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Off to work?!?
I was supposed to be unemployed again today, but at the last minute yesterday my customer scraped up some more money and asked me to stay. This is good, but Ann and I had both gotten excited to explore the coming freedom, and it was a shock to have to suddenly give that up. Unemployment…
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Jack O’Lantern
Tonight Ann brought a pumpkin home from the store, scooped it out, and let me carve it 😈
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New Jack City
Ann and I pull ourselves together by 8 o’clock and drive south. Sort of. We get hungry and stop in Kramer Junction for breakfast, but still make it out to the swirled, jumbled rocks of New Jack City around 10. We have Roy’s printed-out guidebook, but can’t make much sense of it, so we just…
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Movie: Der Krieger und die Kaiserin
Tom Twyker, director of Run Lola Run, works again with the star of that movie, Franka Potente. I was impressed with this film, which has all the exciting visual and musical style of Run Lola Run but gets much more philosophical. It explores some ways people can be damaged, and ways they can heal. Beautiful…
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So Far, So Fabulous
Keeping our promise to our friend and wedding guest Michael Burton, Ann and I open the bottle of peach champagne he gave us while we are enjoying the high Sierra air. It’s a nice reminder that while we still face many challenges in our lives, facing them together is MUCH better than alone. And also…
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Candlelight Buttress
When Ann, our friend Alice, and I pull up into the Whitney Portal area, all I know is that there are some climbs on the Candlelight Buttress I want to find. I have a general idea where the buttress is, but I’m not sure which of the massive granite faces south of the Whitney trail…
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Wagon Wheel
Bradley Davis (one of Curis’ kids) shows promise as an up-and-coming climber. Ted, Clare, Walter, and Greg join us for an early evening session by the Little Loaf. Ann now easily climbs some of the problems here that stymied her earlier in the year. In contrast, I fail on some of the harder problems I’ve…
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Book: Soul of Nowhere / Craig Childs
I know living in the desert has changed me, but it’s difficult to express how. This book goes there and describes the spell, always hinting at the ineffable. It expands my feeling of desert rock and landscapes to include thoughts of those who experienced the same land long ago. It fuels my desire to go…
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Fossil Falls
An afternoon at Fossil Falls provides plenty of amusement. We play with a toprope on Ride of the Valkyries, 10c, which I eventually manage to lieback my way up. Ann plays with the camera and I wander around the old riverbed. Finally I lead Eagle, 5.9, which I’ve been wanting to do for a while.
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Steve & Catherine
A year and a half ago, these two took me climbing in Joshua Tree and got me hooked on desert rock. At my wedding in August they saved the bonfire and caught Ann’s bouquet. Steve’s bachelor party in Vegas was yet another new experience. On Sunday we attended their wedding in Hollywood. A toast to…