Tsali 2010

So here they are: the much anticipated photos from our recent Tsali, North Carolina mountain biking trip.  I must say, that although there is plenty of room for criticism and “shoulda dones”, all in all, I am really pleased with the way these turned out.  There are plenty more on my flickr page if you happen to look at these and want more.

I used two lenses that I rented for this trip: a 11-16mm f/2.8 and a 17-50 f/2.8.  Both were a TON of fun (literally, since they were pro level lenses, they weighed a ton).  I was astounded at the 11-16mm. It really shines in the group shot (minus, me, of course) where 5 riders are all seen in a hairpin turn.  I cant describe to you all how amazing it was that I was able to capture that whole scene in one shot!  I came home really lusting for the 17-50 f/2.8- it is a great all around lens.  The 11-16 I loved, but it was easier to send back given its crazy high purchase price and the slightly more “specialized situation” category it fits into (if I were primarily a landscape photographer- It would be on my “gotta have” list).

Looking back, I wish I had played with the shutter speed a little more on some of the action shots, the riders all turned out a bit blurrier than I would have liked.  I also wish I had played around with my flash some….but hey- this was a biking trip primarily- so I was really pleased to get as much photography in as I did.  I was also really pumped that Saturday it was really cloudy (this happened to be the same day of the Nashville flood storms).  Cloudy works great in the woods.  It eliminates all those shadows and  “hotspots” that can make a wooded scene difficult to photograph.

My favorite shot?  The B & W of the rider going away from the camera.

Enjoy!

Mountains at Sunset

Well, its taken a couple of weeks to get this done, but I have finally finished going through my pictures from Tsali.  It will still be several days before I get a chance to post any more- but I wanted to share this amazing sunset shot I got.  This scene is from the overlook at the top of the mountain that Tsali is on. I never get tired of the view.  I make us stop at the overlook every time (this annoys those who don’t enjoy looking at the same scene over and over on the same trip…but they get free pictures, so they don’t complain).  I apologize for the small size…I’m too tired to figure out how to make it size correctly- but you can click on the picture for a better view.  Enjoy.

Tsali By The Numbers

A numerical analysis of my best bike trip to date.

6-guys on the trip

4- number os snakes we saw on the trails

40- miles of trails Tsali has to offer

70-miles I rode

8-different rides

6.5-average hours of sleep per night

27- weight of the domestic cat (in pounds) one campsite over from us

40- highest percent chance of rain for the weekend

0- amount of rain we got

32- low temp (wednesday night)

81- high temp (Saturday afternoon)

74- inches pf pizza consumed saturday night (3 18-inch and 2 10-inch)

22-YooHoo’s consumed (12 ounce cans)

100 x 60- size in feet of “MegaTarp”- the unbelievably large tarp some guys at the campground used as a shelter

5-tents between our 2 campsites

555- pictures taken (just by me)-

4.5- frames per second my camera will shoot- hence the number above)

7000- approximation of calories burned (just by me) while riding.

it should be noted that there were several occurrences that could not be numbered but should be mentioned.  these include (but not limited to): number of times I inaccurately predicted the length of a climb, number of cramps one member (unnamed) had on friday’s rides, number of climbs which involved “granny gears,” cumulative amount of mud caked on our bikes, legs, clothes, and gear after the whole weekend, and the amount of  silly grins on our faces due to crazy fun sections of trail.

pictures to follow soon.

Only 8 more weeks!

Only 8 more weeks ’til Tsali!

Couple More From the Aquarium

Here are 3 more shots from our trip to the Georgia Aquarium a couple weeks ago.  The first 2 are of our friend and her daughter and the third is a shot from the tunnel that takes you under the big aquarium that houses the massive whale sharks.  This shot worked out well, considering my lack of planning and my lack of a wider lens (this was shot at 18mm- do do this shot right, it should be shot at 12-15mm on a tripod).  I was really fortunate to get a view of everyone staring in awe as one of the whale sharks swam overhead (these things are crazy massive!).  Enjoy!

Something Fishy’s Goin on Here….

A couple weeks ago, Bri and I took Cooper to the Georgia Aquarium- despite my strong desire to take a million pictures, photography was my secondary focus on this particular trip.  It was so much fun just being “dad” and taking Cooper to see all the different fish and animals.  Cooper had a great time and he especially loved the penguins ( sorry, no pics) and the BIG aquarium (largest in the world!).  This is a  shot I grabbed of him next to the glass of the giant aquarium.  If this trip was any indication, this child is going to LOVE fish!

Cooper at 6 Months

This past Saturday, we took advantage from the break in cold weather and headed out to Mooresville for photo shoot with Cooper.  We were only there about an hour before Cooper started getting fussy (he’s fighting an ear infection), so I was surprised that we were able to get quite a few good shots!  Enjoy!

“…I don’t think we’re in Kansas anymore…”

For those of you readers who call your home the south (most of you, I assume), I doubt any of you will be taken aback when I tell you that this beautiful wintry wood-scape was not photographed up North or out West.  Actually, it was taken South and East (of my home in Madison, AL, anyway), in Atlanta, GA this past weekend.  The surprising thing about this photo, is that it wasn’t taken on the outskirts of the city, on the edge of some suburban neighborhood; rather, this pic was shot 5 minutes from downtown Atlanta (“ITP” as my bff TRH likes to say!) not far from Emory University.  These woods are right behind our friends’ home and were really stunning with all the snow!

Our First Father-Son Adventure

My son is becoming such a little boy; his desire to move and explore is not even slightly hindered by fear or caution.  In understanding this, and against his mother’s advice, I hoisted him on my shoulders yesterday.  I was glad that Bri got to see his huge smile as he realized that his new perch made him the tallest cat in the room (no doubt a big deal for a baby only 2 feet tall!).  However, seeing as how I was doing the work that prompted the smile, I thought it a bit unfair that I wasn’t able to see, so, I decided that this shoulder-hoist would also involve a journey.  I grabbed Cooper’s hands (to prevent him from grabbing my hair and attempt to “steer” me “Ratatouille style”) and off we went.  I made sure to duck beneath any door frames, lest our adventure land us in the emergency room (or the dog house).  Cooper was having a blast and was smiling from ear to ear (technically, this is an assumption, seeing that I couldn’t actually see his face).

Our journey ended in the bathroom, where a giant mirror revealed exactly what I expected to see: a smiling little boy.  As I looked at him through the mirror I began talking too him and slowly bouncing up and down.  This resulted in not only bigger smiles, but also laughter, first him, then me.  We then traveled into the bedroom to show mom our new fun “trick.”  I took a picture, but not with my camera.  A part of me is sorry that I only have words for you, but a bigger part of me is glad I get to keep this picture all to myself.

The Thinkin’ Bench

Sometimes, you just need some time.  Time to sit and think…reflect…process. I don’t really have much of this time;  you see, as most of you know, I am a talker- and when I’m alone, I’m a listener (to music, of course- which almost always leads to me also being a singer).  However, rarely do I ever just sit and think.  When spring comes along I will hope to spend several hours a week on my road bike- this used to be good thinkin’ time, until I started putting 1 earbud in my left ear (non-traffic side, mom- don’t worry).  The music was a welcome addition to my rides as it provided not only distraction, but also motivation and pacing. That said, despite my yearning for thinkin’ time, the earbud is staying in, and thus my need for thinkin’ time is still present.

When I look at this photo, my eyes  follow  the planks and I want so badly just  to sit on the bench (although, I don’t really want to sit on that bench- it was wet and flimsy, trust me- all I would be able to think about was how I hoped it didn’t break) and stare out into the blanket of fog and….think.  What would I think about?  Lots of things.  Like my first 6 months of being a father.  I would think about our plans for the future.  I need to spend some time processing how blessed I truly am and what that really means.  No, I wouldn’t think about biking, photography, or just how stinking great my son is- I probably think about those three things too much as it is…..Ok, so maybe one or two thoughts about biking,  photography, Cooper- I mean, I can’t just turn it off, you know?  But seriously, there is so much to think about and seemingly so little time to do it.

I resolve to do more of this kind of “thinkin” this year (some of you are hoping I’ll do more of several kinds of “thinkin” this year); and hopefully, I will be a better man for having done it.