Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Showing posts with label water. Show all posts
Saturday, March 14, 2015
Sunday, October 2, 2011
not just for grannies
So i went to water aerobics with fTM Felicia.
Water aerobics.
You know, stretching and moving using the water for resistance.
It's very popular in retirement communities.
Felicia goes because she has a bad back.
I've always thought it sounded interesting and she had a guest pass so i joined her.
You figure, if this is the exercise of choice for grannies, how hard can it be, right?
Holy frijole, people.
It wasn't stretching, it wasn't gentle, it wasn't for grannies.
It was almost an hour of running and jumping in water up to my shoulders.
Forget low impact; within 20 minutes my bad ankle was screaming from the repetitive jumping and landing on concrete; sure the water made the impact less than my body weight, but it was still concrete.
I realized that if i tread water with my hands i could still do all of the jumping without fully landing, but that means that i was also treading water while running and jumping.
It was exhausting, but really, really fun.
Next, Felicia says that i have to try the deep water class where you lift weights.
Can't wait.
Water aerobics.
You know, stretching and moving using the water for resistance.
It's very popular in retirement communities.
Felicia goes because she has a bad back.
I've always thought it sounded interesting and she had a guest pass so i joined her.
You figure, if this is the exercise of choice for grannies, how hard can it be, right?
Holy frijole, people.
It wasn't stretching, it wasn't gentle, it wasn't for grannies.
It was almost an hour of running and jumping in water up to my shoulders.
Forget low impact; within 20 minutes my bad ankle was screaming from the repetitive jumping and landing on concrete; sure the water made the impact less than my body weight, but it was still concrete.
I realized that if i tread water with my hands i could still do all of the jumping without fully landing, but that means that i was also treading water while running and jumping.
It was exhausting, but really, really fun.
Next, Felicia says that i have to try the deep water class where you lift weights.
Can't wait.
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
art exhibition - raging calm
The second piece that i showed at this year's art exhibition was an embellished photo mosaic called raging calm:
This piece has two different stories that i can share: one about the photos and another about making the piece the night before the show.
The pictures are from October 1997. I was on a week-long overnight in Caroline County, MD with one of my favorite former team members (obviously, he was a TM at the time). Setting up Starlabs (portable planetariums; they're awesome) one morning i came around the side of my dome to ask him a question and found my partner passed out on the floor.
YIKES!
Ever had to walk down to a school office and ask them to call 911? It's interesting.
Anyhoo, the county we were in is so small that they didn't have their own hospital or even their own ambulance, so we had to wait for the paramedics. Meanwhile, i'm in negotiations with the principal about doing half of their shows, resceduling the shows, cancelling the shows, whatever. The decision was made to reschedule all 8 shows and i started to pack up both my equipment and his as the ambulance rushed him to the hospital in the next county. However, no one told the teachers what was going on, so my first audience arrived and i had to be the one to tell the kids that they didn't get a show that day, while appearring calm and professional.
Once i finally had all of the equipment loaded back into the van i could race off to the hospital.
On the way there, a bird flew into my windshield. I had never hit any animal before and was FREAKED OUT. Was it an omen? Was my partner dying? panic, panic, panic
Arriving at the hospital i was told that it would be a hot minute before i was allowed to see him and i started to lose it.
[some quick background for those of you joining the show already in progress, i had already spent the night in a hospital once with this TM where he had almost died; plus i was still mired in my own grief pit so even a hint of a whisper of death made me insane]
I knew that when i was finally allowed to see him i was going to have to be calm and strong and rational and comforting and at that second i was the exact opposite of those things.
So i ran.
I got into the van, pointed it at the water and drove.
You see, i love water. I have been drawn to water my whole life. In it, on it, under it, next to it - as long as water is close i am happy.
I drove and drove farther from town and closer to the water until i was on an island in the Chesapeake, until finally i was out of land and surrounded by water on every side at Black Walnut Point.
sigh... water...
Watching the waves crash, feeling the spray on me made the panic start to disappear. I had my manual camera in the van to play with; i started shooting, experimenting with different settings. As the film advanced, my fears wound away.
I have always been fascinated by my relationship with water. Oceans, bays, and gulfs are all full of ferocious energy, but they make me calm. It's almost like any turbulance inside of me is translated to the turbulance of the waves and ebbs away with the tide. It sounds crazy, but has been true my whole life.
Once i had control of myself, i returned to the hospital.
It all worked out in the end; the TM lived on to become a fTM and he is still kicking around, annoying me whenever possible; in fact, we met for fondue just 2 weeks ago.
Once developed, i instantly loved the pictures that i'd taken. They were filled with so much emotion for me that i knew i wanted to do something special with them.
A few years later i started a set of mosaics with the pictures, but the project remained unfinished. It just wasn't quite what i wanted.
Come forward another decade.
While working on a painting and a shrine to show and trying to finish setting up the exhibition itself, i was suddenly hit with inspiration. Instead of mosaicing individual pictures like i'd been doing before, what if i used parts of all of the pictures to make one big mosaic?
Start a new piece at 11:00 the night before the show?
SURE, why not?
All of my work is done in lots and lots of layers, most of which need time to dry in between, so i was steadily able to work on the shrine, then the photos, then the shrine, then the photos. If both were wet, i worked on logistics, having decided to abandon the painting; after all, i can't do 90 things at once.
Things were going along well, when -you might remember- i lost power.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There was no way to finish the shrine in time, but i got up at daybreak and by the light of the rising sun i added words, graffitti, a brushstroke finish, and water droplets.
Mostly in the dark, I weathered and inked the frame to match the driftwood and algae in the pictures and then put it together. I honestly didn't know what the finished product looked like until i hung it at the show.
It makes me smile everytime i look at it.
The pictures are from October 1997. I was on a week-long overnight in Caroline County, MD with one of my favorite former team members (obviously, he was a TM at the time). Setting up Starlabs (portable planetariums; they're awesome) one morning i came around the side of my dome to ask him a question and found my partner passed out on the floor.
YIKES!
Ever had to walk down to a school office and ask them to call 911? It's interesting.
Anyhoo, the county we were in is so small that they didn't have their own hospital or even their own ambulance, so we had to wait for the paramedics. Meanwhile, i'm in negotiations with the principal about doing half of their shows, resceduling the shows, cancelling the shows, whatever. The decision was made to reschedule all 8 shows and i started to pack up both my equipment and his as the ambulance rushed him to the hospital in the next county. However, no one told the teachers what was going on, so my first audience arrived and i had to be the one to tell the kids that they didn't get a show that day, while appearring calm and professional.
Once i finally had all of the equipment loaded back into the van i could race off to the hospital.
On the way there, a bird flew into my windshield. I had never hit any animal before and was FREAKED OUT. Was it an omen? Was my partner dying? panic, panic, panic
Arriving at the hospital i was told that it would be a hot minute before i was allowed to see him and i started to lose it.
[some quick background for those of you joining the show already in progress, i had already spent the night in a hospital once with this TM where he had almost died; plus i was still mired in my own grief pit so even a hint of a whisper of death made me insane]
I knew that when i was finally allowed to see him i was going to have to be calm and strong and rational and comforting and at that second i was the exact opposite of those things.
So i ran.
I got into the van, pointed it at the water and drove.
You see, i love water. I have been drawn to water my whole life. In it, on it, under it, next to it - as long as water is close i am happy.
I drove and drove farther from town and closer to the water until i was on an island in the Chesapeake, until finally i was out of land and surrounded by water on every side at Black Walnut Point.
sigh... water...
Watching the waves crash, feeling the spray on me made the panic start to disappear. I had my manual camera in the van to play with; i started shooting, experimenting with different settings. As the film advanced, my fears wound away.
I have always been fascinated by my relationship with water. Oceans, bays, and gulfs are all full of ferocious energy, but they make me calm. It's almost like any turbulance inside of me is translated to the turbulance of the waves and ebbs away with the tide. It sounds crazy, but has been true my whole life.
Once i had control of myself, i returned to the hospital.
It all worked out in the end; the TM lived on to become a fTM and he is still kicking around, annoying me whenever possible; in fact, we met for fondue just 2 weeks ago.
Once developed, i instantly loved the pictures that i'd taken. They were filled with so much emotion for me that i knew i wanted to do something special with them.
A few years later i started a set of mosaics with the pictures, but the project remained unfinished. It just wasn't quite what i wanted.
Come forward another decade.
While working on a painting and a shrine to show and trying to finish setting up the exhibition itself, i was suddenly hit with inspiration. Instead of mosaicing individual pictures like i'd been doing before, what if i used parts of all of the pictures to make one big mosaic?
Start a new piece at 11:00 the night before the show?
SURE, why not?
All of my work is done in lots and lots of layers, most of which need time to dry in between, so i was steadily able to work on the shrine, then the photos, then the shrine, then the photos. If both were wet, i worked on logistics, having decided to abandon the painting; after all, i can't do 90 things at once.
Things were going along well, when -you might remember- i lost power.
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
There was no way to finish the shrine in time, but i got up at daybreak and by the light of the rising sun i added words, graffitti, a brushstroke finish, and water droplets.
Mostly in the dark, I weathered and inked the frame to match the driftwood and algae in the pictures and then put it together. I honestly didn't know what the finished product looked like until i hung it at the show.
It makes me smile everytime i look at it.
Thursday, June 16, 2011
summer storm
Waiting.
Watching.
It seems like the whole world is holding its breath when you finally catch the rumble of distant thunder.
Watching.
Waiting.
You can hear it moving, pacing closer.
The wind picks up, blowing hot around you with just a flirt of chill.
Was that a drop?
Closer and closer, the rumbles turn to cracks.
By lightening flashes you can see the storm rolling towards you, knowing that the incessant heat is about to break... any time now...
More lightening.
More thunder.
Was that a drop?
Was that?
From one fat drop landing on the lens to a thousand
mini pools of water falling from the sky, in an instant the rain has arrived.
Time to close the camera and dance.
Friday, February 18, 2011
let's go snorkeling
(dontcha love my pink mask and snorkel?) Not far from Waikiki there is a park called Hanauma Bay where you can snorkel and dive reefs along a flooded volcano. Here are some signs with the helpful science and a map
(why explain it myself when some nice copywriter already did it for me?)
First you have to pile into a theater
to see a presentation about the history of the park, proper reef etiquette (don't put your feet down, don't touch anything, don't try to ride the backs of turtles etc) and snorkeling safety. (never ever snorkel alone; hmmmmmmm... i just didn't make eye contact with the staff during that part) The back door of the theater releases you to the top off a long, steep road(ish) 
with more educational signage about various sealife that can be seen during the year. It wasn't whale migration season when i was there unfortunately. There is a shuttle to get to the bottom of the crater,
but it is kinda sketch
so i opted to walk instead. As you get closer it is easy to make out the reef edges.
Lovely.
I was advised to go early as it gets really crowded,
but i didn't see too many people until i got closer
and then indeed there were people everywhere. 
For safety i wanted to have my home base be really easy to sight-line from the water (remember kids, don't snorkel alone) so i walked way down the beaches to where people hadn't started grabbing spots and set myself up under this set of palms.
Frack and Mrs Frack had gone earlier in the week and had both gotten super-crispy fried so not only did i put on sunscreen and sunblock, i put swim shorts and a tee shirt over my suit.
In we go!
A little swim from the shoreline, here is the view at the edge of the crater,
directly right
the beach behind us,
over to the left (Koko Crater) and the far left.
While i was just swimming out and breaking in my new mask, it occurred to me that we really do look kinda like thrashing seals:
If i was a shark, i'd be confused and perhaps take a little taste.
I basically swam all the way across the crater and back, enjoying that there were a lot of different depths, water colors and micro environments, like the porous, Swiss-cheesy places where urchins were chilling
or the deeper water where the sunlight
filtered to blue or the shallow sandy places where i saw this awesome pipefish
(do you see him?) or the mid deep water with larger outcrops of rock and reef where the larger fish were feeding, like this fabulous rainbowey fish with a crazy head
(no, i don't know what it was;
what? the degree is marine science, not identify-every-fish-in-the-world-ology)
that i swam with for a while to get a good picture (well, good for an underwater disposable; when i hit the lottery i'm going for an underwater digital camera)
and the state fish of Hawaii, humuhumunukunukuapua'a
or as i call him, Bob.
It looks like i was alone in the water, but honestly there were a bunch of people around so i started swimming out farther from the shore.
After a while i was startled to see this:
ummmmmmm, i'm pretty sure that isn't natural.
When i looked out of the water
i had managed to swim out past the markers. BTW, they weren't kidding about those strong currents. I was getting really tired by this point so i turned and headed for shore. The only thing i hadn't see was a green turtle and swimming against the current by myself i knew that i needed to get in before i lost all my energy. Plus, i figured i had pushed my sunblock to the limit. Swimming over a deep section i saw this outcrop of rock
that seemed to be moving. That's not a rock, people!
Hello, Mr Turtle! (dude, Mr Turtle was my father) sigh... the adventure was now complete
and that scary, rickety shuttle
seemed totally worth the 75 cents to get back up to the top of the crater.
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
outrigger canoe surfing
When i first found out that i'd be going to Hawaii, I decided that while i was there i would take the opportunity to do one truly new, adventurous thing that i really couldn't do anywhere else.
Though i'm desperate to parasail after my chance in the Caribbean was cancelled do to high winds, i know that i can do that at just about any beach.
I really want to fly in a helicopter and that is a traditional, touristy thing to do in the islands, but I wanted something different, something that you just don't hear about often, so i went for outrigger canoe surfing.
These multi-person canoes are based on traditional, Polynesian designs with a floaton attached for extra stability in hard chop.
They are beached right in the thick of Waikiki and you launch in the middle of swimmers and surfers and everybody.
It is a little frightening,
but cool. BTW, if you are ever swimming in Waikiki, canoes have the right of way so if one hits you, technically it is your fault - remember that.
There was a crew of paddlers and a captain who steers and chooses our waves. We paddled out beyond the wave breaks,
and then worked on getting the boat properly turned and positioned to catch waves.
The four paddlers are working on alternating sides to provide the power to move against the tide and every so often the captain calls Switch and you change the side 
that you are working.
It is all about timing and teamwork; here is a clip of me in action:
Inspiring, no?
Once the boat is in position
facing the shore you wait.
And wait.
And wait some more.
After all the paddling it is a nice break to sit and gently rock in the boat as little waves move under you. When the captain spots a swell he wants to catch he orders Paddle Fast
and you pull as hard and fast as you can, still keeping in sync with the lead paddler until the captain orders Stop and you are flying across the water under tidal power
Is it super fun?
Oh, yes; yes it is.
After the ride, you start paddling out again and do it all over. The tour i booked was for catching 3 waves. It was nice that instead of a time limit it was an experience limit; you stay out however long it takes to get 3 good rides so you are guaranteed a great experience regardless of how long it takes with the weather conditions. Also, since i booked online i got a free CD of pictures and video.
How was that shot? you wonder.
Dude on a surfboard.
Really.
A dude on a surfboard with a waterproof digital camera was keeping pace with us. I had no idea that he was even there until i heard someone in the water calling my name
and the other paddlers told me to turn and wave.
It was hilarious.
This was really an experience like nothing else.
I highly recommend it.
Though i'm desperate to parasail after my chance in the Caribbean was cancelled do to high winds, i know that i can do that at just about any beach.
I really want to fly in a helicopter and that is a traditional, touristy thing to do in the islands, but I wanted something different, something that you just don't hear about often, so i went for outrigger canoe surfing.
These multi-person canoes are based on traditional, Polynesian designs with a floaton attached for extra stability in hard chop.
They are beached right in the thick of Waikiki and you launch in the middle of swimmers and surfers and everybody.It is a little frightening,
but cool. BTW, if you are ever swimming in Waikiki, canoes have the right of way so if one hits you, technically it is your fault - remember that.There was a crew of paddlers and a captain who steers and chooses our waves. We paddled out beyond the wave breaks,
and then worked on getting the boat properly turned and positioned to catch waves.
The four paddlers are working on alternating sides to provide the power to move against the tide and every so often the captain calls Switch and you change the side 
that you are working.It is all about timing and teamwork; here is a clip of me in action:
Inspiring, no?
Once the boat is in position
facing the shore you wait.
And wait.
And wait some more.
After all the paddling it is a nice break to sit and gently rock in the boat as little waves move under you. When the captain spots a swell he wants to catch he orders Paddle Fast
and you pull as hard and fast as you can, still keeping in sync with the lead paddler until the captain orders Stop and you are flying across the water under tidal power
Is it super fun?
Oh, yes; yes it is.
After the ride, you start paddling out again and do it all over. The tour i booked was for catching 3 waves. It was nice that instead of a time limit it was an experience limit; you stay out however long it takes to get 3 good rides so you are guaranteed a great experience regardless of how long it takes with the weather conditions. Also, since i booked online i got a free CD of pictures and video.
How was that shot? you wonder.
Dude on a surfboard.
Really.A dude on a surfboard with a waterproof digital camera was keeping pace with us. I had no idea that he was even there until i heard someone in the water calling my name
and the other paddlers told me to turn and wave.It was hilarious.
This was really an experience like nothing else.
I highly recommend it.
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