Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Giant Things, Small Things


Teeny Tiny Feet!
Hi All,
It’s been a busy week or two as usual here in the desert. Kathy and I are both back home from Tucson, and together in the same house! We had a great time in Arizona, both with Andrea K. arriving in the world, and also getting to help Jon and Amy move to their new house.

I promise, these colors are raw, right off the camera!
Along the way, I got to spend some time with Jon and a great telescope; A Celestron 5; that had been languishing at my sister Sue’s house without use for many years. Sue, wanting the telescope to have some use, sent it along with me to Tucson for Jon to further his enjoyment of astronomy.
Jon, getting to know his new friend...
I only wish I had the capability to have photographs for you of Jupiter and its 4 major moons. It’s been a long time since I saw Jupiter, and it reopened my eyes to the immensity of the solar system. I did, however, piggy-back my Nikon digital SLR on the Celestron, and using the telescope’s tracking motor, took some 4-5 minute exposures of the stars. The results are here, and you may ask why the foreground is fuzzy. Well, the telescope was moving with the stars! I wasn’t sure what results I would get, but I was pleasantly pleased.
3 minute exposure , the Pleadides in the lower/center
Along with the immensity of the universe, I was quickly brought back to the amazing little things, like Andrea’s tiny hands and feet. It’s amazing to me that something so small could be so gigantic in our little world.
Teeny Tiny Fingers!
Oh yes, and I am now on Facebook. I signed up so that I could stay in better touch with all my friends back in Utah. So, if you are interested, you can find me there!
See you down the road.
Jim

Monday, September 14, 2009

News from the Garage


Sunrise over a Joshua tree, just east of Palmdale...
Hi all,
No, I don’t have any new Andrea pictures. You’ll just have to wait one more week when I go back to Tucson to help Amy, Jon, and Andy move to their new place. For what its worth, I am getting to know Interstate 10 quite well this month!
Ok, I know my audience! Here she is; "squeaking at grandma."
In other news, I have succeeded in shuffling through a lot of stuff in the garage, and I am proud to say I have parking spots for both cars, and all three bikes. The Redline Single-Speed has been relegated to hooks on the ceiling, as there is no real purpose for that bike right now. I just couldn’t part with such a nice little bike.
The new-look Barcroft...
My Barcroft Virginia GT is back from Dana’s shop in Van Nuys. Bent-Up Cycles is the premier ‘bent store in southern California, and with all the fun stuff and carbon frames in that place, probably to close for my wallet’s comfort!

The ‘Ginny now sports U-shaped handlebars, and is now configured with an open cockpit. I originally had what are called “hamster bars” on the bike, with my hands fairly close together. After 4,000 miles I finally came to the notion that there was a better, more comfortable way for me to ride. So, we’ll see. It’s a much different feel, but when I rode open cockpit bikes in Maryland this past July, I noticed that I was in a more relaxed position to ride. Time will tell.
My mood from not getting my Andrea/Brian fix these days!
My new Surly LHT touring bike is up and running, too. I finally got to the carton in the garage and managed to put things together without dinging up the frame or losing my temper. The bike rides wonderfully. It is not a speed bike; it is a bike for commuting, designed for heavy loads, bad roads, and many, many miles. Also, I noticed that at slow speeds the bike is docile, and not twitchy in the slightest. I still have some configuring to do to ready the bike for commuting. A headlight, and bags for the rack are the next order of business.
"General Rommel;" note the not-so-skinny tires...
I leave you now, with a trivia question. The Joshua trees in the headline photo are only found in two places in the world; here in California, and ….. (where?)
Drop me a note with your answer and I’ll work out some sort of prize, or tacky recognition.
See you down the road.
Jim

Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Welcome Andrea!


Andrea Kathleen! Look at those eyes...
Hi All,
Well, the dawn of a new day is upon us! Welcome to the world, Andrea Kathleen! She is our second grandchild, and Amy and John are the proud parents! She is 6 lbs. 12 Oz, born on September 4th at 3:59 PM. ten fingers, ten toes, everything in its proper place.

Two of the proud grandparents...

You can see even cooler pictures on Jon’s blog. ( On the tab list to the right!) I won’t put many here on my site, as John and Amy can send along more for you to enjoy. Baby is fine; Mom is fine; Dad is fine; the grandparents (all four of them!) are all excited and proud.

The proud Mommy...

The proud doting new Dad...

I am sure there are lots of other details I could give you, but I figure you are looking at the pictures, and I could just about write anything I want from here on!

Enjoy all the pictures; there really is some more cycling and house information to come, but it can all wait until later in the week.

Jim