Shoot! Score! Patagonia!

Patagonia Knifeblade pullover and the PatagoniaAlpine Guide pant.






The original Knifeblade pullover was made from Polartec® Power Shield PRO®. The Alpine Guide pants are made from Polartec® Power Shield®. Great pants for dh skiing.Love them! My current favorite down hill skiing pant. But not as water resistant/proof as the Power Shield PRO® fabric. The pull over Knifeblade top is one of my all time favorite climbing shells. Good warm weather ski shell as well.



If the video linked below is correct the newest Knifeblade jacket and pants are both unlined Polartec® Power Shield PRO®. Even better I think for skiing or nasty, wetweather climbing. Undecided yet on the climbing end. Not because of thePower Shield PRO® fabricmind you. It is amazing. The cuff design is what worries me. Although the insulated Northwall pants of Polartec® Power Shield PRO® have been good in really cold, wet weather for skiing. Too much faff in the cuff for me as a climbing pant. Too bad as the insulatedmaterial is perfect for cold weather climbing I think.



Certainly a good alternative to the few Neoshell options available. Very happy to see someone take advantage of the fabric is the right context and now in an insulated (if you can still find them as the NW pant/jacket has been discontinued) and uninsulated version.



The entire line of Patagonia alpine climbing clothing has take a huge step forward in materials and patterns the last two seasons. These two look to bump the bar higher yet. Bravo!



Not been a huge fan of Patagonia in the recent past. Had been a fan a few decades ago and they are back going gangbusters with their newest alpine clothing. It may not be the best in every category. But as a long time Arcteryx fan it took a lot to bring me back and get me into Patagonia clothing. And Patagonia hasindeed done very well across the board in the Alpine line from what I own and have used..






Patagonia Mixed Guide Hoody




Colin Haley's recent comments:




http://www.thecleanestline.com/colin-haley/




"My motivation is simple and selfish. Often the very best Patagonia alpine products are discontinued after only one year on the market because they don't sell well enough. This is why some pieces which are now a cherished staple, such as the RI Hoody, were once discontinued."




I have more Patagonia in my gear closet currently that is being used than any other brand by a fair margin. That says a lot to me.


The pieces I really like for anything from down hill skiing to backcountry skiing and ice/alpine climbing. Mix and match as required. It is quite a collection for the intended purposes. And I haven't used everything available just what is listed here.



Capilene 2

Micro D pullover

R1 hoody

Piton hoody

Nano Puff pullover

Knife blade pull over

Mixed Guide hoody

Mixed Guide pant

Alpine Guide Pant

Northwall Jacket

NorthWall Pant



(edit: I had incorrectly listed the pant I really like and use as a lot, as the BC Guide Pant. When in fact I have been skiing all winter in the Alpine Guide pant.... Sorry about the confusion and I have edited the original content to reflect the reality of the Alpine Guideinstead of what I had only imagined I was using ;) Thanks for the clarification and corrections Travis!)



The Patagonia Simple Guide garments have to be one of the best clothing deals on the market for what we all do.



The newest Knifeblade garments here:











and another new one I think will be a big hit, the Nano Puff Hybrid.

A Special Christmas Treat

Since we have lived as full time RV'rs, there are many things that we have to do differently. Most of these things are small trade offs inn order for us to live the life we want to. But it's been nice to get some of those things back when we are sitting in one place for a bit. This being a great example of that:




I have a real (artificial) Christmas tree this year! And I couldn't be more excited about that. Every time I walk in the door and see it, I smile. I love that I can put gifts under the tree, rather than in front of it.



I love that I could put some of the many ornaments that my MIL has given us for Christmas over the years on it. There are so many memories in those ornaments.



It's is really feeling like Christmas in our rig and I'm enjoying every minute of it.




Living the life in chillier Florida!

Da Vinci Bicycle... Or Not

Forget the Fendi Bicycle. It has been proposed that the first Italian designer bike was invented by Leonardo Da Vinci. The wooden construction above is a model "Da Vinci Bicycle", from an exhibition of the artist's inventions.

A bicycle-like sketch was discovered in 1974 during the restoration of the Codex Atlanticus and attributed to Da Vinci. Conferences were held about this discovery; academic articles written... until 1997, when the sketch was proven to be a 20th century forgery.

Okay, so Leonardo Da Vinci did not really invent the bicycle. But it's a romantic idea.

Tropical Flavor

The bright colors of this Heliconia can surely cure the winter blues.

Monster Knot

Part of the twisted knot on the juniper tree. Kind of looks like a monster of some sort.

Cottontail Rabbit

I finally got a photo of the cottontail rabbit in our little patch of grass. I think this is the same rabbit wat that was in the other photo when it was hiding in the sand. I frequently see it eating grass but usually it hops away to go under the hay shed where I can't see it. It knows where it is safe. The grassy spot is right beside the hay shed. I think this may be a female rabbit as we always have a female that has her babies under the shed each summer. It couldn't have been the same rabbit all these years but I would think it might be a daughter or granddaughter. What I would really like to get is a photo of a rabbit eating hay with one of the horses. Again I see them doing it but I'm never close enought to get a photo or just don't have the camera with me.

A Tree?

I think my 3 black cats thought I had gone nuts for putting up a tree in the house even if it was an artificial one. They helped me decorate it and then undecorated it.