Happy Birthday Kami

Fifteen years ago today, Kami squirted out into this world and at that moment, Kevin had a sister.

Happy Birthday Kami!

Back on the Trails

My running has been a tough going for the last few months due to injury. I had a decent 2013, but various soft tissue issues impacted my training at end of 2013 and entering into 2014. The injury duration was likely prolonged due to recurring misdiagnosis by Dr. Kodama and a poor treatment plan by Physical Therapist Kodama. I now believe I had Piriformis Syndrome. In layman's terms, a major "pain in the rear." It took months of trial and error, but in retrospect, I seemed to exhibit the classic symptoms -- sharp pain down the leg and significant discomfort while sitting. Thanks to Google, I finally uncovered an advanced piriformis stretch, which reduced the pain dramatically and effectively unlocked my tight hips.

I traveled to Hawaii for business and took a few extra days to spend with family. Running wise, I intended to take advantage of the nice weather and kick start my running program. Before my first run, I was doing my "advanced piriformis stretch" and my brother said, "oh, the pigeon pose." Perhaps I should have started yoga months ago!  We ran four times during my stay, which exceeded my expectations.  I did the pigeon pose every morning and evening, and before and after each run.  After a pain free week of light running, I decided to resume my trail running this week in California.  The weather today was pleasant, perfect for my seven mile route on the Pleasanton Ridge.  My breathing was a bit more labored and my legs a little low on power, but overall it wasn't as bad as I expected.  As I passed a couple hiking up the ridge, the gal said, "you're a stud," and the guy followed with, "we wish we were you."  I love the encouragement I get from hikers, runners, and mountain bikers on the trails!  Any thoughts of walking quickly disappeared and I pushed my way to the top and across the ridgeline to my turnaround point.  After a short pigeon pose stretch at the top, I descended the ridge pain free.  It was a good (re)start to my training program.

While in Hawaii, I went to the parents' house and spent a few moments sorting through a box of my childhood memories.  After accumulating a house full of clutter in California over the last twenty years, the sentimental value associated with the boxes in Hawaii decreased dramatically.  I do, however, cherish the old photos -- particularly my baseball and marathon pictures.  The photo above was from my final marathon, the 1983 Honolulu Marathon.  My first marathon was the 1980 Honolulu Marathon, but I won't share that photo....I'll just say I was a pretty skinny 14 year old...with an era-appropriate hairstyle...and era-appropriate, goofy glasses.  :-)


Below are a few photos from my trip.


 

Fresh Akule for $4.95 per pound at a market in Chinatown.  Whenever I'm in the islands, I always try to have local seafood.  I travel on business to Hawaii, Guam, and American Samoa, and the fresh, tropical seafood is always incredible.



This is a view of Aloha Tower from an office building on Bishop Street.  I loved the view from the office window.  I had a Mahi Mahi sandwich for lunch that day, blackened with Cajun spices.  The only thing it was missing was a cold beer...

Marisa's Home Run

Marisa's Home Run, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

The Storm defense started a little slowly today, with multiple errors early in the game. Perhaps it was the 8:30 AM start, but the defense eventually clamped down and the bats came alive, giving the Storm another win.

Overall, it was a great game. Kami started the game on the mound and pitched well. Marisa put on a hitting clinic, hitting one out of the park for a home run!


Here are a few photos from the game.

Storm in the Forecast

Kami, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

California is currently in a drought condition, with below-average precipitation this year. However, the weatherman didn't predict the big storm hitting Pleasanton...the PGSL Storm, that is. The Storm played a great game, with outstanding pitching, defense, and hitting.

We were the home team, occupying the third base dugout. This made it difficult to photograph the right handed batters, with their backs facing the camera. I decided to take a lot more portraits today. The game was held at Upper Bernal Fields, which is smaller than the fields at the Pleasanton Sports Park. The close proximity to the players made closely cropped portraits possible.

Here are a few photos from the game:

Yosemite National Park

Half Dome, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

“Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away”

- Anonymous


I took a day off from work yesterday to hike Yosemite National Park. Over the last 20 years, I've avoided Yosemite because of the large crowds, including tourists, hikers, climbers, photographers, and school kids. While Yosemite is full of breathtaking and iconic views, the outdoor experience is often tarnished by the mass of humanity. I generally prefer the less traveled areas of the Sierra Nevada. The Sierra is full of wonderful locations, relatively anonymous compared to Yosemite, but nearly as beautiful and much more serene. Yesterday, however, was incredible. The foot traffic was low and the spring temperatures were high. The off-season is a superb time to visit the National Park!

After four short hours of sleep, I wearily arose at three o'clock, showered, jump-started my brain with a cup of coffee, and hit the road to Gilroy to meet up with the rest of the hiking gang – Faye, Li, and Deac. Under Faye's watchful eye, the group (somewhat) quickly gathered the gear, packed the truck, and we proceeded down Highway 152, east toward Yosemite.

Upon our arrival in the valley, we started our hike near Mirror Lake, early enough to catch the mountains lit with the early morning light and reflecting in the appropriately named lake. The view was picture perfect, but unfortunately, I didn't have my tripod or graduated neutral density filter. The ND grad filter is a key landscape photography tool, enabling the photographer to balance the exposure between the brightly lit mountains in the background with the shaded lake/reflections in the foreground. Using Kodak BW400CN film, I decided to shoot the reflections tightly framed, excluding the brightly lit background from the frame. I then shot the entire scene with my iPhone5, using the HDR mode to deal with the exposure differences...not my ideal tool, but the best one I had available at the time.

We continued our hike along the Snow Creek Trail, climbing steadily for almost 3000 feet. The brisk pace slowed gradually as the miles and elevation increased. Our effort was rewarded when Faye guided us to the site of our lunch break – a large slab of granite overlooking Half Dome and Clouds Rest. Dropping our packs, we spent a moment absorbing the breathtaking views, before consuming our lunches and resting our bodies. An hour and a half passed in a moment, and it was time to descend the mountain and return to the valley. We spent some time taking photos before departing Yosemite and then proceeded home. After a quick stop for the traditional post-hike pizza and beer, and a long drive home, we concluded a wonderful day.

This afternoon at work, a colleague asked, “How did you manage to take a day off from work?” I searched for my soap box, hopped on top of it, and explained that life is short and we need to seek the opportunities that take our breath away. There aren't enough weekends in a year, so we need to augment them with vacation days to chase these moments. With the ever-present heavy workload, there's never a good time to take off from work...but there's always a good time to have your breath taken away.

Here are a few pictures from our trip.

Beautiful Yosemite landscape, lit by the morning light, and reflecting in Mirror Lake.




View of Clouds Rest, framed by an interesting foreground tree.




Mirror Lake




Half Dome, taken from the valley floor.




Misc Photos taken with my Nikon FM2, with Kodak BW400CN film.
















Here are a few photos taken with my iPhone5.

2014 PGSL Season Kicks Off

Kodama, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

The 2014 Pleasanton Girls Softball League (PGSL) season is here! Kami is playing in the Senior Division this year, open to high school aged players. She is one of only two freshmen on the team, but after a handful of practices and scrimmages, the coaches said she’s a “natural.” She’s the lead-off batter, a solid pitcher on the mound, a reliable second baseman, and she tracks down fly balls in the outfield like a field-seasoned Golden Retriever (unlike Paisley).

Here are a few photos from one of the scrimmages. I will be taking pictures throughout the season as one of the photographers covering the team. Just as the girls needed to “knock off some rust” due to the long off-season, I too needed to get back into sports photography mode. The players move a tad bit quicker than the landscapes I’ve been shooting lately…

Guam

Under the Table, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

It's four AM and I awakened with the urge to pee. With anticipation, I opened the door to the warm, damp bathroom, where earlier I saw two large, American cockroaches, sunning themselves quietly in the darkness. As the door slowly creaked open, a flick of the light switch sent a lone cockroach scampering for shade. I tried to crush him with a bottle of bathroom cleaner, but the roach deftly avoided it and scurried quickly for the door. I hurriedly slammed the door, playing a deadly chess game with my prey. I watched his long antennae sweeping from under the door, giving away his presence, and I took a moment to pee, carefully aiming with one eye on the bowl, with the other eye on the roach. I opened the door and ran to grab the nearest insect crushing device, but the roach scampered across the white tile floor to the safety and security under the dresser, saving itself from gut-crushing shoe. I lay in bed, reflecting on the time, decades ago, when a large cockroach crawled up the inside of my pants leg one night at a Boy Scout meeting. I shook my leg feverishly, desperately trying to get the roach out of my pants.

My attention switched back to the roach under the dresser, as it noisily walked across the tile floor, breaking the darken silence and my eerie reflection. I lay awake, hoping he crawls back into the bathroom instead of up the bed covers. Thus is my first night in the Barrigada house, where my brother in-law is housing me for my weekend in Guam.

Dawn patiently arrived and I exited the bedroom to find my host sleeping on the couch. He graciously gave up his room and turned on the room’s air conditioning before my arrival so I wouldn't have to experience the warm, humid nights in Guam. It was clear, however, that he typically slept in the bed without air conditioning, as the sheets and pillows reeked of many sweaty nights.

I traveled to Guam on business and spent the subsequent weekend visiting my brother in-law. Here are a few pictures.

Guam is infamous for its large number of dogs, unconstrained with fences or chains. The Spaniards brought Catholicism to Guam and apparently the canines aren't spayed or neutered either.






On my last trip to Guam, Chris prepared a wonderful dish using banana hearts from the banana trees on the property. The delicious dish of banana hearts and pork is a regional dish from Pampanga, PI (I believe). Knowing how much I enjoyed it, he prepared it again…and it was as good as I remembered it.




Here’s a rare sighting of the Maytag repair man. According to legend, it’s rarer than Sasquatch, Big Foot, or the Loch Ness Monster. One little secret, Maytag reliability is poor, but their marketing is incredible. My father in-law used to service Maytag commercial machines and he let me in on this little secret years ago.




Here are a few more misc photos.

Eastern Sierra "Snow" Trip

Manzanar War Relocation Center, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

Several months ago, we planned a snow backpacking trip for February, scheduled to coincide with Faye's break from school. It was going to be a long, arduous, cross-country (backcountry) ski trip in the Sierra, covering dozens of miles. Mother nature, however, had other plans. Unseasonably warm weather and a lack of precipitation didn't provide the requisite snow in and around Yosemite. We decided to do a snowshoe trip in the Eastern Sierra instead, planning to trek through the snow at higher elevations. Unfortunately, a storm system blew through north of us, bringing with it 60 MPH wind gusts at the higher elevations. Switching gears again, we decided to camp and do day hiking trips around the area.

We arrived at the Lone Pine Ranger Station and spoke with Tim, the ranger, who gave us a few ideas for day hikes in the area. We then drove up Highway 395 for a quick visit to the Manzanar internment camp.

"In 1942, the United States government ordered more than 110,000 men, women, and children to leave their homes and detained them in remote, military-style camps. Manzanar War Relocation Center was one of ten camps where Japanese American citizens and resident Japanese aliens were interned during World War II."

Learn more about the Manzanar War Relocation Center at the National Park Service website.









We then camped in the Alabama Hills. Many films and television commercials were filmed in the Alabama Hills. I'm sure I will notice the distinctive landscape a lot more, now that I've been there.

"The rounded contours of the Alabamas form a sharp contrast between the glacially chiseled ridges of the Sierra Nevada. This leads the viewer to believe the Alabama's are almost antique in nature. Actually, both geologic features were the result of uplifting that occurred 100 million years ago. The hills have been subject to a type of erosion known as chemical weathering. When the hills were still covered with soil, percolating water rounded the granite blocks and sculpted the outstanding formations you see today."

Find more information about the Alabama Hills at the BLM website.







We also spent some time hiking. On one of the days, we did a quick hike to the Tuttle Creek Ashram.

"The Tuttle Creek Ashram is situated at an altitude of seventy-six hundred feet on a steep ridge between the North and South forks of Tuttle Creek, a stream that flows briskly through a glacially carved canyon in the granitic Sierra Nevada Mountains. Built in the shape of a balanced cross, the ashram is a two-thousand-square-foot structure of natural stone and concrete, with a cement floor, heavy-beam roof, and a large fireplace; the stonework of the ashram blends so well into the ridge that the building is hard to see even from a distance of one-half of a mile away. The history of this remarkable building can be traced back to 1928, when Franklin Merrell-Wolff and his wife Sherifa first visited the area west of Lone Pine, California."

Learn more about the Tuttle Creek Ashram at the Franklin Merrell-Wolff Fellowship website.







On the last day, we stopped by a natural hotsprings, near Bakersfield. This was clearly not the trip we originally envisioned, but I must say it was the best "snow" trip ever! When life hands you lemons, make lemonade. After all, a bad day in the Sierra is still a pretty darn good day.



Here are a few more photos from the trip.

Photo-run on the Pleasanton Ridge

Pleasanton Ridge, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

After an unseasonably warm Thanksgiving, a Canadian winter storm blew in this week, bringing frigid weather to the West. Temperatures dipped to 24 degrees Farenheit overnight, with daytime highs near 45 degrees. Claudia (from Canada) begged to differ with the "frigid" assessment, stating, "Seven degrees Celsius is tropical, eh. You hoser!" I suppose everything is relative, but all I can say is, "it must really suck living in Canada..."

I awoke early this morning, with some concern about the 16 mile run I had planned. It wasn't the cold I was concerned about, but rather my tight lower back. I washed down my usual pre-run breakfast, peanut butter on toast, with coffee, and proceeded back to bed. I gently stretched my back and after a few hours of procrastination, it was time to run. Today, I decided carry my camera. My trail portraits photography project stalled out after two portraits because I quit carrying my camera on my trail runs. I don't particularly enjoy wearing a fanny pack while running, but today I decided I would do a "photo run" and have a nice, relaxing run.

After arriving at the Foothill Staging Area, I exited the car and found the Pleasanton Ridge quite pleasant. That would soon change, however, as a steady, frigid wind blasted me as I ascended the ridge, forcing me to zip up a bit. I traversed the Ridgeline Trail and stopped at the bench near the Valley View Trail junction. A stone found its way into my running shoe and I sat on the bench, trying to get my frozen fingers to undo my shoe laces, so I could extract the irritant. I looked over my shoulder because I could hear Faye speaking to me, "wear your f'ing gaiters!" I explained the overnight rains packed down the dirt, so gaiters wouldn't be necessary, but she wasn't buying it. I managed to finally retie my shoes and proceeded across the ridge, and down the Bay Leaf Trail. Although I didn't carry my mobile phone, Mother Nature called, and I needed to make a pit stop. I veered off the trail and found some trees shielded from the wind. After searching in my running shorts for thirty minutes or so, I finally found what I was looking for. Did I mention it was cold!?

I didn't set any PR's today, but it was a very fun photo-run. My Panasonic LX5 camera fit nicely in my running fanny pack and I liked the easy access. Thanks Bryan for the tip! Here are a few photos from today's run.


After steadily climbing the ridge from the Foothill staging area, I look forward to this gate because it's the point where I descend into Augustine Bernal Park and onto more runnable trails.




The East Bay Regional Park District recently mended a number of barbed wire fences in the park. I've run past these old fence posts and barbed wire a number of times and looked forward to snapping a few photos of it today. I envisioned sepia toning, giving it an "Old West" feel.




I love this view because it means I only have two miles to go...and it's almost all downhill from here.

Autumn Arrives

Fleeing Bush Street, a photo by Wayne-K on Flickr.

Thanksgiving has come and gone, Christmas trees are sprouting up around town, deciduous trees are showing their fiery colors, and the temperatures are dropping quickly. Autumn is upon us.

Unexpected work activities delayed my trail run today and I didn't arrive at the Pleasanton Ridge until 3:45 PM. It was clear I would be completing my run in the dark tonight. I threw a long sleeve shirt into the car, planning on carrying it in case I needed it on my run. I exited my car at the start of the run and immediately felt like one of the Korean Airlines pilots who crashed their plane at SFO. Ho Lee Fuk…it was cold! It’s time to break out the gloves and running jacket.


Here are a few autumn photos.

Our twenty pound Thanksgiving turkey. We had the boys, Bryan and Grant, over for Thanksgiving, so we decided to go for a big bird. What’s better than leftover turkey and fixin’s?




We did something new this year and added a little diversity to the Thanksgiving table. These beautiful crab found their way onto the menu. Thank you for your sacrifice, you were yummy.




We spent a day in the city (San Francisco). This is at Boccalone in the Ferry Building. They are well known for their pig parts.




This guy really wanted Jesus to save the pagans of SF. As I stalked him for a photo, he realized I was photographing him and he stopped and posed for me. So, I snapped his portrait and gave him a thumbs up….and snapped a few more photos of him as he walked around.




Here are three generations of women in front of the Christmas tree at Union Square.




Mother and daughter in front of the tree




Grant and Kami inside the Ferry Building




Here's my run today, courtesy of Strava.