Man Fashion Friday

Model wears:

3/4 Pant - models own design 100% nylon, gusseted climbing pant,tailored in Shenzhen, China for jjobrienclimbing.

Shirt - models own design,100% silk, with gold thread brocade, reclaimed Idian Sari fabric. Tailored in Shenzhen for jjobrienclimbing.

Glasses - Shanghai Tang HK

Croc knock offs - HK street market

Location Coolum Cave.

















OMG is that international Aussie rock star Lee Cujes?Model looks hot in:





Jeans: by G Star Raw





Inner Jacket: in lime by Boulders and Nuts(models' exclusive clothing sponsor)



Faux leather bomber:unpurchased I suspect,

by the dead stock and sample cult mega-label"Mee and Gee" of Hong Kong





Glasses: unknown









Location: Mee and Gee, Tung Choi Do HK(upstair for man)





Photo: Sam Cujes, on Lee's iPhone presumably

Welcome home to Australia, Lee and Sam.

A day in York: Whisky for lunch?

It’s two in the afternoon yet I am not hungry. I am blaming the full English breakfast I’ve had in the morning. At my age (officially 41 as I type) it seems impossible to digest food quickly even after hours of walking, quite a dilemma I suppose. So I thought, I will just wait for another hour or two before I have a proper lunch—some English scones and tea.



However, tired from my discovering-York-on-foot-tour, I am searching for a nice pub or café restaurant where I can relax and have some spirits to cheer me up. I need something strong. Stronger than wine.



It was great timing when I strolled into Saint Helen’s Square, a square that you cannot miss when in York when I saw Harkers. Actually, Betty’s Café Tea Rooms dominates the panorama of the square but I promised myself to have my share of English scones and tea later.



Harkers is actually a pub restaurant, so just perfect. From the outside I can already see the bar filled with liquors beckoning me, haha. I ordered my whisky, a scotch. I did not get the name but I remember telling the bartender to give me the best he has. This will be my pre-lunch.



Then I searched for a nice place to sit down. Ah, perfect again (this is my lucky day), a free table by the window facing Saint Helen’s Square. You know in places like these it is almost impossible to find perfectly situated tables by the window because every guest, visitor and tourist are eyeing these seats. But well, it is my lucky day and I have it for myself.



I spent a relaxing hour just sitting here. The leather chair was big and warm. I just watched the scenes outside, watched the people, watched everything. I read the guides I picked up at the Hospital Hotel as well. It is nice to unwind in a nice place.



Tempted to buy another shot of whisky, I decided last minute not to push my luck. Good call.



Fotos of Harkers Pub Restaurant:



The liquor bar. It is self-service here.



My view to Saint Helen's Square.



Period style design of the room I am in. I love the floral victorian wall paper with a touch of goth. I have a similar mirror at home, in my dining, except that mine is silver and its wider.



My table by the window with the ladies. When I was about to leave these two ladies quickly asked if they can take my seat, and thanking me that I am actually leaving, haha. These seats by the window are always popular.



The main lounge area of Harkers pub restaurant. Elegant yet traditionally homey.



Facade of Harkers Pub & Restaurant in Saint Helen's Square, York.



And this is Saint Helen’s Square:

How Much to Carry on a Ride?

When riding for sport or recreation, I've noticed that the amount of stuff I feel that I "need" to bring along is not only subjective, but dictated by my bike's setup. When my bicycle is set up with a handlebar or saddlebag, that bag inevitably ends up filled with things I am convinced I need. What if it rains? Let me just stuff a jacket in there. And a sweater in case I misjudge the temperature. What if I get hungry? Pack some food just in case. Why not stop to take pictures? In goes the DSLR camera. And maybe a book in case I stop for coffee. By the time I am done, the bag is bulging with all the things I "need" for the ride.

And yet when riding a roadbike without any kind of bag attached, I somehow manage to make do with my jersey pockets: Keys, phone, money. Done. Leave. Ride. Even when the morning starts out cold and I end up removing layers of clothing toward the end, I can usually just stuff them in one of the pockets (that's a wool long sleeve tee sticking out of the left one and a pair of gloves in the center). I can keep surprisingly large food items in there as well - riding with a banana or an apple in a jersey pocket has not been a problem.

There is a point of view among cyclists that a bulky saddlebag or handlebar bag on anything shorter than a daylong ride is an affectation and an unnecessary handicap. There is also the opposite point of view - that riding without a fully packed bag is akin to being unprepared and irresponsible. I can sort of relate to both ways of looking at it, depending on the mood I am in.A year ago, I felt "safer" with a bag even if I did not need it, but nowI prefer to carry as little as possible. If I want to focus on the cycling, I take only what fits in my jersey pockets. If I am using my bike to explore photographic locations then a bag is a must, but I try my best not to overpack it.

How much do you carry with you on a ride and has this changed with your riding style?

On the Trail

On the Trail, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Temple Crag looms in the distance, towering above Second Lake.

Big Pine is one of the best hiking areas I've yet seen. There are many trails, lots of lakes, and spectacular mountains.

Tombstone Tuesday :: William and Catherine Dunfee

The Dunfee Family plot in the Masonic Section of Greenhill Cemetery, Columbia City, Whitley County, Indiana. Starting from the bottom of the picture are the grave markers for Laura Virginia Dunfee, Albert Eugene Dunfee, and Harry Hamilton Dunfee and His Unnamed Twin Brother.

The large stone in the center of the photo is for William Hamilton Dunfee and his wife, Catherine B. Jones. They are my 3rd Great-Grandparents. The little marker next to their stone simply says "Father" and there is a corresponding "Mother" stone on the other side.

The stone to the left of the marker for William and Catherine is for their daughter, Henrietta Rebecca Dunfee (1852-1941), and the next stone is for their son William James Dunfee (1854-1942) and his wife, Elizabeth Walker (1861-1915).

On the south side of the marker is William's inscription:
OUR / FATHER / W. H. DUNFEE / BORN / ADAMS CO. PENN. / APRIL 10, 1822. / DIED / MAY 29, 1888. / AGED / 66 Y's. 1 Mo. 19 D's.

The inscription beneath his age is not legible.

Catherine's inscription is on the north side of the marker.
MOTHER / CATHERINE B. DUNFEE / BORN IN / MUSKINGDOM CO. OHIO / JAN. 15, 1829 / DIED FEB. 17, 1903 / AGED 74Y. 1M. 2D / Dear mother, fond memory / clings to thee.

It was very thoughtful of them to include the location of their births as well as full dates of birth and death!

Catherine came to Whitley County with her mother and siblings in October 1845. At about the same time, William arrived in Fort Wayne where he was working as a cabinet maker. Two years later, William came to Whitley County and became acquainted with Catherine. They were married on March 5, 1848. Of the seven children born to them, only three survived to adulthood. Of those three, their daughter Sophia was the only one to have children who had children. Sophia married William P. Wise. They are my 2nd great grandparents.

Alpental ..

Used my other free pass for Alpental today. A completely different experience from when I went a few weeks ago. All the lots were full when I arrived at 10am! For my first ride on chair 2, I probably waited 20-25 minutes. This was probably one of the busiest days at Alpental all season. The crowds were somewhat disappointing.

Even the snow was somewhat disappointing. By the time I got to the top of the mountain, most everything was tracked out. I did not get to practice my deep powder skiing like I was hoping to. However, the skiing was great, and after being turned off by the wait for chair 2, I rode chair 1 most of the morning with very short lines. I explored a few runs that I had not been down before on the lower mountain as well: Ingrid's Inspiration and Dom. Ingrid's is a really nice run that can be done in the trees, or just under the cliffs. I was really enjoying that run.

Once Noon rolled around, I figured people would be heading home, or at least breaking for lunch. I jumped back on chair 2 for a few more runs down from the top. One of which was my first double black diamond run, Schluct. I eyed it up last time, and again today on a few rides up the lift. It didn't look significantly harder than the single blacks on the mountain, so I figured I'd give it a go. Once in the chute, I quickly realized the difference between single and double black diamond. (Even if Schluct is a mild double black.) There was a 20-25' section of the chute that was noticeably more steep, and it was narrow as well. I skied it without falling, but not without a little stalling. It wasn't my prettiest run of the day, but it was fun to ski it.

After my experience on Schluct, I headed for the lodge to end on a high note. My legs were tiring, and I had logged over 10000' of vertical again. When I got to the lodge, I ended up doing two more runs up chair 1 as I was attempting to get to my car in the high lot without having to take my skis off.

Overall, it was a fun day and great to be out. Nothing gets you practice on skis more than lift serve. Also, the powder was so deep today, that I saw no less than three people digging in the snow trying to find a lost ski. Yipe.

First ride up.

Top of chair 2.

Edelweiss Bowl.

Romantic Bike Basket Contents

Riding home from the grocery store today, I enjoyed a fine view of someleeksand potatoesin my basket. Looking down on them as I pedaled, I had one of those experiences where shopping by bike felt like an exciting and novel outing, even though I've been doing it on a regular basis for years now. The idea of carrying leeks and potatoes home on my bike, then cooking them, suddenly struck me as both romantic and funny. My mood lifted, I flashed a silly grin at cars and pedestrians as I passed them.




Later this got me thinking about how often basket and pannier contents are used to illustrate the appealing nature of cycling. The bouquet of flowers. The Frenchbaguette. The fluffy bunch of leafy vegetables. Isuppose these things make people think about picnics and outdoor farmer markets. But even beyond that, there is something about the sight of fresh food or flowers sticking out of a bike bag that makes errands seem like fun. I've even had comments about that from strangers on my way home from buying groceries "Oooh, vegetables in your basket - That looks like fun!" Loading said vegetables into the trunk of a car wouldn't have the same effect.




One thing I'd like to carry in a bicycle basket some day is mushrooms. My romantic fantasy is to ride to the forest, then walk my bike down a path strewn with pine needles, picking mushrooms (chanterelles and morels, with which the forest will of course be filled) and placing them directly in the basket. Cycling back, I'll be able to smell their earthy fragrance all the way home, before washing and tossing them on the frying pan with some sautéedonions...




Which reminds me that those potatoes and leeks won't cook themselves, so I better get to it. What's your idea of romantic bike basket contents?

Sunrise at Cobscook Bay

Monday, September 17th - - The State Park at Cobscook Bay has what are known as 'primitive' facilities (pit toilets, no electrical hookups) but the campsites are spacious and private. My site was at the end of an outcropping or small peninsula in the bay. I had my own private rocky beach facing south and a nice cliff that faced west. It was rather remote, being at the end of the road, but I really liked it! Joann had her site in a separate area specifically for RVs and camper trailers.








The late afternoon sun cast long shadows through the campsite.






Only 'tent sites' had a shelter, which contained a picnic table. There was a second picnic table outside the shelter.




Tuesday, September 18th- - Joann was more energetic that I this morning. She got up early and drove the 15 miles to the West Quoddy Lighthouse, near Lubec, to photograph the sunrise. That lighthouse is located on the eastern-most point in the United States. I, on the other hand, took one look at the sky and stayed in bed a little while longer. However, I did manage to get up in time for these pictures...






But then, I would have missed out on these shots... The tide was still going out. Or maybe it was coming in. Not sure. But at low tide there was no water in this little bay and at high tide it was completely filled.






This was the view from my little beach spot, looking south. Oddly enough, the sky was clearer over at the West Quoddy Lighthouse and Joann got some really nice shots. Almost made me wish I'd gotten up and gone over there myself. Almost.






Good morning, sunshine. It's so nice to see you!

Blooming Indoors

I have a geranium and an African Violet blooming in the house now.

Dynamo Lighting Kit for Roadbikes

While I am generally a huge fan of dynamo lighting, I do not have it installed on what is currently my only roadbike. My plans for the bike did not involve significant amounts of night-time cycling; it was not meant to be a touring or randonneuring bike. For occasional riding in the dark I do have an excellent rechargeable battery headlight that lasts for hours and attaches easily to the handlebars. And I have an equally good tail light that attaches to the back of my saddle wedge tool bag. To install a dynamo hub wheel and lights on this bike would have added unnecessary weight and expense to the build.




I felt pretty good about my bike's lighting setup until I found myself wanting to join an overnight ride. Initially I thought that my super duper rechargeable battery headlight would last through the night. But when I did the math it became clear that it would not; I would need to add a second headlight and to bring several sets of spare batteries. Even at the height of summer an overnight ride in New England means 8+ hours of riding in the dark - and not the kind of milky suburban dark where you can leave the light on a low setting to conserve battery life; proper boonies dark that requires a powerful headbeam. I talked to the others doing the ride, and they all had dynamo lights. Now I felt foolish for not having a bike with appropriate lighting. But at the same time, how often would I do rides like this?






I was discussing this with local cyclist Pamela Blalock and she offered to lend me her mobile dynamo setup: a spare front wheel with a dynamo hub, and lights that are easy to attach and remove. With this kit, she can turn any 700C wheeled roadbike into an overnight bike. Extremely grateful to Pamela for the offer, frankly I was also skeptical that it would work out. To me, dynamo lighting was something that gets permanently installed - not attached and removed on a case by case basis! Furthermore, my bike has no fenders, no racks, no braze-ons. Could the lights be attached securely? I was worried that the installation process would be tricky, and that in the end something would end up falling off, disconnecting, or malfunctioning.




To my amazement, the installation process took mere minutes. The front wheel switch was seamless and soon my bike was sporting a dynamo hub. Then the headlight was attached to the brake bolt, as shown in the first picture. A thin cable runs straight down from the headlight to the hub, easily secured to the fork with a piece of tape.






For the tail light, a P-clamp was installed on the left chainstay. The wiring got routed along the chainstay and the top tube, secured with zip ties to the brake cable. The result was not beautiful, but neither was it flimsy. It was secure and problem-free. The positioning of the headlight and tail light beams were spot on.




Later I learned that other local cyclists employ a similar system for when they ride in the dark - a dynamo hub wheel and lights that get moved from bike to bike as needed. I would not have thought this to be a good idea until I tried it myself and experienced how easy and hassle-free it was. On a dedicated randonneuring or touring bike, it makes sense to have dynamo lighting permanently installed in a more elegant manner. But for those who want the option of using their pared-down roadbike for occasional night time riding, a kit like this can be a good solution. Pamela's setup includes a 32 spoke Velocity Aerohead wheel built around a Schmidt SON hub, a Lumotec Cyo IQ headlight and a Spanniga Pixeo tail light - though many alternatives exist.




At least here in New England, there seems to be an increasing amount of cross-over between road racing, randonneuring, endurance events, and casual long distance rides. And this cross-over is influencing how roadbikes are defined and equipped.I am still unsure what kind of cycling I will ultimately gravitate toward. But if more night time rides are in my future, a versatile dynamo setup like this is certainly worth considering.

Small Ristras

These small chili pepper ristras where hanging across a shop window.

Kittens Playing on a Ladder

Redwood Forest

Redwood Regional Park, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

Another photo from today's visit to Redwood Regional Park. This park is just minutes from Oakland, and a short drive from the inland East Bay.

It was 98 degrees inland today; at Redwood, it was 83. Talk about relief from the heat!

What's Old and Green with Herons All Over?

... and made in Nottingham? Why yes, it's a vintage Raleigh!

There was an old dusty bicycle lying around in my parents' garage when I was growing up. I had nearly forgotten it until they mentioned it recently. I asked my father to take some photos, not expecting anything special. Well, these are the photos he sent!

I don't want to get my hopes up, but from the pictures the bicycle appears to be restorable. Look at that beautiful head badge!

The brakes and the 3-speed gear shift (which I hope is the original Sturmey-Archer) look like they might be functional.

The chain ring with the herons design! Of course the rusted out chain will need to be replaced.

Decals are largely intact. The model can be identified as the Lady's Sports. Going by the information here, I am thinking it is late 60's-early'70s.

Saddle is the Brooks B72, most likely original.

So... It looks like I have a vintage bicycle to restore! And just over a week ago, I was commenting on how much I loved green vintage Raleighs on Chic Cyclist's blog. Coincidence?... Or the universe smiling upon my bicycle obsession? Hmmm!...

Hyak Skiing ..

Went up to Snoqualmie Pass with Steve to see what looked like we wanted to ski it. After wallowing around in waist deep snow the previous day I thought skiing would be a better option than chasing ice. We drove around scouting slopes for a bit before settling on Hyak with its easy access, and well covered slopes. Of course, it had been pretty well skied out during the weekend, and probably by dawn patrollers from earlier in the day.

My backside run (photo by Steve Machuga)

We skinned up a well worn track and passed a few guys on the way up. At the top we opted to ski a little to skier's right of the main slope between some trees where there weren't as many tracks. Steve tested a rollover for avalanche danger and then we were off rejoining the main slope about half way down. There were two other skiers coming down and they informed us the backside was less tracked out, so after our first run we opted to head down the back side.

Steve on the backside

There was lots of snow cat activity at Hyak as workers are busy getting the two new lifts ready to open this season. We arrived at the top and had a much nicer run down the less traveled backside in the newly cut run down to the base of the back side chair. We skinned back up the cat track to the top and had a final run down a steeper section further skier's right on the front side before heading back to town.

Hotshot
It was nice to be out skiing, but the skiing was not of great quality. The snow was skied frequently to the point where some sections developed moguls. The back side run was much nicer though. Like I said, I can't complain I was out, but the quality of skiing lacked.

Amazing Wadi Rum Desert Adventures: First things first—Lunch!

Before we start our amazing Wadi Rum Desert adventure, we told our Bedouin guide who happens to have the sexiest 4x4 jeep in Wadi Rum that we first have to feed our grumbling stomachs.

Our lunch in Wadi Rum village and lower foto taken on the road to Wadi Rum village. The rock cliffs and rock formation become finer and stunning as we approach Wadi Rum.

Meet our cool Bedouin guide: Tyseer! I will tell more about him later =)

Tyseer, our Bedouin guide was very straightforward, he asked, ‘Do you want expensive where everyone goes to eat or cheaper but local-Bedouin food?’

Obviously, we chose the latter.

In hindsight the restaurant was a much better option. There were no hordes of noisy tourists, we have lovely views to ourselves and the food was quite local-style and not overpriced yet it was good. In fact it was too much food for lunch haha. We did not realize that it was a whole menu set (2 menu sets!) that Tyseer ordered for us. If we knew, we would have only ordered 1 menu set for the 2 of us.

Food rating: 4 stars out of 5!

We had hot chicken soup for starters.

Grilled chicken flavoured with Arabic spices and herbs, and Makluba (or spelled as: Magluba, Maglouba), a typical Bedouin rice dish with meat and vegetables.

Salad (lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber) and Arabic flat bread.

Our restaurant in Wadi Rum village and the breath taking views... and this is just a teaser.

The one running the restaurant sleeps in a tent inside the restaurant! LOL, funny I thought. Up on the wall (picture frame) is King Abdullah II, King of Jordan.

Next, the start of our Wadi Rum 4x4 desert adventure.