Life in Salt Lake...and beyond

Pocatello 50 miler

2009-05-24T20:35:00.011-08:00

Team Billy Goat made a showing at the inaugural running of the Pocatello 50 miler (measured out at 51.8 miles) this past weekend. The team roster has seen multiple permutations in recent months, and even in the week leading up to the event things weren't quite set in stone. The final order was as follows:

Dazed from lack of sleep, Dr. Lewis wonders where she is and why it's so damn cold.

First leg (16.9 miles with 4500 ft elevation gain and 5100 foot loss - rated as 'medium' on the race website) was womanned by Bethany Lewis. Recruited to substitute for her husband in the final weeks before the race, she figured the jaunt wouldn't stray too far from her daily hard core running routine. In fact she ran her leg and managed to drive back to SLC in time to get a brief nap before returning to her vampire routine on night float at the hospital later that evening!

Hiding all emotion, Vukin appears cool as a cucumber minutes before his leg of the race.

Second leg (15.6 miles 3600 feet elevation gain and 2950 feet loss - rated as 'easiest' on the race website, but toughest by our team manager, LEWIS!) was strongly represented by the villainous Matt Vukin, fresh off his marathon debut at Salt Lake a few weeks earlier.

Third leg (19.3 miles with 5580 feet elevation gain and loss) fell to me. Initially I had agreed to run the shortest leg if LEWIS! ran the other two, but due to injury and team substitutes, somehow I ended up with this leg of the race. And I am glad I did. It was spectacular!

The entire Team Billy Goat about to take care of some bidness.

Rina & I left SLC Friday afternoon with the dogs and met up with Ben, Bethany, & Matt in Pocatello for a pre-race Italian meal. We made our way to the Mink Creek Group camp site where the race was to start (and finish) early the next morning and staked our claim in a beautiful grassy field.

Mink Creek camp site - base camp for the weekend. Our group of three wee tents sit in the center of the photo.

Race day check in started at 5:15 for a 6AM start, so Bethany dutifully awoke at 4:30-ish to prepare for her leg of the race. The remainder of us rolled out of bed just in time to see the race start and wish Bethany good luck (when we really should have been reminding her to watch closely for course route markings). The gun went off right at 6, before the sun showed itself, and the race was under way.

Bethany in the yellow shorts on the right of the frame.

Vukin now began his preparations, fueling, getting last minutes pointers, topping off his caffeine tank, & getting all his gear straight (including a new pair of Dirty Girl Gaiters). Optimistically we all headed to the end of leg 1, where Bethany would pass the proverbial baton to Vukin, about an hour early. It was a little unnerving to me that we waited so long at that transition, as it really spoke to how tough the entire course was. Nevertheless, Bethany came screaming into the end of her leg of the race at about 3 hours looking really strong and pleased to be finished. Turns out she was among a few runners who got lost en route and added an extra mile and a half to her leg of the race!

Bethany gets Team Billy Goat off to a strong start.

The Drs. Lewis celebrate the lack of moose attacks at the end of leg 1.

Rina holds the team together with her much needed support shuttling runners, getting coffee, dog sitting and providing a lot of positive energy.

By this point, Vukin was raring to go. As Bethany came into the aid station, off he went down the trail into the heat of the day.

Vukin heads into the over the river and through the woods.

At this point, Rina & I headed back to base camp where I started getting prepared for the last leg of the race. Ben set out on his mountain bike after Vukin to provide him some support, but the course was tough enough and Ben's start delayed enough that he never caught Vukin! When we all met up at the end, Ben commented a number of times on how tough this leg of the race was. This would be a really tough 50 miler to run solo.

Not-so-villainous lookin' Vukin after his efforts at the Pocatello 50.

Waiting at the second transition area, we were pleasantly surprised to see Vukin come roaring down the trail with a big smile on his face looking fresh as a daisy. In that split second, I went from spectator/supporter to participant as I headed out on the trail.

As I began the run, I thought to myself 'What did I get myself into?', 'I hope my patellar tendinitis doesn't hobble me at the top of Scout Mountain', & 'Maybe I should have trained for this'. Running at an easy pace up an ATV trail, I passed a number of people who were walking and this made me further question myself. 'Maybe I should be walking, too'. 'What's up ahead that I don't know about?' As the miles clicked away, I realized that these were the solo 50 milers who were doing the smart thing & saving energy and muscles by walking up any incline.

The trail wound up and around the shoulder of Scout Mountain through singletrack, ATV trail, woods, and some gorgeous high mountain meadows with views to the mountains in the distance. It wasn't long before I was walking much of this uphill as well. We'd been warned about the presence of moose and their young on the trail, so I was vigilant about looking for moose signs and continually scanning the woods for these large, territorial animals, calling out around blind corners to alert them. Luckily no sightings, just tracks and scat. The trail topped out on Scout Mountain at 8600 feet which provided beautiful views of the surrounding area, including the building thunderheads off to the west!

I couldn't get off the peak fast enough, and the snow fields on the north east slope allowed runners to glissade down about a thousand feet or so. As one who loves to ski, I was really looking forward to this part of the race, but surprised at how steep these slopes were and how slick it was, requiring a lot of slipping, wobbling, and near falls. From here, I was reassured by folks at the aid station that the trail was all downhill, therefore pretty bummed by the steep uphill at about mile 16 through the nordic center. After topping out on a low ridge in sight of lightning strikes in the distance, it really was all downhill to the finish. Thinking to myself that overall I felt pretty good after this tough leg of the race, I picked it up and ran through to the end. Not so sure I would have finished the same way if I'd run the first 32 miles in addition to this last leg.

Team Billy Goat finishes their second ultra!

67% of Team Billy Goat - pretty happy with our efforts.

This was a race that was very different from any other I have run. It was really fun to camp at the start/finish with most of the other runners, getting to know and interact with them through the weekend. The cookout on Saturday night meant that we didn't have to drive in & out of town for food, etc, and was a great end to the event. After the awards were announced, there was an amazing raffle during with a ton of great prizes donated by companies such as La Sportiva, Black Diamond, Smith, etc. The race prizes were beautiful block prints of Scout Mountain & custom commemorative plates made by local artists, which really added to the great feel of how this race was put together. Don't forget the fact that the race directors offset all our carbon pollution by buying credits, making this an environmentally friendly, carbon neutral race! They did a great job with the whole thing, and we were already musing about next year's plan at the Pocatello 50 on the ride home.

Rina's first triathlon

2009-05-19T08:08:00.003-08:00

Imagine me trying to suggest that Rina train for and run her first triathlon. She'd feel all kinds of pressure, think it was a subtle way of me telling her she needed to tone up a bit, and basically she'd put up a lot of resistance.

When her girlfriends all think it's a great idea, she jumps in whole hog! Starting with swimming lessons, she followed a training schedule, got a wet suit, rented a road bike, and really improved her fitness. We met up in Las Vegas, stayed at the Lake Las Vegas resort in a really pimped out condo (that you can buy for pennies on the dollar right now) and had a good chance to hang out with some friends.

All of the girls did really well, finishing in the top half of all competitors and with big grins on their faces. For Rina, the most feared swim leg turned out to be not so bad, and with her new efficient stroke, she was actually able to gain on folks in front of her and was passing people! The bike leg was a pleasant surprise and Rina claims she can climb steeper hills on a road bike than on a mountain bike! (I am itching to put this claim to the test.) The run, which she had focused on the least - thinking it would be the easiest - turned out to be her least favorite leg of the race. It was the final leg, so the day was starting to really heat up, and the run started out straight uphill. Not only that, but the course was a dirt road through dirt hills in the dry, dusty desert. Not very inspiring or interesting.

Stacey & Rina wide awake at 4:30 AM in anticipation of the race.

Rina appears a little disoriented coming out of the lake.

Rina brings it home, completing her first triathlon.

The girls are all smiles at the end.

Drake, Pete, & Dina celebrate Dina's first triathlon finish.

Corson boys hit the White Rim Trail.

2009-05-08T12:15:00.001-08:00

None of us can remember the last time the three of us spent any quality time together, so we all agreed on a trip to Canyonlands for a few days of camping in the desert. Specifically, Tom & I rode the White Rim Jeep Trail as Duncan drove the support vehicle along the 85 or so miles. For Duncan, it had been about 18 years since he slept on anything but a bed, and he has become accustomed to a certain routine in his home life, so I'm sure it was a shock to his system. He really seemed to do well (with a little guidance) overall.

The advance team (Tom & I) arrived a day early to organize for the trip. Tom & I slept out at the tent in Castle Valley & tested out Duncan's mattress.

Tom & I hiked along the Flat Pass/Steelbender trail and witnessed this bizarre natural phenomenon. One cloud was a vivid rainbow color! Stayed like that for a good 10-15 minutes. I guess that's what its like to use hallucinogens.

The entrance to Canyonlands National Park.

Finally on our bikes after picking up the permit and making some final adjustments. This is the view down to the White Rim trail at the bottom. The road makes a series of switchbacks cut into the face of this cliff all the way to the bottom. It is a good quality road, but unnerving when you look down over the edge.

Duncan maneuvering down the switchbacks in the Jeep. He was white knuckles all the way down, but steadily gained confidence as the miles passed.

Colorado River overlook early on in the ride.

The first day was a short one, so after we set up camp at Airport we drove down Lathrop Canyon to the Colorado River to put the Jeep to the test. It performed well up and down some steep ledges. Duncan was disappointed at how dirty the river was when we arrived, but I jumped in between all the foam floaties for a brief swim.

Luckily from the driver's seat you are unaware that the road is so overhung.

Watch that first step. It's a doozy!

Corson boys on the White Rim.

Duncan chases down Tom on some of the easier sections of the trail.

By the second day, this kind of driving was nothing for the old man.

Lunch at the White Crack campsite. Fantastic overlook to the rivers below, and a lot of scary overhangs. This is where we overheard a guy talking about how scary the Murphy Hogback hill was. He basically endorsed every fear Duncan had, and his anticipation and anxiety built as we approached the Murphy Hogback.

View from the Murphy Hogback hill. Below you can see the rim of white rock that gives the trail its name.

Ooooh, Rob, take my picture in a slot canyon.

Duncan does a Bull in the slot canyon.

Duncan posing.

Potato Bottom campsite. By now, Duncan was able to set up and take down his tent all by himself!

Tom begins the climb out of the White Rim.

California

2009-04-26T07:47:00.007-08:00

Last weekend we took a four day trip to northern California to meet up with Sam, Megan, & Eleri at the beach. It was an idyllic, relaxed few days. We stayed in a lovely beach house/cottage combination that was right on the beach and within walking distance of the small town of Stinson Beach and the Mount Tam trail network. It's so easy to see why people live there. If it weren't for the inflated real estate and the San Andreas fault lurking just inder the surface, I might be tempted.

On arrival at Oakland, we picked up the rental car and met up with Sam, Megan, & Eleri. We really wanted to see the new California Academy of Science Museum in Golden Gate Park, so headed that direction only to find a queue of people with the same thought stretching a quarter mile out the front door of this new museum! Instead of waiting in line with a toddler for hours, we ate lunch at the de Young museum and walked around their outdoor scupltures for a bit.

Short-haired Rina in this camera obscura-like interactive space at the de Young. Inside the round room you could sit and take in the space which had a perfectly round opening in the roof that contrasted the blue sky nicely.

Eleri inside the giant safety pin at the de Young.

After a stroll through the botanical garden in Golden Gate Park, we headed north across the Golden Gate Brdge to Stinson Beach to check into our beach house. VRBO.com certainly didn't let us down. This place was perfect!

View of the main house from the beach. That corner window is the eating area/kitchen.

View from the eating area right onto the beach and ocean.

Inside the main house. Lofted bedroom above to the right. Kitchen and eating area in the background. Wood stove/living room in the foreground.

Sunset looking toward Bolinas.

The Edwards' chilling on the deck at sunset.

Sam & I tossing horseshoes on the beach. The loser of each round dropped and gave 10 push-ups.

By coincidence, Jason & Diane were at Point Reyes for the weekend, so we drove the short distance north and met up with them for a little fresh air before a really enjoyable dinner in Olema on Saturday night. So much for their romantic weekend getaway!

Jason, Diane, & Rina on Limantour Beach in Point Reyes National Seashore. This is a beautifully preserved beach. Not a single house, concession, hotel or any sign of development in sight.

The Edwards on the dunes at Limantour Beach.

From the house in Stinson we could easily walk to the Mount Tam trails including the Dipsea Trail. They are some of my favorite trails for running/hiking on - hands down. Great views of the ocean, mountains, and even to San Francisco. Fantastic smells as you walk though the forest. California poppies and other little wildfowers dot the trail. Lot of ups and downs make for interesting runs. And the network of trails connects a lot of the coastal towns to each other and to the ridge trails. One day we drove to Muir Woods to take in the massive redwoods. Looking at the map of trails we realized we could actually walk back to the house in Stinson Beach via the trail network. So we did!

Megan & Rina walking home from Muir Woods on the Dipsea Trail. Yes, that is the Pacific Ocean in the background.

View of Stinson Beach from the hills above.

A relaxed bunch after 4 days at the beach.

The last day of our stay we finally made it to the new museum in Golden Gate Park in SF. It is well worth a visit. There is a great aquarium, rainforest exhibit, green roof, and cafe worth visiting. We spent a few hours there and didn't have time to see the planetarium. Next time.

You might think this is the set of the Tele-Tubbies. Wrong. This is the living roof of the museum. There is a water collection system, solar panels, automatically vented round windows, and most obviously, native low maintenance plants covering the roof. The two main humps house the planetarium and rain forest exhibits belowbut the overall contour of the roof is meant to emulate the hilly terrain of the city of San Francisco.

Atop the living roof, taking in the perfect California weather.

While in the gift shop getting souveniers, we realized that the time we meant to leave for the airport has passed by 20 minutes! After a rushed drive to the airport, needing to stop and get gas on the way, we dropped off the rental car, caught the next shuttle to the airport, checked in, breezed through security, ran to our gates and walked right onto our respective flights - just in the nick of time. Phew!

Is there such a thing as an Indian winter?

2009-04-06T12:19:00.004-08:00

Looking over White Pine drainage to the impressive Pfeifferhorn. A spectacular day!

HOLY COW! This spring snowfall has been amazing. It has been reported that we've had 170 inches of new snow since the the third week of March. A lot of people had started dusting off their road bikes, taking trips to the desert and pretty much given up on the pow until next winter, but it's as if mother nature is making up for the prolonged dry spell we had in mid March. On my return from our team 12 hour run in Moab, the snow in Spanish Fork Canyon was the first tell-tale sign that we weren't heading back to spring in SLC. Since then it has been huge system after huge system. A few nice warm days now, but another wet storm due mid week!

Why the hell am I grinning like this? You'll see.

Scott, taking in the amazing view, drooling in anticipation of the light, dry pow we are about to ski.

Oh, that might be sweat.

Scott and I ventured out into Scottie's Bowl in LCC to harvest some of the goods before it got too wet and heavy. Check out the pics. It was gorgeous.

Face shots in tax season! Yeeee Hah!

Scott, testing out his smoke screen.

Team Billy Goat kicks some ass!

2009-03-31T21:32:00.004-08:00

Team Billy Goat - for short

The esteemed Dr. Lewis somehow engaged his psychobabble powers and lured me into teaming up with him to run the '24 Hours...the Run' as the second half of Team Billy Goat. As we had trained a measly few weeks (mostly by scoring faceshots in the in the backcountry) we elected to enter the 12 hour version of the race, and further wussify it by dividing the work between two - entering as a duo.

Early morning view of parking area and event flag.

Coffee takes the chill off the morning

The next thing I know I'm camped out on the frozen desert still trying to fall asleep when the loudspeakers come on blaring "Are you ready for this!" techno theme song. Opening my eyes I realize it is 4:30AM! Not much restful REM sleep was had, but there must have been a bit, as I woke in the night all sweaty with belly pain dreaming that I had appendicitis and the surgeon didn't even get a history from me.

The start

Finishing up a lap. I swear I am actually running even though it looks as if I am walking. Look closely - Lucy is hovering. She got her wings from drinking Red Bull.

LEWIS! making up for my slow laps. As you can see, he is actually running (and monitoring his splits and heart rate - nerd alert!).

LEWIS! and I alternated laps on the 5.37 mile course around Monitor and Merrimac buttes north of Moab. It was a beautiful day, made even more so by the company of my teammate and Lucy, who ran a couple of laps with me. Between laps, we'd graze from the back of the van on chocolate milk, gummy bears, smoothies, pretzels, beef jerky, Gu, Snickers, Gatorade, etc. Magically we finished our 14th lap with 5 minutes to spare before the 12 hour cutoff and come to find out we placed 2nd! We got 24 ounces of PBR, a medal, a water bottle, sand in all orifices, and a case of tendinitis out of the day.

The La Sals really made for a beautiful backdrop against the red desert.

A view of Monitor and Merrimac Buttes from the Gemini Bridges trail. The course made a loop around the two buttes.

Base Camp

LEWIS! enjoys the spoils of the day while we debrief.

Lucy hits the pow!

2009-03-26T18:04:00.002-08:00

The family spent a few days up at the Millcreek yurt this week where we enjoyed some great snow. Lucy got her share as well.

Ski movie experiment

2009-03-11T18:19:00.003-08:00

In the spirit of The Blair Witch Project, I mounted my little point and shoot digital camera to the end of my ski pole. I think this has some potential for a new perspective, especially in deep days if I got a waterproof housing.

Ethan walks the dog

2009-03-04T09:20:00.003-08:00

On the last evening of the Hayek's visit, we took Lucy on a walk on one of her favorite trails around Red Butte Gardens. With Ethan, I was expecting the walk to take twice as long as usual, but he was driven to keep up the pace by not wanting to let Lucy be in the lead. He'd get pretty upset when the dog nosed ahead.

After declaring that this was the perfect place for a picture, Ethan posed with all of us. Here he is with Uncle Rob and Aunt Rina and his number one competitor, Lucy

A father, son portrait in the SLC foothills.

Ethan blazes the trail back toward SLC.

It was really great to see the Hayek clan make the trip out to Utah, and I hope we can do it again soon. I know it took quite an effort traveling with Ethan, taking time from work, and especially for Michele, who hates cold and snow. Thanks guys.

Leaving the yurt

2009-03-03T09:04:00.004-08:00

Ethan and two members of his snowman family. He spent the better part of the day creating an entire snowman family - 6 members in all. I guess when you live in Atlanta, you get your fill of snow play when you can.

A group shot of the yurters before heading for home down the canyon. Ethan was begging to go sledding before he left the yurt, so we acquiesced and he got a 4.5 mile sled ride down the Millcreek road. He got a cold numb butt out of the deal and his excitement morphed into fear of rolling off the edge into the creek pretty shortly after we began. He was pretty gung-ho at the outset, letting everyone know that we were the fastest and comparing our sled speed to the fastest known land mammal - the cheetah!

Ethan, posing by the yurt.

All smiles as we cruised down the first steep section from the yurt.

Backcountry ski day from the Millcreek yurt

2009-03-03T08:46:00.003-08:00

After a hearty breakfast at the yurt, we got geared up for a day of ski touring.

It was so warm on the way up, that I must have lost 15 pounds of sweat. Brent kept reassuring me that he was comfortable in his packlight breathable shell. Just looking at him wearing that thing made me sweat even more.

During a brief break on the trail to Little Water Peak, he finally he relented and stripped of his outer layer.

The trail continues up through a beautiful quaking aspen grove. I love this part of the trail, especially on bluebird days.

Despite a dry weather pattern and warm temps, the north facing slopes held some skiable snow. Here's Brent trying to get better reception using his mobile backpack antenna.

Iowa Medical school reunion in Utah!

2009-03-02T16:50:00.001-08:00

Rina and I hosted a few of my medical school friends last week. Brent, Michele, and their 5 year old boy Ethan, were the first to arrive, just in time for a 4.5 mile slog up to the Millcreek yurt. It took most of the day to get everybody's gear sorted out and I had to work until early afternoon, which meant that we got off to a late, late start. Big surprise, eh? Unfortunately for the group who arrived at the yurt earlier that day, we were the ones responsible for preparing dinner that night.Everybody started out all smiles and carrying full packs. Odds on Ethan making it beyond 1/4 the distance to the yurt were running high, so I towed an empty sled for him to sack out in when he tuckered out.

Michele, Ethan, & Rina starting out (note the fading daylight already). It wasn't long before Michele's sea-level home routine had her panting. Don't forget it was only her second time on X-C skis! Ethan, however, was defying the odds and running around, asking us to make him snowballs, chatting up a storm. It seemed he had endless energy (between brief collapses to his knees, claiming he was tired).

After ditching his oversized backpack in the sled, the little dude kept on going. I think the novelty of snow had something to do with it. Despite the fact we were hours & hours behind schedule, we had to stop so Ethan could build his first snowman. He wouldn't allow us to continue until the snowman was complete with arms, face, buttons - all to scale.

At about 1/2 way, Ethan turned to Rina and declared that he was just "too tired to talk anymore". As the punters collected their winnings, he climbed into the sled and promptly fell fast asleep. And when I say he was asleep, I mean he was sleeping so hard through the noisy sled on the cold hard snow that I could hear him snoring all the way to the top of the canyon.

Brent, 'the mule', carries a double load the final distance to our destination. In this pic, he's obviously really glad for packing the titanium sporks. Really saves weight, you know.
After unloading packs, we got dinner going and finally sat down to eat sometime shortly before 10PM! Our Mexican surprise seemed to fill up all the hungry yurters.

Thanksgiving fun

2008-12-05T17:15:00.009-08:00

Rina and I somehow managed to avoid the crowds and delays on our trip to Georgia and South Carolina over the Thanksgiving holiday to see friends and family. It was pretty smooth sailing all the way despite having to go through Las Vegas to get from one major Delta hub to another.

We arrived in Atlanta late on Tuesday and stayed with friends from medical school, Brent and Michele. Their son, Ethan, guided us up the Georgia landmark Stone Mountain the following day and on Thanksgiving we drove on to Fairfax, SC to spend the holiday with Rina's dad and her sister, Donna. It was a short holiday visit but really nice to see our friends and family.

Ethan strikes a pose at Stone Mountain.

Rina, Ethan and Rob at Stone Mountain.

Rina's sister Donna, Rina's dad and Rina at the Hooper homestead in South Carolina.

Seven Random Things

2008-11-24T15:07:00.007-08:00

For the love. . .

Well (thanks to Miranda and Jodi) I've been "tagged" twice now and have this sense of duty to list 7 Random Things:

1. I'm actually considering swimming this winter so that I can do a sprint triathalon in May.
2. I have one tattoo (that I hope to remove some day).
3. I pass the slow hours at work with spider solitaire, people.com and checking all of my friend's blogs.
4. I would like to go cross country skiing in Antarctica.
5. My favorite treat is caramel, hands down.
6. The news about the 52 pilot whales that died in Tasmania this weekend made my heart ache.
7. I love coming home to Lucy's excited greeting after a long day at work:)

I now tag:
Amy, Jen, Stacey, Dina, Megan, Susan and Eleri:)

Here are the rules once you've been tagged:
*Post the rules on your blog
*List 7 random things about yourself
*Tag 7 other people to do the same, pass along the tag

Moab in November

2008-11-11T09:35:00.008-08:00

We had a great 4 days visiting with old and new friends in Moab this past weekend. Reini, Chris, and Calder met up with Pete, Dina, and Drake at an amazing off-the-grid solar house located at Behind the Rocks in Moab. Rob, Lucy and I joined Sam, Megan, Eleri, Susan and three new friends- Ivana, Damjan and Domagoj from Croatia- at a modern condo just south of Moab. It was a little chilly, but still pretty amazing weather. Our first hike was to Fischer Towers with Eleri in the lead:

Eleri and Megan stopped to play with sand and rocks earlier on, but the rest of the crew continued on to the end to enjoy the spectacular views. Susan on the precipice:

Our second day's hike was to Corona Arch off Potash Road. Sam came along for this hike while Susan and the Croatians went to Arches. Eleri is still holding up pretty well at this point.

Sam, Eleri, Megan, Rina, Lucy and Rob with Corona Arch in the background.

Let the jumper shots begin. . . Sam jumps over the La Sals.

Pete hangs over Delicate Arch.

Sam and Susan getting good air next to Delicate Arch.

Eleri and the breakfast burrito.

Dina, Drake and Pete at Eklectic Cafe in Moab.

The Painted Porch

2008-11-02T15:17:00.003-08:00

Just in time. . .our painters finished the front porch on Friday. Whew! It looks like it should have always been there. We're really pleased with the way it turned out.

This is a reminder of the porch before it was painted.

Scotland Trip of 2008, the Wedding of Andy and Becca

2008-10-29T07:26:00.017-08:00

We were very fortunate to be have been able to make our third annual trip to the UK this year. This time was to celebrate the wedding of Rebecca Barnetson and Andrew Duncan. But first, we had to get through the 3 connecting flights and 2 long layovers courtesy of our Delta frequent flyer miles. The longest layover was in Amsterdam, so we took advantage of this and spent a day in the city. It was wonderful to see that Amsterdam has an amazing commuter bike system in place and most people don't even use their cars in the city! We also brushed up on our WWII history as we took a tour of the Anne Frank Huis.

Next stop. . .Bishop Monkton of course! It's always a great place to recover from the jet lag with Rob's gracious family. Between the homes of Jane and Johnny Heller and Chris and John Feeny, we were able to really catch up on some well needed sleep and enjoy wonderful meals, and fun games of Scrabble!

After a week of getting over jet lag, we set off for Becca and Andy's wedding in Loch Tay, Scotland. Being the outdoor enthusiasts that they are. . . on the morning of their wedding, both of them took out groups of wedding guests for a day of hiking Tarmachan Ridge or sailing on Loch Tay. Rob and I went with Andy up Tarmachan Ridge.

For those of you who have done any hiking in the central highlands of Scotland, you'll know how windy it can get even on the best of days. We really gained an appreciation for the terms "gale force winds" and "bracing winds" as we got closer and closer to the summit.

We found some shelter from the wind at the top and were really glad to have had such a wonderful day for the hike. Andy (third from the left in this photo below) 2 hours before he is to marry Becca.

Everyone cleaned up quite nicely as can be evidenced by the following photos. This is Andy with his mother just before the ceremony.

Andy and Becca with the celebrant signing the official papers.

We thought this was great. . . an arch of ice axes for the bride and groom.

This photo with all the guests and wedding party gathered together on the pier took some effort to organize but the final result seemed worth it. Andy and Becca truly did look like a pair of Cheshire cats:)

We learned a lot about the more traditional Scottish weddings, the different types of kilts and the ceilidh. Everyone had such a good time. It was one of the most fun weddings we've ever been to. And Rob actually kept getting up and asking me to dance! Here's a photo of Simon and Ross Barnetson and John and Chris Corson.

The Barnetson brothers and John Corson, a.k.a. Duncan.

House Project News

2008-10-14T11:13:00.014-08:00

So, it's been a year since we started "the basement project" which really has turned into a "house project" in that we've impacted every other room of our house in some way. The good news is we're finally getting to enjoy the fruits of all of our subcontractors' labors.

Here is a reminder of the exterior of our house (only just one year ago) before paint stripping and front porch and gable addition:

Thanks to Dave's hard work and good eye, here is a picture of the front of our house now:

Another view:

And we're really happy with how the open floor plan on the main floor has turned out:

We've finally stained and sealed the built-in bookshelves and railing also designed and constructed by Dave:

Lucy likes not having to listen to all the construction noises anymore:

The view from the top of our new stairs:

The bottom of the stairs with a view of the bamboo floors:

We've already slept 6 nights in our new downstairs bedroom!:

The hallway in the basement that leads to the laundry room, bathroom and 2nd guest bedroom:

The fully functioning laundry room!:

Our downstairs shower with actual hot water coming from the pipes!:

The sink will be hooked up next week and centered under the light fixture:

The clawfoot tub will be moved into the corner over the weekend and hooked up next week:

The second guest bedroom (north view):

The second guest bedroom (south view):

Summer Travels

2008-10-01T07:47:00.011-08:00

Sorry for the long gap between postings. We've really been slacking, but here's a smattering of what we've been up to this summer:

In June, we joined Mike and Jen on the Desolation-Grey Canyon river trip. Matt Anderson was our buff river guide.

Jen was suspiciously not partaking in the consumption of copious amounts of beer floating along this trip.

Rowing, not as easy as it looks.

We had a great time save the mozzies. Jen and Mike's blog has a lot more of the good times captured on Flickr.

At the end of July, we took a scenic road trip to Glacier National Park, the first trip for all of us (although we're not entirely sure where Lucy may have gone before she entered our lives). Lucy was happy to come along for the drive but sadly had to stay in the cabin the first day we hiked the park and then at a doggy day care the second day as dogs aren't allowed on the park trails.

We were really fortunate with great weather and had magnificent views on the Dawson-Pitamakan trail (a.k.a. the Awesome-Pitamakan). Note the handy can of bear spray attached to my right shoulder:)

The Awesome-Pitamakan. . .

On our second day, we went on the loop trail off the Going-to-the-Sun Road on the west side of Glacier. It was spectacular. We really hope to go back next year for a longer trip.

We stopped in Stevensville, Montana to see the Haggerty's on the drive home. Ruby has gotten so big and is such a sweet, beautiful girl.

Rob didn't have a hard time convincing Jack to climb to the top of this tall stack of hay in the barn.

Allison's pink Shasta trailer. . . it was meant to be.

The men fishing. . . while the girls went out for a drive.

A horse? A dog? Doesn't matter, Jack likes it.

Ruby's down for the count on the walk back home.

So, just a friendly reminder to those on the men's team for the candlepin bowling tournament of 2007. . . Your turn will be coming soon. We graciously held the shark trophy this year and have now bestowed the honor on Phil and Allison. Next up in no particular order: Pete D, Rich B, Mike A, and Marc T.

Our weekend visitors

2008-05-26T15:55:00.004-08:00

Geoff and his girlfriend, Chicago Rena, made the journey to Salt Lake City to hang out and celebrate the house centennial. On the Monday after the party we all took the short drive down to the Mount Timpanogos Cave National Monument in American Fork Canyon. Although the tour guide did not make a good first impression, having the four of us cringing in fear of too much interpersonal small talk and not enough cave information, she quickly turned around and made it a very interesting and informative tour. It was a luxury to be on the tour with just the four of us. The walk up to the caves is on a steep, but paved, mile and a half trail, and the caves are three linked caverns with many types of cave formations. It is most renowned for its 'cave coral'.

Rob & Rina in front of a tunnel that was created to facilitate the paved trail to the mouth of the cave.

The Heart of Timpanogos.

Geoff & Rob in the depths of the caves.

Geoff, Chicago Rena, Rob, and Utah Rina taking a break on the return walk from the caves.

Centennial Celebration

2008-05-26T15:34:00.004-08:00

Here are some photos from our house's 100 year birthday celebration. It was a lot of fun to have everyone by to see how different it looks compared to only 6 months ago.

Ivo and Maxine stopped by on their way out to dinner. Thanks to the Costume Closet, Rina and I were able to dress more closely to the style of the day around the year our house was built. That place was a trip to explore.

This long lost stranger appeared at the door as an apparition and stayed for 10 minutes as he was en route to the airport to catch a flight back to Malaysia, where he now lives and works.
Toan!! Great to see you again.

The Haggerty clan from Montana caught a three day stage coach and made it down to Salt Lake in time for the celebrations.

Nell - ecstatic at the excuse to dress up (or down - as the case may be).

The Basement Project Continues. . .

2008-05-25T10:17:00.007-08:00

Here is a series of photos to update everyone (especially those who could not make the centennial party, etc.) on our progress with the basement. The first photo in this series is from April 11th. Our basement has been completely dug out at this point to an overall depth of 8 feet beneath the existing joists. As you can see, the water heater was being supported by this contraption from those 100 year old joists. At least we still had hot water at this point. Not too long after this photo, the water heater was taken down and we've been living without any hot water since. At least we have still running water:)

Here's a photo of the basement right after the new sewer lateral was placed, inspected, and prepped for concrete floors.

Here's Ivo's right hand man, Mel, pouring the concrete.

It was a pretty quick process once they got started.

The floors dried over night and turned out great.

The next steps. . . stairway access and framing. Ivo's son, Lane, built our stairs and Dave Villella did all the framing. Dave has helped us create some nice built-in areas that will make use of all the space underneath our new stairs. What a great day when we finally had stairs to access the basement and could see our plans coming to life in 3 dimensional form.

This is the 2nd bathroom. The shower has been framed out and the toilet and sink will be on either side of the shower. The clawfoot tub from the upstairs bath will be placed in the other corner of this bathroom later on.

This is our laundry room with a new washer and dryer ready to be hooked up and used.

Next to come. . .drywall.

Spring Moab weekend

2008-05-12T14:18:00.010-08:00

We spent this past weekend in Moab with Rob's brother, Tom, his girlfriend, Melissa, and Melissa's friend, Zack. While Rob, Tom and Zack were mountain biking on the Porcupine Rim Trail, the girls including Melissa, Lucy and myself went for a hike along the Negro Bill Trail. Lucy really loved going for multiple dips in the water along the trail to cool herself off.

We arrived Friday night to a constant light rain in the desert. The next afternoon, we saw a lot of cactus blooms like this one along the Negro Bill Trail.

Lucy takes a break from all the swimming and running through the water to sun herself.

Another beautiful cactus bloom.

Tom graciously invited us to stay with him at this semi-permanent tent that he and his friend, Gavin, built in Castle Valley. It made desert camping much more luxurious for us. If you zoom in, you can see Rob helping set up an Ikea kitchen that will be used in the tent from now on.

Reclaiming the floors.

2008-05-08T09:53:00.008-08:00

After the walls were removed, we could see the original layout of the house and it was interesting to see how in 1908, it was custom to paint the perimeter of the Douglas fir floor and then have a rug covering the middle. We were pretty excited even at this stage to try to imagine what the floors would look like once refinished. Here are some before and after pictures of our 100 year old Douglas fir floors. Dining area "before:"

Dining area "after:"

Living room "before:"

Living room "after:"

Front hallway "before:"

Front hallway "after:"

House Update

2008-04-30T18:27:00.011-08:00

This is a "before" picture of our painted brick house. As we have learned, brick is not meant to be painted as moisture can collect behind the paint and cause damage to the brick. So, we had the exterior paint removed by the professionals at Abstract.

Here is the transition phase when our house was covered by a large plastic tent as various chemicals were applied to remove years of paint.

Here is a current photo of the front of the house after the paint stripping. We think the original brick looks great. (If you look at the bottom of the photo you can see where we have a new basement window and a rock window well being installed.) Our next project will be the front porch. Alas, the list of things to do never seems to decrease.

On to the interior house project. . . These are a couple of "before" picture of the interior walls that separated the dining and living rooms from the small second bedroom.

This photo is during the transition phase when Rob and I did a lot of demolition to the drywall, carpet and subfloors.

Here is a photo taken the day after our carpenter/ finisher/ house remodeling guru, Dave Villella, finished securing an attic beam that replaced the interior load bearing walls. There is so much more space in the main living area now. It feels really open and will make it much nicer for entertaining in the future. We're really thankful that Dave is working with us as he has given us many helpful suggestions and done such great work.

San Francisco weekend

2008-03-24T15:15:00.000-08:00

A friend I know from back in the day in Boston got married recently in Muir Beach, CA. Rina and I had planned a long weekend to attend the wedding reception and visit some other Cali friends, but unfortunately Rina's mother's husband, Chuck, died the prior week so she had to change her travel plans and return to Florida to be there for her mom. I flew solo for the weekend, staying in Mill Valley.
The morning of the wedding I ran a 30K trail run (Pirates Cove) that is part of the Pacific Coast Trail Run Series. It was spectacular! The course was on beautiful coastal trails in Marin on the headlands just north of the Golden Gate Bridge. Chilly to start, but as you can see it didn't keep the die-hard surfers away. I would recommend any of these races if you can ever swing it.

Chilly enough for a ski cap just before the start. Gorgeous sunrise over the lagoon, though.

Rodeo Lagoon at sunrise. You can see the surfers with drysuits and helmets in the background. Last year the race ended by running across the sandy beach. Luckily that was changed this year.

This guy made everyone chili after the race. I wasn't really in the mood, but it seemed to go quickly.

Judy and Brian got married on Mt. Tam with close family present, then hosted a cozy reception at the rustic Muir Beach Community Center overlooking the beach. It was really well done. Great food, music, and people.

The view from the deck overlooking the beach.

The happy couple on their wedding day.

The following day I met up with Jason & Diane and we had breakfast in the city before going on an exploratory walk through the Presidio and by Baker Beach. Looking across the bay you can see the headlands where the race was held and near where the wedding reception was. We saw a dog on the beach whose tail had such a kink in it that it almost looked like someone had slammed it in a door and it kept the impression of the door jamb in it. Diane tactfully walked up to it and snapped a photo of it. Dog didn't seem to care.

Mill Creek Yurt Trip #2

2008-03-19T21:50:00.007-08:00

Slow and steady up the trail with that big pack, girl.
Walking a little more cautiously after rolling over in some animal smell and being unable to right herself. She struggled for a minute until she realized the pack was too bulky, then just gave up and gave us a look as if to say "a little help here!"

Lucy, Rina, Jeremy, and Jodi make their way up to the yurt.

Lucy, Zelli, and Jeremy catching the sunset on Big Water Peak. Thanks to daylight savings, we managed to get in a short tour here after getting to the yurt and unpacking.

Zelli looking cute as ever

Lucy getting face shots on a bluebird spring day. I guess that hard work to get up the canyon was worth it.

Lucy, Rob, and Rina atop Big Water Peak on the second day. We toured over to Reynolds Peak as well before returning to the yurt. Only the shaded north facing slopes still held the soft snow and we found some sweet turns.
Zelli, Jeremy, and Jodi enjoying the view.

Touring through the aspens en route to Reynolds Peak

Two well exercised dogs taxiing for take-off.
Only 4.6 miles down to the car girls!

Turn your laptop on its side or crook your neck for this one. I couldn't figure out how to rotate the video. That pack doesn't seem to slow her down on the downhill. She looks to be having a good ol' time.

Josephine turns 59 - again!

2008-03-17T14:57:00.004-08:00

With a short 4 day trip to West Palm Beach from March 2nd to March 5th, Rob and I didn't want to waste any time. So, right after we landed at the Palm Beach International Airport at 6:09 pm, we headed straight to Cardello's Itialian Restaurant to have dinner with my Mom (Josephine), sister (Donna), and her husband (Eric), their daughter Tracy, Tracy's husband (Jay) and their two daughters Mariel and Ava.

Josephine's 60th birthday brunch. . . I mean 59th birthday (again) brunch. My brother, Thomas, was also able to take some time off from work and fly down from Hudson, NY for Mom's birthday celebration. The weather was quite warm and humid. But it made for a perfect time to spend outside enjoying mom's backyard garden. Some of the tomatoes are already ready to be harvested and it's only March!

Rob, Thomas and I went to the Lake Worth Beach for a walk along the beach and a very quick dip in the ocean. We saw a lot of these Man-O-War jellyfish washed up on shore and were very careful to avoid contact with their stingers.

Mom deals with the abundance of family and friends calling to wish her a happy birthday as we get ready to sing "Happy Birthday" at home.

Chuck (Josephine's husband of 8 years), Rob, myself, Thomas and Josephine getting ready to enjoy some birthday cake. Chuck was feeling quite ill in this photo as he had been battling with primary cancers of the colon, liver and lung as well as ephysema and congestive heart failure. A couple of weeks after we left West Palm Beach, he was placed in the Veteran's Hospital with pneumonia and then transferred to Hospice on Saturday the 15th. Sadly, he died this past Monday the 17th of March. Rob and I were thankful to have made this trip out to visit with Josephine and Chuck when we did.

Whistler Trip

2008-02-07T16:23:00.001-08:00

Mill Creek Yurt Trip

2008-02-06T18:18:00.001-08:00

On January 30th we went with our friends Jeremy, Jodi, Jen and Mike for a two night stay at the Mill Creek yurt.
Lucy loved running in the snow, even her pack filled with water and dog food only managed to slow her down a little bit.Jen and Mike managed to stay warm at the yurt by huddling very close.

Jeremy smiling with the anticipation of a day of powder skiing.
The yurt with snow approaching the roof.The outhouse held the constant threat of an impending roofalanche.
Jodi getting some turns in the powder.
Jeremy gets in some turns.

Mike gets his turns in the powder.

Lucy loving the snow and running fast as.

South Carolina Trip

2008-02-05T10:26:00.000-08:00

Just a few weeks ago Rob and I took a 4 day trip to visit my dad in South Carolina. We arrived in Charleston, SC on Friday, January 11th at 9pm and stayed at the Andrew Pinckney Inn in downtown Charleston for the night.
That night, it rained hard enough to prevent us from walking around downtown any further than one block to FIG's which was a yummy locovorian restaurant. The next morning, the rain finally stopped about 10am and we had just about an hour to walk around before meeting up with my dad. This was Rob's first visit to Charleston and it was way too short, so we'll have to go back for a longer visit in the future. He did get to see the condo where I used to live and where I went to medical school (the Medical University of South Carolina).
My dad, Buddie, drove to Charleston to meet us that Saturday afternoon for lunch in Charleston before driving us to his house in Fairfax, SC. It's hard to say for sure but I think Rob was most impressed with the mounted deer heads Dad has accumulated throughout the years, which is just part of the sportsman's paradise he has created for himself.
Here we are with my dad going for a drive in the Ranger, which is kind of like a golf cart on steroids. Dad and his best friend, Mr. Goat (a.k.a. Francis Hills), use the Ranger to get around on Mr. Goat's 600+ acre property, the Eu-Ral. This is where they do most of their hunting.
Mr. Goat's dog, Nancy, decided to come along for the ride. We had a great time with my dad who has always had great love for hunting and fishing and is getting to enjoy that as much as possible during his retirement. I am ever grateful that Rob sacrificed a great weekend of powder in Salt Lake to take this trip with me.

White Christmas

2007-12-24T16:37:00.000-08:00

White Christmas in SLC!

The snow has been pretty good here over the last week, but tonight it is really coming down even in the valley. Looks like Christmas will bring a fresh blanket of the white stuff and the skiing will be almost up to speed for Utah after a slow start to the season.

Although the forecast only calls for 2-4 inches in the valley, we have had a solid four inches in the last few hours with no sign of letting up!

Before and After

2007-12-24T15:03:00.001-08:00

Before

After

Before

After

View of the south wall with quiet new dishwasher, sink, loads of working space, and small bookshelf.

View looking to the front of the house

Kitchen Bliss

2007-12-24T14:33:00.000-08:00

We are now back in a functional kitchen, which is really great after having to seek out the bathroom for running water in the house. The countertops installation was finished on Wednesday and that same day the new sink was plumbed, dishwasher hooked up, and later that night we hosted an impromptu holiday dinner for 12! Although it was put together last minute and when Rina invited everyone the kitchen didn't have running water or a flat surface, it was a fun night and a great way to break in the new kitchen.

Dina, Isla and Alison.

There are a few finishing touches we need to do still (glass doors in cabinets, backsplash, paint touch-up, and eventually finish the floor), but the space that is the kitchen is soooooo much more functional, spacious, and better looking than the last version. It hasn't been in for a whole week yet, and already we have made more meals (a tenderloin, pizzas, lasagne, gingerbread javelinas, flapjacks, more pizzas) than weeks of being in the last kitchen.

The north wall of the kitchen with the new over the range microwave, slide in gas range, and two new work surfaces. 2 months ago this space was occupied by a hulking refrigerator.

A closer look at the countertop. It is made of 100% recycled paper and cashew resin. Find more about it at paperstoneproducts.com

One of the nice things about the paperstone product is you can work with it like wood, so we had our installer rout out a built in drain board which looks and works great!

What an improvement this is. The fridge is tucked out of the way where the little laundry closet used to be.

Albuquerque Thanksgiving

2007-11-26T15:00:00.000-08:00

Rina, Lucy, and I drove the 10 hours down to Albuquerque to spend Thanksgiving with my dad and his wife. Lucy traveled really well, just lying in her bed, getting up to adjust her position every once in a while. We stopped a few times so she could walk, pee, and drink some water, but it seemed like she would have been just as happy driving the whole way straight.

Just before we left, Lucy had started to demonstrate these mothering/nesting behaviours by taking shoes, toys, slippers into her bed and keeping a close eye on them. No chewing, just gathering up her 'babies' and watching them in her nest. This behaviour continued in ABQ, much to the chagrin of Jorge, my dad's little dog. Lucy collected all of his toys; foxy, chicken, piglet, hedgehog, and others and proceeded to nest in his bed. Jorge wasn't quite sure what to make of all this intrusion, so he did what he could - barked. All night. Hopefully he settled down now that he has his territory and toys back.

Lucy in Jorge's bed with Jorge's hedgehog, piglet, and owl. The freaky chipmunk with the disproportionately large head is the only toy/baby of Lucy's.

It was beautiful weather there and we hiked from the tram up the la Luz trail with the dog. She wasn't allowed on the tram to come down, so Rina, Lucy and I turned around at 1/2 way and Tom continued up to the top and took the tram down. This hike is excellent, and I would recommend it to anybody in the ABQ area. About 8.5-9.0 miles, it traverses 5 distinct zones as it ascends. The view from the ridge is phenomenal. It is a bit of a slog, but I am sure anybody could do it, especially knowing that you can take the tram on the way down (in itself worth a trip to Sandia Peak).

Thanksgiving eve hike on la Luz trail.

Rob and Rina with the Sandia Peak antennae in the background.

Lucy-cam shot of the la Luz trail.

Sandia Peak at sunset. This is the view from the back yard. Especially nice after a snowfall.

Rob, Eleri, and Susan (Sam in the background), walking along the Rio Grande in the snow.

More of the same.

2007-11-26T14:46:00.001-08:00

The kitchen is coming along. Here are a few more pictures taken after the hardware had been installed. Appliances are sitting in the living room at present waiting for installation tomorrow. Countertop selection is going to be made tomorrow as well. In keeping with the 'green' choice of refinishing the fir floors rather than install new, manufactured flooring, we are going to investigate some of these eco-friendly options like Paperstone, etc.

Our new 'built-in' fridge. The final product really looks great, considering how uneven the floor is.

Natural cherry cabinets with new hardware. There are glass windows for the upper cabinets yet to be installed. The beam on the right of the photo posed yet another installation challenge, but Mike rose to it and it really looks good.

View toward the front door. Getting the refrigerator out of the main kitchen space really makes the kitchen feel a lot bigger. Not big by any means, just bigger than it felt before.

Cabinets are in!

2007-11-18T19:01:00.000-08:00

This is a reminder of our kitchen before. This was it, there were no cabinets on the north wall.

This is what we have on the north wall now. There will be an over the range microwave and gas range in the gap between cabinets. Previously this was just a blank wall with our refrigerator sticking out. The refrigerator has now been tucked into the old laundry closet.

So, after living in very cramped quarters with narrow corridors of boxes stacked to the ceiling, we are now really loving our new kitchen come together. Our installer has had his fair share of challenges with our very uneven ceilings and floors. He's done a great job. In a week, we will have our new appliances delivered and installed. Now we just need to pick out a countertop and sink.

Centennial update

2007-11-14T14:57:00.000-08:00

In the midst of all this remodeling and the ever growing boundaries of the project we realized that the house will be 100 years old next year and this will be the centennial update that it deserves to both bring out its history and make it more functional in this modern world. Seems easier to justify the scope of the work we are doing knowing this bit of information. We plan on a centennial celebration when the whole deal is finished so everyone can see the final product.

In uncovering the Douglas fir wood floors, we decided to keep and refinish them rather than install new bamboo floors in the spirit of doing this as green as possible and bringing the house's history into plain view. They seem in pretty good shape overall. A few variations in color from years of use, but it all just adds character, eh?

Brown teepee on the walls ready for the cabinets.

BAM! Cabinets delivered.

Who stole the kitchen?

2007-11-12T21:26:00.001-08:00

Having spent hours working out all the cabinet details with Erin (cabinet specialist at Lowes), we ordered a set of cherry cabinets about 4 weeks ago. Well, time passes and 4 weeks quickly go by and before we know it, we only just have enough time to remove the existing cabinets, tile and subfloor, and appliances, AND paint the walls before accepting delivery of the new cabinets. Rina assures me that the last few days have been the 'low point' in the upstairs remodel, as we are now using the bathroom sink for both hygenic and not so hygenic applications, due to lack of water in the kitchen. Here are a few photos of our bare bones kitchen.

View from the back of the house to the front door with cabinets and appliances removed, tile and subfloor removed. As we demolish the house in stages we are also learning more about its history. You can see where there was a rug nailed to the wood floor with the floor painted around it (in the middle of the house). Also there is evidence on the floor of the location of the old kitchen walls and old doorway to the kitchen.

View into the kitchen. Who stole the cabinets? What's up with the camouflage paint job? We decided on 'brown teepee' to the right of the doorway. The electrician's input swayed the final decision.

Oh, there they are, in the living room - naturally. We managed to sell these on craigslist in less than 24 hours!

Call the cath lab!

2007-11-11T19:43:00.000-08:00

We are in the process of moving to the next step and finding someone to finish the basement once the digging has been completed. Funny how it seems fairly simple on paper and in our heads, but once you start talking to these contractors, there are a lot of little (or not so little) things that come to light and need to be addressed. For instance, the plumbing for the basement either has to be evacuated via a sewage ejector that is recessed in the basement floor and pumped up to the main drain, OR the main drain needs to be dug out and relocated a few feet lower all the way out to the city sewer. Take a peek at the cross section of the small section of pipe that Ivo cut out while excavating. Based on this nearly compete obstruction, we are wanting to replace the main drain line rather than go with a sewer ejector. We patiently await a bid to see how much this will cost. If these were coronary arteries a CABG would be in order.

Left drain pipe - what should be a patent center is crammed with, well sewage, I guess.
Center pipe - you can see a lot of roots obstructing the pipe. The creamy center is where the remaining 2-3 inches of space was draining the waste from the house.

The day Mike and Jen posted their kitchen color dilemma, we ran into the same problem. Now I am voting for sticking with the camouflage look. It is hard to predict what the color will look like on the wall with the cabinets installed . It's easy to see why people play it safe and go with white or some variation of very light tan.

Neffs Canyon Hike

2007-11-08T20:14:00.000-08:00

Lucy, Rina and I went for a beautiful fall hike in Neffs Canyon the other day. All the leaves had turned and most had fallen already. It is a steep hike, which means that you climb out of the inverted smoggy air quickly. the view down into Salt Lake gives you a good perspective, but makes you realize how bad the air can get in the valley during the winter.

Rina and myself at the meadow just below the Big Cottonwood ridgeline.

Good girl Lucy!

View down the canyon to smoggy SLC.

Rina and the alpenglow.

One tired doggie.

Come Lucy!

Archeologic discovery

2007-11-08T19:48:00.000-08:00

The basement excavation continues to move ahead as expected. Over 8 Mack truck loads of earth has been relocated to the landfill, leaving the furnace and water heater stranded in the middle of the basement. The majority of the walls have been underpinned, and there has only been a few minor cracks here and there. Today, Ivo knocked on the door to show us that he uncovered an old well under the bedroom.

Airing out the dirt from under the house.

The furnace and water heater shored up as the earth around them are removed bit by bit.

The view from the new front window (to-be).

The south wall underpinned with new concrete footings and wall.
Pretty straight considering the age of the existing walls.

A 6 foot deep piece of history.
We can only presume this is the remnant of a well or outhouse from when the house was built in 1908!
It's under the addition on the back of the house.

Las Vegas and back

2007-11-01T17:55:00.000-08:00

Last week Rina and I drove down to Las Vegas for a CME conference where we met up with Sam and Megan and their crew. En route we camped for a night at Zion National Park and went for a short hike. It was the first time either of us had been there, and we were duly impressed by the canyon and surrounding rock formations. We are definitely going back for some real exploring.

Fall

As it was, even with a brief hike the morning that the conference started, we rushed to get to Las Vegas, cutting it down to the wire, checking in all sweaty, plopped down in our seats waiting for everything to get started only to realize that something wasn't right. There were only 10 people in this vast lecture hall, and no one seemed in a rush to get started. It wasn't until about 30 minutes of waiting that we realized there was an hour time difference between Utah and Nevada, so although we thought we got there right on time, we were actually an hour early! Much to Rina's relief.

Excavation continues

2007-11-01T06:44:00.000-08:00

Ivo, our basement digger and neighbor.

Not even a month into our basement excavation, and things are moving along nicely. Ivo projects that most of his work will be done before Thanksgiving, and based on his projections so far we have little reason to doubt that. It has been noisy, and dusty, and some days it is more comforting to be out of the house so you can hear yourself think and ignore the little voice in the back of your head that says 'I hope the place doesn't collapse'. Ivo has already dug out under most of the existing foundation and poured a new concrete foundation underneath. It is so exciting to see all this new space moving toward being usable.

2 sections of wall under our existing foundation that have been dug out. You may wonder what's holding up the house.

Phew! Thanks Rina.

Ivo poured new footings and walls in sections to give Rina a break.

The rebar for the footing and wall. It is dowelled into the existing footing above and into the new walls on either side.

Moab Weekend Trip

2007-10-19T11:28:00.002-08:00

Last weekend a few of us met up in Moab for some fall riding, camping, and climbing. It was gorgeous weather for it. Nice to be down in the desert and not feel like every waking moment you are being sucked dry by the heat and dessicating lack of humidity.

Zo and Tom on the Fisher Mesa trail outside Moab. Nice singletrack out onto the mesa.

Rich and Chris on Slickrock Bike trail. Note the cushy front shocks.

Lucy bonds with her new found pack member.

Tom, Melissa, and Lucy at Hurrah Pass, Moab

Tom jumping over the entire canyon. Nice air, dude!

House remodel

2007-10-19T10:55:00.000-08:00

Rina and I have committed to a fairly large project on the home front. There is a 74 year old Basque guy down the street who is one of two people in SLC who excavates basements, so we have employed him to create some more living space. He broke ground under the house on October 5th and has already dug out most of the space. Once he got going, he really moves fast. Here are a few preliminary photos.

The foundation exposed and cut just wide enough to drive the Bobcat through. Look on either edge, you can see where the concrete has been cut.

Rina standing in a new bedroom, that days ago was 18 inches of dirt crawlspace.

Ivo's bobcat which he drives under the house to dig out the dirt.

The back hoe that moves the dirt pile into the huge dump truck sitting in the yard. If anybody has seen the size of our miniscule yard, you know how ridiculous these machines must look.

Dog Lake hike

2007-10-09T10:48:00.000-08:00

Rina, Lucy, and I took a post marathon hike up to the top of Mill Creek Canyon to Dog Lake. Fall has hit hard and the leaves are all turned and there is even some snow in the shaded areas. A beautiful fall hike.

Chicago Marathon 2007

2007-10-08T14:11:00.000-08:00

Rina and I just returned from a long weekend trip to the windy city for the 30th anniversary Chicago Marathon (www.chicagomarathon.com). We met Tom, Wyn, Geoff , and Chicago Rena (Geoff's girlfriend) there and enjoyed some unseasonably warm temps through the whole weekend. The Saturday before the race we were swimming in Lake Michigan while back home in Salt Lake it was snowing on the benches.

Tom and Geoff "swimming" in Lake Michigan.

Sunning at the beach in Chicago - October 2007!

At the Expo.

Tom - fueling up for the race.

The marathon was the largest field of runners for Chicago (45,000), but due to the heat about 10,000 registered runners didn't even start the race.

Geoff, Tom, Wyn, myself pre-race. Sweaty pits already!

We were sweating at the start line waiting for the gun to go off, and it only got hotter from there, so we played it smart and ran easy, walked through the aid stations, drank a ton of fluids, and actually felt pretty good at the end of the whole ordeal. As we were finishing the race we learned that the heat had affected so many runners that the director decided to cancel the race at about three hours and forty five minutes after the start! The Chicago fire department helicopters were swooping low announcing through the megaphone that the race was canceled and requesting that all runners stop running and walk to the nearest aid station where they would be bussed to the finish line. Runners were dropping all over the place announced by observers yelling "Runner down", and "We need a medic!". Ambulance sirens were non-stop once the race was well under way, and it was rumoured that not only were the marathon medical staff taxed, but the city ran out of ambulances and required the aid of ambulances from surrounding suburbs to transport over 300 people to local hospitals. It was like a war zone. Read the NYT article at New York Times website.

Flushed and hot, but feelin' good after the race.

Geoff, Tom, myself post-race in search of food and beer.

Wyn and myself. Ran the entire race together.

The Field Musem

Where to start?

2007-10-02T09:45:00.000-08:00

Well, it seems like everyone else on the planet is blogging their lives for all to share, so it is only natural that we join the ranks to prove that we aren't just bumps on a log working our lives away in SLC (likely story!). The question really is where to pick up since our last serious adventures in New Zealand a year ago (robandrinainnewzealand.blogspot.com).
Since then we had a mediocre ski season with a few great yurt trips where we found some deep snow; a long road trip around the southwest to the Grand Canyon, Havasupai, Bryce Canyon, and the California coast to Oregon; a backpacking adventure to Coyote Gulch in Glen Canyon; Uinta backpacking; summer biking in Salt Lake; disc golf at Solitude; Rina selling her house - for a tidy profit; in addition to working here and there. Let's leave those for now and pick up with our most recent travels to England and Scotland for my dad's wedding (#3).

The Corsons, Feeneys

Hewes, Barnetson, Corson, Feeney

The UK trip was a multi-purpose adventure. It was the first time in nearly 20 years that the bulk of our small extended family were together in one place at the same time. Rellies from Australia, UK, and USA all converged on a small resort village in the Scottish Highlands for a week to share in celebrating my fathers wedding and to catch up. It was a very small civil service and the weather, which was touch and go through the day, even cooperated providing a sunny spell for the ceremony.

The vows

Happily married Dr & Mrs. John Corson

The wedding couple played a lot of golf in Scotland as well as Ireland in the 'honeymoon' week in Ireland. The rest of us enjoyed a lot of R & R walking in the hills, doing a spot of fishing, and eating and drinking our fill.

Gearing up for the big haul.

Not a big fish, but what a pretty fish!

Ancient standing stones

Tom and I were finally able to return our mother's ashes to her homeland during this trip as well. Seven years overdue, it was satisfying to fulfill her last requests and catch up with friends and relatives during the process. he requested her ashes be placed in a friend's beautiful flower garden, in the sea at one of her absolute favorite beaches in East Lothian, and in the sea on the west coast of Scotland, on a wild and remote peninsula.

Craignish Peninsula - a beautiful final resting place