Last two shots for 2006:

At the Park Entrance.
This particular just colour-exploded itself.

This rock gorge is a roaring torrent, every spring. That's all you'll have to see until possibly 2007. Thanks for viewing these and I loved the enthusiasm from all of us.

Dad

Final Fall shots

This was actually a real bear's cave!

This is a shot of the gondola to the upper ski mountain, taken from inside the winch-building.

These pics were in the entrance to a huge ski resort in Vermont.

the Sony Pic

They finally reset the password so here's the Sony people pic from the parade.

BTV Winner!

I spent 2 hours calling Breakfast Television's prize give away this morning. They had all kinds of great prizes; getaway weekends, X boxes, cameras etc.
What do I win when I get through? A gift certificate from Pay Less Shoes. I don't think they even have sports shoes.. Oh well. Better something than nothing.
Baby needs a new pair a' shoooes.

In other news, the parade sony pic isn't available as I didn't enter a correct email address when I went to retrieve it and now they won't allow access again. I emailed support and await a response. sorry folks.

Girls' Night Out

The girls had an outing to see a performance of "Menopause Out Loud", 90 minutes of hilarity. We were all princesses for the event, and had a lot of laughs.

Santa Clause Parade

Sunday was parade day.

Simon and one of his many balloons before the parade

Simon watching the parade. Mom watching Simon.


Fiona waiting to get a handshake from a clown.


everybody!

Ok so I didn't really get any pictures of the parade because I only took video. somebody must have a pic of santa???

"Merry Christmas. Gimme Presents"

A quote from "Animal" from the Muppet Family Christmas special.

There are some really clever marketing campains at Christmas. However, there are, occasionally, some poor choices made in the marketing departments. Two of the sadder displays of poor ideas:

The local version of Black Creek Pioneer village, here called "Heritage Park" is normally very tasteful with its Christmas treatment. This year, their flyer starts with the large print headline: "What's Christmas Without Shopping?"

And in front of a strip mall (containing a liquor store) not too far outside downtown, a big Florescent Green sign in foot-tall letters declares "ITS COLD. DRINK BOOZE".

Can you top them?

A night offout

It's Santa Clause Parade today!
Since we would be downtown this morning and we wanted to go see a play last night, Simon spent the night with Aunt Karen and Grandma and we had a night out. Corinne and I went to see a play called "Defending the Cave Man". The longest running solo play on broadway they tell us. We both liked it, and dinner afterwards. A night out. What a concept.

Off to the parade!

Playing Hooky in Tucson

Monday, I was moderating a panel at an event in Tucson, and decided that it's important to enjoy some of the latitude that being in business for myself offers (like not having to write a conference report) and so I had decided to hire a guide and explore the mountains above Tucson. This is in an area called Mount Lemmon, in the Coronado National Forest. The weather was a bit chilly by the time we got to the climb start, and a bit windy, but nothing as raw and chill as a couple weeks ago in West Virginia...and I had the right jacket for it. And it warmed up later.

I know that after a while, all the climbing pictures look the same if you weren't actually there: Pictures of rocks. I like pictures of rocks. For those who care about rock and texture, for the record, this stuff was wonderful rock for face climbing (which is to say, stuff that offers only very tiny ledges for toeholds, but when you put your toe there, by gum, it sticks! You have to trust your feetlings, Luke, but this very stable granite did not crumble, and then when you get a handhold that offers more than a tiny crimp to grab, it feels like this huge gift! The texture and cracks and breaks and patterns of the rock are so beautiful. Many patches of this stuff also had amazing gold lichen, too. I am always astonished at the random fractal splendor of the angles and lines and blocks, and it's hard not to think, wow, who designed this? Or, gee, what a great place to put a hold!

My guide, Jeff Fassett, was great! Somehow I am reassured when my guide's visage has as many lines and fissures as the rock we’re climbing, though I've had excellent guides of all ages.

He picked the perfect combination of routes to hit my sweet spot for challenge and hover just below the peg of my fun-o-meter. I enjoyed my first experience of trad climbing on his lead, and thus greatly built my confidence in climbing outdoors, too. He had an exquisite sense of when to let me figure it out for myself and when I was at a point where I was more tired and was just plain going to have a better time with a few ideas on where or how to place a hand or foot. I learned lots, and the hand-and-foot movements became much more natural for me by the end of the day; powerful, elegant, and begging to be used.

I appreciated all the things he shared with me about gear, technique and philosophy of climbing and guiding...and knowing how to take pictures of the client!

So many skills go into first-class guiding that can be nearly invisible or rarely needed; the ability to read a client, gauge a skill level, anticipate the gear they might need, pace the level of challenge and assistance, create rapport, build trust, have in reserve the skills of first-aid, rescue and improvisation, communicate key information at the right time, wait and let them discover things at other times, and pop in the elements of surprise, delight, and pinnacle moments that comprise an extraordinary experience.

As Lorne pointed out, these are also skills common to teachers (and parents, who are each also teachers) in our family, while I think of it. I salute you all!

Just because

This blog entry is here just because having the x-ray of someones feet at the top of the blog was freaking me out!