Saturday, January 31, 2009

Thirty-one

Day 31
Working out in the shop. 

Today was a full day. I got up early and went for a 7 mile run with my group. We did the bridges and then down into San Marco. I felt pretty good for the run. It was cold this morning and it took a while to get the layers right and then I was great. It is amazing that you can be cold and sweating at the same time. After lunch we went to Barnes and Noble and met one of Samantha's teachers from Florida Virtual School. We met a few others as well. After dinner Ethan and I headed out to my shop to work on the hover craft. It is merely a plywood disc with plastic attached and the leaf blower stuck through a hole in the middle. We cut a hole in the plastic on the bottom. This forms the skirt and it lifts you off the ground. I was surprised it works at all. Once we saw it work Ethan hopped on and it lifted him. Then it was my turn, I was really surprised when it was able to lift me off the ground. Of course then Samantha and Tami had to try it as well. 

Friday, January 30, 2009

Thirty

Day 30
Taken with my iphone. Today was a busy one doctors appts. rock climbing, cycling with the Hammerheads Triathlon club and Date night with Tami. We even had dinner with my brother. The big thing I did today was the cycling class, I did 2 hours of the planned 3 hour class. The first hour was a regular spinning class and then we did an easier hour of just peddling the bikes and standing as needed. I figure this was like riding about 20 miles. We introduced ourselves and told what our training goals were. My goals are Half marathon with Donna (13.1 miles), Gate River run(9.3 miles) 3 sprint distance triathlons May, July and August (Swim 400 yards, Bike 10 miles and then Run 3.1 miles) I have been training for the running all fall and winter and I am starting to add in the training for the triathlons. I am running in the morning with my regular group. We are only doing 7 miles:-) I love being able to say only 7 miles 6 months ago that was way further then I could run. Last Saturday we ran 14 miles. I am not fast but I did cover the distance. Tomorrow I will cover the distance as well.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

Twenty-nine

Day 29
Today started out with rain and ended up clearing. It was still partly cloudy but we are past the rain. Now we have cold weather coming.  We went to dinner at Gino's pizza tonight. They have really good pizza. They brought out some dough, sauce and cheese and let the kids make their own pizzas. Tonight Miles and I went for a walk. We did 3 miles in the neighborhood. 

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Twenty-eight

Day 28
Back from a run. Miles and I went for a little run this evening. We did 3 miles in the neighborhood. The road was wet like it had rained a little bit. While we were out it was nice. As I am typing this now it has started to rain again. This is typical winter weather for us. We will have a gradual warming trend and then it will rain and get cold again. The rain doesn't bother me it is the cold weather I can do without. While running I was listening to my ipod which is built into my iphone. I even got a call while I was running. The phone pauses the music and you can answer the call. After the call the music automatically turns back on. It is all seamless and very cool. I love my iphone. I can also track my run using a program called mapmyrun. It uses the built in GPS and google maps and keeps track of the time and the distance covered. Unfortantely it wears down the battery fast so I only us it if I am doing a different run then normal.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Twenty-seven

Day 27
Call to ride. I was just about to go for a ride today when I got a call. I talked on the phone while Samantha took some pictures of me. After the call I went for a short ride. I rode 6 miles in the neighborhood. I rode at an average speed of 16 mph. I am working on my speed. Of course I have several stop signs on the route so this slows me down a bit. It was a really nice day for a ride. It was just cool enough to make it pleasant.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Twenty-six

Day 26
Today I spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Cooking and cleaning and that kind of stuff. It was a red, white and blue kind of day. I home schooled the kids. Cooked meals and even went to the pen turners club meeting. They are a fairly new club and all they talk about is pen turning. I enjoyed the meeting tonight and plan on going next month as well.

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Twenty-five

Day 25
Out in my workshop. Today I was able to spend several hours out in my shop. I did some pen turning and a little carving. I also put in a hanger system for my bike. The background of the picture is really busy. Everything has a place and I am able to find whatever I need. I enjoy spending time out in my shop.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

Twenty-four

Day 24
Today I ran 14 miles. I have been training with a group to run in a half marathon. I started training with the group in September. During the week we run on our own and then on Saturdays we do our long runs as a group. The group is divided into several pace groups. I am in the group just above the walkers. Laura (right) is in my group. She can walk about as fast as I run. Elaine(left) is in one of the faster groups, and usually ends up waiting for us to finish. We usually car pool to the location of our runs. They gave out medals today when we finished running. We have about 25 people in our pace group and every one of us finished the run today. It was a great day for all the groups. The half marathon is on Feb. 15th. I now know that I can do the distance. So today was a great confidence builder. I had never run that far before. In fact until last September I had never run that much in my life. 

Friday, January 23, 2009

Twenty-three

Day 23
Taken with my iphone. I love my iphone but it just doesn't take very good pictures. I shouldn't be surprised but I keep hoping the camera phones will one day get better. I like the idea of a single device that does everything the iphone does. One of the reasons I got it was so I could keep my calendar with me at all times. This works flawlessly. I also like being able to get my email and checking things on the web. A camera was one of the features I knew wouldn't be very good. This picture was taken late and I already had my phone synced to my computer so it was a quick picture. 

Thursday, January 22, 2009

Twenty-two

Day 22
Miles and I thought we would go for a walk this evening. After putting on all my warm workout clothes. We proceeded to go for a walk. We covered 3 miles in about an hour. Not a very fast pace but it got the job done. I also ran 4 miles this morning so I was happy to get in the extra miles. Today I watched a movie called Running the Sahara. It is a story about 3 runners who run across the Sahara desert. They cover about 4500 miles in 111 days. They average the same distance as 2 marathons each day (50 Miles) The scenery is beautiful and the scale of what they did is amazing. 

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Twenty-one

Day 21
Today was another cold day and it is supposed to be an even colder night. It is supposed to get down in the low 20's. This afternoon the kids and I went out in the yard before dinner and took some pictures. This is just natural light, the sun was low in the sky and it was diffused through the trees. I like how the bushes in the background are thrown out of focus and the light is shining on them. We picked a place where this was the case. I am trying to teach Samantha about photography a little at a time. We talked about the light and making sure there was nothing in the background. Just to my right out of the frame is the swing set. I carefully positioned myself and Samantha for the pictures. 

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Twenty

Day 20
Trying to stay warm. Today dawned cold and clear. It is finally up in the 40's but the wind is blowing. After trying to get warm and adding another long sleeve shirt. I decided it was time for a cup of hot tea. Of course Tami pointed out it might be time to put on some long pants. I will have to think about this. She is often right, I do like the freedom the short give me though. We played around with the lighting a bit and I am happy with this look. I need to work on this some more. Fortunately I have plenty of time left in this project to work on such things.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Nineteen

Day 19
Today Tami was off work. So this morning we went to a spinning class at the Y. The class was ok but I would have liked to been pushed a little harder. We then went to lunch with the Warwicks. After lunch I went and bought a bathing suit. I am training for a triathlon in May and need to start swimming more. The kids and I went and saw the Tale of Desperaux. Then we went and met my Mom for dinner at Happy Garden Chinese. It was a pretty busy day. This evening we had a relaxing time and didn't do much. It is raining as I type this and the temperature is supposed to drop overnight. 

Sunday, January 18, 2009

Eighteen

Day 18

Today's journey began by teaching a hollow vessel class at Woodcraft. The class went well. I was able to teach my students some valuable lessons. We all had a good time. I also had some people drop by to say hello while I was teaching. Tonight's picture was taken with the camera sitting in a chair and me leaning over. It is a terrible angle but you have to try different things. I am thinking tomorrows picture will look much different.

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Seventeen

Day 17
Bowls, Bowls & more bowls.
Today I taught a woodturning class at the Jacksonville Woodcraft store. I had seven students. They each made a bowl. Everyone made a bowl and went home happy. I love teaching and had a busy day but still had a good time. These are a few of my bowls I took to show my students. I love being able to share my  love of woodturning with others. Check out my website www.asthewoodturns.com for some more examples of my woodturning.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Sixteen

Day 16
Today comes to a close with this picture of me trying to stay warm. It is cold outside compared to how warm it has been. We just put the extra comforter on the bed. The sad thing is it is only supposed to make it into the low 30's maybe the high 20's. Living in Florida will spoil you like that. A couple days ago I went running and commented how nice it was. I am wearing 2 long sleeve shirts in the picture plus a t-shirt. Of course the shorts don't help much. 

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Fifteen



Day 15
Today was a good day. Tami came home and had lunch with us, so that was a nice break. The kids did their daily homeschooling today. I did my normal house cleaning and laundry. I also made it to the grocery store. This afternoon I went to the Y for a spinning class. I think my legs were still tired from yesterday. However I made it through the class. When I got home I cooked dinner (stir fry) and then cleaned up the kitchen. Just another day. Tomorrow is date nite, my Mom is going to watch the kids so Tami and I can go out:-)




Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Fourteen


Day 14
The weather finally cleared up and I was able to go for a bike ride. I did a 9 mile ride this morning. It took me about 35 minutes. I just rode around the neighborhood. It takes several loops to get the miles I want but I am never far from the house and there aren't too many cars about. It was 40 degrees when I started this morning. I had plenty of layers and gloves. After about the first 10 minutes I warmed up and it was a pleasant ride. This picture of the day project is going well.

 It isn't too hard remembering to take a picture every day and I can even come up with enough stuff to talk about. More tomorrow

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Thirteen

Day 13
Today I awoke to the sound of rain. Not only that it was cold outside as well. This is a picture of how we dress for the weather in Florida. I decided not to wear my flip flops and went for the keens as they keep my feet warmer, plus they do a better job of staying dry. This evening I had a class at Woodcraft on pen making. I had 6 students tonight and the class went well. Everyones pens came out good. And they all seemed to have a good time. Hopefully the weather will be better and I can get back to some training tomorrow.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Twelve




Day 12
Today was a busy day. I home schooled the kids. The pest control guy came and I had my woodturning meeting tonight. I also made it to the grocery store ,the bank and we met Tami for lunch. The bulk of my day was spent with the kids. Today was the 12th day of taking self portraits. I am a little more concerned with lighting. I have been using my flash and I am going to experiment more with it. I have been thinking about getting a second flash unit. That would allow me to do different things with lighting. 

Eleven

Day 11
Tami and I and Miles went for a walk/run last night. We ended up doing our 3 mile loop through the neighborhood. At around the 2 mile mark we saw some lightning and it started to mist lightly. We decided to carry on. At about 2 1/4 miles it started to rain harder. We started running and the rain kept getting harder the closer we got to the house. The temperature was quite nice. By the time we got home we were all quite wet. 
This is where the shoes spent the night. The fan was blowing on them all night. They were dry by the morning. I am still working on this weekends laundry along with the wet clothes and towels. Rain during the winter in Florida typical means cooler weather. It will warm up nicely and then rain and then it will be cold for a few days. The rain is good but I sure like the warmer temperatures.

Ten

Day 10
Nothing special about this photo. I was just standing at the front door and had Ethan take a picture. I am sporting my Cub scout camping shirt. 

Nine

Day 9
Today was the first day of the Florida Woodturning Symposium. I had 2 hands on demos today. I had to be there for my first demo at 8:30 am So I had to get a very early start. I was up a 4am and on the road by 5am. This put me there with plenty of time to get checked in and even set up before my students started arriving.  My Demos went well and every one seemed to have a good time. I am hoping to get asked back for next year.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

Eight


Day 8
The project is going well so far I am 8 days into it only 357 more to go:-) I am sitting eating cereal at our breakfast bar.(Picture by Ethan) I am leading a hands on demo this weekend and today is the day I have to gather all my tools together and make sure I have everything needed for the workshops. I am doing 2 different workshops on Friday. One will be pen making and the other will be making miniature boxes. I will post some pictures of the projects this weekend. The Florida Woodturning Symposium is held each year at a Baptist retreat. It is self contained, everything is in one location. Last year to get on the internet I found a bench close to a building and was able to access the internet. I have heard they have more access this year so I am hoping I won't have to sit outside to check my email and update my blog.


Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Seven

Day 7

Checking the weather. I was hoping to get in a short bike ride this morning. However since I don't want to ride my new bike in the rain I will have to wait. Perhaps this afternoon it will clear up. It is so nice to be able to stand barefoot in shorts and a t-shirt in January. Ethan took todays picture.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Six

Day 6
Today was a good day. I got to work out in my studio. I am making tool handles in the picture. The weather continues to be nice. It gets cool at night and then warms up during the day. I actually cut the grass today. Tonight I went for a run. I went to the River walk and ran the bridges. I was able to get 5.38 miles in. I started at the School board building and ran across the Main Street bridge and then down to the Fuller Warren bridge and then back across the Acosta Bridge. The run took me 77 minutes. The best part about it was I was wearing shorts and a t-shirt. I really like running along the river in the evening. The breeze was blowing about 10 kts. It just made for a really nice evening. 


Monday, January 5, 2009

Five


Day 5

This is where I spend most of my weekdays. I am homeschooling the kids. Ethan is working on his spelling words, we are also working on his handwriting. I usually get them going and then try to do some house work all the while keeping Ethan working. It helps if I sit there and watch him to make sure he doesn't drift off. I check both of the kids work and try to keep them on track. 

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Four

Day 4

Today I went for a 9 mile bike ride. I am still trying to get used to my new bike. I did ride at a 15 mph pace. I hope to up the pace as I get better on my bike. This is me relaxing on the couch this afternoon. I did some woodturning today as well. I am making some tools for woodturning. I cut some high speed steel and started turning the wooden handles. I sharpened all the pieces and will assemble them when they are finished . I am hoping to sell these at the symposium next weekend. I think I may make some chatter tools if I can find the right kind of steel. 

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Three


Day 3 was a busy one. I started it out with an 8 mile run at the beach with my running group. It was foggy and just the slightest bit cool. It made for a very nice run. Samantha took this picture of me with my new bike. It is a very nice ride. It is also much faster then my other bike. I rode it a few miles yesterday and then some more around the neighborhood today. I really like this bike. I want to ride some more tomorrow, I will have to wait and see what the weather will be. 

Friday, January 2, 2009

Day 2

Day 2
The project is going well so far. I have to figure out how to streamline the photo process. I am making Blueberry muffins for Samantha and I for breakfast. Nothing fancy just standing at the stove mixing up the batter. As I am typing this I can smell the blueberry muffins cooking. There is nothing like the smell of baked goods in the morning. Today I am going to go 2 more bike shops. I am in the process of buying a bike. This all fits into my goals for the upcoming year. I am going to go and swim some laps at the Y later today. Then tonight it is date night with Tami. 

Have a nice day

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Day One



So here goes. This is my first picture of the picture a day project. The goal is to take and post a picture of my self every day. The pictures are just going to be me doing every day things. They for the most part won't be posed. When I decide to take the picture it will be doing whatever I was doing and however I look. This is me at the table this morning I have just finished my cereal and was checking my email. I haven't done anything but that so far today. I was struck with the fact that I have no idea what we are doing today but I am already planning out my year. Yesterday I was online and came across this girls exercise goals for 2009.  I thought this was such a great idea. I decided to copy her idea and come up with my own goals for this year.

Run 500 miles
Ride / Spin 500 miles (I am told that a spinning class equals 10-12 miles)

2 half marathons (13.1 mile run)
3 Triathlons (Sprint Distance 400 yd swim, 10 mile bike, 3.1 mile run)
I would also like to do a race every month at minimum a 5k/3.1 mile

I am working on a list of the races and will post it as soon as I figure out all the dates.

Stay tuned more pictures tomorrow

End of the year

So I have definitely ended the year on the right note. I have gotten serious about exercising and have even started running with a group. I have lost some weight but I feel much better. I am training for a half marathon in February and have decided to do some triathlons this coming summer. I don't expect to be very fast but I do expect to be able to complete the courses. Stay tuned for more updates. I have decided I am going to do a picture a day. This is something I have seen on Flickr. People will take a picture of themselves everyday and them post these. I have thought this sounded cool and have waited till the new year to start this project.