Rock Climbing photos

This could just be titled EEEK! I was expecting baby climbing stuff and this is what they tried us on. Needless to say this one was a bit much for both of us. Here I am about 10 feet or so off the ground working a "pitch" that I did manage to climb. It was only a 5.5 difficulty as opposed to that one on the left that is a 5.9 but that was HARD ENOUGH for me. This is ARchie working the same sandstone bluff. Then here's our photo at the raffle where I won a WICKED nice backpack from Mountain Hardware and on the left is the Uclimb group we were with. The guides were all great and we do hope to do some gym climbing before taking it outdoors again.

My recent paintings

Here's a fun piece I call "Tribal" 8 x 10 acrylic with some Southwestern symbols mixed with a couple more familiar religious symbols. Then there's the "Flaming Cottonwood" also an 8 x 10 acrylic. The "West TX church" is an 11 x 14 so my scanner does not show the entire piece. It is missing most of the cholla on the right side and half the mequite tree on the left and some grass in the front of the painting. Took a photo of this little church in my wanderings last November while in TX, thought then it would make a neat painting.

Some new paintings I recently acquired

Here are some paintings I had painted by Russell Freels who has painted several of my dogs and one of my friends dogs I've put them up here before First on the left is Vger (BIF FC Avalon Dark Voyager of Ryhka SC, LCM) who was #1 ASFA Borzoi in 2007. Below is this lovely adobe style house that I am wild about, and wanted since I just love all things Southwestern.

Then we have this neat piece done from a photo I took on a trail in the Smokies near Newfound Gap.

Last is my belated birthday to myself a 16 x 20 done from an assortment of photos I took in NM and West TX into which myself and a couple of my Borzoi have been "inserted". There's also a little inset showing the detail of me and the dogs. Too cool. Wish I had this kind of ability.

Rock climbing or Middle Age Crazy?

The link is to the area where we had two days of rock climbing classes last weekend. I thought you know it is titled UClimb "learn to climb" so baby stuff right?

Wrong.......... climbs are graded from 5.0 being the easiest and just past scrambling without equipment to 5.15 which is the hardest one in the world currently that has been climbed ( of course that will change). I figured we would start with 5.1's or 5.2's etc.

Try 5.7s or 5.8s which of course NO WAY COULD I GET more than 3-5 feet up. Talk about banged up. Archie and myself did however manage to climb 3 5.6 climbs in Red Rock Gorge KY.

Will we do it again ?

You betcha. Probably in a gym though before going back on a rock wall.

Mt Sterling, NC hike labor day weekend

ayee, my God, it was steep, probably the most consistently steep trail we've been on up there. We only met one couple on it, they were on their way down. They said, "Good luck making it to the top we gave up". Anyway, 2.7 miles and you gain over 2,000 feet in altitude, it is just some over 5800 feet. The above link has a photo of the mountain. The tower at the top of Mt. Sterling is probably 80 feet tall. It turned cold, the wind was screaming over that mountain so I said, hey let's go up there and eat our trail mix and jerky out of the wind so we did and spent about half hour having lunch in a pretty cool spot with some great views!

Scottsbluff

OK, the buffalo may be hokey but what the hey

Fancy Boy one of my peacocks

It has been a moment or two since I inflicted a painting on you. I did this one a couple of weeks ago. It's my 5 year old peacock Fancy Boy.

Alum Cave Bluff and Mt LeConte

Labor Day weekend we went to Pigeon Forge and stayed Fri, Sat and Sun night. Saturday morning we got up and hiked to Alum Bluff from the trailhead ( not from the hotel hah ha). We got a late start hitting the trail around 10 am but it's nice to sleep in once a month, ayeee. Here's a couple of photos of us at the trailhead. The bluffs are HUGE those are people in the foreground towards the bottom. I had to take a photo from the bottom of the bluffs because otherwise you just can't get them in it. After hiking to the bluffs we hiked on to Mt LeConte, it's a bit over 6600 feet in altitude, pretty big in this neck of the woods. The trail up there may be the best for views and excitement in the entire park. Steep, narrow, rocky with great views and steel cables to help your footing on the scary parts. You can see cables to the left of the photo with the tree that has berries on it. On the left is a photo looking down at the dropoff from the trail. We finished the 11 mile or so trek by 6 PM so around 8 hours total and that included a stop at Alum Bluff on the way up and back and a 30 minute lunch at Le Conte sitting in a swing eating trail mix and jerky, drinking water out of a Camelbak!

SWEET

Labor Day Weekend 2009 and Fall Itinerary

First the Itinerary
Sept 5, 6 , 7 -hiking SMokies
Sept 13, 14-2 days of Rock Climbing school at Red Gorge River, KY
Sept 19 judging Borzoi Sweepstakes in Atlanta, GA
Sept 26-27- nothing, canceled my canoeing trip with the boss, my Mother says she wants to visit and wanted me to cancel something and that was the first thing I could take off my plate
Oct 3-Toastmasters District contest Springfield TN
Oct 4-judging ASFA in Knoxville
Oct 10 & 11 another free weekend
Oct 16 & 17 -Toastmasters District Conference in Nashville
Oct 24 & 25 judging AKC trial in Reidsville, NC for MAHA
Oct 31 & Nov 1-judging ASFA trial in Omaha, NE flying out on Oct 30
Nov 5, 6, 7, 8 -Professional Bull Riding Finals in LV, NV
Nov 14, 15-free weekend
Nov 21-22 -free weekend
Nov 28-region 7 regionals Calhoun GA, will drive down to attend this
month of December is free for now

Today I am trying to get ready for 3 days of hiking in the Smokies. Hope to have lots more photos to upload when I get back..