Yes!
Kickoff!Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Winning made it even better.
31-7 Ravens over the Bears.
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Snapshots: Kickoff!
Surprise tickets to the final Ravens home game?!
Yes!
Kickoff!
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Winning made it even better.
31-7 Ravens over the Bears.
Yes!
Kickoff!Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Winning made it even better.
31-7 Ravens over the Bears.
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Nonsense: Improvements Continue
The Axeman and I have been burning all of our free time at the boat, helping to slowly morph it into a living breathing houseboat organism. One that has a floor to walk on and an engine to propel. Well, we are still working on the engine part, but we did finish the floor this week. Carpeting still to come.
Putting the cross boards in.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Halfway finished.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
All the way finished.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Putting the cross boards in.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Halfway finished.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
All the way finished.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Monday, November 09, 2009
Arsenal: The Houseboat
Yeah, you read the title correctly. Last Wednesday we added a 1970 34' Nautaline to the arsenal of casa de Bolte. Peppered with slight cosmetic damage and a tired old engine the houseboat will be something of a fixer upper, but will no doubt provide good times out in the bay for the next two summers. Check out these pics!
Cashing in!
Photograph by the Axeman.
Got a little Captain in you?
Photograph by the Axeman.
The skipper's chair.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Inside the main cabin from stern to bow.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
The head.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Cashing in!Photograph by the Axeman.
Got a little Captain in you?Photograph by the Axeman.
The skipper's chair.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Inside the main cabin from stern to bow.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
The head.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Sunday, November 08, 2009
Friday, September 04, 2009
Nonsense: Elvis Has Entered The Building
Wecome to Graceland.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
We have a new addition to the 10 gallon fish tank. His name is Elvis and he is a calico ryukin with a double fan tail and he is the bomb!
Nonsense: You Have To Go Away To Make A Comeback
The last time that I rode a mountain bike on a trail was on March 20th, 2008. According to timeanddate.com that comes out to be 533 days, which is far to long for someone who has a blog title "The Single Speed Storm Trooper" to not have ridden his single speed mountain bike.
My "comeback" started at the ever familiar Patapsco State Park, which as not too familiar considering I got incredibly lost in the first 30 minutes and wound up in Rockburn. After some informative hikers set me straight, I pedaled around the trails for another two hours before coming out of the woods back at the Catonsville park and ride.
All in all it was a great day to be in the woods on the bike. I missed riding these last 533 days and look forward to being more proactive about my favorite hobby.
Here's to a comeback.
Getting back to the basics.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
My "comeback" started at the ever familiar Patapsco State Park, which as not too familiar considering I got incredibly lost in the first 30 minutes and wound up in Rockburn. After some informative hikers set me straight, I pedaled around the trails for another two hours before coming out of the woods back at the Catonsville park and ride.
All in all it was a great day to be in the woods on the bike. I missed riding these last 533 days and look forward to being more proactive about my favorite hobby.
Here's to a comeback.
Getting back to the basics.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Snapshots: Warped Tour 2009!
Warped Tour 2009 pictures taken on the camera phone!
CHIODOS.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Flogging Molly.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Flogging Molly.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Bayside.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Snapshots: Baltimore
Been out and about in Charm City these past few weeks enjoying good weather and good times. Wanted to publish a few photos from around the city to show off the skyline.
The typical "Harbor from Fed Hill" shot.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Panorama from La Tasca.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
An orange moon hangs over Tide Point.
Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
The typical "Harbor from Fed Hill" shot.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Panorama from La Tasca.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
An orange moon hangs over Tide Point.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
Sunday, June 21, 2009
Journeys: The Red Part II
This post is written as a recollection, because I failed to finish it in a timely manner. I am finishing this post six months and 13 days after the events took place.
Part of my much needed vacation during the first two weeks of June was a planned climbing trip with the ol' Stever in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. We left for the Red on June 8th, but I drove over to WV a few nights before for a small family reunion outside of Charleston. We had great weather over the weekend and I was hoping that it would hold out for the enitre week of climbing, but my hope was energy wasted on wishful thinking. We would spend part of the week sneaking around thunderstorms that peppered the Gorge before calling it quits on Thursday morning and heading home. In between rain clouds we did do some climbing...
June 8th, 2009:
Our vehicular ingress to the Red brought Steve and I by Fortress Wall, which has some classic trad routes, some classic trad routes that Steve let me lead. We climbed all afternoon having fun on American Crack, Calypso III, and the first pitch of Bedtime for Bonzo.
This was the first time Steve allowed me to lead trad routes and it was very exciting and scary all at the same time. The experience was something that would add fuel to my addictive fire for climbing as I would rack up some debt building my own trad rack later in the year.
After doing three routes and leaving the crag with a sense of trad accomplishment, Steve and I drove to Middle Fork Campground and set up our campsite.
June 9th, 2009:
Steve had a big day planned for the 9th and a big day of climbing was had. We drove out further into the sticks than normal to the Pendergrass Murray Recreation Preserve, specifically Sore Heel Hollow. Steve knew of a good wall called The Shire, which he claimed had some jug hauls on it and he was right. Very juggy and platey, but very fun, pumpy climbing.
We racked up three in a row in the Shire; Pee Wee, Audie, and Miranda Rayne. Miranda Rayne was especially pumpy and had very thin last moves as an extra little slap in the face.
After climbing Miranda Rayne, we haphazardly packed up the gear as I dreamt of making the leap to 5.10 on Bulldozer, but moved on to the Rival Wall to see what we could see in Rorschach Inkblot Test. The belay was sloping and the start required either a rock pile or cheerleader flexibility. I made like a cheerleader and Steve went with the rock pile. It was a fun climb with interesting moves near the top.
Already feeling somewhat tired from the pumpy Shire, we headed to another part of the Hollow to tick some other fun routes.
In Left Field, we climbed Lowered Expectations and on the Volunteer Wall we touched the perfectly spherical hold on Swap Meet.
June 10th, 2009:
Today we did not have much a plan, so I picked some do-able routes in Muir Valley out of the book and we set out for another day of climbing. On Indy Wall, we started with Face Up That Arete, which turned out to an great route with very thin holds to help build one's technique. Next, I decided to let it hang out on Moots Madness, my first 5.10, where I literally did hang out on the first few moves, because they were hard for me. After the tall bottom moves, the top gave way to a pumpy slight overhang that nearly spit me out before I clipped the anchors.
I lowered from the route with rain drops falling all around and we quickly pushed on to Great Wall where the book indicated we would find rain protected routes. As the rain picked up into a downpour, we discovered, to our dismay, that there were no rain protected routes on Great Wall.
We watched it rain for an hour before deciding to hike all the way over to Bruise Brothers wall where we knew there were two rain protected routes, CH4 and A-Beano. At Bruise Brothers the two routes were open and we climbed them as the rain poured around us, just barely staying under the roof and out of the rain.
And this is how a second trip to the Red ended, with rain. After Bruise Brothers, we would head back to camp only to wake to rain the next morning. Another trip cut short, another long dreary ride home.
'Til next time...
Part of my much needed vacation during the first two weeks of June was a planned climbing trip with the ol' Stever in Kentucky's Red River Gorge. We left for the Red on June 8th, but I drove over to WV a few nights before for a small family reunion outside of Charleston. We had great weather over the weekend and I was hoping that it would hold out for the enitre week of climbing, but my hope was energy wasted on wishful thinking. We would spend part of the week sneaking around thunderstorms that peppered the Gorge before calling it quits on Thursday morning and heading home. In between rain clouds we did do some climbing...
June 8th, 2009:
Our vehicular ingress to the Red brought Steve and I by Fortress Wall, which has some classic trad routes, some classic trad routes that Steve let me lead. We climbed all afternoon having fun on American Crack, Calypso III, and the first pitch of Bedtime for Bonzo.
This was the first time Steve allowed me to lead trad routes and it was very exciting and scary all at the same time. The experience was something that would add fuel to my addictive fire for climbing as I would rack up some debt building my own trad rack later in the year.
After doing three routes and leaving the crag with a sense of trad accomplishment, Steve and I drove to Middle Fork Campground and set up our campsite.
June 9th, 2009:
Steve had a big day planned for the 9th and a big day of climbing was had. We drove out further into the sticks than normal to the Pendergrass Murray Recreation Preserve, specifically Sore Heel Hollow. Steve knew of a good wall called The Shire, which he claimed had some jug hauls on it and he was right. Very juggy and platey, but very fun, pumpy climbing.
We racked up three in a row in the Shire; Pee Wee, Audie, and Miranda Rayne. Miranda Rayne was especially pumpy and had very thin last moves as an extra little slap in the face.
After climbing Miranda Rayne, we haphazardly packed up the gear as I dreamt of making the leap to 5.10 on Bulldozer, but moved on to the Rival Wall to see what we could see in Rorschach Inkblot Test. The belay was sloping and the start required either a rock pile or cheerleader flexibility. I made like a cheerleader and Steve went with the rock pile. It was a fun climb with interesting moves near the top.
Already feeling somewhat tired from the pumpy Shire, we headed to another part of the Hollow to tick some other fun routes.
In Left Field, we climbed Lowered Expectations and on the Volunteer Wall we touched the perfectly spherical hold on Swap Meet.
June 10th, 2009:
Today we did not have much a plan, so I picked some do-able routes in Muir Valley out of the book and we set out for another day of climbing. On Indy Wall, we started with Face Up That Arete, which turned out to an great route with very thin holds to help build one's technique. Next, I decided to let it hang out on Moots Madness, my first 5.10, where I literally did hang out on the first few moves, because they were hard for me. After the tall bottom moves, the top gave way to a pumpy slight overhang that nearly spit me out before I clipped the anchors.
I lowered from the route with rain drops falling all around and we quickly pushed on to Great Wall where the book indicated we would find rain protected routes. As the rain picked up into a downpour, we discovered, to our dismay, that there were no rain protected routes on Great Wall.
We watched it rain for an hour before deciding to hike all the way over to Bruise Brothers wall where we knew there were two rain protected routes, CH4 and A-Beano. At Bruise Brothers the two routes were open and we climbed them as the rain poured around us, just barely staying under the roof and out of the rain.
And this is how a second trip to the Red ended, with rain. After Bruise Brothers, we would head back to camp only to wake to rain the next morning. Another trip cut short, another long dreary ride home.
'Til next time...
Monday, May 18, 2009
Snapshots: Mount Lemmon, AZ
Looking down on Tucson from somewhere near Windy Point.Photograph by Chuck Bolte.
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