Annual Christmas Light Ride

It's Christmas time and that means Christmas lights! Although I don't go crazy with the lights on our house we sure do love to go look at all the houses and the different lights. The last 3 years I have taken the kids (one at a time) on the BMW for a motorcycle ride through the neighborhood to view all the lights.

Emily ready to head out on our Christmas ride!

Sometimes it can be quite cold be we always have a great time. Emily and I just went a couple nights ago. Not sure if Drew and I will do it this year or not. It is getting a bit harder now that he is about as tall as me and also has size 12 feet. The weather this year was quite pleasant, cool but not cold. We saw lots of great lights and our favorite "creepy Santa" which is a tradition. It's a life size Santa that looks out of a large 2nd story window. He is lit up subtly which makes him visible (and we think a bit creepy) as you drive by the house.
Next up is our tradition of putting the jeep top down and wrapping the bars with Christmas lights and driving around while Christmas music is playing. We might have to do it after Christmas this year since it looks like we are supposed to get rain straight through to Christmas Eve.

Post T-day Stone Mountain Hike

Another tradition at our house is hiking stone mountain on Friday after Thanksgiving. I think we started that with my friend Mark (Uncle Mark to my kids) a number of years ago. It's a great way to get some exercise and burn off some of the big meal the next day. One year we couldn't go up due to icy conditions so Mark, the kids, and I had to walk around the mountain instead. This year was much nicer but it was still cold and there as some ice in places along the trail. I think the highs were in the 40s today but it was sunny and beautiful.

Family photo at the top of Stone Mountain with Atlanta in the background.

 

A "smiley" on the mountain side. Mark taught us to look for smiley faces :)

I go to Stone Mountain all the time but usually just to run around the base of the mountain (5 mile loop). I always forget what a great workout it is to walk up the mountain (1 mile up). My legs are like rubber by the end. Emily just want to lie down and the top and not go back down :). Clearly not an option. Another great year, great thanksgiving day, and so much to be thankful for. Can't wait for 2015.

The First Eggnog of the Year!

The kids and I love eggnog! Diane likes it but doesn't seem to get as excited about it as we do. We try really hard not to start drinking eggnog too much before Thanksgiving but man is it hard. This year we made it to today (the day before Thanksgiving); not too shabby. Last year Emily and I took a photo of us drinking our first eggnog of the season (below).

First nog of 2013!

So we decided to continue with that tradition this year. We drink a variety of brands but the Publix generic is our preference. And we always make it extra special by using a microplane to grate a little fresh nutmeg on the top of each glass. That makes it smell so good and man is it delicious. It was also Drew's birthday yesterday so I had to throw in a little photo of that (the big 15!).

The first eggnog of 2014!

Drew and his chocolate chip cookie dough ice cream cake

I also like to make my "patented" Nog Russians. Basically - a White Russian with eggnog substituting the cream or milk.

Nog Russian

1 part (shot glass full or little less) coffee liquor (Kahlua)

2 parts vodka

eggnog to your liking (couple tablespoons?)

freshly grated nutmeg

couple ice cubes

 

I'll have to add a photo for that later. Enjoy the season!

Arabia mountain

The last few weekends I have visited Arabia Mountain. It is only about 30 minutes away, a beautiful spot to hike or ride bikes, and doesn't have the crowds like it's sister Stone Mountain. Two weeks ago Diane and I took a motorcycle ride there, walked the bike path and hiked to the top. This weekend the kids and I went and took the forest trail to Arabia Lake and then walked out into the bare rock area (don't know what else to call it). Anyway here are a few photos of our trips.



Flowers at top of Arabia Mountain

 

Arabia Mountain



Drew and I in the rock lands near the lake

Arabia Lake

More flowers

Some kind of cool ground cover in the woods and near the lake. Sort of like lichens.....need to look it up.

Drew and Emily at Arabia Lake

We had beautiful Fall weather for both days and had a great time. We definitely want to go back with our bikes so we can explore the bike trails and cover more terrain.

Going for a ride and run - what fun!

Today was a first. I'm not sure why it has taken me so long. Diane and I have combined motorcycling and hiking in the past, but this is the first time I have combined a ride with going for a run. It is Fall, the weather is perfect, and I just couldn't resist. Decided on a short (about 10 mile) ride to Yellow River Park. There are a lot of trails for runners, biking and even horse back riding. I usually do a nice 3.5- 4 mile run along the river and that is what I did today.


Changed into my running gear and piled my riding gear on the bike

View of the Yellow River from the trail

 

Another view of the Yellow River

I took a little bit of a tumble on the second half the run. That's the second time I've fallen while trail running, which I'm relatively new at. I stubbed a root with my left foot and just couldn't recover. Just a few minor scratches and nobody was around to see my clumsy running. I really need to learn to pick up my feet more while trail running. I'm a slow learner evidently.


Quick shot before I got too sweaty

I had a great ride and run. Only passed about 4 people the time I was out there (a couple mountain bikers and a couple walking their dog). Such a nice place for a quite run with some nice views. It wasn't too hot today but I still got plenty sweaty. It felt so nice to get back on the motorcycle and have the wind cool me down on the way home. Definitely need to do this more often when the weather is like this!

Highlands Fall Ride

Diane and I managed our first Fall ride to the mountains yesterday while the kids were in school. We decided to ride to Highlands, North Carolina which is one of our favorite spots and only a little over 2 hours away. It was a bit colder and more dreary than we had hoped. We encountered a little mist in the first hour but no real rain. The high in the Highlands was only 50 degrees and the sun only came out a few times but it still didn't dampen the experience.


Pre-departure photo taken by Emily



Brief stop at a scenic overview just prior to entering Highlands

 


The view

We stopped in Clayton GA for a warm beverage (Latte and Chai tea) and then continued on to the Highlands and had lunch at the Sports Page which is our favorite spot to go grab a sandwich for lunch. I got the Driver (Italian sub) and Diane got a grilled cheese and the potato salad which she loves.

Next we drove a couple miles out of town (including 1 mile on a dirt road) to the head of the trail to Glenn Falls. We have done this hike a few times. It is a nice hike with lots of nice views and a good workout. The water was really gushing because they got a LOT of rain recently. Our server at the Sports Page said they got 6-8 inches of rain a few days back.



Glenn Falls Hike



Glenn Falls

After the hike, it was getting late (around 2 pm) and we needed to get back on the road so we would be home in time to get the kids to after school activities. We got home around 4:20, just before Emily got home from school (Drew had been home for a while since he is in high school). I was then ordered to immediately fire up the gas fire place and get a pot of coffee going to warm up. Ah - a prefect way to end the ride!

Berlin, Germany

Recently I was fortunate to be able to travel to Berlin for a work conference. I have been to Germany once before but Diane and I pretty much stayed in the Heidelberg area with friends. So this was my first time to Berlin. I was there with one of my employees (Rebekah) and we didn't have much free time but we did squeeze in about a days worth of walking around. We had to stay in 2 hotels over the course of the week due to scheduling issues but it actually worked out quite nice because we got to see different areas of Berlin.

First we stayed at a Motel One which was over by a large park, near the Brandenburg gate, and right along the Spree river. It was beautiful to walk along the river and then over to the park to see the sights. Below are some of things we saw on foot in that area. I hope I labeled them correct.

Don't recall which building this was but it sure is pretty

 

Russian soldier memorial for WWII (Tiergarten) erected by Soviet Union
to commemorate 80,000 Soviet Union forces who died in Battle of Berlin. It was
erected in 1945 within few months of city being captured.



Reichstag (parliament building). Originally built in 1894. It was reconstructed
in 1990 (severely damaged in WWII) and became the home of the German
parliament again in1999.

Some wild hops along the Spree River

We took a taxi over the Check Point Charlie area and saw quite a bit but didn't get to go into the major museum. There was still plenty to read outside. I seem to have forgot a lot of history. A devastating time to read about but a must visit.

One of remaining portions of the Berlin wall

Back side of the wall with timeline of events in Poland. Some difficult reading.



Sign at Checkpoint Charlie

Checkpoint Charlie

For the majority of our stay we were at the Park Inn at Alexanderplatz near the TV tower. This area had a lot more shops, food and night life. My favorite part was the bratwurst vendors. They just walk around with an umbrella and selling brats from a grill that hangs from their shoulders (can't believe I didn't take a picture). Simple, long brat in a short delicious bun. Only options were mustard or ketchup. A ate many bratwurst and currywurst on this trip and these were actually my favorite. I love street food.

Great little place we had dinner at one night. I had meatballs and fried potatoes.

Church (I think) with TV tower in background.
The TV tower was built in the 1960s and is pretty much a symbol of Berlin.
You can go up it and there is a restaurant that turns every 30 minutes.

Not sure about this one either but I think it was near my 2nd hotel.

I had a great time in Germany. The people were always very friendly and helpful. Most of them speak great English but I enjoyed using the little German I remember. And as a beer lover, I of course appreciated having some German lagers and Hefeweizens. I really hope to get back and see more of Germany in the future!

Crookstem Running Bamboo 'Alata'

Time to get back to some bamboo. The second species I'll talk about is actually the first I planted and I think it is what you see most commonly along the roadside or in peoples yards in the southeast. I have Phyllostachys aureosuicata 'Alata' (crookstem bamboo). I got some from a friend, who transplanted if from NC, and I have purchased some from a local nursery. This is a serious running bamboo and requires a lot of maintained and hands on work to control if you don't keep it in a pot or contained some other way. It is nice because it grows fast, dense, is evergreen, tall, and can handle cold temperatures. It can handle 0°F no problem. It may die back if it goes below that for a while but it will bounce back in the spring. It got down to 8°F here in Atlanta last winter and it didn't seem to bother mine at all.



Crookstem in the back yard before clearing a bit

It's called crookstem because the canes will frequently have a crook or zig zag in them. It seems to happen is a pretty small percentage of mine. I'm not sure if that is normal or not. I should have taken a close up picture of one of those.....maybe next time.


After some clearing work

 The birds love to fly in and out of the bamboo down to the stream and koi pond.



Pile of pulled bamboo

I mentioned this species requires a lot of work and the photos above show an are where I pulled some of the bamboo out, to thin it out a bit, and the resulting pile. I usually do this about twice a year to keep it under control.


Amongst the bamboo canes

This year I cleared a little path so I could walk through the bamboo which is really nice. I was trying to capture that with the above photo. I need to add some cool stepping stones.

My tallest canes at the moment are probably about 12 feet but I've read this species can get as tall as 46 feet under ideal conditions! It is always so exciting each spring to see the how thick the new shoots are which is the first clue as to the height they will grow. I bet some will pass 15 feet this spring. Time will tell.

Rocking at the Tabernacle with Dayshell, Kyng and Chevelle!

I just went to my first concert at the Tabernacle in Atlanta and boy was it a doozy. I went to see Chevelle with Dayshell and Kyng opening up for them. Chevelle is an alternative metal/hard rock trio that has been around since the mid 90's. I really just started listening to them a lot recently (Spotify) has helped me expand music base) and I've been playing their newest album, La Gárgola a lot. I don't think the show was sold out but it was pretty packed and full of energy. Chevelle and the crowd were rocking that building. I realized as the show went on that I knew a lot more Chevelle songs than I thought. But there was no need for me to be familiar with the songs to enjoy them cranking them out. I will definitely go see them again anytime they are in the area. I bought a signed copy of their La Gárgola CD as a nice memento.


Signed copy of La Gárgola

The concert opened with Dayshell, a new band supporting their first album. I don't really know much about them except the lead singer, Shayley Bourget, used to play in Of Mice & Men. I was thinking they were a trio and I think I only saw 3 members listed on a webpage somewhere but there were 5 of them on stage. On occasion, when Shayley would grab a guitar, they would have 3 guitars going in addition the bass and drums. They have a variety of sounds and Shayley can really belt out the vocals. Worth checking them out.



Two Kyng CDs that I had signed!

The 2nd band was Kyng. They are a hard rock/metal trio out of CA touring in support of their second album Burn the Serum. These guys were amazing and totally took me back to Rock's glory days. Bands like this are proof that great Rock is alive and kicking. In addition to all their great tunes, they has some fun with Van Halen's Hot For Teacher which was really cool. This (at least for now) is a DIY band. They set up the stage, did their own sound checks and sell their own merchandise. Which is sweet, because as you may know I really like to meet the band if possible. I bought both of their CD's and got to briefly meet and chat with Tony Castaneda (bass) and Eddie Veliz (guitar and lead singer). They were totally cool and happy to sign both of my CD's. This new band is a must see if they are in your area!

The entrance to the Tabernacle

The Tabernacle itself is a mid-size venue (seats 2,600) and is perfect for a rock show in my opinion. It has a nice open floor for people who want to be close to the action and don't want to sit but it also has 2 balconies with seats if you prefer to get off your feet. For this show I definitely stayed down on the floor. The place also had really nice lighting which was used very well when Chevelle took the stage. The building itself actually dates back to 1910 when it was a Baptist church. I think the church left sometime in the 80s and it became a House of Blues (1996-7), and then the Tabernacle (1998-present). I will definitely be back to see more music there and I can't wait!

Quality 2-wheel time with the wifey in the Highlands!

Well is seems lately I have been riding black beauty (my BMW) to work but I haven't had time for any nice trips. So I decided to do a little Flash Back Friday to summarize a previous ride to the NC mountains.

Highlands, N.C, June 12-14, 2012               325 miles

Tuesday night- Diane and I rode the BMW 1100RT up to the Highlands. We took the direct route up 985 and then 246/106 into the highlands. It took us about 2 hours and 15 minutes to get there. Smooth ride but it got pretty chilly and misty on 106. We were quite cold by the time we got to Mountain High Lodge. We tried to go to Ruka’s Table for dinner (our favorite spot) but they were not open 7 days a week yet. Still off season evidently. So we ended up eating at Fresser’s Eatery. It was fine food but didn’t care for the atmosphere – just a bunch of table/chairs in the middle of a room. I had fried oysters and a Caesar salad. Headed to the corner gas station/shop and bought a bottle of wine.

Wednesday- Our first hike was to Picklesimer/Rock House Falls. We got this and some other off the beaten path hikes to falls from Michael’s friend Ed. The dirt/gravel road seemed to have been recently redone (i.e. lose dirt added). This made it a bit stressful but I just stayed in 1^st gear most the way and we made it. I think the last part was more than 0.3 miles but not sure. The hiking part wasn’t too exciting. Walked along a path (almost road) and crossed a field of tall grass into the woods and then it was a very short hike to the falls. But the falls were very nice and you could go up behind them. Unfortunately I wasn’t able to get any good photos – Diane assures me that it is because our camera sucks we need a new $800 model. L

Took off the riding gear and ready to hike!

Then we went to lunch at the Sports Page. We love this place. We should probably try some new places but Diane loves their grilled cheese and potato salad and I lover their Driver (Italian) sandwich which is loaded with meat and leaves you stuffed. Perfect for in between hikes!

Next we did a hike from a book we bought at the visitor center: the Highlands-Cashiers Outdoors Companion by Brain A. Boyd. It was called the Overflow Creek Loop and included parts of Batram, Hurrah Ridge, and West Fork Trails. It was a 3.5 mile loop and labeled strenuous. It was a very nice hike and is only strenuous because it us a lot of uphill (some semi-steep) on the way back up. You start this hike from the Osage Mountain overlook on Hwy. 106 so it is easy to get to. The hike back up is next to a stream most of the way which I love.

 

 

We had dinner at Ruka’s Table (thank God it was open Wednesday) and had great meals. Evidently a new Atlanta chef who won “Chopped” is taking over. We had Pork Belly to start us off. I got trout with beets and Diane got chicken with Farro. We also both got desserts which were great. Then we went back to the room and knocked off a bottle of red wine.

 

The next morning we had coffee at Bucks and then headed to “Granite City” also mentioned in the book we bought. This place was awesome and we should definitely take the kids and flashlights. There are tons of cool boulders, caves, and crevices to explore along the southeastern side of Blackrock Mountain. It also involves a dirt road but only a very short section and we didn’t have any problems. It just has a small pull off to park and isn’t marked so you have to know where you are going. Just walk straight up the trail (just looks like rain run off ditch at first) and it is just a few hundred yards but does involve some mild climbing up some roots of a steep section. On the way back Horse Cove Road was closed (at least 30 more minutes) so we were detoured to Rich Gap, which was another dirt road, to get us back to 28 and back up to Highlands. It was not relaxing but we made it event free.

Me wondering through "rock city"

Next we stopped at the Highlands Biological Station and the Highlands Nature Center. They had critters (snakes, turtles, salamanders…) and exhibits to look at in addition to some really pretty trails and botanical gardens. We didn’t’ stay long but definitely worth returning with the kids. You could actually walk to this place from downtown.

 

A pre-hike selfie

 

Then we had lunch (guess where) and headed home. We stopped at Peak Experience (antiques and handmade stuff) on 106 but didn’t buy anything. We were hoping to hike Holcomb Creek Falls (from the book) in GA but we didn’t have time. We took a different route home and took 76 in Clayton over to 197 which is a fun road and passes some potters. We stopped at one but didn’t buy anything. We made it home just before 4 pm in time for me to help set up for the swim meet.

Black Stone Cherry, We As Human, and Fifth Freedom: Hard Drive Tour

We took a nice family vacation a couple weeks ago and drove from Atlanta to New England and back. As part of the drive I managed to make sure we were in Cincinnati, OH on July 20th so that I could go see Black Stone Cherry's (BSC) Hard Drive Tour. I had recently started listening to their Magic Mountain album and really enjoyed their sound. Rock music is broken down into so many categories these days but to me this is just good fun rock and roll and I had heard BSC was great live. I didn't know it when I bought the tickets but two bands were opening for BSC: Fifth Freedom and We As Human. I wasn't familiar with them but more about them later....

Why did I want to see them in Cincinnati? Well, they weren't coming to Atlanta for starters. I also went to high school just across the river from Cincinnati in northern KY and spent many a night going to a place called Bogarts to see hard rock and heavy metal shows in the late 80's. Bogarts is still there and that was exactly where BSC was playing. I was pumped about the opportunity to go see some new music in my old haunts with some great friends I still have in the area.



Folks getting in line for the show!

I haven't been to Bogart's in about 25 years. I was so happy to be back. It is amazing how little it has changed. It was like going back in time to my mullet days :). I don't remember if this sign was there back when I was moshing it up in the 80's but I had to take a picture. Sorry it's a bit blurry.

So how was the show? In a word - great. As expected BSC was great live and they did 3 or 4 songs off their new album. BSC is also from across the river in KY and the place was packed with folks from both sides of the river (OH and KY) who clearly love BSC and were singing along. I picked up the Magic Mountain CD signed by the whole band which was really cool.

As I mentioned earlier, two bands opened for BSC. I wasn't familiar with Fifth Freedom or We As Human before this show so I had never heard their music before. It is quite a different experience when you hear a bands music for the first time live vs recordings. Both bands rocked and had great energy on stage but for me on this night I was particular impressed with We As Human. I was digging their music, great energy live, and their lead singer (Justin Cordle) had a great presence on stage that was very engaging.  Both Fifth Freedom and We As Human were by their merchandise tables after their shows so they could meet with the fans - I love that! I ran up to get the We As Human CD just as BSC was getting started and took a selfie with Justin Cordle. He couldn't have been cooler and more patient. A 43-old trying to take a selfie isn't a pretty thing (at least in my case) but I managed a decent shot on the 2nd try. My daughter (a tween) is embarrassed by my selfie skills :)

I was surprised to find out that We As Human is a Christian rock band. I was never a big fan of that label since it really doesn't describe the sound and I think most people would not associate the style of hard rock We As Human plays with Christian music. Well, don't judge a book by it's cover because these guys rock hard -  I would never had guessed it. Great hard rock, great guys, great message. Win Win Win.  Their CD is # 1 on my rotation at the moment.

I'm so glad I got to see this tour in Cincinnati. And if this tour or any of these guys come to Atlanta I'll definitely be going to see them. Hope to see you out there!

Summer Vacation and East Coast Tour 2014

We just got back from a great 2-week vacation traveling the east coast and seeing family. We had plenty of room in the Ford Explorer we rented which made the drive a bit more comfortable than usual. This trip was packed full of fun and events so I can only touch on the highlights.

First stop was Louisville, KY where we enjoyed visits to the Louisville Slugger museum/factory and Churchill Downs. They were great experiences and I would recommend them both. While at Churchill Downs, Milton Toby was signing his Cañonero II book. The book looked interesting, but I initially decided not to spend the money. Then I found out Cañonero II won the Kentucky Derby the year I was born (1971) and decided it was a sign. So I ran back (with Drew's encouragement), purchased the book, and got Milton to sign it for me. Pretty cool.



Churchill Downs

Churchill Downs from across the track



Me at the museum

I also got to eat my first Hot Brown sandwich at the location they were first made - the Brown Hotel. It is turkey on toast points with a cheese sauce, bacon and tomatoes (see below). It was fantastic.



Hot Brown sandwich

Next stop was Cincinnati where we met family (Stacy and Sharon) for lunch at the Haufbrauhaus in Newport, KYand I went to a concert with some friends (Joe and Jason) at Bogart's. I'll do a separate post for the concert later. As always we had some great beer and food at the Haufbrauhaus. Below is the famous suspension bridge which was built in the 1800s. Gorgeous bridge and it boggles my mind how they built that back then.



Covington-Cincinnati Suspension Bridge

 

Family time at Haufbrauhaus!

Next stop was Cleveland, OH where the our main goal was to visit the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.  We were only there in the afternoon and unfortunately the Hall of Fame was closing early for a special event so we only had an hour and a half which is not nearly enough time to see the place. I really enjoyed what I did get to see and would love to visit again and spend more time there.

 

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame



Nest stop was to visit Diane's family in Vermont but we passed by Buffalo on the way from Cleveland so we just couldn't resist a stop at the home of the original buffalo wings, The Anchor Bar. The place has some major character (kind of reminded me of Vortex in Atlanta) and of course had great wings. Emily even stepped up to the medium heat and Diane dived in and got her fingers dirty too (a rare event for Diane in public)!





Drew at Anchor bar



The Anchor Bar


Hot wings at the Anchor Bar

We had a great time in VT visiting with family and friends. We always eat and drink well at Diane's parents. Had some good Scotch as always and enjoyed some fine VT beers while grilling out. In addition we got to spend quite a bit of time with Diane's sister (Ellen) and my niece and nephew (Sarah and David). David and I talked quite a bit about music which was fun. I'm hoping some of his good taste in rock will rub off on Drew :).  We also got to spend an afternoon with my main man Mark in Burlington which is always great. We had some brick oven flat bread pizza and again...some good local beer.

 

Drew and Emily with grandma and grandpa

Family at the Maple Syrup Museum

 

After Vermont, it was on to NH to see my side of the family. We stayed with my brother Brad as usual. We had a great time with the folks, brothers (Brad and Crae) and their extended families. When Crae would bring his family over, we had 8 kids, a dog, and a cat running around the house. It was nuts! Besides seeing family, the main thing the kids wanted to do in NH was go to the beach which we did twice. The first time we went it rained the whole time but that didn't stop the kids from swimming and having fun. I just waited in the car :). The second day was much nice but still on the cool side. I did my obligatory ocean swim though and Diane even stayed in longer than me!

 

Beach time with cousins

The last stop on our way home was in Baltimore to see some more of my extended family. We stayed with my Cousin Diane and Harlene who took great care of us. Good beverages and Berger cookies were waiting for our arrival. More cousins and aunts came over for a nice big lunch. It got to see Danielle and Heather and their kids Henrieta and Luke in addition to my Aunts. My dad passed away recently and it was extra special for me to see all these guys, especially my Aunt Gloria and Aunt Jean who are both in there 80s! I spent an hour with Aunt Jean just going through old photos. She didn't think they were special but I thought it was great. 

 

Emily at the Orioles game

Drew and I at Orioles game

Family time with Harlene and Diane

 

In the evening, we went with Diane and Harlene to see a Orioles game at Camden Yards. Diane managed to get a couple of tickets through a friend which allowed Drew and I to sit in a suite. It was awesome - we had our own bathroom and great food (e.g., crab cakes and Maryland crab soup) were just right outside out door! The O's beat the Angels 4-3 and there were some great defensive plays. I forgot how much fun it can be to go to the game.

The next day we drove the final 12 hours home. It was a busy but great vacation. A great combination of family and visiting new places. Time to recover......till next time.