tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4297902782905253662024-03-07T17:04:00.624-05:00Tim's BlogAstronomy, Photography, Food, and anything elseTimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.comBlogger84125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-83657551491210362552012-08-27T17:38:00.001-05:002012-08-27T17:41:07.481-05:00Our Yellowstone Vacation - Day 2Day 2 – June 9, 2012 – Saturday:
We heard heavy rain during the night. Between that and the loud heater in our cabin, we didn’t sleep too well. At one point during the night I got up and switched off the circuit breaker to the cabin heater. The control knob just spun around so it was impossible to figure out how to set the temperature or turn off the heater. It was just too hot and too noisy to sleep. We were up at 3AM and slowly got ready and out the door by 5:30AM. We drove back down Teton Park Rd. and I spotted grizzly 610 and her three cubs just past the Mt. Moran scenic turnout. They were only about 10 yards off the road at first and we had them all to ourselves for the first 30 minutes. We stayed in our car taking photos and just enjoying this magical experience. It was so peaceful out there watching these very wet bears dig around the sagebrush. Eventually other cars finally saw what we were looking at and we realized that we just started our own bear jam! We watched them for nearly two hours. They moved farther off the road and we felt safe enough to get out of the car for more photos. No rangers ever appeared (probably too early) and the bears moved farther way until there was no point in sticking around.<br />
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We continued south on the road, stopping at every turnout and also stopping at String Lake. There was a fresh dusting of snow on the mountains which made for some pretty photos. We also stopped at the Jenny Lake scenic overlook but the view of the Tetons is my least favorite there.<br />
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We then stopped at Jenny Lake for the hike to Hidden Falls and Inspiration Point. It was still a little early so we had to wait a bit for the shuttle boat to begin operations. It was a great hike and the views were incredible! We went past Inspiration Point and almost to Cascade Canyon until we decided to turn back. You really feel the effects of the altitude when hiking up these steep trails! Along the way we saw many marmots and some very tame ground squirrels who would come right up to you, almost begging for a handout. People reported seeing a deer & fawn along the trail but we never saw them.<br />
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Back on the road we encountered another jam at the Taggart Lake trailhead. There was a female moose just across the road standing there by the creek. We got some good photos and moved on.<br />
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After a stop at the Chapel of the Transfiguration we turned around and headed back north on Teton Park Rd.<br />
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The weather was starting to turn worse quickly at this point. We stopped for the moose again just to see if anything changed. As we continued north the temperature kept dropping and we saw snow. We were back to Colter Bay by 2:30PM and spent some time shopping in their general store. The prices there were actually better than Albertson’s and they had a pretty good selection. We picked up a few more things there as well as some beer for me.
In the evening we went back out and found a jam at Pilgrim Creek. A large blonde female grizzly had just crossed the highway and was headed to the east. We took the gravel road there as far as we could (the ranger had it blocked off). We stayed there a while getting photos of “blondie” even thought it was a long way out, even for 400mm lenses.<br />
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There was quite a crowd gathered back there on that dirt road! After she moved too far out too see we headed back to the car but people kept coming and coming.<br />
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We went back south on Teton Park Rd. but didn’t see any wildlife. We were back in Colter Bay by 9PM and immediately went to bed.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-856762984403702892012-07-05T17:44:00.000-05:002012-07-05T17:54:41.428-05:00Our Yellowstone Vacation - Day 1Prelude:
We had originally planned on a Yellowstone trip for September of 2009 as a treat for my 40th birthday. From Christmas of 2008 to the early spring of 2009 I had done a lot of research and made all the reservations except for flights. Then the economy finally caught up with my company and furloughs/layoffs were announced. I was fortunate to avoid a layoff but several weeks of furloughs really cut into our finances and our travel plans had to be cancelled.
From that point we made some budget adjustments and began putting money aside every month for our vacation fund. 2010 passed by without any furloughs but then more were announced for 2011 (and more layoffs occurred). Even so, our vacation fund was growing and by the fall of 2011 we knew we would have plenty for a Yellowstone vacation. We also had enough Delta Skymiles for two free tickets and that really helped our budget. I dug out my books and also ordered the latest edition of Yellowstone Treasures and planned a spring trip for 2012. By the end of October I felt I had a good plan in place and made all the reservations. At first we couldn’t get all the places we wanted but I kept checking back and eventually found some openings. It’s amazing how quickly things book up in advance!
Once the reservations were done I spent a lot of my free time reading and re-reading all my books, looking over online discussion boards, and obsessing over our itinerary. As the trip got closer I eventually dropped the idea of creating a detailed itinerary and decided to just get there and go with the flow. That was a good decision as we would find out during our trip. I had a list of things I wanted to see and photograph but if I didn’t get to them, well no big deal.
A little about ourselves: my wife & I have been married for 11 years. She is originally from Taiwan and I met her over there while doing some work for my previous employer. I started to get into photography about 6 years ago after getting my first DSLR (which was purchased for astrophotography but I later learned to enjoy daytime photography much more). Eventually I upgraded my camera and my wife started to get into photography using my older camera. We enjoy hiking in the north Georgia mountains and visiting the many waterfalls found there. We also enjoy motorsports photography at Road Atlanta (not far from our house). Besides photography we enjoy eating out at the various Asian restaurants in our area and do a lot of cooking at home.
As far as photography equipment I shoot with a Canon 5DMKII and my wife has a 7D. We both have the Canon 70-200mm f/2.8 MKII lens with 2X MKIII teleconverters. I also use the Canon 17-40mm, 100mm Macro, Zeiss 50mm Makro-Planar, and Samyang 14mm f/2.8 prime. My wife also has the Canon 10-22mm, 60mm Macro, and 28mm f/1.8.And we both have various filters like a CPL and multiple ND filters.
We started working out much harder at the beginning of this year to get in shape for the higher altitude and improve our cardio level. Back in 2010 we each lost about 30 lbs but didn’t work out so much in 2011. We both did well, eventually getting to the point of walking our entire neighborhood 4 times a week at a fast pace (about 4 miles total of hilly terrain). I hurt a ligament in my knee about 2 weeks before the trip but it was pain-free by the time we departed.<br />
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Day 1 – June 8, 2012 – Friday:
Up at 3AM. Too excited to sleep any more. After a shower, final packing, and some Chinese steamed bread for breakfast we are out the door at 5AM on our way to the Atlanta airport. By 6AM we are in the airport, bags checked, and breezed through security. Still have 2 hours until our 8AM flight but it’s better to beat Atlanta traffic and relax a while in the airport. Our first flight to Salt Lake City is totally full but fortunately right on time. It’s amazing that a rather large aircraft like the 767 has such pitiful overhead storage space. We are in Zone 1 thanks to American Express so there are no issues finding space for both our camera backpacks. We only have 40 minutes for our connection in SLC and make the long walk to the other gate with plenty of time to spare. The next flight to Jackson Hole is also right on schedule and very quick. Only about 35 minute’s flight time. I picked seats on the right side of the plane, hoping we would pass the airport and turn around for a landing from the north. We did just that, allowing a great view of the Tetons from the plane prior to landing. Getting off the plane was almost surreal with the Tetons looming large in the background. It was one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. It was warm when we arrived – the warmest we would experience until our last day. Baggage claim took a while but at least our bags made it. We got right in the Emerald Aisle line for National and were off in no time with our rental – a Chevy Traverse.
We immediately headed south to Jackson to do some shopping at Albertson’s. Most everything seemed overpriced but what else are you gonna do? We bought a hard sided cooler, bread, PB&J, Nutella, oranges, apples, lettuce, sandwich meat, mayo, diet Mtn Dew, shower stuff, and a few other things I can’t remember. We bought bear spray there too but later realized it was way overpriced compared to most other places. Had some trouble with my Amex card and after a phone call to customer support all was good and we were on our way back north.
We stopped by the visitor’s center at Moose Junction to get a pass and look around. We bought the $50 annual pass since it was the same price as two week’s entry. On the way north we made a few stops at Mormon Row and turnouts along the highway.
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The views were amazing no matter where you were! We checked in at Colter Bay cabins and spent some time unpacking and organizing things. The cabin was bigger than most cabins in Yellowstone and originated from the early 1900’s when it was used for a worker’s camp for the original Jackson Lake Dam. There was another cabin attached on the other side of the bathroom but we weren’t bothered too much by noise from the neighbors. The shower had plenty of hot water and great water pressure, although the shower stall was a bit cramped for me. The floors were always ice cold so it’s good to keep some thick socks next to the shower when you get out. There were only a few electrical outlets in the cabin and we needed to unplug some lamps to make room for battery chargers, cell phone chargers, and our electric water pot. That water pot was one of the best things we brought with us. In the mornings we used it for coffee with Starbucks Via instant coffee. In the evenings we would occasionally make instant noodles.
Cabin @ Colter Bay:
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We were hungry for a real dinner so we decided to try out the Ranch House restaurant which was right next to the cabin area. It was decent food but overpriced for the portions you get (and better than most food in Yellowstone).
Bison Flank Steak:
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Grilled Trout:
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After dinner we headed out at 7PM and drove down the Teton Park Rd. We took the road up Signal Mountain until the first overlook and saw some elk along the way. We got out at the overlook and were attacked by a swarm of mosquitoes. The view at the overlook wasn’t that great and the mosquitoes were unbearable so we ran back to the car and made our way back down the road. As we turned back north we saw some cars pulled over – a small bear jam! We caught a quick glimpse of a black bear’s butt as he/she headed back into the forest. No time to get a photo but at least we saw something. At the Jackson Lake junction we turned back towards the north and immediately hit another jam. It was a bull moose on the east side of the road before the Willow Flats turnout. That was neat! After a few photos we headed back to Colter Bay for some much needed sleep.
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<a href="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7436081484_59cb623251_c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="534" src="http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8012/7436081484_59cb623251_c.jpg" width="800" /></a></div>TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-90772849928650839782011-05-10T15:11:00.012-05:002011-05-11T07:12:14.748-05:00Drift Atlanta 2011<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/16940836_bpTLsb#1280780186_BjqfVHh"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-BjqfVHh/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/16940836_bpTLsb#1280780186_BjqfVHh">Matt Waldin's #23 Helix 350z </a><br /><br />Last Friday and Saturday was the 8th annual Drift Atlanta event at Road Atlanta. This event brings in the big guns of drifting from the Formula Drift series. Road Atlanta is round 2 of this series. Each day was also mixed with some F2000 Championship Series racing. Those were short but enjoyable open-wheel races with some decent passing action in the turn 10a/b chicane. I didn't get a lot of photos of the F2000 races but I did manage to catch an incident that happened right in front of us. From what I saw the #14 of Jose Gerardo made contact with the #29 of Ardie Greenamyer, putting Ardie into the pebbles. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/5701177926_91f040577f_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3042/5701177926_91f040577f_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5701179266_0e8b1c1a35_z.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 213px;" src="http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5303/5701179266_0e8b1c1a35_z.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />We made it to the track around lunchtime on Friday - just in time to catch the start of the Pro/Am qualifying. These aren't the "big guns" of the main Formula Drift series but they are still incredible drivers with serious skills. Unfortunately I can't find any info on these guys. They were a lot of fun to watch!<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-xT8767Z/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-6-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-xT8767Z/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-6-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-6qMC5j2/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-23-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-6qMC5j2/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-23-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-TKPXdqP/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-31-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-TKPXdqP/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-31-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011">More photos in my Drift Atlanta 2001 Gallery</a><br /><br />Later the Formula Drift Pro drivers took to the track for practice and qualifying. These guys are amazing! Here are a few photos from the Day 1 action:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-G8WSthk/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-79-M.jpg">Kenneth Moen's #76 350z</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-G8WSthk/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-79-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-G8WSthk/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-79-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-ZrVFDbr/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-83-M.jpg">Tyler McQuarrie's #17 350z kicks up some dirt</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-ZrVFDbr/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-83-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-ZrVFDbr/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-83-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-mrCBvtP/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-99-M.jpg">Conrad Grunewald's #79 Camaro qualifies 1st</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-mrCBvtP/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-99-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-mrCBvtP/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-99-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br />Saturday we were a little later getting to the track and the place was packed already at lunchtime. We parked way up the backstretch and lugged our stuff down to the fence outside of turn 10b. We ate our McDonald's food while watching the second F2000 race of the weekend. In the afternoon the top 32 Formula Drift drivers came out for open practice and they didn't hold anything back. Lots of off-road excursions and fantastic driving before the main event began around 7:30PM. The drivers paired up for the main competition, taking turns being the leader. The field was whittled down to Daijiro Yoshihara and Darren McNamara fighting for first place in some of the best head-to-head action we saw. Daijiro ended up with the win while Toshiki Yoshioka rounded out the top finishers in third. We came back with sore muscles, dark tans, and lots of photos. We'll definitely be back next year!<br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-wghZH3k/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-230-M.jpg">Daijiro Yoshihara battling for first place</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-wghZH3k/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-230-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-wghZH3k/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-230-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-cR6JpQ5/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-232-M.jpg">Darren McNamara taking his turn</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-cR6JpQ5/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-232-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-cR6JpQ5/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-232-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-CDsFxmF/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-227-M.jpg">Toshiki Yoshioka takes the lead for third place</a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-CDsFxmF/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-227-M.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 200px;" src="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011/i-CDsFxmF/0/M/Drift-Atlanta-2011-227-M.jpg" border="0" alt="" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.tkephotography.com/Motorsports/Drift-Atlanta-2011">More photos in my Drift Atlanta 2001 Gallery</a>TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-47381152319198168672011-04-06T15:16:00.001-05:002011-04-06T15:18:09.629-05:00New WebsiteI started building a photography website over at Smugmug. Check it out <a href="http://www.tkephotography.com">here.</a><br /><br />I still have some work to do on it and need to learn more about CSS.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-79632323752088348812011-02-16T19:07:00.010-05:002011-02-16T19:31:55.795-05:00Our Taiwan Vacation - Day One<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTOfl3U3e4iuwUg0NI7l8Mlnbt-uQYGCZIqwDBAvlAIlfOphB10hGyRiycfALBxQuqh-7Iw2GVNjwO7ITg2A_EOqQxH5wEyAgk7C8v6j6lYsrTKZna8taE2DAa_yIZxE5tXQEzHqEWjHY/s1600/IMG_0023.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 214px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihTOfl3U3e4iuwUg0NI7l8Mlnbt-uQYGCZIqwDBAvlAIlfOphB10hGyRiycfALBxQuqh-7Iw2GVNjwO7ITg2A_EOqQxH5wEyAgk7C8v6j6lYsrTKZna8taE2DAa_yIZxE5tXQEzHqEWjHY/s320/IMG_0023.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574443576760880514" /></a> 12/25/2010 - Our first full day in Taiwan. We awoke Christmas morning somewhat rested and still dehydrated. Breakfast at Chinatrust was decent but not as good as it’s been in the past. Many years ago when I was in Taiwan working for Caterpillar I spent weeks staying at this same hotel and the food was definitely better back then. After eating and reorganizing our luggage we were ready to hit the road and head to Taichung, where my wife’s family lives. It was still rainy and dreary, so we walked over to the 7-11 on the next block and pickup some sports drinks and an umbrella. The drinks helped our dehydration. We made it out to the freeway and encountered a minor traffic jam. People were probably headed out for the weekend and all the construction around Jhongli did not help. We stayed in the middle lane most of the time, keeping out of the way of fast drivers on the left and slow trucks on the right. Heck, we were even passed many times on the right. We kept to the speed limit and everyone else seemed to drive at least 10km/hr over, if not faster. It’s better to get there safely than quickly in my opinion. As we approached the outer parts of Taichung we were greeted by brighter skies. Not really sunny, but at least brighter than the area to the north. I don’t think we were using the GPS yet at this point – I had maps printed out of all the locations in Taiwan we planned to visit. We were able to find my in-law’s house without too much difficulty. But then comes the fun part – finding a parking space. My in-laws do not have a car and rent out their parking space, so we must hunt around the city streets looking for a spot. We parked illegally at first to unload luggage then drove around until we found an opening. Throughout our trip parking would always be a challenge. Sometimes we parked at the McDonald’s which is right across the road from the in-law’s building. We were buying coffee there every day, so we felt entitled to use their parking lot temporarily (later we noticed a sign which allowed temporary parking with a purchase of 50NT or more). <br />With the parking situation settled we spent the day hanging out with family and enjoying a real meal around the dinner table. It was good just to chill out for a while and relax. Jet lag was hitting me all afternoon but I tried my hardest to stay awake. Late in the day we decided to get over to our hotel and check in. We reserved 4 nights at the In One City Inn near FengJia night market. Getting there was quite a challenge. The area around FengJia night market is crowded with people, cars, buses, taxis, scooters and more people. The roads near the hotel are very narrow and just wide enough for our car in most places. People are everywhere and it is like navigating an obstacle course. Thankfully the hotel has parking in the basement levels so that was one less thing to worry about. Arriving in the hotel lobby we immediately noticed the colorful and trendy decor. Very modern and cool! As you walk around inside the hotel there is art and color everywhere. I am really kicking myself now for not getting photos of the hotel interior. The room we had was narrow and long, but the space was sufficient. The bathroom was glass-enclosed so there was not a lot of privacy but the lower sections have frosted glass. The close proximity to FengJia night market is great as you can walk out of the hotel, go to the end of the block and you are basically at the north end of the market. As you walk further down it gets busier, more crowded, with more and more food options. We had some wonderful stinky tofu with quite a spicy kick – served differently than we have had in the past. Later we bought some more typical stinky tofu served with cabbage. Overall the food was OK, not spectacular. We really did not explore everything due to being so tired. We found a cell phone shop in this area and purchased a SIM card for my phone. We could not figure out how to get it working but the next day we noticed the phone was suddenly working. I guess we just needed to wait for the activation to take effect. We went to bed a little early and with the help of Advil PM we both slept great.<br /><br />Below: 臭豆腐 stinky tofu at 逢甲夜市 FengJia Night Market<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tN_J608UnnwHxMJk4C_vTRAIA_rzIPtrYnRN0NeQY50XZB4ruT6fCbpSzT3IV0rV4I2JCNq7D_eAsKrgcu7AB1TNkjM2tdgxoDOYSeTLml-jr03NCN83K-H3P6ys3ccmYTcheokPDuC7/s1600/IMG_0030.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-tN_J608UnnwHxMJk4C_vTRAIA_rzIPtrYnRN0NeQY50XZB4ruT6fCbpSzT3IV0rV4I2JCNq7D_eAsKrgcu7AB1TNkjM2tdgxoDOYSeTLml-jr03NCN83K-H3P6ys3ccmYTcheokPDuC7/s320/IMG_0030.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574444114193422642" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfsUWz8ucuAYQOTbTUa9tlxMtmjC3np9T4JNsJ5tEy7gCpCJA6C2aqzUL_qLJ0QN4c-PU31M-0sI-zeeZyMKRIAUXjiMm9D72eDpUsPDJ4SFETy8fQ8LNcEMMGKRcsawUOoaV-oA8cEMs/s1600/IMG_0032.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtfsUWz8ucuAYQOTbTUa9tlxMtmjC3np9T4JNsJ5tEy7gCpCJA6C2aqzUL_qLJ0QN4c-PU31M-0sI-zeeZyMKRIAUXjiMm9D72eDpUsPDJ4SFETy8fQ8LNcEMMGKRcsawUOoaV-oA8cEMs/s320/IMG_0032.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574444308696652050" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESzckjXEiL6Oni7llgmKSbvU8rci4NSQoY8Z-BZ0THN_mcim8Dh5DB-B4cmcxGCuFz0Lq4IoDjK4lIrzAJFV05VMzAhpD5KlY6ii7_XePc54yDRQy1NGYt1PZQsl6ur_ejgQXXGtxt15u/s1600/IMG_0048.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhESzckjXEiL6Oni7llgmKSbvU8rci4NSQoY8Z-BZ0THN_mcim8Dh5DB-B4cmcxGCuFz0Lq4IoDjK4lIrzAJFV05VMzAhpD5KlY6ii7_XePc54yDRQy1NGYt1PZQsl6ur_ejgQXXGtxt15u/s320/IMG_0048.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574444452161461906" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQp5yvXsvouXWjXqb_ws_-z8grfrj_OvGU4aXcZoUI-BN20wyPLKy4XjW2OcyvnrL8sjHcK-xZYDa7MAq-PHf5XZm-6Kjviz42CnfCuYABe0YZgQ9j4quL2Q9Wkg5hQFOOL4QdC3BOGku/s1600/IMG_0051.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMQp5yvXsvouXWjXqb_ws_-z8grfrj_OvGU4aXcZoUI-BN20wyPLKy4XjW2OcyvnrL8sjHcK-xZYDa7MAq-PHf5XZm-6Kjviz42CnfCuYABe0YZgQ9j4quL2Q9Wkg5hQFOOL4QdC3BOGku/s320/IMG_0051.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5574444606960482786" /></a>TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-53510481748115439342011-02-13T19:56:00.004-05:002011-02-13T20:08:58.992-05:00Our Taiwan Vacation - The Flight, and The Arrival<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxzNyz87Ib65fOH3_452jsUJuortUBZzRbdJBMbWFnl0b393I7Dp00HIJYt7lH5eJNDGqx6tvX1zVSDWONyzW-KYld77Gs8U1K0sD9ptzK76vd-JeO5Zgih8xpSlNRL-SzCffgMLLK1oq/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 186px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghxzNyz87Ib65fOH3_452jsUJuortUBZzRbdJBMbWFnl0b393I7Dp00HIJYt7lH5eJNDGqx6tvX1zVSDWONyzW-KYld77Gs8U1K0sD9ptzK76vd-JeO5Zgih8xpSlNRL-SzCffgMLLK1oq/s320/IMG_0011.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573344842655123826" /></a>Our flight, Delta 281 ATL-NRT, departed very close to on time and we settled in for the long 14 hour, 50 minute flight. This was our first trip on a Boeing 777. Our previous trans-Pacific flights were always on the old 747’s (like the one we would not enjoy on our return trip through DTW). In comparison the 777 looked nicer inside and featured a personal TV screen in every seat. But I thought the seats were a bit harder than the old 747’s. I couldn’t help looking forward in envy of the business class travelers in their huge lie-flat seats with thick quilted blankets and a full-size pillow. Meanwhile we are all crammed like cattle and I am using my pathetic blanket and pillow to support my back and my butt on these damn rock-hard seats. As usual I picked an aisle seat so I can easily get up when I want to. My wife sat in the middle and a rather tall gentleman, who was a really nice guy, sat by the window. My wife and I each brought noise-canceling headphones to drown out the steady roar of the engines. Those things are essential for long-haul flights. I was looking forward to watching all the movies I loaded up on my laptop, but unfortunately the power plug under the seat would not work. Oh well, at least we had a decent selection of movies and TV shows on the on-demand system. I watched 3-4 movies but for the life of me I can’t remember them all now. The entire flight seems like a blur. I never can sleep on any flight which makes it extremely tiring and explains why I can’t remember much. What I do remember is looking at my watch frequently (perhaps too frequently) and staring in disbelief at how little time had passed since the last time I looked. We both drank lots of water, quickly depleting the 6 bottles we had brought with us. Dehydration is always a problem on these long flights and we could never seem to get enough water. As far as the food goes, it was OK but nothing fancy. More like the average frozen TV dinner you buy at the supermarket (and not the good ones either!). Time kept moving slowly, we kept asking for more water, and we got more exhausted as the flight went on. Occasionally we would stand up by the galley for a while, stretching our legs and trying to keep our moods up. We talked about how we would most likely fly to the west coast on our next Taiwan vacation before making the flight to Taiwan. It helps to break it up into shorter segments. Sitting on this plane for a solid 14-15 hours is almost more than we can take! The last part of our flight as we got close to Japan was rather bumpy and did not help us feel any better. We safely landed in Narita pretty much on time as the sun was about to set – which seemed pretty early for 4PM in the afternoon. Now we needed to get through the Narita security before doing anything else at the airport. Why we need another security screening, after going through a more exhaustive examination in the USA, is beyond me. A waste of time in my opinion but at least they are quick and efficient at it. No removing of the shoes here, expect for my wife who had a little too much metal decoration on her boots. We gathered our stuff on the other side of security and made our way into the terminal, first in search of a toilet then in search of the Skyclub. We had a couple of hours to kill again and I couldn’t wait to see the NRT Skyclub which I had heard so many good things about. My overall impression of the airport was not great as we walked through the terminal. It looked old, tired and outdated. The bathrooms were not in great shape with lot of broken parts here and there and dingy tile that looked 30 years old (and very well could have been!). This is the main Japan hub for international travel? When we finally discovered the Skyclub location we were pleasantly surprised. It was large, clean, and comfortable. The food selection was not bad and there was a decent choice of drinks, even self-serve beer machines! I want one of those at home! But sadly I didn’t partake of the beer because I think it would have made me feel worse at that point. I went straight for the coffee in a vain attempt at waking myself up. Didn’t help much, but at least I was comfortable for a short time in the cushy chairs while browsing the internet (checking Facebook of course). I wish I would have taken some photos but I just did not have the energy to mess with it. When it got close to boarding time we repeated the same process as Atlanta. This time my wife got snagged for a security check on the walkway to the aircraft. This was something I have never seen before and yet again seemed like a silly waste of time. I was worried about overhead bin space so I grabbed her roller bag and went on to our seats. Getting that bag into the small bins of this ancient 757 was a challenge. I managed to cram it in sideways and the girl already seated in our row was nice enough to move her bag back so I could fit my backpack up there. My wife eventually joined me a few minutes later and we wedged ourselves in another uncomfortable aircraft. Leaving NRT seemed to take forever. We taxied for at least 30 minutes while my wife was in dire need of using the lav. After takeoff the wait was too much to bear for her and she got up long before the seat belt sign was turned off. When you gotta go you gotta go! The flight to Taiwan was rough, adding nausea to our exhaustion. I couldn’t even think about eating the meal they served. We made it to the gate slightly early but still at a late hour of nearly 10PM. With a little second wind of energy we sped through customs and out to the arrivals area. Now we faced the challenge of contacting the rental car company. We had no phone (I brought my GSM-capable phone but we needed to buy a SIM card first) and no Taiwan money for the pay phones. My wife went over to a little shop and bought a couple of drinks so we could have some coins for the phone. While she called I stood by our luggage fending off half a dozen cab drivers who wanted our business. We got our directions where to wait for them and proceeded outside the terminal and across to an island in the middle of the roads in the cool and wet night. It felt good to be outside, even if we were surrounded by a chaos of cars, taxis, and shuttle buses. Our rental company van eventually arrived and we were told we had too much luggage to fit in one van. They suggested I go first and my wife follow on the next van. She was not too pleased with this arrangement but reluctantly agreed. The trip to the rental car office seemed like a crazy maze of incomprehensible logic. I remember at first we made a big loop around to the left and drove right by the very place we were just standing, but from the back side. All that way to go around just to make a right turn! Great planning there. I was dropped off at the office along a dark, dingy road and stood there feeling a bit lost and disoriented. A couple more vans came in but still no sign of my wife. After what seemed like an hour, but was really only about 20 minutes, my wife arrived and stepped out of the van looking a little displeased. I found out later that the van had nearly passed her by and she yelled out some obscenities before another company’s driver assisted and got the van to stop (kudos to that guy!). After a few minutes our Nissan Livina arrived and we were ready to officially begin our vacation in Taiwan. We liked this car from the beginning, with ample space for all of our luggage. It was a little hard to get used to at first and being so late and dark it did not help us to locate all of the controls. We cautiously made our way out to freeway #2 and immediately got a strong dose of Taiwanese driving. Cars flew by us on both sides and, as we merged onto the freeway, they even came by on the right side long after the lane ended. We made it to Jhongli where we had a room reserved at the Chinatrust Hotel. Once we got into Jhongli my wife’s memory kicked in and she knew her way around. We arrived at Chinatrust close to midnight and parked in the sidewalk/courtyard area right in front of the building (with their permission of course). Once we made it to our room we were tired but strangely not ready for sleep. We were hungry and decided to venture out and see what we could find. One thing I love about Taiwan is always being able to find some street food when you are out late at night. We found a corner shop serving a variety of soups, noodles, and dumplings. That really hit the spot! Later we walked down to a nearby night market and everyone was closing up shop already. Too bad, back to the hotel! We hit the bed very late and managed a few hours sleep before another day would begin.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-7403892313648693482011-02-10T17:26:00.000-05:002011-02-10T17:26:16.924-05:00Our Taiwan Vacation - Departure Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWC9kCk_kT2loyQnuxkPV6NFTZTfkDr3o4vLT7-6891g7q-PBt5v0ciAHP9ZxZDrXNWoP00MJwtlqD1aAON-0sRmtkMWyJx7XIEBc6FbeSZhxUq7nWH5_ScFkemZaJy11zR0sU6h4aA2p/s1600/IMG_0019.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 214px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyWC9kCk_kT2loyQnuxkPV6NFTZTfkDr3o4vLT7-6891g7q-PBt5v0ciAHP9ZxZDrXNWoP00MJwtlqD1aAON-0sRmtkMWyJx7XIEBc6FbeSZhxUq7nWH5_ScFkemZaJy11zR0sU6h4aA2p/s320/IMG_0019.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572190209445152130" /></a>We arrived at the airport in Atlanta very early to beat the morning traffic. I’d much rather relax at the airport, even if it’s for 2-3 hours, than sit in rush hour traffic and worry about making our flight on time. And, being so close to Christmas I fully expected a huge amount of people flying today as well. We parked off-site to save some money and rode the shuttle bus in to the terminal. As we made our way into the terminal our bags were already starting to feel a little heavier. We each had a large rolling duffel packed to the limit (just shy of 50 lbs. each). And we each had slightly smaller duffel bags which were also stuffed to the breaking point but fortunately much less than 50 lbs. For carry-on luggage I had my Tamrac Expedition backpack for all my camera stuff and a messenger bag my dear wife made for me. She carried the ubiquitous black rolling carry-on bag as well as a matching messenger bag (with a little more girly flair of course!). Overall we were each loaded down with nearly our own body weight in luggage! As I write this in hindsight now I know that I will never, ever pack so much stuff again. <br />As we entered the terminal (sometime between 6-7AM, I can’t remember now) there was already long lines of travelers queuing up at the various check-in lines and baggage drop off line. Since we had used online check-in we headed straight for the nearest baggage drop-off only to be told to go to another area all the way at the end. The long line moved fairly quickly and in about 20 minutes we were finally free of our heavy bags, for now at least. We made our way through security, which was quick and painless as it often seems to be at Atlanta, and took the underground train out to the international terminal. The international terminal at Atlanta has, in my opinion, the best selection of food anywhere in the airport. But with all those choices we always seem to end up at McDonald's! Today was no different, and it seemed to be the popular choice as there were several long lines of people waiting for their greasy breakfast too. We sat in the food court and enjoyed our high-calorie high-fat breakfast while sipping on piping-hot coffee (McDonald’s coffee is one of our favorites). After we finished our breakfast I decided to make a quick visit to our gate to make sure we had an aircraft sitting there. It was, so now I could really relax. At the same time I looked out the large windows and noticed it was getting close to sunrise and our gate was facing directly east. With the sun rising further to the south this time of year I could see it would come up right under incoming flights. Sounds like a prime photo opportunity! I rushed back to the food court to get my wife and my gear and headed back to the gate. I snapped off several photos of the rising deep-orange sun while trying to get the timing right with the incoming flights. I had to keep the lens hood against the glass to avoid reflections. I got a few decent shots before the sun starting getting too bright. <br />At this point we still had a couple of hours to kill and fortunately we each had one-day Delta Skyclub passes courtesy of our bank, Suntrust. We had previously signed up for their Skymiles debit card and were each given a one-day pass as a thank you. There are two Skyclubs in Terminal E, one small club open in the morning and a much larger club than opens later in the day. We headed over to the smaller club and first verified that we could use our passes on our connection in Narita, Japan. They said we could and we proceeded to spend the next 90 minutes or so enjoying free wireless internet and free drinks & snacks. I wish we could always enjoy this privilege but I doubt we will ever get the opportunity on future trips. The time went rather quickly and before we knew it, it was time to begin boarding. Boarding a flight is always a fun social observation for me. You always have the people with status at Delta standing right up front long before the flight begins boarding (called “gate lice” on a certain discussion board). They are easily spotted usually wearing a sport-jacket, holding their roller bag with their proud Delta tags attached while talking loudly in their cell phone. The rest of us common folk queue up in the area near the gate, all taking small steps forward as they progress through the boarding sequence. Usually by the time they call our zone I have already quietly & stealthily made my up towards the front. Overhead bin space never seems like enough so it always helps to get to the seats as soon as possible. We took our seats on the 777 and prepared ourselves for the long journey to Japan.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-32817643983008524262011-01-30T19:41:00.004-05:002011-02-03T20:19:13.665-05:00Our Taiwan Vacation - The PlanWe started planning our vacation to Taiwan about a year before the actual departure date. We really didn’t need to start so early, but once we decided to go the excitement got the best of us. Researching locations, reading restaurant reviews, and viewing photos online from scenic spots was too much fun to put off until later. It was a difficult balancing act between seeking out great food and picking the best locations for photography. Originally my wife focused more on food while I did a lot of research on where & when to go for the best photos. As the year went on, my wife took an interest in photography and her priorities shifted slightly, but food was still a very important part of our plan. <br />We knew we wanted to leave around Christmas and come back in early January. My company typically shuts down for a week during the holidays, or at least operates with a fraction of the regular staff. The advantage of planning around this time is that the week between the holidays does not count against my normal vacation time. We had hoped that this would outweigh the disadvantage of being in Taiwan during winter (i.e. bad weather). With that plan in mind, we waited for the important 331-day mark from our return date to begin searching for flights. That’s the earliest date Delta will allow you to book a flight. And why did we decide Delta? Over the years I had built up a huge stash of Skymiles, some from business travel but the majority from using our Delta Amex card for everything we can. We even switched our banking over to Suntrust to take advantage of their Skymiles debit card and the bonus miles for signing up. They also gave us a couple of Skyclub one-day passes which would be very useful for our flight out. Getting back to the schedule, I waited until we were 331 days from January 10th (our best guess for a return date) to start checking for available award tickets on Delta.com. Delta has low, medium, and high award levels and it can be tricky sometimes to find anything in the low level. Sometimes low level award tickets open up right before the travel dates, but we did not have that kind of flexibility of making plans at the last minute. When I began my searching I was disappointed to see only a few medium and mostly high award tickets available, but around the holidays that’s to be expected. The only dates I could find that fit in with my work schedule was a 12/23 departure and a 01/09 return. At a medium award level we were looking at 120,000 Skymiles per ticket plus about $63 in tax. Not a bad deal for a ticket that usually costs well over $1,000. <br />With our dates set we could now start planning a formal trip schedule. At first we, of course, tried to fit everything and anything into our trip. We went through many revisions, adding things, removing things, moving things around. Sometimes we put the planning aside for a few weeks to take a break. At some point we realized that we just did not have enough time to fit in everything we wanted to do. So I began searching the Delta award calendar for a new return flight. It didn’t take long for some medium level awards to pop up in that second week of January. These award calendar changes may last weeks or they may only last a day or two so I jumped on a new return date of 01/13. Of course we paid a fee for that change but still overall much, much cheaper than buying a full fare ticket. But we could not get the same route on the return flight and ended up with Taiwan -> Narita -> Detroit -> Atlanta with an old 747 for the Narita to Detroit leg. <br />Now that we had a few more days in our trip we could spread out our schedule a bit and fit in a few more things to see & eat. We continued revising our schedule over the next few months. We came to our senses eventually and cut out several things from our schedule. It became too busy and not really like a vacation at all. With a little over a month to go we finally had something we were happy with and began making all the hotel & rental car reservations. Now the excitement was really building! We had to shuffle a couple of days around in our schedule due to hotel availability around New Year’s Day, but managed to make it work. <br /><br />This is the final schedule we came up with:<br />12/23: Leave Atlanta 11AM, connect through Tokyo<br /><br />12/24: Arrive in Taiwan at 9:40PM, pick up rental car.<br />Stay at Chinatrust Hotel in Jhongli.<br /><br />12/25: Drive to Taichung, relax and eat with family.<br />Maybe get some Taichung night view photos from 台中望高寮夜景.<br />Stay at “In One City Inn” near FengJia night market (in-laws’ house is full for a few days).<br /><br />12/26: Big lunch with family and other relatives. (mother-in-law’s 60th birthday).<br />Shopping for our road trip at Costco & Watsons.<br />Stay at “In One City Inn” near FengJia night market.<br /><br />12/27: My wife needs to renew Taiwan ID, driver’s license & visit bank.<br />MiaoDong street market in FengYuan.<br />Visit ShengShin train station & old bridge ruins (龍騰斷橋) in SanYi.<br />Stay at “In One City Inn” near FengJia night market.<br /><br />12/28: Drive up to Taipei.<br />Visit Dihua Street and fabric market.<br />Beef noodles at 林東芳牛肉麵 and 穆記小吃牛肉麵館.<br />Visit Bellavita Mall and Taipei 101.<br />Hike up to Elephant Mountain for sunset photos of Taipei.<br />DinTaiFung & other stuff around Yongkang Street for dinner.<br />Some night photography at CKS Memorial.<br />Stay at Hotel 73 in Taipei.<br /><br />12/29: Get to 金華街燒餅油條 very early for clay oven rolls.<br />Drive to Houtong to see the cats, the town, and old train tunnels.<br />Lunch in Ruifang then drive over to Jiufen. Stay in Jiufen until after sunset.<br />Miaokou night market in Keelung.<br />Stay at Blue Ocean Hotel in Keelung.<br /><br />12/30: HePing Island photos at sunrise.<br />Drive to Shifen Waterfall. <br />Stop for lunch near Keelung then take Hwy 2 around north coast to Danshui.<br />Sunset photos at Fisherman’s Wharf (Lover’s Bridge) and some 小吃 in Danshui for dinner.<br />Stay at Fullon Hot Springs Hotel in Danshui.<br /><br />12/31: Spend the morning around Beitou and visit library. Hike up 軍艦岩 if we feel like it. <br />Drive down to Taipei in the afternoon. Park near 彩虹河濱公園.<br />Visit Raohe night market.<br />Get photos of Taipei 101 fireworks from the riverside park.<br />No hotel, drive to Yehliu area and get ready for sunrise photos (maybe catch a nap in the car).<br /><br />1/1: Sunrise at Yehliu area (probably 龜吼)<br />Walk around Yehliu park for photos in the morning.<br />Take Hwy 2 east and stop at Nanya Rock, Bitou Cape, and keep going towards Yilan.<br />Dinner at Luodong night market.<br />Stay at Hotel in Luodong (羅東西樺商務客棧).<br /><br />1/2: 五峰旗瀑布 waterfalls & 林美石磐 trail in the morning.<br />Lunch & dinner in the Yilan/Jiaoxi area. Also night market (宜蘭東門夜市).<br />Stay at hot spring B&B in Jiaoxi (奇立丹 品田雙人房).<br /><br />1/3: Sunrise photos at Beiguan Ocean Park.<br />Drive to Hualien in the morning.<br />Relax at 七星潭 in the afternoon. <br />Dinner at 賀川日本料理, night market (自強夜市).<br />Stay at Hotel Bayview in Hualien.<br /><br />1/4: Sunrise photos at 嶺頂日出.<br />Night market (自強夜市).<br />Stay at Hotel Bayview in Hualien.<br /><br />1/5: Get plenty of food to last the day, drive into Taroko Gorge.<br />Visit the usual places in Taroko Gorge and continue to HeHuanShan.<br />Go to HeHuan main peak for sunset photos if we make it in time.<br />Stay at the Songxue Lodge on Mt. Hehuan east peak.<br /><br />1/6: Hike up HeHuan east peak very early to get sunrise photos.<br />Drive down to Qingjing for photos & lunch.<br />Go to HeHuan main peak for sunset photos if we missed the previous day.<br />Stay at Sunnydale B&B (日光青境 雲頂南) in Qingjing.<br /><br />1/7: Sunrise photos in Qingjing, then drive south to Puli.<br />Visit Chung Tai Chan Monastery in Puli and then lunch in the area.<br />Dinner in Taichung at 風尚臭豆腐, and other 小吃.<br />Stay with wife’s parents.<br /><br />1/8: Spend some time with family.<br />Visit temple (大甲鎮瀾宮) and then the coast for sunset (高美濕地).<br />Stay with wife’s parents.<br /><br />1/9: Take HSR down to Kaohsiung.<br />Spend the entire day there and head back to Taichung late.<br />Stay with wife’s parents.<br /><br />1/10: Out with family to Changhua, Lugang, & west coast oyster farms.<br />Stay with wife’s parents.<br /><br />1/11: More family time.<br />Lunch at the awesome DongShih Beef Restaurant (東勢李炒手).<br />Stay with wife’s parents.<br /><br />1/12: Leave Taichung and drive up to Jhongli.<br />Dinner at the night market (中原夜市).<br />Stay at Chinatrust Hotel in Jhongli.<br /><br />1/13: Return rental car and fly home in the morningTimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-44874035922821015502011-01-29T17:41:00.005-05:002011-01-29T17:50:11.598-05:00Getting back to bloggingAfter a long absence I have decided to try to update my blog more often. My wife took up the photography hobby last year and we are getting out of the house much more, which is a good thing! So much I want to share, so I'll try my hardest to keep this thing updated. Also, we recently returned from a 3-week vacation in Taiwan. I have a lot to share about that trip and many, many photos yet to be processed. Stay tuned...TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-61599662862108094172009-07-25T20:11:00.002-05:002009-07-25T20:23:40.526-05:00Fireworks!I haven't posted in a long, long time so I will try to get some new stuff on here soon. I've temporarily gotten out of the astronomy hobby so I can concentrate more on photography. I can only afford one expensive hobby right now so some equipment was sold to fund new camera equipment purchases. More on that later. In the meantime, I'll share some photo slideshows from two fireworks shows we attended on the 3rd and 4th.<br /><br />First is the Sugar Hill fireworks held on July 3rd and it was our first time attending this show. This location is just about two miles from our house which makes it easy to get in and get out. This was a pretty good show - we were quite impressed. The shells were mostly spaced far enough apart to allow for some easy photography. The wind was also in a favorable direction.<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620951225430%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620951225430%2F&set_id=72157620951225430&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620951225430%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620951225430%2F&set_id=72157620951225430&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object><br /><br />The next night we drove down to brave the huge crowds at Lenox Square Mall in the Buckhead area. We've been to this show a few times and it never fails to disappoint. A shorter show than Sugar Hill, but probably five times as many shells fired in the air in a fast and furious pace. Great for the die-hard fireworks fans, but challenging for photography. Along with that slight difficulty, the wind wasn't moving the smoke very much and towards the end of the show the wind was blowing the smoke right at us. Overall I was happier with my Sugar Hill photos but still glad I went to Lenox. The only downside to this show was the 2-1/2 hours to get home. A total traffic nightmare getting out of there!<br /><br /><object width="400" height="300"> <param name="flashvars" value="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620857122543%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620857122543%2F&set_id=72157620857122543&jump_to="></param> <param name="movie" value="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649"></param> <param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><embed type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://www.flickr.com/apps/slideshow/show.swf?v=71649" allowFullScreen="true" flashvars="offsite=true&lang=en-us&page_show_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620857122543%2Fshow%2F&page_show_back_url=%2Fphotos%2Ftimscreations%2Fsets%2F72157620857122543%2F&set_id=72157620857122543&jump_to=" width="400" height="300"></embed></object>TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-44615688966411319862008-12-13T18:55:00.010-05:002008-12-13T20:19:30.079-05:00Tamrac 5586 Expedition 6x Backpack<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZi9NIAu-lm-x7t0Dyypu4qz9c-vOF_zOHPtRvIgS3bAg8DPCCC1Z1uZq4MDJv3OT2LXkTMXxXfd8ExMvqYWr_aFgoXCEA_o6c3PSnXF4OPFKjYv-v8FfUy1o8DstNf8MuEeMEQvGbCUNT/s1600-h/Camera+backpack+outside+1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZi9NIAu-lm-x7t0Dyypu4qz9c-vOF_zOHPtRvIgS3bAg8DPCCC1Z1uZq4MDJv3OT2LXkTMXxXfd8ExMvqYWr_aFgoXCEA_o6c3PSnXF4OPFKjYv-v8FfUy1o8DstNf8MuEeMEQvGbCUNT/s200/Camera+backpack+outside+1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5279431969079329202" /></a>With some new gear comes a need to store it all safely away. Previously I wrote about my Lowepro 200AW and how uncomfortable it was for me, as well as being too small for the amount of stuff I've accumulated in the early stage of this obsession, er...I mean hobby. The Lowepro is long gone, having fetched a decent price on Ebay. Since then I've only had the Crumpler Six Million Dollar Home (6MDH) for day trips. That bag has been perfect for its purpose so far and I definitely call it a keeper. For long trips and flights, I needed something to carry everything from home to my destination, while also bringing the 6MDH for walking around once I got there. As usual, I researched the crap out of everything, looking at all the backpacks out there in my desired price range. I read reviews, discussion boards, and read reviews again. Among the brands I looked at were Tamrac, Tenba, Crumpler, and even Lowepro again (a different one of course!). There may have been others but it's all a blur now. I finally decided that the Tamrac model 5586 in the Expedition 6x series had everything to meet my needs right now and allow a bit of extra room for future stuff. <br />I just received the 5586 a little over a week ago and I can't help smiling and feeling impressed every time I look at it. The build quality is outstanding. Let's start on the outside and work our way in:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3104970403/" title="Tamrac 5586 Expedition 6x Backpack by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3029/3104970403_8232ec8fc0.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Tamrac 5586 Expedition 6x Backpack" /></a><br />On the outside are two "wing accessory" pockets for memory cards, batteries, chargers and any other small knick-knacks you want to put in there. I can stuff a lot of compact flash cards in there and they even have a management system with red flaps to let you know which memory cards are empty and which are full. The lower pocket is meant to hold part of a tripod's feet while two straps in the middle hold the tripod secure. There's another strap on the top that wraps around the upper part of the tripod for even more support. My Slik Sprint Pro tripod with Flashpoint F-1 ballhead fits nicely here. You can't see it in the photo above, but there's a padded laptop compartment right behind all those front pockets and it is sized for a 14.1" screen. I don't plan on taking my laptop with me, so I stuff this pocket with my Cokin Z-Pro filter holder, a pouch holding some 4"x5" graduated neutral density filters, a B+W 77mm MRC UV filter, and a B+W 77mm Kaesemann circular polarizing filter. <br /><br><br />Moving on to the inside:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3105802456/" title="Tamrac 5586 Expedition 6x Backpack by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3134/3105802456_0b5589fbd0.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Tamrac 5586 Expedition 6x Backpack" /></a><br />The Tamrac 5586 is capable of holding two DSLR bodies with medium-sized lenses mounted and six additional lenses in the main interior compartment. I suppose you could get one DSLR body with a long telephoto zoom along with another body sans lens too. I don't know that I'll carry all these lenses on a long trip, but it's nice to know I can fit them all in. Everything is well padded and well supported. On the inside of the front flap are two large transparent pockets that I use for my remote switches, USB cord, miscellaneous filters, adapters rings, and my Whibal card too. <br />The shoulder straps seem very sturdy and feel comfortable, even with 21 lbs of camera gear hanging off my back. A sternum strap provides even more adjustment and support to the shoulder straps, and a waist strap rounds out the great support package. I'm probably not in shape to carry this pack a long distance, but that's not Tamrac's fault. I'll get back into the exercise routine right after the holidays, I promise!TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-83232951819964123382008-12-09T17:32:00.003-05:002008-12-09T17:39:08.683-05:00The Cokin Z-Pro Filter HolderI researched a few filter holders in my quest to come up with a decent landscape photography kit that wasn’t too ridiculously expensive. It pretty much came down to the Cokin P and Z-Pro holders, as well as the Lee foundation kit. The Lee seemed very nice but the price with a wide-angle adapter was pushing my budget a bit too much. The Cokin P holder was the cheapest option but I really wanted to avoid any potential vignetting with an ultra-wide angle lens like my new Canon EF-S 10-22mm. I ended up purchasing the Cokin Z-Pro as a combo from 2filter.com with some Hitech graduated neutral density (GND) filters. The combo kit comes with the Z-Pro holder, an adapter ring (you order by size to match your lens filter threads) and one Hitech GND filter of choice. I also added two more GND filters to my order so I have a few selections for different conditions. Below you can see the filter holder adapter ring mounted to a lens (77mm filter size):<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3090468654/" title="Cokin Z-Pro 77mm Adapter by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3194/3090468654_3ed3e8dac4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Cokin Z-Pro 77mm Adapter" /></a> <br /><br><br />The filter holder slides over this adapter and is held on the top and bottom by little plastic push pins. These little pins are a major design flaw which I will get into later. Below you can see the holder mounted on the adapter:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3089629433/" title="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3231/3089629433_9a544fec9f.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder" /></a><br /><br><br />And here is a side view showing all three filter slots mounted:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3090467420/" title="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/3090467420_a17e12c574.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder" /></a><br /><br><br />What I like about the Z-Pro is that it is configurable for 1, 2, or 3 filter slots. The construction is plastic, but seems pretty durable and very lightweight. In the default configuration with three filter slots, I noticed part of the third filter slot becoming slightly visible in the frame at 10mm. I removed the third slot and did not see any vignetting at all. Since I will most likely only use one filter until I get more experience, I removed the second filter slot and then ran into a serious design problem with this filter holder. Those two little pins on the lower part of the filter holder stick out and prevent a filter in the first slot from being pushed down. You need to be able to move the filter up and down to adjust for the horizon. Here you can see a filter mounted in the first slot, and only about a quarter of the shaded portion can cover the lens due to the pins:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3090465362/" title="Cokin Z-Pro Reversed with filter by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3090465362_c504c45237.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Cokin Z-Pro Reversed with filter" /></a><br /><br><br />While the pins are removable, they are necessary to keep the holder in place on the adapter ring. Eliminating them was not an option. After examining the pins I realized that they could be modified to sit flush and still hold in place. Below you can see my modified pin sitting in front of the unmodified pin. I simply cut off the end so I am left with the groove running the entire length of the pin:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3094137470/" title="Cokin Z-Pro Pin Modification by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3249/3094137470_2d9a732336.jpg" width="500" height="500" alt="Cokin Z-Pro Pin Modification" /></a><br /><br><br />This allows the pin to be pushed flush either way, and still has enough friction to stay put. I rapped the filter holder on a table a few times and the pins didn’t budge. Here you can see the filter holder again, but with the lower two pins sitting flush:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3093294795/" title="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder (modified) by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3149/3093294795_0cd2406274.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder (modified)" /></a><br /><br><br />And here you can see the GND filter mounted in the first slot.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/3093294351/" title="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder (modified) by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/3093294351_b02469a443.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Cokin Z-Pro Filter Holder (modified)" /></a><br /><br><br />As you might notice above, I reinstalled the second filter slot since it does not get in the way at wide angles and I might get some solid neutral density filters in the future to use along with the GND’s. For the price I am pretty happy with what I got, even with the design flaw. The Lee filter holder has a much better design and better construction. Maybe one day I will upgrade, but for now, and for someone just starting out in landscape photography, the Cokin Z-Pro should suit my needs just fine. Now I just need to get out and take some photos!TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-90835101466298826002008-10-17T15:43:00.004-05:002008-10-17T16:20:49.666-05:00Tasty China - Marietta<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939104753/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2939104753_8a5a058ea5.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />Last weekend we were over in Marietta for a fabric warehouse sale, and it just happened to be right down the road from Tasty China. We've heard a lot about this restaurant on <a href="http://www.atlantacuisine.com/cgi-bin/eforums/YaBB.pl">Atlanta Cuisine</a>, often touted as the best Chinese food in the Atlanta area. However, our first impression does not agree with that statement at all. <br />The inside of the Tasty China is nothing fancy and pretty typical of the strip-mall Chinese restaurant.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939956192/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/2939956192_e2a9431909.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />Service is no-nonsense and the main hostess will impatiently help you with your order. The menu is pretty long and you'll see many items crossed out and a few prices changed. We stayed away from the American menu and stuck with the traditional Chinese dishes.<br />First up was the Hot & Numbing Beef Rolls. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939101825/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3032/2939101825_ca324c62d1.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />These were not what we expected at all. It looked more like Mexican food but we were pleasantly surprised by the flavor. Not too hot, but there was the numbing flavor of Sichuan peppercorns that I love so much. These are easy for leftovers too - you can just take them out of the fridge and eat immediately. A bit messy, but I would order these again for sure.<br />Then we had to try their Dry Fried Eggplant:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939954270/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3073/2939954270_ec282b337c.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />This was always well-recommended on Atlanta Cuisine and it did not disappoint. It reminded me of thick-cut sweet potato fries. Crunchy on the outside and tender on the inside - these would be even better with beer. These do not turn out so well when reheated, so try to eat them all at the restaurant.<br />Next, we tried the Steamed Chicken in Spicy Oil:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939099889/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3242/2939099889_71e705eab9.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />This is also called kou-shui-ji (mouth watering chicken). The color of the oil was much more red than my photo shows. It looked very spicy but the flavor was actually pretty mild and light. The chicken was incredibly tender and the pieces buried deep in the oil are the most flavorful.<br />Then we had a dish called something like Fish with Pickles:<br /> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939098745/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3003/2939098745_e086ec9711.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />I am not sure what this dish is supposed to be but it was rather bland, with an occasional punch from a scattered peppercorn here and there. Not spicy, not sour, not really anything. This is not something we would ever order again.<br />We hoped that things would look up with the Twice Cooked Pork:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939951270/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2939951270_9052278c60.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />Wow - talk about a salt overload! This could have been good, but it was too salty to be edible by our tastes. Some will claim they do not use MSG, but my body was giving me the signs of an MSG reaction for most of the day after eating here. This dish needed a lot of bulking up with vegetables at home to reduce the saltiness and make the leftovers last a little longer.<br />Finally we tried the Home Style Tofu with Pork:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2939096637/" title="Tasty China - Marietta by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3174/2939096637_c89f240b19.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Tasty China - Marietta" /></a><br />Again, here was a dish that could have been very good but was made too salty to eat by most human standards. We were also disappointed that the chef did not make the extra effort to use silky tofu. They used regular firm tofu, which is the easy way out for this dish, but lacks the texture that you would expect. We added lots of cabbage, water, and some black vinegar to make a decent stew from this dish.<br />Overall this was not what we would call the best Chinese food we have had in this area. Much closer to us we have Sichuan House and China Master which I would put above Tasty China any day. We did get a lot of food for our money at Tasty China, but it's a waste if the food is not even edible. Maybe people think all Chinese food should be this salty? I disagree and do not have the same issues with many other restaurants I have tried. If we happen to be in the area again, we might give them a second try. I give Tasty China a "C" for their food, and a "B+" for their prices. But it would take many more visits to form a better opinion.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-75939440053431838642008-09-23T17:14:00.002-05:002008-09-23T17:48:10.437-05:00Looking for a camera "day bag"After carrying my Lowepro SlingShot 200AW bag around for just a few hours in downtown Atlanta one day, it became obvious that this was not the right bag for me. The Lowepro is a nice bag and seems to be built very well, but the design puts the weight in an awkward position and resulted in a lot of neck and back pain within the first hour of wearing it. I even took out most of my gear, just bringing my Canon 30D, three lenses, a spare battery and some filters. Fully loaded, there's no way I am carrying this around.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2883580910/" title="Lowepro Slingshot by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2883580910_0a6b66642e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Lowepro Slingshot" /></a><br />It was probably more a case of my equipment outgrowing my bag much more quickly than I thought. I decided that I would need a larger backpack to carry everything when flying or taking a road trip, plus a smaller bag for short day trips and walking around town. The backpack can wait a little longer so I went on the hunt for a comfortable, good-looking camera bag that could hold my 30D plus a couple of extra lenses. After looking for days and days I made a decision to get the Domke F-2 bag in the cool olive-drab color. I loved the military look and the F-2 seemed to get nothing but good reviews. But the day after I placed the order I discovered the Crumpler line of bags. These looked too good to pass up, so I ordered one to compare, knowing that Amazon would accept a return for the bag I didn't want.<br />First to arrive was the Domke F-2:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2883580156/" title="Domke F-2 outside by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3216/2883580156_60b9918ef4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Domke F-2 outside" /></a><br />This bag fits the requirement of cool looking, and will easily hold my 30D and 4 extra lenses with lots of room in the pockets for other stuff. The inside has a 4-hole padded divider that can move anywhere in the bag from side to side.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2882743169/" title="Domke F-2 inside by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3173/2882743169_4ea6fa39b4.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Domke F-2 inside" /></a><br />The first problem I have with this bag is the two metal hooks that secure the top flap. They are kind of hard to open and close with one hand and a little sharp on the bottom. The flap has some Velcro to hold it as well, so I suppose you could leave the hooks unfastened when walking around. The other problem I have with this bag is the way the divider makes the interior space a bit awkward for putting my camera in. You really only have the choice of putting the camera in the end not taken up by the divider.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2882742829/" title="Domke F-2 inside with camera by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3004/2882742829_0081e7d86b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Domke F-2 inside with camera" /></a><br />It just didn't feel right trying to get my camera in and out when pushed all the way to one side. I was afraid of hitting the metal hardware that holds the strap too. I would prefer to have two separate dividers so that the camera could sit in the middle. The only other issue I have with the Domke F-2 is that it is just a little too big for what I need. I like that it's made in the USA and I am sure it would be a great long-lasting bag, but once I received the Crumpler, my decision became pretty easy.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2883578594/" title="Crumpler outside by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3296/2883578594_bf23303993.jpg" width="500" height="368" alt="Crumpler outside" /></a><br />I opted for the Six Million Dollar Home model after reading reviews and discussion boards. It seemed to be about the right size I was looking for, and it was. The exterior color scheme is great but I am not 100% crazy about the interior green. But I can live with it. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2882741169/" title="Crumpler inside by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/2882741169_b1f7ff1f33.jpg" width="500" height="392" alt="Crumpler inside" /></a><br />What I love about this bag is that I can put my 30D right in the middle and still have plenty of space on either side for two larger lenses or 4 smaller lenses. With my longest lens, the Canon 100mm f/2.8 macro, the bag has plenty of depth. It could probably handle a larger, longer lens too. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2883576998/" title="Crumpler inside with camera by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3227/2883576998_174eff69f8.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Crumpler inside with camera" /></a><br />I like the single quick-release latch on the front flap. It only takes one hand to get this bag open. The strap seems strong and comes with a matching pad that wraps around the strap wherever you want it. The build quality seems very good and a little stiffer than the Domke. I feel a bit more secure carrying around the Crumpler.<br />So the Domke is headed back to Amazon and my barely-used Lowepro SlingShot will be up for sale soon. Now to pick out a backpack!TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-23722837944616908732008-09-09T14:57:00.004-05:002008-09-12T16:04:51.311-05:00China Master, a.k.a. Lin's in DuluthAfter a trip down to Stone Mountain last Saturday for the Yellow Daisy Festival, we stopped on the way home (well, sort of on the way) for some Sichuan cuisine at the new home of China Master in Duluth. The sign in English still says Lin's but in Chinese the name "Chuan Ba Wang" signifies that this is indeed the China Master restaurant. We had never been to the old China Master further down Peachtree Parkway but we had always heard good things about it. Just when we wanted to finally go there many months ago, they shut their doors and closed shop. Last month the chef opened back up at the Lin's location off State Bridge and Medlock Bridge roads. What makes this location really interesting is the close proximity to Sichuan House, which is located right across State Bridge Road. Two Sichuan restaurants so close - which one to choose? This was definitely a test of sorts.<br />First up was "wu geng chang wang" which was also one of our first dishes at Sichuan House.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2835121606/" title="China Master by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2835121606_63c464bc4a.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="China Master" /></a><br />If you are not a big fan of intestines this dish might change your mind. The intestines were prepared perfectly and so was every other component of this wonderful dish. Of course, you would expect perfection from the chef who invented it a few decades ago in Taiwan. Chef Liu (not to be confused with Chef Liu's restaurant) came up with this dish a long time ago in Taiwan. He took an existing beef dish and replaced the beef with intestines and pork blood. The combination of all the flavors is wonderful.<br />Next up was their hot spicy beef, also commonly called hot boiled beef:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2835121070/" title="China Master by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3103/2835121070_0d2cb136d5.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="China Master" /></a><br />There are two items on the menu called "hot spicy beef" in English but they are not much different. One uses chili powder, and one uses actual chili peppers. We opted for the latter. The addition of cilantro is a typical Taiwanese touch. The broth is much more flavorful than Sichuan House, and without the starch that SH uses in their version. <br />Our third dish was braised tofu:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2835120560/" title="China Master by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3160/2835120560_86535234ef.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="China Master" /></a><br />This dish is fairly simple but yet so savory. The gravy is rich with flavor and the silky tofu melts as you bite through the denser, fried outer layer. Wish they had more of a "house tofu" type dish like Cafe 101 but maybe it's called something else. There's quite a few tofu dishes and, just like the beef, there are two with the same name.<br />Our final dish was deep-fried chicken wraps: <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2834283119/" title="China Master by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3098/2834283119_a4a6a608bb.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="China Master" /></a><br />This is a crunchy treat that would go great with some cold beer. The sauce it is served with is a very old-school Taiwanese style miso-based cold sauce. It's a great combo and something we have rarely seen outside of Taiwan.<br /> <br />Overall the food was great, so good you didn't notice the so-so decor and somewhat dingy ceiling. SH has the decor advantage but so far I am making Lin's my preferred choice for Sichuan food in this area (like we have a lot of choices!). Price-wise it's about the same, maybe a buck or two cheaper per dish.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-37495280513491084852008-09-05T17:26:00.003-05:002008-09-12T16:05:11.391-05:00The basement work continues...Eventually I'll get done with this darn project! It's getting very close now - just down to lots of little details. The major work is done.<br />I finally got the boards sanded and stained that serve as a sort of shelf for the three arches in my wife's sewing room. Here's a pic of one of the arches:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2823404892/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3254/2823404892_62e1573e97.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Here's a closeup of the shelf:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2823404472/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3128/2823404472_131f6fef47.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />The basement is fully powered up now that the subpanel has been connected to the main service panel. My Cutler-Hammer panel has plenty of room for expansion:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2822568893/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2822568893_a70dcb1f8d.jpg" width="500" height="322" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />The home theater still has some details to get done before the big-screen TV moves down. Our oak entertainment center was sanded, primed and painted to match the rest of the trim. I am going to frame up some fabric speaker grills to hide the speakers and subwoofers in the cabinets.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2822567323/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3226/2822567323_4f6483f790.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />This pic is looking back the other way in the home theater. My computer is set up in the corner on the left and you can also see that we finally painted the ugly door.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2823402754/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3053/2823402754_2744a6a18b.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />My wife's sewing room is really looking good now. Lots of Ikea cabinets for all her fabric.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2822566221/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3067/2822566221_20cb9b8207.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Looking the other way down the sewing room. The doors in the back lead to my workshop. The workshop is a mess right now so no pics of that until I have some time to clean up & organize.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2823400292/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3200/2823400292_5d397958dc.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />I sanded and stained some birch plywood to make a large cutting table & work surface that sits on top of a pair of Ikea HEMNES 8-drawer dressers:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2823399736/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3276/2823399736_0154fab0c9.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />My wife did a great job sanding and painting her sewing table. It used to be wood colored but now fits in much better with the same paint color as the trim:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2823399296/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3099/2823399296_7d5e4e05f1.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />The French doors that will divide the home theater from the sewing room still need painted and hung on the sliding rail system. The rail guides are in place and some trim work needs done around the floor after the doors are in place.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2823401524/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3185/2823401524_709c5089ba.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Our Crate and Barrel sofa has been on order for almost 2 weeks with 8-10 more weeks to go. We really can't wait to get it so our basement will feel totally complete. Until then we'll use one of our existing sofa pieces. That's all for now.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-37008030465966977252008-08-24T19:56:00.004-05:002008-09-12T16:05:55.500-05:00More basement progressThis weekend we continued to take care of the finish work as we get very close to the end of this long, long project. While I installed the baseboard and quarter-round trim, my wife assembled a bunch of Ikea cabinets for her sewing room. <br />Here are some of the cabinets going together in the sewing room. The two dressers in the middle will have a large tabletop placed over the top for a large working surface.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2794850852/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3241/2794850852_1d80877567.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Here's a pic of the home theater with all but a couple of small pieces of trim installed. Also shown is a large 8x10 shag rug we purchased online from NaturalAreaRugs.com<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2794002119/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3293/2794002119_f82076b303.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />A closer shot of the rug next to the wall. We really love the color and soft feel of this rug. Definitely a bargain for the price we paid.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2794848946/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3279/2794848946_54f70a29c2.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />An even closer shot of the shag rug:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2794848016/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3221/2794848016_6c051cc735.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />I also wired up the subpanel and started ripping out drywall under the main service panel in the garage. Next weekend I'll connect the main panel to the subpanel to finish up the electrical work. I already installed a 2-pole 40A feeder in the main service panel. The French doors I mentioned in an earlier post still need painted, as does the ugly door that leads outside. With the holiday weekend coming up augmented by a vacation day, we have a long 4-day weekend to hopefully finish up the basement and begin moving in.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-58400752974460447112008-08-13T18:49:00.003-05:002008-08-13T19:02:59.382-05:00Astro Motion Technologies takes offA while back in <a href="http://timsastroblog.blogspot.com/2007/04/little-tune-up-for-eq6.html">this thread</a> I talked about the work that Tom at Astro Motion Technologies did on my EQ6 mount. Since then many people have asked me when this modification would be available to the public. Today I just happened to check <a href="http://www.andysshotglass.com/introduction.html">Andy's Shot Glass</a> to see if there was anything new and I was happy to see an article about AMT and an ordering page. Looks like they finally got it going and I am glad to have been a part of the beta testing of this process. I can attest to the improvement in my mount's performance. You can see my test data in the FAQ section of the article. If you are interested in getting this work done on your mount, head over to the following link:<br /><a href="http://www.andysshotglass.com/astromo_mod_store.html">http://www.andysshotglass.com/astromo_mod_store.html</a><br /><br />Now if I can ever get my basement finished I'll get back to astrophotography.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-19508119583400937132008-08-10T18:40:00.003-05:002008-09-12T16:06:23.263-05:00Floor progress - Day 2It was painful, and we moved a little slow today, but we managed to complete the rest of the laminate floor installation in the basement. Even though the home theater is a little smaller than the room we did yesterday we still took about the same amount of time. It's a great feeling to have this done, even with the pain we are feeling right now after two days of this stuff.<br />Here's the view as you come down to the bottom of the stairs from the 1st floor:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2750820141/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2750820141_455e2e586d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Looking from one room into the next:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2750819597/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3142/2750819597_1e3e31ff4a.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Another view of the back of the room:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2750819237/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3050/2750819237_c9630efca6.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />The cats seem hesitant to explore this new world, except for Cho-Cho:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2750818723/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2750818723_24ae37f201.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Base molding and quarter-round will be installed in the next week or so to finish off the rooms. Next weekend we'll head down to Ikea to pick up some cabinets for the sewing room and a computer table for me. Our current entertainment center, which is oak, will be refinished to better match the room. And the stairs need sanded and stained/painted. Hopefully over Labor Day weekend we will be "moving in" to this new space.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-74230791463746967682008-08-09T20:46:00.003-05:002008-08-09T21:11:41.051-05:00Floor progress - Day 1Today we installed the laminate flooring in my wife's sewing & crafts room - the largest room in the basement. It was over 6 hours of hard work and we are hurting a bit tonight while we sit and watch the Olympics. <br />Here is what is looked like this morning with the FloorMuffler padding down:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2747717357/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2747717357_1f1cf86eea.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />The flooring sits ready in the home theater:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2747717009/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3166/2747717009_571df345bd.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />After a couple of hours of work, we are making pretty good progress:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2747716515/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3258/2747716515_847cc6cba3.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Finally, the room is done:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2747716127/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3182/2747716127_99562fea9b.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />A closer shot of the finished floor:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2748548776/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3093/2748548776_4053932d2e.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Tomorrow we'll tackle the home theater, which is only slightly smaller. Hopefully we will make better progress if we are not slowed too much by sore muscles and painful joints.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-15010688521466117702008-08-07T16:34:00.003-05:002008-08-08T17:28:27.844-05:00Flooring is here!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85U3kcL9nm3DDyF8ktkKhcgZ7AU8F1XpgPYQWwBXB-PqQFPUeoghELeCejQyMYwqhRNvaaA75Bn5p0x-tAPurqL2LMVpyY_HdS5V7li4K4vYUWV7yzLaoLn-Zn9JR8Nvo3tqeICu7nzhX/s1600-h/2741595396_be792ecdc4.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi85U3kcL9nm3DDyF8ktkKhcgZ7AU8F1XpgPYQWwBXB-PqQFPUeoghELeCejQyMYwqhRNvaaA75Bn5p0x-tAPurqL2LMVpyY_HdS5V7li4K4vYUWV7yzLaoLn-Zn9JR8Nvo3tqeICu7nzhX/s320/2741595396_be792ecdc4.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231893796909023346" /></a>We picked up our basement flooring yesterday from the Atlanta Flooring Design Center in Suwanee. We ended picking a Shaw laminate with a very rustic look. The design center let us take some large display samples home last Saturday and we immediately loved the Shenandoah series 9mm laminate in the Goldenrod color. We headed back there the same day and placed our order. It didn't take long to come in, which I would expect when Shaw is just right up in Dalton, GA. <br />We haven't installed it yet - that will begin Saturday morning. But we couldn't resist putting some planks on the floor to see how it looked. This is some of the most realistic looking laminate flooring we have seen. I think it really fits in with the relaxed country look we are going for. My wife started making some great curtains in a shabby chic style that will go very well with everything. Here's a photo:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZSLa78roMb1OsGDxxYQwQhiptDOex6_2txw54-gqa86m4qrRKUKag1HxgajVS_tL9ivUs3OxPYZN4ehmMhqCR4Mqk9ezmvHh99OCob7LnqkqLepBGgt_eFUPVuIbqo0TEfEUABCj-viY/s1600-h/2741140639_002a83d536.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinZSLa78roMb1OsGDxxYQwQhiptDOex6_2txw54-gqa86m4qrRKUKag1HxgajVS_tL9ivUs3OxPYZN4ehmMhqCR4Mqk9ezmvHh99OCob7LnqkqLepBGgt_eFUPVuIbqo0TEfEUABCj-viY/s320/2741140639_002a83d536.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5231897026627289442" /></a>TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-28640185144089315932008-07-27T11:45:00.006-05:002008-07-27T12:12:10.165-05:00Getting closer to the finish lineWe are getting much, much closer to the end of this basement project. The flooring will be the next big purchase and the final big task to call it complete. This is an example photo of our favorite floor so far - a Shaw laminate in a Victorian Pine style:<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy3I9LsFhoacWDkyoeVNCHU2Hc-g6v3gg-kbicMyyf3rNhwBTEIHTCQ9c9pF5viQnLmSFVndWYLP67PSSsF3HAup9dHgbZUAeJJVMq9yzeWvaBRLIu_g_3TN5CoI6DMNgLGwdQz3WxbLT/s1600-h/2699438865_e881244d27_o.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOy3I9LsFhoacWDkyoeVNCHU2Hc-g6v3gg-kbicMyyf3rNhwBTEIHTCQ9c9pF5viQnLmSFVndWYLP67PSSsF3HAup9dHgbZUAeJJVMq9yzeWvaBRLIu_g_3TN5CoI6DMNgLGwdQz3WxbLT/s200/2699438865_e881244d27_o.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5227737357777142162" /></a>We love the color of this floor and it seems to work very well with our color scheme, which is very similar to the sample photo from the manufacturer. We originally were looking at bamboo flooring but after a week or two of looking at other floors, the bamboo didn't look so good anymore. We've changed our minds a few times and there's always a chance it will change again once we actually go to a store and look at the flooring firsthand. We'll be heading over to the new iFloor store after it opens up this week in Buford. <br />There's not a lot to do right now while we are waiting on the floor. This weekend I put up the sliding rail that will hold a pair of French doors that divide the home theater from the sewing/crafts room. These doors are in a bypass configuration so you can slide one over and walk through. This is to keep pets out of the sewing room. These doors are pretty heavy but they slide smoothly on the rail from Johnson Hardware. Here's a photo of the doors hung up to check the fit:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2703896333/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3055/2703896333_965dcab2c2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Basement" /></a><br />There will be a guide rail for the bottom of the doors attached to the concrete floor. We found out that the doors will need to be trimmed on the bottom to clear the guide rail. Then they will be painted to match the trim. The back door will also be painted the same color, which still hasn't been done as you can see.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2704719636/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3111/2704719636_4cdf3623f2.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Basement" /></a><br />The can lights in the above photo were connected to an existing lighting circuit that was there when the house was built (and the only lighting circuit down there). The other circuits have not been connected to the panel yet. That's a task for another weekend. I'm taking it easy today!TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-77644671454435290982008-07-20T19:01:00.004-05:002008-07-20T20:40:59.071-05:00Sofa ShoppingWe've been doing a lot of research lately regarding sofas and went out today to see our top picks firsthand. Our original budget for a small (120 inches long or less) sectional was $1500 which pretty much limited us to Ikea. After looking around at other brands the Ikea sofas didn't seem so appealing anymore and we raised our budget. We then looked into West Elm, La-Z-Boy, Pottery Barn, and Crate & Barrel. While looking into some of these we heard about Lee Industries' sofas, which can be found at Crate & Barrel. Lee was one of our top picks, along with the Potter Barn PB Square series, and the Crate & Barrel Troy series. <br />We first headed over to Crate & Barrel in Alpharetta to check out the Troy and also see if they had any Lee sofas in the showroom. We immediately liked the Troy when we saw it, and it was very, very comfortable. I'm not a big fan of sofas that you sink into and the Troy was somewhat firm and perfectly supportive - just what I was looking for. We tried several others in the store but none felt as comfortable as the Troy. With the help of a sales associate there we found a Lee sofa but it was not comfortable at all. The associate was really helpful showing us all the available fabrics and also let us know of a sale coming up at the end of August for all custom orders. The lead time is up to 12 weeks but we can live with that to get just the sofa we want.<br />Here is the display model Troy sofa which shows the exact configuration we want:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2686569307/" title="Sofa Shopping by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3063/2686569307_e9a8db7b3d.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Sofa Shopping" /></a><br /><br><br />It has a left-hand chaise and a right-hand loveseat combined. We'll also get a matching ottoman. We decided on an off-white natural fabric with chocolate colored wood legs (the photo is a little too red):<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2686568355/" title="Sofa Shopping by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3290/2686568355_36529b22df.jpg" width="500" height="375" alt="Sofa Shopping" /></a><br /><br><br />We headed over to a few more places even though we were nearly dead-set on getting the Troy sofa. We visited Macy's Furniture Gallery, Thomasville, La-Z-Boy, Havertys, and Pottery Barn. Nothing compared to the Troy. Most of the places were too old-fashioned or too formal for our style. We'll wait until the end of August for the Crate & Barrel 25% off sale, then we'll try to patiently wait up to 12 weeks more for our sofa to arrive. <br />Next weekend it's time to pick out the wood floors!TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-51441032631445708272008-07-13T15:29:00.003-05:002008-07-19T07:13:56.769-05:00Another basement updateThis weekend I wired & installed the can lights and fluorescent fixtures in the room that will become my wife's sewing/crafts room. A total of eight can lights and three fluorescent fixtures were installed. Next weekend I'll finish up the lighting on the other side in the home theater. Then we'll be ready for flooring.<br /><br />First photo:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2665417022/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3267/2665417022_e15961603b.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Second photo:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2665416176/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/2665416176_c7a8530b89.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />Last one:<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2665415228/" title="Basement by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3213/2665415228_9fd571ecce.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Basement" /></a><br /><br><br />I forgot to mention that we also installed plantation shutters on the two windows. We really like how these add to the feel of the rooms.TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-429790278290525366.post-20834413720231995872008-07-04T13:11:00.003-05:002008-07-19T07:14:15.492-05:00Happy July 4th!While the weather is hot and dry outside and my brown yard continues to get browner, we worked in the cool basement and finished the ceiling. It's a good feeling to have that done. Today we cut and installed all the border panels around the perimeter of the room. While I cut each piece, my wife installed them in the grid. The pieces that border the wall can be rather time consuming to cut due to the recessed edge on these type panels. The recessed edge gives more of a three-dimensional look to the panels and is much more stylish than the typical office type panels that sit flush with the grid. Each border panel must be cut by hand and it takes 3 cuts to make the recessed edge (6 cuts on each corner panel). Needless to say, after hand cutting 36 border panels in 3 hours my hand is hurting. <br />This first photo looks down the room towards the doors that lead into my workshop. I left a panel out where the old light fixture is mounted. I've ordered three 2' x 2' fluorescent fixtures that will be mounted down the center line of the ceiling. Then I will install about 8 can lights around the perimeter. <br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2636303843/" title="Suspended Ceiling by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3058/2636303843_1e208d4ae3.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Suspended Ceiling" /></a><br /><br><br />Here's a view looking back the other way down the room.<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2636302477/" title="Suspended Ceiling by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3259/2636302477_312055dd82.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Suspended Ceiling" /></a><br /><br><br />And another one..<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2636301841/" title="Suspended Ceiling by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3076/2636301841_e5925d24be.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Suspended Ceiling" /></a><br /><br><br />Last one...<br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/timscreations/2636303137/" title="Suspended Ceiling by tims_creations, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3041/2636303137_583dabb6d7.jpg" width="500" height="333" alt="Suspended Ceiling" /></a>TimEasterdayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02722021127777193341noreply@blogger.com0