Baby Wiley

Baby Wiley has taken a moment to rest. Notice I said a moment. Most of the time he is going full blast and it is almost impossible to get a photo of him. By the time I snap the photo he is gone.

Red Phoenix Emporium

Climbers, you know I'm a style watcher. And you've seen a couple of my photos from various fashion launches.

This year I have been honored to become more involved in Red Phoenix Emporium.

RPE is a family business and I can't tell you how proud I am of their progress so far.



Getting to the point of shooting for the new collection has taken a whole year and I can't help but share of a few scenes from the day with you.

Here's a peek at Red Phoenix Emporium Autumn/Winter Collection

The collection is on the website. It's the "All that Glitters" collection.



Kristen is on fire modelling our newpure silk dress, a photographic print of a Thai sunset, repeated and reflected. The necklace hangs three slabs of Agate from a string of Tibetan Mountain Coral







Jo wears silk with a photographic print of ruined monasteries on frozen ground, takenon our recent trip across the Tibetan Plateau.






You already know these abs. They belong to Nate

He sports the new dude wear from Red Phoenix,An addition to the usual RPE, this is my influence.

The "Double Dragon" pants in Chinese brocade featuring the double dragon motif. Necklace: "They Only Come Out at Night" Lava stone, obsidian skulls, dyed turquoise skulls and a suspended central Pyrite skull and black onyx crucifix. Lusciously dark.















Heloise is a stunner in the silk Chili dress, a photographic print of dried chillies from a roadside eatery on the first bend of the Yangtze, of all places.









This collection includes the sequined shift dress, here in black. Also comes in bronze and silver.














Double Dragon again.









We are delighted to haveWinona the intern on board!!!






Thanks Nate, for standing in the middle of the city in pyjamas.

You pulled it off well.












Here's the stylist team,Lotus and Willow on the shoot, working under a heavy burden of gems.










No one got arrested, mercifully.



Wear RPE and stay out of fashion prison.



jj

First vs Second Winter of Cycling

With my second winter of cycling drawing to an end, I am thinking about the differences between this year's and last year's experiences. I am certainly a better cyclist this time around, and I've also gone through a great deal of trial and error as far as what works and what does not. Here are some notes comparing this winter to the last:



Choosing the right bike for winter

Before last winter began, it seemed that everyone around me was saying that I needed a "winter bike" - a "beater" type mountain bike. I considered it, but ultimately stuck with my Pashley and it worked perfectly well - as did my vintage Gazelle this winter. After my two winters' worth of experience in the snow and salt, I would say that my ideal "winter bike" is one with a chaincase, an internally geared hub, drum brakes, and stable handling. After seeing others struggle with frozen and rusted derailleurs, I would not ride a derailleur bike for transportation in the winter. After getting snow stuck under the calipers on one of my bikes and being unable to stop while going downhill, I will also never ride a rim brakes-only bike in winter.



Road conditions

Last year the amount of snow we had was typical for Boston: It snowed regularly, but not overwhelmingly, and the roads were mostly kept clear by the plows. My classic upright bike with its regular tires was just fine under those conditions, and I did not feel the need for studded tires. This winter, I admit it: Had I gotten studded tires from the start, life would have been easier. But who could have predicted that we would have one crazy blizzard after another this time around? It's too late now, but next winter I might buy studded tires and keep them around just in case.



Temperature control

Last winter this was a huge problem for me - my biggest problem in fact. I just could not get the layering right and would constantly feel either too hot or too cold. This winter I embraced wool, and these problems disappeared. I am converted to such an extent, that I have now sold or given away most of my non-wool clothing, and wear a combination of stuff I've knitted myself and stuff I've bought from technical wool brands like Icebreaker, I/O Bio, Ibex and Smartwool (I plan to write a comparative review of different items from these brands soon).



Recreational cycling

Last winter, I hung up my "sporty bike" (at the time my vintage mixte) in early November and did not retrieve it again until April. This winter I rode recreationally all through November and part of December, and managed to go on a couple of winter rides even after it began to snow. I also got a trainer and began to "cycle" indoors when it became apparent that this winter would me much worse than the last.



Adjusting expectations

If you live in an area with harsh winters, the simple fact is that you will likely cycle less during the winter season - no mater how tough you are. Though mentally I was aware of that last winter, I was not prepared for it emotionally and found myself in a constant state of frustration as a result. Despite this winter being much worse than the last one, I knew what to expect this time around and it was much easier to take. I still cycle for transportation, but my traveling radius has decreased. I also walk a lot, take public transportation, and spend more time working on projects indoors. That's just how it's going to beuntil (I expect) mid-March or so, and I have adjusted my expectations accordingly.



I know that many of my readers took up transportation cycling around the same time as I did, and are now going through their second winter as well. Have you noticed any differences? lessons learned that you could share with others? And for those who have been cycling for longer, does it get easier with each winter, or are there ups and downs depending on the year?

Another Season... Another Vintage Bike?

Posting this at the end of April Fool's Day might raise suspicion, but I promise it's true: I have another "new" bike. The Co-Habitant and I were returning home from some errands and minding our own business, not even remotely entertaining the possibility of new bike acquisitions...

...when we saw a striking, if slightly decrepit, cream and black Mercier mixte outside of a nearby bike store. This was not the typical mixte we tend to see in these parts, so we got curious. After trying the bicycle I was amazed at how wonderfully it rode - despite the slick 20mm tires the bike shop chose to fit it with! The poor, lonely Mercier was for sale at a very modest sum.

Half an hour later, I was pedaling it home (after paying for it of course), and now the Mercier is mine!

Mercier was a well-respected French bicycle manufacturer in the 1960s and 70s, competing with Peugeot, Motobecane and Gitane. Mysteriously, almost no information is now available on the original Mercier (even the wikipedia entry has been deleted). Though a new company now exists under the same brand name, it has no relation to the original manufacturer.

I don't know where to start describing why I like this bicycle and feel that I must have it. For one thing, there is the attractive lugging. Here is the seat cluster with pinstriping detail on the top of the stays.

Split headtube lug for the twin lateral stays - something my Motobecane mixte does not have.

Headtube lugs, fork crown, and pinstriping on the fork. Downtube shifters (which I do not find particularly attractive, but can easily replace). Overall, the lugwork and other aspects of the bicycle's "decor" are charmingly eccentric compared to other mixtes I have seen.

The components seem to be a mixed bag of lower and higher end. The stem, which I find beautiful, is an AVA stem, which Sheldon Brown described as follows:

"Many higher-quality French bicycles of the '70's came with AVA brand bars and stems. These have a reputation for failure, and should be replaced if the bike is to be ridden hard or fast."

Hmmm... "higher quality" and "failure" in the same sentence? Should I interpret this to mean that as long as I don't race on the bike, the AVA stem will be okay? That is how I would like to interpret it. Advice welcome.

The handlebars are a narrow version of North Roads (what I imagine Nitto's "Dove Bars" are like) and seem original. I prefer narrower bars and love how these feel when I ride the Mercier: they give me a great deal of control and my hands don't seem to grow tired.

The beautiful Lyotard pedals feel great.

Simplex front and rear derailleur, as well as Simplex dropouts. Classic 10-speed gearing.

From what I understand, this rear Simplex derailleur is not good. I am pretty sure it's plastic. The spoke protector ("pie plate") is also original and stamped "made in France".

Mafac "Racer" centerpull brakes, which I believe are pretty good. However, the bike has steel rims (bad for braking), so I need to think of a solution to this.

"Beacon" pleather sprung saddle. Feels comfortable so far, but I imagine that after a long ride it will not. I will probably replace it with one of my vintage B72s - but first I want to ride on this one down Beacon Street.

This Mercier is a 20" frame, whereas my Motobecane is a 21" frame. This is visible in the heights of their seat tubes, but oddly enough their head tubes and stems are about even - despite the fact that the Motobecane has a modern, extended Nitto stem. The Co-Habitant thinks that this is because the Mercier's virtual top tube is upward-sloping, allowing for the handlebars to be higher in their standard position. Whatever the reason, the Mercier does not feel like it is too small; it feels just perfect and is extremely comfortable to ride.

Here is another side by side comparison. Though they are both French mixtes from the 1970s, I find the Mercier to be a considerably more comfortable ride than the Motobecane. What elusive aspect of the bikes' geometries and/or components account for this I do not know, but it is so. The Mercier was a pleasure to ride from the first moment, whereas the Motobecane required "taming" and is still a bit too "racy" for me even with the many changes I've made in attempts to make it more comfortable for everyday cycling.

So, I am considering doing one of the following:

A. Cannibalizing the better components from the Motobecane (derailleur, shifters, and - is this possible? - wheels) and building up the Mercier as my perfect vintage mixte. Then sell off the Motobecane for cheap.

B. Converting the Mercier to a single speed, or possibly even fixed gear (you know, to practice for the velodrome). This should be relatively easy and unintrusive, given that it has clamp-on derailleur and shifters, and compatible drop-outs.

Any opinions and advice regarding these options would be much appreciated!

Jemez Creek

Took the dogs and when to Jemez Creek for a walk the other day.
There are several rest areas along the road that have acess to the creek for hiking and fishing. There are nice paths for walking. On this day we noticed the water in the creek was really low allowing us to see a lot of rocks we can't normally see. We also saw a few trees that some beaver had been cutting down for food or for damn building but no sign of a damn any where here like we see higher up in the mountains.

Ueli Steck's new book?

I know little about it past no ghost writer and not out in English yet. But I suspect it will be a good read.

More below:

http://www.uelisteck.ch/

http://www.wengerna.com/ueli-steck-book-launch

Mouses, Mouses

Drats, we have mice in the hay shed, and storage shed. Again.

Lake Superior Wood Lily

My dad told me about these nice Wood Lilies that were blooming on the shoreline in front of their house... of course I had to check them out! I intentionally shot this "wide open" (aperture f5.6 at 400mm) with my Canon 100-400 lens to create a shallow depth of field and give the image a "dreamy” look.

Saturday Night Fun - Wordles!

Randy's Saturday Night Fun for this week is Wordles, which was inspired by John Newmark! What's a Wordle? It is a graphic representation of text that can be created at wordle.net but be forewarned - you can spend a lot of time playing with the various font and directional settings.

These surname Wordles were created back in July of last year for my maternal and fraternal lines, Phend and Wiseman, respectively. (As always, click on the images for a larger version.)


This facebook wordle was also created in July '08

And this one for the Genea-Blogger Group Games was created in August '08

The Allure of the Handlebar Bag

[from the May 1973 issue of National Geographic; image via gustav531]

Maybe it was seeing too many images like this one.



[image via Harriet Fell]

Or maybe it was reading (and re-reading) Harriet Fell's account of "Paris-Brest-Paris 1975", in which she described packing her handlebar bag with over a dozen items, ending the list with "anda chicken, whole and roasted".



[image via thelewis]

Whatever the cause, the classic Randonneuring handlebar bag ignites my imagination as few other bicycle accessories do.





[image via MAP Cycles]

Just look at its boxy shape! And at the way it fits perfectly into the space between the handlebars - perched ever so appealingly on that miniature front rack above the front fender.



[image via Archival Clothing]

And who can resist the multitude of little pockets and closures? It is as if the bag invites you to trust it with your most cherished personal belongings: "Don't worry about anything when you are with me, Friend. I will keep these safe on the road."



[image via Rick Smith]

I suppose at the root of what attracts me to the handlebar bag, is the visual suggestion - reinforced by anecdotal accounts that have reached legendary proportions - that it turns the bicycle into a mobile home. You could go anywhere, and still have anything you could ever need, neatly organised and right at your fingertips... Including a whole, roasted chicken, if so desired.

A Symbol of My Heritage

One of the prerequisites for participation in the Summer .. Genea-Blogger Group Games is to create a flag that represents your ancestry, heritage, or personal expression. These flags can be created at WeAreMulticolored.

This is my flag. Bold, simple, clean lines. It turned out rather nice, if I don't say so myself ;-0 (Can you tell, I kind of like it?)

• The colors Red, White and Blue signify the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States of America. The first two are the homelands of my earliest known ancestors. The latter is my homeland.
• The Red and White colors also represent Switzerland, as does the small White Cross in the center of the flag. Switzerland is the homeland of my Phend and Wiseman ancestors.
• The two large crosses symbolize my parents while the four stars stand for their four children.
• The four blue sections represent my four grandparents and the ocean their ancestors had to cross to reach this country.
• You'll notice that the four "arms" of the large white cross do not extend to the edges of the blue background. The eight "notches" created as a result, symbolize my eight great-grandparents whose paths crossed and merged at just the right moment in time.
• The tips of the red cross, which extend to the edges of the blue background, represent bridges that symbolically span the ocean as well as connect the generations.

In addition to Swiss, Dutch and English, my heritage also includes a considerable number of "Pennsylvania Dutch" ancestors, one or two Scots-Irish, and probably some other (as yet unknown) nationalities.

La Sportiva Baruntse

As you mature there are times you just have to over look the stark beauty and amazing good looks of the crazy party girl that is really a raving mad, succubus just waiting to seduce you and then eat your liver while you watch and are still alive. It is bleak.....



The choice you learn to appreciate is the sweet young thing that knows how to be nice. treat you with respect and make your life better not just more exciting. And most importantly leave you wanting more after every rendezvous.



Weird way to start a boot review, hu? There aren't many things in climbing that can bring about such an emotional response from me....but boots....preferably good boots..will do that. Bad boots on the other hand my make a Succubus look good at the end of a long day out...liver or no liver.





Baruntse, the mountain, is best known as a "easier" 7000m trekking peak close to Everett in Nepal.



The La Sportiva Baruntse how ever, is an exceptional technical climbing, and very warm, double boot. You have to wonder just how many climbers are going to miss out on the Baruntse thinking is is the "little brother" not up to the same tasks as the more expensive Spantik simply because of foolish name branding and marketing?







From La Sportiva Italy:

"A thermal boot with removable bootie, ideal for winter mountaineering or working outdoors in cold conditions."



That sound like a technical climbing boot to you? Of course not!



Here is what La Sportiva USA has to say on the Baruntse:



"A sturdy, durable double boot for high altitude mountaineering



When the conditions are cold and high the Baruntse offers a hospitable climate to keep your feet warm and dry. Ideal for use on 6-7000 meter peaks or in harsh winter conditions where you don’t want to think about your feet. The thermo-formable inner boot sports the patented speed lacing system and couples with the highly insulated multi-layered PE outerboot for dependable warmth and a PU coating to keep moisture and cold outside and heat inside the boot.



WEIGHT: 44.7 oz/ 1267 g LAST: Nuptse CONSTRUCTION: Inner Boot: Slip Lasted Outer Boot: Board Lasted OUTER BOOT: Transparent PU Tech anti-abrasion film with high insulation expandied PE/ High density expanded PE insulating netting/ Synthetic mico-fiber/ High abrasion resistant Cordura®/ Giugiaro lacing hardware INNER BOOT: Anti-abrasion Cordura®/ Thermo-moldable 7mm high density insulating EVA INSOLE: 6 mm isulating Ibi-Thermo + PE insulating barrier and aluminum insulation MIDSOLE: 8-9 mm TPU/SBR Air Cushion SOLE: Vibram® Montagna"



But let me back up a bit. If you don't know of the La Sportiva Nepal Top or the newer Nepal Evo Extreme you should. I'll tell you why in a minute. What I really should be doing is adding all sorts of cool climbing photos to this blog post to make my point on how good the Baruntse really is. But I can't. Why not you ask? If these boots are so cool? Well to be honest I was having way too much fun actually climbing in them to bother with taking pictures this winter. And I used them a lot...no shit... that is a true story.









Back to the Nepals for a minute. If you like the Nepals you'll love this warmer version of them...and how they climb. Damn near every Chamonix Guide climbs in the Nepal Evo or Top.....hard to argue with success. The Nepal climbs exceptionally well , fits most feet even better and is durable enough you'll be forced to keep them around for a resole or two.



The Baruntse is just a warmer Nepal with all its advantages......that alone should get you to try this boot on. End of story.



Well not quite 'cuz this is a boot I really love. First time out in them I soled a 600' WI3.

Not all that hard for me back in the day. But hadn't been out in a while and had never been on the climb before and knew nothing about it. I was just along for the "ride". Did I mention i was taking pictures? I was taking pictures. But never noticed the boots....ever.



Which says a lot for the boot. My next outing in the same boot was a 100m WI5+. With a rope this time and a long pillar, Again never noticed the boot. I could pass some of that off as me being preoccupied on both climbs...scared shitless maybe, but I wasn't...preoccupied that is...may be scared a bit. But I would have noticed the boots that didn't perform at least as well as expected. The Baruntse climbed so well in both cases that I was able to take advantage, and notice, the extra support in the rigid sole, the even flex on the ankle cuff both forward, front pointing and side ways in French technique and even the extra warmth. What I didn't notice is the extra bulk or weight of a decent double boot.



It is no wonder, as the Baruntse is only 4oz heavier than a pair of Spantiks in my 45 size.



I can easily lace the outer shell as tight as required to support my narrow ankles/heels. Tight enough that I get ZERO heel left. Which is simply amazing and almost unheard of for me outside a custom boot. I like the really simple inner boot, that it was heat formable with printed directions that actually worked. And that it fits! And it does really fit well. Best of all I like that that the rigid soled and mid soles were very easy to fit every pair of crampons I own to the Baruntse...perfectly. Really...perfectly....every pair I own! They have a more normal width heel and less rocker front and back than the Spantik both of which makes a huge difference on the positive side when fitting crampons.



It is the one boot I own...or have for some time... that I don't want something drastically changed or improved on. Sure I would like them lighter and smaller...but they are warm enough and light enough and not too big in volume. All of which is saying a lot about this boot. I'd take these back to Denali in a second with no over boots and expect to summit even on a cold day in May with warm feet. I know they will make miles of hard Alaskan , 60 degree ice, easier. I know I can climb any grade of technical ice I can get up with the Baruntses on my feet. And enjoy it.



So screw the advertising and the usual questions of "why didn't you buy the Spantik" ....



If you are up to it, the Baruntse will take you BIG before going home. And that will be done with the least amount of effort. Which is all that is required.