Last Lake Crossing

Last year I swam across the lake to celebrate my 40th anniversary of that crossing. This year I wanted to make it a "60 year old's" crossing, only this time I would have witnesses. The two mermaids helped paddle the canoe while I swam, towing my kayak. In this photo, taken by LaGrande Mermaid, you can see me swimming with my kayak behind. The captain of the canoe is checking our heading with a GPS to make certain we don't get lost on the lake.

The second photo shows the uncanny talent of LaGrande as photographer. She has captured an undewater image of me swimming just above the yellow guide line. The yellow line helps me go straight without having to raise my head out of the water to see where I'm going.

The third frame shows LaGrande herself, an accidental close-up. I gave her the camera without any operating instructions, and I know if that had been done to me I would not have been able to take any photos at all.

In this last frame, the happy group is paddling homeward, enjoying calm weather and none of the rain that had been predicted for this afternoon.

By the way, I didn't make it all the way across the lake. I was about 1/3 to 1/2 mile short of the finish when the cramping in my legs became too much to bear. We had so much fun with the outing that I don't really care about not crossing the whole way.

Bicycle Accessory: Blackberry Vine Trimmer

With our economy in the doldrums, there has been minimal maintenance on the local bicycle trails. The blackberry vines have been growing halfway across the path, and many of them are at eye level. It got so bad that I made up my mind to do something about it on my own.

So last Wednesday night I devised a means for carrying a machete on my bike. Then beginning on Thursday, when I saw a blackberry vine ahead, I pulled out the machete and whacked the vine on my way past. In some places I had to choose which of the multiple vines to cut, since there was only time for one swing before the vines were behind me. It took two days, with two passes in each direction, to clean up all the prickled usurpers.

This photo shows the cardboard scabbard I made, fastened to the bike with copper wire. The machete handle is located such that I could pull it out, and put it back, without dismounting from the bike. I only needed to stop pedaling while doing this. It's the same level of difficulty as fetching a water bottle.

It occurred to me that flailing at blackberry vines whilst riding a bike is similar to running with scissors, so this accessory will not be here for long.

Abby Jumps Out of the Oak Tree

Since Abby learned how to climb trees, she tries something new each time she comes to visit. Last time there was a raccoon in the tree. This time she decided to jump from all the way at the top of the tree. (No little girls were harmed during the filming of this video.)

Sorry about the resolution problems with my camera, it kept jumping back and forth between low resolution and high resolution, but the audio helps glue it all together.

Faster Than I-90 Freeway Traffic

Faster Than I-90 Freeway Traffic from Jim Zimmerman on Vimeo.

Yes it's true, a bike can go faster than freeway traffic, and here's proof! OK, I was only going 27 mph but you can see the freeway traffic is clearly going slower.

40 MPH down Cemetery Road

This video segment begins after I had been riding at 23-24 mph for almost a mile. The road was slightly downhill, or I couldn't have done that. I was pretty tired by the time the slope turned seriously downhill, so it was a relief to stop pedaling and coast up to 40 MPH. Notice the grinding of the road dirt on my brake rotors when I jammed on them to stop at the red light at the bottom of the hill.

40 MPH down Cemetery Road from Jim Zimmerman on Vimeo.

Kentucky Derby 2011

Here's a short video of our family watching the Kentucky Derby. Arthur won our trophy this year with his horse Nehru.

Kentucky Derby 2011 from Jim Zimmerman on Vimeo.

Bear Mittens

Several weeks ago the Wee One asked me to knit her a pair of mittens for her stuffed bear. She also wanted a pair of booties and a dress, ankle-length. I suppose fur doesn't keep a little girl bear warm enough these days, so I started by knitting this pair of mittens.

Mermaid Grows Up

Ever wonder what a cute little mermaid will look like when she grows up?

Mermaid Grows Up from Jim Zimmerman on Vimeo.

Climbing with Ray

This is a climbing sequence including my friend Ray who is also a runner. Our conversation is easily picked up by the camera. Notice how the camera's perspective changes with the transitions between sitting and standing.

The "eagle" we spotted turned out to be a very large hawk of some kind. It was barely visible in the original video, so I didn't bother to keep it in the uploaded copy. It was a spectacular sight in person, and not very far away from us.

Chasing John

This section of trail is much more interesting than the roads, with curves and a rock wall on one side. Then there are the blind "S" curves going under the railroad trestle. You never know when somebody will be coming in the opposite direction. I think I hit 29-30 MPH trying to keep up with John on this stretch. I normally keep it under 20 MPH going through here, so I guess this time it was a Category 6 race.

Speed Run with John

My friend John is like me. We both like to go as fast as possible down hills. This sequence gets rough since I'm tucked down low in the wind, so my knees are hitting my chest where the camera is mounted. My top speed is 35 MPH on this short but steep hill. Note the 25 MPH speed limit painted on the pavement.

GoPro Chest Mount

Here's a similar sequence taken from a chest-mounted camera. I like this position better because there is less wind noise, and you can easily tell that it's a view from a bicycle.

The camera needs to be adjusted when I tuck down out of the wind, then readjusted when I slow down and sit up again. You don't have to endure the constant rear-view mirror checking, and I can still turn it to the side to film pretty girls on the sidewalk.

GoPro Video - Helmet Mounted

Here is one of the first videos I recorded, using my GoPro camera mounted on my helmet. There is an interesting maneuver in traffic at the beginning that should only be done by a bike, and maybe not even then, but probably is better than what the other cyclist did. He stopped in the "through" lane to wait for the "left only" light.

In the original audio, you can hear me breathing, and you can hear the clicking of my shifter.

The video features a 30 mph run down a short path and onto the road, then a short stretch of the most dangerous part of my route; the underpass at Main Street. Motorists approach from my right side, on the far side of a concrete barrier. The only way they can see me coming is if I'm on the left side of my lane. The City of Bellevue painted "sharrows" onto the pavement, but every other cyclist I've seen stays on the right shoulder.

Don Quixote and Dulcinea

This morning my five year old granddaughter asked me to "play Barbies" with her. Then she confessed that she didn't have any "boy" Barbies (I think she meant Ken). I happened to spot my model of Don Quixote at that moment, and seeing as how he was about the same size as her Barbie dolls, I suggested that I could dust him off and play with him.

She picked out the smallest of her Barbies, and we decided to call her Dulcinea. She decided they needed to be married, and that we should take a picture of them at their wedding.

I gave her my camera and asked her to take the picture while I held up the tablecloth for a background. The photo she took is very good considering she is one day short of her fifth birthday.

Later, after a slightly embarrassing attempt to remove his clothing, she pointed out that Don Quixote is actually made from a block of wood. "So he's not really a doll."

Dave

For several years now I have been commuting by bike, and regularly see the same guy going in the opposite direction. One day last week I happened to have my camera going when I met him, so finally I have a picture of him to show my family and friends.

Meet Dave.

Building domino structures with a four-year-old

One of the most challenging things I have ever done is attempt to build something with dominos, while a four-year-old is present. Last night I managed to capture this sequence showing successful completion. The first frame shows the final piece being placed on top, with instructions being signed anxiously. Next we see the happy conclusion, followed by some jumping and the entrance of a big sister. In the final frame, the tower is leaning precariously. It toppled before a subsequent frame could be captured.

Puppet Show

We have been re-arranging our entertainment center and discovered a new use for an old piece of furniture. It makes a nice stage for a puppet show. Here are the first two performers.

Portrait 111100

Here is portrait #111100 taken by a talented 8 year old photographer.

Shelter for Dulcinea

Last weekend we converged on Fort Bale to construct a shelter for Dulcinea, the new velomobile that is scheduled to arrive soon. We had lots of help, including young and old. The first photo (featuring the youngest and the oldest) was accidentally taken with a blue filter, so ignore the blue tint. We had nearly finished leveling the concrete blocks, and the wee one is adding the final touch.

The next photo shows the frame with the roof in place. It was taken Sunday morning, after a light rain shower, and after we had finished installing concrete bolts and fastened down the feet of the frame. We didn't anticipate the rain since the sky was blue, but that's typical weather for Amboy. Aargh! My good Bosch drill got wet!

The final photo shows the finished structure, with the door unzipped on both sides, and the door has been rolled up and tied into place. The plan is to add more weight, tied to the frame, to keep the frame in place during a wind storm. The pallets will hold a pile of firewood. The door will usually be kept zipped closed.

Hard Shell Tactics

BeeBoo suggested we make another movie. This time we decided to make a sophisticated movie, and we succeeded, as you can see. There are 125 individual frames. Some ideas for content came from Uncle Lief, so don't put the whole blame on me.