Pentax K20D

Well folks had to introduce my new camera in a spiffy sort of way!!
Have a laugh on me.

Spring Hike

So yesterday Paul, Jennifer, Steve and Roger and I all went for a hike at the Walls of Jericho. It had been a rainy week and Jennifer thought we'd see some good water there - and man was she right!!! We also saw the very beginning of the spring wild flowers. Had a bit of a cold front so the hike out wasn't too bad either - just had to loose the hat and a few layers with the 1000 foot elevation gain.

These little beauties are Blue Bells. They were just on the other side of the first footbridge.

Steve on the trail... I think he's almost smiling here.

Some chrinoinds on a rock that had a geocache under it. Paul played with the super macro mode on his new little Olympus camera for this one.

Some interesting flowers we still can't identify that were by the campground near the second footbridge crossing the river.



Jennifer setting up to shoot some of the great little rapids on the river. The wild thing is this is the first time I've ever even seen water in the riverbed.

A bit of the river before the first splash pool with Paul starting to cross.




The first splash pool.



Up past the first splash pool - Paul and I by the water that exists a short cave - man was this beautiful!



Me with last waterfall with the sump - where the water eventually spills out of the cave below.

Paul shot this one of me and the water spill in between the last fall and the cave as we were carefully making our way back down. The water was just incredible!!

Tried to find it in the Audubon book - but no luck - so I guess this is one of the other unidentifiable wild flowers. At least being unidentified - takes nothing away from its beauty.

Kicking for.... wait a sec....WHO?

So it seems as though this week has been something of an odd signage week. Paul and I were out geocaching today when I spotted this sign opposite the Sam's club parking lot off of University Drive:



Adam's Academy of Martial Arts... "Kicking for Jesus"

Oh really now. Uh.... my dear Adam, if Jesus walked into this place today - what exactly do you think he'd say? From what I remember... he was kinda against the whole violence thing... or did I miss something?

Sheep and LEDs

Who knew LEDs and sheep could be so cool?

Used Tire World

So Paul and I were out picking up some paper I had cut, and we're driving out of the parking lot and Paul says "Mechanic on Duty at All Times, please don't spit on concrete." I laughed and then I looked over at Used Tire World's sign... sure enough...

click on picture to read the fine print...

Apparently these folks have customers with some serious expectorant problems if they actually had to put up an actual sign that says please don't spit on the concrete.

Silly Cavers

I know, I know - major blog neglect. I'm going to be better about it. Still have a lot to catch up on - and I will. But tonight several of us did a little ropework - some for the first time.

Geoffrey on rappel with Nathan belaying him.

Nathan coming up over the lip.

Nathan, Stephanie and Geoffrey. (with some daisy-chaining 101)

And then there was some major silliness during dinner...

The Rotunda

The Beauty of the Rotunda by Nathan Williams

Scenic drive, tents, sleeping bags, Fall Creek Falls State Park, campfire talk, "Craft night," restless sleep with cave dreams, coffee, cheese and pickle breakfast, drive, hike, riverbed, thermocline cave cool, silly Polaroid picture, friends, Camps Gulf entrance, tripod balance, pelican case clunking, breakdown climbing, gear passing, mud sliding, slipping, water, heaving, sweating, laughing, clambering, descending, Rotunda echo, water break, organizing, gear check, planning, pointing, directing, breakdown climb, umbrella twirl, duct tape, battery, careful with the compact fluorescent, double - triple check, walkie talkie, nervous, excited, lights out, 3....2....1.... And then there was light in the very darkest of places.

p.s. - Definitely click on the photo to see it larger!... its simply phenomenal... oh and I'm the tiny yellow- shirter on the left... it was a great trip and I had a blast helping with this shoot on Saturday!

Super Cupcake!!

I'm falling behind again - aren't I? I'll have to do another couple of catch-up-super posts pretty soon here. I have hiking pictures, and caving pictures and just cool stuff to report, but its pretty late and should totally be in bed already - so for now I'll leave you with a tantalizing treat! A Super Cupcake!



I bought this great cake pan a while back from William Sonoma and finally had a chance to use it for a joint birthday/anniversary on Thursday for the folks at BakerWoodard. The recipe included with it made a fantastic pound-cake type yellow cake. I decorated it with 1 - 1/2 cans of vanilla frosting - some of it tinted and some oversized sprinkles (thanks Laura!) Oh and - it tasted as good as it looked!