The title says weekend, but really it was more like one long day. I stayed at work till a reasonable time and then got on the BART. I don’t remember why, but I couldn’t take off that afternoon (it may have been before I knew I was changing jobs, and had extra PTO). In any case, Sophie, her mother, and her mom’s friend Sally went on ahead in their tiny Yaris, and I drove the Land Rover by myself, across the central valley and into the mountains. We spent that evening on the patio of our AirBnB, drinking wine and or beer. The next morning, we went to Ernie’s Cafe, something of a local institution. Then we drove around the lake all day. That night, I cooked french fries, and Sophia cooked steaks. For desert, we had wine and conversation. There may have even been a nap in there. This last weekend, I rode a motorcycle for the fist time. It was a range day for the motorcycle safety class I’m taking. Man, that’s a lot of fun. The class starts with the very basics; how to safely start the bike, walk the bike across the range under power in first, feathering the clutch, then short little jumps, then longer jumps, then around the oval; every exercise built on everything I’d learned so far, and by the end of the day I felt pretty good, doing the countersteering exercise. I need to work on looking through the corners, and braking with both brakes. And throttle control. Really, everything. There’s definitely something to motorcycle riding though, beyond the risk involved. Something about the coordination of all the things you have to do– concentrate on any one and before you know it you’ve messed up somehow. But you focus on none of them, and everything just flows. I’m sure after a bit more parctice, all of that will be second nature and not require Zen concentration. Like driving was at first, so many things to manage. Anything like that is bound to seem complex. Then your left foot learns where neutral is, and your right hand learns where the throttle really kicks in, and the left hand learns how to find the friction zone. Gearheads talk about becoming one with the machine… I thought it was bullshit, but it’s definitely a thing I’ve felt on my bicycle, so it seems natural on a motorcycle too. Also, I keep thinking about riding into the mountains, into the night. <div class=”center”> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0001.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0002.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0003.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0004.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0005.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0006.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0007.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0008.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0009.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/weekend_in_tahoe/356/tahoe-summer-0010.jpg’ /> </div>
Posted by matt on 2015-08-25T02:23:59Z GMT
Sinced I got these off the camera yesterday, figured I could post them today. It was a good trip, filled with memories and delicious burritos from The Pantry. We were staying out towards Cerillos, on a friend of a friend’s family vacation home. A really beautiful spot. The storms coming in over the valley at sunset were amazing. I was a little suprised at how big Cerillos has gotten. Boom town, maybe from the movie business that came through, maybe because of the light rail between SF and ABQ. I’m not sure, but it seemed like there were a few too many kitch stores for the long run. It’ll be interesting to see what happens with that little place, next time I visit. Hopefully it won’t take 7 years next time. <div class=”center”> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0001.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0002.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0003.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0004.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0005.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0006.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0007.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/last_from_santa_fe/357/new-commute-0008.jpg’ /> </div>
Posted by matt on 2015-08-19T16:43:45Z GMT
So, in case you haven’t heard, I started a new job this week, at “Bleacher Report”:http://bleacherreport.com . New job, new commute. Shiny new Macbook Pro. Anyway, I wanted to put up some photos from this morning, and the one at the end from last night, walking to the apple store to get a padded sleeve for the new rig. The sony is mostly dead, I need to see about getting it repaired. That siad, it has emboldened me to get out shooting more with the Nikon. And to post more, because as Sophie keeps telling me, people like pictures. <div class=”center”> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/new_job_new_commute/358/new-commute-0001.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/new_job_new_commute/358/new-commute-0002.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/new_job_new_commute/358/new-commute-0003.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/new_job_new_commute/358/new-commute-0004.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/new_job_new_commute/358/new-commute-0005.jpg’ /> </div>
Posted by matt on 2015-08-18T17:10:54Z GMT
This was what, like 3, 4 weeks ago now? something like that. A really enjoyable couple days out on the California delta. I was just getting used to the sony at that point. Good camera, fast, does OK in low light. It’s not terribly durable; my frame of reference is a professional DSLR like the D750 I have, though. I think it might just be in that category of camera that everyone else has, that needs to be in a padded case when it’s not in use. I’ve dented a couple corners and filled it with sunscreen, destroying the flippy LCD. I’ve removed it, making the camera a little slimmer, but I wish it’d been a little more durable to begin with. It’s an excellent carry-around camera, and amazing for street shooting. The experimental post I made the other day was all shot with it. It’s small, silent, and produces really good results in decent light. So, even if this one bites it, I may buy another just like it. And a pouch to protect it. <div class=”center”> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/tinsley_island/359/0001.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/tinsley_island/359/0002.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/tinsley_island/359/0003.jpg’ /> <img src=’https://images.matt.pictures/tinsley_island/359/0004.jpg’ /> </div>
Posted by matt on 2015-08-12T22:21:01Z GMT
