fatto nello utah

Moab; Dead Horse Point State Park, Arches, & Red Hot 55k Ultramarathon

2014-02-26T22:02:00.001-08:00

Over Valentine's day weekend Evelyn, Pierluca, and I went down to Moab to do a bit of sightseeing before a race I would have in Moab on Saturday of that weekend. Despite living in Utah for the vast majority of my life I had only been to Moab once and even at that had never visited the national parks that surround the tiny dessert town. We left Thursday morning making Dead Horse Point State Park our first destination after having our realtor recommend seeing it. As you can tell from the photo Dead Horse Point is nothing short of breathtaking. Evelyn and I were both blown away by the beauty and contrast of the red rocks to the snow capped peaks of the Lasal Mountains off in the distance. Why had I not been here before?

The car ride went well; it's always a gamble when you have a toddler in your midst but luckily Pierluca is pretty good about sticking it out. He was certainly happy to be able to walk around though it took him about two minutes to discover rocks and sand. So when we picked him up he was clearly upset. I promise this is not a case of bad parenting; at least not that we know of...

Attempting to compensate for his face of tears with ours of happiness.

Friday we set off to spend the day in Arches National Park. The first item of business was to visit delicate arch. I should mention for all the pictures I had seen of this wonder nothing compared to the in person view. Seeing delicate arch in person was similar to see the David in Florence for the first time; despite being two very different works of art; one natural one man made; they both had the same effect upon me.

A little sunlight on our arch

There are quite a few different arches and towering rock walls to be seen in the park. We only hiked to delicate and to pine tree arch shown above. All the arches were impressive but delicate arch was in a class of its own.

Making our way back to Moab we stopped to snap this picture to show the contrast between Arches and the Lasal range. Those mountains tower well over 12,000' and are the second highest mountain range in Utah.

Natural rock formations don't compare to pebbles and sand unfortunately for some

Moab's Red Hot 55k course, 33+ miles of roads, slick rock, and sand

Somewhere along the course

One of the great things I've discovered with trail running is the camaraderie with other runners that are willing to suffer and push with you. I'd only days before the race met Joe on Instagram through another Instagram insta-friendship with one of his friends Kat. Joe lives in Chinatown in MANHATTAN. He flew cross country, missing flights but somehow finding a connection still getting in the night before the race before midnight. It makes a huge difference when you have someone with you for nearly the entire course. Joe made for great company and helped me get through the last miles when my knees had taken enough. Thank you Joe for getting me through it!

Only a few miles in overlooking the main highway that leads into Moab from the north

When a race takes 7 hours to complete you have time to stop and smell the flowers

The victors final at their goal

The race was difficult. Running on slick rock proved to be hard on the body and made it difficult to find a rhythm. I had hoped that I would be able to slip in under 6 hours but it was not to be however when you are getting near the finish line it is no longer about time; it's just about finishing so you can finally rest. I am by no means an elite runner nor do I think I ever will be, I only hope to keep on being able to do these damned things.

Packing Pierluca up Peaks in 2013

2014-02-03T20:50:00.001-08:00

In October 2012 my wife and I had our first child. I wondered how soon I could start packing him up mountains. From May 2013 and on Pierluca accompanied me on many miles; from about eight months and on he was a champ. This post chronicles in particular all the mountains we summited together in 2013. I now wonder if he will grow up to enjoy the mountains like I do. At the least I hope he will appreciate them.

1st summit for Pierluca and I with that awful pack I borrowed from my friend Paul; glad it was also the last time I used it. Lesson learned; don't use packs made by manufacturers of children's goods.

Grandeur Peak
May 14, 2013
6.1 miles
2800' climbing
Strava
2 hrs 22 mins
Pierluca 7 months 4 days

Content to get his first peak bagged. I know I was so overcome with joy to get him to the top of that mountain. He did well and slept on most of the climb up. A good sign of things to come.

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2nd peak climbed with Pierluca in the Vaude Butterly pack. Much more comfortable for the both of us. Pierluca again fell asleep during the climb up and was quite pleasant. He got cold on the way down for which I felt awful.

Mt Aire

May 21, 2013

6.3 miles

2923' climbing

Strava

2 hrs 2 mins

Pierluca 7 months 11 days

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3rd summit was actually his second time on top of Grandeur. Again snoozing during the climb. He did well and seems to have a knack for hiking.

Grandeur Peak

June 3, 2013

6.1 miles

2900' climbing

Strava

2 hrs 5 mins

Pierluca 7 months, 19 days

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4th summit was with Pierluca and my cousin Charles and Pierluca really nodded off during this one. He slept to the summit and only woke up after a bug bit him and he awoke to an awful sting. We ate watermelon on the summit.

Reynolds Peak

July 23, 2013

7.1 miles

1900' climbing

2 hrs 20 mins

Pierluca 9 months 13 days

Strava

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5th summit was Sunset Peak up at Brighton. This in my opinion is the best place to take a visitor on a hike when visiting Salt Lake. You're hard pressed to find better views and a fairly easy hike.

Sunset Peak
July 30, 2013
6 miles
2111' climbing
Strava
2 hrs 15 mins
Pierluca 8 months 20 days

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6th summit was a return trip to the top of Mt Aire. Again snoozing in the saddle with photographic evidence. The best part of this summit came as I had Pierluca on my back again after a breather on the top when I heard my phone ring. I normally would have ignored the call but the only time I could have had service was on top of the mountain. Service in the Wasatch is inexistent. Anyway it was my dad calling from the hospital to say hello and coordinate a visit. I was quite pleased to tell him I was on top of a mountain with Pierluca to which he reminded me to be careful with my precious cargo.

Mt Aire

August 8, 2013

3.3 miles

1960' climbing

1 hrs 38 mins

Pierluca 9 months 29 days

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7th summit was a bit foolish on my part. Thaynes Peak isn't a difficult climb unless you've got a wee human on your back. The trail doesn't get a lot of traffic and the push to the summit proper can get a bit tricky. It also didn't help that I forgot my headlamp and did the last 25 minutes in the dark. We can laugh about it now...

Thaynes Peak
August 21, 2013
6.2 miles
2704' climbing
2 hrs 28 mins
Strava
Pierluca 10 months 11 days

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8th summit was Reynolds Peak.

Reynolds Peak

August 30, 2013

7 miles

1900' climbing

2 hrs 24 mins

Strava

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9th summit was another stop atop of Grandeur; number three.

Grandeur Peak
September 5, 2013
5.4 miles
2423' climbing
2 hrs 23 mins
Pierluca 10 months 25 days
Strava

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10th summit was another trip again to the top of Grandeur Peak.

Grandeur Peak
November 2, 2013
6.1 miles
2624' climbing
2 hrs 48 mins
Pierluca 1 year 22 days
Strava

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11th summit was to the top of Mt Wire/Beacon Hill. This was the day the eastern repeater was being removed one load at a time by helicopter. I timed the trips and it took about five minutes for the helicopter to take a load of steel, deposit it at the bottom of the mountain, and return to reload. We'd just crested the hill when the chopper was perched at the summit loading the workers to go down the mountain and finish their day.

Mt Wire/Beacon Hill
November 8, 2013
5.1 miles
2280' climbing
2 hrs 10 mins
Pierluca 1 year 28 days
Strava

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12th summit and the last for 2013. We made this ascent on Christmas Eve. There was enough sun light to keep us warm on the way up but the shadows of the mountain made Pierluca a bit uncomfortable on the descent. A good way to wrap up the year on the peak we first climbed together.

Grandeur Peak
December 24, 2013
5.8 miles
2604' climbing
2 hrs 24 mins
Pierluca 1 year 2 months 14 days
Strava

Millcreek Canyon; from end to end with two different friends

2014-01-25T21:02:00.000-08:00

A screen shot of my Strava map. My run info can be found here

Well after over a year hiatus I'm back at it. Hopefully I can keep some posts going. This isn't a New Years Resolution, just ramblings, so let them commence!

After some social pressure I committed to running Moab's Red Hot 55k in February. Some nagging knee issues left me thinking I couldn't do it but it seems I'm back to feeling whole and last Saturday was the latest test for that. 55 kilometers is roughly 34 miles so in the interest of being prepared I decided a 20 miler would be necessary to see how ready I am and if (knock on wood) the knee felt good after 20 miles I knew I couldn't have any excuses. I met up with my new pal Tobias who joined me on the first 10 miles. We met up at Porter Fork and hopped on the Pipeline Trail heading west towards the overlook of the Salt Lake Valley. It was nice to have someone to chat with to keep my mind off the miles. The trail also kept us on our toes as about every element was present; ice, snow, dirt, mud, rock, puddles, etc.

Tobias looking particularly cheerful though I made him re-run this part to get a pic

The further westward we reached on the trail the better it got. It felt like spring running. I must also add it is a pleasure to run with someone that provides such fine company. Tobias is originally from Sweden and quite the runner. In a few years of trail running he's already completed two 100k races (in non Euro measurements that's 61ish miles) and does it all the while balancing a career, two vivacious children, and a wife that is eager to get more and more miles in(he's taking a break from two consecutive years of running Moab's Red Hot 55k to watch the kids so the misses can run it this year).

The narrator and photographer doing only one of those tasks and not particularly well

An obligatory picture of my beautiful Altra Lone Peak 1.5 shoes & the Swede running from shadows

The hero of the second half of my journey Paul Olsen & yours truly in "shortest shorts on the trail"

One of my favorite thing about trail running is meeting people out in the middle of nowhere. Seeing fellow humans out of the natural habitat always gives me such a joy. Such interactions over the snow packed canyon road included helping a woman get up to her feet after taking a spill on her XC skis. I assured her that I'd done the same on my skate skis and it "builds character". I also received the "shortest shorts" comment from a skier coming down canyon; again I'll take that as a point of pride. Fellow humans appreciating nature!

Shorts, spandex, and sweat; a story of more than moving parts...

As ecstatic as I was to complete my first 20 mile run of 2014 I was even more proud of my friend Paul. You see Paul had never run ten miles and certainly had never done anything close in the mountains. He ran a significant portion of the climb and ran almost the entire descent. A fine accomplishment indeed. Hats off to you Paul!

Mt Aire

2012-05-27T14:42:00.000-07:00

Mt Aire has become one of my favorite new trail runs. It isn't a very long trek to the summit, only 3.24 miles & about 2,600' vertical foot climb. Of course 1.4 miles are spent just going up the road to the trailhead, once the entire canyon opens July 1 you'll be able to go at it directly from the trailhead at elbow fork.

Looking south from the top.

The view towards the Salt Lake Valley and Grandeur Peak to the west.

I-80 & Parleys Summit. Wonder if those cars below could see me frantically waving my arms?

The trail is fairly smooth but is somewhat steep. It does certainly provide some great views.

This shot was taken from the saddle just before the trail starts to zig zag up to the top of Mt Aire.

The first half of the trail winds through aspen and pine trees, quite lovely.

North Ridge of City Creek Canyon, No Name Peak

2012-05-12T15:28:00.001-07:00

I'm not sure why I became so obsessed with doing this run, perhaps the same line of reasoning that Sir Edmond Hillary used; because it's there. At any rate my favorite running mate(not political running) Tom & I set out to get to the highest point along the north ridge of City Creek Canyon. The summit is 7200' & our lowly beginning elevation was 4600'. I'm sure we did more than the 2600' gain, there were quite a few rolling hills. This run was a beast.

Two miles in, looking down from the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

14.58 miles of hills like this. The funny thing was Tom didn't stop so I didn't stop running. Tom told me after that he didn't stop because I didn't.

Rehydrating at the summit. A well earned break as well.

Salt Lake City as seen from 7200'.

It was quite warm hence being sans shirt. In the final approach to the summit not only were my shades getting foggy from the sweat but my eyes felt like they were getting foggy too.

Geological marker.

City Creek Canyon down below.

Spring is a great time to run along the Wasatch.

I told Tom before we started to use sun screen, he didn't and I'm sure he regrets it now.

These descents were perhaps more physically taxing then going up. Madness.

Anyone done this before? Any other great trails I should be hitting up?

Wasatch Steeplechase Preperation

2012-05-06T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well it has been quite the hiatus for me since my last post. It's amazing how much time you don't have on your hands once you are amongst the working class of this fine nation. Saturday had me doing a bit of course work for the upcoming Wasatch Steeplechase on June 23. The course is a 17 mile loop that climbs 4,500'. Yesterday I did a little over 13 miles there & back, making the summit of Black Mountain. This has to be one of my favorite runs given the variety of terrain it offers, from rolling hills to boulder hopping it has it all.

Here you can see the summit in the distance & the ridge line that there leads. Spring time has to be one of the better times of year to make this trek.

Here's looking back at downtown Salt Lake. You can also spot the Bonneville Shoreline Trail cutting across the foothills. Quite splendid indeed.

The ridge line. Running this stuff reminds me of scenes from Lord of the Rings where they are just running across the countryside. Of course I'm only loaded with a hydration pack, they have all their armor & weapons, nuts.

The hero of the day.

Where foothills meet Mountain. The steep journey to the top starts at about 6,500', the summit is around 8,200'.

The view from the ridge to the top.

A bit of boulder hopping required. Quite entertaining & frightening all at the same time.

From the top looking towards Mt Olympus & South Mountain.

Summit view of City Creek Canyon. I love seeing the shadows of the clouds.

Heading back down to civilization.

I'm not sure what this marker & arrow are all about.

A fine young couple took this picture of well, yours truly. I look pretty good for a guy that smells pretty bad. Can't wait for the steeplechase & I'm sure I'll do this run again in the meantime.

Favorite Thrift Store Tees

2012-02-27T20:20:00.000-08:00

It is quite rare that I'll buy a new tee shirt, perhaps the only exceptions in the last five years have been American Apparel Tee's which shouldn't really count, it's not as if they are emblazoned with their logo on them, unless of course a deep V neck is a logo, that is up for debate... & the other exception is the occasional soccer related shirt, I doubt jerseys should count. At this point I really have more Tee's than I could ever possibly wear, unless I get a job that requires t-shirt casual Fridays everyday, where is that job? Anyway below is a sampling of my favorite second hand finds. Enjoy!

& I thought Stryper was just a fictitious hair band from the 80's, not only are they not fictitious but they are a Christian Hair Metal Band, To hell with the devil say thee!

Dream catchers & buffalo skulls, nothing else quite says "Utah" does it? The Chicago tee was about the only good shirt I managed to find at the Salvation Army in Brooklyn. NYC is sadly not a good place to go thrift shopping unless you want them to pick the clothes for you & pay a hefty mark-up(Beacons Closet).

I told you they hated Satan, & you just thought I was trying to be clever, well the joke is on you my friend!

Though I care not for what many supposedly claim as America's Pastime, I do love the tee-shirts they make. The two button collar makes it the poor mans V-neck.

Native American Princess & Eagles, a shirt that even Charlie Day would envy.

Who would get rid of a silk screen paying homage to the best amplification on the market? Thank you for your sacrifice.

More baseball & a soccer chief.

Zena, I had to have you like a crappy public television network had to have reruns of your show to fill the 11PM time slot every Thursday night.

Sometimes the best thing to come of a relationship gone bad is an eagle sticking his Harley tongue out at you.

Any of you lot have a favorite thrift store tee? Like any of mine?

Grandeur Peak, via West Ridge

2012-02-22T18:10:00.001-08:00

I'm not sure what inspired me to try this trail, though I have been to the top of Grandeur Peak before I did it via Church Fork in Millcreek Canyon. This approach is from the west ridge, right off the benches viewing the valley below. My friend Rob & I hiked half way up before having to turn around as the sun was about to set, so the next day I gave it another go. The trail was pretty good, though I was quite fortunate to pack my Yaktrax to help with the snow packed sections on the upper half.

The trail is only 2.35 miles(one way) but gains about 3,300', needless to say in the upper half of the trail feels more like an endless staircase than a trail.

From dirt, to mud, to snow & mud, to snow. Lovely.

I don't know why I bothered packing a hat & jacket, I always seem to forget you heat up quite rapidly when you work this hard.

Almost to the summit.

The view from the top, Mount Olympus.

I-80 & downtown Salt Lake City(till I die!).

I felt better than it showed, I promise...

The view down into Millcreek Canyon. All in all it took me 1hr52min to do this round trip. My time & timing were good considering it snowed the next day.

House on a House(s)

2012-02-19T18:39:00.000-08:00

I didn't intend to post pictures from when I lived in Brooklyn but I came across this gem & felt inclined to share. My wife & I were on our way to John's on 12th St last summer for some vegan Italian food & we happened across this house. It is in Manhattan on the corner of 13th St & 3rd Ave if you want to have a look for yourself. At some point I became obsessed with rooftop houses after seeing this article in the NY Times.

If I lived in that house I think I'd be constantly yelling at all the people below, I'm in a house on a roof!

John's on 12th St isn't too shabby either, & about the only Italian place I was aware of in NYC that actually had a vegan menu in addition to the omnivore's menu.

If you go to John's get the bruschetta with garlic, tomatoes, basil, & avocado on homemade sesame bread, genius!

Picking up the Miles on the Pipeline Trail

2012-02-12T17:47:00.000-08:00

I know I keep posting about this trail but it seems to be the gift that just keeps on giving. Despite the snow(or lack there of this year), the mud, the ice, the slush, the dirt, & the rocks it is really quite runnable through the winter months. I racked up 16 miles total, which is only 1/3 of the 48 miles I might be doing if I head down to Zions in April with some friends. We'll see if I can train myself up for the other 2/3 of the mileage.

I was listening to two different trail running podcasts, how appropriate, one on form the other on trail running tips.

The various conditions, it was mostly wet with snow, or wet with mud. Delicious.

The half way point, a good & bad feeling, good because you're half way through, bad because you've still got to go back down. That's the trouble with treadmills, once you start you have already arrived.

The valley, as seen from above. Che bella vista...

With any luck next saturday I'll be doing a 20 miler. Need to crank the distance out.

Mt. Wire, Spandex on Fire

2012-02-01T19:39:00.000-08:00

I didn't know about this run until Michael at Wasatch Runner suggested this as a good run even in the cold of winter. I enlisted the help of my favorite pilot & now just spandex wearing(sans shorts) friend Tom to make the summit with me. The trail & accompanying views were so spectacular I headed back the next day to make another summit. Another reason I love being back in the Wasatch Mountains.

The trail did prove rather slippy with the snowpack & lack of sunlight. Here we are at the ridge, at about 6,600' with another 500' to go. We looked happy until we realized the last bit was quite steep.

Tom, I'm proud of you for rocking straight spandex, quite the view from the dairy air.

The next day the sun came out & so did the inversion. You could cut that crappy air with a knife.

On the summit you find a few random things. A marker, a now unused airport beacon, & two microwave repeaters facing each other. The boards were once used to beam microwave radio signals over the mountains, now they look like poorly positioned drive-in theatre screens. At least place them far enough apart so you can park some cars between those things right?

Tom eyes wide unopened at the top.

30 second timer equals great full body shot of some serious spandex. Don't act like you're not impressed, I'm just gonna walk this situation off...

The aforementioned microwave repeaters.

Apparently 70% of the smog in the Salt Lake Valley can be attributed to automobiles.

Looking confused or amused, I can't recall which emotion it was.

The interesting thing about Mt. Wire is that you can spot the summit from the trailhead, it is roughly where the period is after "end here" some 2,000 plus feet above. The Empire State Building is only 1,454' high to give you an idea of how much of a climb it is. Maybe we should have just run up a few flights of stairs instead.

Meridian Peak, another run in the Wasatch

2012-01-29T14:41:00.000-08:00

I'm not sure how I keep finding out about these various trails but this one was really quite fun. It was also odd that I saw more deer(10 or so) than humans(one human being). If it weren't for all the snow that had fallen the day before it would have been a lot easier, up on the ridges I had snow up to my knees, sans snow shoes or poles. I'm looking forward to doing this one again.

I did a section of this trail a day prior, hence the cloud cover which didn't miraculously dissipate. Quite the contrast though. I did a portion of the trail to familiarize myself with the terrain, it's pretty easy to get off course in these foothills.

The only deer I managed to shoot. Will deer be the new birds?

The view up City Creek Canyon & the Bonneville Shoreline Trail.

There are a few different radio towers on these wee peaks hence the tire tracks. I was grateful though that they broke trail for part of the way.

The view again up City Creek Canyon.

My shadow doesn't do justice to how much of a bugger these hills were, again given the newly fallen snow.

From the top, looking south towards Salt Lake City.

Facing the other way from the top to the north, towards Bountiful.

By the time I made it back to my car I was quite exhausted, I foolishly didn't bring any food or water which would have greatly aided my waning energy levels. Next time I'll be smarter.

Sandy to South Mountain, Bonneville Shoreline Trail

2012-01-27T08:36:00.000-08:00

I imagine I've spoken about this before, but I just moved back to Utah after spending five years in New York City. I lived in Brooklyn, only two blocks from the biggest park in the borough & while it was a welcomed oasis from the concrete madness that is the big apple it did get very old running the same laps day after day. Thus upon arriving in Salt Lake I was determined to find new & interesting places to tread, & that has led me into the mountains. This is a trail run I did last week before the snow hit.

The great thing about Salt Lake City is how close it puts you to the mountains & as you can tell from these pictures, many trailheads start in the city & work their way along the hills. You're never short of a bella vista in this town.

Gradually wearing down, I believe my face shows it well enough.

Earning it. Whatever "it" is. Sweat? Pain? Money?

It had rained the night before which consequently made the little snow left on the trail rather slippy, ice skates may have been better than Asics.

The South Mountain Temple.

I can't resist the cheesey old timey white fade. My wife thinks it's stupid, she's probably right. Also, I was there, Ghost Falls, ghosts all up in my business can't let me run without throwing a paper cup in my way. Why do ghosts always litter?

The bottom left photo was pre-run, right post-run. I don't look too spent, though I felt it. To any runners out there, what do you listen to on the road/trails? I've grown tired of the same rock anthems & hip hop & now I listen to pretty much only podcasts, though they are usually soccer podcasts, so sports talk is my eye of the tiger so to speak.

Further Anatomy of a Cutting Board, parts 4 & 5

2012-01-26T10:06:00.000-08:00

Because my sister so graciously asked for a cutting board of her own I decided to make up two more of them. I think in this latest attempt I have improved, & with any luck these two chopping blocks will hold up & not come unglued. I'm no Bob Villa when it come to woodwork so only time will tell if they hold up after much use.

Making the cuts & gluing them up. Last time around I used a brush to glue the sides which really wasn't good for ensuring the entire surface had a good coat of glue on it. This time the little spackling guy did the job.

Below you see how they look through the process, from no sanding, to some sanding, to a complete sandy sanding.

Looking pretty good I do say.

This is after about five coats of salad bowl finish.

The end product; making cauliflower chowder, it was delicious & the cutting board held up fine.

UP! No really, UP!

2012-01-24T19:52:00.000-08:00

I remember hearing about some home builders here in Utah making one of their properties an exact replica of the house from UP! I'm not sure how I forgot about it, actually the thing I remembered most in reading about it was how a few neighbors complained to the HOA(home owners association) about the bright colors & demanded that it be altered to less visually offensive shades. Luckily common sense prevailed & the HOA decided to allow the color format to stay, I suppose the jerk neighbors that complained were as crochety as the lead character from the movie(irony defined).

My wife & I happened to spot the house on our way out to Ching Rescue Farm & stopped by for a look. There is actually a sign on the white picket fence asking admirers to please limit their photographic enthusiasm to only a few quick shots from outside the gate. However they do actually allow people in for photo shoots if you schedule ahead of time. I would have snapped more shots but hesitated, not wanting to annoy the owners.

How many homes do you come across that are replica's of homes from the movies? I'd love Ferris Bueller's house personally.

Dog Lake, a lake for canines & humans alike

2012-01-23T08:39:00.000-08:00

Shortly after my wife & I moved to Salt Lake I took her on one of my favorite trails in the area; Dog Lake. These pictures were taken back in early November before we got a nice blanketing of snow this weekend. The trail is fantastic & a popular spot to take your favorite canine. It would probably be a good business idea to rent out dogs at the trailhead so you don't have to feel so bad if you don't have one. The trail is located at the top of Millcreek Canyon. It is about a 6 miler round trip.

Aspens & Pines getting along in the wild.

My wife Evelyn said the fallen Aspen Leaves reminded her of confetti. Confetti trail?

I love these trees, does that make me a tree hugger?

At the lake, sans dogs... Evelyn told me to hurry & snap a photo because this may be the last time she comes up here. In fairness to her it was a chilly day & we should have braked for food before reaching the top. It's not good hiking on an empty stomach.

A College Professor's Disguise

2012-01-19T17:07:00.000-08:00

Well, maybe a college professor at a hippie college somewhere in the northwest, we'll say Portland for arguments sake. Regardless I found this nice little ensemble at two different thrift stores the other day. A tweed jacket is a must(for a professor anyway) & you can never have too many flannel shirts(thank you old High Sierra by Mervyn's shirt). The book I must admit I've never read & it could be on the curriculum so I figured I should pick it up. The tie was actaully a children's tie, which I really have no excuse for not knowing because I saw the "Children's Place" logo on the back, so needless to say it fits if I knot it in a very unique(& short) fashion. Lastly a proper professor has his mug for herbal tea, & I do fancy the Masonesque jar mugs.

Big rotund buttons & the indispensable elbow patches, those elbows will see a lot of time propped up on the desk reading & correcting papers, it's a shame I didn't find a good red pen too.

Children's tie & literature. The book also has notes in it so it's practically the Cliff Notes version. When I lived in Brooklyn I would RARELY go thrift shopping. Either you went to a crap Salvation Army Store or an overpriced Beacon's Closet, & the "vintage" stores really take the fun out of unearthing a used gem plus they charge taking inflation into account(why can't I pay 1970's prices in 2012?).

Hopefully I don't run into any tykes at church sporting the same cravat on Sunday, could get embarrassing for them. No kid likes to wear the same threads as an adult.

The only drawback to these wee friends is that you can't actually screw a lid onto them, the grooves are just for show(stupid), but then again I only paid .75¢, thrift shoppers can't be choosers, or choosers with less of a voice anyway.

Hey everybody, come see how good I look! I rock this topnotch tweed so well it makes Sinatra look like a hobo. & guess how much I paid for all of these fine items?!? Well if you guessed $19.50 you were right(& please stop stocking me or at the very least offer to pay for my tie, it's getting awkward). I don't consider myself cheap, I've said before if I were rich I would still thrift shop. Though perhaps I would just purchase the entire store, so maybe I would do things a bit different. Any of you wealthy folk out there still find yourself bobbing through the aisles of your favorite second hand store?

Pallet Garden Work Table

2012-01-18T10:12:00.000-08:00

I'm not quite sure why I've become so obsessed with making things out of pallets, perhaps it's the rustic look of the wood or maybe it's the fact that you can pretty much get them for free. At any rate I have my cousin Rosemary to thank for this idea(thanks for linking the Pinterest pallet page). Given that the wood is already weathered & aged why not make a table to be used outside or in the garden? In essence that is what I attempted to make. Lo & behold:

The real difficulty in working with pallets is taking the things apart. It's hard to do without destroying the wood & I ended up having to use three separate pallets to make this table with quite a bit of firewood scraps leftover. However the pieces I managed to take out without too much harm are quite charming.

If I make another one of these I know I'll go about it different, not sure if making the legs/frame first was the way to go but I wasn't exactly following any instructions so there was always going to be some trial & error.

Here it is all done, now I need to find a garden to pop it in.

Mug shots.

I love how the table top looks, like a table that toughed it out on the streets & lived to tell the tale.

Now I just need a garden & some nice weather to put this little guy to use.

City Creek Canyon

2012-01-16T09:01:00.000-08:00

The other night my wife & I went to dinner at Mazza's, a great middle eastern restaurant where my friend Morganne works. She told me about how City Creek Canyon is the place to run if you can't hit the trails so the next day the misses & I went up to have a look for ourselves.

The canyon has a small paved road that is closed to traffic, making it ideal for a run or ride. In fact it used to be where Salt Lake City procured all of its water. It now uses other sources but still has a treatment plant about 3.5 miles up the canyon.

Only you can prevent bears from smoking in the forest.

It's not often you have a run where the miles are marked & you have bathrooms every mile. Mile 5 was as far up as I would climb, fortunately my return was all down hill.

How many runs can you find that are five minutes from the city center?

Ching Rescue Farm

2012-01-14T08:47:00.000-08:00

Last Tuesday I volunteered at Utah's only rescue farm, Ching Farm Rescue & Sanctuary. The farm is home to over 200 animals, from pigs & goats to cattle & lamas. They take in animals that have been abused, abandoned & were a trip away from the slaughterhouse. It was brilliant lending a hand & getting an up close look at animals I rarely see on this side of a supermarket.

Puppy dog eyes on a cow. A crossbreed perhaps?

Most of the animals were quite curious & amicable, following me around the place. I spent the morning getting water to all of their bowls & troughs.

This turkey was particularly friendly, I think he knows I didn't eat any of his siblings last November.

This lama almost looks like two men in a lama costume. I didn't get a good look, could be.

Even the cat was rescued, luckily he didn't chase any of the geese, turkeys, or chickens.

Don't mess with ~~Texas~~ Longhorns.

Catching some rays.

This is Verrall, he showed me around the farm & kept me from getting stampeded by the longhorn.

This photo hardly gives you an idea of how large those pigs are however they actually weigh over 900 lbs & are about 4'6'' tall.

Glad I went & I'm looking forward to going back again next week. It was like a petting zoo for the island of misfit animals.

This old house

2012-01-12T08:40:00.000-08:00

Not sure what the deal is with this place, I've driven past it many times and have always wanted to stop for a look so today I had a bit of a wander to go and have a closer inspection. It has been boarded up for some time and from what I can make of it appears to be a home from the early 1900's.

The stone foundation is quite classy, wonder what they keep down there, Sloth?

Maybe it's haunted?

Perhaps next time I'll sneak in and see how many ferrel cats are hanging out.

BLT, substituting the B & the T with some E, O, & P

2012-01-10T07:07:00.000-08:00

Here's my rendition of an American classic, the BLT done vegan style. Yes I full well realize there's no replacing delicious savory hickory smoked bacon but I've given up eating Wilbur & his barnyard pals so this will just have to suffice for the time being. Instead of using the "B" I used 1/8'' thick cuts of roasted eggplant(each piece measured for accuracy!), & because I didn't have any "T" I just sauteed up some red bell peppers and half a yellow onion. Luckily plenty of "L" was already on hand.

The aforementioned "P" or should it be "BP"(bell pepper, or "RBP" for accuracy?)? On the left just "O"(which should be adequately transparent as to its identity).

The trick to getting the eggplant to have a smokey taste is from the three culprits below, Soy Sauce, Worcestershire Sauce, & liquid smoke(plus a touch of sea salt). I found the eggplant "bacon" recipe on the post punk kitchen website but made a few modifications of my own. Liquid smoke is a handy thing to have for omnivore's & plant eaters alike, gives anything that smokey savory taste.

Admittedly the other ace up my sleeve in the kitchen is my combination of chipotle peppers with mayo. If you haven't tried it I give it my highest stamp of approval. I'd even recommend popping the peppers in the food processor first so they can be easily mixed into any spread or dish. I can't say it enough, chipotle + mayo = crazy delicious! Could be the new fry sauce.

Voila! The final product:

Not a bad lunch & fairly healthy too with the exception of the mayo. What did you have for lunch today?

Anatomy of a cutting board, part three

2012-01-09T08:32:00.000-08:00

The third time around proved to be much easier than the first two tries. I snapped the shot on the left quickly during the gluing process, fortunately I was able to get it connected before it dried.

Super tramp, super clamp(s).

The board post sanding then after with an application of salad bowl finish.

The final product about to be wrapped up & sent across the country to my friends Andy & Naomi, hope you guys enjoy this little guy!

So my friends Andy & Naomi were gracious enough to send me a few action shots of the cutting board I sent them a week ago. Thus far they have nothing but good things to say about it, in fact they went so far as to use adjectives such as "sassy" "bodacious" & "functional", though they missed one obvious one; "woody". Regardless I'm quite pleased that they are enjoying it.

Who cut the Caprese? No seriously who cut it because I hope they remembered the bread too.

Old style wooden milk crates

2012-01-07T09:21:00.000-08:00

Before I moved back to Utah I found an old wooden milk crate in the basement of my apartment building in Brooklyn. It was really a cool item,not only great for storage but also great for display. Being that old looking milk crates are hard to come by I've made some myself. Three of the five were made using discarded pallets I found behind a hardware store, and the two white ones from a cedar fence that someone had knocked down.

Fives company.

Need to make one more to have a proper pyramid.

My wife keeps asking me what I'm going to do with all these crates. I'll have to keep them hidden so they don't end up on the streets.

Winter of 1974

2012-01-06T22:22:00.000-08:00

These pictures are the efforts of some more rummaging around grandma's photo albums. I guess back in 1974 it snowed in the winter, nowadays it just gets really smoggy....

Nothing like old man winter showing up at your door with a big white blanket of snow.