Life's A Beach?

The Genesee Rowing Club does a "rowing camp" in Miami Beach.  I was forced to tag along.

Strange color in the sky observed while flying in.

We stayed at the small hotel next to the tall white building.
It was nice of the management to float
that huge blue arrow out on the Atlantic for this photo.

Everyone enjoys the beach.

This man sets up the beach every morning and tears it down late every afternoon.
What a pointless job.  I doubt that he cares.

Mary took this nice shot of me.

Cruise ship painted sunset gold.

My Miami Beach office.  I was in it too much.
Last year I did video support for the rowers.
This year I did software support.

It was great to watch the sailboats on the horizon.

Sailing out of South Beach

We did not live by bread alone.

A poolside gum-blob of note.

The Loews hotel in South Beach.  You might want to stay there.
The rooms start at $500 per night.

South Beach Art Deco

South Beach after dark

Really like the art deco look.
We are currently installing similar lighting on our house.

Today's Forecast: Cold and Incredibly Beautiful

Which beautiful blue is for you?

The gray stuff above is the snow.  I have yet to figure out how to capture the look of snow in a way that conveys the true visual quality.  So since this photo defines one of my limits, let me try to augment it with words.

The gray-looking snow is white.  Bright white.  Because the surface is not completely regular, there are darker shadows that make one appreciate the whiteness even more.  The little specs of brightness you see are highlights that are either whiter than white or very bright white with tinges of refracted color.  

Now look at the foot trail through the snow in the sunward looking shot below, and multiply the bright little specs by the number of dollars in the national debt.  Move your gaze across the snow and drink them all in.  

If this is something your imagination allows, you begin to understand the beauty of a sunlit snow scene.

In Rochester, NY... on Ridgemont Country Club.

Weather Report From Rochester, NY

My Big Backyard

When it snows, I have a really big back yard.
It's great to be able to ski right out your back door.

The owners of the lot backing up to mine provide a fine cross country ski resort.

The resort is also enjoyed by a number of other animals.
I would commit a faux pas if I didn't point out that these tracks
were created by fox paws.

Pretty amazing how far apart these fox tracks are.
The little guy can practically fly when he wants to.

This is his chalet.

There are humans out here too.
This one walked in the tracks I made yesterday.
But they are rare, and usually, all I see is their tracks.

Deer tracks.  Lots of them.

Note the cleft hoof.
This footprint is either from a deer or a small demon.

The creek winds through the course.

I'm looking down the little hill toward the narrow bridge.
Several disaster scenarios linger here, though I have not seen them.  Yet.

The ducks were minding their own business in the stream when I zipped across the bridge.
I'm not sure if they were more startled than I was, but they certainly left more quickly.

Always interesting to look back at what you created 
when you thought you skied a straight track.

The tracks on the left are from zipping down.
The tracks on the right were created while plodding back up.
It is the biggest hill in the world,
or at least it used to be when I dragged the kids to it on a sled.
I miss those days.

The cell towers are in the distance, near the main road.
I co-led the resistance to placing them on the other side of the course, 
backing up to the surrounding houses.
¡Viva la Revolución!

I spooked this guy while he was minding his own business in the creek.
Pretty rare to see a Heron this time of year.
It's always a good day when you see a Heron.

40-odd years ago, I occasionally played hockey on this pond with the kids who lived around the course.
We'd shovel the ice and skate for hours.
We weren't very good.  We still have all our teeth.

Another pretty spot where the creek has been diverted around a pond.

I never go near the clubhouse,
 just in case someone wants to exercise his Second Amendment Rights.

The squirrels also have a clubhouse.
I never go near theirs, either.