Thanks babe.

First a little back story. On the 23rd of February The little lady picked up 3 chickens [a fourth came the next day]. To say I was annoyed was understatement, but you can read her perspective over on Season for Cake. I didn’t really want anything else to take care of, but within a week, these little chicks we’re definitely my “flock”.

The long and short of it is, I completely take care of them, the little lady has already lost most of her interest in them, and the boys are indifferent.

I was thinking of buying one of those internet coops for a few hundred bucks, but I started to think that they are mostly pressboard, which doesn’t do to well with out Pacific North Wet weather. Next idea, Craigslist. Apparently everyone and their brother has a coop making business in their garage [a fact I was blissfully un-aware of].

Certainly around Seattle Backyard Chickens are becoming pretty common, but the coop making business is crazy. A small coop around here is $550 and the bigger ones with attached runs are $750-$1100. I like my chickens and all, but that’s nuts. So I decided to build my own.

A few facts about my coop.

• First, I used no plans. Not that you shouldn’t but I had an idea of what I wanted.
• It’s 8′ wide, 5’8″ deep and 6’4″ tall inside the run.
• It’s probably going to cost me about $550 when it’s all said and done
• However, It’s built to last: Should take about 500 lbs of snow load, and survive any earthquakes we may have.
• The corner posts are 4x4s and it’s framed entirely with 2x4s and pressure treated lumber where it comes in contact with the ground.
• The coop itself is 1/2″ OSB and then sheathed in cedar shingles.
• It’s got a skylight. In the coop, not just the clear roof over the run.
• It’s completely enclosed [even underneath] in 19 gauge 1/2″ galvanized hardware cloth, which should keep out even the most persistent predator.

The framing went up on the first weekend. Like I said 4x4s, pressure treated sill plates and perimeter [to keep the bedding in], all solid, real solid … and heavy. The hardware cloth wraps essentially all the way around the coop width wise in 2 36″ wide lengths that are “stitched” together with 17 gauge wire. I was going to order 66″ wide hardware cloth but it was ridiculously expensive.

The following weekend I built the roof, the roosts, and the nesting box [which isn't getting attached right away, so they don't try to roost in it], built the box of the coop, and sheathed it almost entirely [still have a bit to finish]. Final pics and the big reveal hopefully in a few more days.

We camped up in the Yakima Canyon just along the Umtanum Creek. A nice little canyon, with a great creek, and a few groves of trees. The hike in was casual with very little elevation gain, and only covered with about 8-10″ of snow, making snowshoes or skis unneeded. I had brought my trekking poles with me, but it turned out the only thing that I used them for was putting my tarp in to “porch mode”.

Being a hammock kinda guy, I have a few, mostly stuff I have made, but this trip I brought with me my “DangerBird”, double layer hammock, as well as some down quilts from HammockGear.com that kept me warm and toasty through the overnight low temp of about 15 degrees.

There was a great group of folks up there with me, and it was nice to finally meet them in person. Here are a few more pics. Hope to see you on the trail.

[Also, with that being said ... I promised the boys I'd post their Amazon wishlists, ugh.]

[Copied verbatim from WIRED's Geek Dad column dated Jan 31 2011 written by Jonathan Liu]

Here at GeekDad we review a lot of products — books, toys, gadgets, software — and I know it’s impossible for most parents to actually afford all of the cool stuff that gets written up. Heck, most of us can’t afford it either, and we’re envious of the person who scored a review copy of a cool board game or awesome gizmo. (Disclosure: that person is probably me.) So while we love telling you about all the cool stuff that’s out there, I understand that as parents we all have limited budgets and we sometimes need help narrowing down our wishlists.

So to help you out, I’ve worked really hard to narrow down this list to five items that no kid should be without. All five should fit easily within any budget, and are appropriate for a wide age range so you get the most play out of each one. These are time-tested and kid-approved! And as a bonus, these five can be combined for extra-super-happy-fun-time.

"A Gripping Scene" from Flickr user chefranden. Used under Creative Commons License.

1. Stick

What’s brown and sticky? A Stick.

This versatile toy is a real classic — chances are your great-great-grandparents played with one, and your kids have probably discovered it for themselves as well. It’s a required ingredient for Stickball, of course, but it’s so much more. Stick works really well as a poker, digger and reach-extender. It can also be combined with many other toys (both from this list and otherwise) to perform even more functions.

Stick comes in an almost bewildering variety of sizes and shapes, but you can amass a whole collection without too much of an investment. You may want to avoid the smallest sizes — I’ve found that they break easily and are impossible to repair. Talk about planned obsolescence. But at least the classic wooden version is biodegradable so you don’t have to feel so bad about pitching them into your yard waste or just using them for kindling. Larger, multi-tipped Sticks are particularly useful as snowman arms. (Note: requires Snow, which is not included and may not be available in Florida.)

As with most things these days, there are higher-end models of Sticks if you’re a big spender, from the smoothly-sanded wooden models (which are more uniformly straight than the classic model) to more durable materials such as plastic or even metal. But for most kids the classic model should do fine. My own kids have several Sticks (but are always eager to pick up a couple more when we find them).

One warning: the Stick can also be used as a sword or club, so parents who avoid toy weapons might want to steer clear of the larger models. (On the other hand, many experts agree that creative children will just find something else to substitute for Stick, so this may be somewhat unavoidable.)

Although she is not generally known as a toy expert, Antoinette Portis has written this helpful user manual for those needing some assistance in using their Stick.

Wired: Finally, something that does grow on trees.

Tired: You could put someone’s eye out.

Disclosure: I have received several samples of Sticks from one manufacturer for review.

"It came from the mail room" by Flickr user last mariner. Used under Creative Commons License

2. Box

Another toy that is quite versatile, Box also comes in a variety of shapes and sizes. Need proof? Depending on the number and size you have, Boxes can be turned into furniture or a kitchen playset. You can turn your kids into cardboard robots or create elaborate Star Wars costumes. A large Box can be used as a fort or house and the smaller Box can be used to hide away a special treasure. Got a Stick? Use it as an oar and Box becomes a boat. One particularly famous kid has used the Box as a key component of a time machine, a duplicator and a transmogrifier, among other things.

Still stuck for ideas? Check out this Box user manual by Antoinette Portis for a few more ideas.

The Box may be the most expensive item on my list, available from many retailers and shipping companies, but they can often be had cheaper if you know where to look. Amazon is one of my main sources of the small- to medium-sized Box; I include one with virtually every order I place there. If you don’t mind second-hand toys, the grocery store, bookstores and recycling centers are also great sources for Boxes. Oh, and the best place for the extra-large version is an appliance store (though sometimes they’ll try to sell you an appliance along with it, which could get pricey.)

Note: If you’re in a pinch, Laundry Basket is a similar item and can often be substituted for Box in some instances, though it’s generally not as great for costumes (other than a turtle). And if you’re thinking of using Box for your next building project, Mr. McGroovy’s Box Rivets make a great optional accessory.

Wired: Best celebrity endorsement: Calvin & Hobbes.

Tired: Paradox: what do you put Box in when you’re done playing with it?

"How long is a piece of string?" by Flickr user izzie_whizzie. Used under Creative Commons License.

3. String

My kids absolutely love String — and when they can’t find it, sometimes they substitute other things for it such as scarves or blankets, but what they’re really after is String. Now, I should start off by saying that String is not intended for toddlers and babies: it is a strangulation hazard and your kids must be old enough to know not to put it around their necks. However, when used properly your kids can really have a ball with String.

The most obvious use of String is tying things together, which my kids love to do. You can use it to hang things from doorknobs or tie little siblings to chairs or make leashes for your stuffed animals. Use String with two Cans for a telephone (and teach your kids about sound waves), or with Stick to make a fishing pole. You’ll need String for certain games like Cat’s Cradle — there’s even an International String Figure Association for lots more information. String is a huge part of what makes some toys so fun — try using a yo-yo or a kite without String and you’ll see what I mean. Try the heavy-duty version of String (commonly branded Rope) for skipping, climbing, swinging from trees or just for dragging things around.

Although you can buy String at a store, it’s generally sold in much larger quantities than your children will probably need — usually my kids are happy with roughly two or three feet of it. I actually have no idea where it comes from, because I don’t remember buying them any, so it must be pretty easy to come by.

Wired: It really ties everything together.

Tired: There’s a reason “no strings attached” is a benefit.

"A Series of Tubes" by Flickr user Orin Zebest. Used under Creative Commons license.

4. Cardboard Tube

Ah, the Cardboard Tube. These are kind of like the toy at the bottom of a box of Cracker Jacks — they come free with a roll of paper towels and other products but you have to wait until you get to the end of the roll before you can finally claim the toy. (Perhaps this explains why my kids — who love the small size — go through toilet paper so quickly.) The small- and medium-sized are most common, but the large versions that come with wrapping paper can be more difficult to obtain — I had a roll of Christmas wrapping paper that lasted about three years before my kids finally got the Tube. There’s also an extra-large size that is sometimes sold with posters, and a super-sized industrial version which you’ll generally only find from carpet suppliers. (Of course, carpet stores aren’t toy stores, and while their product also goes by the name Cardboard Tube it’s hardly the same thing and probably shouldn’t be considered a toy.)

My kids have nicknamed the Cardboard Tube the “Spyer” for its most common use in our house, as a telescope. (Or tape two of them together for use as binoculars.) But if you happen to be lucky enough to get a large size, the best use is probably whacking things. Granted, Stick is also great for whacking, but the nice thing about Cardboard Tube is that it generally won’t do any permanent damage. It’s sort of a Nerf Stick, if you will. If that sounds up your alley, look up the Cardboard Tube Fighting League — currently there are only official events in Seattle, San Francisco and Sydney, but you could probably get something started up in your own neighborhood if you wanted. Or if you’re more of a loner, perhaps the way of the Cardboard Tube Samurai is a better path.

Obviously if your own kids are younger you’ll want to exercise discretion about these more organized activities, but it probably wouldn’t hurt to provide them with a Cardboard Tube or two just so they’ll get used to the feel of it. You never know if your kid will be the Wayne Gretzky or Tiger Woods of Cardboard Tube Fighting, right? Best to give them the opportunity so that if they show some particular aptitudes they’ll have that early advantage. And if not, well, there are still plenty of people who enjoy playing with Cardboard Tubes casually without all that pressure.

Wired: Comes free with purchase of toilet paper, paper towels, and wrapping paper.

Tired: Doesn’t hold up to enthusiastic play.

"Most exciting things ever" photo by Flickr user pfly. Used under Creative Commons License.

5. Dirt

When I was a kid one of my favorite things to play with was Dirt. At some point I picked up an interest in cleanliness and I have to admit that I’m personally not such a fan of Dirt anymore — many parents (particularly indoor people like me) aren’t so fond if it either. But you can’t argue with success. Dirt has been around longer than any of the other toys on this list, and shows no signs of going away. There’s just no getting rid of it, so you might as well learn to live with it.

First off, playing with Dirt is actually good for you. It’s even sort of edible (in the way that Play-doh and crayons are edible). But some studies have shown that kids who play with Dirt have stronger immune systems than those who don’t. So even if it means doing some more laundry (Dirt is notorious for the stains it causes) it might be worth getting your kids some Dirt.

So what can you do with Dirt? Well, it’s great for digging and piling and making piles. We’ve got a number of outdoor toys in our backyard, but my kids spend most of their time outside just playing with Dirt. Use it with Stick as a large-format ephemeral art form. (Didn’t I tell you how versatile Stick was?) Dirt makes a great play surface for toy trucks and cars. Need something a little gloopier? Just add water and — presto! — you’ve got Mud!

Dirt is definitely an outdoor toy, despite your kids’ frequent attempts to bring it indoors. If they insist, you’ll probably want to get the optional accessories Broom and Dustpan. But as long as it’s kept in its proper place, Dirt can be loads of fun.

Wired: Cheap as dirt.

Tired: Dirty.

How could you not like Lily … a little terrier going the speed of light on a little downhill course. Excellent.

We all know the broad strokes: a boy is born to a graduate student and her Syrian boyfriend. She places the boy for adoption. He comes to live with Paul and Clara. Paul is a machinist who moved to San Francisco after WWII. He grows up in Santa Clara county. It’s flat, lots of one story buildings, mostly middle/upper middle class, outside of the bad parts. Parts of it are pretty, parts aren’t. He wasn’t coddled. His biological mother makes his adoptive parents promise to send him to college. In fourth grade he has a great teacher and, presumably, another and another.

His parents scrape to send him to Reed. He drops out of college and starts dropping in on classes that interest him. He makes money returning bottles and he hits the Hare Krishna temple now and then for a free meal. He takes calligraphy, eschews the typical coursework, and at age 20 he and a buddy start a company.

He’s a buddhist with a temper. He cuts down rivals and builds up a team of 4,000 dedicated to his singular vision. He’s ousted, builds another company or two, and comes back. He’s kind of a hippie, enjoying Bob Dylan and the Beatles. He loves music.

He’s leaving, now, the victim of something gnawing at his health like sea spray whittles a wooden pier.

Where does that leave Apple? And where does that leave us?

I wasn’t always a Mac lover. I thought they were over-priced and pretty, the candy colors far too silly for my 486 tastes. Any chip that had the word Power in its name was overcompensating, I wagered.

But over the past decade I learned the satisfaction of a machine that just works. It’s a machine that the boy put most of his life into, a machine that has the heart of a much older thing, a thing that lay blinking and frantic in a Stanford computer lab somewhere and then, over time, shrank down to something you and I can fit into our pockets.

Many complained that the ecosystem that he created was a walled garden, but I’d equate it to a pasture. “The reason everything looks beautiful is because it is out of balance,” wrote Zen master Shunryu Suzuki. “But its background is always in perfect harmony.” In the front, anything can happen. In the back, perfect calm and order.

There is a strain of Internet thought that requires us to tear down, to refuse to see the other side. There will be plenty of that going on in the next few days as talking heads talk. But name one CEO who, on leaving his company, will raise such a wave of well-wishes and interest? When Michael Dell dodders off or Howard Stringer plops into a club chair for his final cigar, will anyone care the next day?

We all know the broad strokes: The man got sicker, he almost quit, kept at it. He embraced a successor and groomed him to be as calm a force as he once was. He kept us surprised, entertained, constantly speculating. We wondered where he was. If he was well.

We all know the broad strokes: He isn’t well. He’s stepped down. Another Buddhist (or near enough to one) said “The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause, while the mark of a mature man is that he wants to live humbly for one.”

Godspeed, Mr. Jobs. We’ll miss you on stage.

The footage dives into some of BUILD’s favorite projects, allows them to speak about their design philosophy, and gives a peek at some projects that influence them. Also check out their blog [one of the great Architecture blogs out there]

Have a look.

Since I was around the first time we put it on film at one of Chase’s Songs For Eating and Drinking dinners a couple of years ago, I thought I’d link to that video too, just to show y’all how far it has come.

Check out more Macklemore at www.loveandshowstings.com, and his myspace. Of course you can buy the single on iTunes.

Huge thanks to my friend Jason [who lives and works in Tokyo] for pointing this out.

I hope that you consider buying the book, checking out their blog, or facebook page, or following them on twitter.

It captures how I feel about the outdoors, and wraps it up in a digestible nugget. It’s a really well done adventure film that lacks all of the typical pieces you’d usual find in one. It’s free of the usual million fast paced cuts, and the overly loud musical interludes. It’s a story, and a great one. An excellent, exhilarating feel good piece that is well worth your next 12 minutes.

Funded by Outdoor Research [whom I now love EVEN more] & Osprey Packs.

From the description on the OR site:

Still clinging to young man’s dreams, a 30-something professional revives his youthful vision of summits and faint trails and abandons work and the city. The Love Letter follows a pair of climbers in search of new and classic climbing routes across the spine of the Sierra, into difficult to reach stretches of the range. In the clutter of the modern world, can wilderness restore the human spirit?

Follow Fitz and Becca Cahall on their 300mile journey through the Sierra.

It’s been making the rounds in the climber circles, but I think that it has tons of storytelling and cinematic merit as well. OR is even running a contest giving away gear and such over on a The Love Letter Project Facebook Page. What’s even better that getting free gear, is reading all of the stories that are being posted over there. Really hope filled, awe inspiring stuff. Enjoy. Now go outside.

It becomes even more of an attractive time suck once you get to the suggestions area where you can explore more unique buildings that share similarities with what you were looking at. [MORE] It’ really a wonderful site, and I am looking forward to them working out the bugs.

Definitely have a look around their site. The KS-30 is their smallest model at 30 Square meters, and they have units up to 120 square meters. All gorgeous.

[I'm not a huge fan of the soundtrack, but please, enjoy the video]

Design by Aas/Thaulow.

Witten up here, in Norwegian site Dagbladet.no

They’ve also got a “ground recording” showing you what the pilot is seeing. Just nuts-o. So impressed that they can get that quality of video back to the controller. [MORE]

And I really dig this mountain decent as well.

Matter of factly, I have been reading aj for a while, and it’s actually what they say about their wekend cabin that has really kept me interested in those posts of theirs. [MORE]

Weekend Cabin isn’t necessarily about the weekend, or cabins. It’s about the longing for a sense of place, for shelter set in a landscape…for something that speaks to refuge and distance from the everyday. Nostalgic and wistful, it’s about how people create structure in ways to consider the earth and sky and their place in them. It’s not concerned with ownership or real estate, but what people build to fulfill their dreams of escape. The very time-shortened notion of “weekend” reminds that it’s a temporary respite.

A weekend cabin to me is a place of solace, refuge. A place that harkens back to my mothers’ cabin in the woods of North-Eastern Pennsylvania. There is something so appealing about a place where you have no neighbors, where you heat the place with a stove, and where flora and fauna reign supreme. A place where videos games don’t exist and an entire afternoon can be spent playing in the trees. There is nothing like coming in from a day of playing in the forrest, cold, excited and tired. Then sitting down with a piping hot cup of cocoa and opening the door on the stove and getting washed in the bright red glow of warmth. Utopia.

I had every intention to make last year, a year of transformation. It started well, I found some motivation and support. I was moving towards my goals of being healthier and lighter. By a stroke of luck I was able to head to Italy to do some biking. Feeling great, and inspired. But right in the middle of the summer I was involved in a car accident that sent me spiraling down. I didn’t feel like I was hurt too badly in it or anything, but after a few days, a pain in my neck was keeping me from sleeping. I figured I’d get over it soon enough and that would be that, but it got worse. During the days, no pain, but any time I’d lay down it was terrible. I don’t know if you’ve ever been sleep deprived, but I am telling you it’s not fun, and I am not good at it. After a bit of time, I decided it was worth getting some medical professionals involved. Unfortunately for me their immediate advice was to stop riding until I could get my neck back into shape. All of my progress and motivation was quickly replaced by anger and a sort of sleepless craziness.

I seem to have buried my lead though. The problem wasn’t the car accident, the problem was how I saw [and to some extent see] myself. In my head, I’m the smart, fat guy who can talk a great game, but rarely plays. I let the accident be an excuse to fail, because it was much easier to fail by something out of my control than to fail on my own. I stopped pursuing my goals of racing in some cyclo-cross races last year, I stopped eating right, and threw my hands up in the air, saying look at what this stupid guy in a big truck did to me.

No more. It’s time to set it all on fire. All the notions I have of myself, all the habits I’ve developed, all of the excuses I know how I can fall back on. Time to destroy them all. I think I’ll even build a symbolic fire this weekend, maybe even burn some things … who knows.

I now know this:

The manner in which you see yourself, your beliefs regarding yourself is what you “send out” into the world…and the world receives your message and provides you with that which you have conceived of and for yourself

So my time is now. To start again, a new, fresh. I’ve got some goals going forward, and why not make them real by writing them down.

Goals:

• Get outside – I just finished reading Last Child in the Woods, and I now consider it a moral imperative to spend more time outside, with the family or alone.
• Stop eating crap – Yeah I know, shouldn’t be mind blowing right … but there it is. I’m going with much less processed, no xtra sugary things, and a basic concept of if it didn’t exist 150 years ago … I’m not going to eat it, diet.
• Be a better human – Be the kind of person my mother wanted me to be. Be the kind of person I want my children to be.
• Lead by example – I’ve always felt like a moral person in my head, but looking back over my actions, I didn’t always make the best decisions [that's a whole other blog post, maybe we'll get into it later]. Live how I think people should live. I am my brothers keeper, time to start looking after him

I’m sure there will be more, and I’ll update the list as time passes. I realize that there are about 4.5 folks who will have gotten this far in such a rambling post, and I thank you, but if you’ll excuse me now, I have a fire to build.

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The subject of today’s geek out: SOCKS. I am sure that there are tons of amazing socks out there, but it seems that there are far more crummy ones. I spent most of my life wearing whatever hanes specials were on sale at the local big box store, until a few years ago. That’s when I discovered Smartwool, and life was grand, for a while. But I’m not a small guy and I’m pretty hard on my kit, and my smartwools started wearing through. Enter Thorlo, and all was right in the world again. Those socks were tough and warm, but heavy and thick, and after a while I went searching for something better. Down I went into the rabbit hole that is gear & tech and all things socky. I learned about coolmax, and wool, and bamboo, and lycra. Then I discovered bridgedale. My feet are in heaven!

I know how it sounds … to be so excited over some socks, but really a long day out on the bike, or even a long day assisting Chase in the snow can be made into a horrible experience if your feet are uncomfortable the whole time. I have certainly developed some of my favorite styles of the bridgedales. For everyday socks I love the bamboo lo socks, the perfect combination of cool & dry from the coolmax mixed with the soft and comfy of the bamboo. When I’m headed out doors in the winter it’s usually to trek around in the cold, either by bike, or foot, or it’s to stand around for hours on end and support a photoshoot. Durning the latter, it’s really hard to stay warm, not much moving around, and my feet used to get cold, fast. I finally found the bridgedale endurance trekker socks, and it completely change the way I felt durning the course of a photoshoot. I’m looking forward to trying out some socks in the “Fast & Light” category come summer, but until then I know that my feet are going to be warm and comfortable all winter.

As I have mentioned previously, I’m re-hashing some tales from the summer in order to feel better about the fact that I have neglected my blog all season long, before I get into new content.

Around 1AM, I woke up … freezing. I had actually shivered myself awake. The temperature had dropped 15 more degrees and it was raining cats and dogs. This went on for the whole night. I’d sleep about 30 minutes and then be shaking so bad I’d wake back up. I had dug out a few more shirts and pulled some more insulating things out of my pack that I could lay on. Eventually, I managed to put together a good couple of hours of sleep. Just passed first light I headed to the showers. Mostly to get warm, but also because I hadn’t showered in days.

I swung my feet out of my cacoon, planted them on the ground, stood and promptly fell in a complete failure of my lower legs. They were cramping so bad I actually started swearing aloud. My previous day’s hiking and lack of food had taken it’s toll. I laid on the muddy ground for a spell and waited for it to pass, trying to stretch the muscles out as best I could. I eventually regained the ability to stand and walk all be it, still cramping. After a rediculously long shower, I felt 1000 times better.

The sun had come out, and it was warming up. I stopped at the caffe and got a couple of esspressos and a bite to eat. It had been my intention to leave camp set up here, and go down into Florence to explore, however after nearly 3 sleepless nights I decided that I wasn’t going to leave my chances of a good nights rest to the weather. I decided to let my camp dry out a bit and pack up. I took a lovely stroll around the top of the hill, while the sun did it’s thing to my drenched gear. Upon bidding the caretakers farwell I headed back to Fiesole, the hike back being so much nicer once I knew where I was going [downhill was nice too] I wandered the little hamlet for the morning; ruins, museo, square, all beautiful. I stopped for a panini and some vino, before catching the bus back to Florence.

After a very long, wet walk up to Palazzo Michelangelo, the view was still breathtaking, even though much of the city was lost in rain drops

Walking around Florence, with my pack on began fine, but I started looking for a hotel that might be cheap and had a room for the night, to drop my gear. Eventually finding a nice spot near the center of town I paired down my kit to best enjoy the sights. I spent hours walking the streets, seeing the sights, playing tourist, taking photos, but mostly just enjoying Italy. The sun was low in the sky by the time I made it back to my hotel. I took a little nap in the light of the setting sun streaming in my window. I rose again around 9:30 hungry as a bear just waking for spring, I went out hunting for a perfect meal. It didn’t take me long to find it. Hours later, satiated and perhaps a bit tipsy from too much wine, I took to the streets again.

Florence at night is as beautiful as it is in the light of day. Finially finding my hotel again, I plunked down for the night slightly wishing I was still camping up on the hill since it was warm and dry. My windows open I drifted off to sleep. Around 4AM, I was truly glad I had chosen to spend the night indoors when I had to close the shutters because it was raining so hard. I slept peacfully for hours more … [PS no one is more surprised than I am that I am thumbing this all out on my iPhone.]

I was ridiculously fortunate to be able to travel to Italy a few months ago. My friends Jake & Silvia were launching their new tour company [Alchemy Tours] and needed the help of a smart guy who could take photos, since they couldn’t find anyone respectable, they took me instead at a really good rate.

This recount of getting to Italy was thumbed into my iPhone the first night I was in Italy.

The first day … I count all of the travelling as the first day, despite the fact that it takes place over nearly 50 hours. Seattle to Chicago … Uneventful with the exception that I was thoughly surprised to find my flight was overbooked. Who would have thought that a red eye on a Tuesday would be oversold. I pondered the idea of giving up my seat but I knew my mother was waiting for me in Philadelphia, or at least I thought she was.

Upon arriving in Philly and contacting my mamasita, I find that she has not only not left the house, but is still some time from doing so. Ahh my mother, I do love her so, but puncuality is not her strong suit. When she and John did arrive at the airport, we headed in to Philadelphia proper for a cheesesteak [terribly fitting as my last meal in the states for a spell.]

I took the train back from South St. to the airport. I really do like trains. I wondered the international terminal for what seemed like ages before boarding for Munich. Another red-eye, another full flight. This time we had the pleasure of sitting on the tarmac for a couple of hours while we waited for the Air Traffic Controllers to sort out what ever mess they were in. I feared I’d miss my connection in Germany and speant most of the flight worrying about that. We landed in Munich, 1.5 hours late leaving me 20 minutes to get through customs, change terminals, and board my flight. In any other airport in the world this would be impossible, but here in Germany they run their airports like nothing I have ever seen. I cleared customs and at the bottom of the stairs, there was a lovely young lady holding a sign with my name. She told me she worked for Liftunsa, a partner of both of my airlines [from Philly & to Italy]. She saw that I was late and came to make sure I made my flight. She had already dispatched a car to move my pack from plane to plane, she had my boarding pass already printed and walked me to the front of the fastest, most organized security line I could have imagined. Amazing. Seriously.

Arriving in Pisa could not have been any more different than my experience in Munich. The bus was late to collect us from the plane [a puddle jumper at best], the bags took nealry an hour to make it from the plane [which I could see from baggage claim] to the rack that sufficed as a luggage carasuel. All and all not impressed by the Pusa airport. Pisa itself reminded me of a post war industrial wasteland. Boarded up building followed by pile of rubbish, followed by another boarded up building. Perhaps I am just trying to justify not going to see the tower and the surronding area, but as soon as I landed at the airport, I was looking for the train station. It was dirty … Neglected, Pisa seemed like the part of a country you need to have to keep going, but that I didn’t want to spend time in. The train ride to Florence was lovely, in the end I know I am more of a train person than a plane person [at least in their modern incarnations]. The ride was dotted with blue collar towns, farming villas and green pastures.

Fierenze … What can you say? It’s Florence, it’s amazing. I could try and take the time to explain it but either you’ve been here, or you haven’t. It is flooded with tourists, but it’s easy to get lost in my head and imagine it as it would have been 400 year ago. You ocassionaly turn down a street that is apparently not on the tourist maps and the are treated to a little typical Italian life, then you take your next right and San Giovanni is rising out of the pavement and consuming your eitire vision. It was pouring down rain when I got off the train. I was soaked within seconds. I didn’t even have time to dig my poncho out of my pack. I walked a few blocks and then realized that I was too wet to think. I ducked into a doorway of some little square and went to the trouble of finding my emergency poncho and my hat. Life savers indeed. I wondered around for several hours and took pictures with my eyes, it was far to wet for my camera.

I eventually stumbled upon the número sette bus, having come full circle on my day’s wanders. Taking the bus to it’s conclusion will bring me to Fiesole and I’ve heard there’s a great camping area there. I arrived in Fiesole after the very uphill bus ride, again in the pouring rain. I trotted off in the direction of the camping area. Several miles of absurdedly hilly streets I began asking for directions, every kind Fiesolean gave me very nice directions in the most pleasant of ways, unfortunately no one seemed to have any inclination to be right in their directions. Finally, after succombing to whatever roaming data fees at&t has for me, I fired up the iPhone and found my way. Upon getting to the gates of Camping Panaramico you are greated with a seemly never ending, near vertical road that must be summited before you can gain access to paradise. The campground is nice, a pool, restorante, bar, and pleanty of tress [impearitive if you are
hammock camping as I am].

My Home for a few days camping in Florence

But the view, the view is amazing, all of Florence extends beneath you. I set up camp between some sturdy looking trees [taking about an hour to get it just the way I liked it]. Then grimmaced in pain as my calf muscles screamed at my every step up to the restaurant, where I watched the sunset on Florence as I ate a pizza Napoli and tossed back a half liter of vino. It’s only now as I thumb this into my iPhone that I realize it’s the first meal I’ve eaten today. It’s time to rest now … more tomorrow.

Since my last post about 139 days ago I’ve been sipping scotch in the Italian country side, been run over by a dodge ram, been camping in the north cascades, watched the boys dig clams from the hood canal, spent a few nights hammock camping with a view of Florence, taught the wee one to ride a bike, helped friends celebrate a few new unions, & spent more hours in a chiropractors office than I care to remember.

There have been ups and downs, as I am sure there have been in all your lives, but if I’m going to make it up to my blog, I’m going to have to start writing these things down.

Have a look at the official site here.
You can even “like” the idea on Facebook.

I’ve been using these RainCity saddle bags for nearly a year, and I have been really happy with their overall performance. They have got a few draw backs, but we’ll get to that in a bit. There are some pros, some cons, and of course my verdict.

First the positives …

Certainly this bag looks killer. The now seemingly standard silver over black is still shining like new, and I noticed that many other bags have taken on a similar look to my RainCitys. The capacity is just about perfect for a change of clothes and the things I need to have with me for work. Also of note I can get a bag of groceries in each bag, they keep a six pack tucked in pretty well too.

The Avenir RainCity Panniers come with some semi-dense foam forms; that when installed gives the bag its shape. It runs along the leading and trailing sides by way of the bottom, and holds the bag outward from the frame. Sort of a “U” shape if you were to look at it in profile. I both like and dis-like this piece of foam, but I’ll get to that in the cons section. They connect to a rear rack pretty similar to every other bag I’ve had. At the top, via a couple of low flat hooks. Attachment to the bottom of the rack is via a guided hook that works really well with my tubus rack. The hook is on an elastic strap, that has a channel that it can move fore and aft to accommodate a variety of racks.

After more than a year of use, I can attest that these things keep water out. A pretty standard fold over top, mated with some very waterproof material, and I had no fear of my computer gear riding home in there in some famous rain “Seattle sunshine”. The top secures with a single clip, and it does a fine job of keep the top from flopping around in the breeze. There is a nice bit of reflective material on the back to help light you up on those dark morning and evening rides.

The big plus is though is obviously the price. A pair of well designed, stylish waterproof bags for around $80 bucks on Amazon.

Now the annoyances… And I say annoyances, because none of the short comings were enough to drive me to go out and pick up some new bags. The thing that I found most frustrating with the panniers was that the foam form keeps the bag at its absolute widest, which is great when it’s full, but when you are riding around empty, it can “feel” sort of discouraging in a head wind. Now … I’m not really thinking that there is much physics involved in my brain’s conclusion that it was the bags slowing me down, and not my body, but it was easy to look at them and think that they were catching some air. It should be mentioned that the foam can be taken out and then the bags can get quite slim, but if your not in your garage, there’s not a good place or way to store them.

In the end I think that these are a great deal at the price. I’d certainly buy them again if I had to. The little hiccup with the foam would not be enough to pass on them. If you are in the market for some waterproof bags, give these a good hard look.