Merry Christmas 2008

Merry Christmas from Fred and Ida!

Love Charles Seife's Decoding the Universe: http://ping.fm/P1ZNT Been a while since a book's altered my world view.

Cool Clouds

Yesterday afternoon, the winds suddenly kicked up and the clouds over the hills behind my house were spectacular! Some repetition, but there's so much interesting detail in each.


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Photos for Joshua Tree Trip

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Finally Climbing at Joshua Tree!

Chimney Rock at twilight from our our campsite.
(Left my camera in my pack with Beth so more photos to follow after I retrieve it)

I spent significant time at Joshua Tree in the early 90's, mainly camping and scrambling - felt like I was out there every weekend one year. Knowing what I know now, some of those scrambles would be considered "free solos" probably up to 5.5 in difficulty. Though I wanted to, I never did any technical rock climbing there. Yes, I've often wondered how different a climber I'd be if I started then. Fred and I went once a few years back but ended up only on a couple of scary, thin, and run out sport routes. We just couldn't find the climbs we were looking for in the Real Hidden Valley. The guide book directions are difficult to say the least! I've been hesitant to climb there since.

However this week, the stars aligned perfectly. A good friend, Beth, happens to be planning a trip to JT for the same week. It's one of her all time favorite places to be and knows the area intimately. Not only would she be a great climbing partner and guide, she's driving and could schlep all my climbing and camping gear, saving me a bundle on baggage fees!

I met her mid day Tuesday at Hidden Vally, camp site #3, in front of Chimney Rock and it's infamous "space pod". (You can see our camp site in the linked picture - the low rock near the middle with the rocks to the right creating an arcing border is our site.) It also brought back memories of a dude who climbed up the chimney and got stuck. He scurried up easily but was completely spooked by the down climb. First rule of scrambling, know how to get off the rocks too!

I found Beth napping comfortably on the low rock formation, soaking in the sun. It's great to see her so relaxed and content to just be there. Within a hour of my arrival, we have all our gear together and are ready to climb. Our first route is a short drive away to the North Side of Echo Cove, Fun Stuff. A spooky start for the leader, Beth, but otherwise nice. Then we headed over to the Real Hidden Valley for Sail Away. It's a classic and a wonderful climb. It feels like for every 2-3 hard moves you get to a nice stance with a bomber hold or jam. Honestly one of the first sustained crack 8's I've climbed and thought. 'yes, I could lead this!' Apparently I'm using my outside voice...and within ear shot of Beth. So I'm committed and it's a goal for this trip. My first day here goes better than expected. How could it not! With Indian Creek as my last crack climbing trip, nearly anything else feels "easy"!

We meet Beth's other friends also here for the week, Dave, Ginny and Jean, at camp site #1. I make a broth with napa cabbage & enoki mushrooms. Once hot, Is spoon it over wide rice noodles and roasted duck. I was just in LA that morning; of course, I was going to take advantage of easy access to such incredible ingredients! What a meal!

The next day, Beth leads 3 incredible cracks:
Flake and Bake - gentle start to the day with loads of face features.
Pope's Crack - another classic with a heady traverse near the top
Double Cross - Yet another classic long beautiful fun crack. So nice to have Beth as a guide and get on such great stuff. I think I can lead this too (inside voice)...next trip. Dave, Jean and I follow. Ginny comes by with the election results...Obama won...woo-hoo!!!

I also top British Airways, next to Pope's Crack (since our rap anchors are right over it). Beth complained that I wasn't tired or grunting enough following her leads, and wanted me to take a run on this. Holy Crap! It's the absolute hardest 11 I've barely gotten up! I literally flew off several times...hence it's name, I guess (as well as it's incredibly run out between bolts)! The start looks like a crack but is actually a corner that widens and becomes rounded as it goes up. You have lie back on this and smear thin to non-existent face features. I blow off fairly early on. Above the corner is just blankness. On this section, I successively take after a move or two. Talk about groveling for every inch! Well, Beth got what she wanted, I'm totally spent after wards!

After Double Cross, we head to camp with a nice hour of remaining light. I have so much left over ingredients, I make the same meal again and Jean joins our soup party. Dave and Ginny share a nice bottle of 10 year tawny. We burn a pack of firewood and call it quits with the final embers crackling around 10. With everyone off to bed, I lay out with my sleeping bag on the low rock at our camp site. The sky is still, clear, and occasionally dazzling with shooting stars...apparently the Taurid meteor shower at it's height. I savor my last evening as much as possible, recalling the many past nights spent sleeping out under the same stars over 20 years ago. Some rocks curve perfectly to coddle you and this one lulls me to irrevocable sleepiness around midnight. No longer able to star gaze, I head back to my tent and sleep dreamlessly until 7ish to yipping coyotes.

Today's the day for Sail Away...I'm leaving in the afternoon so this is it. I've been chicken shit this entire season and have to "man up" at some point. We get a late start since I have to strike camp this morning and it's noon by the time we get to the base of the climb. There's already a party there. The leader is nearly done and there are 2 beginner climbers waiting to follow. We decide to wait it out...there's typically a line on this classic so just one party is not bad. Beth attempts to lead the climb next to it. There's no way to protect it until you're already 25-30ft off the deck after having to make a hard layback move. She decides this is not worth it...she wants to save herself for her goal climbs she'll be tackling the next couple of days. So I rack up and wait and wait. Watching the beginners struggle up Sail Away makes me tense and nervous. I climbed this the first day and know it's not a hard climb for me. But watching them struggle makes me "see" the route differently. I turn away and just put my head down. Arg.

I definitely don't climb it as well as a couple of days ago. My feet get stupid and I wonder where those "great stances" have disappeared to, especially near the top. Typical for me, I recall basically nothing about the climb...so much for pre-lead beta! I apparently placed a couple of crappy pieces in the beginning but everything else is bomber. The top gets thin and I really had to work through nerves and harder stances while placing 3 final stoppers. Breathe! Ultimately, I top out clean. Phew and Yeah!!!

We pack up quickly and head back to the warmth of the car. We drive just outside of Jumbo Rocks for Conan's Corridor. With only a couple of hours left before I leave and Beth feeling worn out (work's been hectic lately), we decide call if for climbing and make a hike out of it instead. I've realize too late that I've left my camera in the car! What a shame, this is a truly beautiful spot. It's cinches down to a cool slot canyon then opens up to a handful of beautiful lines. I get to use my old scrambling skills for some sections and it's a blast. I must come back here next time.

Finally, we head over to where Dave's group is climbing, Atlantis Wall in Lost Horse Area (boy, I spent A LOT of time back in here! So many nooks and crannines for scrambling and getting away from it all). They were topping Ceremony. Thank goodness I didn't bring my shoes and harness. The start looks suspiciously like British Airways and I would probably hurt myself on it! We get to see Jean perform a slow and beautiful ballet on it. Amazing control and balance. After she finishes, everyone's ready to call it and have some beer. So we head back to camp and sit under Chimney Rock, hoping the sunniness compensates for the lashing cold multi-directional wind. No matter, I savor a Negro Modelo in great company before saying my farewells.

It's been a wonderful trip and I'm extremely happy how well it went. As you can tell from comments above, I'm already making plans to come back out. I foresee many years climbing here. I'm on the cusp of an interesting new relationship with a wonderful old friend, JT.

Mom's 70'th Birthday Celebration

No one can believe mom's turning 70! I'm lucky to have half her energy level and sometimes have to remind her to slow down?!

Fred and I arrived in LA Friday evening and my brother Klein took us out for a wonderful sushi dinner. I haven't had uni (sea urchin) in years! I never dare unless I'm assured it's absolutely fresh. It's quite a unique flavor. Fred's favorite was the monk fish liver. (Fred: mmmmmm liver!)

Saturday was the big night for the banquet. Somehow creating invites for mom's shindig turned into creating table favors. My "brilliant" idea was to make boxes with photos of her through the years. I have to admit it turned out pretty cool. But making 56 is a labor of love! Thank goodness for all the extra hands (Fred, Albert & Greg) to help fold and ultimately stuff sweet buns into them.



Dinner was to start at 6 at Hop Li's. But with my family, that's the "suggested" arrival time for the early birds. The usual suspects from my mom's side of the family were there (about 36) and the remainder (7) were my dad's brother's family and a friend. Also as usual, it's a lively noisy group.

Mom put together a wonderful 10 course meal, the highlights being a fillet mignon pepper beef, shark fin soup with crab, lobster, 2 steamed rock cods, a mushroom medley over sweet pea greens, and seafood shitake rice. The cake from Kelley's Bakery was once again amazing - a layered cake with chestnut and buttery Napoleon. Yum!

Here's a few photos but cousin Kenny took loads more so I'll add them to the blog later this week.



Mom's photo album by Kenny & Ida
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Indian Creek Weekend, Day 3

Day 3 - Sweet riding on the Sovereign Trails.

Tanya enjoying the slick rock of the Sovereign Trails

It takes a while to strike camp and pack up. By noon-ish, Tanya and I head back towards Moab to ride the Sovereign Trails. It's a new single track system about 12 miles south of town. They're constantly adding to it so we drop by Rim Cyclery to pick up a current map. Up the street is Pasta Jays...how could we not stop for lunch?! Fueled up, we're finally at the "trail head" about 3. Even with map in hand, we're missed the mark on the trail head and the trail! We have one little fun section and then can't find a way to connect back to single track. This is not at all like I remember and I apologzing to Tanya saying there's got to be more and it's all a blast. After tooling around for an hour, we find that we've made a big loop and decide the head back. There are folks at the trailhead - apparently we went the wrong way and just caught the tail end of the system. We go left as directed...jackpot!! It's exactly as I remeber it!! Fun, fast, mild technical challenges, and cool slick rock. Tanya take a scary looking slow spill where she ends up folded in half, head side down, legs over, ass up! She hears me say, "oh", "oh", "oh!" as the slow tumble progresses and yells - 'I'm OK', while still in "position", before I have time to ask. Alls well and it's just good laughs. Shortly after that, it's time to head back, down a quick cider at the car, and meet Glen, Silvia and the kids at Eddy McStiffs. I'm exhausted but it's been an incredible trip!

Indain Creek Weekend, Day 2

Day 2, Stellar climbing at The Reservoir Wall

The gals arrived about 11:30 last night but heard all the raucous noise from our camp and decided to settle down the road at a safe distance. We make arrangements to meet them at the Second Meat Wall. We get there nearly 11:30ish but there are so many cars, we decide to go elsewhere. Good thing! There was apparently a huge party of 20 somethings all in costume! We take our chances at The Reservoir Wall, and except for our large party, there's only two small groups. Silvia sees Pente open and rushes to claim it. It's a classic and always occupied. Not only does she love it, but it's as pure of a crack climb as one can get, all 160 feet of it! For us ladies, it's thin hands to perfect hand jams. She leads it beautifully. I get about 15-20 feet off the ground to the little roof and am totally spanked. Nothing I do makes a difference! There's flailing and then there's failing outright. I haven't had that with climbing since I was a beginner! Disappointment is an understatement. I watch a couple of others give it a run... ahh...the right foot up into the roof crack and stem left. Well, next time. There's a long line for the climb and I doubt I'll have another shot this trip.

So, I belay Dan on an unnamed short (60ft) diahedrahal hand jam climb (fist jam for me). I hadn't had much success with fist jams before. Dan gives me great fist jam beta and it works wonderfully! By mid point, I'm exhausted (poor technique), but scend after that. Fun little climb!

Luckily, I get a second shot at Pente! Bingo, the right foot beta does the trick and I'm up it, no problem. As I climb and wear myself out, Glen yells up helpful hints, like 'point your knee towards the crack'. What a difference that makes! I finally get into a groove about 2/3's up as the crack becomes a perfect hand jam for me. I can relax and not fight for every inch. The rest goes clean to the anchors and I'm jubilant! I haven't been that happy about getting to the top of a climb in years. The line is so beautiful, so sustained, and such an accomplishment for me.

I end the day on a thin crack with lots of stemming possibilities, Dr. Carl. My leg is shaking as I'm exhausted, but this is such a fun kind of climb! There's plenty of rests and barely a need to cam your toes into the crack, so why not. Just as everyone else attests, it's a blast to do and a wonderful way to end the day!


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Completely spent, I head down to the girls camp site for their group meal. Joseffa makes a marvelous dish with penne, veggies, and thai peanut sauce. It hits the spot perfectly. All of us then head up to the main camp site to enjoy the fire, port and chocolate. Yummm! It's a Beth thing but I'm going to make it a part on my camping repertoire. At one point, Dan lights a flare and that provides a surprisingly pleasant and almost christmas-sy ambiance. The evening is lots of laughs but not quite as heightened as the night before.

At about 1:30 (I am a night owl after all), a couple joins the fire, and that seems to stoke a second wind in those remaining. Suddenly 3 new bottles of whiskey appear, and it's my signal to call it. I walk back over the rock rim to my tent. Already, their clamor is mitigated by the boulders encompassing the basin. Those mushroom are aglow again in the moonlight. Coupled with the cool air, a pleasant calm comes over me. I take a short walk to one of the mushrooms across the way, scamper up, and lay on the flat top, star gazing. There is nothing else but this now and I am happy here.

Indian Creek Weekend, Day 1

Day 1 - Superb climbing at The Optimator Wall

The warm sun wakes me. Wondering if I should get up yet, I hear the little voices of Giulia and Keenan. They chatter as they stomp over the rock bar and exclaim "Ooooohhh". (I'm not the only one impressed). They see my tent and realize someone "lives" here and unexpectedly considerate for their age (5 & 4), they start to whisper. How cute!

After my usual camp breakfast (oatmeal and a hard boiled egg), we rack up and head over to climb at The Optimator Wall at the "crack of noon". I get a chance to enhance my off road driving experience in the Audi with a river crossing and fun sandy spots. It's a steep hike up but stunning when we get up there. We settle under a "cave" created by an enormous fallen slab, right by Annunaki. The angles, colors, and reflected light are sublte and sublime. Of course, I forget to pack my camera that day and am so disappointed. Silvia, ever the considerate climber and hostess, picks gentle Lady Pillar to start with. There's plenty of face features for your feet so it's a nice mild warm up. Next, she strings up Neat. It's a dihedrahal crack climb that doesn't become crack only until the mid point. 3 feet beneath the anchors is a small roof. After very important hand camming technique advice from Silvia, I do fine until I get to the roof. Flailing would be an understatement! I take repeatedly and finally crawl my way to the anchors. My final climb of the day is on a thin double crack system, Unnamed B. I make my previous flailing on Neat look like an aquatic dream! Yikes!


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Tanya and I head back to camp with the kids so Glen and Silvia can get some more climbs in. Silvia gets to lead Annunaki with only one fall. It's a crazy hard thin steep crack. Wow.

We play "slack" board with the kids, climb up on one of the mushroom boulder, and take in the sunset. It's dark before the climbing group returns (Silvia, Glen, Matt, Katie, & Matt). Then later in the evening the Friday night arrivals begin (Baca, Tim, Lisa and Drew). As the whiskey bottles are passed, the fire grows larger and the laughter more raucous. At one point, white gas comes to the party. Let's just say whiskey and white gas is a bad combo, and hearing someone yell "drop and roll!" defines a moment like no other! No one is terribly worse for the wear and we are lucky to remember the night as "funny". The night ends (for me) with Glen teaching Ike and Jos how to make "dry fart" sounds (versus wet or walking, he he). Terribly amusing but after 10 minutes or so...it's time for me to hit the sack! Besides, it's 2AM and I need some semblance of sleep if any decent climbing is going to happen.

Indian Creek Weekend

Panorama of my camp spot

What an incredibly beautiful weekend! It's been a while since I've been mesmerized by my camping location!! Many places are nice or convenient, few are spiritual rejuvenations. This is such a place for me. That's just the camping! The climbing is intimidating but exhilirating. It's quite a different sense of accomplishment when you're able to defy gravity and scend one of these climbs. Indian Creek is certainly a new favorite for me!

Early morning arrival

Silvia and I set off Thursday evening and arrive about 1:30 AM. I hammer my last stake in at 2 but wired from driving all night, I need a moment to allow my tiredness in. The back side of the boulders that define our camp area seem like an ideal spot to wind down with a cider. I walk over a small rock bar and my jaw drops. Back here is a large sandy wash encompassed by mushroom shaped boulders aglow in silver in the moonlight. It's like a private bowl. Obviously, I MUST sleep here! Not only is it beautiful, sand is the best to sleep on! There's a wonderfully flat spot encircled by brush, high and to the left of the wash (no one should sleep in a wash afterall!) It takes no time to unstake and transplant the settlement to this perfect spot. The stakes sink in easily with a simple stomp on each and home is set. Back up to my cider sipping spot, I bask in the crazy bright half moon light. Fred would love this; Fred needs this. I resolve to bring him here some future 2AM half moon night. Overwhelmed by the beauty, believing it temporal and fragile, as if it doesn't happen nightly here, I can't tear myself away until the cold penetrates my layers. By 3AM, I force myself into the tent and sleep well into the morning.

Day 1 - Superb climbing at The Optimator Wall

Day 2 - Stellar climbing at The Reservoir Wall

Day 3 - Sweet riding on the Sovereign Trails.

Goldfish

Ha!

The Front Fell Off!

Wow - too funny! It's like a Monty Python skit but it's a real interview!!

Climbing Log: Turkey Rocks

Climbed Turkey Rocks in the South Platte this weekend with the gals - Silvia, Tori, Kira, Kre, Joseffa, and the kids (Giulia,Ike and Jos). The weather was suppose to be rainy, especially on Sunday. Originally, the plan was to go to Indian Creek, in Utah close to Moab. But the thought of rain on soft sandstone is beyond frightening. Hence we chose to stay closer to home and take advantage of the better forecast for Saturday at least. If Sunday turned sour as forecasted (50% chance), then it was only a couple hours to head home.

As luck would have it, the weather held out on Sat, only spitting in the late afternoon. Sunday however was absolutely beautiful! The wind abated, it was partially sunny, and in the 70's - a perfect day to be out!

I won't go over too much detail about the climbs as time does not permit but wanted to get the climbs logged in. I didn't lead a thing - my first 7 was fairly stiff and enough to put me in full chicken mode. Here, Here! to all the gals that did lead, especially on the final day - wow those climbs are hard!!

Day 1 -
Turkey Perch: Honky Jam Ass Crack (L- Tori), Ragger Bagger & Reefer Madness
All the kid climbed HJAC and were amazing!

Day 2 -
Turkey Tail: Turkey’s Delight (L - Joseffa & Silvia) & Rasmussen (L - Kre / I can't believe I made it to the top of this even on TR!). The tough ladies (i.e. not me) also did Whimsical Dreams (L - Joseffa)

Turkey Perch: Left Handed Jew (L - Silvia & Tori) Giulia made it to the top of this & hung out nonchalantly as mom self belayed herself up to retrieve her. Giulia was too light to be lowered! Concerned? Not at all...she entertained herself by swinging on the rope and going "whhheeeeee!"

Once again, not a lot of photos but here are some cute ones:

Cherokee Ranch Castle

Mom was here for a visit before her trip to Germany. Took her to tour the Cherokee Ranch Castle just down the street from me, maybe some 15 miles. It's built in 1926, on a bluff with incredible vistas of the valley, foothills, and Rockies. The stories about the second and primary owner of the property, Tweet Kimball, brought such life to place. Incredible woman.

It was a beautiful clear morning as you can tell by the color of the sky in several shots. Sure, some it due to the camera exposure, but you can't get that rich color except on days like these. It's gorgeous lately; fall now so we're in for more wonderful temperate days. I love this time of year. Each day, more leaves turn...I need to set of and start taking fall pix. Love the rich colors.

I'll have to go back with my "real" camera. Took lots of pix with my pocket camera and something happened to corrupt 90% of the pictures I took. Very sad. But maybe if I get out there in the next couple of weeks, I can capture some of the castle surrounded by fall colors.

Sleepy cold day (two weeks ago!)

Had a cold snap a couple of weeks ago and took some cute pix of my boxer, Tucker. As you can see, he likes to snuggle up, especially when cold. I joined him for a little bit. There's a test of your dog's intelligence...cover your dog and see how quickly it escapes. As you can see, Tucker never passed this test. It's a dumb test anyway. ;) I tried to get a pic of Parker, the akita, sleeping but she didn't find my camera in her nose restful and found a more private quiet spot to curl up. Also have a cute pic of Judie's dog, Duke. Found a soft toy just his size!

Ave's Wedding Extravaganza Weekend

What a weekend! My youngest girl cousin married this last weekend and it was quite the whirlwind affair. We flew in Friday evening, we're picked up by Uncle Albert, and immediately headed over to the Mandarin Chateau in Chinatown for dinner. We were a bit early but we met other early birds and got to know some of the other out of town guests. It was a lively and fun dinner with good Shanghai style cuisine.

The next day, we headed over to see the Seyffert 5 for a bit before heading back and getting ready for the wedding. It was held at a beautiful old Presbyterian Church on Wilshire Blvd, just down the street from the old Bullocks-Wilshire (for those LA-ites in the know). The ceremony was catholic and presided by a dear family friend of the Schodorfs, Doc. They also had several performances/interludes performed by family and friends. All wonderful personal touches.

The reception was at Vibiana, the former Catholic church in downtown LA. It was compromised during the big Whittier earthquake in the early 90's (the new church is now right off the freeway). I used to work up the street from it when I was interning at CalTrans. It's was built in the 1800's - quite a stately mission. The renovations are wonderful. Below, we have some fun pictures of us messing around with the old confessionals.

On Sunday, we slept in just a little and headed out for Dim Sum. We even coaxed my aunt and uncle to come over to the house for a couple of rounds of mah jong. I had a great game and actually won for once! Maybe it's sort of like beginner's luck when it's been so long since the last time I played. By 4:30, the "get dressed" recommenced. The Chinese banquet was held at the Emperial Palace. The dinner was lush and delicious. The favorites at our table were the the fresh steamed rock cod, lobster over noodles, abalone, and shark fin soup.

It was wonderful spending the whole weekend with family. I spent most of my time mingling than taking pictures. Actually, except for a couple...the pix were taken by Fred. I guess that's why I'm actually in a few! ;)

Graham's visit

Graham, my nephew, visited for a week at the end of August. Just now getting around to posting it! He's almost 15...and has renewed my faith in teens. Another great Seyffert kid! Wow, Will and Linda are amazing parents.

Some fun things we did with him are go the a Willie Nelson concert at Red Rocks (pix below), mountain bike, play guitar hero, go to Elitch Gardens (roller coasters and water slides), and chow down on hot pot.

Fun Filled Week with the Nieces - River Rafting Outing

Emma and Hannah stayed for the week and we had so much fun! The highlight was heading up to Glenwood Springs for a white water river rafting and kayaking day. The first half of the day, was spent 8 miles up river from the town, riding the larger rapids. I think the largest might have been a 3. As you can see from the beginning of the slide show, it's fairly frothy and absolutely fun! It was also COLD! We started in the morning and the sun was not in the canyon yet. Each white water section dumped on us generously...where was the 90 degree temps promised! They had us paddling but we're fairly sure the guide did all the work.



Finally the sun peaked into the canyon to warm us some. As we entered calmer waters, we entertained ourselves by chucking each other overboard. At midday, we came ashore and chowed down on the bbq lunch provided by the guide service. Sufficiently dried, warmed, and fed, we headed back to the river. This time, we had a smaller raft and a couple of double and single kayaks. We all traded off and took turns in the kayaks. The guide gave us some basic tips and set us off. I'm sure nothing was larger than a 1+, but being lower to the water made for more excitement and good fun. When that didn't keep us busy, splashing, chasing down the person with the water gun, and dunking them did.

After the rafting tour ended, we headed back to the hotel. Apparently we hadn't had enough of water. The hotel pool had a killer kiddy water slide. It was amazing how much speed you could pick up in it!! I tried to warn the guys but they thought it couldn't be that bad. On the second to last turn, each one of them picked up so much speed, they slammed in to the side of the slide causing an enormous splash and commensurate shudder of the slide. We have each of them on video below. Boy, did we get a lot of laughs out of it. We retired to the hot tub to nurse our tired bodies from a hard day of fun!

Climbing Log: Boulder Canyon, Happy Hour Crag

The following Sunday, 8/9, Tori is also free, so we head back to the Happy Hour Crag. The previous Sunday, we eye the 8's next to our climb, Twofers and Twofers Bypass. The roof on Twofers looks heady on lead. So to get a nice warm up, we re-do , I Robot. Tori, once again, no problem. I decide to lead it, since I didn't lead the dihedral section last time. Not too bad. I run out the top of the dihedral at the top of it...seemed better just to go than try to place gear in such an awkward position. This time, the finger crack section is no real problem, particularly the crux.

Unfortunately, as I finish this, we see clouds rolling in again. We decide to top rope the 8's and get in several runs before the rain comes again. The roof on twofers is not bad at all as long as you stem your right leg behind you on the crack to get your body as high as possible. There's a for your left hand and nice brick for your right over the lip. Another one move wonder. Everything before and after is a cake walk. We then hop on Are We Not Men then finish with the rain on Twofers Bypass. We found both of these breezes too. Seemed to us, that I Robot was a bit stiffer than these three with exceptions on the one move cruxes. So it goes.

We pack up and head over to the Tea House again, but it's booked for a wedding so we can't have any scotch eggs! :( So we walk over to Boulder Cafe (?) instead and chow down on sandwiches. Ok but no scotch eggs!

Climbing Log: Boulder Canyon, Happy Hour Crag

(Been way behind on postings!)

Climbed in Boulder Canyon 2 weekends in a row, 8/2 and 8/9. Never been there before. The rock is a wonderful friendly granite. Charis, Tori and I headed out for an easy climbing day on 8/2 and Happy Hour Crag fit the bill. It's so friendly, I finally get my first trad leads of the season in! Yeah!!

The online guide tells of overcrowding on weekends...except for us, there was only 3 other groups there. We started on the far left with the easiest climb in the book, I Robot. Tori, who's been trad leading for years, shot up it easily. I followed and found the initial dihedral with a flared crack a little awkward. The finger crack at the top was a breeze...on top rope. After one full found and waiting out a little bit of rain, I find my nerve and decide to lead the easy variation that starts slightly to the left of the dihedral. The start is then only 5.6., and joins with I Robot for the mid and finish. As I start, the rain begins. The bottom section is a breeze! When I reach the finger crack section, the rain picks up...but more disturbingly, the lightening gets closer, rather than letting up. The finger crack is completely straight forward except for the last move before the jug on top of the flake. There's a small smear for your right foot, and you sort of have to gaston the crack with both hands with your left foot cammed in the crack. Just feels extraordinarily committing on lead plus I've never even fallen on trad gear before. I must be on this spot, unable to commit, for at least 5 minutes. Of course, it doesn't help that a bright flash hits the ridge above us . I look down, and Tori has a helpful smile on her face as her hand gestures, move up...go... Finally, I take a deep breath, tell my silly self, "You're able to hang on pinches in the bouldering cave...so no matter what, you can power through this! Dumbass, just do it!!" This is actually a "calming" mantra and I finally just go. It's literally a one move wonder, I get through it, clip into the anchors...and in pouring rain, clean so we can get out of there. I'm actually fairly exhilarated with my first trad lead of the season.

We go clean up at Charis' and head over to the Boulder Dushanbe Tea House. Cool place! The lunch menu is akin to indian cuisine. We decide to order a bunch of apps and share. My favorite is the Scotch Eggs, basically a hard boiled egg encased in pheasant sausage and deep fried. My "tea" drink is Hibiscus tea with sparkling wine. Charis had a green tea mojito...the best mojito I've ever had! Everything was exception for lunch. The desserts weren't too impressive though. But all in all, an amazing day!

Climbing Log: Castlewood Canyon, Grocery Store Wall

Climbed at Castlewood Canyon with Janet. Short routes but interesting. Topped everything...'cuz you can. For my Dallas, TX friends, this reminded me of Mineral Wells. This wall is conglomerate so fairly rough but lots of interesting huecos and embedded pebbles. We started fairly mellow with with Licorice Stick and Rain Dance.
I found the start of Rain Dance Crack, to be a difficult thin move but otherwise very nice. We ended surrounded by mosquitoes on Gorilla Milk Direct so called it after the initial climb. We'd like to get back there again but on the east side where the rock looks more like sandstone and the cracks more sustained.

Action Filled Week!

...and I'm so tired! My whole body is sore. Not like when I was in my 20's or even 30's. There's just no bouncing back no matter how hectic. I think I need a rest week, not just a rest day! :)

Here's the recap:

Wednesday - Climbed Clear Creek Canyon, Lower Capitalist Crag, with Andrea after work.
Friday - Hosted Boulder/Pizza night
Saturday - Rode Buffalo Creek trails with Paul, Sandi and Mike
Sunday - Climbed Lumpy Ridge, George's Tree, in Estes Park with Silvia

Phew! I'm exhausted but completely happy and excited about having an action filled summer this year!! I’m also going to try and keep my blog more current with the rides and climbs I’m doing. If nothing else, it’s a nice place to log my activities…god knows I have trouble remembering the simplest things nowadays!

Climbing Log: Lumpy Ridge, The Book, George's Tree

View taken of Long's Peak during hike back to car.

My alarm sounded off at 5:30AM (a novelty for me!) and I picked up Silvia to climb at Lumpy Ridge in Estes Park. The last time I was there, Fred and I climbed a 5.6 on Sundance Buttress. A spooky slabby traverse on the 3rd pitch had me quaking in my boots! Ahh, old school ratings! Nothing better to put you in your place. There’s also the infamous afternoon thunderstorms to add to the character of Lumpy Ridge. But today, the weather’s perfect! A touch of wind, mild cloud cover by mid day to shelter us from the sun, and temps in the 70’s.

We arrive, probably around 8:30 AM, and hike about 1.5 miles to The Book. We settle on George's Tree, where maybe I can lead the 3rd pitch. The first two pitches can be summed up in what Silvia yelled down to me right before launching into pitch 1, "Welcome to flare [crack] school!" No kidding!! I do okay on the p1, but on p2, the flared crack widened and deepened which renders my toe jamming useless. I actually watched Silvia do the toe/heel foot jam and told myself to make a mental note to do the same. Of course, when time came, I smear, slip, and slap to no avail. After taking twice and Silvia kindly yells down beta about the toe/heel jam. It works! I grunt, shimmy, and inch my way up through that section then to the belay ledge. Pitch 2 and I'm wiped! Silvia points upward to the next crack section and asks if I want to lead it. After that last zinger, I knew I was out of my league. I remember someone saying that there is nothing graceful about crack climbing (unless you're one of the top folks). You use just about any body part available to you to make a go of it. It's a true full body workout. God know why I have a bruise on the top of my shoulder?!

For p3 we end up a little off route and do the left side of The Box. Thus, for our we traverse right up a doable crack, then traverse left up a dihedral to get to back on track. As a result, there's so much rope drag that we stop short of the top out and set up a belay about 20-30 feet below. P5's fairly easy, but my legs are spent and shaky by this point and each step up is a work out.

What a spectacular view from the top! Did I bring my camera up? Nope, down in the pack, of course. We take in the view for a little bit before heading down the exit scramble. I really enjoyed the scramble, reminded me of my Joshua Tree days (I never rock climbed, only scrambled). All that scrambling there made this second nature and a blast. My legs burn during the final minutes of the hike out and we get to the car around 6:30PM - what a long day! Weary yet rejuvenated; I'm truly excited that there are more days like this in store. With climbing partners like Andrea and Silvia, the possibilities are endless!

MTB Log: Buffalo Creek, Shingle Mill Variation

I met up with Paul, Sandi & Mike (new Texan transplants) to ride the Buffalo Creek trails, one of my all time front range favorites. From the Little Scraggy Trail Head, we took the Shingle Mill spur and looped back via the Morrison Creek trail. It was a gorgeous day out and my first ride there this season. I'm feeling pretty good about my mountain biking capacity so far. Since I barely rode last year, I thought I would really suffer this year. But this being only my 5th ride of the season, I don't feel as if I've lost any significant ground. Very encouraging. I'm committed to ride at least once a week this year. Doesn't seem like much but I'm also committed to climb at least 3 times a week, one of those being outside. So far so good these last couple of weeks.

Friday Bouldering/Pizza Night

We hosted a bouldering/pizza party at our house. It's really climbing with lots of beer and socializing. Joe and Janet upped it a notch and brought ingredients for mojitos! We pulled the first recipe found off google and with a heavy hand on the rum, Joe's first pitcher came out incredible tasty and smooth. You could swear he forgot to mix in the rum but he kept pointing to the bottle (more than half gone) to prove its potency. Knowing I had to get up early-ish the next day for a ride, I abstained and stuck to cider. Most everyone else happily indulged except the beer die-hearts and the kids of course. There were 3 that evening ranging in age from 11 to almost 5. They added such a fun raucous nature to the evening, an energy and zest we adults can no longer muster or tap. They checked out the frogs/frog-poles (all our tadpoles have their front legs now too), ran around the deck with the dogs, bouldered and leaped on the crash pad, crammed down pizza, pondered the feelings of dogs, savored watermelon, and raced cars on the xbox. We adults drank, ate, climbed and happily chatted the evening away.

Climbing Log: Clear Creek Canyon, Lower Capitalist Crag

After work, I climbed Clear Creek Canyon, Lower Capitalist Crag, with Andrea. What a strong climber and gentle soul. We started with Cheap Labor, pretty mild until the last 2 bolts on the blank face to the anchors. Small thin features had me chanting "trust your feet, trust your feet...". I didn't and took twice. I finally mustered my courage, trusted my feet, got precariously high enough the clip the last bolt. Thank god I was pink pointing!! I'd otherwise have to make another move after that to get the draw in and frankly I don't think I had it in me to commit through. Andrea then led Aries (I think), a fairly run out spooky lead. Fun climb and was glad I didn't lead it. Finally in the waning light, Andrea led Stroh's, an 11A. This thing completely spanked me! I couldn't even get to the second bolt!! I fortunately, had the humility and foresight to ask Andrea to put the rope through the anchors on her lead in case I couldn't do the climb. She only had to re-climb and clean the first 3 bolts used as directionals. We packed up with the last of the light and headed to Ali Baba's for a satisfying Mediterranean meal and great conversation.

Iris Garden

Had a very nice outing with Judie at the Iris 4 U Iris Garden. It's in the middle of Sheridan, an older suburb of Denver. Quite a departure from it's environs. The variety is overwhelming! Some are very fragrant. There was one blue one that smelled, well, frankly like "blue" (think Jolly Rancher or Gatorade).

Here's a very small sampling of the garden:

Alan's visit

Alan came down the mountain! It's been too long since we last saw him. Sometimes it feels like we see him and Krista less now than when they lived in Salt Lake! We rode Saturday behind the house. Poor Paul was having an off day so we headed back after the tree landing (for those who know our trail) and got started on dinner. Alan, Fred and Joe rode a bit past the cabin so Alan could get a look at the aspen/fern groves up there. I'm sure the columbine are sprouting by now too.

After the ride, we were joined by Beth, Janet and Steve for a festive dinner of our standard "lump of meat" (grilled pork loin), grilled portabellos, grilled corn, pan seared vinegar garlic shrimp, sauteed crimmini mushrooms, and a wonderful summer spinach salad with raspberries and nectarines (by Janet). We ended the evening with an ice cream turtle pie, port and chocolate care of Beth. I love these joint effort dinners.

Red Rocks Concert - Emmy Lou Harris & John Prine

Went to our first concert this season at Red Rocks. Emmy Lou Harris opened for John Prine. Both were wonderful. Emmy Lou seems to be more beautiful as the years roll on. She has such an ease and gentle charisma on stage. You can imagine her being a country diva on stage; instead she's simply at home.

Prine, what a consummate performer! I think the last time I saw him was about 15 years ago at the Strawberry Festival. Unfortunately for him, he's not under the same graceful aging spell as Emmy Lou. He stiffly walked with a slight limp to the mike. I wondered how this would affect his performance. But the moment he began, he was lively, light and playful. Whether he played alone or with his 3 piece band, Red Rocks resonated with his presence and music. It's still hard to believe that a 3 piece band can "fill" so much space. They also treated us with several duets; twangs intertwined, her's crisp, his lilting.

Here are some pix with our little camera...

All Girl Climb/Camp Weekend...yes honey, that does mean you can't come!

Spent a wonderful weekend with a group of intelligent and savvy outdoor enthusiasts who happen to all be women. It's so funny how many men & significant others asked if they could come. What part of "All Girls" don't you understand?! Some of the other gals recalled their last "all girl" camp outs. After racking my brain, I'd have to say this is my very first! Sure I've camped with a girlfriend before but not a whole group.

I have to admit, initially, I was tentative that there would be too much "estrogen" for me. Instead I was completely blown away by how brilliant, diverse and accomplished these women are - not just in their outdoor activities. There were also lots of women specific topics too and I think I learned way more about the trials and tribulations of breast feeding than I ever wanted! And yes, lots and lots of laughs for the entire weekend. Best part, I think I walked away with some new found friends for life!

We camped and climbed at Vedauwoo, WY, just a short 2 1/2 hours north of Denver. Beautiful granite rock formations that reminds me very much of my beloved Joshua Tree NP. It's the first time I've delved into crack climbing (vs. face/sport climbing). Wow, it's different! I was reduced to novice and struggled at everything. But the support and patience from all the gals helped me persevere.

On of the gals, Kira, is a writer for The Mile Hive. Here's her cool article about our weekend: Inside an all-lady outdoors get-away.

Yes, another trip where I took absolutely zero photos. I wanted to make sure my engagement was completely devoted to climbing and socializing. I only knew a couple of the ladies and the last thing I wanted to was annoy them with my camera and it's phallic lens! The rest of you know me well enough that I don't have to give a crap about annoying you!! ;) Here are some pix from Kira, Kre and Andrea:


(Group Shot: Kre, Kira, Beth, Andrea, Ida, Silvia & Tanya)

Here's my climbing log for the trip: All Girl Climb/Camp Weekend - Climbing Log

All Girl Climb/Camp Weekend - Climbing Log

The first day was spent around the Nautilus. I followed the first pitches of Captain Nemo, the Grand Traverse and Friday the 13th. I had an easier time with the Grand Traverse than Captain Nemo though it was suppose to be easier. The Grand Traverse had more for my left foot (not in the crack) to use where as the rock around Captain Nemo seem smooth and barren of features. Also, my belayer Silvia, an immensely experienced climber, gave me a great primer on how to place a hand jam. What a difference!! But didn't help much with Friday the 13...boy was that ugly! My lack of crack climbing technique had me lie backing the first part...strenuous to say the least. Then I got a primer on how to properly cam my toes into the crack. Much better but painful! I think I just about took every few feet. It's a miracle I made it to the anchors!

The second day was spent at the Fall Wall primarily slab climbing. Foot work and trust are big factors and when it's been a while, it's hard to feel anything but wigged out...even on top rope! We climbed 5.11 Crack (actually rated 5.9), Cold Finger and Gunga Din. Amazing how the smallest non-feature is HUGE with this kind of climbing. The first two went well enough but Gunga Din was crazy hard and barren! Yes, there was lots of taking, grunting and chewing...I was sucking on Shot Bloks and every time the slab got nasty, I demolished the blok with nervous chewing.

I was suppose to try and lead an easy 5.4 crack but honestly, the slab climbing had my nerves on end and my head unscrewed (...more than usual). So we went on to Edward's Crack on Walt's Wall instead. Beth and Silvia led with Tanya and I in tow. I found the middle of the first pitch the hardest. It's was larger than a fist crack for me but not large enough for a chicken wing. I know what all the books say I'm suppose to do, but at the moment, all that info was useless static. After some dropped gear (I was just butter fingers the entire weekend!), a stuck cam and a nut tool (how not to lower a nut tool while on a finger/hand crack), and Beth's scary lead fall at the top of the second pitch, we made it to the anchors, waited for the Silvia and Tanya, rapped down, and walked out chilled, tired, hungry but happy.

Home Gym Projects: Bump & Grind

Finally nailed my latest home project, Bump & Grind! It took 2 months, again! I know I look "angry" at the end but just so charged to finally finish it. In fact, what you are seeing is take two! My first was minutes prior but not recorded...the SD card filled up just as it was being filmed. Also, I was so close for so long; it's very sustained and I couldn't stick the final 2-finger pocket before the exit and had to work just that move for the last 2 weeks! Bouldering...frustrating yet fun.

Norfolk Daily News article: Scaling the Niobrara

Update: links to Norfolk Daily News article and video.

Ice Climbing at Niobrara River Ranch, Nebraska

We attended the 1st Annual The Niobrara Ice Jam not knowing what to expect. Honestly...the concept of ice climbing in Nebraska is a little hard to wrap your head around. It's as incongruous as bobsledding in Jamaica! Sure the internet site says the tallest walls are as high as 180 ft but ice pillars & sand hills? We were intrigued since we first heard about it last year. With their 1st ice jam ever, we thought what better time than to join in on the festivities.

Being the first fest (and in NE afterall), we joked that we might be the only ones there. Well jokes on us and them...we practically were!! Sure, we didn't expect the pros to be there but at least some "real" icers for us to marvel at. Because of it's novelty, there were journalist from the Norfolk Daily News, Sandy (writer) and Darin (photographer), and a nature photographer for Nebraskaland Magazine, Mike Forsberg. Well, you won't find too many pictures by me for once...with those two pros taking them...why bother!

Norfolk Daily News article: Scaling the Niobrara

How ironic that we'll be the featured climbers for the ice jam! We hadn't ice climbed all season and any one who knows us, knows that we're not "hard core" or terribly serious on ice. Just your average "hackers" (har har...get it...we're in computers and we hack on ice...sorry). Our group was Joe, Janet, Mike, Jim and Fred. It's Janet's second time out and Mike's first; he's 12, by the way.

I've never climbed on untouched ice before; it's really a different experience as compared the routes we do in Ouray or Vail which are so chopped out that you might as well have tape on the lines...pick here, step there, etc. I found myself using my head a lot more...constantly scanning, reading the ice for good placements or hooks. According to Stuart, (chief ranger for the Niobrara National Wild and Scenic Riverway) , we even did 2-3 first ascents! As if that wasn't enough...there's no significant approaches either...untouched ice and no approach...could we ask for more?!

So you can tell the trip was incredible! The location, people and weather were superb (high 30's to high 40's by the end of the weekend). The welcome and hospitality of everyone from Nebraska was heartening. It was a great set up and first class ice. Lee, the host (the climbing area is located on his property, Niobrara River Ranch), set up warming huts (think full out gorgeous cabin) with home made chili. Tim, owner of Yucca Dune Sporting store, hosted a film fest at his store & lounge in the evening. We unfortunately didn't partake as much as we wanted to...we're late starters which means ending each day by twilight. Besides, our beautiful cabin stocked with beer, sake, port and scotch was too enticing!

Daily blow by blow for those interested.

Niobrara Ice Climbing, Daily Summary

Picture courtesy of Stuart Schneider.
Janet lowering on line 3 and me climbing line 4.

DAY 1

We arrive in Valentine Friday noon and head over to Yucca Dune to sign in for the ice fest. The sheet is completely blank; our names are first on the sheet. Joe and Janet mosey in next...and....that's it (a South Dakota group arrives later in the day and climbs at Simmons Cliff Saturday). We chat with a handful of folks there: Tim (the organizer and owner? of Yucca Dune), Stuart (chief ranger for the Niobrara National Wild and Scenic Riverway ), and Sandy and Darin (journalist & photographer for the Norfolk Daily News). Turns out Darin can only be in town Friday and needs shots for their article. We agree to have him accompany us for the day. Our original plan was to kick back, check in, check out the site and only maybe climb. Now we're committed!

With Sandy and Darin in tow, we finally get to the the climbing area (its own short story), take a very short walk through the trees and WOW! We're at the edge of the cliff and it's a long way down to the river valley. It's real, it's wild and best of all, it's untouched!


(Ice was in much more fully than in this picture)

We set lots of anchors to secure ourselves and the photographer on the steep snowy slope. None of us can actually see any of the wall below until we lower. Hmmm...lowering into the unknown...let's send Joe first! He's the climbing stud on our trip and will do this on every line. We decide that the easiest and least steep line is appropriate, #1. It's a WI3, slopey on bottom, topping out in a 25-35 ft near vertical section. It's late afternoon before I'm on it, the last to go. As I'm being lowered, I eye the beautiful pillars lines with perfect icicles to the left. They're simply beautiful. The climb is tame, short but nice to get back in the swing of it. We wrap up with Darin and Sandy (Norfolk Daily News article: Scaling the Niobrara) , have a beer or two at the cabin and head to town for huge cuts of prime rib at Jordans. It's a good day!

DAY 2

Jim and Mike arrive; we have a hearty breakfast (care of Joe and Janet on both mornings. They rule!), and we don't get out to the climbing area until noon-ish. Mike's a novice so we redo line 1. He's 12, never climbed but a couple times in a gym years ago. The kid has no problem with us lowering him over the edge into the literal unknown! Joe lowers too and gives him a primer. In no time, we hear those distinct thwacking sounds and his head pops up and over. Scaled it and we don't think he broke a sweat!

Line 2 is a short but sustained 30-40 ft WI4 pillar. It's steep and pumpy but there are lots of wonderful hooks which reduces hacking to half. Joe and Fred cruise it. Janet takes a small fall near the top but otherwise masters it, better than I ever did my second second trip out ice climbing. Mike's up for it but it proves too difficult for his limited experience. What's a hook?! He's spent half way up and just can't make anymore headway. So Joe lowers to talk him through. The kid listens stoically, musters the last of his strength and determination, and steadily makes his way up the last of it. What a trooper! Mike F., the photographer, got great shots of Joe, Janet and Mike climbing before they headed out. As soon as we get those, we'll send them out too. They had to leave before they saw Mike through the climb so here are my pix of Mike finishing line 2. (click on pic to access album). These are the only pix I took all weekend.



I'm last to climb for the day, so again another wonderful twilight as I get up and over. By the time we wrap up, it's sunset. It's back to the cabin to clean up and down some refreshments. For dinner, we head back to Jordans, indulge in beef and fried chicken for me. Hearty meals, lots of laughs and lots to share about our day out.

DAY 3

On the last day, we hook up with Stuart and Mike F. Joe had chatted them up the previous day while they were shooting us and they stop by the cabin to see if we'll be out climbing. Apparently we're the only ones again and they would like more shots. Stuart knows the cliff very well and shows us the climbs he has in mind, the area on the far left in the picture - never been climbed. Of course Joe goes first! He makes pretty fast work of it. What a stud!

Line 3 is about a 40 ft WI4...not counting the last 15ft top out on sandy semi frozen dirt! We started calling the "dirt" part of the climb gardening. So we'd give it a grade of G3! :) This face consists of a thin mid section about 2-3 ft across framed by 2 thicker sections for which to pick and kick - it's stemmy, sustained & pumpy. For the G section, you have to hack over the dirt lip to get some purchase and stand on the top of the ice pillar. Kicking into the dirt held well. I had a hard time with the axes though. It's a strange mix of too hard and too soft. Either I couldn't get my picks in or if I did, the moment I put any pressure on them, the sand would give out. Meanwhile, sandy dirt is flying everywhere as I hack away...into my boots the long way...vis-a-vis the top of my bib. I was still spitting out sand the next day! After the lip, the sandy dirt was more cooperative and allowed for full pick sinkers, phew! For the final lip to the belay station, there's a wonderful tree to hook and top out. I'm completely exhausted and pumped when I get to the top. A great climb with truly unique Niobrara characteristics...climbing sand!

Mike tried this one too. Again, what a trooper! He got to the pillar and started having trouble. With Joe to the rescue with some pointers, Mike has no problem climbing it all himself! I think we have winner here. Watch out pros!

Line 4, is definitely a WI5. It's nearly a 60 ft of ice shaped so that you can stem it too, though not as widely as #3. Very sustained vertical ice. There's two small rest ledges at about 25ft and then 40ft. Thank god for the rests!! Again lots of awesome hooking. I even got a good knee bar in near the top of the second section. Even though I was 4th on the line, I couldn't see any other pick marks. By the time I got to the second rest area, I could barely hold my axes! Very strenuous climb. But Stuart and Mike F. had gone across the river to get shots of us. With them as my cheering section, I muster the last of my strength to climb the final 10+ ft of ice then scale the rooty 5+ feet of dirt. Roots rule! They held well and in the end I simply grabbed them with my hands to top out...literally crawling. What amazing climbs!! It's the best I've ever climbed - personally and ice quality wise.

It was the perfect climb to end our wonderful primer to Nebraska Ice. The reporters and locals all asked us if we think we liked it enough to come back. Without hesitation...yes!

Web site updates

Finally created an online photography "gallery". Check it out --> www.idalau.com/gallery.

Getting into Video

Wow, I had fun putting together those home gym videos! As you know, I'm more into photo and haven't done much in the motion realm. I found a free video editor program that's pretty robust and easy to use (once you figure out how to use the features). I ended up paying the lifetime fee, a whooping $29 bucks, to avoid the watermark throughout and open up all functionality. Worth it!

Home Gym Projects: Green Goblin

Finally did it! Been working on this one on and off for about two months. Nearly had it before leaving town over xmas. Yesterday was the first time climbing since the holidays and I really didn't think I was in shape to do it. But it all came together and I'm so happy to finally nail it!

Our hardest home problem to date, particularly roof holds - (open handed 3 finger pocket followed by right facing crimp to right facing pocket for the left hand before final pocket and out.) Fun, fun, fun!



If you are unable to view the video, click on this --> Green Goblin.

Xmas in LA

What a great visit to LA for the holidays! Thanks to everyone who took time out to lunch or dinner with me! Sometimes you go along during the year and feel like you really don't have too many people but close family in your life. Then the holidays come around and what can I say but feel loved and honored by everyone who went out of their way to see me. I was booked solid for the week! On top of spending Christmas with famliy (both sides of the famliy), I got to see my best friend from high school, my photo teacher from high school, my ex's daughter (who is now 21! OMG she was 3 just yesterday!), my friends from Countrywide, and my new friends from the China trip this year. What a blast. I still can't believe it's nearly 10 years since I moved out of LA. The ties and memories are still strong though. There's no "home" like the place you grew up.