunday afternoon...a weekend full of laughs, throw in a few antique shops minus one for me, the traditional tootfest hummus, mexican food, a big fire and a couple adult beverages and that was our weekend.....jane became quite attached to little miss nelly and shared her bed with both nelly and ruby..because they are a package deal....it was a great weekend and we hope laura and jane book a return trip in the future....always fun to be had a good manor.

Perfect Harmony....

2008-09-19T22:20:00.000-04:00

Many bloggers have captured the spirit and magic of the squam art retreat but for me it can only be described as perfect harmony.....the perfect balance of friendships, nature and challenges...i still feel I am just testing the waters attending these various art retreats and feel all the anxiety, uncertainly and nervous energy going into these settings but here at SAW it was different...i felt so at home...at camp in the woods ...both places where i am comfortable and in my own element...so here we are cool weather, crystal clear water and unbelievable smells in the mix of pines and perfectly scattered birch tress....the anxiety, uncertainly and nervous energy were all there yes but in a positive way...an eagerness to jump in with both feet. Not to worry however I had my life preservers close by....sharon, ellen, kim and nina....they each made the week special in their own way...so many memories not to be forgotten...sharon's introduction to noreen, a yellow moose on top of a building in hoosick, ny, walmart in manchester with ellen and misty, sharing wine with two very special souls, sangria and awful service at canoe, all the laughter, tears, love and general fuckery that wonderful night on the dock, keeping the fire roaring in our classroom, sharing masking tape with delightful joy from canada, creating a journal and necklace with very little resemblance of what we were supposed to be doing in class, i could go on and on and on but this post is already too wordy...where are my pictures?? i was very lax this trip in my photo documentation relying on the incredible sharon...but here are a few i managed to snap around the lake area....enjoy the views while i continue to sit back and recollect on the week with a smile on my face.....

as summer fades to fall...

2008-09-02T19:47:00.000-04:00

i have been very delinquent in memorializing this summers adventures but not to worry there have been many.... a fun little get-a-way to ann arbor for kim's sally jean class and a quick visit with lani ... fun evenings with deb and kelly ... reuniting with an old friend... taking advantage of a cool august weekend to host a fire with friends and then yes to top it off a week plus at valley ridge which will forever have a place in my heart....the friendships made and rekindled at valley ridge will always bring a smile to my face and feed the desire to return...the week began with nina's gatherings class, then a few fun days beth helped us fill in madison -- willy street, state street, the coop, st vinnies, antiques (not my favorite) jolly bobs, margaritas in the middle of the day, you name it we did it...thanks beth for the tour de madison....but before we even got to wisconsin we spent time in chicago with laura and jane...the usual good time ...jackson square, portillos and trader joes...thanks laura for the accommodations in the bird room!!...our week in wisconsin finished with nina's 3 day pmc class....it was over all too soon and i am ready to turn around and drive the nine hours right back to witek rd....what makes it so special? well, a little bit of everything...the studio, the farm, the beautiful wisconsin backdrop, bill, kathy, nina all rolled up into one big ball of learning, laughter and love...valley ridge has truly touched me in a very special way and it gets better with each and every trip!!

journal swap....

2008-07-13T23:05:00.000-04:00

it's been a while since my last post...but i have kept busy...

we had a ball at the campanelli wine party and came away with an order for 6 bottles of wine...yes, two are already missing:

we celebrated celebrated heather, mike and kaj's birthday:

i picked emerson up at the airport for his summer visit to ohio:
i had a quick work trip out to napa...we arrived just as the wild fires were subsuding:

fun 4th of july celebration:

celebrated kelly's birthday at BD's :
yes, this picture is from last winter but we didn't have a camera at the restaurant last week...so i decided to post a picture of kelly with one of her furry friends...honey....honey is heather's dog but frequently visits Good Manor and makes us smile.

cookout at the campanelli's with this handsome little man:
enjoyed dinner at my mom and mike's, followed by dominoes and pie when deb and kelly arrived:

so you are up to date.....so following artfest it was decided lani would make the four of us journals to create in and then swap...here is the wonderful journal lani made for me...i am sure ellen and kim have or will have their repestive journals posted...check them out. my journal will go to lani next and as fate would have it, we will see her in ann arbor next sunday so i finished my first page and it is ready to be move along, it will visit ellen and then kim before it returns for my second entry.

last but not least, we mourn the loss of our favorite momma kitty~ wilma jolene

aka willy

aka spooky wilma or my favorite...willy mo pena... ...we will miss you.......

Art Festival

2008-06-08T21:09:00.000-04:00

Kim came down Friday afternoon to give me a mid-afternoon work break...we walked around the Columbus Arts Festival and saw many wonderful creations but kim talked me into a henna tattoo:

Here is the finished product with the henna paste:

And then once the paste dries and comes off:

this week i hope to get a lot of mountain biking in as long as the rain stays away...i'll be hitting the road for a couple back to back business trips so i have to sneak in as many miles as possibe..i'll try to snag a few shots to share along the way.

GREEN SQUARED

2008-05-27T12:23:00.000-04:00

$4 per gallon...that is my breaking point. So today I broke down and took the bus to work. The New Albany park and ride is about 4 miles from home which shaves about 28 miles off my normal trip...or 56 miles per day. So for the inconvenience of 4 extra stops and $2 I can live a little greener sharing a trip with 20some strangers and keep a lot more green in my wallet....most mornings and afternoons you will now find my on the #39 Express. What is your breaking point?

*picture from flickr.com

For Ellen....

2008-05-06T16:22:00.000-04:00

a little treat to sweeten your day:

For a laugh:

Shawty had them Apple Bottom Jeans [Jeans]
Boots with the fur [With the fur]
The whole club was lookin at her
She hit the flo [She hit the flo]
Next thing you know
Shawty got low low low low low low low low
Them baggy sweat pants
And the Reeboks with the straps [With the straps]
She turned around and gave that big booty a smack [Ayy]
She hit the flo [She hit the flo]
Next thing you know
Shawty got low low low low low low low low

quick trip to napa

2008-04-15T21:34:00.000-04:00

after returning from seattle just a few days ago i was back on the plane headed to napa for business purposes....i had a few hours to spend last night so of course i had to visit a couple local hotspots....sorry w/o a sidekick along to snap some shots i was playing driver/photographer in some of these shots...believe me there are no shortage of kodak moments here in napa valley just a shortage of time...enjoy.....

the drive in from sacramento...

a winery of course...

TAYLOR'S - as featured on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives on the Food Network:

MY LODGING AND VIEW FROM THE HOTEL:

MY WHEELS...

SCENERY ACROSS THE STREET FROM OUR OFFICE:

construction in the woods

2008-04-14T22:17:00.000-04:00

sunday morning with kim at artiscape i decided to take a break from the office and head out to our local mountain biking trails for a trail maintenance day to finish a very very long board walk with a few rollers thrown in for fun...there are 2 mtb trails at alum creek both approx. 6 miles long - here we are working on phase 1 the older of the trails. The trails are maintained by the Central Ohio Mountain Bike Organization. Phase 1 lacks a lot of man made structures which is good for its intended purposed; however, this section goes through an exposed meadow which does not dry out and damage and erosion are maintenance nightmares and bad for the land - the solution was to provide a boardwalk above the trail to allow for dry riding and to minimize damage to the area. Here we are mid construction of the rollers...

and then the finished section:

Looking back at Artfest 2008

2008-04-12T12:31:00.000-04:00

After much anticipation, it is over, just like that....but it was a week full of anticipation, anxiety, laughter, creativity, laughter, bonding, laughter and just general goofiness........to add to the previous post our week went like this:

Monday - after a long delay in Milwaukee when the deicing truck ran out of deicer kim and i finally made it to Seattle - picked up our rental and headed to the Alexis...first for a drink and then for a quick dinner with Dji. After dinner we tracked down Lani who was stuck in Canada and then on an airplane for god knows how many hours and then finally ellen arrived after being stuck at o'hare for 12 hours...i would have gone CRAZY.....

Tuesday - it was off to explore seattle...time at pike's market and several other local shops...

Wednesday we gathered up some eggrolls and sushi, jumped on the ferry and headed to Port Townsend. Eating on the ferry..........

after arriving and checking into our "home" for the next three days we headed to Fort Warden, checked in and then the trading frenzy began....mental note: may want to skip this next year.

Thursday morning was highlighted by my solo trip to the beach, it was quite amazing watching the sunrise-- it was a wonderfully chilly morning so much to see on the beach itself and with the beautiful backdrop -- i only encountered a woman and her dog during my hour of exploration.

Thursday was the first day of classes and as I previously posted I took a Thomas Ashman class and made the art journal shown in the last post. Kim took Nina's Wee Book class and I sure was the class pet as usual. Ellen made a kick ass piece in Laurie Mika's class and Lani came away with a great creation with LK. The evening ended with dinner with two very special people that i love with all my heart.....and yes i can even tell you ;)
Friday Kim, Lani and I were in Nina's gatherings class and Ellen was in Linda and Opie's flat to stacked....unfortunately I have not pictures but everyone had a great day. We continued working into the evening turning our suite into a studio...

Saturday--our last day of classes---we paired up for the day with kim and ellen in a susan lenart kazmer class and lani and i took a michael demeng class.....we learned so much about texture and color...i was really nervious about this class - paint and collage neither of which i have done much of anything with but i was very happy with the end product....

Lani's morpheus box:
The evening ended with a meal at Galatea...and enough drinks to make us a little tipsy for show and tell...but we made it...and here we are.......yes, you can kind of see those margarita's shining through....

This officially closes the door and artfest and on Sunday we headed back to Seattle.Good Night Port Townsend.

In the morning before we left....

and some buffalo we caught a glimpse of on our way to bainbridge island...

Heading back to Seattle began the downfall of kim's trip...yes we made her do at least two things she absolutely refused to do...here is the first, venturing to the out onto the deck of the ferry for a few WINDY shots....

the second was a trip to the top of the space needle....

After we were safely back on the ground and lani already on her way back to nova scotia, we had a final dinner with ellen and dji at tulio's in our hotel.

And that was that Monday morning all back on planes heading east. The trip was memorable and I will never forget how hard Lani was laughing....thank you all for a wonderful time........

Artfest Begins.....

2008-04-04T00:29:00.000-04:00

I few pictures from Seattle and Port Townsemd start out you journey here....followed by the sunrise at North Beach today...and then yes my first class at artfest and I must admit I do like my finished..well almost finished project. Check back later in the week for more to come....

Artfest Bound....

2008-03-29T10:46:00.000-04:00

In a matter of days we are headed to the great pacific northwest to spend a couple days in seattle and then head over to port townsend for artfest......today i am spending some time at starbucks enjoying their wireless network to upload some pics and do a little work on my blog....anyway, before we fly off here is little glimpse into our market area in new albany:

Above you can see Starbucks and alas two doors down kim's office.....below is our library and then our favorite corner bar/restaurant The Rusty Bucket.....and finally my little corner here at starbucks this morning....

check back in a few days for an update on our artfest adventures.....

Milwaukee in March....

2008-03-29T09:21:00.001-04:00

Frkn Modem

2008-03-25T16:09:00.000-04:00

Well, if you have visited Kim's blog, you know we are having modem problems and therefore are limited in our connection to the land of the blogs....anyway, as soon as we are back up and running there will be many blanks to be filled in...........Julie & Leonard's pictures from Milwaukee..sorry Leonard the dead duck will NOT make the cut....Kim's birthday party....Easter...and then artfest is right around the corner...we fly out for seattle on monday, will tool around in seattle until wednesday and then head over to port townsend.

The Snow Gods were listening....

2008-03-09T23:29:00.000-04:00

yes, we got hit as called for - 16 wonderful inches of blowing snow....without much wind block we had area with as little as 6 inches and then drifts throughout the property approaching three feet...i shoveled A LOT and the dogs, well biggie, had a great day.

Here are a few shots of the snow drifts outside the garage door, around the barn and fountain and then of course some furry fun....

After playing around in the snow, the rest of the day was spent inside -- our county was declared a level 3 snow emergency which meant we could not drive on the roads unless it was an emergency or face a citation...so stuck inside....this does not bode well for my short attention span but it was actually a blessing in disguise as i was able to work on trades for artfest....i had no idea what i was going to do but after playing around with some wire, digging through supplies down in the studio i grabbed some clay, a few stamps and was off and running...here are a few shots of some completed, some partially completed trades..

in the right hand corner you can see a couple pieces made by ellen this fall...they were what inspired this tray of trades...thanks ellen....

BLIZZARD WARNING....

2008-03-07T19:42:00.000-05:00

Forecasts call for a three phased storm to hit us here in central Ohio...today was phase one a lot of blowing snow...our office shut down at noon to give us all the afternoon to trudge home...all in total we are supposed to get 10-14 inches which is a ton for this area; however, it never seems to pan out so please keep your fingers crossed we hit double digits.....i love love love the snow!!! I got spoiled at college in NW PA living for four plus years with lake effect snow.......a glimpse into phase one....

a little snow seeping through the screens and finding a resting place on our furniture...

adding a little touch a winter to the decor:

to help illustrate the strong winds that came in with this phase...we live on very large and open lot so there is nothing to block the wind....here you can see the wind keeping the surface of our patio stones exposed....and then the drifts that rest around the back of the house....we have these all around the house and various places out in the field...

Phase 2 is set to hit at 2AM bringing heavy snow...i know i will waking up hour on the hour for an accumulation check....tomorrow we will hope for tons of white stuff....and just for dji i'll make sure to capture a few videos of our pack playing in the snow.......until tomorrow...please help us pray to the snow gods!!!!!

on the move.....

2008-02-23T21:09:00.000-05:00

if you have visited kim's blog lately you know we have officially put good manor on the market....it was a hurry up and now how long are we going to wait type feeling?? who knows with the market in the shape it is today..but we will stay positive and hopefully that right buyer is just around the corner....anyway, not to despair while we may be selling our little plot of land here in southern delaware county we will be packing up and moving everything that make good manor a home a couple dozen miles east and hope to soon be settled in at good manor II. we have had a wintery blitz of weather lately from cold, to snow to ice...some snapshots of the dogs enjoying the snow and two perfectly happy to be curled up inside...

biggie ready for action in the snow...

miss ruby and her companion honey....

I spent a little time trudging through our field this afternoon admiring the ice covered weeds, trees and the such....following some animal prints but unable to tell where they came from or where they were leading to.....looking back through the field at good manor.....

what i've been up to....

2008-02-05T20:28:00.000-05:00

Its been a while since I have checked in but wow was january a busy month....starting out new years eve with a get together at our house..

and the day after...

heather, leonard and alexander joining us for sunday dinner...

look at these silly great danes lazing away an early sunday morning..yes, that is two of them on the same loveseat....

deb and kelly came over to celebrate deb's birthday..we headed down to the surly girl saloon for a wonderful evening of food, drinks and fun....drink of the night...a surly temple...red pop and vodka...how can that not be good??? and no i did not drive home... after dinner deb and kelly are have some quality time with a few of our pack and kelly got to know heather's honey.

finally super bowl sunday....look at alexander his first superbowl...he had a smile on his face, must have been rooting for the giants...if only his daddy would've put down that $500...

Now that the new laptop has arrived hopefully my posts will not be so so delinquent....