Premier League Asia Trophy Winners

Tottenham headed to China this past week to play in a preseason tournament with West Ham, Hull City, and Beijing Guoan. Spurs beat their London rivals West Ham 1-0 in the first round and Hull City beat Beijing on penalty kicks. On Friday Spurs played Hull City in the final and handily defeated them 3-0 to win their first (and probably only) trophy of the season.

Preseason games really don't mean a lot - at least the results. Spurs, however, played very well in both games and also won the contests. This was encouraging since the two teams they beat are both in their league and will be meeting "for real" in only a few short weeks.

The Basement, Revisited

Although it's been almost a year since we've finished the basement, I don't recall ever posting pictures after it was "decorated". Behold, my man cave:

With the start of the Premier League only 2.5 weeks away, I decided I should show you where I'll be watching the games in those wee hours of the morning on the weekend. Although right now it's decorated as a quasi-football pub, more then likely it will be used as a quasi-football coffee house and breakfast bar (if there is such a thing) due to the time of the matches here. Do you like my Tottenham "apple juice" glasses for the kids?

Crouching Player Hidden Insect

Every so often the planets and stars align and provide me with some serious blog content. Today was one of those days.

I was walking up the stairs to work after working out at the Briargate YMCA today and spotted something most unusual on the wall...a Walking Stick insect! I know that these little guys survive in trees by hiding in plain sight, but I've never actually seen one in person before let alone in Colorado let alone in the middle of town in Colorado. I gently poked and prodded him and as expected, he really didn't move much. In the right picture below I'm holding up two pine tree needles to show you just how skinny these insects really are. At the very least I find it fascinating that there are creatures out there like this. If you're interested in seeing more, Google these insects and you'll find ones as tall as a man in other parts of the world.

After coming inside I logged on to my computer and found out that Spurs had signed England international striker Peter Crouch from Portsmouth. Our current manager and his now fellow Spurs striker partner both were at Portsmouth last season. For those of you who don't know about Crouch, he is soccer's version of the Walking Stick order of insects. He's listed at 6'7" tall and 155 pounds. That's right, he's a foot taller then I am yet weighs the same as I do! Although he's a good player, it's really funny to watch someone this tall and skinny play soccer.

I played soccer with a guy in high school that was built like this...Kevin Meyer. Who, to further round out this post, I think I saw working at the Briargate YMCA last week.

Random Foliage Thoughts

I don't know why I'm sharing these random thoughts about the vegetation surrounding our house, but for some reason I feel the need. At any rate, here's what's been going through my mind the past few days.

Exhibit 1

I took this picture from our bedroom. This is a view of the neighbor's cottonwood tree behind (but soon to be in) our backyard. You can't see it from the picture, but the branches are close to being over our fence. Anyone from here knows that these guys grow to be monsters. I'm particularly excited about this tree since it blocks their view of our bedroom and our view of their bedroom. Additionally, it's going to soon be visible from the front side of our house (it'll pop up behind our garage). As I mentioned, this tree will soon be partly our tree too, providing our backyard with some shade and landscaping without any effort on my part. Of course, in the fall this tree turns yellow which will make our house even more cozy.

The reason why this gets an honorable mention tonight is that I've been watching the very top of it the past few weeks waiting until it gets higher then the neighbor's roof from our vantage point. Each day it noticeably grew taller - no kidding - it appeared to grow about an inch or two a day. Wikipedia says that the cottonwoods can grow to between 60 to 120 feet tall and the entry has a cool picture of a mature cottonwood changing colors.

Exhibit 2

One of my happy little trees is turning brown at the top and losing its needles (far left one in the picture). After some observation and digging, I've come to the conclusion that this guy is getting TOO MUCH water. That's ironic in Colorado but we've had tons of rainfall this year. Part of the problem is that this tree sits in a bowl. So, any rain, any water from my sprinklers, or any water from my neighbor's sprinklers just sits on the root ball unlike the others where the water runs off. It's still salvageable, however. Building up dirt around the base won't help much since it's in a bowl...the dirt would just get wet too and level out. So the other day I decided to cut the water to this zone and monitor my neighbor's sprinklers. The funny part about the entire thing is that I think my neighbor's water will also be enough for my lawn too. I'll just let him water my lawn for me and I'll supplement my own water for the trees as needed. Even if I do lose this one tree I'm still doing awesome considering I planted 17 bushes this spring. Even 1 out of 17 is like 5 to 6 times better then the average (from what I hear). I got everything at Home Depot but I was also careful to select the best looking plants from the pallet.

Exhibit 3

Do you like my weed garden baby? I'm trying to grow weeds in my backyard this year. Actually, it's been a dirt pile since we bought the house and the plan has always been to finish the backyard next summer. The other day I looked out the back door and saw a bird perched on one of my weeds. Hence, the inclusion in my post. You know it's time to cut them down when you have birds ROOSTING your weeds!

Vet Humor

Handies Peak Party

For the third weekend in a row we packed up the family and headed out of town. Although we're a little bit tired from playing hard most of July this was another good trip.

The occasion this time: Josh and Jason were finishing their last 14er (Handies Peak). At the last minute Stacey, Julia, and Quincey decided to join me. I had originally planned to do the bike thing this weekend after this hike (see two posts ago), but the company was more then a worthwhile trade. We camped the night before near a stream, and all things considered Julia and Quincey's first night in a tent went as well as could be expected.

Josh and Jason saved this relatively easy 14er for last so that the entire family could come (kids included) and so that they could have a little bit of fun. It was a perfect day and perfect opportunity for Stacey, Julia, and Quincey to bag their first peak. Stacey did great and hardly seemed to break a sweat. Julia slept for part of the trip up the mountain and had a good time at the lake after downing some peanut M&Ms. Although she was heavy to carry, she sung about her favorite topic (doggies) all the way down the mountain. It was like carrying a really big iPod. Quincey was a natural too - he just looked cool on the mountain. However, he isn't that young and is relatively out of shape so he started to drag at the end of the 5.5 mile climb. The hardest part for him were the stream crossings...I guess he didn't want to get his feet wet.

Getting back to the purpose of this hike, the summit party was awesome. Josh and Jason carried a grill, beer, tiki torches, a tuxedo, leis, and other fun stuff to the top. Josh cooked up a bunch of brats at the top (complete with condiments too) and everyone hung out at the summit like it was someone's backyard in the summer (but with a much better view). Everyone on the mountain that day knew about the summit party and many hung out longer then usual and took pictures of the festivities. On the way down Josh and Jason even took a quick dip in the snow-fed lake at 13,000 feet.

All in all, things went great. Julia and Quincey pretty much set records for sleeping the few days following the trip...but everyone made it up and down and back home with nothing but a little extra sunshine.

Congrats to Josh and Jason for completing all 54 14ers.

Music by Matt Nathanson (Come On Get Higher)

Crested Butte – Trail 401

Wow, what a fantastic experience! This weekend the family headed up to Crested Butte to hang out with some friends and mountain bike (ok, the mountain biking was just for Craig, Lanny, and me). I had never been to Crested Butte before but I’m so glad that I went.

Judging by the size of the town it was clear that skiing, hiking, biking, and photography are the only things that the keep the town alive. I get the distinct impression that this part of Colorado is somewhat of a little known secret. The town is very small and quiet yet it still boasts some of the most beautiful scenery this state has to offer. It’s essentially the same area/range as Aspen, but on the other side. So, it benefits in the beauty category but it’s not as crowded or developed. The ski mountain is small and there’s only one way in to Crested Butte, so all things considered I think it keeps a lot of the population elsewhere.

On to the mountain biking. If there’s one trail to ride in this state it’s 401! The views and wildflowers were mind blowing! Everyone we ran into agreed this weekend’s trail was the best trail they’ve ever been on…if not, in their top 3. We rode up the hill with a local from the area who had been on the trail countless times and he said all things considered (trail condition, flowers, greenness) it was the best he’d seen in a long time. You can ride up to the top all the way from the town or you can essentially drive to the very top of Schofield Pass and get dropped off for a fun ride down. We started our ride at the parking lot at about 9,700 feet and climbed all the way to the top at about 11,400 feet. At the top the trail heads down the mountainside and into the most beautiful valley you’ll find anywhere. From the top of the mountain it’s 4 miles of continuous descent. We rode all the way to the bottom of the trail and then rode all the way back to the house on Saturday. In total we covered 22 miles on mountain bikes in about 4 hours, which is a pretty good trip. Lanny has a GPS odometer, heart rate monitor, etc that he can upload to Google Maps. Although it cut off the beginning of our trip, it’s really fun to view the elevation, speed, distance, and his heart rate.

I’ll let the photos speak for themselves. The other highlights of our trip was the Tercel averaging 41.67 mpg and our Salida gas station adventure. Long story short, the gas station was packed with cars waiting in line to get gas. As we were waiting a Jeep that was parked started to roll backwards into the line of cars. I saw it out of my periphery at first and initially wondered why he was backing out. I did a double take when I realized the “person” in the driver’s seat was really a black lab. I had to jump out of our car, run over to the rolling Jeep and jump into it and slam on the brakes. Luckily, the owner had left the door unlocked. She also had left the keys in the car so I was able to pull it back into the parking spot. I got a round of congratulations and thanks from some of the other waiting drivers and I also made sure the woman driving knew what had happened when she returned to her vehicle.

Not a bad weekend! Seriously, you need to check out all of these gorgeous photographs.

Music by Sigur Ros (Untitled 4)

Redcloud and Sunshine Peaks - On Mtn Bikes

I have a crazy idea.

Since I now have a mountain bike I’ve been looking for an opportunity to combine riding with hiking 14ers. It just so happens that next weekend (17-19 July), I’m heading down to the Lake City area to hike Handies peak on Sunday with my friend Josh.

Because it’s such a long drive down there, I’d also like to hit Redcloud and Sunshine Peak on Saturday. The crazy part is, I want to partially ride and partially hike to these summits. Does anybody want to go with me?

Here are the details…I’ve included links of the route with photos:

- We’d probably leave Colorado Springs at about 2-3 p.m. on Friday, July 17. That would get us to the trailhead at about 9 p.m.
- Camp Friday night at the Redcloud (Silver Creek/Grizzly Gulch) trailhead (i.e. free)
- Entire Redcloud to Sunshine round trip is 4,800 vertical feet and 12 miles
- Ride our mountain bikes as far as possible up Redcloud (probably to the Redcloud saddle/about 13,000 feet/photos 7 & 8)
- Walk our bikes up to the summit of Redcloud the last 1,000 feet or so (this part will suck)
- Hop on our bikes and ride over to Sunshine Peak as far as possible (probably to the Sunshine saddle/photos 5 & 6)
- Leave our bikes at the saddle and hike to the top of Sunshine
- Hike back down to our bikes and ride back over to Redcloud
- Ride downhill (as much as possible) all the way back to the trailhead

As I mentioned above, 12 miles is easily doable walking, let alone riding a bike. The only challenging part will be the short sections where we have to walk our bikes. If I don’t get any takers I’ll still probably attempt to do this on my own. If you don’t have a bike but would like to hike, I can be persuaded to walk.

The hike up Handies on Sunday is also open to anyone interested. I’ll be driving back to Colorado Springs Sunday afternoon but we can work out the logistics if you’d like to head back Saturday instead. This is going to be a great time on the mountain. Let me know!

Silly Season

The summer transfer period in football is also called “silly season” due to the plethora of ridiculous rumors that surface about players moving to a different team. 99.9% of the rumors that you hear never actualize…which I pretty much attribute to boredom. No games are being played right now, so to combat the lack of activity and excitement we create it for ourselves to pass the time.

During this season where moving teams is allowed, some players have hired marketing companies to produce brochures on themselves. You know, to “market themselves” to prospective buyers. I also find this silly considering every minute of every game a player has played has been videotaped for the entire world to see. I think we all have a pretty good idea what a player can do on field without a shiny brochure.

At any rate, arseblog created this mock brochure of one of their players. I found the “brand values” page extremely funny and silly. Apparently Adebayor is nutritious and fully vaccinated!

(click on the picture to see it up close)

Julia Flies

Julia just finished her first flight. Technically she has flown before (this is her third trip in 18 months), but the trip up to Spokane was the first flight now that she's aware of her surroundings.

The flight from Denver to Spokane went really well for us since she slept the entire way. She was awake for the entire flight from Colorado Springs to Denver though and that's when we got to watch her little brain process what it means to fly.

We had the window seat in our aisle so she got to watch the landscape the entire flight. She didn't seem to mind when we took off until the landing gear disappeared under the wing outside our window. For the next 15 minutes or so (the rest of the flight), she kept pointing towards the missing landing gear and saying "uh-oh, uh-oh, uh-oh". She was saying it so often that I began to wonder if she knew something I didn't know. I thought like women's intuition there might be something similar called "baby sense". I assured her repeatedly that the landing gear would come back when we were about to land but it didn't seem to register.

The funniest one-liners Julia used were:

- after a few minutes of silence she looked out the window and said "down" in the same way she says it when she wants off of a chair or the bed. I thought that was very perceptive. Obviously, on some level she knew we were "up".

- when the plane banked left or right she said "whoa" in the same way she says it when she almost stumbles or loses her balance. When coming in for landing we took a really sharp turn and in fear she said "whoa whoa whoa whoa" very fast and in succession.

- of course, once the plane did something she liked and we got a big "weeeeeeeeeeee".

It was quite hilarious and, as usual, it stopped as soon as I took out my camera to record her.