Day 60 - winter was never here?

Activity: bike ride in shorts. In February. https://www.strava.com/activities/505556931

Photo: dinner - post processed wth Snapseed and shot with iPhone

Original here

Thought for the day: Go Bernie go!

Day 59 (February 28)

Activity: day 23 of snowboarding. First time I ever hiked over to Castlerock twice in a day. Liftline was wonderful. I rode Rumble better than ever. It was a lot of fun! Did lots of runs down Sleeper in the spring conditions. 

Photo: the Mini Church

Thought for the day: Bernie Sanders has been standing up for black lives for 50 years. At some point, the public will figure this out

Day 58 (February 27)

Activity: day 22 of snowboarding - kind of. Katie had the Castlerock Extreme Jr competition today and won the overall! There was lots of sitting around and waiting, and a few runs in between. Conditions were not so hot....

Photo: here is Katie just dumbfounded she won 

Thought for the day: external validation can be immensely rewarding. For some. Katie really loves the feedback; her sister doesn't need it as much. Regardless, I'm so happy for her to have won the competition today!

Day 57 (February 26)

Activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/502839422

Photo: Winchester center / wide angle lens

Thought for the day: finding joy van happen in just discovering something for yourself that others have already figured out, but which you do for the first time. Today, it involved brewing a nice cup of coffee with a new burr grinder. As someone who doesn't drink coffee, it was really satisfying to brew something that was so good. 

Day 56 (February 25)

Activity: exploring in the woods https://www.strava.com/activities/502062923

Photo: nice birch tree stand

Thought for the day: stopping rackets is an ongoing goal of mine. Letting go of being right is brining me so much closer to those I really care about. 

Day 55 (February 24) - rainy day hike with Anita

Activity: https://www.strava.com/activities/501215834 - great hike with my lovely wife Anita

Photo: post processed in Instagram

Straight out of the Sony

Thought for the day: the world isn't as bad as everyone says it is. We heard a great article on NPR about a fellow who spent 3 years criss crossing the country and asking people what they thought about the state of general affairs. They thought things were good at home, but going to hell in a hand basket elsewhere. Hence the popularity of both Bernie and Trump!

Day 54 (February 23) - winter ride at summer pace (for some)

Activity: Rob and Bruce were going at it. I was off the back. Winter ride for me; summer ride for them. https://www.strava.com/activities/500317149

Photo: I put myself off the back to take this photo. Post processed version on the top.


The original is a bit blown out and obviously the shadows need to be brought out

Thought for the day: train slow in the winter to be fast in the summer!

Day 53 (Feb 22): Walk in the woods

Activity: fun hike with Anita https://www.strava.com/activities/499628908

Photo:  Shadows in the woods (after)

Before:

Thought for the day: avoiding rackets is hard, but that hard work pays off in a big way. Will explore this a bit more later...

Day 52: First bike ride in a long time! (February 21)

Activity: It is sad when during the winter the only good woods shots are on a mountain bike... https://www.strava.com/activities/498975894

Photo: a cracked open macadamia nut from Puerto Rico. Before...

 After - some exposure adjustments and detailing on the nut and it looks a lot more compelling!

Thought for the day: why can't people just leash their dogs (I realize this thought for the day happens a lot when I go mountain biking!)

Day 51 - does power walking around the airport count? (Feb 20)

Activity: walking fast through airports - particularly Philadelphia. It looks like I got a couple of miles in according to my phone.

Photo: Polenta - there is a lot of excitement for some people (like Katie) about eating polenta. I think that being hungry after traveling helped. Here's the post processed photo

 And the original straight out of the camera with Capture One Pro

Thought for the day: it is good to be home!

Day 50 (February 19) - touring Old San Juan and flight delay

Activity: lots of walking around Old San Juan, other parts of the city, and airports - 8 miles in total.

Photo: Katie and Emilia at the El Morro fort in Old San Juan. This is the post processed photo - the background wall was brightened and structured, the city was tweaked with clarity, the foreground wall was darkened, the sky was highlight contrast adjusted, and the waves and sea were tweaked just a hair.

Katie and Emilia at El Morro (after post processing)

before post processing

Thought for the day: I had a really tough time with the flight delay and coping with it. I just need to roll with what happens more easily next time around. I was being a pain.

Day 49 (February 18) - enjoying Puerto Rico even more

Activity: at least 3 times up the 14 flights of stairs at the hotel, stand up paddle boarding for 40 minutes, and walking around old San Juan.

Photo: here is Katie is a staged shot at old San Juan. I added a lot of structure and brightening to selective parts of the photo such as the pavers and only increased the saturation for the pavers and sky and the tiniest amount on the buildings. The end effect mostly appears like the exposure was bumped up a notch.

Post processed photo

The original photo straight out of Capture One Pro. Pretty good...

Thought for the day: authentic ethnic food is challenging to cook well because of the temptation to leave your creative imprint on the dish. Our meal at Raices was wonderful because the management may have tinkered with the original formula, but they did it in a way that allows the brilliance of the native ingredients to really shine through.

Day 48 (February 17) - learning about coffee

Activity: two sets of running up the stairs to our hotel room (really) and lots of driving through mountainous roads (not a workout, I guess)

Photo: we had the great fortune to visit Sandra Farms in Puerto Rico and get a tour from the owner, Israel, of his great spot on the Island (overlooking everything), the coffee trees, Bobo the dog, and the coffee making operation. Here is Israel explaining it to the family. The coffee was great straight up and black. Not bitter at all and really smooth. The girls loved the chocolate.

Here is the post processed photo. Obviously there are some shadow improvements, and there were some extra shadows brightened on the left side of the photo.

Before post processing. Pretty sound photo - just needed some minor adjustments.

Thought for the day: it is really great to see someone who has fulfilled their goals and dreams in life. Israel was that embodiment and going on the tour with him was a treat.

Day 47 (February 16) - lots of activity

Activities: hiking in the rain forest and kayaking into a lagoon to see bioluminescence. The kayaking trip was beautiful - much of it was under the cover of mangrove trees heading to a swamp. We saw the phosophorescing single celled creatures output light that we could see under a tarp and even when we were paddling in the dark cover on the mangroves. In between we climbed to the top of a large tower and took in some great views

Photo: We had a really nice seafood dinner in Fajardo near the beach before the kayaking. Here is a 4 pound local lobster! This is the post processed photo.

Before post processing, it wasn't bad, but I just added a little bit of emphasis on Katie and the lobster and darkened and vignetted out the sections that were not as interesting I also added some shadow to the waiter so he didn't look totally jet black.

Thought for the day: Our natural inheritance is so precious - rarely do we spend enough time admiring its bounty or beauty. Stop for a second, look around, and smell (and see) the roses.

Day 46 - warm in Puerto Rico!

Activity: just generally walking around a lot, including at least half a mile carrying about 50 pounds of carry on luggage!

Photo: Alley cat
Final result, emphasizing the cat. I also brightened the eyes a bit...

Original

Thought for the day: the magic of air travel is that you are nearly instantly transported to a totally different world. We're here in Puerto Rico and it sure is different from being in Vermont yesterday!

Day 45 - even colder!

Activity: day 21 of snowboarding. It was even colder than yesterday - about -20 below at the start. Katie and I just lasted a couple of hours, but it was fun. Under the guns on Spring Fling was surreal - the snow blinded you at first and then you could see the beautiful sun and then you were blinded again. It was beautiful and just a little bit scary but mostly beautiful. Nearly no one was at the resort - it was like a weekday. Steins wasn't bad, either. They offered us cookies and chocolate at the Valley House lift, but of course we were worried about getting frostbite just eating the offerings!

Photo: Katie does a tourist shot for the resort. 

Thought for the day:

The world seems like it is collapsing according to the media. But things in the macro view are actually getting better. So sad when people buy into the cynical view of things. It is not like we live in a perfect world, but it definitely isn't falling apart at the seams. 

Day 44 - cold! (February 13)

Activity: day 20 of snowboarding. The highlight of the day was definitely the bike to Castlerock - it got us warmed up and then we had an amazing run down Castlerock itself. So much perfectly spaced powder! It was cold, though. My facemask actually froze to my face in the space of just a single run. 

Photo: some talented and cold souls were carving ice statues at the base of the resort. Amazing work!

Thought for the day: We are so easily influenced by media. I was speaking to some very thoughtful conservatives yesterday and one of them said that everything is going into the toilet. But is it really? We can't look at numbers like the US national debt without understanding the context of how it compares to other countries and in the context of current interest rates. The absolute number doesn't mean anything without context. Just one example... 

And if people really want a smaller government, then less military expenditures - we spend as more than the next 25 countries combined - would make the government smaller. But it eliminating or severely cutting back on our largest social program would also send the economy into a tailspin. No easy solutions exist but it isn't as bad or as bad in the way people think it is, either.   

Day 43 - aggravated

Activity: I attempted to go for a bike ride. Unfortunately by the time I got to the Fells proper I had punctured the sidewall of my rear tire. Then my front tire flatted due to a bad seal. It was pretty cold so for exercise I walked it out. Ugh. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/491969094

Photo: these lovely cookies baked by my daughter Emilia. 

Thought for the day: unfortunately, a bad event can really set you off. After the flat, I was kind of mad that Katie took so long to pack and get ready to head up to Vermont. We didn't leave until almost 9, meaning we didn't hit the pillow until after midnight. She forgot a few things and I was just mad that she wasn't taking responsibility for it and instead getting mad at me for getting mad at her. (Sigh!). 

Saturday is a new day - we'll start over. 

Day 42 - snow, snow and more snow!

Activity: day 19 of snowboarding. It was great to get in the first wave of chairs at both Mt Ellen and Lincoln Peak. And then it started snowing - hard. I was getting faceshots even at the end of the day!

Photo: This pretty much captures it!

Thought of the day: thank your local parking lot attendant next time you ski or snowboard! They weren't there today, and my car was almost jammed into its spot...

Day 41 - the threat of snow

Activity: day 18 of snowboarding. I tried riding with headphones today - it was pretty fun, but I needed a better play list. Therr was the threat of snow all day, but it didn't really start to snow until after the resort closed. 

Photo:

Lots of dramatic clouds. 

Thought for the day: it is amazing when your children are better than you are at something - no matter what it is. Just amazing. 

Day 40 - snow shoveling and over processing

Activity: shoveling the driveway, spare parking spot, walkway, and some chicken paths. I always recall the term "back breaking" work when I shovel snow, but quickly realize how good I have it. 

Photo: I processed this in Snapseed. Whoa. Kind of overdone. 

Thought for the day - congratulations to Bernie Sanders for winning the New Hampshire primary, but gosh Hillary gave one heck of a speech.

Day 39 (Feb 9) - winter storm hike

Ahh... Getting lost in the woods during a snowstorm. Not really lost. Just a little. 

https://www.strava.com/activities/489102087

Photo: "Baby tree"

Thought for the day: I had a great conversation today with the CEO of a new business. He is in it partly to give to the community he loves. Drawing that as an inspiration will take him far. 

Day 38: Super Bowl Sunday (February 7)

Activity: a singlespeed ride in the slush. It was pretty tough and slippery - the rear wheel was slipping constantly - but somehow single speeding really forces focus and concentration and I was able to make it through, up and over lots of sections I didn't think I would clear. https://www.strava.com/activities/488454888

Photo: Sunset in the Fells - this is after post processing

Before post processing - a huge amount of detail was captured by the sensor - it just had to be set free!

Thought for the day: lots of people are watching the Super Bowl - kind of together - including us. But it really isn't community. That's something different...

Day 37 (February 6): quiet day at home

Activity: A nice hike in the woods with my daughter Katie: Afternoon Hike

Photo: Here is Katie at the start of the hike overlooking one of my favorite spots. This photo was processed from a JPEG on the camera using Snapseed.

Here is RAW photo in Capture One Pro

And the magic of Capture One Pro

Thought for the day: It is wrong for Facebook (and other apps) to use your Bluetooth and WiFi to figure out where you are with relationship to others and then use that information to suggest friends, etc. when you have location services turned off. Very sneaky!

Day 36 (february 5): dawn at the Sunnyvale Badlands park

Activity: Baylands Dawn photo shoot - A really nice hike at Badlands Park at dawn. Watching the sunrise develop is really special, particularly in a new location.

Photo: Here is the finished work - just minor changes to make the foreground a bit sharper and basic straightening.

And here is the original - a little less "pop".

Thought for the day: I was asked how Facebook can figure out that you are speaking to someone at a party when you have location services turned off and then make a friend suggestion. Answer in the next post...

Day 35: more left coast hiking

Activity: a longer hike today. https://www.strava.com/activities/486133327 and in Silicon Valley

Photo: wow there were many I enjoyed taking today. 

The colors of the grass really were special. 

Thought for the day: ignore the time change when traveling. Just thinking about it can give you jet lag!

Day 34 - February 3 - Left coast action

Activity: There has definitely been a lot of rain here in California. The trails are muddy! https://www.strava.com/activities/485363865

The change of scenery is great for creating different images...

Thought for the day: celebrating a birthday with a parent is a great thing

Day 33: long hike

Activity: a long hike to check out the mountain bike trails - which I won't be riding since I'm traveling! https://www.strava.com/activities/484397070

Photo: 

Thought for the day: dog owners, get keep your dog in control! I had a dog growling at me on my hike today and the owner refused to take responsibility that the dog was ignoring their command and was threatening me.... 

Day 32: Wright's Tower "repeats"

Activity: a couple of laps of hiking the hill up to Wright's Tower. https://www.strava.com/activities/483514812

Photo: Wright's tower in the mid morning brightness

Here is the before photo. There is some saturation on the sky, structure for the rocks, some exposure / shadow adjustment in the roof and right side of the photo, and voila!

Day 31 (January 31) - avoiding more falls and finding new trails

Activity - Day 17 of snowboarding. I tried out a new app, SkiTracks, but apparently it doesn't share a day of snowboarding online with a URL like Strava.

Photo:

There was great light today, and I took several good photos. This is my favorite, though due to the dramatic sun and clouds.

Here is the original - it is amazing how much information can be recovered from the RAW images...

Thought for the day: Why, oh why do people spend so much time driving to Vermont, skiing Saturday, and then head home Sunday morning? Sunday slopes are empty - very strange after such a crowded Saturday! But clearly everyone is "hanging out", because the traffic back on Sunday was pretty thick.