Blast Off!

"One, Two, Blast off!" Watching my four-year-old girl, Regan, leap from the arm of one couch to the cushions of the other I am reminded to stay child-like in my later years. Knowing that life is what I make of it and I can be anything but it first starts in my mind. Not pretending, but deciding what I should each day... and acting upon that decision.

Now, I could have reminded Regan that we don't jump on the couch, but it's the day after Christmas and I am enjoying my children. If she had fear and hesitated in her leap she would have fallen short and then while she was crying in my lap I would remind her of our somewhat-enforced safety rule. Instead she said "Blast Off!" with confidence and instantly sprang and stuck the landing no less.

Where shall I spring to now?

Oz Wedding Redeaux- a vivid dream

Mobhit.
Gerry bought huge farm under a new business name for the wedding. I
parked the 912 and was taken in by a detective as i arrived. He
showed me the crime scene in the building I parked near and the 912
transmission linkage came out in my hand as I parked. He took me on
the tour and ithe hit happened the day before. Apparently the hit
was the wrong day... And the wrong wedding party. (this farm venue
was already booked for weddings when he bought it). The Detective
told me that he wouldn't be attending todays ceremony if it were him.
Everyone was shot even the priest doing the ceremony. I saw all of
the body markets on the floor. After questioning me Sarah was
brought into the scene by the detective. (It's probably the only time
I have ever seen her not smiling and I had to dream her expression to
get it). We passed each other without saying a word.
I wandered aimlessly through the whole pre party and finally found
Lisa but failed to mention anything due to being surrounded by
others. It seemed that some were catching wind of this but no one was
talking about it. Due to the interrogation I still hadn't gotten
dressed and was running around looking for my suit. Older ladies were
giving me tasks to keep my mind off of things cuz they knew. I rinsed
some blown glass vase and the glass flowers in it. I tried to go back
out into this farm complex to find the building where I parked the
Porsche and got questioned in hopes of finding my suit but couldn't
find it instead found polo ponies returning from a match. I kind of
got stuck in between these horses going from field to barn and they
were real jittery animals. Jacked on roids for being athletes I
thought to myself. I was at this wrong building full of industrial
cleaning supplies and such when I stopped for a moment to watch and
approach a group of monitor lizards. As I came closer one ended up
being a strange owl that I almost reached out to touch but pulled my
hand back at the last moment.

These were in two consecutive dreams since I woke up in the middle
and got my bearings before drifting off to finish the dreams
sequencially.

I even had conversations with others regarding why Sarah brought my
Porsche to Oz, especially since I sold it back in the states. Oddly
it had moss under the boot from sitting in Oregon so long. I met her
brothers and cousins. I ran and walked through three diff buildings
over a couple hundred acres when it was all said and done.

I wrote this while laying in bed immediately after I awoke. It was
too detailed and vivid to let it go without some written closure to
signify it was just a dream. I had only two drinks that night to
induce this. Nothing else.

Eliot

Sent from my iPhone

Stand by Me sung around the world

These guys are all just playing for change. pretty cool montage.

Motorcycle rental in Gold Coast Australia

After about 3 weeks in Australia I still hadn't gotten out to see "Australia". Sure, we did the Koala Preserve on Phillip island, and saw the Little Penguins March from the sea to shore as they do each night after dusk at the Phillip Island (half-way through Regan asked "Where are the adults?"). We even got to pet the Koala's at David Fleay's Wildlife Park in West Burleigh- which is a way more natural experience than the other tourist attractions right off the Gold Coast highway.. and half the price).

But I felt like I needed to go out and see something on my own and there was no other choice for me but to rent a 2008 Ducati Monster. The place to do it is Scoot and Toot. The owner, Danny Grofski, treated me real well. If you don't have an endorsement you can pick up a scooter -like so many of the "schoolies" do once they sober up. My rental came with clean and "newish" helmet, armored jacket, gloves, backpack and a map... although I forgot the map on the counter.

I hired the bike (Aussie term for rental) for a 24-hour period but there are many different timing options. I did the loop up to Natural Bridge and down through Chillingham into New South Wales and back to Gold Coast, Queensland the first afternoon and then got early the next morning and did it again! It wasn't the desert outback experience that we all think of... for me, it was way better. I saw the rain forest of Southern Queensland in its Spring-blooming glory. It was what I pictured New Zealand to be like- green, lush and the twistiest of twisty motorcycle roads.


I do think it might be one of the best roads for motorcycling that I have yet experienced. I was constantly torn between taking in the scenery and seeing how far I could lean the bike over around the switch-back of blind corners. A huge purple tree in full bloom around one corner gave me no choice but to bring the twin to an idle for a picture. I think Ducati-Red goes perfectly with the backdrop but that's me.


Chillingham was just a dot of a borderline-anti-establishment community and one of the highlights of my stops along the way. I slowed down to a safe speed as I rolled through town, passing the two little "businesses". On my way out of town I saw my first Aussie roadsign that let me know there was no speed limit! I opened up the throttle through the first turn and then knowing that I wasn't probably going to stop again with no speed limit my heart told me to head back into town and see what I was about to miss.


I stopped at the "fruit, etc" stand for a cup of coffee and browse the baskets of fresh fruit grown behind the lean-to. I got a chuckle when I told the lady I had to come back because "I didn't read all of her signs my first time through". I bought some candy for my girls called "Chillingham Dog-Droppings" which were black licorice rings covered in chocolate- nicely twist-tied in a baggie with a home-printed name-tag inside. They were a hit when I got back home.


I also asked her for some advice on what to put on a bite that I recieved while swimming with the girls. I showed her the inflated wound and she handed me a small bottle of "Neem Seed Oil" for $4AU. I don't know if it worked but it smelled like sesame seed oil and helped the itching nonetheless.

As I left Chillingham for the "drive according to conditions" limitless rainforest road ahead I only stopped one other time. I was waved down by a girl in her twenties or so. Her brother, as I am told, was returning the neighbors cow that got loose on the highway around the next bend. They heard the bike screaming up the valley floor and so she ran down to stop me. It was the first time I was glad to see a girl in sweats and milking boots, however weird the situation was. I asked her to snap a pic before I roared out of there and headed back to Surfers Paradise.



Among the fleet of nice new scooters, Scoot and Toot had other full-size bikes for hire such as a late model Buell 1200, new Triumph cruiser and "Zed-750" Kawasaki, but the Ducati was pretty much a no-brainer and I could not have been happier. Thanks, Danny- maybe next time you'll let me go over the 250km/24hr odometer limit without a fuss.

Billabong Wedding

Brent and Sarah's wedding in Nagambi... the wine country of Australia. The setting was 480 acres of which about 120 acres were used for Gerry's vineyard. If I were to guess only about 350 acres were for the racehorses of Limerick Lane. That leaves a "small" portion for the house which backed up to an amazing billabong (or pond). Avery and Regan were amazing as the flower girls, the bride was stunning, the first dance was performed perfectly by Zia accompanied by Adam Deneen who isn't even a professional piano player- but definitely could be.

The marriage ceremony was held in the early evening and the party lasted until about 3am and the lighting on the place was phenomenal. Gerry lit up the island snag trees in blue which was soooo cool. The picture does it no justice.

Walking With Dinosaurs - Behind the scenes of the BBC live experience

While we were on our trip to Australia we got to visit the compound that manufactures all of the dinosaurs that are designed and made for the Walking with Dinosaurs live experience brought to you by the BBC. Avery got to drive the T-rex but Regan was a little bit unnerved by getting that close and chose to stay on my shoulders.

Storm in Surfer's Paradise

Here are some video stills I captured at the Ryan's apartment in Gold
Coast. And we needed sunscreen in the day. Not a bad place to hang
out...

I'd pick up trash on the sidewalk like an inmate if I could live in
that town

The 2008 Honda TransAlp

This photo was taken in Melbourne Australia at the Honda dealer
downtown. We cannot get this rig in the states possibly due to
emmissions, or maybe they just dont want it cannibalising sales on
the more profitable lines of bikes.

Waiting on a cow

So I am hauling around the bend overlooking a valley between Chillingham and Mudgereeba on the border of New South Wales and Queensland. I am really ripping it up on this most epic motorcycling road ever gouged from a hillside. Signs read "Drive According to Conditions" which means "There's no speed limit, but please don't add to the Aussie public health care bill by being stupid."

So I come around the corner and this chick in milking boots and sweats waves me down and asks me to stop. It seems her brother is trying to return the neighbors cow that got loose. Nice kid. I woulda hopped on and tried the "Man from Snowy River" move and see how we fared down the cliff. But thats me if I was a bored farm kid (...and I am talking about the cow).

So I asked the Milking boot-Betty to snap a pic with my iPhone.

The book that captured my attention from start to finish

26 hours ago I picked up a book at the Melbourne Airport before heading back to the silicon forest of PNW .

The Four Hour Work Week

I think it is changing my life... or am I enjoying the justification of it?

Here is a snippet I ran across in the first 5 mins on the author's blog Tim Ferris:
The top 5 reasons to be a jack of all trades.


... But there is SOOOOO much more to it. Get some, BMag.

Shameless in Sydney

Almost two weeks in this cool country and I haven't been to the wilderness unless you count the 500 acre race horse farm in Nagambia. But those days were hardly roughing it.

Hamish invited us over for a BBQ so we stuck around Sydney and did the tourist deal. Fruitbats in the botanical garden, sharks in the aquarium, lunch near the operahouse.

So last night I am over at Rossers with my cute family having some lamb and mint suasages when I just decided to get shameless and let my lady take a pic. Avery's smile looks so good I thought I would share and let you all know how well we are doing.

Oh the art on the back wall was for selling a few extra albums of "Highly Evolved" in the UK.

It is sad that the band seems to be coming to an end, but I sampled many of the Hamish beers last night from his home brew and they were perfect. I can never stomach home brew but this stuff was golden- "Skinny Blonde" actually and you can find it in pubs locally already but he can't keep up with demand. Anyway, Nice beats, Hamish. And your brew is highly evolved as well.

Sprague Update from Oz

I've had to concentrate real hard behind the wheel of our rental in
Melbourne since I've been doing all the driving. Everything is
reversed from the side of the driver in the car to the side of the
road I'm supposed to stay on.

While visiting the offices and warehouse where "Walking with
Dinosaurs" is actually made, Avery got to run the remote on the 30
ft T-Rex. How many kids around the world have gotten to do that?

I got to experience "How it's Made" in real time by walking through
Jayco Australias dozen manufacturing buildings with the founder and
CEO, Gerry Ryan. It's a big operation to say the least. Aussies
love their caravans and Jayco has 48% of the market while the other
52% is shared among over 150 other manufacturers.

Watching "Stakes day" of the Melbourne Cup from an owners box suite
is a nice way to experience horse racing. The track is grass not
dirt so you get a sense of the rarity of the race. Especially when
the "riff-raff" having thier picnics on the lawn by the track are
all wearing suits and ties.

Dinner at the Ryan's was not to be outdone. Fig paste with a bit
of blue cheese (not the dressing but blue cheese) and red wine was
one of the finest deserts I have yet to experience.

Avery asked if the "waiters" are always working at their house.

Huge fruit bats moved overhead at dusk as if they were crows while
we sat on thier patio that would have put any sunset magazine
centerfold to shame.

And I was asked the most absurd question in my life... "sir would
you like to taste the worlds best Shiraz from last year". Uhh...
Yeah I think I better try that.


Eliot

Happy Halloween -

Trick or Treat

Hmmm...

Does...

I mean ...

Can the assurance of salvation encourage one to sin?

Bear creek- the house of root

We serve senbei Ginger chips with the bill. We have the ten best root
beers we can find. Unlimited root beers for guests of the lodge. We
charge a bit more. Keeps us in the. Upper end. But delivers more of an
experience.

Eliot

Sent from my iPhone

A donut for two, please

Robe and jammies on a chilly October morning with a fresh donut from Lee's farm.

Hard to beat a morning like this...

Your Signature Themes - Gallup Online

My Signature Themes after taking the Clifton Strengths Finder

Many years of research conducted by The Gallup Organization suggest
that the most effective people are those who understand their
strengths and behaviors. These people are best able to develop
strategies to meet and exceed the demands of their daily lives, their
careers, and their families.

A review of the knowledge and skills you have acquired can provide a
basic sense of your abilities, but an awareness and understanding of
your natural talents will provide true insight into the core reasons
behind your consistent successes.

Your Signature Themes report presents your five most dominant themes
of talent, in the rank order revealed by your responses to
StrengthsFinder. Of the 34 themes measured, these are your "top five."

Your Signature Themes are very important in maximizing the talents
that lead to your successes. By focusing on your Signature Themes,
separately and in combination, you can identify your talents, build
them into strengths, and enjoy personal and career success through
consistent, near-perfect performance.

Strategic
The Strategic theme enables you to sort through the clutter and find
the best route. It is not a skill that can be taught. It is a
distinct way of thinking, a special perspective on the world at
large. This perspective allows you to see patterns where others
simply see complexity. Mindful of these patterns, you play out
alternative scenarios, always asking, "What if this happened? Okay,
well what if this happened?" This recurring question helps you see
around the next corner. There you can evaluate accurately the
potential obstacles. Guided by where you see each path leading, you
start to make selections. You discard the paths that lead nowhere.
You discard the paths that lead straight into resistance. You discard
the paths that lead into a fog of confusion. You cull and make
selections until you arrive at the chosen path—your strategy. Armed
with your strategy, you strike forward. This is your Strategic theme
at work: "What if?" Select. Strike.

Futuristic
"Wouldn't it be great if . . ." You are the kind of person who loves
to peer over the horizon. The future fascinates you. As if it were
projected on the wall, you see in detail what the future might hold,
and this detailed picture keeps pulling you forward, into tomorrow.
While the exact content of the picture will depend on your other
strengths and interests—a better product, a better team, a better
life, or a better world—it will always be inspirational to you. You
are a dreamer who sees visions of what could be and who cherishes
those visions. When the present proves too frustrating and the people
around you too pragmatic, you conjure up your visions of the future
and they energize you. They can energize others, too. In fact, very
often people look to you to describe your visions of the future. They
want a picture that can raise their sights and thereby their spirits.
You can paint it for them. Practice. Choose your words carefully.
Make the picture as vivid as possible. People will want to latch on
to the hope you bring.

Maximizer
Excellence, not average, is your measure. Taking something from below
average to slightly above average takes a great deal of effort and in
your opinion is not very rewarding. Transforming something strong
into something superb takes just as much effort but is much more
thrilling. Strengths, whether yours or someone else's, fascinate you.
Like a diver after pearls, you search them out, watching for the
telltale signs of a strength. A glimpse of untutored excellence,
rapid learning, a skill mastered without recourse to steps—all these
are clues that a strength may be in play. And having found a
strength, you feel compelled to nurture it, refine it, and stretch it
toward excellence. You polish the pearl until it shines. This natural
sorting of strengths means that others see you as discriminating. You
choose to spend time with people who appreciate your particular
strengths. Likewise, you are attracted to others who seem to have
found and cultivated their own strengths. You tend to avoid those who
want to fix you and make you well rounded. You don't want to spend
your life bemoaning what you lack. Rather, you want to capitalize on
the gifts with which you are blessed. It's more fun. It's more
productive. And, counterintuitively, it is more demanding.

Woo
Woo stands for winning others over. You enjoy the challenge of
meeting new people and getting them to like you. Strangers are rarely
intimidating to you. On the contrary, strangers can be energizing.
You are drawn to them. You want to learn their names, ask them
questions, and find some area of common interest so that you can
strike up a conversation and build rapport. Some people shy away from
starting up conversations because they worry about running out of
things to say. You don't. Not only are you rarely at a loss for
words; you actually enjoy initiating with strangers because you
derive satisfaction from breaking the ice and making a connection.
Once that connection is made, you are quite happy to wrap it up and
move on. There are new people to meet, new rooms to work, new crowds
to mingle in. In your world there are no strangers, only friends you
haven't met yet—lots of them.

Self-Assurance
Self-Assurance is similar to self-confidence. In the deepest part of
you, you have faith in your strengths. You know that you are able—
able to take risks, able to meet new challenges, able to stake
claims, and, most important, able to deliver. But Self-Assurance is
more than just self-confidence. Blessed with the theme of Self-
assurance, you have confidence not only in your abilities but in your
judgment. When you look at the world, you know that your perspective
is unique and distinct. And because no one sees exactly what you see,
you know that no one can make your decisions for you. No one can tell
you what to think. They can guide. They can suggest. But you alone
have the authority to form conclusions, make decisions, and act. This
authority, this final accountability for the living of your life,
does not intimidate you. On the contrary, it feels natural to you. No
matter what the situation, you seem to know what the right decision
is. This theme lends you an aura of certainty. Unlike many, you are
not easily swayed by someone else's arguments, no matter how
persuasive they may be. This Self-Assurance may be quiet or loud,
depending on your other themes, but it is solid. It is strong. Like
the keel of a ship, it withstands many different pressures and keeps
you on your course.

'Octavio'

Also a menu item.

The name of the clown-masked dude at the Babylon when Tony Montana
survives the first hit attempt.

Maybe 'Ribs Octavio' done with Cuban pork spices from the Dutch oven all
the way to the grill.

Class 'A' Chit

and 'The Yayo'

These are menu items

Plus....

When it's all paid off I can sit around totally naked at my huge place in the woods. What other premium could anyone achieve in this life?

What makes you think you can run this magnificent place at or near it's potential?

I have been over and past a lot of seas. I have seen enough to know what is healthy for a time. I have concieved what needs to be made for me- And some others.

But don't worry. It's final episode won't be Mountain Family Koresh-inson.

The revelation of Youth Camp

The perfect playlist was being had in my truck on the way to the
Coast range for my first day of hunting but the last weekend of the
month-long season.

"Lisa Says"- Velvet Underground
Forerverlove - Brian Coates
Ocean - Velvet Underground
Sweet Bonnie Brown - Velvet Underground
Ride - Warhols
New Age- Velvet Underground
Going to H - Brian Jonestown Massacre
I Want To Die - Rick Bain and the Genius Position

I got off the phone with Dustin about Bear Creek Lodge and his
reaction was "YESSSSS!! I want to live at camp all the time"

It made sense. There are a network of people in my life and my
history and past and education in life and school... it just makes
sense now.

The Lodge is missing enough rooms to make it pencil out. We havee
the expensive suites and 2 cabins... but we need th dorm style
housing to pack ski-teams in and church groups and budding
screenwriters for a writing camp.

The parents of the wedding parties can stay in the suites and get
pampered (heck , they are funding the thing), but the "kids" of the
gathering all stay in the dorms just like camp and we separate the
boys and the girls... even if the y are married already... that way
they have to sneak off for some necking... just like camp.

The hosts of the writing conference teach the seminars and stay in
the Lodge suites and cabins, but the conference goers all stay in the
dorms.

One other thing I had a revelation about on this road trip:
When you stop at a place like CAMP 18 restaurant just to go to the
bathroom... drop a dollar in the donation jug for the Families of
Fallen Loggers.

Triumph at the Republican National Convention

Kings of Convenience - I'd Rather Dance with You

Give this video a full 3 minutes or whatever it takes. Lyrics and story are just nice and work well.

I still don't know who these guys are... just had someone throw me the video this morning.

An Awful picture of a fine day

I shipped the first two emblems at full retail plus shipping today. These simply are the coolest emblems in the fishing industry. Anodized Chrome for 12.99 can't be beat... heck some vinyl stickers (the old skeleton fish) are north of 20 bucks!!!


3.89 to ship to Tillamook Oregon
3.84 to ship to Maryland

... curious

Waterproof spray for iPod, phone, iphone, etc!!!!

Golden Shellback Waterproof Coating from gCaptain.com on Vimeo.

Relative Genius

My father lives in Nebraska and his fire is fueled by hunting ducks and geese. Year round he is thinking about it and making silhouette decoys and carts and other things...

... but this was his first summer as a retiree and genius and boredom led to this amazing little rig that looks like a giant hay bale from the outside. Inside it should stay nice and cozy since he kept the stove for making coffee and hash browns.

I hope he thought through the fire-escape plan.



.... And way back in the day when hair was feathered and big he made this sweet "goose blind" that you could drive around the lake. It is made with closed irrigation pipes on each side like a pontoon boat. The neck of the goose was a gun rack. The john boat motors the thing around after you lock it in from the inside with a few ratcheting pulley deals. The goose retired after a few pics in local magazines and stuff.

He converted it into a floating island by removing the head and covering the entire canvas area with reeds... and it is still in use today.

Here is how it works:
1 - the barge/blind (goose) with boat locked in is trailered to the waterway you are going to hunt.

2 - You launch the barge and boat as one unit and motor the whole rig to where you want to set up decoys.

3 - Anchor the barge part and unlock the boat to exit the blind with just the boat.

4 - Motor around the outside of the barge setting up your decoys, and the pull the boat back in to start hunting.

Ideas for the Lodge

MARKETING ADVENTURES:
1) a- Tyson stays a few weekends and maps out mountain bike trails
b- 65 acres of cyclo-cross track?
2) RV park on north end of property
3) Guide license
a- fishing
b- barge hunting waterfowl
c- blind hunting field waterfowl - spring snow goose?
4) Snowmobiling -530 miles of trail out the front door

The Front Fell Off

This real interview seems like something from John Cleese and his troupe:

On August 19 2007, an oil tanker off the coast of Australia split in two, dumping 20,000 tons of crude oil. Senator Collins, a member of the Australian Parliament, appeared on a TV news program to reassure the Australian public.

I need a Cattle Drive or something

Man I feel like I sell "air" and someday I am going to have to account for my employment in front of my child's class and it will be sad when I have to admit how much time I have wasted working for someone else.

McCain taps a Cougar for his VP running mate

I'd say she is hot. I asked my wife and she says "for a politician". No way...

She is a cougar... and I dig her qualities that I read. Nice work John.

Most unsung Cameo acting ever

Carlito's Way - Tony T played by Frank Manucci.

What an incredible performance. And he has been credited with
nothing before or since.

I should take him fishing and find out what the heck he is doing.

Wacky Ball of Flame and No Fuel

So I ran outta gas heading south on I-5 just under the 205 interchange. My loving and lovely wife brought me 5 gallons of premium and my youngest daughter gave me a beautiful smile and some kisses. It's always good to spend some time with those girls when I am in "super-toughguy" biker mode. It brings me back to the suburban reality.

So while I was relaxing in the grass next to the freeway I got to spend some time getting to know our sun a bit better. What a weird ball of flame and as cloud cover passed between it and my eyes it seemed like I could watch it shapeshift. It was very cool. Not often enough do we take time for those sorts of things.

At Black Butte last weekend I watched the stars move through the sky. I wrote something to the effect that we need to slow down and watch the earth rotate sometimes- It's healthy. I actually did watch the stars move in relation to the dark shadows of a few huge trees framing the nightscape above. I'll be heading to McCall, Idaho tonight with the family and I hope to get to do a bit more of that sort of thing.