Spider Web Plumeria

Some strands of spider silk cross a petal of a plumeria.

A Christmas Gift to Remember

The topic for the December 10th installment of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories hosted by Thomas MacEntee is: "Christmas Gifts. What were your favorite gifts, both to receive and to give?"

Probably the most unusual and most memorable Christmas gift I ever received, though not necessarily my all-time favorite, was a present from my 14-year old sister in 1968. As you can see by the picture, it was a very large box, the biggest one "under" the Christmas tree. In fact, so big it couldn't fit under the tree!

I opened the box, and inside was another box. And inside that one was another box! And another, and another! Six in all. The box that actually held the gift was only about 4x4 inches. By the time I opened the final box, it really didn't matter what was in it. We had so much fun with getting to it. But, what was it you ask? A watch. Actually, a broken watch. It was a watch that didn't work! Not only was this a surprise to me, but to my sister as well. Being only 14 years old, she didn't have much money, and had gotten the watch from a friend. It didn't matter. As they say, it's the thought that counts, and a great deal of thought (and effort) had gone into that gift. Favorite gift, no. Memorable, yes!

I Love Being Mimi

The hardest thing about being gone for seven months was not seeing the kids and grandkids. The really great thing about being Grandma or Mimi is that they miss you almost as much as you miss them. Or at least they tell you they do!



We were able to see our gorgeous grandchildren today, after seven long months. That is like a lifetime in Grandparent time. One of the first thing Liv does is show me that she has drawn a picture for me. Liv is an artist so I always love her art work. Here is one of her masterpieces that has "everyone" in it, according to her.



From left to right: Mimi, Auburn, Austin, Papa, Olivia and Gabe and the second row has Dad and Mom.





Nathan is highly offended by this picture and I just don't see why? Just because I am much bigger than him, first in line and colorful does not mean a thing. Ah, Liv always knows how to make my day. She even made our hair the same, complete with matching flowers.



Not to be outdone, Gabe asked to use my camera and took some pictures with it. He has shown real skills in this before, and I see that he's still as good as ever which just tickles me pink. Here is some of his work of Coco and their dog Jaeger and their gorgeous Mom, Renie:







They are just the coolest kids ever. I think Papa kind of likes them too:



Truth be told, he adores them as much as me. And it always so endearing to me to watch him interact with them. We are hoping to have lots more fun with them over the next few months.



Living the life in Florida!

More Ohio From My Window

One nice thing about the new job we are doing is that we drive around and see even more of a local area than we did before. And if I tag along and help Nathan out, then that means I can take pictures while we drive around. I really love that!

I'm really enjoying being in this area during the summer months. With all the fields full of growing corn, it just feels like summer to me when I look around. Is it weird that I keep wanting to stop, take my shoes off and lie down in one of these fields and smell and feel the earthiness there? Because that is what I keep finding myself thinking when I do look at the life that is so abundant in the fields. After years of living in Florida, it's kind of nice to have this season feel special rather than having what feels like year round summer until you don't appreciate it so much.



On the other hand, I do love winters in Florida so while I love this area right now...not so much in the winter. Because it is just not quite the same taking your shoes off and lying down in the fields then. Unless you are making snow angels that is.



It really is some beautiful landscape to look at while driving and the people are just wonderful here.



Living the life in Ohio!

Mijas, pueblo blanco

Pueblo blanco means white village. I mentioned in my previous entry, ‘Donkey Trails and the Rock Shrine’ that Mijas is the most popular and most visited white-washed village in Andalucia. You would know when a village becomes exceptionally popular when: (a) tourist buses arrive by the droves (b) you see Japanese or Asian tourists (c) the center becomes a commercial strip lined up with souvenir shops one after the other (d) presence of café terraces on every corner (e) animals, like donkeys and horses had to earn a living.


A busy corner in Mijas and the most photographed street on the coast, the San Sebastian Street. The street is named after the San Sebastian Church built in the 17th century. In 1674 the church was rebuilt from ruins, thanks to charity.

Now that is the case with Mijas. It is the most popular ‘pueblo side tour’ offered by travel agencies and suggested by hotels to sun-beach holidaymakers in Costa del Sol.



View from the terrace of the Tourist Office and you can see the tourist buses below on the parking area.



If you come here on your own and you do not have a (rental) car, it’s better to take the bus. Public transportation in Malaga province is impressive, the infrastructure is great as well as the schedules are on a regular basis. The village sits on top of the Sierra de Mijas (Mijas Mountains) and buses from Malaga, Torremolinos, Benalmadena, Fuengirola and Marbella go here every half an hour. Fare is dirt cheap, I think I paid €2,40 one-way from Torremolinos and it took about 40-something minutes to get here. We didn’t have our rental car yet and Dutchman is allergic to villages, so I went with the bus on my own.

Upon arriving in Mijas, I went to the tourist office right away to get a free map—with routes and important places of interest. I probably spent hours roaming around the village before I sat down for a glass of cold sangria. I especially love the immaculate white-washed alleys and very distinctive of Andalucian villages are the black grills on windows and balconies, and the flower pots and plants hanging on the walls as well. The grills I believe are not just for decorative purposes but for functional and security use—to guard against thefts.



Because Mijas is a mountain village, the houses sit on hilly pebbled streets.





A commercial street in the center of Mijas. Right foto is Plaza de la Constitution. The marble cutter Galiano made the present day fountain and benches from the marble rocks that were left from the flood of the 2nd November 1884.





The village is popular for its colourful ceramics... pots, vases, bowls, plates, tiles.





A peek into a cozy little tapas and wine bar. There are many cafe terraces in Mijas during the summer.





More cafe terraces (this is across the San Sebastian Church) and more souvenir shops.





Left foto is going up to the Museo Taurina (Bullfighting Museum), middle foto is the patron saint of the village, Nuestra Senora Virgen de la Pena and right foto is a typical window protected with black grills.





Residential part of Mijas. The locals love to hang pots of flowers and plants on the walls.



Due to Mijas charm, her great location, mild climate and of course her soaring popularity, foreigners were bitten. In no time, non-Spanish residents have increased; they have come to live in Mijas! Since then the town hall has a ‘Foreign Residents Department’, the first in Spain.

You can find all my Mijas fotos here: Mijas, Malaga, Andalucia – Spain
All information about Mijas village here: Ayuntamiento de Mijas (Mijas Town Council – click on English)

Magic Light in the Snowy Forest

Earlier this week after photographing an AMAZING sunrise at Horseshoe Bay on Lake Superior I was walking back to the car when I came across this scene. About 4 inches of light, fluffy snow had fallen the previous night and every now and then a wind gust would kick up and blow snow from the trees. When I saw the sunlight shining through this part of the forest I instantly knew the shot I wanted to get. I set up my tripod and waited for another gust of wind. I didn't have to wait long. About two minutes after I was set up the wind came up and blew a bunch of snow from the trees down into the light. It was a magical scene and I'm glad I was there to photograph it!

A new double boot liner from Palau?

This from fellow climber Eduardo Vieira in Portugal:





"I came upon a reference to Palau liners on your blog a while ago while browsing the web looking for replacement liners for my Koflach Arctis Expe's. I had tried buying a pair of Intuition Denali liners, but I got the sizing wrong and they ended up unusable and it was awful trouble to order them and have them shipped to Portugal. Not to mention that they do not come cheap here in Europe Now I contacted Palau about purchasing a pair of OVPM liners (cheaper and easier to buy than Intuitions in Europe) and they told me that they are going to sell a new liner, adapted to mountain boot shells and still cheaper than Intuitions. About the price of the OVPM's.



Enjoy,



Eduardo Vieira"



Thanks againEduardo I am very interested in these as I am thinking about trying a much smaller Spantik shell with a thinner custom liner that is easily molded to lower the over all volume of the actual boot. A tongue in place and a Velcro closure should be exactly what is required for my project.













From: palau@ets-palau.fr

Date: 17 October 07:13

Subject: RE: OVPM Liner

To: Eduardo Vieira

Hi Eduardo,



Thanks for your request,

First I confirm you that it is not a problem for us to provide OVPM liner in

280 MP.



These liners are quite thick (10 mm) but can be adapt to your needs. We are actually working on a specific Mountaineering liner fitting specially Koflach, Scarpa Phantom, La Sportiva High mountain boots Etc..



You can check the attached item. Available in 10, 8 or 7 mm with an extra comfortable foam for high cuff.

This liner will be sale on our web site probably end of this month. Shipping costs for Portugal are about 15 Eur. I keep in touch with you and add by the way the size 280 to our store.



Best regards,

Frédéric

Eduardo Vieira [mailto:edthelizzard@gmail.com]

palau@ets-palau.fr







Hello,

I am looking to replace the stock liners on my Koflach Arctis Expe Boots. Came upon your website due to a reference in the Cold Thistle english blog. I browsed the models and am contacting you to inquire if you don´t make the OVPM liners in size 28 (they are only listed up to size 27). I compared them to the Ultra Light liner (which you recommend for use with mountaineering boots) and the OVPM are cheaper, thicker (I am thinking about returning to Denali a third time), reinforced and about the same height (which is not a problem for me). If you do make them in size 28 how do I order them. Also what is the shipping cost to Portugal.

Thank you.

Eduardo Vieira

Just a few things that I am Thankful for...

(click on the image for a larger version)

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with family and/or friends!

Snow Bike SOS!

This morning I received an email from a reader - Elise - who left her bike locked up outside a restaurant overnight, to find it covered in snow the next morning. Upon trying to retrieve the bicycle, she discovered that "allthe parts were snow-encrusted" and wasn't sure it was safe to ride,so sheleft it where it was and took the bus to work. Of course it then snowed again, and the bike's condition only got worse. Elise is wondering how to retrieve her bike after it's been in the snow in freezing temperatures for what has now been 2 days.






While I don't know what condition Elise's bike is in, I can share what has happened to me in the past as a result of leaving a bike out in the snow for too long, and hope that something here might be applicable:




"frozen" wheels: Once I found that my bike did not want to roll after being left locked up outside in the snow. The front wheel would not budge, and at first I thought something was seriously wrong. On closer inspection, it turned out there was some frozen snow stuck between the fender and the tire. I cleared it out and "unfroze" the wheel.




clogged brake calipers:Riding a bike with caliper brakes in winter, I quickly learned that getting clogged up with snow eliminates their stoping power. And since snow does seem to love settling down on brake calipers and then solidifying, it is essential to clear it out of there. Wheel rims can also get iced over and may need to be wiped down.




icy pedals: A few times my pedals have gotten icy, to the point of making it difficult to ride the bike without my feet slipping off. When this happens I scrape them with the textured sole of my boot to break up the sleek surface, or try to rub some dirt on them.




"sluggish" drivetrain: Infreezing temperatures, it can sometimes feel that my drivetrain is slower, or not as smooth as usual. My understanding is that this is due to whatever lubricants are used on the drivetrain getting gooey from the prolonged cold. It is still okay to ride your bike like that as far as I know, but it might feel a little weird.




Each of these things has at some point made me panic and feel that a bike was "unridable" after being left out in the snow, but they all proved to be resolvable.





Granted, other issues may not be as easy to deal with.I've heard stories of frozen U-locks being impossible to open, and of leather saddles snapping in half if ridden when frozen. And perhaps the most common problem of all isfrozen derailleurs, which I have no experience withsinceI do not ride derailleur-geared bikes in the winter.





Whether it's about components on the bike getting iced over, or the owner feeling that conditions are not safe enough to ride home, bikes get left in the snow - which all too often turns into full on abandonment. Any tips for avoiding thiswould be much-appreciated. How do you deal with a snow-encrusted bike?

Summit, Camp Muir, Guiding, Bureaucracy

Two separate teams reached the summit of Mount Rainier last week! Such a feat wouldn't normally make blog headlines but with the park closed, it's fun to hear about anyone who gets anywhere near Columbia Crest. The details? Two men ascended the Emmons Glacier, and a RMI guided team climbed the Disappointment Cleaver. There are more photos and descriptions of the Glacier Basin Trail too (and it's not "that" bad).

Helicopters ferried loads to and from Camp Muir last Friday. The primary push is to support the new mountaineering guided concessions as they prepare for the summer. Those familiar with Camp Muir will note a change in who operates out of what buildings. The client shelter (eastern 2/3 of the big rectangle building in the lower right photo) will house RMI. The Gombu (west 1/3 of the same building, different entrance) will be shared by AAI and IMG on alternating nights. The NPS will move out of the Butler Shelter and into the Cook Shack (rock hut in the lower left). RMI will gain use of the Butler Shelter as a storage and cooking facility. All three of the guide services will have access to an independent weatherport on the Cowlitz Glacier.

There are a lot of changes with regard to guided operations on the mountain. Here are a few key elements:

• Along the Camp Muir corridor, RMI can lead 24 clients and guides per night. AAI and IMG are allowed 12. This is an overall reduction of 11 "guided related climbers" per night when compared to previous years.
• On the Emmons Glacier, each guide service can lead one trip per week, for a total of 120 clients and guides per year. There is no commercial guiding allowed on Friday and Saturday night.
• The same is true for the Kautz Glacier route, only each guide service is limited to 80 clients and guides total per year.
• There is NO commercial guiding from Success Cleaver west and north to Ptarmigan Ridge.
• Independent climbers will note a reduced number of guides and clients on the Muir routes during the summer. They will note a mid week increase of clients and guides on the Emmons Glacier route. Almost all of the western half of the mountain is closed to commercial activity, so there's plenty of room to stretch out.

On a completely unrelated note, you can download an electronic version of the Climbing Registration Card. If you want to save a little time in the ranger station, fill the Climbing Registration Card out completely ahead of time and bring it with you when you come to register.

In Case You Were Wondering...

Yes, I did find someplace cooler! When last I left you, I was sweltering in 100 degree temperatures, along with much of the Midwest and the East Coast! Thursday morning (July 21st) I continued driving through Toledo and on into “Pure Michigan” northward. At Standish (north of the “thumb”) I followed U.S. 23 along the coast of Lake Huron. It was a very nice tree-lined drive with little traffic, but views of the lake were few and far-between. Of course, I could have stopped at one of the many public access areas but the temperature was still near 100 degrees and I was quite comfortable in my air conditioned van!



The temperature did drop the further north I drove but still in the 90s. Oddly enough it wasn't until I turned inland a ways that the temperature dropped into the upper 80s. I spent the night at very pleasant State Park at Onaway on the shores of Black Lake near the upper tip of the Lower Peninsula. The temperature actually got into the 70s overnight. Upper 70s but 70s nevertheless!



It seems that every campground has a different atmosphere to it. Some have open campsites with little privacy but the people seem friendlier there than at the campgrounds where the sites are more secluded. Some, by their very nature – such as those on or near lakes - tend to be noisier than others. It was tempting to spend a few days at Onaway but it was a busy place with lots of kids and dogs and was very noisy.



So on Friday morning I went in search of a more quiet, secluded place where I could simply relax and perhaps work on the research papers I had accumulated while in Ohio...



No, it's not Michigan! But thought I'd share this, which was taken about six weeks ago in the Rocky Mountains. Perhaps it will make someone feel a little cooler during this heat wave ;-)

Cactus Flower

I have these cactus in a large clay pot. Each year they beautiful blossoms. Sometimes in the morning when the sun is on them just right they get a yellow cast to them that even comes out in the photos. Not sure why.

What happened to the Camp Muir Webcam?

April 14,

The webcam hasn't worked since a fateful day in late November.

I have it in my office in Longmire. I went up about two months ago with all the tools to fix it, but I was unable to make field repairs, so I dismantled it and brought it down the hill.

I have been able to connect to the on-board server, but the image doesn't come up in the admin tool. I will delegate this repair to one of the climbing rangers over the next few weeks. If we can't repair or make an easy adjustment, then we'll have to order a new one.

How did it get broken? Well, reports have come in from various places, but it appears that the webcam has been consistently been taking a good beating. Not by weather, but by people, well-meaning people, to be more exact. The webcam during storms gets rimed up and it obscures the view. It may stay like this for days. So when avid viewers are actually at Camp Muir and in a position to "fix" the rime on the camera, they either hit or scrape the rime off the camera.

The marks on the camera's protective dome seem to corroborate the circumstantial evidence and the hear-say. It definitely looks like dome has taken some pretty heavy blows with a sharp object.

It will still be a month or more until I can get it working again.

Sorry for the delay.

Fantastic views at Xigia Tavern during lunch

Leaving South Xigia Beach, we hit the main road and just 500 metres away we saw this tavern with a spacious parking lot. We stopped to check it out.

It turns out that the tavern is perched on the mountain sea cliff and looking out to the blue Ionian Sea. Fantastic views! I personally loved the thick trees giving shade to the diners, they bid a very cosy and romantic ambience, and oh, the birds happily chirping away from tree to tree. Well, what can I say? In this restaurant, you do not need man-made music to accompany the beautiful view.

So I told the Dutchman—this is it. We are not going anywhere else for lunch =)

When we came back from holiday I did some research on the restaurant and it turns out that its specialty is seafood and the owner is Italian who migrated to Zakynthos, Greece. This restaurant is very popular among the locals and the tourists as well. That is why it took us a LONG TIME to be seated. Guests came pouring in and we have to wait patiently in line. Dutchman was grumbling and ready to leave but I put down my foot and told him to be still.

Eventually we got our table with a nice view. Because the restaurant was buzzing with diners, ergo overcapacity, it took a while for them to take our order and for the food to arrive. I didn’t mind, I am enjoying my view with a glass of wine while waiting. Plus they gave us free bruschettas. That was a surprise indeed and it was lovely.

Dutchman ordered Greek salad and for me steamed mussels. We were going to order more but when the bruschettas arrived we decided to just leave it as it is. The food is enough already for both of us. Food here is 4.5 stars out of 5.

At the back of the tavern I saw a garden and an infinity swimming pool. It looked like a perfect place to hold a party or just to privately chill out. I wonder if the owner lives here as well? Well, one thing for sure they have a gorgeous property with breath taking views.

Waiting for our lunch to arrive...

There were lots of birds chirping from the trees and we noticed as well that there were many bird houses hanging above us.

Finally, lunch has arrived!

Bruschetta came first.

Greek salad never tastes the same outside Greece. Take note, onions and tomatoes here are sweet.

My steamed mussels and half a lemon.

Another angle foto of the taverna's terrace.

The verdict: food wiped out clean.

The taverna has its own private infinity swimming pool as well:

From our table we can see South Xigia Beach where we swam in the morning:

A boat came to unload its passengers for a swim:

Garlic and pine corns, they seem to be the theme of this tavern:

Next: More beautiful remote beaches!