for the record...

dented door, damaged pride

2009-04-14T18:29:00.001-07:00

While on my way home from work today I was vainly contemplating what a good driver I am, and how long it's been since my last accident. Several minutes later I stopped at the pharmacy to pick up some decongestants. As soon as I opened my car door a giant gust of wind pulled the door out of my hand and slammed it into the car next to me, causing a good-size ding. I was mortified.

The lady who came out a minute or two later was amazingly gracious: "Oh, that's all right. You know, this car has lots of dents and scratches. It's going to need to be repainted at some point anyway..." etc. I didn't see any dents comparable to the one I had just inflicted.

I didn't put two and two together until I was back on the road heading home. God sure knows how to get our attention sometimes. I realized that I was taking credit for something I had no right to take credit for. So many Scriptures come to mind- "safety is of the Lord," "His mercies are new every morning," -and so quickly forgotten! Perhaps the new look of my door edge will help me remember.

2009-03-26T19:21:00.000-07:00

A kayaking video one of my buddies put together:

Sean and Dry Meadow Creek from Daniel Lund on Vimeo.

For some still images and other video clips, cut and paste this into your browswer:

http://s705.photobucket.com/albums/ww51/sangree99a/Dry%20Meadows%20Creek%203%2021%2009/

Witnesses

2009-03-04T20:34:00.000-08:00

My job would be a whole lot simpler if it weren't for this whole pesky witness thing. I realize saying that is probably akin to any tradesman denigrating the tools of his trade, but it's true. Witnesses often make or break the case, and the problem is that they're so dang unpredictable! After all, we're talking about people here. A bad witness, in particular, can be a bane or boon. It all depends on whose witness they are. I've seen both sides in my trial the last couple of days:

Exhibit A: Bad witness sabotaging Sean's case

Court Clerk (to W): "Do you solemnly swear to tell the truth, the whole truth, etc..."

Sean's star witness: "I got nothing to say."

Sean to himself: (Wonderful. here we go...)

The witness then proceeded to flatly deny anything and everything connecting him/her to the case, including talking to the cops, identifying the suspects, or even meeting with me one week prior. We call this "going sideways" on the stand. I was hopeful that this witness would find the courage to testify truthfully despite receiving threats from the juvenile defendant's "homies" not to do so, but alas, it was not to be. It's unfortunate that the gang mentality of intimidation actually works on many members of the community.

Exhibit B: Bad witness bolstering Sean's case

Defense's star alibi witness: "Yeah, they've arrested the wrong kid! My pal here was with me the whole night..."

Sean on cross-examination: "You're close friends with this guy aren't you?"

Defense W: "yeah"

Sean: "Would you lie to keep a friend out of trouble?"

Defense W (hesitating): No

Sean: "You wouldn't bend the truth even a little if it meant your close friend would avoid getting in trouble?"

Defense W (more hesitation): "I can't answer that."

Sean: "It would depend on the circumstances wouldn't it?"

This was the second person in as many days I personally observed perjure themselves on the witness stand. I find it odd that people who are willing to lie about the facts of a case don't also lie about the fact that they're not telling the truth. Apparently even liars have a sort of moral compunction or code of ethics about which types of lies are okay.

Additionally, one has to wonder about the credibility of a defense which conflicts with the suspect's own prior alibi statement, and which is presented for the first time right before the trial is about to conclude, on a case which is has been pending for close to two months.

Scripture has a lot to say about false and lying witnesses. No longer are those verses purely conceptual. I've seen how the cause of justice is threatened when people ignore their duty and their oaths.

rainy week = paddling weekend!

2009-01-26T22:52:00.000-08:00

The flows came up and members of the kayak club took advantage...

The Merced River flowing out of Yosemite. This is the new rapid created by the landslide a couple years ago (the one that made them re-route the road on the other side of the river with two temporary bridges)

The Kaweah just above Dinely Bridge.

Merced and Willow Creek from Evan Lloyd on Vimeo.

next day...

I was holding the camera in my mouth, which worked out great until I pinned on the piton rock at the bottom of the rapid and had to spit it out, push off, and roll up. I definitely need to look into a helmet mount or deck mount for the cam. I was going to add a sound track, but I've been getting good feedback on the sound effects!

prosecutorial discretion

2008-12-21T14:55:00.001-08:00

A big part of what I do is reviewing police reports and deciding whether to file charges or not- and if so, what charges to file. Just because a person is cited or arrested by the police doesn't mean that the DA's office is going to file a criminal complaint or petition. I send a significant number of police reports back to the agencies who submitted them, usually because I need more info or because the evidence is just plain insufficient. Even when I believe that a crime probably was committed, there may be reasons not to file. This function is called prosecutorial discretion. I was reading an article on this last week and was inspired by the following excerpt:

Nearly 70 years ago, as then-United States Attorney General, Supreme Court Justice Robert H. Jackson offered these eloquent words about prosecutor decision making:

The prosecutor has more control over life, liberty, and reputation than any other person in America. His discretion is tremendous... [T]he citizen's safety lies in the prosecutor who tempers zeal with human kindness, who seeks truth and not victims, who serves the law and not factional purposes, and who approaches his task with humility.

extra Turkey Trot pics

2008-12-13T12:58:00.000-08:00

The pro photography company at the Turkey Trot post low quality images from the race on their website with the hope that you'll purchase the high quality ones. Here are the low quality ones... =)

One of the challenges was created because there were so many of us on one narrow road. A lot of the race we were weaving in and out of runners who were practically shoulder-to-shoulder, trying to avoid the swinging elbows and not step on anyone's toes or heels.

Did I mention how wet it was?

Home stretch baby! Most folks walked or just jogged across the finish line, but Kyle and I were full on sprinting.

And in a completely unrelated vein, I just thought I would post this pic from "Ryan," a character from the TV comedy "The Office." It's from the 2008 The Office calendar which a couple of probation officers at work had hanging in their office. They gave it to me because they said I look like him. I kinda see the resemblance. Another guy at work who isn't familiar with the show saw it and thought it was an old pic of me at first. What do you think?

Where's my bailout? I want a bailout!

2008-12-09T22:16:00.000-08:00

The language is a bit colorful but the message rings painfully true. Click the image to enlarge the text at the bottom.

Turkey Trot '08

2008-12-06T13:53:00.000-08:00

One of my roommates invited me to spend Thanksgiving with some of his family in Southern CA. He also talked me into participating in the 31st annual Dana Point Turkey Trot 10 kilometer race. It was a great experience, despite (because of? :-) a torrential downpour during the run and standing water all over the road. I'm not in any kind of running shape, but I did it! I got VERY sore the next day, and the day after, and the day after that. I'd do it again though.

There were over three thousand runners, including people running in costumes as turkeys, Pilgrims, Indians, a banana- you name it!

A couple of pics:

The "before pic," around 6 am Thanksgiving morning. The other guy is my roommate Kyle, with two of his cousins on the right and a friend of theirs on the left.

Near the start. It rained hard!

Runner with a Pilgrim hat. I saw a guy in a banana costume wringing it out a few times during the race =)

Fresh fruit after the finish. Oranges never tasted so good!

The "after" shot, where we parked the car at McDonald's. We arrived late, parked pretty far away, and had to jog like half a mile to get to the start on time!

the last 5 weekends

2008-11-12T18:16:00.000-08:00

I'm woefully behind on blogging, but here's a synopsis of what I've been up to the last few weekends.

My friend Glenn is getting married next weekend. The bachelor party was actually a couple of days in Pismo the weekend of Oct 11-12. It was good to be at the coast and see the ocean. Although it's only 2 hours away I think it had been about a year for me. We saved some dough by camping, so that we could blow it on ATV rentals on the dunes near Grover Beach. Talk about fun! Biggest sand dunes I've ever been around. Nine of us rented four-wheelers and spent an awesome couple of hours racing, jumping, and wrecking (no serious injuries) all over those things. Whoever comes out to visit me next, that'll be top on my list of fun things to do!

Glenn's brother Dan created an Extreme Croquet course throughout the campground using two croquet sets. I came from behind to take the lead at the last wicket, only to have it stolen from me through some questionable moves by the nefarious Brandon. I can't tell if I'm sneezing/coughing or laughing about something in this pic. Glenn is about to be whacked with Brad's mallet, or judging by his expression, maybe he was already knocked silly =).

=================================

Let me tell you, folks around here take October 31 pretty seriously. These are a couple of roommates and friends in their Halloween costumes. The Joker is Beau, and Kyle (another roommate) is the drunk werewolf. I got invited to no fewer than four Halloween parties, but ended up just staying home because a severe allergy attack left me feeling pretty miserable that night.
=====================================

Jeff and Evan on the Boundary Run, Kaweah River. An early winter storm caused the flow level to jump weekend before last, and I was able to capitalize on it with three friends. It was a narrow window and we hit it just right, as the following graph shows:

Yep, we paddled on 11-2-08. The Corp of Engineers flow data is invaluable for knowing what rivers are running when. We kayakers keep a close eye on the website with these graphs. Some of the guys in the kayak club even get updates sent right to their cell phones when the flows reach a certain threshold!

A short video clip of my friend Jeff running Bumper Rapid, which is on the Gateway run of the Kaweah above the town of Three Rivers. The only difference between storm flows and spring runoff is that the water's murky.

=====================================

A hunter went missing in Fresno County on 11-1-08, and the search was still ongoing last weekend. I drove up with a couple of other rescue team members to participate in the search effort. Here's what I e-mailed a friend about it:

There were volunteer teams from maybe 8 or 10 counties at the search. It was neat to see all these strangers come together to help somebody they don't know. We bushwhacked and scrambled up, over, around and through all kinds of terrain yesterday and today. It snowed at the elevation we were at overnight Saturday, so yesterday we were searching in about 4 inches of snow! (On our way to the briefing this morning at the command post, we started fishtailing pretty bad on one snowy section of road. I was frantically trying to get my seat belt on before we crashed, but thankfully after sliding all over and off the road we eventually came to a stop without hitting anything!) By last night I was definitely ready to come home, but some of the others have been there close to a week!

A Fresno Co deputy and Tom, one of our team members.

We were in a really beautiful area. There were no roads or trails to the above. We bushwhacked up to it, so it's likely that not very many people have enjoyed that view.

Unfortunately there was no sign of the missing hunter, but I did come across this very dead coyote.

A quick lunch break on Sunday. The sun's shining in this pic, but it actually snowed on us most of the day.We came across this old mine shaft/cave that wasn't even on the map. I hear the park service doesn't show these types of things on maps due to liability concerns. It's amazing what you can run across when you get off the beaten path!

============================================

October 26 was a fantastic day. Four of us decided to attempt an off-season summit of Half Dome. The cables were down for the winter, but we had awesome weather, great fellowship, solitude at the summit (normally there are crazy crowds on top, and a line to get on/off the cables), and some great animal sightings.

Mike and Madison on the cables. You can't really tell the angle from this shot, but this section is steep!- significantly steeper than 45 degrees. You can see the height they're at by how tiny the person in the background (to the left of Mike) is.

We saw a few big bucks right off the bat, before we even got on the actual trail.

Group shot on the way down: Me, Madison, Mike, and Katrina.

Group shot on top

A tagged black bear we encountered on the way down. Many folks don't know that black bears are often brown or cinnamon in color. Still black bears though. Unfortunately that's the only kind of bear we have in the Sierra anymore. Mike heard the bear first. It was only 20 or 25 feet away in some thick brush. It was heading towards the trail behind us, so I jogged back a few steps to get some better shots.

Strike a pose! As it turns out, the girls were much braver around the edge than Mike or I. We spent half the time trying to tell Madison to step back and stop doing crazy antics while leaning over the edge to catch the view 2500 feet straight down =). I, on the other hand, prefer to crawl out to the edge on my belly while maintaining at least three points of contact with the ground at all times.

Victory!

Getting ready to attack the cables again on the way down. Mike had a death grip on those things! Halfway down I was trying to get more pics and his terse response was "Just KEEP MOVING- Let's get off this rock!!"

Leaving at 5 am and getting back after 9 pm made for a long but fun-filled day. Even the trip home was blast, between singing in the car and hot juicy burgers/ freezing temperatures at Carl's Jr.. Seriously, for some reason this particular restaurant had the AC blasting everybody inside with frigid air. One employee responded to complaints of patrons (not even us) by saying, "sorry, if we touch the thermostat we get fired." The not-so-bright employee dutifully asked another patron if he could get him anything else, and the customer suggested, "a blanket?" It was quite humorous, including when Katrina started stuffing napkins in her clothing as insulation.

Alright, so that's been my last few weekends. Next update should be a work update- or maybe I should throw in a post announcing my recent change of address?

August update

2008-08-25T01:54:00.000-07:00

Here's what's new for me in August:

First of all, I decided to update my blog name to something more reflective of my job rather than an inside family joke of sorts that no doubt leaves most folks scratching their heads. "For the record" is a phrase that I use in court regularly, almost as much as "for the people," a phrase that follows my name when the judge says "counsel, state your appearances."

School's started in California, and the stacks of police reports in my office have gone down a little. Even so, there's never a shortage of crazy cases, and lately I had a few go to trial. I suffered my first not guilty verdict recently when two key witnesses went sideways on me on the stand. A loss is always tough, but when your witnesses give one story to the police (and you), and then testify to something completely different at trial, there's not much you can do. (If you've seen the movie Fracture, it was kind of like that. Good movie, by the way.) The next day I wrapped up an armed robbery trial that had been going on for over a month, and thankfully, this time the result was good. But one of the things I love most about my job is that ultimately it's about something more than simply winning or losing. In a 1935 decision the U.S. Supreme Court summarized the prosecutorial role with seminal language which is oft repeated more than 70 years later:

The [prosecutor] is the representative not of an ordinary party to a controversy, but of a sovereignty whose obligation to govern impartially is as compelling as its obligation to govern at all; and whose interest, therefore, in a criminal prosecution is not that it shall win a case, but that justice shall be done. As such, he is in a peculiar and very definite sense the servant of the law, the twofold aim of which is that guilt shall not escape or innocence suffer. He may prosecute with earnestness and vigor -- indeed, he should do so. But, while he may strike hard blows, he is not at liberty to strike foul ones. It is as much his duty to refrain from improper methods calculated to produce a wrongful conviction as it is to use every legitimate means to bring about a just one. Berger v. United States, 295 U.S. 78, 88 (U.S. 1935)

That right there is a great little bit of legal writing.

I got to take a helicopter ride the other day! The California Highway Patrol flew their bird down from Fresno to do a demonstration for our rescue team, but that's not the chopper I flew in. One of our veteran team members happens to be a pilot, and he flew his company helicopter to the meeting. When we were done and CHP had taken off, he took us up for a brief spin around the Sequoia Air Field and surrounding area. The best part of it was that this was no commercial tour. We zoomed just over the crops and dipped and banked so steeply that I could see land through the sunroof. We even did a simulated engine failure. This started when in the middle of our flight, we heard the voice of our pilot Bo through the headsets asking, "So, who can tell me what happens when the engine dies?" Ed ventured an educated guess from the back bench (I was riding shotgun) - "you go down?" "Well yes," Bo answered, "but not in the way that you think." He then proceeded to perform a live demonstration. As if our ride wasn't already exciting enough. He throttled the engine back to idle, and my stomach shot up to my throat as we immediately starting dropping from our altitude of several hundred feet. We remained at idle as we dropped, and Bo explained how the chopper actually develops energy as it falls- energy which you can use to control the descent even without power. At the last possible moment he flared the nose up and we slowed dramatically (engine still at idle mind you). He powered back up just in time to avoid what would have been a rough but survivable landing. As technical rescue team members, our job often involves trusting each other when lives are, literally, on the line, but this was just very cool in its own way =).

I found a good deal on another kayak. I'm not sure what it says about my priorities that at age 29 I own two boats but still rent a one bedroom apartment. This one is what they call a creek boat, so I should be able to run more steep and challenging whitewater with it- its larger size gives it more volume and stability. Also, with a second boat I can take you out if you want to try the sport! Only problem is- I have to wait until spring to get much use out of it =)

stupid slogans

2008-08-11T22:54:00.000-07:00

I get a kick out of catching really dumb things being said in ads on radio and TV. Sometimes I wonder how some ad campaigns ever made it out of the boardroom. For example, this is what I just heard on an ad for a local news station:

"We know you want answers to the tough questions- so do we. Local News 17."

And it's said in that deep authoritative tone that all media announcers have. What in the world? Is it just me, or does that make no sense at all? I'll overlook for the moment the fact that it's probably somewhat grandiose for a local news station to be referring to themselves along with life's tough questions. Regardless, what they're basically saying with a slogan like that is, "we have the same questions you do." Call me crazy, but I don't think that's the message most news viewers and listeners are tuning in to hear.

I guess they want you to assume that because they want answers to tough questions, that they also go out, obtain them, and pass them along to the viewing or listening audience. But that's a big logical leap. Most people never achieve what they want. Maybe it's designed to garner loyalty by expressing a sort of "hey, we're on the same page you are" sentiment. But that's not what it did for me. My first thought was, "hmm, that sounds clever." Second thought: "but what does it mean?" Followed quickly by the conclusion that it's another slogan stupid enough to blog about.

Unless.... maybe their true objective was simply to get people thinking about their ad. If that's the case, then I'm the sucker.

Speaking of words, I did see a great quote the other day: "Repetition is the sincerest form of repetition." =)

Okay, enough time wasted. I have two boxes of files to prep for court tomorrow, and it's after 11. I just had to see a few more Olympic medals won for Team USA, and a couple more world records broken. (Seriously- who set these previous world records? They're snapping like toothpicks in the Beijing swimming events.)

Olympic gold

2008-08-10T23:43:00.000-07:00

The 2008 Olympics are in full swing in Beijing, and I've been glued to the coverage all weekend. I saved a medal standings results page as a favorite on my laptop. And believe it or not, I actually have a CD in my car right now with Olympic theme music from John Williams and the Boston Pops Orchestra.

In what some are heralding as the best swimming relay of all time, the Americans just took down the French (and everybody else) in the men's 4 X 100 relay, the one swimming event in which the French were heavily favored. In fact, the French were talking some smack, publicly stating pre-race, "The Americans? We're going to smash them. That's why we came here."

It was pretty incredible, and if you haven't yet seen it, make sure you do: http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/share.html?videoid=0811_HD_SWB_HL_L0194. The Americans trailed for most of the latter half of the relay, but anchor Jason Lezak rode the wave of the Frenchman, Bernard, and created an incredible finish. My reaction was about the same as Michael Phelps' above =).

To give you an idea of how fast these swimmers were, consider this: The Swedes, whose 5th place finish didn't even get them close to the podium, still came in with a time under the previous world record. The Americans crushed it by like four seconds!! And to add insult to injury, the world record for fastest split time had been held by the vocal Frenchman, until that too was crushed by Jason Lezak. Who's talkin' now?! =)

Onion News Network

2008-07-16T23:03:00.000-07:00

I've always been a fan of The Onion newspaper, and I've just learned that their website now includes video news stories. If you like parodies and satire, check out this compelling example:

Study: Most Children Strongly Opposed To Children's Healthcare

okay, gotta post one more. This one's actually not that far from reality =)

New Wearable Feedbags Let Americans Eat More, Move Less

July 4th family visit

2008-07-13T14:07:00.001-07:00

Last weekend Christian and Dad flew out to visit me for almost a whole week! We had a fantastic time. Thanks so much to Mom and Hol, Addie and Storie for giving up your men for the July 4th Holiday! I worked half a day on Wednesday, then jetted up to Fresno to pick the guys up. We had all afternoon, so we decided to cruise on up to Yosemite. Christian had never been, and we figured (correctly) that it would be less crowded on a Wednesday than on a holiday weekend. Unfortunately none of us had a camera with us, but we drove through Yosemite Valley, and took a nice little jaunt up to the top of Vernal Falls. It was beautiful as always.

On the 4th we went kayaking on the Lower Kings river east of Fresno. This scenic stretch is COLD because it's fed from the bottom of the Pine Flat Reservoir. It has a couple of class two rapids. C & D were in borrowed old-school boats and neither has a reliable roll, but they were game for it and Dad especially was a great sport despite a cold swim below one rapid which caught him off balance.

It was another triple digit day, so the water felt particularly refreshing!

At the takeout there's what they call a "weir" for irrigation purposes. It's a fun spot to kayak surf. Here's a short clip of my first attempt to get on the wave.

On Sunday we hit up some of my favorite spots in Sequoia National Park. We got on Top of Moro Rock just in time to catch an interesting talk from a Park Ranger on some of the history and geography in the area. We hiked a couple of miles around Crescent Meadow and saw Tharp's Log, a hollow and fallen Giant Sequoia that Hale Tharp, the area's earliest white settler, fashioned into a primitive cabin that he lived out of in the summers from 1861 to 1890 while his cattle grazed in nearby meadows. We checked out the aptly named Tunnel Log, and stopped by Auto Log, another giant sequoia that people used to drive on. Christian found a "C & H" carved into it, which made for a great photo. We finished up with a respectable hike from Wolverton to the Watchtower. (I checked the mileage again guys- it was probably close to around 7 miles round trip with significant elevation gain =). The views of Tokepah Valley were stunning despite the poor air quality due to so many wildfires in the Sierra this summer. Dad's knee was bothering him on the descent but he was a trooper even though I had no pain-killers in my pack.

On the Watchtower Trail.

Christian and I, same spot.

The almost sheer vertical here will take your breath away! Click on this pic (or any other) to see it full size.

Dad and I scrambled out as far as we could to peer over the edge. This granite monolith is a lot like Half Dome- not quite as high, but the hike is shorter, and the views are still killer.

Christian and Dad enjoying the fruits of our labor.

The view up Tokepah Valley. You could clearly hear the stream raging over a thousand feet below us as it pounded through twists and turns in sections of granite gorge. There was a sizable snowfield below too, which surprised me, considering it's July and it wasn't a great year for snow pack.

Crescent Meadow, in the Giant Forest, Sequoia National Park. A ranger was telling us that there have been a number of sightings of a sow and cub(s) here recently. We didn't end up seeing a black bear here, but on our way out of the park, we did! A sow and one cub were meandering through another meadow just off the road. It was a great way to end the day.

Christian on top of Moro Rock, with a view of the Middle Fork Kaweah River drainage and the Great Western Divide in the background.

At Hanging Rock, with Moro Rock just behind.

There were some beautiful wildflowers. I'm really bad at identifying local species, but this is what I call a purplus flowerus.

This is a patch of the rare and beautiful spotted yellow-centered penta-petal.

Another beauty known as the pale droopy flower.

And here we have the fuzzilus spikus plantus.

Here's a clip of a doe and fawn we encountered, as well as the Watchtower.

My friends Kevin (in the boat) and Beau (reclining in background) swung by as we were out by the pool grilling one night, and we turned it into an impromptu roll session.

I don't think Kevin had ever been in a whitewater boat before, but he picked up the technique fast and did a couple of unassisted rolls within about 10 minutes!

video- Kevin roll

Here's Christian giving it a shot. You can tell he's on his way up here because of the water curtain off the boat.

setting up for the roll...

video- Christian roll

Dad's turn. Flopping in (on purpose =)

Me standing by for the assist, if needed.

Dad fiddling with his spray skirt. underwater. =)

video- Dad roll

Well there you have it- all the stuff that was photographed, at least. We also spent a fair amount of time eating good food, watching good movies, and computing (that's where the three of us line up on the couch with laptops and check e-mail, listen to music, and watch funny YouTube clips together =). I also had a jury trial scheduled which the guys were going to watch on Thursday/Monday, but it ended up resolving, which I wasn't too disappointed about. We got more time to hang out together!

Thanks so much for coming to visit me guys! It was such a pleasure sharing part of my life with you. I know both of you guys have a lot going on at home right now too. We need to start long-term planning soon for next time!

Oklahoma!

2008-07-13T00:14:00.000-07:00

Over Memorial Day we had sort of a sibling reunion at my brother's place in Oklahoma, minus my brother-in-law. My sister flew in from PA and I flew from Sacramento. We had a fantastic time hanging out and just enjoying each other's company, but we also managed to get some great food and fun around Edmond. Cheesecake Factory is a great restaurant- don't think I'd ever eaten there before. The afternoon before we met there for dinner, the guys were busy doing manly things like checking out the go-cart track and playing disc golf, while the girls went shopping and got pedicures. When we met up, Dana and Hol were talking about how nice the pedicures were, and especially the massage chairs at the salon. They said, "you guys should try it!" C and I looked at each other and immediately recognized that going with a brother would without a doubt be less embarrassing than going by yourself, with a girl, or with any other guy. So we did. I mean, hey, I was on vacation, right? Those massage chairs were pretty nice, and we even let the tiny Vietnamese girls talk us into the deluxe version with their limited English: "You need deluxe!" We were too pedicure ignorant to know whether our feet were that bad that we really did need it, or they just knew we were easy targets.

Another highlight was the water park. You can tell how much we enjoyed it in the video below. That last ride caused C to lose his voice for a week!

Christian, Addie and I in the wave pool.

We spent quite a few hours on the Wii- enough to cause some muscle soreness! Half the fun is creating your profile. The similarity is quite remarkable, no?

C-dawg throwin down some tasty grooves on Guitar Hero.

If you're really bored check out this video clip of a late night storm that blew through while we were there.

Thanks so much for having us, C&H! You guys are fantastic hosts. Your girls are so sweet. You have a beautiful home and family. Already looking forward to next time!

Not from OKC, but just a funny pic from the pool the other day, playing with the waterproof camera.

The Chute

2008-06-18T23:29:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post an update including my visit to Oklahoma over Memorial Day weekend, but I still haven't put the pics on my pc yet. Soon.

In the meantime, I had an awesome run Sunday with my friend Jeff on an exciting class IV section of the Kaweah River. I actually made "Picture of the Day" on the Kaweah River dot org website http://c2.com/kaweah/picturesoftheday/pictureoftheday_6-15-08.jpg because the webmaster helped us with the shuttle and took pics as we went by his house. Thanks Bill!

This particular rapid is great- crazy fun, with pretty low risk. This is the first time I've run it without flipping.

Settin' up, and aiming for the "tongue." Last time I tried this rapid, I almost went straight into that boulder- the absolute worst line due to the pin potential.

Boom baby! Can you spot my paddle? =) My little boat doesn't have the volume to avoid getting buried.

All right, so I wasn't facing downstream the whole time, but I stayed upright =)

Jeff and I.

Sadly, it's the tail end of the season. The snow pack is almost gone and the rivers are dropping fast. This coming weekend will probably be the last for natural flows. Fortunately, there are a number of reservoirs with controlled releases so there will be more paddling opportunities through the summer. I'll just have to drive a bit farther.

Quilt unveiling, men's breakfast

2008-04-20T22:13:00.000-07:00

I broke from my routine work and play and did a couple of out of the ordinary things this weekend:

-Friday night I went to the annual Victim's Memorial Quilt Unveiling, sponsored by my office, and held at the Visalia Convention Center. Every year families of recent victims of violent crime are given the opportunity to remember their loved one in a special way. Each family gets a quilt square on which to put pictures, thoughts, or prayers. The quilt is then put together by a local volunteer, and the unveiling ceremony is a chance for the community to pull together and bear one another's burden. Violent crime can splinter a community, but a function like this can work to overcome that tendency and turn a tragedy into something that unites. There was a surprising amount of songs, words, and prayers during the program about God, faith, and hope. It seems even the government tends to disregard separation of church and state in times of intense loss. (Remember on 9-11 when members of Congress spontaneously sang God Bless America and, as I recall, Amazing Grace, on the steps of the Capitol?). For me, it was a great opportunity to mourn with those who mourn, something I don't often experience. I saved the lapel ribbon from the event- it says "Justice For Victims, Justice For All"- and stuck it on my door so I'm reminded why I do what I do when I leave my apartment for work each day.

-Saturday morning I attended another annual event, the Iron Men's Breakfast sponsored by a local church. The speaker was an ex-con who cheated lots of people out of lots of money and did prison time before Christ transformed his life. His testimony was inspiring, and it was encouraging to be part of such a large group of like minded men (over 500 in attendance). Assistant DA Bill Yoshimoto did a great job recruiting prosecutors from our office, and we ended up with like 30 DA's there.

On another note, my friend Matthew uploaded some additional pictures from last weekend's climb of Mt. Silliman on his blog. Interestingly, his blog has more pictures of me, and mine has more including him. We should probably just swap cameras before the next trip =). Anyway, if you want to see a few more, including some spectacular sunset shots, check out his blog at http://thatlooksspicy.blogspot.com/ or additional pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/SMRVultures/MountSilliman2008 .

Mt. Silliman

2008-04-16T23:10:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I joined two friends from SMR for an overnight trek up Mt. Silliman, in the national park. We were blessed with fantastic weather- the Valley was hit with the season's first heat wave (95 degrees!), but temps at 11 thousand feet were very mild. It dropped below freezing overnight, but was probably around 60 during the day.

I love playing, hiking, and camping in the snow!

Breakfast was instant oatmeal and cream of wheat. About 6:30 Sunday morning.

The ultraviolet exposure and solar radiation at altitude is reflected (and seemingly magnified) by the snow. I hydrate like crazy, wear a full brimmed hat, sunglasses, and sun-block, and still get chapped lips and burn. And the funny thing is you can burn in odd places, like the undersides of your arms, chin, and nose, from the reflection off the snow.

Mathew in the foreground, Tony following. Knowing how to self-arrest allows you to stop yourself in the event of a fall so the rocks at the bottom of the slope don't =).

Another handy bit of knowledge: approaching an edge like this, you want to be fairly certain that the snow is not actually a cornice- jutting out with nothing supporting it underneath. I've come a long way since my extreme fear of heights as a kid, but I still get queasy around 1000' verticals like this.
I don't know why I keep doing the arm-raise thing. It's like a universal summit pose or something...

We dug a pretty cool snow cave. I'm not sure how deep the snow was where we camped just over 10,000 feet, because we never actually hit bottom.

Gretel- the proper introduction

2008-04-07T22:13:00.001-07:00

While I'm normally fairly well grounded in reality, I happen to be a firm believer in the myriad of benefits attributable to naming your cars based on their personality. Now that I think about it, there really aren't a myriad of benefits. No tangible benefit at all actually- it's just fun. My Subaru was Fiona, as in the princess from the movie Shrek. The Escort station wagon didn't really deserve a name. It was always just an in-between car. I've been tossing around a few different possibilities for the new VW. I even went so far as to do a Google search which turned up the Top 25 German Baby Names for girls.

The finalists were Freda, Gretchen, and Gretel. I got some input from friends last night and the winner is Gretel. I'm surprised at the number of reasons justifying this choice that came to light with just a little thought:

The car's a GTI. This incorporates several of the letters of the name Gretel. The name conjures up images of the fairy tale Hansel and Gretel. I find that charming. My last car's name was also from a fairy tale, so I sort of have a theme going here. Plus, my memory of Gretel (in the story) is that of a an energetic and spunky youth with a thirst for adventure/exploring, and who has a penchant for getting into trouble. Same with my car.

Plus, Hansel is the dude in the story, and I'm the dude in the car. And Hansel sounds kind of like Handsome Eddie, which is an old nickname of mine. So it's quite obvious, I'm sure you'll agree, that the name is exceptionally fitting! =)

GTI, Park Boundary run, kiddie court

2008-04-06T23:27:00.000-07:00

I bought a new car! Well, new for me anyway. It's an '05 GTI VR6. My fondness for Veedubs stems from childhood memories of road trips with 6 people and 2 dogs in a VW Rabbitt, watching/helping Dad replace the glow plugs or do other engine work, being able to hear the distinctive diesel rumble coming home from half a mile away, riding shotgun and being allowed to shift and steer on country roads while Mom worked only the pedals. We owned a number of Volkswagons growing up, and they were all good cars- practical, fun to drive, and economical to purchase, fuel, and maintain.

My new car falls only partially within that description: fun to drive? Oh yeah =). We're talking six speed manual, just over 200 ponies, and no turbo lag in a compact hatchback. Economical to purchase, fuel, and maintain? Not so much. Granted I got it for significantly less than blue book value. But it was still more than I've ever spent on anything, and it only took one trip to the VW service center to learn that with these new cars you can hardly do anything on them yourself, and the people who do work on them are anything but cheap. Everything's a trade off, I guess. I like the car, and the way I see it- a lawyer with no girlfriend oughta be able to afford a "poor man's BMW," right?

I added a Thule rack system with kayak haulers over the weekend.

Now I'll be able to throw 2 or 3 or 4 boats on the roof.

sorry about the blur. That's what happens with no-flash and no tripod. If you can't see it, the speedo goes all the way up to 160. I'm sensing a trip back to Death Valley to see how close to that the car can actually get. A few other luxurious features I'm still getting used to are heated seats and mirrors, speed sensitive volume on the stereo system, and leather. Love the leather!

Enough about the car. Whitewater still consumes as much time as I can manage to spare from work. Saturday I hit the Park Boundary run on the Kaweah river. Which means that I've now paddled all of the Kaweah from inside Sequoia National Park all the way to the terminus reservoir. I'm in the market for a second boat- one with more volume and stability as I progress to more challenging water. Plus with a second set of gear I'll be able to take out friends and family who have an interest in the sport.

This particular run has 15 rapids in half a mile. Boredom not likely!

"The Chute." Gateway run, Kaweah River. Right side up and looking good!

Not so good =). My stern is up out of the water in this picture because I'm bouncing off a rock with my head. Thank God for helmets!

Kayaking buddies Evan and Gene on Brush Creek. When I tried the same thing I somehow managed to fall into the crack we were portaging. Other than a bruised elbow, I was unhurt (much to the amazement of Evan and Gene).

Work is intense but rewarding. I won my second jury trial recently. Getting guilty verdicts on all counts was probably more satisfying because I lost my first trial. (No blog post about that because I was seriously bummed out for about a month =). I have one more week in my current assignment, and then I'm getting transferred to our Juvenile Division, which should prove interesting. Kiddie Court is serious biz- I'll be getting my first exposure to felonies of all types and degrees. Local gangs doing drive-by's often give the gun to a 16 or 17 yr old because they know the consequences if caught will be less severe for a juvie. Probably the biggest difference between juvenile and adult criminal law is that juvie proceedings are all confidential. No juries, no trials, no convictions- only "jurisdictional hearings" and "adjudications." California believes strongly in rehabilitating young offenders and giving them every chance to improve/succeed.

This pic pretty much sums up what I've been doing primarily the last few months.

In other news:
-Over four weekends in March I completed an 80 hour search and rescue academy put on by the sheriff's office. It's required in order to respond to out-of-county call outs. (With my current work schedule that's not likely to happen, but it was still good instruction and useful for local SAR ops too.)

-I've made some new friends at a new weekly Bible study.

-I'm still rejoicing with my brother in his miraculous answer to prayer. If you haven't heard the story, check it out on his blog at http://printscharmingphotography.com/blog/.

-I ran into a former client at the supermarket tonight. His case is still ongoing, and he wasn't happy when I told him I switched jobs.

-I haven't played Ultimate in a while and that makes me sad.

-I'm going to Oklahoma next month to visit family, and that makes me very happy.

-My 6 month LASIK checkup is coming up. I don't think I blogged about that. Long story short- I had the procedure done in October, my vision is much improved, and I love not having to wear contacts or glasses anymore.

All the stuff I can forget about, at least until I hit 40 and need reading glasses.

Shortly after the procedure. And in case you're wondering. No, it doesn't really hurt, but you are conscious, and they do use metal tools to pry your eyelids open way past normal, and they do stick powerful suction cups on your eyeballs...

-The springtime weather has been beautiful lately. Honestly, I haven't touched my thermostat in months.

On the drive to the Kaweah, the town of Three Rivers, and Sequoia National Park

A common springtime view in agricultural Tulare County.

unPATRIOTic (just for today)

2008-02-03T13:17:00.000-08:00

History shmistory. I don't care if they're 18 and 0. The Dolphins already achieved perfection. Besides, the Giants are the underdogs, and if I hear one more person drool on about Tom Brady I'm gonna puke. Just throwing out my $.02. Go Giants!

No such thing as a stupid question? Yeah right!

2008-02-01T17:32:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time I was really embarrassed about anything. I'm talking about the kind of burning embarrassment where you can actually feel the blood rushing to your face without anybody having to point it out. Until today, that is.

The DA's office in Tulare County is known for providing excellent training. Our office is certified by the state bar to have our trainings count towards mandatory continuing legal education (MCLE) requirements for active attorneys. We usually do trainings on Friday afternoons, and the last two weeks have been an intriguing course called "Homicide on Call," dealing with a multitude of issues surrounding homicide investigations and prosecutions. The course has been videotaped, and instruction has been provided by senior attorneys within our office as well as outside experts from different agencies within the county. My goal in attending, as in most of what I've been doing the past three weeks, has been to learn as much as I can without screwing up too badly.

The final speaker today got up and started explaining the county's witness relocation and assistance program. When he was finished he inquired if there were any questions. I noted that he hadn't specified who he was with and whether the program was administered through our office's Bureau of Investigations or another agency, perhaps the Tulare County Sheriff’s Office. After a moment's hesitation, I raised my hand and asked him to clarify. To my dismay the courtroom (yeah, we were meeting in one of the courtrooms) erupted in laughter. Apparently this particular instructor has been with our office since like forever and nobody could believe that this new kid would pose such an inane question. Amidst the chuckles and giggles I could hear supervising attorneys and senior deputies from the other side of the room saying, "Who was that?" "That's [and here's where my first and last name get inserted, only I'm leaving them out because the last thing I need at this point is for anybody from the office (besides Darla, who, coincidentally, I met today and whose parents in Michigan somehow found my blog and asked her about it) stumbling across this blog through a Google search for "Idiot".]"

So yeah, I was embarrassed. But what are ya gonna do, right? They say you shouldn't worry about what people think of you, but I think it's only natural for someone who's launching a new career to want to be well received by their peers, especially when those peers are professionals. I think I distinguished myself today- unfortunately it was not in a positive way. All I could do was shake the guy's hand afterwards, ask him to please excuse my ignorance, and explain that I've been in the office a total of three weeks and I'm still trying to get everyone straight and figure out what's going on (in an office with over 200 people including 70 plus attorneys in four different branches).

Anyway, I actually have some positive work-related items to blog about, most notable of which is that I have two trials scheduled for next week- one a court trial involving driving on a suspended license, which will probably end up getting postponed; the other is a DUI case with a defendant who is in custody and has asserted his right to a speedy jury trial, so it's on! I'm excited about it and will be doing trial prep this weekend, but right now I'm off to Fresno to play mindless video games with friends. If you've got an embarrassing tale of your own, be sure to post a comment about it so I can laugh at somebody else for a change

Jordan Peak

2008-01-28T03:00:00.000-08:00

It takes something out of the ordinary to get me up before 5 am, especially on a Saturday, but SMR (Sequoia Mountain Rescue) training on Saturday was worth it, as usual. We met at 0600 hours in the small town of Springville, nestled in the Sierra Nevada foothills at an elevation of 1,000'. With one stop to add snow chains, we made it to our starting point just as the sun was starting to show. Once again, the "SMR curse" was with us- we always seem to have fantastic weather every time we go out. I haven't had the chance to train with the team in really inclement or severe weather yet, and that's precisely the weather we're most likely to get called out to operate in. (update: the storm system that had been projected for earlier in the week arrived hours after we left =)

Regardless, it was a fantastic day. Eleven team members climbed approx 2500' to summit Jordan Peak. Most of us wore snowshoes, but several team members used telemark and Randonee skis to climb, and of course, to descend. Until I moved out here I never really knew how backcountry skiers actually got uphill. The trick is that they use removable climbing "skins" which attach to the bottom of each ski and provide friction for ascending. I even got to try it out for a while. I don't consider myself much of a skier, but I've been to a few resorts, and I'll tell ya it's certainly a different experience trying to ski in deep powder in heavily wooded terrain with a large pack. Thankfully the soft snow and warm dry clothes made my many face and butt plants more embarrassing than painful.

The others were happy to let me break trail most of the way up. There's something special about being the first one to put tracks in a pristine and breathtaking environment.
The air quality was so good we could identify lots of features in the Valley, and even see some of the Coast Range.

We dug a snow pit for avalanche assessment. A snow pit provides for snowpack evaluation and the opportunity for different types of tests to determine stability.

Click on any picture above to make it larger, or click on the buttons below to play a short video clip.

double identity theft, etc

2008-01-23T22:11:00.000-08:00

I just checked a Sierra weather forecast, and it's calling for snow accumulation of 4 to 72 inches overnight. How cool is that! It'll certainly make Saturday's avalanche assessment training with Sequoia Mountain Rescue interesting.

My car was broken into Monday night. The thieves stole my radar detector. I haven't been too concerned about tickets in my new clunker, so I wasn't all that upset. Besides, in my new line of work maybe I shouldn't be driving around with a device aimed at circumventing law enforcement (my boss raised an eyebrow when he saw it the other day =). A spare credit card I used to keep in the glove box for emergencies was also taken. A call to the credit card company confirmed that several unauthorized charges were attempted. The company was great about cancelling the charges and offering a new card with a different number, but not so great about cancelling the account entirely, which is what I wanted to do. I gave up after they put me on hold 5 times transferring me to six different people.

The weirdest thing is that my insurance and registration info was stolen. I couldn't figure out why someone would do that- all I could think of was that it was like a new kind of identity theft- for cars instead of people. I checked the bottom left corner of the windshield. Sure enough, the VIN plate was gone. I've read enough police reports on vehicle code violations the last few weeks to know that there are countless unlicenced and uninsured drivers out there who would be happy to provide a citing officer with false info during a traffic stop. I've filed a police report and now my car's VIN is reported stolen. That'll really up the resale value, as anybody who runs a CarFax or other vehicle history report on it will attest.

I'm kind of pissed off. I don't think I've ever been the victim of a crime before. I feel helpless and angry. I wish I'd walked outside and caught whoever it was in the act. Maybe the cops will be able to trace the credit card use or VIN or something and make an arrest. I would love to testify as a witness in the case (I'd have to recuse myself from being the prosecutor). I'll probably just settle for going back to work tomorrow putting the bad guys in jail with renewed vigor.

Anyway, enough of that- I'm getting depressed.

I went snow camping with two friends Sunday into Monday. We had a great time despite temperatures dropping into the teens overnight. A few pictures:

Lodgepole visitor center in Sequoia National Park. Last year was an extremely dry year- the Sierra snowpack was only about 30% of normal. This season is shaping up to be a good one for snowsports (and kayaking come Spring!).

My friends Sean Trimble and Brian Hutchins. Both DA's. Sean and I share an office, which makes for quite a bit of confusion regarding names. The good news is that even though my new business cards haven't come in yet, I can just take some of his and scratch out the last name. =)

We didn't take tents or tarps, instead opting to build a snow shelter. Fun stuff! I don't think I'll ever outgrow playing in the snow.

Snow is a great insulator. A well built snow cave or shelter can be surprisingly warm- well above freezing even! They take some time to build, but can offer more warmth and protection than a tent. What you see in these pictures isn't a great example because we were short on tools and time, but I didn't freeze, and that's pretty much the point.

I never get tired of these views.

A helmet story

2008-01-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

I have a number of friends who insist on teasing me that my obsession with paddling around in a 6.5' yellow plastic boat is something less than heterosexual. They're just jealous, of course, but still, when I went out and bought a lacrosse helmet the other day for kayaking, I didn't exactly help to shut them up. Until now I've been using my climbing helmet, but I wanted to get something with a grill attached to protect my face (which, as anyone who's seen Ashton Kutcher in the new Cheaper by the Dozen movie can attest, "is the real moneymaker"). Observe:

Anyway, last weekend's severe weather in the Central Valley caused a number of local rivers to spike, and I got the chance to paddle a big chunk of the Kaweah River with some buddies on Sunday. It was my first time using the new helmet, and it paid for itself the first time out. The flows and features on the river were very challenging for my limited skill level, and though I made it downriver without any swims or portages, I did get just a little beat up. One of the times I flipped I smacked my head against a submerged rock hard enough to crack my neck. When I got home I was looking my helmet over and here's what I found:

The grill looked new when I got it. So basically, I don't care what you think, I'm saying it was a good investment! (Additionally, Monday was my first day of work at a new job, and though I wanted to make an impression, I don't think a broken nose or gash in the face would have been the best way to do it.) The end.

Chorro Grande Trail

2008-01-08T20:45:00.000-08:00

After catching a red-eye back to CA on New Year's Eve, I spent the following day hanging out with my friend Mark. He had the excellent idea of going on a little hike. I've been in the Sierra's quite a bit now but it was nice to hike in some of California's other mountains. We were in the Coastal Range near the town of Ojai. Some pics:

These mountains aren't nearly as high as the Sierra peaks, but still scenic.

Just messing with the digital color filter on my camera.

Christmas, etc

2008-01-08T20:34:00.001-08:00

A few pics from my Christmas vacation:

Mom, Dad and I taking a walk near home late afternoon, Christmas Day. Thanks for a wonderful vacation guys!

I still like playing around with the pretty cool macro mode on my new camera. If you enlarge this pic you can see the reflection of the camera lens in Mom's pupil =)

PA had a little bit of snow while I was there, and a pretty big ice storm shortly before I arrived.

Spreading some new stone on the driveway. Always a fun family project.

I like this picture of my good buddy Ben. We squeezed quite a few Halo games into a short amount of time...

happy birthday c-dawg!

2007-12-13T14:57:00.001-08:00

In honor of Christian's birthday I'm posting some pictures from our 2004 Trinidad trip. Great memories! Christian, It's awesome to witness God's blessing on your family and your business. I hope it continues for a long time to come. I love you my man, and I love having you as my brother.

I'm not sure what's scarier- the eyes or all that chest hair... (had to post at least one embarrassing pic =)

fishing with Grandpa

relaxing in the heated pool after a hard afternoon's work fishing

C-dawg and Crazy-hair
Mr. Cool above Port of Spain, Trinidad

Helping me with my camera. It's awesome having a professional photographer in the fam!

snorkeling (actually just getting smashed up by the surf) at the family beach house

Happy Birthday Bro! I hope it's fantastic.

Dylan and I, Sequoia Nat'l Park

2007-11-26T21:52:00.000-08:00

My friend Dylan and I visited the national park Saturday and did a little sightseeing and rappelling.

On the way up Moro Rock. Dylan had never been up here and he's moving to Florida in a few weeks. This is one of my favorite places to bring people, so if you come visit we may end up here.

Moro Rock

Tunnel Log

Dylan had never rappelled before, so I gave him a crash course and sent him off a 20 or 25 foot ledge (with a belay, of course)

The moon coming up was really beautiful, but the lighting made getting a good shot really difficult. My old camera (the non-waterproof one) had a better night mode. This was the best I could do.

SMR November training

2007-11-26T21:25:00.000-08:00

This month the team went to The Needles, one of the most popular climbing areas in CA, and simulated a victim evacuation. It's hard to describe how exhausting it is to haul a loaded litter on difficult terrain. Normally I have plenty of energy for this stuff, but by the end of the day I was completely worn out! For the last couple miles, we reached a trail and got to fasten a large wheel under the load, which helps to support at least some of the weight. It was a very realistic and necessary training, but one which I think none of hope to repeat anytime soon! We started our day at 0630 and didn't get out until after dark. Some pictures:

The Needles attracts climbers from all over the world. In this picture you can see some climbing partners from near Barcelona, Spain (red arrows; click the pic to make it bigger). The lead climber has already topped out, and the other is working his way up the third and final pitch. I thought they were fun to watch, but they apparently thought the same of us. After they completed their climb they watched and filmed us rigging and using a high line system.

The area gets its name because it's comprised of a series of massive granite needle-like spires.

Randy and Ed manning the lower end of our high line.

When the daylight and our energy levels started to fade we took Matthew out of the litter and instead filled it with some of our extra gear. In a real call-out we would probably just stash the gear and come back for it later.

Teamwork!

South Fork American River

2007-11-26T20:35:00.001-08:00

After not paddling for a couple months, I got the chance to get out on two consecutive weekends. We went back to the South Fork American River, and I noticed that I was a lot more comfortable than before. My goal is to be ready for class IV water on my local run, the Kaweah, by the time the spring thaw rolls around. Just a few pics, and a clip of some real wave surfing.

Rafts have priority over kayaks. We move out of the way when they pass through and then go back to playing. I know lots of people have fun rafting, but kayaking is so much better! You're more in the water than on it. You can stay and play at any feature on the river, whereas in a raft you're just along for the ride, and once you pass that big wave or hole, that's it.

This guy was going down the river with a Carlson board (basically a big beefy boogie board) and flippers. Pretty cool!

I like the contrast of colors. A few months into the sport, and after seeing a lot of other boats, I have absolutely no regrets on choosing a Jackson Fun kayak.

This is the line of paddlers waiting their turn in First Threat. It sucks to work your way up from the back of the line and then have a crummy ride (or fail to catch the wave at all, which I did three times in a row =).

playing at Maya wave.

This is a great example of what more experienced kayakers can do on a decent wave. The first paddler you see, in the baby blue helmet, is a girl- unfortunately she's not in our kayak club =)

new car

2007-11-26T19:58:00.000-08:00

I've purchased a 1997 Ford Escort LX. Yep, it's old, it's slow, and it's a station wagon. I'm pretty sure I'm going to get a lot fewer speeding tickets in this bad boy. Cops don't notice me, and I've noticed that other drivers are more courteous to me. I really liked driving my Subie, but having a fun/fast car really does cost in almost every way. It costs more in gas, more to insure, more to maintain and repair. When you have a "beater" car you don't have to worry about scratches, theft, or keeping it clean =). A few associates have commented that in my line of work, image is important, and I think there may be something to that (my boss has requested that I start parking at least a block from the office =). If your lawyer pulls up to court in a Yugo, you have to wonder how good he is at what he does. So, I plan on getting something better before too long, but I just couldn't find any good deals on the makes/models I was interested in, and the rental car tab was starting to add up. The price was right on the Escort- I may be able to sell it in a few months for the same price I paid. Here are some pics:

Bringing sexy back! This thing is a chick MAGNET, and I haven't even added 20" spinners yet...

Actually it's not in bad shape for a ten year old car. And I can haul a few kayaks in/on it.

Moke River

2007-11-15T18:19:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday I paddled on the Mokelumne River about 3 hours from home with two friends from the kayak club. Most of the rivers aren't runnable this time of year, but the Moke is one of the rivers whose flow is controlled by dam releases. We had a great time.

This entry method is called a seal launch. The concrete is a water diverter to break up the water coming from the dam. I did it first and then filmed Larry and Dan coming down.If you view this clip on my new camera you can watch it in reverse, which is quite amusing.

Here's Larry and I trying to surf a small wave. It's actually easier to surf a larger wave because the face of the wave will be steeper making it less likely the paddler gets "flushed" out or off. I missed it the first time but had a fun little run on my second attempt before getting flipped. It really is like surfing in that once you're properly balanced on the wave you really don't need your paddle and you can turn simply by leaning, or in paddler lingo, practicing good "edge control."

This is me approaching the Devil's Toiletbowl rapid, with a little too much speed and off balance (trying to avoid a rock just to my left).

Dropping off the ledge...

failing to keep my weight over the bow...

This side of the boat is supposed to be in the water =)

Here's what it looked like on video. The first paddler through is Larry, demonstrating what it's supposed to look like. The second paddler through is me showing what not to do and getting some more rolling practice in!

Dan and Larry, nearing the take-out. Since we drove only one vehicle up there, I volunteered to do the bike shuttle to retrieve the car from the put-in. So after paddling 6 or so river miles, I rode 8 or so miles on Larry's bicycle (which we had previously stashed at the take-out) back to the car. And since water runs downhill, it was an uphill ride. The fun on the river made it absolutely worth it though. I got a few other clips from the day, but the upload times are too frustrating! I also spent a few hours trying to create an actual highlight film using Windows Movie Maker or something but gave up on that too =).

a pretty big crash

2007-11-04T21:22:00.000-08:00

Well if you've been wondering what it's gonna take to get me blogging again, wonder no more. Yesterday I was involved in a huge traffic collision on the highway. I'm fortunate to have walked away without a scratch, but I do believe it's time to say goodbye to my faithful Subaru. There's quite a bit of media coverage on the incident, since it involved over a hundred vehicles including 13 big rigs, and closed a major California N/S corridor for over twelve hours.

I had pulled off the road as far as I could and stopped, thinking I was in the clear. Turns out I was wrong about that, but at least it's absolutely clear for insurance purposes that I wasn't at fault. I don't know whether to feel lucky or guilty that one of the fatalities (a five year old boy) occurred in the car less than twenty feet behind me, which absorbed much of the impact of the oil tanker that was out of control and heading my way.

Even a tragedy as horrific as this has its bright spots, however. I was stuck at the scene for more than six hours while they tried to sort out the mess, and had plenty of time to get to know my fellow motorists. I was able to hold hands with complete strangers from the cars around me and pray, for the victims, the rescuers, and their families. It's amazing how an event like this can bring people together. At the beginning we were exchanging information simply for insurance purposes, but by the time I left we were exchanging well-wishes and hugs. I even got an invite to Thanksgiving dinner, and that was from the lady who was a passenger in the car I had plowed into (after being impacted from behind and projected forward). One of the CHP officers observed our little group and approached asking, "Are you guys family?" Todd, who was driving the Suburban that did a nice little number on my passenger side, responded, "We are now!"

I snapped a couple of pictures with my cell phone. This one, which I took less than ten minutes after the crash, shows the fog at the time that was a major contributing factor:

You can see my yellow kayak in the passenger seat of my car at right. I had been on my way to meet some folks from the kayak club and do some paddling on the Merced River. Probably the oddest moment of the day came when, right before they loaded my car onto the tow truck, I pulled out my boat and paddle and carried it across the broken glass on the freeway in front of fire fighters, police, and paramedics. Talk about out of place...!

A couple more pics:

Well, that's it for now. I want to do some car shopping online before I call it a night. Any suggestions on preferred makes and models will be duly considered =). Give your family an extra big hug today and tell your friends how much they mean to you- you never know what tomorrow holds!

Sawtooth Peak

2007-09-25T13:42:00.001-07:00

I got a chance to tackle another Sierra summit the other day. The short version-I went with my friends Matthew and Kristi. We camped near the trail head and made a day-hike of it. We were successful, stayed safe, and had a blast. I forgot my camera but Mathew hooked me up with a few pics.

Mathew and I. Sawtooth Peak is the sawtooth-shaped peak (oddly enough) in the background above my head.

Getting closer. There were a couple of pretty lakes around this bend.

Kristi and I, almost there. The last half a mile or so was quite a scramble!

Sittin' on top of the world. Well, actually just 12,342', but it felt like it.

Chili Bar, pool rolls

2007-09-02T23:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I paddled the “Chili Bar” run on the South Fork of the American River, outside of Sacramento. This is a hugely popular run (one source calls it the most popular stretch of whitewater west of the Rockies), but despite it being a holiday weekend, it really wasn’t too crowded- a few rafts, a few kayakers. It was a great chance for me to get into some more challenging water. Several rapids were class III or III+, with one IV. And the names of the rapids didn’t exactly inspire confidence- we’re talking names like Meatgrinder, Triple Threat, Troublemaker, and Satan’s Cesspool.

Here’s what my friend Larry told me in an e-mail before we went:

“You should prepare yourself, mentally, for a swim. I don't expect you to swim this weekend. The river is at a skill level that you'll be challenged, but will do well. I'm just mentioning the swim because you haven't had one yet. A swim isn't indicative of your skill level at all. "Everybody" swims. It's just a matter of when. I hate swimming. If I hadn't thought I was going to pass out last week I wouldn't have gotten out of my boat.”

“My head continued to swell up the next day to a baseball sized welt. The area around the back of my ear got swollen later too. I didn't do anything the next couple of days. Almost all of the swelling is gone and it is just a little tender now. As soon as the seizures stop I'll be good to go. Just kidding.”

Obviously Larry has a sense of humor. When we were on the Kings River last week he flipped and smacked his head hard against a rock. That’s what he was talking about in the e-mail above. Now you may think, “What’s the big deal about swimming?” I personally love to swim. But while swimming is a great sport and recreation in its own right, it’s to be avoided if at all possible when you’re paddling whitewater. Unless you like bruising your knees, tailbone, and elbows, that is. Not to mention the delightful possibilities associated with foot entrapments.

Anyway, on the river yesterday I rolled a number of times, but thankfully I didn’t have to swim. We had a fantastic day, and the 3 hour’s drive each way from Fresno was totally worth it. I think we paddled about 11 miles all told. Daniel, another experienced paddler from the kayak club, gave me some tips on how to do a “stern squirt,” and Larry loaned me a basic playboating DVD, so I’ve got plenty of material to work on in the pool.

Me right after I got flushed out of Chili Bar hole.

Trying to surf a hole. I'm leaning back to try to keep my upstream edge (bow) from getting driven under.

"Maya," a famous surf wave on this run. If you're good you can just sit there all day with very little effort.

Larry and I.

Not sure where this one was at. Looks like I'm about to go under.

Here's another kayaker getting buried in Chili Bar Hole. When we came back to the put-in to complete the shuttle, the dam release for the day was over and the water level had dropped so much that all you could see where this hole had been was a big boulder just upstream.

Dad was asking me about my “Eskimo roll.” I managed to get a clip in the pool earlier today. I also have a clip from the river yesterday but for some reason it won't upload properly.

kayaking and other fun stuff

2007-08-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

I keep waiting to get better pictures, but I think I should just post the ones I have. My new favorite thing to do is whitewater kayaking. Here's my boat:

I joined a local kayak club, which, like Sequoia Mountain Rescue, has proven an invaluable resource for like-minded enthusiasts with the knowledge and experience to enjoy the outdoors as safely as possible. They have a website with some great video clips of local Sierra rivers. You can check it out at http://www.kayak559.com/. I've made a few friends already. I've been practicing my roll and other techniques in the swimming pool at home and I'm getting more comfortable in class II and III water. (If you've ever rafted, it's an entirely different proposition when you're sitting much lower in a six-and-a-half foot boat.) Here's a few pictures of a section of the Kings river I ran on Tuesday.

I'm still enjoying the opportunity to be involved with SMR. This month's training was at Buck Rock in Kings Canyon National Park. There's a fire tower there which is basically a one room cabin perched high upon a granite spire. The forest service and volunteers have manned it every season since the early 1900's, I believe. You can climb the stairs and check it out, which is pretty amazing. The volunteer fire spotter explained to us that the wooden stool with glass capacitor-type things attached to the four feet was to be sat on in the middle of the room during lightning storms. Now THAT would be an experience!

Anyway, for our one-day training we practiced low angle litter skills and rounded out the day with some rock climbing nearby. I climbed a section of rock more difficult than anything I had climbed before. It was a rush! At the crux, I hissed "watch me!" to my belayer, which is climber lingo for "I'm about to fall and you better be ready to catch me," but I managed to find a hand hold with my left hand just as my right was about to give out. I don't have climbing pictures yet, but here's a few of the low angle litter evac scenarios we reviewed that morning.

I got back today from a short mountaineering trip I took with two friends from SMR. Chuck and Ed are both in their fifties and are in incredible shape. As I sit here typing this, I'm dealing with some serious muscle soreness! Anyway, the objective of this trip was to climb Split Mountain, one of CA's fifteen mountains over 14,000'. Split is located on the East side of the Sierra, only about 70 air miles from Visalia, but to get there we had to drive through Walker Pass, about four hours and a couple hundred miles each way. Thursday we made it to the trail head (an experience in itself- 45 minutes of bone-rattling off-roading), and climbed 4,000 feet to our base camp at Red Lake. Friday we started early and climbed another 4,000 feet, making the summit by 11:30 am. The route we took is classified as class III, which basically means that we were doing a lot of scrambling over steep rock, talus, and loose scree, but it was possible to do without technical gear. That's not to say that you couldn't tumble for a long ways if you slipped, and one section in particular had what Ed described as a serious "pucker factor." =). We returned to base camp yesterday afternoon exhilarated but exhausted, and went to bed early, hiking out and driving home today. The legendary sierra weather was true to form, with clear skies and moderate temps the entire time. I walked on a glacier and drank untreated water from its runoff, which was a first! It was a great trip, and although I've been up a couple of fourteeners in Colorado, this was my first in CA. I certainly hope it's not my last!

East face of Split

closer

Ed topping off his water bladder from the glacial runoff.

The area in the valley that looks like gravel with ripples in it is a glacial moraine. Pretty amazing- I've never seen one before. (mo·raine, n. An accumulation of boulders, stones, or other debris carried and deposited by a glacier. )

Summit shot. I got really agressive with the sunblock, lip balm, and hydration, and I felt pretty good overall. Slight headache above 13,000', which is pretty normal. Camping at over 10,000' helped us to acclimate.

Ed and Chuck at the summit.

Me at the summit.

The three of us (I remembered my mini tripod =).

Chuck negotiating his way through down the West face of the mountain.

A steep chute we had to get through. It was more challenging than it looks in this picture!

4 days in the high Sierra

2007-07-03T20:28:00.000-07:00

I took a couple of days off and went backpacking with four teammates from SMR from Friday morning to Monday afternoon. It was fantastic to dig out all my old gear and get outdoors. I did an overnighter as part of a team training over the winter, but this was the first real backpacking trip since I finished the AT last year. We camped above 10,000 feet in elevation two of the 3 nights, and hiked over 11,000 feet the last two days. We also spent almost half the time navigating cross-country, with no trail underfoot, which was a new and exciting experience for me. The high Sierra is truly awe-inspiring. We saw more animals than people, and everybody had a great time notwithstanding the typical blisters and soreness. I felt surprisingly good, and didn't feel the need for any Vitamin I (ibuprofen =). Here's our trip in pics:

The first day out our destination was a ranger station and campsite just over 11 miles in. There are no roads anywhere around, and we learned that station is resupplied twice weekly by pack mule. We encountered the mule train on their way out from Bearpaw Meadow Ranger Station, and it felt like something right out of the 1800's. There were three cowboys, and each rode a horse and led anywhere from four to six mules behind. They pack in food, clean linens, and propane, and pack out trash, dirty linens, and empty propane cylinders. We were taking a break and getting water at a stream just out of the picture here when they came by.

Here are Kristi and Matthew somewhere along the High Sierra Trail. We didn't see many Giant Sequoia trees, but there was still an abundance of other mammoth pines and other trees.

On the trail to Elizabeth Pass.

I wore this hat every single day and still got toasted by the sun. For two days we were above tree line and there was basically no shade. The thin air at that elevation doesn't filter much of the sun's UV rays either, and it was all I could do to keep from burning. I've never used so much sunscreen!
The wildflowers were everywhere. I really should get a picture guide to Sierra wildflowers so I can start identifying them.

We came across this grove of gnarled and weather-beaten pines after we left the trail and started climbing cross-country to an alpine lake to camp for the night.

Navigating one of many talus fields we encountered. Can you spot four people in this picture? Click on this (or any other) pic to make it larger. Granite everywhere! I'm pretty sure there will never be a shortage of granite ever so if you're wanting to replace your counter top, go right ahead.

This is called alpenglow, and it's magnificent. Unfortunately another mountain was blocking most of the sun in this particular shot. I got better ones later.

Yeah baby!!! This was probably the highlight of the trip for me- jumping in a pristine alpine lake. The water is pure snowmelt, and it's a sight to see. You can see in the top of this pic that not all the snow has melted. Needless to say the water was cold. One of the guys had a waterproof watch with a thermometer and it registered the water temp at fifty-five degrees.

The water was so clear! I picked up a rock and threw it about 20 feet out in to the lake, and I could see exactly where it came to rest.

A cozy little campsite.

This was the lake we stayed at Sunday night- Moose Lake. Again, it's over 10,000' and no trails lead to it so it's really quiet. I put up my tarp just to get some shade from the baking afternoon sun. The Sierras are famous for exceptional weather. Temps during the day were in the 70's I believe, and dropping into the 40's at night. There were a few mosquitoes, but they were manageable.

Alpenglow as seen from Moose Lake.

Sunset over Moose Lake, Sequoia National Park.

I snapped this one from my sleeping bag early Monday morning. It was just starting to get light but the full moon was still clearly visible. The moon was full or almost full every night, and it was bright! With no trees around we could have easily hiked at night without artificial light. I never turned on my headlamp once the whole trip (granted we went to bed before dark and woke up after light every night, too! =)

Monday morning, sun coming up. Talk about blue...

Heading out. It was a lot of fun using map and compass, altimeters, and GPS to navigate. That's something I really didn't do at all on the AT.

Another alpine meadow with a cool reflection in the pond.

more wildflowers

Emerald Lake

The Watchtower Trail, on our way out. This one was really cool- it could have used a guardrail for sure. We dropped almost 4,000 feet to get back to the vehicles on Monday.

This was the first time I had been more than a day's hike from the main road through the Park, and also the first lakes I've seen in the park's backcountry. We measured bear tracks, yelled at inquisitive marmots, listened to coyotes howling, and admired lots of deer, including several magnificent bucks with antlers in velvet. I came home tired and stinky, but filled with wonder and awe at the majestic beauty of God's creation. If I were to lose my eyesight tomorrow I think I could still say that I've been blessed to see some amazing sights.

dive

2007-06-13T19:28:00.000-07:00

My friend Jeremy chartered a dive boat out of Long Beach last weekend and invited me to come. We went back to Catalina again but had the luxury of diving in more remote spots than the popular "underwater park" we went to last time. I got seasick (again), which surprises me- I remember being on my grandpa's sailboat as a kid with 10 to 12 foot swells crashing over the bow and I was fine. Here it was mostly a gentle rocking and I lost it like three times. I didn't, however, let it prevent me from going on and thoroughly enjoying all three dives. We saw lots of lobster, eel, and fish amongst the giant kelp forests we were in, and the visibility was better than last time. The water was cold so we were fully encased in neoprene from head to toe. Just a couple of shots this time:

My friends Jeremy and Theresa. Patient and experienced, Jeremy's been great with helping me get back into the sport. He's logged scores of dives here, in Hawaii, and all over the Caribbean.

I spotted this gauge in the cabin and just had to snap a pic. Looks like we were well beyond the safe protection level, but I didn't actually notice that much rust. I can't help but wonder how this gauge actually works, and how one determines what's a safe corrosion level and what's "under" safe!

Road Trip!

2007-06-06T20:03:00.000-07:00

This past weekend my friend Mark and I rented a Nissan 350 Z and hit the road with an open-ended itinerary. We left at 4 am Saturday and headed North through Yosemite. I've been in Yosemite Valley but I'd never been in the Tuolomne Meadows area of the park. It was beautiful of course.

Here's Mark in his favorite T-shirt (Reagan) and the Z on the way down from Tioga Pass, connecting the east and west sides of the Sierra.

Near Mammoth Lakes, CA, on the eastern side.

In Devils Postpile National Monument. We took a couple hours to do a five mile hike to see the monument and falls.

This is the Devil's Postpile itself. Very uncommon lava columns, apparently. They're quite symmetrical, as you can see better in the talus field in the picture below.

Rainbow Falls, also in the National Monument. If I recall correctly this cataract is about 110 feet.

Hwy 395 South, near Mammoth Lakes, CA. There's some windshield glare in this pic, but the air quality on this side of the mountains is always better than in the Central Valley.

A few hours later we were in Death Valley National Park. Note the temperature in the shade is almost 110 degrees (and this was after six in the evening!)

The salt flats in Badwater Basin, Death Valley, CA. There was a big sign halfway up the cliff behind where we were standing saying "Sea Level" I took some pictures but it's almost too far away to read!

These naturally colored rocks are called the Artist's Palette. This one's for you Mom =)

There are some pretty cool roads in Death Valley. Long and straight, with visibility for miles in all directions. Perfect for testing the top speed of a 300 hp V6 rental car, which incidentally, happens to be 147 mph.

Saturday evening we decided we still had half the weekend ahead of us and continued west to Vegas. We rode the monorail and saw the sites on the strip. There were so many bright flashing lights everywhere I was continually thinking we were getting pulled over. We walked into the MGM Grand hotel and casino. Definitely not my cup of tea, although we did see some interesting things (caged lions- you know when the lion roars sometimes at the beginning of a movie? Well this is them- MGM films). A lot of these hotels have wedding chapels too. I saw one real bride wandering around (by herself) and another girl wearing a white frilly top with "Bride" in silver lettering on it. You couldn't pay me to get married there. Overall I feel I did all right in Vegas though. For $4.50 I got a slice of pizza, and the monorail ticket was $9, so I'm pretty sure I blew a lot less than the geniuses yanking the handles of the slot machines. Somehow they couldn't seem to comprehend a basic point- these things never give out as much money as you put in, or as they say, "the house always wins."

We kept driving west and around midnight found a dumpy little motel to crash at for a few hours. Sunday morning we figured we were so close to AZ, why not? We hit the road again and before long we were at the Hoover Dam and the Arizona border.

The Colorado River at the Hoover Dam (upstream side).

Downstream side. For security reasons they're building a new bridge for the interstate downstream from the dam. You can see the massive concrete pillars going up in this pic (four on the west bank (right side) and one on the east/left side. I have absolutely no idea how they plan on completing the rest of it. It looks to be like a quarter mile drop down to the water from between those bridge pillars. That's either an insane amount of concrete, or they're going to do some sort of suspension bridge.

View of the dam from the east bank. Incredible to think that this was built without most of the machinery and technology that we have today.

A few hundred miles further east we were in Arizona at the Grand Canyon. I can certainly see what all the fuss is about. It was spectacular. What I can't see is how Evel Knievel could have jumped a motorcycle across it. Okay, so I just Googled it and found this interesting article about the Knievel's exploits. http://www.geocities.com/shioshya/knievel.html

I like the contrast between foreground and background. Even so, it's still hard to grasp the vastness of the canyon. I was also was fascinated by how straight and level the canyon rims were (The North rim is at the horizon in these pics. We were at the South rim) despite the varied and jagged topography they contain.

This was a pretty cool spot we found right off one of the hiking trails.

One of the trails that winds down into the canyon. In the middle right of the pic you can see where it tunnels through the rock.

About 2:00 it was time to turn around and head home. We wanted to make it to a mountain pass I had heard about while there was still some daylight left. We got there just at dusk.

This is not just a pretty sunset. It's smoke from a forest fire that started earlier that day. When we stopped the car to get gas a few miles further on, we were blasted by hot smoky wind. The sign still said the Sherman Pass road was open though, so off we went! We didn't end up seeing the fire and it cleared up once we got closer to the other side. (The road is a snowmobile trail in winter, and goes over 9200'!). I read later that about 2500 acres had burned but that it was mostly contained.

Here's our trip by the numbers: 2 days, 1500 miles, 3 states, 3 national parks (not even counting the two closest to home), several national monuments and conservation areas, and
a boatload of fun. (Oh, and 1 black bear in the mountains and 2 coyotes in the desert!) I'd never seen Death Valley, the Hoover Dam, or the Grand Canyon before. I definitely feel like I got a taste of the Southwest, and though I'm becoming more familiar with the Sierras, this was my first trip to the Eastern side of the range.

recent adventures, SMR update

2007-06-04T19:08:00.000-07:00

Seems like I've been in the mountains all but one or two weekends the last couple of months, and I'm still not tired of them. (This past weekend my friend Mark and I took off for a crazyfun road trip that will have to get its own separate post once I organize the pictures.) The other day I drove an hour into the foothills by myself to swim in the river , see if I could start a fire without matches or a lighter (I succeeded with flint, but still haven't gotten a flame with the bow and stick method), and do some target shooting. My friend Ronnie invited me to go kayaking with him on the holiday weekend, and it was an absolute blast. I didn't get any pictures, but I did manage to stay upright most of the time which was a definite plus. I can't wait to get my own boat and learn more about the sport. Some of the best whitewater in the US is right here in the Southern Sierra. On the 19th and 20th of last month The Tulare County Sherriff's Dept organized May Days, the big mock Search and Rescue event for the spring. Sequoia Mountain Rescue conducted two rescue missions. The first scenario involved an injured aircraft pilot/passenger whose parachute hung up in a tree and left him hanging about 30 feet off the ground. The second mission involved rescuing an injured climber off of Dome Rock, the same place I went climbing several weeks earlier. SMR's performance wasn't flawless, but we did pretty well. I was just glad for the opportunity to observe and participate even though I'm still in training.

I got to do a nearly 600' rappel and ascent.

This was taken looking nearly straight up. It looks like I'm just standing there, but you can tell it's a high angle environment because of the way the rope dangles below me.

I just thought this was a cool shot of part of our anchor system, a figure eight on a bight backed up with a barrel knot.

We camped at the Peppermint Campground. At over 7000 feet, it got surprisingly cold at night! Here SMR team members huddle around the fire in down jackets and hats. Hard to believe we were sweating in 90 degree temps and using our AC's down in the Valley the day before.

This is a Huey chopper the Navy flew in from the China Lake Naval Air Station on the east side of the Sierra. If you look through the cockpit you can see the Blackhawk the National Guard brought in to assist (yeah, there were a lot of agencies involved over the weekend).

Here's the California Highway Patrol CHP chopper taking off.

Apparently the Discovery Channel is putting together a show about search and rescue. This film crew interviewed several of our members and shadowed us for much of the day.

This was our first mission, something SMR has never encountered or trained for- a tree rescue.

"The IQ of room temperature..."

2007-05-24T21:32:00.000-07:00

I heard somebody's intelligence described in that way recently, and it made me laugh. It also made me think of myself. Here's the deal: occasionally I get bored late at night. In Pennsylvania this problem was usually solved by pranking Mom and Dad in some way when they're exhausted and trying to go to bed. When I lived in Virginia I once decided to go for a walk late at night. This seemingly innocuous idea ended up with me hiding behind a tree in somebody's yard with the dog going crazy and the homeowner trying to figure out what the commotion outside was all about. Then there was the time I got ditched by my friends on the roof of the old burnt-out hotel we were exploring because the cops showed up. A couple weeks ago I found some of those plastic zip ties. I brought a few home thinking they might come in handy if I ever needed to restrain an intruder until the police arrived. Obviously I had to confirm that they were suited to this purpose (late at night of course). Using my teeth I tightened that sucker down on both wrists, and was able to positively confirm that yes- zip ties make great restraints. Lucky for me my toolbox was right in the coat closet. Unfortunately I found that front end nippers aren't easily manipulated when you're holding them between your knees.

Around midnight last night the boredom again struck, and I decided to go outside and review technical rope skills in the tree outside my apartment. There's a big Oak tree in the few feet between the building and the parking lot, and it's a little ways off the sidewalk so I hoped to remain unnoticed. I mean, it was the middle of the night- who in their right mind would be up and about at that hour? Well for some odd reason the boredom apparently wasn't limited to Apartment 78A- several of my neighbors decided it was time to go out. The first guy out got into his car right on the other side of the fence from where I was crouched. He couldn't see me, but the rope dangling down near the side of the building was clearly visible above the fence. The car started- I tensed and waited, causing the rope I was already tethered into to wiggle some more. The car door opened again and he got out. Game's up, I thought- but no- he got back in and drove off. A few minutes later I was 25 feet off the ground and feeling smug about my extreme stealthiness when the flashing lights of a squad car cruised down the road and slowed in front of my building. The officer pulled onto my street and stopped, and I just knew that sneaky low-down neighbor of mine had called in a report of a burglary in progress at my apartment complex. Amazingly though, I realized that the cop wasn't there for me. He was actually pulling somebody over.

At this point I'd had enough of the drama. It was time to switch over from my ascenders to a rappel and get back inside before my rap device earned me an actual rap sheet. Technically I wasn't doing anything wrong, but I highly doubt whether anyone would have believed me. I know I wouldn't have. I'd have nodded and smiled, then dialed 911 asap. "Hello 911? I'd like to report a white male, late 20's, near the roof of the apartment building...." I was just starting to rappel when another guy came out. No problem, I was well up in the tree and I'd just wait for him to leave and then continue. The only hitch in my plan was that he wouldn't leave. He got something out of his trunk, threw some trash in the dumpster, had a smoke leaning against the side of his car, talked on his cell phone, went back to the dumpster. You get the idea. The minutes dragged on as I hung limply from my harness, maintaining tension on the Munter Hitch I was using to rappel. I finally decided I didn't want to be there all night and determined to shoot for a fast rappel while his back was turned. I made it down a few feet, just below the cover of the leaf canopy, when his girlfriend decided to come out and join the fun. I mean, what better place and time to have an argument with your significant other than in the parking lot of your apartment complex at midnight, right? So much for my get-away plan. His back was to me, but she was facing directly towards me. Not only that, but she too had a cigarette, and was doing that thing smokers do, where they take a long drag on the cigarette and then tilt their head back to blow the smoke up in the air. She was looking RIGHT AT ME. I hung there silent and motionless, wishing I had the power to disappear. An 11 millimeter static line isn't much to hide behind. I was fully prepared for the inevitable at any second- a scream followed by- "oh my gosh there's a BODY HANGING FROM THAT TREE!" I had no particular desire to be tied up (har har) in a homicide investigation any more than a burglary.

I couldn't go back up- too much movement and noise to rig the ascenders. I couldn't go down- if they didn't' believe my story I'd be spending the night downtown answering questions. Even if they did believe me, it would still be my most embarrassing moment ever ("how long have you been up there listening to us?" etc. You get the idea).

There's a malady among climbers and cavers called Harness Hang Syndrome (HHS). The basic idea is that as long as you're moving around in a harness, you're fine, but if you hang motionless you will go into hypovolemic shock, lose consciousness and die, sometimes within mere minutes. It's actually true: http://www.texasroperescue.com/library/Harness%20Hang%20Syndrome.htm. Now I don't want to alarm anybody, but this entire post is a dramatization of a silly predicament, so why not go all the way with it. I'm not exactly saying I was at death's door, but I will say that I was not comfortable. The minutes felt like hours. My legs and back were tense and aching, and my arm was tired from holding tension on the rappel. Every time I loosened my grip even a little I'd slide down the rope another inch or two, causing the branch to which the rope was anchored to shake.

For some inexplicable reason I escaped detection. The argument ended with the dude storming off and his girlfriend following. Needless to say I wasn't waiting around to see if they'd come back or who else would show up. I staged an immediate extraction from the roof of the laundry room- I retrieved my gear and made a beeline for my apartment, slamming the door with a euphoric feeling that I had gotten very very lucky. Maybe I wasn't actually as exposed as I felt. Fortunately I had hauled up the tail end of the rope below me- I'm sure that would have been a dead giveaway. And I gotta say it was pretty cool acting all special ops commando with my black gloves and technical gear. It felt like those old war movies where the good guys swoop in from above on the ignorant and unsuspecting guards enjoying a cigarette down below.

Did I learn a valuable lesson from this? You bet- I'm going to bed at 9:30 tonight.

Half Dome

2007-05-14T16:39:00.000-07:00

Despite the impression you may get from this blog, CA actually isn't all rugged mountains and scenic coastline. In fact, I should probably post pics of some dilapidated gas stations next to abandoned warehouses, or ugly billboards towering above brown, charred fields, just to balance things out. Nevertheless, I got the chance to visit Yosemite again on Saturday (with five other Oak Brook attorneys from different parts of the Valley), and was blown away by the beauty once again.

Good view of Half Dome from the trail

There are cables anchored to the rock for the final 300 yards.

Someone was feeding a Marmot (something you shouldn't do).

The Cliffs of Insanity. Incontheivable!!

I arrived on top just as this client was finishing a guided climb of the Northwest face that took around 3 days. I offered to e-mail him some pictures, which I'm sure he'll be glad to have.

I'm standing here on what's called the Springboard, or the Devil's Pulpit. (I've heard both.)

Here's part of our group on the descent. 17 miles round trip with 4,000' of elevation gain was enough to wear everybody out!

Mist at the base of Nevada Falls

View from the top of Vernal Falls. (M & D, you may recognize the spot where we turned back when you visited. See the big dead tree? =)

The Mist Trail descending from Vernal Falls.

O Lord my God,
When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!

When through the woods, and forest glades I wander,
And hear the birds sing sweetly in the trees.
When I look down, from lofty mountain grandeur
And see the brook, and feel the gentle breeze.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!

And when I think, that God, His Son not sparing;
Sent Him to die, I scarce can take it in;
That on the Cross, my burden gladly bearing,
He bled and died to take away my sin.Then sings my soul, My Saviour God, to Thee,
How great Thou art!

words & music by Carl G. Boberg and R.J. Hughes

Catalina Island

2007-05-10T17:58:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday I was invited to join a group of law school friends on a trip to Santa Catalina, an island just over 20 miles off the coast of Los Angeles County. I just learned today that a big chunk of the island is actually on fire right now, so I guess we went just in time! Some of the group brought scuba gear, including me, and it was awesome to go diving after almost ten years!

The ferry ride out

The harbor at Avalon, which besides a village of about two hundred comprises the only city on the island. Avalon's population is around 3,000.

Mark on the walkway to the "Casino," which is actually a movie theater now. My friends Seth and Jeremy tell me they watched the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie here, with the real sounds of the ocean wafting in through the open balcony above. How awesome would that be?!

Jeremy and I in between dives. Our fist dive the visibility wasn't so great, and the surge actually made me sick, but it was still awesome. Dramamine next time...

You can rent kayaks at this small beach on the other side of the Casino.

Sunset as seen from the Ferry on the way back.

Lights of Long Beach as the ferry motored in.

Dome Rock

2007-05-07T18:03:00.000-07:00

I had the opportunity to go rock climbing with some SMR teammates on Saturday. The weather was chilly early, but beautiful. We climbed on Dome Rock, a popular crag in the national forest maybe 60 miles from home. It was my first chance to try trad (traditional) climbing a multi-pitch route (for routes that are longer than your rope, you must rig new anchors along the route, and each approximate rope-length section of the climb is called a pitch. After warming up with some short toproped climbing, three of us did a four pitched route called the Tree Route, which is over 300' long. It was also my first shot at slab climbing, where the climb is not vertical. The Sierra has a lot of granite domes, and the techniques for climbing them are different than with face climbing.

Found on the approach trail, this giant pine cone puts my size 11 or 11.5 (can't remember what they are =) shoe in perspective.

Mehmet belays Bo as he sets up a toprope for warming up.

John is lowered on belay after a top-roped climb.

View from the Tree Route, second pitch.

Christie setting up protection for an additional route.

Spring-loaded camming devices (SLCD's) in this crack form the belay anchor for the 2nd and 3rd pitches. The crack is also what makes this route a relatively easy climb.

Christie approaching Bo and the 3rd belay station.

Ready for the fourth and final pitch.

The climb was rated only 5.7, which is fairly easy, but it was perfect for me. Anyway, nothing's easy when you're a few hundred feet off the ground and the wind is blowing your snot sideways. I learned a lot and had a ton of fun. And going with the SMR folks is awesome- their knowledge of the locale, experience and focus on safety is both invaluable and free!

Oh, and in related news, on our way home, there was an official callout for a search and rescue, close to the area we had just left! An 81 yr old man with dementia was reported missing. The sherriff's office basically needed "ground-pounders," since it wasn't a technical rescue, and the county has teams for ground searches. A few SMR people responded nonetheless. As of today, the search is still ongoing. The subject's car has been located high on a jeep trail in the mountains, after having been driven with a flat tire more than twenty miles. Tracks and scent have been found heading south and downhill. The temperature up there has been dropping below freezing at night, so we all hope this gentleman is found soon. I didn't respond because I had a prior committment and I'm not yet qualified by the county (they're still in the process of conducting a background check).

flashback

2007-05-04T16:52:00.000-07:00

One year ago today, on the AT somewhere in Tennessee...

Alta Peak

2007-05-03T21:28:00.000-07:00

One of the more accessible (reachable within a day) big peaks in Sequoia National Park is Alta Peak. I've been meaning to climb it for a while now, and I finally managed to get up early enough on a Saturday to attempt it this past weekend. I was on the road before five, so there was no traffic, and I put my manual tranny through the ringer on the insanely twisted road up into the park.

It got into the 90's in the Valley that day, but was only around 70 where I was. I guess that's the difference between 300' above see level and 11,200'. At a little over 7k', the trailhead was devoid of snow except for a patch here and there, but by about 9k' I was glad to have my snowshoes.

Routefinding was tricky. The snow obscured the trail entirely in a lot of places, and there were no blazes or other tracks to rely upon. More than once I lost the trail and had to spend time backtracking in order to determine the route. At one creek-crossing, the trail seemed to disappear entirely. After about 20 minutes of scouting, I was seriously considering calling it a day. I didn't want to bushwhack because it would be really inefficient, even if I was able to figure out where to go and not run into an impassable cliff or something, and also, since I was by myself, it was important that I stick to the route, destination, and estimated return time that I had left with a friend. Anyway, I decided to give it one more shot- I walked a little ways downstream from the last known trail spot, crossed, and then worked my way back upstream looking for the telltale "shelf" in the gently sloping terrain that might indicate the trail under the snow. Thankfully, this tactic worked and I was soon back on my merry way.

The final ascent was the toughest. What looked from the bottom like a moderate slope ended up taking me probably two hours to plod up. I wasn't sure how stable the snow pack was at that particular place either, so I stayed close to the rocks and avoided the steep open area in the middle, where there was evidence of at least one recent avalanche.

I saw two marmots (though I didn't know exactly what they were until I got home and looked them up). Pretty cute: big squirrel-like tails and bodies like groundhogs, with grey-brown fur except for the face, which looked black. I hear they can wreak havoc on unattended gear.

Here are some pictures:

Ran into these tracks maybe a mile from the trailhead. Most of you know I have big hands- this bear's print was massive! Certainly bigger than any others I've seen.

He walked up the trail a bit but then (thankfully) diverged off-trail.

View to the South from Panther Gap

The South flank of Panther Peak

Glimpse of the Great Western Divide above the trail to Mehrton Meadow.

Avalanche runoff in the gully below Tharp's Rock.

There's something especially fulfilling about crossing an untracked snowfield at 11,000 feet.

The final approach was bare rock to I scampered up it without my poles and snowshoes.

Watch your step! My little camera doesn't really give a good sense of the vastness and steepness of the terrain. Several spots had me freaking out just a little bit, and I went up the last 10 feet or so on all fours =)

I ran into a guy on vacation from the UK on the way down, and he offered to take my picture.

View of Pear Lake (frozen and snow-covered) just Northwest of Alta.

View to the East from the summit.

Looking several hundred feet down the North face of Alta.

Tharp's Rock as seen from Alta. It's actually several hundred feet lower in elevation. I really want to scramble up that when I come back this summer!

Another view of the Great Western Divide.

I always enjoy most the things that I have to work for, and this hike was no exception. For me, climbing a mountain is an exhilarating experience. The scenery took my breath away, and all I can do is thank God for creating such beauty and giving me the health and opportunity to enjoy it.

auto theft

2007-04-24T12:30:00.000-07:00

The National Insurance Crime Bureau has released its 2006 statistics. The results? Five of the top ten metro areas for car theft are right here in the Valley (the Central Valley in California- see my Long Live Swiffer post for map =), and Visalia/Porterville is #3 on the list! http://money.aol.com/cnnmoney/insurance/canvas3/_a/insurance-coverageclaim-disputes/20070424110309990001

I know a guy here who puts a wheel lock, a steering wheel lock, and a brake lock on his Jeep every time he parks it, even if he's just grabbing coffee at a convenience store. (He admits he's a bit paranoid.) If I had a vehicle that I didn't the think my insurance company would give me full value for, I might be a little more concerned, but right now my Blue Book value's still pretty high, and if Fiona went AWOL I'd just have an excuse to upgrade.

The article says that one of the latest anti-theft methods that law enforcement is utilizing is the use of "bait cars," vehicles which are purposely left vulnerable, and are equipped with satellite tracking devices. And once one of these bait cars is stolen, the police can not only track it- get this- they can remotely turn off the engine and lock the perps inside! How cool is that?! My tax dollars are finally doing something worthwhile. The only improvement I can see is if they could slap some giant "CAR THIEF" stickers on the side and remotely parade the vehicle and its occupants around town for a day or two before driving to the jail.

Heaven

2007-04-23T13:33:00.000-07:00

“If I find in myself desires which nothing in this world can satisfy, the only logical explanation is that I was made for another world.” –C.S. Lewis

Last night I picked up a book I've been meaning to finish for probably over a year: The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God, by Brent Curtis and John Eldredge. I wouldn't say that the book changed my life per se, but there were a few things that stood out to me from what I read last night. The chapter was titled, "Coming Home," and was on the subject of hope and heaven. Here are a few excerpts that caught my attention:

"A story is only as good as its ending. Without a happy ending that draws us on in eager anticipation, our journey becomes a nightmare of endless struggle. Is this all there is? Is this as good as it gets?"

"If for all practical purposes we believe that this life is our best shot at happiness..., we will live as desperate, demanding, and eventually despairing men and women. We will place on this world a burden it was never intended to bear."

"Our images [of heaven] aren't much better. We speak so seldom of heaven and when we do, the images are sickly: fat babies fluttering around with tiny wings, bored saints lazing on shapeless clouds, strumming harps and wondering what's happening back on earth where the real action is.

“The fact that most Christians have a gut sense that earth is more exciting than heaven points to the deceptive powers of the enemy and our own failure of imagination.”

“Married people can be the loneliest on earth, not for some failure of the marriage, but because they have tasted the best there is of human relationships, and know it is not all it was meant to be.”

“The crisis of hope that afflicts the church today is a crisis of imagination. Catholic philosopher Peter Kreeft writes:

Medieval imagery (which is almost totally biblical imagery) of light, jewels, stars candles, trumpets, and angels no longer fits our ranch-style, supermarket world. Pathetic modern substitutes of fluffy clouds, sexless cherubs, harps and metal halos (not halos of light) presided over by a stuffy divine Chairman of the Bored are a joke, not a glory, Even more modern, more up-to-date substitutes- Heaven as a comfortable feeling of peace and kindness, sweetness and light, and God as a vague grandfatherly benevolence, a senile philanthropist- are even more insipid. Our pictures of Heaven simply do not move us; they are not moving pictures. It is this aesthetic failure rather than intellectual or moral failures in our pictures of Heaven and of God that threatens faith most potently today. Our pictures of Heaven are dull, platitudinous and syrupy; therefore, so is our faith, our hope, and our love of Heaven…. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a dull lie or a dull truth. Dullness, not doubt, is the strongest enemy of faith, just as indifference, not hate, is the strongest enemy of love. (Everything You Wanted to Know About Heaven)”

blog status update

2007-04-13T11:35:00.000-07:00

okay folks,

Here's the deal: When I started this blog last year, I was in the middle of a bunch of exciting new things-cross country move, new city and state, new job, etc. I had things to blog about. Interesting things.

I've been here six months now and frankly, I don't think my current happenings are all that exciting to write about. If you really want to hear about the most recent SMR training event, or the last estate plan I drew up, or what church was like on Sunday, please by all means pick up your phone and call me. I have free evenings and weekends. Or send an e-mail my way. I love hearing from family and friends.

I'm going to continue to update here when I think I have something that's worth writing about, but I'm not going to scrape the bottom of the barrel, so to speak, in an attempt to provide once or twice a week posts. See, I think I've figured it out- just about all my family and friends who blog have young kids, and their blogs pretty much chronicle the funny and cute things their kids do and say. It's always fresh and interesting because babies and kids are always developing and doing/saying funny and cute things. Unfortunately I don't have any babies, and what I've been up to lately is pretty much more of the same things I've been blogging about since I got out here: SMR, work, going to church or the gym. That's about it.

I certainly don't want to assume that people are interested in anything I have to say anyway. I just don't want to disappoint my mother, who seems to want regular updates, and one or two others who indicate that they check my blog once in a while. so I'm hoping to change my official blog status from "regular" to "occasional," like maybe once a month or so. Fair enough?

winter training, Hospital Rock

2007-03-07T19:04:00.000-08:00

Okay, now that I reached my goal of eight comments on the last post I'll go ahead and update. (Just kidding! I have no excuse :-)

Yesterday I took the day off work and went rock climbing with my assigned SMR mentor, Tony. I recently purchased most of the personal gear the team requires each member to have for ascending, belaying, and self-rescue, and I was eager to break it in as well as try out some of the techniques I've been reading about. While I was belaying Tony on our first pitch, he had a little slip, fell about 6 or 8 feet, and I arrested the fall with the help of our belay system: passive protection in the rock face, rope, and belay device. Thankfully, Tony was fine and we got to experience how the system works first hand.

There wasn’t much opportunity for photography because even when you're not climbing you're belaying or setting up/dismantling an anchor. I did manage to grab a few though.

Tony setting up a top-rope anchor on the ledge above our second pitch.

Tony was the lead, I "seconded," and I had the these bags attached to the haul loop in the back of my harness so we could pull our gear up after us (ripped a hole in my pack, too =)

Here's Tony lead climbing a section that was supposedly rated 5.8 or 5.9. He came "off belay" at that little ledge so I could take the pic.

This is a partially bolted route, meaning it's used fairly often and there are several bolts in the rock you can clip into for protection. Other protection we had to place as we went.

Hospital Rock is the name of the place inside Sequioa Natl' Park where we were. The face is over 300' feet high, although the section shown in this pic wasn't quite sheer.

A couple more bolts about 2/3rds of the way up. Beautiful spot to take lunch!

We had awesome weather. It was in the 70's .

Tony

SMR had an overnight winter training event a few weeks back. We reviewed snow anchors and various avalanche topics such as snowpack assessment, beacon work, and probing. Avalanches are no joke. Some of the world's most experienced mountaineers have met their deaths buried alive in snow that sets up like concrete once the slide stops. Anyway, training with the avalanche beacons is lots of fun. The beacons are simple transceivers that can transmit their position as well as home in on locations of other beacons. To practice, we simulated actual rescue/recovery scenarios by burying a beacon in the snow and then sending out teams or individuals to locate it as quickly as possible. It's essentially the same as your basic treasure hunt, but with a handheld device to tell you "hot" or "cold" instead of family members. But just like a sly older brother or uncle, the beacons can sometimes play tricks on you, giving a false signal due to interference, refraction, etc. At days end we dug some snug little tent platforms into the snow and set up camp. One of the cool things about winter camping in lots of snow is that you can level your tent site however you like, as well as dig trenches/benches for cooking. Again, not a whole lot of pics because we were pretty busy the whole time, but here are a few, out of order:

staking down the tents using ice axes, treking poles, and snowshoes (regular tent stakes don't work in soft snow)

melting snow for water, using an avalanche shovel to keep the stove from melting through the snow.

Chuck's bivy, and the Big Baldy radio tower destroying the ambiance in the background.

The BYR (pronounced "beer"). Short for Big Yellow Rig. This thing is massive!

group shot on Big Baldy Ridge

Erik & Eric

2007-02-15T18:06:00.000-08:00

"On May 25, 2001, Erik Weihenmayer became the only blind man in history to reach the summit of the world's highest peak - Mount Everest."

So begins the "About Erik" section at a website my friend Kara recently referred me to (http://www.touchthetop.com/). This guy is a real inspiration. He lost his sight at age 13, before he even started getting into climbing. In an interview with National Geographic, he talks about how he makes every effort to be a contributing member of the team rather than simply being led all the way and planted on the summitt http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2003/07/0730_030730_everest.html .

Another tidbit I couldn't leave out: "In 1999, Erik joined Mark Wellman - the first paraplegic to climb the 3000-foot face of El Capitan, and Hugh Herr - a double-leg-amputee and scientist at Harvard's prestigious prosthetics Laboratory, to climb an 800-foot rock tower in Moab, Utah." Amazing, huh?

If you only have time to check out one of the links above, go to the intervew. Maybe climbing isn't your thing, but I'm guessing you'll still be inspired to dream big and treat obstacles as opportunities for greatness. It makes me think of the Adidas tagline, "Impossible is nothing." I love that! Not sure if Erik is a Christian or not. It's awesome when people like this recognize the source of their abilities. One of my personal heroes is Eric Liddell, missionary and Olympic gold medalist (good bio info at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eric_Liddell). One of his quotes has stuck with me ever since I first heard it as a kid. I think it's from Chariots of Fire, and in it Eric says something like this: "God made me fast, and when I run, I can feel His pleasure."
God made each of us for a purpose, and His heart is thrilled when we pursue that purpose with passion- when we each run our race.

excursion to Tokepah Falls

2007-02-10T15:22:00.000-08:00

Shortly after I wrote my last post, my friend Ronnie from SMR called me and invited me to go ice climbing the next morning. Since the following day was the Superbowl, we agreed on a 5 am departure time, which meant I had to get up at 4. I didn't care, I was excited at the opportunity to do try a new outdoor sport.

We met up, drove an hour and a half or so into the park, divvied up the ropes, crampons, and other gear, and set off on the 1.7 mile approach trail. We opted to leave the snowshoes in the truck since it was a fairly well established trail and it hadn't snowed in a while. This proved to be a wise decision all except for the last 150 or so yards from the trail to the base of the cliff, where we were continually "post-holing," which is the technical name for sinking way deep in the snow. That final section probably took a good 20 minutes, since we'd take a step or two, fall in up to our hips, and have to dig ourselves back out.

It turned out that the condition of the ice was somewhat less than ideal, not because it hasn't been cold enough, but because there hasn't been enough snow this season. There were still sections of good ice though, so we proceeded to the top, set up an anchor, and rappelled down. When we reached the bottom we discovered that all the good ice was off to one side or the other, and our anchor would have to be moved. No problem, except we didn't have all that much time. I belayed Ronnie as he finessed a rather tricky climb. Several times the rope got hung up on the ice, and he had to downclimb to free it. What made it risky was the fact that because he wasn't climbing directly below the anchor, any slip would have resulted in what's called a "pendulum fall" (yep, pretty much what it sounds like =).

I think part of the reason why climbers are such a close-knit community is that they regularly trust each other with their lives. I belayed Ronnie, he belayed me. If either of us had fallen, we would have been depending entirely on the other to arrest the fall. I'm not trying to overly dramatize this, it's just a neat thing, in my opinion. And don't worry, Mom- we prayed for protection, and wore helmets.

By the time Ronnie set up a new anchor and rappelled back down we were sorta running out of time, but he still let me climb a decent section of ice a few times. It was a great introduction to the sport.

It's hard to tell the scale from this picture, but the face you're looking at here is well over a hundred feet. I didn't get any better pictures of us or the ice, because we were tied up most of the time. When conditions are ideal, that part with the icicles will be a solid wall of ice the whole way down to the bottom.

This is Ronnie on our approach, almost at the top.

This was the view directly across from where we were.

The scenery was just awesome.

long live Swiffer

2007-02-03T18:21:00.000-08:00

I've had one of the most productive Saturdays in months. Christian and Holly got me a gift card and coupon for a Scrubbing Bubbles brand shower cleaner, which I finally got around to purchasing today. Pretty neat device- it "cleans your shower at the touch of a button!" I also picked up a Swiffer duster and a Swiffer mop. (Wal-Mart may not be the place to go for high-end backpacking or climbing gear, but they're great for everything else!) Cleaning products have come a long way since the bucket-and-rag days of old. In about twenty minutes I had cleaned my shower, dusted my apartment, and mopped all the floors. Now that may not sound like news to you, but for a bachelor that's downright groundbreaking.

CA really is a huge state. I recently discovered that my county alone is more than twice the size of Delaware. At almost 5,000 square miles, it's roughly the same size as the state of Connecticut. Most of that area is national forest or national parks land. This map shows how much of the county is in The Valley and how much is mountainous.

Lots of folks from back east ask me where Visalia is. I tell them that it’s in the central valley, approximately in the middle of the state. The nearest big cities are Fresno 40 minutes to the north and Bakersfield 1:15 to the south. LA is 2.5 to 3 hours south, depending on traffic and where you’re going, while Sacramento and the Bay area are 3-4 hours north. The central coast is 2-2.5 hours West, and the Sierra Nevada’s are just East of me. They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so….

I think I'm going to go back to Neighborhood Church tomorrow. Boy I'll tell ya, finding a church can be a daunting task! I'm really not a hugely outgoing person, so it's not natural for me to just plunge into unfamiliar environments requiring interaction with strangers. One of the SMR folks invited me to Neighborhood a few weeks ago though, and I've been twice so far. They seem to have a vibrant young adults group (NOT a singles group- those things are scary!). I was at the 20-30's class last week, and enjoyed it, so I'll probably go back tomorrow.

summit to sea, part 1

2007-01-23T09:28:00.000-08:00

Saturday I participated in an SMR training event. The focus was on winter skills and navigation. It was my first time on snowshoes and I had a blast! I enjoyed getting to know some of the team members a little bit better, and here’s something I’m pretty excited about: I got an invite to go ice climbing next weekend (using technical tools and skills to ascend the vertical face of a 200’ frozen waterfall inside Sequoia Natl Park)! I’ll certainly be posting more on that if it works out.

Also, I was issued a nifty little handheld GPS/radio unit to keep for as long as I'm part of the team. Members are encouraged to use them on their own adventures so that they're always familiar with their operation and control. These things don't eliminate the need for traditional orienteering skills with map and compass, but they sure are useful for things like finding/marking locations, determining altitude, and keeping in contact with team members and HQ.

summit to sea, part 2

2007-01-22T17:44:00.000-08:00

Two days later (today), I was at the beach in a T-shirt. I had to travel to The Superior Court at Grover Beach. When your clients are charged with crimes while vacationing at the beach, then obviously you have to go to the beach to represent them! And while you're there, might as well stay and hang out a while, right? I drove up the Pacific Coastal Highway (PCH) from Pismo to Morro, and thoroughly enjoyed the outing. These pics were taken with my phone, since I forgot my camera. I'm pretty happy with the resolution on them- it far exceeds the pics my old phone used to take.

I'm definitely liking the fact that I can go snowshoeing at almost 8,000' and then be back at sea level to go surfing or whatever, in the same week, all within a couple of hours from home.

amazon swim

2007-01-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

Anybody up for a little swim? In a few days the world's greatest long distance marathon swimmer is going to attempt to swim the Amazon River, not from bank to bank but from source to estuary, a distance of 3,375 miles. And he's planning to do it in 70 days. Sounds pretty crazy right? This won't be his first big river though. Martin Strel holds records for being the first and only person to swim the Danube, Mississippi, and Yangtze rivers, among others. Check out the details or at least watch the promo video clip at http://www.amazonswim.com/?page=Intro. It's intriguing.

"As a young boy, I was beaten a lot by my parents and schoolmasters. This no doubt contributed greatly to my ability to ignore pain and endure..."-Martin Strel, Guiness World Record holder

I logged on to AOL to check my e-mail today, and this guy's story was one of the headlines. He's definitely nuts, and I'm definitely going to be checking that website from time to time to see his progress. I think he'll make it.

The feats of this swimmer sure do put my little hike into perspective...

some interests and goals

2007-01-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

It's still January so I'm going to go with a "it's not too late to post New Year's resolutions" stance. Actually the things below aren't so much New Year's resolutions as they are just some current interests and long range planning ideas. I scribbled this list back in December because I was feeling like there were a bunch of things rattling around in my head that I was going to forget if I didn't jot them down. They're not prioritized or in any particular order.

Get into snowshoeing- within the next 3 months
Whitewater kayaking- 6 months
Motorcycle- 2 years
LASIC (corrective eye surgery)- 1 yr
Handgun and concealed carry permit- 1 yr
Sequoia Mountain Rescue- (already doing, yay! =)
Soccer/Ultimate/gym (some kind of regular exercise)- another one I can already check off
drum or guitar lessons- 3 yrs (figure I shouldn't get a drum set while I'm still in an apt)
Buy and fix up a house- 3 yrs (so I can get a drum set)
Learn Spanish- 3 yrs (bilingual people are cool and seem smart. plus, it could be a big asset with my job)
Get plugged in at a local church- 3 months
new car- 2 yrs (Fiona's fine but I'm still enamored with WRX's and VW hatchbacks)
move the rest of my stuff from PA to CA- 6 months (hopefully this will happen if M&D come to visit, maybe in Feb.)
Find a wife or girlfriend- within the next 30 or so years

I realize that this list is oriented mostly towards the superficial and material. Like I said, it's not prioritized, nor is it comprehensive. My relationship with the Lord comes first and foremost. I want to be more involved in ministry, both through a local church and by supporting my friends who are in missions. I also want to be a good attorney. I'm finding that law school doesn't quite prepare you 100% for the practice of law, and I'm used to being able to take pride in my work. There's a significant learning curve with what I'm doing but I think I'm making progress. And as always, my family is the most important thing in my life. If I achieve nothing else in 2007 I hope I can stay close with each one even though I'm the farthest away.

And on a completely different note, here are the most recent pics to be pulled off my camera...

This was taken from one of the office windows, on a very clear day. Oftentimes you can't see the mountains at all. Actually these are still just foothills. The High Sierra, beyond these hills, isn't visible from the Valley.

This is my new phone. It's much thinner and smaller than my old one, with a lot more features (including the red touch-sensitive music controls on the front flip). What's not to like?

Also, Verizon gave me a free month of their internet and streaming video service, so I can check my e-mail from my phone for a few weeks. pretty cool!

West Coast fast food

2007-01-16T17:27:00.000-08:00

There are a whole slew of different fast food joints around here that the East doesn't have. Here are a few I jotted down:

-Sonic
-Carl's Jr. (really good burgers- reminds me of The Jackson House burgers)
-Green Burito
-Del Taco
-El Pollo Loco
-A&W's
-In & Out Burgers
-Jack In The Box
-Baja Fresh
-Panda Express
-El Gordo Express

You'll notice there's a lot of Mexican food =). There are also some different drink places, like Kiva Juice and Jamba Juice (good smoothies). And some of the Starbucks out here have drive-thru's. No Dunkin Donuts though, which I miss because they started carrying these awesome "White hot chocolate" drinks which are really good. I haven't noticed any other Eastern franchises that aren't represented out here, although I've only seen one Wendy's, which is a shame because Wendy's used to be a lunchtime staple.

holidays '06

2007-01-10T17:05:00.000-08:00

okay, I'm back, and I have a lot of catching up to do.

My flight home for Christmas wasn't scheduled for departure until almost midnight on the 24th, so I had most of Christmas Eve to finish up shopping, do laundry, and pack. It was a fairly relaxing day, all except for the part of the day where I stepped outside to throw something in the dumpster and discovered that the door had locked behind me. My wallet, cell phone, and keys were all inside. I had left the TV and the heat on (yeah, I was splurging since it was Christmas Eve). The apartment manager was nowhere to be found, and I had a plane to catch!

Long story short, I got some hanger wire from a neighbor, climbed up onto the laundry room roof and from there climbed onto my balcony, where I used the wire to jimmy the latch on my sliding glass doors. This solution solved my immediate problems, but has made me all the more interested in looking into renter's insurance, in case anyone else has similar ideas.

My travel to and from PA was just like my dating life: uneventful and hassle-free. I actually made it to and from LA in just a couple hours, although directions online predicted 3.5! And on one leg of the trip, the passengers barely outnumbered the crew so I had a whole row to myself.

The highlights of my time at home were relaxing with my parents, hangin' out at my sister's, "Buckin' Bronco" with the nephews and niece, and games and restaurants with friends. I can't believe I had wondered what I was going to do for nearly two weeks. I was booked! But although busy, the vacation was restful overall. I slept in and stayed up atrociously late too, which of course is singularly unproductive but what vacations are all about.

I'm back in Cali now, and not sure which place to call "home" anymore. But it doesn't really matter, I suppose. It's not like I have no place to call home- I have two =). I feel really lucky to have such awesome family and friends. Happy 2007 y'all!

case dismissed!

2006-12-23T13:51:00.000-08:00

I won my first case Thursday. Okay, so it wasn't a jury trial and it wasn't really "my" case, but still, I talked to the judge and the district attorney, and they decided to drop all charges against our client. It was the same case I had tried to get dismissed a couple weeks ago. It had been continued for two weeks, and this time I was able to talk to one of the more senior (and reasonable) DA's about it. Long story short, we win! Our client's record is clean, we get our money, the DA's can go prosecute cases that actually have merit, etc. The only downside is that I spent a good chunk of the last few weeks preparing an appeal which will now never be heard. Oh well- good practice for next time, I suppose.

Needless to say I was pretty excited leaving the courthouse. In fact, I was so excited that I drove off with our client's file sitting on the roof of my car. Halfway back to the office I realized what I'd done and turned around. Sure, the case had been dismissed, but the file was still packed with legal documents containing confidential information. Back at court, no sign of the file. The clerk's office hadn't seen it. With little hope, I started walking up the road only to notice two employees from the medical center next door out in the middle of Lacey Boulevard with arms full of papers. Ten minutes later all papers had been retrieved, even the ones two blocks up the street in the Waffle House parking lot.

What can I say, Christmas came early for me this year.

check it out

2006-12-20T19:04:00.000-08:00

go to www.ula-equipment.com and click refresh a few times if you don't see me. Brian, the guy who owns ULA, sold me the pack I used for my thru-hike. I sent him a thank-you postcard with a picture a while back, and he's put it on his website. I'm not sure how my name got changed...

I'm famous! Hi Mom!!

a one-year anniversary

2006-12-18T17:26:00.000-08:00

One year ago today I had a little run-in with that most dangerous of power tools, the table saw. The index, middle, and ring fingers on my right hand weren't much of a match for the carbide tipped blade spinning at several thousand revolutions per minute.

I've always considered myself to be fairly careful with power tools. Having grown up around them I was familiar with what they were capable of. I'd heard people with half a hand warn that the minute you don't respect these things, they'll bite ya. But a momentary lapse of caution together with a couple of other factors such as hurrying and extreme cold all combined to make for a very interesting workday.

Here's the glove I was wearing that day. It didn't have any holes pre-accident =)

I'm purposely omitting the pics I snapped with my camera phone at the hospital. Here's the hand 5 days after:

And here's the hand I'm typing this with today (just snapped with my camera phone):

Isn't the body's power to heal itself incredible? Or rather, isn't the One who created the human body amazing. A year later, my glove's still torn up, but all I have are some faint scars and some scar tissue, and some (not total) loss of feeling. I can type and do just about everything else just fine. This could have been so much worse. God is gracious! (Incidentally, that happens to be the meaning of my name.)

tidings of great birthday wishes

2006-12-13T10:30:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday bro. you da man!

In keeping with the excellent tradition started by Erin...

hearings shmearings

2006-12-12T12:19:00.000-08:00

The latest work-related news is that I showed up in court today (all spiffy in a new suit of course) and discovered that I had the wrong time for our pretrial hearing. What a waste of a clean dress shirt.

More interestingly, albeit less recently, I got to argue the merits of a case before a judge in chambers last week. I was sent to simply confirm dates at a trial readiness hearing, but informed that if I could ask to speak with the judge in chambers (fancy legal word for "office"), AND convince him and/or the DA to dismiss our case, I'd be looking at a hefty Christmas bonus. With nothing but inexperience to lose, I gave it a shot. I presented a brief summation of the facts of our case along with our strongest arguments why dismissing the case is in everyone's best interests, and the judge's interest was piqued. He indicated that he saw some merit in what I was saying, and just as a glimmer of hope started to surface, the DA piped up with some concocted story justifying the charges which was completely inconsistent with what the officers had written in the police report. I was 99% sure this guy (who wasn't the DA assigned to the case and was just filling in) hadn't even read the case materials or the police report and was just full of crap. I called him on the carpet but it was just enough to keep the case headed for trial: No dismissal for our client, and no Christmas bonus for me. I learned from another DA in the office that I was up against the young hardline prosecutor who's making a name for himself by racking up as many convictions as possible. Apparently his self-image can't handle the defeat of dismissing a losing case that's not even his. Actually, he may not have had the authority to dismiss, since he apparently doesn't have all that much seniority in the office (all the more reason to appear tough- it's a vicious cycle).

Anyway, it was the first time I appeared in a persuasive rather than simply procedural capacity. Instead of entering a plea, requesting a continuance, or scheduling court dates, I was actually arguing the merits of a case. Gotta admit, I was a little nervous when the judge looked down at me and said "Mr. S------, what do have on this case?," but I enjoyed it as well. From what I hear, a little fear can heighten the senses and improve performance, as long as you're controlling it and not vice versa. Anyway, it adds to the experience, just like it does with, say, skydiving.

That's what's new on the legal front, at least on the surface. Below the surface, an issue is brewing, which I hope to resolve and later blog about in a post titled "the ethics of criminal defense." In that post, look for answers to such weighty questions as "is there such a thing?,"can prosecutors be sleazy too?," and "why didn't Sean go to the potluck dinner at Faith Baptist?" Ok, that last one might not be included, but it's still a weighty question.

warning- boring post

2006-12-09T15:36:00.000-08:00

Today marks the first time (as far as I recall) that I've paid someone else to change my oil and filter, something I'm perfectly capable of doing myself. Actually, I enjoy being under the hood occasionally. Few things make you feel more like a man than wielding a big wrench in grease-stained, busted-knuckled hands. But it's just not very practical in my present circumstances (insufficient tools and space, and probably against the rules at the apt complex anyway). The upside is I found this lube place that has you in and out in ten minutes without ever leaving your car! (Rather than using a lift, you pull up over a "pit" and they do the work from below. ) I was impressed with the efficiency of the system, and can certainly see why hardly anybody bothers with doing it themselves anymore. And, I used a coupon I found in the phone book to get three dollars off plus a free car wash. I'm sure Fiona is surprised and grateful for the sudden lavish attention bestowed upon her.

California's Central Valley is essentially a dust bowl, so the cars get really dirty really fast. One guy at my office has a monthly membership arrangement with the car wash allowing for unlimited washes. I never heard of such a thing back east. And I'm sure products like Rain-X, which are big in the northeast, aren't so hot out here. Sometimes I wonder if the windshield wipers will ever serve a purpose other than smearing the dust around on the glass.

My father was a top-notch mechanic, working on everything from boats to big rigs. His father ("Grandad") maintained a little workshop down in the basement so he could tinker well into his golden years. I'm grateful for the experiences I too have had working on my own vehicles and learning from/helping Dad work on the family cars growing up.

So today, I'm glad the Subie's clean and lubed, but I miss the satisfaction and fulfillment of getting down and dirty with the tools.

waning uncle-osity

2006-12-04T11:01:00.000-08:00

I miss my nieces and nephews! Can't wait to see the PA ones at least over Christmas. Look at how cute these kids are!

This is the newest neice, Mary Kate Colleen. Looks like she was born with only three fingers on her right hand.

This is my Oklahoma niece, Adelaide Wynn, or "Addie." Do we not make a very cute couple?

And here's a man after my own heart: Owen Patrick. He concocted this getup with the help of his two older brothers and younger sister before bedtime the other day. This is some classic styling: tube socks to the shoulder, pants legs rolled up to the thigh, and suspenders with no shirt. Reminds me of some of my own original designs, back in the day. I'm not sure exactly what he was going to be fishing for.

He doesn't even wear glasses. And yes, that's a sharpened stick protruding from the bandana. Note the clever placement of hair (or ear =) scrungies. Ingenious!

stop asking me!

2006-11-29T12:32:00.000-08:00

Many of you have been clamoring for pictures of my new suits. Well I'm not going to post any and I'll tell you why: It's vain and it's lame. I mean, if I ran across somebody's blog where their latest post was a picture of them sporting their new sweater, I'd be, how shall I put it, somewhat less than interested. Besides, after how much I've talked them up I don't think one or two pictures are really going to do them justice. So if you want to see the shoes or the suits, you're just going to have to come visit me. Yep, that's right- I'm extending an open invitation. Come one, come all.

sorry to disappoint.

On second thought, I guess I don't see any harm in posting just one little picture...

cold snap, gym membership

2006-11-29T12:03:00.000-08:00

The locals are going crazy because the temperature dipped below freezing last night. I heard one guy announce with an air of incredulity and amazement, "It's so cold- if it rained it would be snow!" Now I've never considered myself to be a true Northerner or anything, but comments like that make me wonder. Actually my thermostat measured 54 degrees in the apt when I woke up this morning. It's not that I'm too cheap to use the heat. It's just that I'm not there most of the time, and most of the time that I am there, I'm sleeping or on the couch and can don a blanket. I guess one of the pluses of being an avid backpacker is that I have lots of warm sleeping bags.

In other news, I've joined a gym! I've never had a gym membership before and I'm pretty excited about it. I have to admit, however, that when I was there last night I found it a little overwhelming. I hardly know the first thing about working out, and there were SO many machines! I'll probably spend most of my time in the actual gymnasium proper, where they have pick-up basketball daily, and open indoor soccer and volleyball every week. Oh, and I stepped on the scale and was amazed to find that I weigh over twenty pounds more than I did when I finished hiking the AT.

lawyer stuff

2006-11-22T20:35:00.000-08:00

Time for a work update. I've been doing the whole lawyer thing for roughly two months now, and I'm still a total newbie. But I have had some interesting experiences so far and I'd like to think I'm learning a thing or two along the way.

My first day on the job, Martens took me with him to the county jail to interview some inmates he had been appointed by the state to represent in parole revocation hearings. I don't recall ever being inside a jail before. After surrendering our ID's and bar cards, we were ushered past several steel doors. Some guy was having what looked like a drug-induced seizure on the floor. We walked around. The interviews were conducted in a small room surfaced entirely in concrete save the steel door, which locked behind us after we entered. When we were ready for the next inmate, we had to summon a guard to open the door. The guards were pretty busy and one time we had to wait several minutes to be let out. We joked about the panic button on the wall and how help probably would have come too late had there been a real emergency. Right after that, for some reason my boss and the hearing coordinator dude had to step out for a bit, and the door slammed shut on me and a very large mean looking inmate with limited English. I remember vaguely wondering whether this would be a good time to start getting concerned. But then, I reminded myself that I was on this guy's side- defense counsel. Besides, he was only in for grand theft auto number five, I think. No worries, right?

On the way out we had to wait while other inmates were shuffled around. Some guard was having a confrontation with another inmate. Trying to stay out of the way, I hugged the wall. I didn't freak out at all. At least not until I looked up to see a haggard female inmate about four feet away giving me an extremely creepy smile through the bars. Not like a "hey, how are ya" smile, but more of a "I want something from you" smile.

I've made some appearances in court as well. Just simple procedural stuff, but still, it's unfamiliar and therefore somewhat daunting. The real trial by fire came last week when I had to do six appearances in one morning. Two lawyer friends had made a mutual mistake resulting in a scheduling conflict, and asked me to fill in for them. Another lawyer in their office heard what was going on and asked if I could appear to request continuances on a couple of his cases as well. One of the cases was a felony sentencing hearing. My friend admonished me that whatever happened I was not to allow his client to be taken into custody. No kidding! I wasn't too thrilled at the possibility that some guy could be hauled off to jail because of my inadequate representation, but it ended up being no problem. The most stressful part of the day was getting lost on the way to the courthouse (Bakersfield- I'd never appeared there before), parking in the wrong spot, and making it into the courtroom with no time to spare. Seriously, criminal court appearances are not something you show up late for. Besides the adverse effects for your client, the attorney can face fines, penalties, and other criminal sanctions, including a suspended license or disbarment, which is always a real downer.

Not one person mistook me for a defendant or student today! I'm crediting the new charcoal grey suit with making me look sophisticated and professional.

tp, electricity, and other facets of single life

2006-11-18T14:43:00.000-08:00

I've lived away from home before, but always with at least a couple roommates. So I've never lived completely by myself. The biggest downside to this is that time at home can occasionally be a battle with boredom/loneliness. However, there are pluses as well. For example:

-Things stay where I put them.
-Things last a really long time. Things like, soap, toilet paper, detergent, even food. My household cleaners will likely last several decades at the current rate of consumption.
-I can leave my shoes on the living room floor if I feel like it. Or the kitchen counter, or the hallway. In a word, I have options.
-Nobody scolds me if I fall asleep with the light or tv on. (Actually, this is probably a bad thing)

Speaking of, I got my second electricity bill today, and found it quite disconcerting. I have been trying my best to minimize use of electricity. Seriously, other than a couple of appliances and a light bulb or two in the evening,I use virtually no electricity at all. I haven't touched my thermostat in weeks. (The weather's been so moderate that I haven't had the heat or AC on in well over a month, I'm sure!)Yet somehow my bill was still over $30 dollars. I know, that's probably not worth complaining about, but I was sort of hoping for a bill in the five to ten dollar range. Is that too much to ask? I mean, c'mon- I have to pay for my suits!

SMR update

Sequoia Mountain Rescue called me back (the next morning). They voted on me, and I was unanimously approved as their newest probationary member! I believe that makes me the only conservative to win a vote in recent elections. I'm excited about the first team training exercise, on December 10.

more on grace

2006-11-18T14:35:00.000-08:00

Just one more paragraph from that book, definitely worth the read, in my opinion:

"During the Brezhnev era at the height of the Cold War, Billy Graham visited Russia and met with government and church leaders. Conservatives back home reproached him for treating the Russians with such courtesy and respect. He should have taken a more prophetic role, they said, by condemning the abuses of human rights and religious liberty. One of his critics accused him of setting the church back fifty years. Graham listened, lowered his head, and replied, 'I am deeply ashamed. I have been trying very heard to set the church back two thousand years.'"

By this all men will know that you are My disciples: If you love one another.

today's highlights

2006-11-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

1. Blowing the budget at Men's Wearhouse. Pro's: now that I'm getting my first new custom-tailored suits, I can see myself actually enjoying dressing up for the first time in my life. Con's: spent just over a thousand bucks! Yikes. Hopefully I'll be able to recoup that when I show up in court in my new duds and attract lots of new clients.

2. Buying my first set of golf clubs at the "Rescued Treasures" Salvation Army thrift store for $10. The boss and I conjured up the brilliant idea of buying ourselves 20 spare clubs so we can have some extra fun on the course by wrapping a nine iron around a tree or sending the #3 wood on a high arc into the water hazard. Also a great stress reliever. (more on golf in a future post)

golfing done right.

3. Walking several blocks downtown in the middle of the afternoon on our way back to the office from Rescued Treasures, sporting our newly acquired clubs (no caddies, just clubs). Lots of interesting looks from motorists and passersby.

4. Attending a first meeting with Sequoia Mountain Rescue. Most of the team was there, and I was impressed with the professional yet fun and close-knit atmosphere. I'm looking forward to hearing back from them soon. (I think they were going to vote on whether to accept me as a probationary member after I left.)

on Grace

2006-11-13T14:04:00.000-08:00

I've been reading a book called "What's So Amazing About Grace," by Phillip Yancey. I've been thoroughly enjoying it, and highly recommend this title. In the chapter I was reading last night, the following paragraphs stood out:

"I believe that dispensing God's grace is the Christian's main contribution. As Gordon McDonald said, the world can do anything the church can do except one thing: it cannot show grace. In my opinion, Christians are not doing a very good job of dispensing grace to the world..."

"Jesus did not let any institution interfere with his love for individuals. Jewish racial and religious policies forbade him to speak with a Samaritan woman, let alone one with a checkered moral background; Jesus selected one as a missionary. His disciples included a tax collector, viewed as a traitor by Israel, and also a Zealot, a member of the super-patriot party. He praised the countercultural John the Baptist. He met with Nicodemus, an observant Pharisee, and also with a Roman centurion. he dined in the home of another Pharisee named Simon and also in the home of an "unclean" man, Simon the leper. For Jesus, the person was more important than any category or label."

Perhaps this excerpt loses loses impact when isolated from its surrounding pages, but for me it rang especially true. Christians should be known by their spirit of love, not judgment. After all, it was love's triumph over judgment that made a way of salvation for us all.

visit w/ old friends

2006-11-08T18:02:00.000-08:00

I'm still trying to catch up on stuff that's happened since I moved but before I started this blog. One highlight was getting a somewhat surprise visit from some PA friends! Heidi, Holly, and Natalee were taking a cross-country sisters-special road trip, and decided to include a stop in Visalia. We had a great time checking out Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks (awesome scenery, but I forgot the memory card for my camera! major bummer =), dining out, watching movies, and also driving two hours to the Central Coast. We arrived at Morro Bay just in time to catch the sunset. Here's a shot:

Morry Bay is a cool little beach, but we didn't have much time, so I'm looking forward to checking it out again next summer. I especially want to climb up that big mound of rock in the background, just for fun.

Thanks for visiting guys! I had a blast. If it's not too unmanly to admit, I especially enjoyed singing all the old favorites in the car while to/from the mountains and the beach. And a big thank you is due to all three for buying me a microwave and some other stuff for the kitchen, and for even going so far as to do some cleaning and organizing for me while I was at work! Just for the record, of course I do enjoy spending time with friends even when they don't buy me gifts and clean my shower. Also, contrary to what the boss and other locals think, I don't have three girlfriends =)

SMR 2

2006-11-06T13:22:00.000-08:00

How many of you think think this pic represents what I look like fairly accurately:

I'm guessing at least some of you would say that it's a decent likeness. My sister Holly thought it was me. Well guess what? It's not- I pulled this pic off of SMR's website on the cave rescue training page. Weird, eh? Maybe I have a twin I didn't know about, or I can be this dude's stunt double. It would be a shame to not capitalize on this somehow.

Sequoia Mountain Rescue

2006-11-06T12:48:00.000-08:00

I'm on my lunch break here, so I'll try to keep this one short. Shortly after I moved, I was reading a book about survival I found at Borders. The book reminded me about Alpine search and rescue (SAR) teams. I've often thought about how cool it would be to be a part of one, and now that I live in an area that actually has real alpine wilderness, I decided to look into it. Turns out, there's an elite group of volunteers right here in my county, called Sequoia Mountain Rescue. They perform search and rescue operations in high angle and alpine environments, caves, and swiftwater throughout the Southern Sierra Nevada range. In short, this is every boy's dream (especially me), but here it's actually for real. Each team member is completely volunteer and even purchases their own equipment, and each member puts their own neck on the line in hopes of saving others'. They train one weekend a month, doing all the cool things like climbing and rapelling, caving, winter skills (snowshoes/skis), etc. This group pretty much rocks. So, after browsing everything on their website (check out the link, top right), I sent in an application (donated a pint of blood in the process just to find out what my blood type is, but that's another story).

Anyway, I've received a response to my application, which said (in relevant part): "Thank you for your interest in Sequoia Mountain Rescue. We are extending you an invitation to meet our members at the next upcoming team quarterly meeting on Tuesday, November 14 at 1730 to 2200." (They even use military time. how awesome is that! =). Oh, and the other neat thing is that my boss/job is flexible so work won't be a problem either. I'm pumped about this opportunity, and I'll certainly post further on this in the coming weeks.

settling in

2006-11-02T17:55:00.000-08:00

I've been telling people back East (and myself) that my move to CA isn't necessarily forever, but certain things do seem to indicate the permanancy of my new position:

-This afternoon I moved into my new office, right across the hall from Martens. I have my own desk, chair, network hookup, and phone. Wippee! (for the past month plus I've been sharing my boss's somewhat cramped office and equipement, so I'm sure we're both going to appreciate the extra elbow room). The new office is still mostly empty, but hey, ya gotta start somewhere, right? First things to go on the walls will probably be my JD degree and license to practice from the CA Supreme Court. Not necessarily my style, but it's what every lawyer does. Anyway, here's a first look:

It looks small, but it's really not a hole in the wall. That opening to the right extends another six feet or so to two large windows. Thinking about a Nerf basketball hoop or couch in that space.

-My new business cards are ready to be picked up from Staples. I haven't seen them yet, but Martens assures me they have my name and "attorney at law" on 'em. Yeah baby.

-Finally, I've got Cali vehicle plates and drivers license. I've had both for a while now, but didn't take a pic of them until recently. I kind of like the PA drivers license better, actually, 'cause it has the names of the counties and the state logo in a mult-level irridescent watermark across the face of each license, which of course is very cool. Here's what the Cali ones look like:

To any crooks thinking about stealing my identity from this pic- Ha ha! Notice how I shrewdly covered up all the important numbers...

How I got the job

2006-10-31T17:06:00.000-08:00

First of all, A great big thank you to everyone for the comments. I'd have gotten into blogging much sooner if I'd have known how much fun it could be. Keep 'em coming!

And on a more serious note, here's a little account I typed up a few days ago regarding how I ended up relocating 3000 miles away:

One of the main reasons I hiked the AT was to get direction for the future, specifically in regards to career. Despite countless miles spent alone with the Lord in prayer, I arrived home from Maine with nothing specific in that regard, but with a nagging sense that it would be a shame for all the resources I invested in getting a law degree to simply go to waste.
I was home for only about a week when I got a message from a lawyer friend in CA (Mark Bigger) that there was a law job opportunity in CA: Christopher Martens, an OBCL grad with a solo practice, was getting too busy to keep up. Mark encouraged me to contact Martens and I promised to think about it.
The next day, my phone rang and it was Christopher. Our conversation was brief but exciting. After a couple more days of prayer and discussion, I told him I’d be in CA by the end of September (AFTER our annual family vacation =).
Breaking into the legal market is challenging under the best of circumstances, and this difficulty is compounded exponentially when you’re trying to job-hunt from 3000 miles away, more than two years after graduating law school, and when you don’t have a traditional high school diploma, undergrad degree, or juris doctor degree. I feel strongly that this move and job offer is God’s direction for my life. The timing couldn’t have been better, and I couldn’t be more excited. I’m humbled and amazed by the blessings God has showered upon me. They certainly aren’t a result of any efforts on my part, but as the proverb says, “God makes the sun to shine on the just as well as the unjust.”

Yosemite National Park

2006-10-24T18:05:00.000-07:00

For Columbus Day my friend Mark and I took a day trip up to Yosemite. The natural beauty in that park was absolutely stunning. My measly little camera does it a great injustice. But since I have no better way of showing what we experienced, here are a few pics:

(L) Half dome (I think), and Nevada Falls

Half Dome

The final 1/4 mile or so up Half Dome is straight up a granite slab which is at probably around a 60 degree angle or so. pretty intense! I was definitely a little nervous at first, but then grew accustomed to it.

One of the views from the top. I think they call this the Devil's Pulpit.

Me =)

Vernal Falls

Mark has a rather poor tolerance for altitude, so he took a nap while I scompered up the final 2+ miles on my own. This was a challenging hike, with significant elevation gain. I think it's around 17 miles roundtrip.

On the way home I napped in Mark's Camero while he drove it like a crazy man. Let's just say I can now report that I've gone 100 mph in a 35 mph zone. =) He's a good driver though.

On the way home we stopped in Fresno and met two other OBCL alumnus, Jon and Sally Freeman, for dinner at The Brewhouse or something such. When we finally crashed back at my apartment, sleep came swift and sweet.

The apartment

2006-10-20T21:18:00.000-07:00

Here's my pad- 78A, the top corner unit. My door's right at the top of these stairs, just a couple of feet out of the picture.

And here's the landscaping, all twisty and stuff. The pool and mailboxes are dead ahead.

The kitchen and entryway, including my new microwave (black) and toaster (white). I don't discriminate on account of color. (obviously, or I wouldn't be in a place with olive green cabinets and mustard countertops/floors =)

The bike shop- complete with overhead light, fan, and easy-clean floor. aka dining room
Lots of storage space in the spare room (yeah, a spare room in a 1 bdr apt! I sleep on the futon in the living room so this room's mostly empty)

The living room, looking towards the balcony

And looking the other way, towards the bathroom and bed/spare room.

The Drive Out

2006-10-20T19:35:00.000-07:00

Not much to say here. I left Harrisburg around 1 pm on Wednesday, 9/20/06, with my car loaded to the gills. My car actually doesn't have gills, but if it did, it would have been loaded right to 'em. Here's a picture showing me and Fiona with all her loadedness and gill-lessness. As you can see, there was very little in the way of tire/fender clearance.

Seven or eight hundred miles later I had a surprisingly good night's sleep at a rest stop- somewhere in Missouri, I think. The truckers and I woke up to a crisp clear day, perfect for driving.

And then there were like two more days of this.

I did get to overnight with the fam in OK, which of course was the highlight of the trip and a welcome break. Thanks guys!

I crossed the border into CA Saturday morning, which means I made the cross-country trip in roughly three full days. The cheapest gas I found was $2.07 in Ohio, and the most expensive was somewhere around $3.40, right after I got into CA. I think I spent between 250 and 300 bucks in gas and tolls on the 2800 mile trip.

announcing FlibbyDibby

2006-10-18T20:09:00.000-07:00

Ladies and Gentleman, I have an important and late-breaking news announcement:

Cannonbomb!!

Ok, so maybe it's not important, but it is late-breaking: I've decided to cave to peer pressure and become cool by starting a blog. Last night I was trying to put together some e-mails updating friends and family on my life in general, and realized how much easier it would be (both on myself and on your inboxes) if I just put my latest news on the web. So here's my very latest news:

My stomach just rumbled.

And now I'm going to go home and think of more blog content. Perhaps even something that someone somewhere might actually have a flicker of interest in reading. Oh, and in the meantime, here are some pics of my new office: