So I had a design job to do on PhotoShop and went online to figure out how to create a certain look I had in mind and ran into a site that lets you download hundreds of awesome Free Photoshop Brushes and makes designing so easy!
And then I got all grateful to all the helpful people out in the world who do so much for total strangers and will never know the difference they make. Chances are, you’re one of them in some large or small way, so…
For the past several years, I’ve taken the motorcycle to Moab with my SST (search and rescue singletrack team) buddies and spent two or three days riding the endless slickrock and other trails in the area.
Every year’s a little different as we pick different areas to ride, bring different friends along, have different crashes, break downs, injuries and jokes. This year we spent less time on our traditional favorites Slickrock/ Hell’s Revenge/ Fins n Things and more time exploring, riding Moab Rim, Steel Bender and Behind the Rock.
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Besides being pretty funny most of the time, I appreciate that these editorial cartoons represent both sides of the political spectrum more evenly than most media sources in our country.
Judging by the titles of three recent blog posts, it seems that tis the season for goodbyes.
Last night I dropped by my Swiss friend Nathalie’s good bye party. I first met Nath 12 years ago when she came to stay with a family friend who happened to live in my neighborhood and we built one of those bonds that will keep us good friends forever.
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In rock climbing, a “commitment move” is when – if you proceed – you can’t back down to the safety of your last bolt or protection. It’s onward, upward, or a big fall. It can scare you but also motivate you to push forward quickly to the next clip or secure hold.
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Today was my last day as a National Park Ranger at Timpanogos Cave, and it was a good one. I had four good tour groups who seemed to enjoy their tour and appreciate the wonders (a totally busy day means five tours), plus some time to chill with coworkers and chat with kids at the cave entrance.
I saw a few bats (very rare in the cave since we’re so loud, but the cave has been closed all week), took a few good photos on my final nostalgic walk through the cave after that last tour, then locked the cave doors and set the alarm for the last time. The sun was just setting all golden as I started down the trail with Josh and Monica.
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I recently canceled a web hosting package. They offered me 2 free years to stay. So I did. I went online to check something about my cell phone bill, and found out I could get unlimited service for $10 less than I had been paying for 1500 minutes.
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I’m seriously concerned about politics in our country these days! It’s not so much that I don’t like nationalized health care and some other issues and trends – it’s the fact that NO ONE CAN TALK REASONABLY anymore!!
Thanks a LOT, Democrats. Thanks, Republicans. Thanks lobbyists, celebrities, protesters, and Glen Beck.
When I taught college writing, we’d do a little section on logical fallacies and now and then I’d find a good example of one being used in the news. Now that’s all I hear. Everyone has traded reason in for sloppy emotional rants. That will never resolve anything!
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I forgot to post a link to this video I made of my nieces and nephews at Bear Lake this summer. Don’t expect a masterpiece – it was shot pretty quickly because there was too much sailing and eating and talking to do and because the kids’ patience wouldn’t last forever. But the kids love it and it’ll be great as they grow older to look back and laugh at.
When 14 year old cousins James Gough and Frank Johnson discovered Timpanogos Cave in 1913, they didn’t travel along the upper passage where tours go today. That area was very narrow and has been excavated to make it roomy enough for most visitors to get through without too much trouble (if you don’t count the unlucky ones responsible for naming the stalactite “13 Stitches”, formerly known as “12 Stitch”).
Instead, they took the lower passage, now off limits, and protected by such things as light sensors so we know if anyone goes out of bounds. The only chance to get down there is on special projects such as the one going on now where resource rangers are removing as much of the man-made junk as possible.
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