Winter Rides

Lots of snow hit the foothills this past week. And since Bogus Basin was bound to be a circus on opening+holiday weekend, I opted for a different approach.

I try to get the mountain bike out in the snow at least once a year, and since conditions were so perfect I got it out twice.


Saturday was gray and gloomy but Sunday was sunny and clear. Gorgeous.


And I'm really excited to have the IF back in action. LOVE the straight fork on it.


2 great rides around Shane's Loop and the Reserve trails made for a nice hello to wintertime.

CAUTION: Cuteness at absurd levels ahead

I've become one of those people. But look at this!




How could I not?

Snowy Monday

The ride to work this morning.



And the view from my window.

The coolest thing started to happen when the sun poked out. See all the snow stuck to the power and phone lines? As soon as the light hit them, long shafts of snow began to break free and drift downward, horizontally, wafting like long paper tubes that burst into powder when they hit the ground. It started all at once and happened fast.

Bike Thieves

This is some bullshit. 4 break-ins, no help or progress in stopping them or finding out who did it.

Sure the media coverage is weak, but at least they're there, unlike Austin's finest, who don't seem to recognize the responsibility they have to developing areas in their city. This isn't some dark corner of the outskirts, this is 4 flippin blocks from Whole Foods and one of the busiest intersections in the city. C'mon.

Austin peeps: Watch out for anyone selling Orbeas or Scotts or Fujis at prices that seem too good to be true. Because they are. Let AustinBikes know if you see any such thing.

Ardour

Another beat manufacturer from Southern California, in the vein of Flying Lotus, sure. But there's something different here.

Just picked up the first full length from Teebs, and I'm entranced. There's a subtlety and a direct aim at overt beauty that I've not come up against so much in this type of music. It's complex without trying to be complicated, forward looking and familiar at the same time, almost as much Four Tet as FlyLo.

This is thoughtful, contemplative music with some killer beats. That's a rare thing.

Back on the Range

It's been a few weeks, but Range Life is live again this week. And I have no idea what direction we're gonna go.

The new Brian Eno/Jon Hopkins record has me digging into the ambient/soundtrack bins, but there's also the new free release from Girl Talk. Then there's the Gaslamp Killer, Glasser, Tennis, Lord Huron, Minks, Shimmering Stars, The War on Drugs, Future Islands, and all kinds of other new stuff.

PLUS, just got some goodies from back in the day: Ed Hall, Stars of the Lid, Starfish, Tortoise, Pavement, Red Red Meat, Slint, and other total gold.

Tune in, won't you? 5 to 7pm Wednesday, 1 to 3pm Friday, www.radioboise.org.

Real Food!!!

Theo's first meal- 4 months old from cathy fischer on Vimeo.

Sort of...

Theo had his first taste of "solid" food today. He really seemed to enjoy it, though he had trouble getting it from mouth to stomach much of the time. Still, a good first experience.

AustinBikes Break-Ins In the News

Bad enough that Austin's finest are doing NOTHING about any of this. But they interview one cop here, and what does he say? Owner negligence. Figures.

Not much lower than a bike thief. And please, don't buy stolen bikes. That just makes it worse.

The boy loves that mobile...

Theo loves his mobile from Christopher Hess on Vimeo.

Filled with glee.

Autumn Stroll with My Boys

That's Theo's hatted head at bottom. It was a lovely day.

Pin Oak

This time of year, our pin oak's got to be the purdiest tree in Boise.

We Live In Hard Times, Not End Times

"If we amplify everything, we hear nothing."

Eloquence unlike anything from politicians or talk show hosts. And make sure to watch to the end and catch Tony Bennett singing "America the Beautiful."