Wednesday, August 29, 2007

Lunar Eclipse.

Headed down The Strand to see the lunar eclipse last night.


The clouds disappeared no more than half and hour before the big show. It was such a full moon that some of my landscape photos looked like they were taken in daylight.




Then the moon satarted disappearing and eventually turned a mars-like red colour....spookie!

Tuesday, August 28, 2007

The death of a photo.

A photograph has a soul.


Sometimes I wonder what happens to all the photos we take after we die. When I’m gone and my photos are still around, in a frame, an album or on a disc, who will look at them? Who will smile, laugh, tell the story or have a long lost memory come flooding back. A photo will go from being a living treasure, from being ‘worth a thousand words’, to being a piece of information, a record of a time and a place.


Some photos will remain alive though the beauty and significance of the subject they cover, they will continue to mean something to one or many people. But what of the photos we take for ourselves, the ones that no one else ever notices or sees, hidden deep in the pages of an album or the numbered filing system of a disc. These are the photos that mean nothing to anyone but the photographer, the creator, these are the photos that die.

Sunday, August 26, 2007

A Sunday at the beach...

Took Elroy to the beach today.
...

What a perfect day!
...

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Monday, August 20, 2007

Getting carried away

Took the Karate Monkey for a ride today to test it out in it's new configuration. Then got carried away and the sun was below the horizon before I even started heading home. The lack of light adds a whole new dimension, the single track feels so much faster and you realise how well you really know the trails. I've heard that you don't actually ever forget anything, that those with a good memory are just better at retrieving information from their brains. It sort of goes to show how much you do remember, when you head down your local singletrack in the dark and know just where every hidden rock is and what exact line to take on that off-camber switch-back. You feel at one with the bike.


So what's the verdict on the tyres? Kenda Karmas seem to be fantastic on the back, short nobbies and long square edges work well. But I'm still not convinced of their worth on the front end. Under braking they seemed to lose traction, or maybe I've just forgotten how to steer with a rigid fork, time will tell. As for the fork, of course it is fantastic and light. A real contrast to the steel fork as you lift it over every obstacle; however, carbon has a short life span and I think this fork is destined for commuter use only. Sadly there is a distinct clicking coming from the front end on impact or strain. I took the front wheel off and pulled and twisted the forks, replicating the sound and narrowing its whereabouts to the fork crown/leg junction.


Oh well, we had our day in the sun, most noteably the Kona 24hr. That fork brought the total weight of the Ventana down to under 20 lbs, the memories!!!

Sunday, August 19, 2007

Lazy Sunday

I've been riding the El Comandante with suspension lately and enjoying it, but I haven't riden rigid for a while as the karate Monkey has been converted to a tourer.


So today I converted it back to MTB and thought I'd lose some weight on the front end by adding the carbon RC29s. I also added the Kenda Karma tires that have been sitting in the fridge for months.
Can't wait to take it out on the new trail tomorrow.

Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Splendid

Spent the weekend at Splendour In The Grass, down at Byron Bay. We flew in to Brisbane on Friday night and drove down in the crappy buzz bomb we hired.

Luckily the weather cleared for the event and left us dry but freezing at night.
The line up was too good to be true and meant that I missed some of my favourite bands in an attempt to see others, it was very hard to prioritise when bands like Bloc Party were playing at the same time as The Shins. So here’s some pics I took with the trusty D80 (which according to the web site was a prohibited camera).


James Mercer - The Shins


The Shins


Vikki - The Waifs, on harmonica


The Waifs


Under the big top


Sarah Blasko


The bar


The Big Top with The Arctic Monkeys playing beneath


The Dirty Three


The Editors


Holly Throsby


Lily Allen


The Mix Up tent


Old Man River


A different view of Old Man River


Paul Kelly


Ash


Blue King Brown


The Cat Empire


The dust at dusk


Gotye

Highlights?
I would have to say The Editors and The Dirty Three really stuck out as the biggest surprises. They rocked. The Editors played early in the day and were one of the first bands I saw. Tom Smith sounds so much more powerful live, it almost makes their recordings disappointing; I've now ordered their second album. I saw The Dirty Three so many years ago that I couldn't really remember an awful lot, but I do remember they were a lot more sedate the last time. This time Warren Ellis, looking like a crazy old man with long grey hair and a long grey beard, started off the set playing the violin like an electric guitar, jumping up and down, pulsing his body and kicking the drums; such a good show. I have also ordered their album.

Of course the big names were great; it's just always a pity, at these big shows, that you have no chance of getting up close and personal with those bands. Luckily The Shins played at the same time as Bloc Party so a majority of the crowd were in the big tent. I would have loved to have seen more of Bloc Party but I knew I'd get a better show from The Shins in the small tent, and wasn't disappointed. Five or six people back I even had a chance to get the D80 out.

Overall it was a great weekend. It was very interesting to see the contrast between the crowd on the first and second days. Obviously most people went way too hard way too early; by the second day the crowd was a lot more relaxed and laid back, no crazy antics and projectile vomiting. Food was great, with the fresh jam filled donuts being the extreme highlight, especially when we were cold and hungry.

It was dusty, there were crowds and line-ups everywhere, it was freezing at night, you were on the go all day racing to get to the front, alcohol and food was expensive and you were completely fucked by the end; sounds just like 24hr mountain bike racing. I'll be back next year if I can get another ticket.

Wednesday, August 1, 2007

Surprise


Is there anything better than riding a new singletrack? Unfamiliar turns, cliffside switchbacks, adrenalin all the way.

I've been off the bike for a while and got a little surprise today when i found a new section. Can't wait till tomorrow to do it again.