Life of Brian

Tilt-shift pictures

2009-03-18T13:06:00.003-04:00

Bern, Switzerland
Schloss Castle, Heidelberg, Germany

Somewhere in Germany

Copenhagen, Denmark

I visited a blog of a husband/wife photography couple that I met during the Tour of California and I really liked some of their photos. (http://www.lorenzstudios.com/) I had not heard of tilt shift photos, but it makes the picture look miniature by making the photo blurry. It sounds like there are three ways to create them. One is to have a fancy schmancy lens for your camera. The other is by a website I finally found. You can also use Adobe Photoshop but I don't have a Mac and not sure you can use it with Windows like me.

Anyway, go to http://tiltshiftmaker.com/ and upload a picture. Then you can move the 'bar' up and down the photo to select the area that will stay in focus. You can then widen the Focus area by the slide bar below the picture. After making those changes hit 'Preview'. The picture is really too small to see if you like it, but you can then download it to your computer, or just preview. Select 'Get full size' and then below that will appear a 'Click here' link to download it. You'll get a photo similar to the ones I uploaded here. Oh, I think it's better to use landscape/cityscape scenes that show a lot of detail. Kind of neat and thought I'd pass this along!

ToC - Stage 8: Rancho Bernardo to Escondido - 97 miles

2009-02-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

Today is the last day, WOOT! Although Palomar Pass could make the overall leader nervous, it's doubtful that he will lose it today. The leader will be a strong time trialist and climber so today he will feel confident that his team will take him across the line with the trophy. Will it be Levi, again? Or will Floyd Landis bounce back from his suspension and show them he SHOULD be the victor of the '06 Tour de France? Today is the day and I'm sure I will be happy to see the finish by now and ready for the Tour "after party"!! Bring it on, wine, whiskey and song!

ToC - Stage 7: Santa Clarita to Pasadena - 89 miles

2009-02-21T22:00:00.001-05:00

Can Big George hold them off AGAIN and repeat his breakaway victory over Rory Sutherland? I hope so, I'm always rooting for Georgie.

ToC - Stage 6: Solvang Time Trial - 15 miles

2009-02-20T22:00:00.005-05:00

Solvang is a neat Danish knock off town, kind of like Helen, GA.

Frank (in Red) & Andy Schleck (middle) with Jens Voigt (on left) warming up for the TT

Thanks for reading race fans because today is THE day! This is the real "Race of truth", unlike the Prologue. Today is the day that the overall leader should really be crowned. It's not to say that someone couldn't spoil the victor in the following Stages, but it is very unlikely. This is the same course that they have used for the last few years and will be sure not to disappoint the masses.

Since my dad still had to ask, "What do you do for the Tour." I thought I should explain further. As a Course Marshal the ten people in the van get dropped off at strategic points along each course. There are eight vans and we all leap frog to two or three different sections of the course. When we get dropped off, most of the time there is a cop there or other folks to help block the road and make sure the riders know which direction to go. The turns are the most fun because more people show up there because the riders typically have to slow down a bit. I learned that this job is about lessons in human nature. People want to be where ever they are currently NOT. They think they'll get a better spot to take a picture of Lance and bounce around crossing the road numerous times. It gets annoying when the caravan of motorcycles, cars and then riders come through and people still want to cross. It's dangerous and I tried to warn everyone, "Pick a spot and stick it. Put your dog and children on leashes and no one will get hurt. Thank you." Basically, people suck. At least the arrogant, ignorant and just plain stupid seem to be.

Today's one and only drop was actually a cut through road that people would try and get around the other road closures and get back to town. Fortunately I was there to stop them. So it was actually a good spot to be and I was able to do my duty. Oh boy... So the race? Well, I was hoping for Dave Z to pull it off, but Levi beat him by just 8 seconds. There was a tough climb in the middle that really put a hurt on some. Lance doesn't seem to be putting to much extra effort into this race which I know is by design. From Solvang we had a fairly long transfer south and a rather uneventful evening, as I recall now....

ToC - Stage 5: Visalia to Paso Robles - 134 miles

2009-02-19T22:00:00.001-05:00

I'd rather be flying this, than where I am truth be told. This brought back memories of watching them in S. Florida many years ago.

We had enough time to stop at Stillwaters Vineyards and sample some of their fine wine. Thank goodness for only 2 drops today.

Looks like yesterday's Stage with Cavendish and Boonen going 1, 2. I'm a fan of the Cav!

Today the peloton will be racing for wine! Well, they will be heading towards one of the famous California cities that boasts of their suptle grape and award winning wines. Stage 5 is the longest of all ToC Stages and should prove to be a chance for Tom "Tornado Tom" Boonen to race his Specialized (bicycle made in California) across the finish line first. There are a few mole hils before the finish, but nothing like what he tackles at Paris Roubaix.

Yet again, my pre-race prediction was close to truth. I guess I need to go to Vegas and bet on my odds in cycling! So what to report today??? I guess the scenery. Cows, lots of cows. Land O'Lakes has many farms around Visalia and they smelled like.... But the rolling hills without trees seems like the most distinguishable thing today. But when we got close to Paso Robles, it turned to smaller hills and beautiful scenery, and great wine! Our second drop today was at the finish and I got to see the leadout trains for Cerevelo and Columbia head into town. Unfortunately I didn't get to see the actual finish, but I did get to see it just now on Versus. So after the race I went for a (dreaded) run and then out to dinner with my team. I'm glad to be in Fat Tire Amber Ale country, I love that beer! Oh, Silverhorse Wine gave us bottles of their wine in our rooms, pretty cool! I'll be taking them back home with me, or maybe my photographer friend will help me drink them.... Ciao!

ToC - Stage 4: Merced to Clovis - 115 miles

2009-02-18T22:00:00.001-05:00

Neat "old" building in downtown Merced
Home on the range....

I have been impressed by the vegetation and scenery in this part of CA. Looks like GREAT cycling country, very Euroesque. I think I might have to come back WITH my bike, next time!

Something you never want to see, but here is Kim Kirchen (Columbia-Highroad) heading to the hospital. I've heard just a broken collarbone. Hey, I've got one of those! :(

Today's Stage, on paper, looks like it will be exciting! But compared to Le Tour de France, this whole race is pretty boring and predictable. Mind you, I said, COMPARED. Today's Stage will yet again have a breakaway go off and the leader (if he's really an overall contender) will just ride tempo and hope that another team will bring them back before the end. If a true contender is NOT wearing yellow, then today will be very active to try and shake whomever it is off their pedestal. Today's climbing Stage will probably decide who rides into Escondido with the polka dot jersey for best climber. We'll see!

Damn, I'm good! My pre-race report (above) was correct! Go here for the full race report for this Stage, but I wasn't far off. Today we had to leave the Stage start early to do some recon on connecting roads. Basically, we took two different routes to see if teams behind us could get around the peloton on them. The video is of an almost pig trail we took to see if it would help our teammates. Not sure if anyone went this way, but we had fun speeding through and checking out the countryside. Our first drop was in the small, quaint town of Mariposa. I continually have places like this change my mind of what I think of CA. It was too small for me, granted, but the surrounding area just speaks to me. If I were to live out here, I'd pic this general area to live. Somewhere east of San Fran/San Jose, close to the mountains, but with a little bit of country feel to it. The second drop was closer to the finish, but we weren't able to get to the finish to see anything this time. When I told the people around me I was from Gawja, they didn't believe me since I don't have a southern accent. But when I started talking about ya'll and over yonder, they knew I was raised in the South. Yeah c'mon! Ok, it's off to dinner at the Astana hotel next door. Ohhhhhhh, maybe I'll see Lancipants...... Whatever. Oh, I talked with local to ATL John Murphy last night at their hotel. Unfortunately he dropped out today. He said he was feeling the cumulative effects of the previous days. Damn, that sucks, he's a good kid and future sprinting star I hope.

ToC - Stage 3: San Jose to Modesto - 104 miles

2009-02-17T22:00:00.004-05:00

The hills come early in this Stage, and like most of this race it won't have any affect to the overall race. BUT, an unknown group of 15 could roll off the front and stay away to the finish putting in a 30 minute deficit to the rest and leave the rest with their tails between their legs. It happened in the Tour de Georgia a few years ago, but the true leaders were able to bring it back by the time they got to Brasstown. I'd like to bet on a breakaway group for today's Stage, but we'll see!

The view of drop #2 near Modesto. Boring, flat cow country.

My pre-race report was wrong again, dynamic! San Jose was the least appealing Stage start. It appeared that they forgot it was coming to town and put it together at the last minute. Most towns roll out the red carpet for this event, but SJ didn't. Today's two drops were both uneventful, other than the rain, for the FOURTH day in a row.... A breakaway of 4 held them off until the last few kilometers and the new Cerevelo TestTeam were able to bring Thor "The God of Thunder" Hushovd to the line first! We got to the finish just in time to see the last turn and he had a pefectly orchestrated leadout train bring him to the line in front of Oscar Freire and Mark Renshaw. We stuck around for some pictures then headed back to the hotel where I am finally able to get free wifi.

Robert Gesink, best young rider; Levi Leipheimer, overall; Francisco Mancebo, king of the mountains & sprinter points leader; Brad White, other/feel good (cancer jersey)

THOR!

My good friend and cycling partner, Corinne, has been in town since late Saturday for "work" and following the Tour. I saw her briefly yesterday at the finish, but today we went stalking! After catching me up on that morning's escapade at the start (she kissed Thor on the cheek and got many other auto/photographs), we headed to where all of the teams were staying. To try and make a long story short, she got Tom Boonen, Dave Zabriskie and Andy Schleck's 'graphs. I met Andy after he finished 10th on Brasstown at the TdGeorgia in '04. He was so HAPPY to have placed so high and I just remembered how cool it was that a 19 year old had done so well and was excited. I flagged him down in the lobby and talked to him for a few minutes. He was very gracious and cool to talk with. He placed 2nd at last year's Giro and 16th at Le Tour while in support of his brother, Frank, and overall winner Carlos Sastre. I will bet a lot of money that Andy wins Le Tour in the next three years, the boy has a LOT of tallent. I'll post a picture of Andy and I when Corinne emails me them. So we hung out and had dinner there and got to talk to a few others like Victor Hugo Pena where she got a sweet ass picture with him. Tomorrow's weather looks mucho better! Ciao

Corinne and I on course near the finish.
Andy Schleck, future Tour de France winner, just wait!

ToC - Stage 2: Sausalito to Santa Cruz - 116 miles

2009-02-16T22:00:00.002-05:00

Part of the caravan along Highway 1

Today the Tour will be traveling across the Golden Gate Bridge! I haven't seen this icon since I was 15, traveling on my family's 5 week tour out West. We came up with an acronym for this trip, FFF. Affectionately known as "Forced Family Fun". I can imagine that some of the cyclists picture this trip through California about the same! But they get paid for it and they may not be as inthused because their goals are later in the season. The ToC is one of the early season races and guys like Lance are not targeting this race to win, but for training.

Today turned out to be a lot different than expected with a long breakaway being caught by Levi and him taking over yellow. It was pretty impressive to watch on Versus later in the evening, he's taking the bull by the horns and making this a race. Although I don't care for him, I think it's cool he is going to try and make it three in a row for the overall. We stayed in the same hotel and I passed him in the hall going to breakfast. I just said, "Good job Levi.", he said, "Thanks man.", while typing away on his Blackberry. I'm glad I have my iPod, it helps pass the time and drowned out some of the noise in the van..... I'm tired, it's late.

ToC - Stage 1: Davis to Santa Rosa - 107 miles

2009-02-15T21:59:00.002-05:00

This is the van the ten of us are riding around in all week. One big happy family! Well, as long as one guy will shut the heck up. I'm keeping my mouth closed and not rocking the boat....

We stayed in Sacramento again for the start today in Davis. Today's stage will most likely end up in a 'bunch sprint' with little or no change to the overall. Santa Rosa is the hometown of team Astana's Levi Leipheimer, whom has won the overall ToC for the last two years. He would love to pull into town wearing the yellow jersey, again. Levi and Lance are teammate this year again on Astana and The Boss (Lance) says he'll be working for Levi to win the overall for a third time. We'll see how it pans out.

As you can see from my 'pre-race' report it shows why cycling is such a dynamic sport, you never know what will happen! Francisco Mancebo took off at mile 5 and traded different "leaches" during the Stage, but in the end, he came up with the goods! Rock Racing is an interesting team fo' shizzle. They bring the bling, and know how to back it up. Today, my team had three 'drops' along the course. We made all of them, thankfully to TomTom (TT). When we got to SR, we hit Chevy's Tex Mex and then the hay. With a 4am wakeup call, we all needed the rest.

ToC - Prologue: Sacramento - 2.4 miles

2009-02-14T19:00:00.001-05:00

A view of the course with the State Capitol in background.
A Garmin-Slipstream rider, I can't remember who... These were the only pictures I took all day, too busy otherwise.

For the non-cycling enthusiast, I will try and explain a few things as I hope to shed some light on why cycling is so exciting. Today's Stage is an individual time trial. Meaning, each rider goes out on the 2.4 mile course through the streets of Sacramento FULL GAS. It's the "race of truth", the race against the clock. These short prologues do not typically decide who will win the overall, but they do establish the pecking order. Sprinters and specialists against the clock will be the front runners, but they may not be able to hold the pace once the road turns up. So today should be exciting to see each rider head out on their own and see how they stack up to the rest of the competition.

Above is what I wrote before leaving for ToC. So if you see a short blurb from any future updates, it's because I set them to automatically post. Hopefully I have time, and don't feel too tired to update each day.

Today was not a typical day as a Course Marshal because today we just stood in one spot and did crowd control. It was fairly simple as most people were courteous, but the debate came between whether or not people were allowed to cross the road or not. The local county mounty said no, which I didn't disagree with, but as the old saying goes, "Why did the chicken cross the road?". If anyone looked at the course online, there was a down and back section then it opened up a little on the surrounding streets and then circled back. I was on the section 'back' from the tight U-turn around. So of course people either wanted to be in the middle of the median or on the far opposite side. Of course no one listens to the police or some dude holding a flag and blowing a whistle. We finally came to a consensus that people could cross the road, as long as no one was coming. Duh?!? It was all good, until Lance came out, of course. I shouldn't really say that, but the people were in such a tizzy to see him on the 'down' and 'back' section that watching them run around like chickens with their heads cut off was quite funny. Hmmm, I think I've done the same thing at other races I've seen him at..... I guess the pot shouldn't call the kettle black!

It was a long day but pretty cool. I think I scared John Murphy, a local Atlanta rider, when I yelled his name when he was warming up. He rides for the OUCH p/b Maxxis team and a good kid, fast too. I also ran into another friend that is out here for a few days from ATL. Small world. Tomorrow we check out of this hotel and won't stay in the same one for two nights straight until we reach San Diego. Living out of a suitcase, I love it....! Oh, I guess I should mention that Fabian 'Spartacus' Cancellara (Swiss on team Saxo Bank) won the Prologue and Lance came in 10th. I didn't know that myself until I got back to the hotel. It's just like when we followed the Tour in '04, you actually know more when you are at home than when you are actually there. But it's definitely not the same experience! I'm pretty glad to be here. Til next time, ciao.

Tour of California

2009-02-11T18:35:00.006-05:00

Click on the jersey to go to the Tour's official website

The Tour of California is now the premier cycling event in the US, especially because the Tour de Georgia did not get sponsorship this year and is no longer on the schedule. So this year one of my cycling teammates posted a note on our message board asking for a last minute volunteer. They had a cancellation and needed another Course Marshal so I accepted! It's a "paid" position, although not a lot, but enough that it covers most of my expenses. I'm not sure what the details are quite yet, but I have heard from others that you are there to make sure the peloton is safe as well as the spectators. I believe I will have my own vehicle and will "leap frog" to different points along each Stage and help navigate the rolling circus! I head out tomorrow for Sacramento and the Tour begins on Saturday there. I will try to post pictures and commentary, but not sure how often or if I will be able to at all.

This is going to be fun, stay tuned!

Gobble, gobble and stuff

2008-11-29T09:52:00.005-05:00

Still not a whole lot to report these days, other than the fact that I am officially looking for a job...... With the housing/real estate/banking/insurance/retail/tiny toy train makers market dried up, I have found myself without gainful employment for the first time in my life. The really good thing is that something else always comes along that either fills the void, or could become a long term solution. The short term solution has me working with Jason, my brother in law and best friend. He is a Registered Land Surveyor and his employee, Chris, is out with a shoulder injury. So now I'm his rod holder/bag bitch/grunt, but that's fine (for now) he pays me!

We had turkey dinner at Amy's house with the Dyer's, Brunner's, and Nana Joyce with Madison. Oh, and Uncle Reid too! It was very nice, although not so much without my parents being there.... But we weren't feeling sorry for them cause they are in New Zealand and Australia for the month, on two different cruises. Ahhhh, the rough life! But they were missed, see you both soon.

Bike Dude, as Alex calls me, and Little Will, as he calls his brother.

They can be so sweet to each other..... most of the time! They are so much fun, really.

Stephanie and a Little Turkey, asleep from tryptophan!

Jason has the contract from the USFS to repaint the lines bordering private land and Wilderness property. 8 miles, almost done, in Towns/Union Counties and 8 more to go in Clayton next week. As you can tell from Jason, the paint gets all over us, so that's why I'm in the jumpsuit! Straight up, and straight down. We can only get about 2 miles/day and it's not easy work.... But it pays! Thanks J!

Old, leftover vehicle on the Jackrabbit Mountain mountain bike trail with Lake Chatuge in the background.

My 'new' ride! Gary Fisher HiFi Carbon Pro. I'm glad I waited 10 years to buy a full suspension bike, they've come a LONG way. It weighs about as much as my hard tail, if not less, and it rides similar to it without much "bob" in the rear end. It was a demo bike and I got it for almost half price, but you can't tell it has many miles on it and it comes with the full lifetime warranty, which was the most important thing to me. So while I'm looking for a job to pay for it in 12 months, at least I'll have something to keep me occupied and not going stir crazy!!! Ciao, all!

Bye, bye summer

2008-09-09T16:12:00.004-04:00

Wow, time sure flys by, quickly. Where did the summer go? I can't even think of what I've done, other than ride and work...... I guess sorting through my pictures, I came up with what is below. I guess I don't have much else to blog about. Hope everyone is doing well!

PDK Good Neighbor Day - Aerobatic show
Will's christening.
The boy couldn't keep his mouth shut during Father Wise's sermon, but that was OK he's only 3 months old!
The two Godparents with Amy, Jason and Will.
And of course I had to throw in a recent picture of Big Brother Alex. I bought that shirt last summer about this time!

Dual Sport riding at the Land Between the Lakes, Kentucky. Almost 200 riders raising hell through the woods!

Since the deer know they are safe on these grounds, they were out and about every morning and evening. Sadly though, they all looked malnourished.

Clark, shitter was full

2008-06-30T19:40:00.007-04:00

After 3 months and $3,000, my disposable basement bathroom is now complete! I say disposable because I plan on just tearing my house down in a few years. But, I get to take the shitter with me! Now my buddy Matt has a place all to himself when he visits! Enjoy!

What's a living room without a place to take a crap?
Mom persuaded me to add the shower, "just in case" I don't tear the whole place down. And, it didn't really cost that much more.
This is the Saniflo Sanibest shitter. It is a self contained unit with a grinder and ejection pump all-in-one. Instead of jack hammering the floor to install a sump pump, this little guy does it all for you. It of course hooks up to the sink and shower. It does make some noise when it ejects, but it's a pretty convenient setup for about $800, toilet included. And, I can disassemble and take with me!

All I need is a shower curtain and a bar of soap!

A closeup of the tile border in the shower!

SOLD!

2008-06-26T22:38:00.002-04:00

We sold the first house I built! You can go back to see what the house looked like during construction, but here is the final product! I am proud to say that it all came together very "easily" and is a SOLID home. We were very fortunate to get a buyer right at the end of the construction process, and they are really nice people to boot! As Jason Morris said, that is worth a lot and I can agree. I like home owners that are realistic and flexible. There WILL be things that happen to their new $800K home. But we are here to back it up and resolve the issues, if they arise. So anyone that reads this (Google search: Morris Brothers Atlanta, Morris-Brothers, Jason Morris, Matthew Morris, Morris Brothers Homes, Morris Brothers Houses) you are buying a great home from guys that actually care! (I have had a few 'hits' from people searching my previous post! Feel free to contact me.)

Family Room with built-in bookshelves
Study with diagonal designed stain grade coffer ceiling

Master bedroom with vaulted and coffered ceiling!

Master shower with seat, shampoo niche, body sprayers, dual shower heads and towel racks on the shower doors!

Master jacuzzi tub with Briggs and Stratton engine. Ok, maybe not a gas engine...!

Rear yard with privacy fence and Magnolia Underdeck system blocking the rain underneath the deck.

Proud Uncle, again!

2008-06-04T13:17:00.004-04:00

Yesterday my little sister Amy gave birth to a healthy 8lb 8oz, 20" boy named William Lance Henson (Will). Momma and baby are doing great! Poor brother Alex is NOT going to be happy with the new addition..... He hates it when either of my nieces play with his Dadda, or even the dogs. So he is in for a rude awakening soon. That's all right, he'll get used to it, eventually! Here are a few pics:

Memorial Weekend Bike Ride

2008-05-29T19:48:00.005-04:00

My friends Rick Masta, Paul Gibbons, Mark Brunner and I left Mark's house in Blairsville on Saturday morning of Memorial Weekend heading for Sylva, NC. Rick's sister has a very nice second home there and we had the place to ourselves for the weekend. All we had to do was get there! The first day was a 95 mile jaunt with about 5000' of climbing. It went well, except for my cleat sheering off the bottom of my shoe at mile 35. I could only push on the pedals, instead of push/pull. Fortunately my foot only came off the pedal 4 times. We left about 9 and rolled UP about 5. The last quarter mile to her house was straight up. I pushed, but Paul was the only one to go all the way.

Day 1 at Mark's house
Relaxing on the deck after Day 1
We called this our "album cover" picture. IF we were a band....
Downtown Sylva after a well deserved slice of pizza pie and beer!
Day 2 was a 90 mile out and back ride to the top of Clingman's Dome in Smoky National Park. Mark and I "opted" for the 76 mile ride to the top of Newfound Gap instead, just before the turn off to Clingman's Dome. The body can only take so much, and we weren't ready to try and keep up with Rick and Paul. Unfortunately the roads were really busy with cars on a holiday weekend, and lots of Harleys, as seen above. But the landscape at the top of the gap changed to Rocky Mountain type, or at least it seemed to me. We were only at 5048' in altitude, but the trees changed like no place on the Eastern seaboard I've seen before.

Day 3 we changed the return route a little and ended up with 90 miles, but probably a bit less climbing. I was worried that 3 consecutive days of almost 100 miles would really kill me, but all-in-all I felt pretty good. Here we are just outside of Hayesville, NC.

Four tired but hosed off puppies.

Beach bums

2008-05-11T21:41:00.006-04:00

Dave got a sitter for the kids and we went out for a ride! Lo and behold, we ran into Joe Gasser who is one of my friends. His girlfriend is from the area and he was out for a solo ride, so he joined us.
Yet again a few more miles down the road, we ran into another friend of ours, Sven Eisenhauer and two of his buddies! So our group of two expanded to six! We took it easy and finished up with a light lunch at the Sea Grove Market. That evening we all met back in Sea Side at Rendezvous for some great sushi then over to Bud and Alley's for beers with some very nice scenery! (Sea Side is the township that the movie The Truman Show was filmed at with Jim Carrey).
What day is complete without PB&J at the beach?!? Chloe was so cute licking the PB&J off of the bread before eating it! She's a mess, but a cute one, thank goodness she takes after her mother! Except for the red hair..... :)

I think they like playing in the sand castle pool more than the ocean. But that will change when they learn to swim!
Day 3 at Water Sound beach. It was pretty overcast and the waves were obviously choppy. But it was a nice Sunday stroll, good times!
Miss Peyton and I about to head back to reality.... Good things do come to an end.....

Life's a beach

2008-05-09T22:32:00.005-04:00

My good friend Dave Tufts invited me to his beach house near Destin with his two girls Peyton (3) and Chloe (2). His wife Jennifer, and her mother went to Seattle so I got the "pseudo uncle" call! We came down Thursday afternoon and made it in time for dinner in Seaside, near their vaction home that they rent. The last time I was in the Destin area was at least 8 years ago, and also with Dave, and also on Mother's Day weekend. (Sorry Mom to miss out on celebrating with you AGAIN this weekend. I LOVE YOU!) Here are pics from day one at the beach, I had a blast playing uncle and spending time with my friend!

Chloe (aka Coco) all wrapped up getting warm and dry after SO much fun!

Both girls love mermaids and here are their fins, although hard to see.
After the beach we pulled the Burley's (pull behind bike trailers for kids) down 30A on the bike path to the Water Color pool. Dave didn't go very slow through the mud puddles and she got covered, but she still looks cute! Both girls were passed out for the 7 mile trip. What a rough day. :)
Chloe LOVES con queso! I think the nacho was just a mechanical device to get the cheese to her mouth! Imagine that!

Riding back after dinner. Dave asked Chloe what the best part of the day was and she said "bike ride". That's my girl!

Flying for fun!

2008-04-10T12:17:00.007-04:00

It has obviously been a while since I last posted, but not much has changed or gone on since then. It's pretty much the same routine these days; work, ride, eat, sleep, rinse and repeat. The 3 houses are coming along well, except for one being delayed by the framing inspector. What a pain in the ass he has been.... I've been riding more and am working on plans for a Memorial weekend ride with 6 of my buddies. We will ride from Mark Brunner's new home in Blairsville to Sylva. The next day ride up to Clingman's Dome and back to Sylva then the following day ride back to Blairstucky.

Last week I was REALLY Jonesing to go fly, so I started making mental plans to get back up this week. I told Jason Morris that I wanted to go up soon and asked if he wanted a ride. So he and I went up yesterday for a quick hour flight. We flew over Stone Mountain then I asked if it was ok to do a touch and go at Lawrenceville (KLZU), he said sure. I'll have to say I rated it an 8 on my scale and he thought it was a picture perfect landing too! We then flew over Buford Dam at Lake Lanier and then back to PDK for another smooth landing. The lake is looking much more healthy these days with water, but the smaller islands really tell you how low the lake level is still. April showers brings...... water skiing in the summer. I don't care about flowers! Below is video Jason took from our flight, so check it out if you like. Ciao!

Flying over Stone Mountain

Flying over Lake Lanier

I’m a pielott..pylot..pilote... I fly planes.

2008-03-02T10:44:00.003-05:00

It's official, I'm a PILOT! Yesterday, March 1st, roughly 4 months to the day after I started taking flying lessons, I passed my oral and practical exam. Since the very beginning I had hoped to do it in that amount of time and within 50-60 hours of training. I actually flew 42 hours before going for my check ride, which I was really surprised to have done.

Yesterday, Melissa and I flew up to Anderson, S.C. to do the exam with her favorite Designated Flight Examiner, Randy Haralson. He was exactly the type person she described; funny, sarcastic, fair and a general smart ass like us. I felt comfortable talking with him, so I knew that things would be OK. We started with the oral exam at the FBO in their conference room, and 1.5 hours later we were done. The oral exam is basically a continuation of the written exam, but the questions are asked by the DFE. I have continued to study for it since passing the written exam about a month ago. I was more worried about the oral exam than I was the practical. It was tough! But again, Randy was fair and I learned a few more things and will be a better informed pilot because of it.

Next was the practical exam and it went as follows (I'm writing this down now before I forget for future reference): Started off with a soft field takeoff, flew my flight plan to the first check point, diverted towards an alternate airport and stated distance and time it should take to get there, slow flight, power off stall, power on stall, steep turn, simulated IFR "hood" time with recovery from an uncoordinated attitude, flew a VOR heading TO the station, with hood off we practiced emergency landing procedures, turn about a point (I actually used the VOR beacon!), soft field landing (we counted the second touch down.... it was windy!), short field landing to a full stop, short field takeoff, no flap forward slip to land, GREASED the landing. Certified private pilot!

And since today is so beautiful, I'm taking Matthew Morris up for a ride this afternoon, my first official passenger! Thanks for all of the support and encouragement, it was fun! So who wants to go fly somewhere????

Who's f@*#!&g this chicken? That's right, me!
A more "sensible" pose!
Two pilots on a joy ride back to PDK.
A beautiful sunset
This beautiful artwork was done by Melissa when I soloed. My "tail feathers" have been up on the wall at the flight school and I finally brought it home. Notice the drawing of my mom and dad on the right when they were in the tower! I was a little more politically correct that day when I landed..... Who loves this chicken?

White people

2008-02-23T10:40:00.002-05:00

Here is article #61 on a site all about white people and our funny cultural habits. Check it out, we are pretty funny people! http://stuffwhitepeoplelike.wordpress.com

#61 Bicycles
February 10, 2008 by clander

A good place to find white people on a Saturday is at a Bike Shop. Bike shops are almost entirely staffed and patronized by white people!

But not all white people love bicycles in the same way, there is much diversity. First up, we have the younger urban white folks who absolutely love their fixed gear bicycles. These are seen all over college towns, Silverlake in LA, Williamsburg in Brooklyn, Queen West in Toronto, and Victoria, British Columbia. Fixed gear bicycles meet a lot of requirements for white person acceptance. They can be made from older (i.e. vintage) bicycles, thus allowing the rider to have a unique bike that is unlikely to be ridden by anyone else in town. They are also easily customizable with expensive things Aerospoke rims, Phil Wood Hubs, and Nitto Parts. The combination of rare bicycles and expensive parts makes it easy for white people to judge other white people on the quality and originality of their bicycles. This is important in determining if someone is or isn’t cooler than you.

White people also like Mountain Bikes because it lets them be in nature. It’s really not more complicated than that.

And finally, they love expensive Road Bikes and the accompanying spandex uniforms. This enables them to ride long distances and wear really tight clothes without any social stigmas. These types of riders will spend upwards of $5,000 on a bicycle and up to $400 on accessories, but will not ride to work. Perhaps because they cannot wear the spandex. It is important that you never question why someone needs a $5000 bicycle since the answer is always “performance.”

For the most part, these rules have been unisex. But there is a special category of bicycles that appeal far more to white women, the European city bike (pictured). White women have a lot of fantasies about idealized lives, and one of them is living in Europe and riding around an old city on one of these bikes. They dream about waking up and riding to a little cafe, then visiting bakeries and cheese shops and finally riding home to prepare a fancy meal for their friends who will all eat under a canopy with white Christmas lights. This information can be used to help gain the trust/admiration of a white woman, especially if you can pull off a lie about how your mother told you about how she used to do all of these things when she was younger.

And of course, it goes without saying that white people who ride bikes like to talk about how they are saving the earth. If you know a person who rides to work, you should take them aside and say “Hey, thanks. Sincerely, The Earth.” Then give a thumbs up. That white person will ride home on a cloud.

I passed the FAA written exam!

2008-02-13T22:41:00.002-05:00

Today I took the FAA written exam for my private pilot's certificate. Out of 61 questions I only missed 7 and passed with a score of 88! When I finished the test I really felt like I missed more than that, so I was pleasantly surprised. But then again, anything over a 70 is a wasted effort! My dad said it's just more stuff that I will need to forget, which is probably true. I really thought the test had some of the "easier" questions on it. Or at least more than I thought there would be. But maybe it's easy when you know the answers..... I might have to ponder that.

Melissa and I are going up tomorrow for what may be our last instructional flight. We need to practice "diversions" from the intended route to get ready for the practical test which I plan to take in two weeks. I also purchased a book to prep for the oral exam which the Designated Flight Examiner will test me on when I go for the practical. Two weeks and counting!

Glad I wasn't this guy

2008-02-07T18:55:00.001-05:00

I was at the jobsite when Matthew Morris called and said that a plane was trying to land with the gear UP! The pilots are an instructor and a student, and that's about all he knew. Since the houses we are building are near my house and thus, PDK, I went over there to watch. I guess you could say this is "rubber necking" for pilots! I got to the observation area at the airport and there were probably 40 people there already, along with 3 camera crews. The choppers were in the air, hovering, watching and filiming the action. When I heard about it I immediately called my instructor and it went straight to voicemail. I wasn't really worried that much because our flight school doesn't have a Cessna with retractable gears, but you never know who else she might be flying with. Safe to say, it wasn't her! Jason showed up just in time to watch a beautiful landing, even if all the gears weren't down. The instructor was even able to "taxi" the plane off the runway, or mostly. He came in at the minimum airspeed, full flaps, killed the engine, landed and crumbled the tail wheels, slid on it's belly for a while, then steered off the runway. I was impressed and pray that this never happens to me, dad, or anyone else for that matter.

Go here for the link to the 11 Alive News video.

Click on to get a better view of them on final.

Wally, this is gonna get scary....

They both "high fived" and then hugged. Both pilots and plane WILL fly again. A safe forced landing. I like it!

Brian the Builder

2008-02-06T18:23:00.001-05:00

Here are some pictures of the house I am building with Jason and Matthew Morris. They have been in business for almost 3 years and have built 15+ homes so far. I came on board after cycling around Europe just to help them finish a couple of houses, I didn't really expect for it to turn into something full-time, but it did! My goal right now is to just learn since I have never been on this side of the building process, actually in the field and hands-on. Well, almost hands-on, I did pick up a shovel on Saturday and a broom today. Otherwise it's just making sure that things are scheduled and work is getting done to our satisifaction. So far, so good! We framed the house in 8 days, and got all of the mechanical roughs done in about 5 after that. Also included are exterior doors and windows, some concrete for posts and rear patio, fireplace, etc. Oh, and we have passed the HVAC and plumbing inspections on the first pass. Hopefully electrical and framing will go as smoothly, but I doubt it, they are pretty tough. So here's the house we're building! And you can also go to http://www.morris-brothers.com/ and check out some of their other projects.

Kitchen

Buckhead skyline view from the master bedroom! The entire front of the house on the upper level is the master suite and bathroom.

Vanishing America

2008-01-27T20:44:00.000-05:00

I am testing a way for my friend Holt to upload audio files to his blog. So while I'm playing A/V nerd for him, I might as well plug his project. You can go to his website (still being updated to host the future blog and much more) at http://www.vanishingamerica.net/ or to his blog at http://www.holtwebb.blogspot.com/ . The blogspot address is updated currently, but will migrate to the other address in the next few months. He is traveling the US documenting places, people, communities and things that are vanishing before the end of our liftetime. Check it out!

Here is a link to my test for him, it's just Gary Allan's song 'Watching Airplanes'. This could be how his audio 'podcasts' get uploaded in the future.

Flight training is almost complete!

2008-01-27T18:22:00.000-05:00

As most everyone is aware, especially if you live in Atlanta, we are running out of water. Well, with as much rain and craptacular weather we have had in the last month, I think our water situation is changing. It better be because I have had to cancel a lot of flights over the last few weeks.

About 2 weeks ago Melissa and I were able to do my night time x-country and we flew up to Habersham airport near Clarkesville. Flying at night is so cool, although scary because you can't see anything on the ground except lights..... I think I mentioned this the other night flight we did, but it actually is "easier" landing at night. I still don't know what it is about it, but maybe it's the fact that the lights really lead you to the end of the runway. So with that flight I completed my 3 hours of night flying with a total of 15 takeoffs and landings at night. The requirement is 10, but the first time we went up I was having too good of a time to not do a few more!

So finally this past Friday I was able to do my long x-country (over 100 nautical miles) and finish up all of my flight time for that requirement. You have to have a total of 5 hours of solo x-country to meet the requirements and I got 3.7 from this flight. I mapped out a route that was not a perfectly straight line between points going to Augusta. The first reason was to stay below the Atlanta Class B airspace (5000' ceiling to fly under it and I was trying to get to 5500') and the second reason is that there are 3 airports lined up between Monroe and Augusta that would be perfect for a forced landing, so safety was the other concern. For these flights you are only using the sectional chart, the proposed heading/ground speed/minutes between checkpoints, and literally looking at the ground to find those points. Ideally you want to have a point on the ground spaced no more than 20 nautical miles between points and sometimes that means the only thing is a lake or a power line. But both are actually great references! Since the longest leg of my journey was to Augusta, I was really hoping that I would hit my points along the way, and I did. I hit all of them within about 30 seconds, give or take a little. I even called Augusta Approach and requested Flight Following. This is a voluntary deal where you contact them and they will basically help you look out for weather and other traffic along your route. I did a touch and go at Daniel Field in Augusta and then went around because I didn't really like my "technique". :) The other one wasn't so great either, but they were both "safe"..... So then I was off to Athens! The second leg was even less eventful than the first so I stopped there and had a vending machine lunch while they topped off the plane. I spoke with my instructor and she said it looked like there might be some weather in Atlanta moving in, so I needed to get up and go. GREAT! I had just checked the weather myself and had already concurred the same thing, but it was nice of her to call. The only problem was, I needed it to take 1 hour to fly what should take about 30 minutes.... So I flew to Lawrenceville (where I soloed!) and did 4 touch and gos then headed on back to PDK. As luck would have it, it never rained and I ended up with .2 hours more than I needed with 3.7 hours total!

Now I really have to prepare for the written exam, the oral exam and the practical. The last two are what you do with the Designated Flight Examiner as your final "check ride". Melissa and I have a few maneuvers to practice in the air, she needs to quiz me on some of the oral stuff, and I still need to get 2 more hours solo time to meet the 10 hour minimum. So I'm getting close and really anxious. Who's ready to go flying somewhere?????

Blue skies

Solo #2 and Cross Country flights

2008-01-03T17:08:00.000-05:00

Finally, after 5 cancelled lessons because of weather, we were able to fly to Rome, GA (KRMG). It was the first 'dual' cross country flight and kind of a reconnaissance mission. By pre-planning the direct course we knew what heading to fly directly there was, but you also have to compensate for wind direction. So after getting the winds aloft forecast for that day I was able to interpolate our proposed heading. From there you must reference ground points along the sectional chart to make sure you are on track. There are two smoke stacks in Cartersville that are great reference points because you can see them from miles away! We stayed on course well enough and had no problems finding the airport and it only took about 30 minutes to get there. We did 3 landings and takeoffs and then went to order lunch and let the pilot pee, he has his mother's bladder.... :) Then I took the plane up by myself for kind of like a second solo. It felt as comfortable if not more comfortable than the first time and they were all safe landings. My third landing may have "hopped" more than once, but other than that it was successful! We took off and motored back to PDK for another "uneventful" flight. It is much easier flying back with all of the ground reference points along the way that I am familiar with.

Today I flew back to Rome, but this time I was the Lone Ranger! This was the first time flying solo x-country and it was pretty cool. Since of course we had just flown the same course the day before, today was pretty easy. I still checked my time distances between ground points, but this time I just tried to pay attention to flying the plane and looking out for other traffic. I did see a C-130 on downwind landing at Dobbins! That was pretty cool, you could see the plume of smoke behind it which made it even easier to pick out in the air. Both landings I hopped at least once and I think it's because of "rounding out" a little too early and coming in with a few too many knots of speed. Of course I don't want the nose wheel to strike first and maybe that's my problem. Who knows, I'm still going for the formula (x=y) or better known as (takeoffs=landings)!

Lake Allatoona - Looks like a good place for a "forced landing" with the lake down as much as it is. I can remember skiing in that same cove and freaking out that I could stand, touching the mud. I was freaking out because it was in my boat and didn't know that it was so shallow.....

Rome, GA airport KRMG. Notice the big 'X' for the runway no longer in use.

Rocky Mountain High, Colorado

2007-12-21T10:19:00.000-05:00

Winter Park, Colorado
"MY run!"
Apres ski at Derailer Bar

The clan!

Doodle bug playing with his trucks

Dad, Kevin, Jason and Beverly with their sleds

Here comes Jason, there goes dad. Don't get stuck, like I did!

Kevin and Jason

Our favorite bar in Grand Lake!

The Bell's and Henson's!

Jason and I

at Breckenridge

My tail feathers are clipped, I SOLOED!!!

2007-12-10T15:43:00.000-05:00

After almost 20 hours of dual lessons with my instructor Melissa, I have now flown solo on my own!!!! After 13 takeoff and landings last night from PDK, Melissa asked if I thought I was ready to solo the next day. I said, "Of course!". But for some reason I think my landings last night were better than today. I guess that's a good thing because night landings can be tricky, just give me VASI (visual approach slope indicator) lights and I'm ok! What made today even more special was to hear "Lawrenceville tower, November 9861 Charlie, request to land". Mom and dad made a surprise visit to watch me fly solo, which was very cool. Although dad may want to work on his radio communication a little and listen better. "9861 Charlie, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" (Voice of ATC!) It was a simple misunderstanding, but I will admit that my next landing with my instructor wasn't so good because I was listening to what ATC and my dad were doing. But I guess dad and the ATC made up for things because they let them in the tower to watch me. Then Melissa joined them while I went on my own for 3 takeoffs (to a complete stop) and landings. The first one may have touched down more than once, but it was safe, just not pretty. The second one was decent, although I think I skidded the tires applying too much brake. And the third was not so bad, but not a "greaser"! Next I will be working on my cross country flights and hopefully I will wrap this up in another 20+ hours! It's been fun, but the "finesse" of landings will come with more time. Right now I'm just glad they are SAFE landings!!! So here are a few pics from today after my landings. By the way, Melissa is cutting my "tail feathers" in the picture where she is cutting my shirt. It's part of tradition, and I'm just glad to be apart of it! Thanks again mom and dad for coming to watch and give me the moral support!!

Me, November six six niner Bravo Delta and my original mentors mom and dad!

Me and my awesome instructor, Melissa! "Who's f@%${}g this chicken?"

Be gentle, this is my first time, soloing.

Can we get a bigger pair of scissors?? :)

Fly me courageous

2007-12-02T17:22:00.000-05:00

"Wrap me high in the sky, circle me with stallions. She flew from peak to peak with the freedom of an eagle. So fly me courageous." -Drivin' n Cryin'

Now 9 lessons and 12.2 hours officially logged, progress has been made on this future PIC (pilot in command). My instructor tells me I need to have my medical exam and presolo written exam done pretty soon, she's about to let me loose and SOLO! I hope to do so before I go to Colorado next week skiing and snowmobiling, but we'll see. The biggest thing I have to work on is consistency in setting the plane up to land. I can get it to the end of the runway and judge if I am too high or too low, but the plane will virtually fly itself if you set it up right. There are certain airspeed's, that if achieved correctly, will set the plane up to land "on its own". And of course I still have work to do when you get the plane in the flare just before you land. Remember, look at the END of the runway, not the nose of the plane! Crosswinds are also a challenge, but that too comes with time.

Flying with the "foggles" on to simulate IFR (Instrument Flight Rules) conditions.

Takeoff from Runway 2L, crossing over 2R at PDK. The asphalt paved runway on the right in this picture is Runway 2L/20R, mainly for small airplanes. The other long concrete Runway is for small planes and jets, which are many every day.

"Flight attendents please take your seat, and return your trays to the upright position!"

A nice view of downtown ATL and even the Georgia Dome.

Learning to FLY!

2007-11-14T23:07:00.000-05:00

Now that I've been back for a couple of months now, and was tired of sitting around the house, I decided now would be the perfect time to learn to fly. About 7 years ago I seriously considered learning to fly, but the problem was I didn't want to quit riding my bike. Not that I would have to quit, but with a full-time job the only time I could do it would have been after work and on weekends. Now that I have time on my hands, I figured this was the best chance I would get. I am working part-time with my good friends Jason and Matthew Morris helping them finish building 2 houses and a renovation. They have other projects going and just couldn't spend the time on-site to really see these things across the finish line. So oddly and perfectly enough, I have been doing that for the last three weeks and really enjoying it. IF they have more projects down the line that I can help them project manage then this could become a full-time gig! We'll see how it goes, but the housing economy isn't the best right now, but maybe renovations will be.

To try and make a long story short, I "interviewed" 3 potential instructors and different flight schools at Peachtree-Dekalb Airport (KPDK). I was going to go with the third outfit because I liked the instructor and my friend Paul Helmbold learned there and instructed. But they never called me back..... I am not going to beg someone to take my money, so I decided to look elsewhere. I found on AOPA's (Aircraft Owners and Pilot's Association) website a thing called Project Pilot. Basically you find someone local to you and introduce yourself via email. I have found a mentor with a guy by the name of Bill Hotch. He was very helpful and encouraged me to try SkyBound Aviation and recommended three instructors. I chose the one with his best description which was, "she is knowledgeable, fun, and really compliments when you do something right, but doesn't chastise you when you do something wrong". So to make another long story short, I am now flying with Melissa Bermudez and things are going REALLY well. He was right on the money and she is everything that he described. And it doesn't hurt that we have similar smart-ass personalities!

We have now flown 4 times and she feels I am progressing very rapidly. My dad said 7 years ago that I must have learned a lot by osmosis flying right seat and just observing over my entire life. I think she was impressed that I just knew how to steer the plane and could taxi it to the end of the runway. And since then all of the "basic" aspects of flying seem to come natural. My second lesson was cool because she made me fly without looking out at the horizon, by wearing a "hood" which is like a visor you wear on your head. You have to accumulate 3 hours of this type of instruction and it was fun to only use the instruments on the dash to navigate. She would give me a heading direction (from 0 to 359 degrees), and altitude (from 2500' to 3500'), and then mix it up with doing turns, climbs and descents. A few times we would climb or descend and also turn, then "roll out" to a fixed heading and altitude. Hopefully all of that makes some sense. It's actually almost easier to fly that way because looking out at the horizon is hard to judge what degree of bank (turn) or amount of vertical rise or descent you are doing. As you might guess, I was pumped! Although she had her hands on the controls and basically helped make minor adjustments, we landed the plane together with me setting it up on the final approach pretty well. We have since had more "hood" time and practiced power on and power off stalls. But NO spins and spin recovery, it's no longer required in the final flight exam. Today we were supposed to fly, but a small bit of rain started pouring right when I yelled "Clear" to start the engine.... Tomorrow doesn't look good either.... So much for getting three days a week of flying in....

Melissa and I taxiing back to the North Ramp at PDK.

The latest in flying fashion. Wear your kneeboard out for a night on the town! I was actually just getting out of the plane, hoping that the skies would clear and we could go up. But damn, I do look good with that kind of fashion statement!

And if you REALLY want to impress the ladies, just flash them your credentials. That's right, I know my checklist and ATIS frequency!

Kokopelli Trail - Fruita, CO to Moab, UT

2007-10-02T20:24:00.000-04:00

Well I am finally posting about my trip on the Kokopelli Trail, September 27th-29th 2007. The trip is put on by Bikerpelli Sports and is a 3 day, 150 mile adventure. Day 1 was a very technical and rocky section as we had to carry and push our bikes quite a bit. But the scenery was awesome and a great day of single track was the best way to start the trip. My companions were Bryan Holloway, Mike Masters and Terry Mathison, as well as 16 other riders and 5 support staff. We seemed to be the only full lycra wearing people on the ride, and looking resplendent in our Cycleworks kits! Each day consisted of a ride briefing with a hand drawn map to illustrate different sections and turns to watch out for. They were broken up into two sections with a SAG stop for lunch in between. We would pile up our bags for the cargo van to take to our camp that evening so all we had to worry about was RIDING! A full Camelbak, a few Cliff bars and we were off. The first day was about 36 miles total but we didn't get in until 4:00 or so.

Trailhead
Ride briefing with Alex & Brenda The 4 Stooges - Day 1 (Mike, Bryan, Brian, Terry)
Colorado River
Mike and Bryan

This is what the trail looked like from atop Bryan's head!!! (Hit the play button to watch the video)
Camp #1 Dinner with a view. Alex, Brenda and Durango (the dog)

Day #2

This day was our "high mileage" day. I think it was about 51 miles. Although fairly scenic, it mainly consisted of gravel roads and a small bit of pavement and finally one epic decent. The first decent from camp was the most fun of the day, and FAST! Unfortunately one guy fell and broke his hand on the same decent. He thumbed it to the SAG and then went to the hospital. Other than a few flats, Mike taking a spill into the briars and Terry losing two spokes, our trip was less eventful, fortunately.

Dewey Bridge

This section was called the 'Rose Garden'. But it looked more like a ROCK garden instead. I know that a few guys actually rode the whole thing, but a walked the majority of it. It was crazy! It was hard to imagine even the Jeeps decending or climbing it.

Here is a view looking back at the 'Rose Garden' and what we just came down.

Camp #2

Day #3

Today's "stage" would start off with a 17 mile climb on gravel roads and Jeep trails. It was very scenic until the SAG stop. After that it became really technical as we finally found the infamous Porcupine Rim trail. Then we knew we were close to Moab and the end of our trip. I am not a great decender on a mountain bike, but after getting a feel for the rocks I felt more comfortable to just let go of the brakes and bomb it! Towards the end of the trail it started to lightning, then rain, then HAIL on us. So we took cover for a little while and then finished the ride on the pavement to the final camp. All in all it was a great trip and I think we all had a memorable time.

Porcupine Rim

Watch out for the edge Bry!

Day #4 - Canyonlands National Park

After 3 days of riding most of us were sore and tired. My butt hurt so badly that the bones were aching as much as my bum. So we opted to rent a Jeep and take a little ride. Bryan and I finished off the day doing some real Jeep riding and crawled around some really cool slick rocks. The next day we loaded up the rental car and headed back to Grand Junction to fly home.

Musselman Arch

Island in the Sky National Park
Mesa Arch Rock crawling on Fins and Things Jeep Trail

Hang on Bry, it's going to be a DROP!