Mt. Rainier, Liberty Ridge

Jim and Dave saw this mother black bear and her two cubs cross the White River and head off into the woods!




Mama bear and cub crossing river.


Other cub crossing river.




Skiers going over and around crevasses, on the Emmons Glacier, near Camp Schurman.


Glacier Basin.




House sized seracs on the Winthrop Glacier.




Doug, the Willis Wall, Liberty Ridge and Ptarmigan Ridge as seen from Curtis Ridge.



Liberty Ridge.






The Carbon Glacier and North side of Rainier.







A tilted serac on the Carbon Glacier.






Alpenglow on Liberty Ridge.








Sunset the first night.










Mark at our bivy site on the Carbon Glacier.










Mark starting up Liberty Ridge.











Sunrise on Liberty Ridge.













Mark watching the sunrise.












Mark climbing above Thumb Rock.













Mark high on Liberty Ridge with Willis Wall in background.



















Doug below the Black Pyramid.














Mark beside the Black Pyraimid.













Nearing the icy section at the top of Liberty Ridge.















Crevasse at 14,000'.

















A decade of snowfall layers exposed in the Liberty Cap Glacier.













Doug crossing the bergschrund.
















Mark leading up the steep icy section at the top of Liberty Ridge.














Climbing into a cloud!
















Doug following up the steep ice.















Mark on Liberty Cap.
















Doug on Liberty Cap.
















Doug heading toward the Emmons Glacier.















Doug dropping into a hidden crevasse right by Camp Schurman.














Doug and Mark down at Camp Schurman, with Jim and Dave, for our second night on the mountain.













Sunrise at Camp Schurman.
















Mark, Dave, Jim (and Doug) at Glacier Basin heading out. Meanwhile a storm is brewing high up on the mountain. We had to shorten this climb by one day to beat the storm. It was another awesome climb, with good friends, enjoying God's beautiful creation!

She had a tight grip...

According to the caption written by my grandmother, this photo of my grandfather and his first born child was taken in August 1923. That would make the little girl, my Aunt Phyllis, about 10 months old. She sure had a tight grip! I doubt that the bucket had any water in it, but still, I'm impressed.

Even though you can't see their faces, they are recognizable to me. This being Father's Day, I thought it was an appropriate picture. Grandpa's birthday was always celebrated on Father's Day, he was born on June 19th a hundred and sixteen years ago.

Summer Gentlemen

I love a man who can remain well-dressed in the summer heat and humidity. The Co-Habitant is one of these impressive creatures.

Here he is, wearing linen trousers and a brushed cotton button-down shirt in 90F weather, hauling around a 60lb bicycle and looking none the worse for wear. This is on the Charles River Bike Trail, which we have finally figured out how to take all the way to West Newton (there are some interruptions that make it confusing). The landscape is absolutely idyllic.

Leaning Tree over the Pigeon River

Yesterday I brought the kayak and went for an evening paddle on the Pigeon River in search of Moose. I did not see any Moose while I was on the river (although I did see a nice young bull in the dark on the drive home). What I did see, however, were several Beaver and some of the nicest clouds I've ever seen over the river. When I came upon this leaning Tamarack tree I knew I had to try and photograph the scene with the tree and the clouds overhead. Even though I didn't come home with any Moose photographs, I did come home with the memory of another beautiful evening spent on the river.

Monday Image

A classic Mount Rainier image to start the week, taken last Friday after the last major snow. More soon...

Nespresso mania, just a fading trend?

The Netherlands is without a doubt a coffee country. Tea as well. Fact is, the Netherlands was the first country to trade coffee beans (and tea leaves). The amount of coffee drank in this country is just incredible, unimaginable even. In the recent years though, gourmet coffee has managed to sneak in slowly but surely into the kitchens of the average Dutch. This started with the outdated Philips Senseo and now, the most sought-after, Nespresso.

At my workplace here in the Netherlands we have a big Nespresso machine. At our EMEA headquarters in Geneve we have a much bigger Nespresso machine that fits to a wall. Because I am in field sales I am not always in the office, but when I am, I make sure to take a cup or two or three a day—usually espresso. At my customers and business partners they normally serve me Douwe Egberts which I do not mind at all.

When travelling, I have my guaranteed daily dose of espresso fix at lovely cafes matched with some people watching.

At home though, I rarely drink coffee. I have my special tea for breakfast and for after dinner. However lately, I have been thinking of buying a Nespresso machine to address those rare days that I am craving for a shot of black goodness espresso at home.

The Dutchman on the other hand is the only Dutch man in the Netherlands that drinks instant coffee—Nescafe. Most Dutch would not even touch this, lol.

So I went to Bijenkorf Utrecht last weekend to have a look and feel of these coffee machines and this is what I found:

Ah, there seems to be no recession here at Bijenkorf. Business is doing very well. There is always an unbelievably long line here every weekend at the Nespresso corner. People are ready to put out extra money for gourmet coffee.


Nevertheless, I am still not sure if I should buy a Nespresso machine. Well, don’t get me wrong. I am a coffee lover but its seems that my love for coffee is inevitably only at work and when I am travelling. So we shall see... in the meantime, I will check out the china department for ideas of my next set.

Here is a TRIVIA:
‘Did you know that the most expensive coffee in the world is found only in the Philippines (Kape Alamid) and Indonesia (Kopi Luwak)? Its called CIVET coffee in English.’

I'm going to grab one when I am back in Asia towards the end of the year.

Sunrise at Cobscook Bay

Monday, September 17th - - The State Park at Cobscook Bay has what are known as 'primitive' facilities (pit toilets, no electrical hookups) but the campsites are spacious and private. My site was at the end of an outcropping or small peninsula in the bay. I had my own private rocky beach facing south and a nice cliff that faced west. It was rather remote, being at the end of the road, but I really liked it! Joann had her site in a separate area specifically for RVs and camper trailers.








The late afternoon sun cast long shadows through the campsite.






Only 'tent sites' had a shelter, which contained a picnic table. There was a second picnic table outside the shelter.




Tuesday, September 18th- - Joann was more energetic that I this morning. She got up early and drove the 15 miles to the West Quoddy Lighthouse, near Lubec, to photograph the sunrise. That lighthouse is located on the eastern-most point in the United States. I, on the other hand, took one look at the sky and stayed in bed a little while longer. However, I did manage to get up in time for these pictures...






But then, I would have missed out on these shots... The tide was still going out. Or maybe it was coming in. Not sure. But at low tide there was no water in this little bay and at high tide it was completely filled.






This was the view from my little beach spot, looking south. Oddly enough, the sky was clearer over at the West Quoddy Lighthouse and Joann got some really nice shots. Almost made me wish I'd gotten up and gone over there myself. Almost.






Good morning, sunshine. It's so nice to see you!