The Dragon...revisited!

Whew, we've covered a lot of miles since I last posted!  Let me back up and start from the last post. 

Bright and early on Monday morning, we bid farewell to south Louisiana and my family and started rolling east.  Yesterday was our longest day...600+ miles to get us from Houma, LA to the base of the TN mountains.  The temperature stayed in the 90s for most of the day, so it was hot, but the traffic and precipitation cooperated with our ride.

This morning, we checked out from our hotel and made our way towards the Cherohala Skyway.  We could not have asked for a better riding day; hardly a cloud in the sky, moderate temperatures, and almost no traffic to speak of.  We started the Skyway from the TN side which skirted the river up to an altitude of approximately 5000 feet before dropping us back down in NC at the foot of the Tail of the Dragon.  For those of you new to this blog, I had ridden  this area a couple of years ago when I moved from NC to TX.  This time, I rode both the Cherohala Skyway and the Tail of the Dragon in the opposite directions.

 

 Another big difference from last time is that I didn't ride it solo, I had company!  To the left is a photo of Jim and Andy next to the tree of shame, though I'm happy to report that we all "slayed" the dragon safely and left no parts on the roadway to be added to the tree of broken off motorcycle parts left by less fortunate riders. 

Relatively speaking, today was a light mileage day for us (250 miles compared to 500 and 600 hundred from previous days).  Once we completed these couple of legendary rides of the NC/TN mountains, we made our way to VA where we met up with more of our CVMA 23-3 family for dinner and lodging for the night.  Raven and Sapper have been on the road for over a month while participating in Run for the Wall and now CVMA Nationals.   It was a great dinner of sharing road stories and commiserating over photography challenges.  Suffice it to say that I have become the queen of GoPro camera mounting issues.  Twice (thanks to my ninja-like reflexes!), I have saved my GoPro camera from meeting its demise on asphalt due to mounting issues.  Hopefully I now have the bugs worked out and will have some great photos to show for it!

Tomorrow, we will all roll towards Gettysburg where we will be joined by dozens of other Texas CVMA brothers and sisters as well as hundreds of members from around the country.  Looking forward to more riding and great company.

 

The Flying V...nuff said!

OK, for today's post title to make sense, you'll have to get all the way to the end.  Between the weather, hundreds of miles and enough eating to put us into a food coma yesterday, it was lights out pretty early for us last night.  Today started off at a leisurely pace...I didn't get out of my PJs until mid-morning!  Even on vacation, I can't shut off my internal alarm clock that seems to be permanently set between 4:00 and 5:00 a.m.  I come by morning alertness through genetics, not from the military though  as evidenced by my mom, dad and me all sitting out on the rockers on the back porch enjoying after-breakfast  coffee by 7:00 a.m.  One by one, the household bikers straggled outside with a cup of coffee and a biscuit in hand to join us.


I finally came in from the back porch and changed in time before the first family guests started to arrive.  The scene you see here in this photo of everyone hanging out in rockers visiting and hanging out played itself out all day.  Unfortunately, it rained on and off all day, so we were forced to stay under the carport and awning and move our chairs around the mist.

The original plan was for us to hang out until after lunch and then go on a swamp tour.  Fortunately, I was never able to get through to make us a reservation, so we watched the weather from the comfort of covered lounging instead of on an airboat on the bayous.  Jim's daughter, Jen, is spending the summer in New Orleans, so made the drive down to Houma to hang out with us for the day.  Perhaps the guests would say otherwise, but from the amount of animated conversation and laughter going on, I would say that a good day was had by all. 

Oh, and did I mention we ate our way through the day...again?!  As usual, my mom pulled off an amazing home cooked  meal for a small army including dessert.  Somehow, a watermelon got added to the mix and we ended up lining the side of the patio shielded from the rain, spitting watermelon seeds into the yard.  Sometimes, it's the simple things in life :-)

One of the things I miss most about living in my hometown is close proximity of family.  In the pic is my mom, my dad, Andy (my sister's son), Jenney (Andy's daughter) and Monica (my sister).  Four generations hanging out for the day.  But this is not an unusual day- these four generations live within 2 acres of each other.  I was reminded constantly throughout the day as family and friends showed up at random times to just sit and visit, how lucky I was to grow up surrounded by close and extended family.  And now Jenney will get the same experience.

After we relaxed and ate all we could stand, we headed "down da bayou" to see a few things that the out of towners missed by not taking the swamp tour.  It's so funny that when we tell someone that we live south of New Orleans, the standard response is usually "I didn't know there was anything south of New Orleans other than the Gulf!"  Not only are we south of New Orleans, we drove another 30 minutes south of Houma today. 

In south Louisiana, there are only 3 directions.... up da bayou (up from the Gulf of Mexico), down da bayou (down by the Gulf) and across the bayou (usually involves a bridge).  Today, we followed the flow of water down the bayou to where it empties into the Gulf.  Pretty much, the end of the earth...well, the end of Louisiana anyway.  The further you get down da bayou, the more creative folks have to get in order to live on land that Mother Nature is trying hard to reclaim.  One of the more precarious inventions are mobile homes up on stilts.  Yes, you've just minimized your risk of flooding, but I'm not sure how much more of a risk wind damage becomes.  I have no idea how long it takes for the floors in this arrangement to start caving!  I sure hope none of their houseguests get confused and try to exit through the back door.  Also, you might want to consider removing the wheels...I don't think you'll be making any speedy relocations from this current situation!

In the best example of ingenuity seen today, not only did these folks raise a trailer onto pilings, they connected three together!  Totally fascinated with this arrangement, we stopped so I could ask the owner if I could take a picture.  He looked amused that I would want a picture, but agreed and we introduced ourselves.  After I told him I'm originally from a nearby bayou, he told me the story of the "Flying V."  They had originally wanted to put two separate trailers up there, but were told that only single family dwellings were allowed (not dual).  So, in an effort to be in compliance with local regulations, they configured three mobile homes into a V shape, cut out the walls separating them, and made a single family dwelling.  Voila, they got their fishing camp and met regulatory mandates!

 

Unsurprisingly, our day ended with round two of the boiled shrimp and crabs from yesterday.  I don't think any of us can fit another single bite of anything into our bellies.  As we ate and visited our way through a rainy day, our bikes stayed nice and dry parked in my dad's boat shed.  As you can see, he removed his boat and allowed it to become the biker barn during our stay.  As we wind down our stay on the bayou, our bikes will remain nice and dry while we go down for a good night's sleep.  What a great trip home! 



Hitting the Road!

Sunrise on the road

I'll make no excuses nor offer any apologies for my lack of posts...I've been living life!  I will however, say that I still do enjoy blogging and am using my current cross-country trip as an excuse to get back into it. 













Myllisa, Jim, Vic and Andy getting oriented to Cajun-style seafood boil!

One of the biggest changes in my life since I've last posted is that I've been accepted into Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association (CVMA) Chapter 23-3.  I'll save the background on CVMA for a future post, but there's a core group of a dozen or so folks with whom I ride or participate in community events pretty much every weekend.  These bikers have become my CVMA family, so it's only fitting that a handful of them accompanied me on a pit-stop at my parents' house in Louisiana on our way to Gettysburg, PA.  More on that later!

We enjoyed  a mostly uneventful and dry ride for almost 500 miles until we encountered what I can only describe as a Louisiana squall about an hour from my parents' house.  I was riding lead when we spied the ominously dark blue horizon into which we were about to roll.  I pulled over to get a consensus.  The verdict:  we're close, let's push on!  In hindsight, I wish I would've snapped a pic of the clearly defined curtain of rain that we ran into like a solid wall, but I was so focused on staying on the road and leading us through a safe path that my GoPro stayed idle on the handlebars.  I've ridden tens of thousands of miles on motorized 2-wheels, so I'm not easily intimidated when I'm on  my bike.  But for the intense 10 minutes that it took us to get through the squall (and what we all swear was hail), my mind raced with potential reactions to all the "what if" scenarios popping into my head.  Obviously since I'm posting, everything turned out all right and just gave the first of what I'm sure is going to be a lifetime of stories to be recounted later from this trip.

It's just not a trip to my parents' house without boiled seafood. My dad boiled up some Louisiana blue-claw crabs and fresh, off the boat shrimp along with all the "fixins" for us.  Soooo delicious! There's always one non-seafood eater in every crowd, but my mom is the queen of entertaining and had some down home favorites on standby. 

As a testament to the unique way of life from which I hail, we walked across the yard to the neighbor's house to check out their latest find. It's not really a pet since it's only there temporarily, but it's quite the creature.  What you see in the pic is Andy putting his hand above (at a safe distance!) a 100+ pound alligator turtle.  It's easy to see why it's sometimes called a dinosaur turtle with it's crazy looking spiny shell and head.  According to National Geographic, this ugly carnivore is found almost exclusively in the southeastern US and can live to be 100 years old.  We didn't mess around with it enough to get it to open its mouth, but apparently it has a red string of flesh that hangs off its tongue that acts like a lure to attract unsuspecting frogs and fish. 

When the eating was done (and yes, I was the last one to push away from the table :-), we took a walk to dump the shrimp and crab peelings into the back bayou.  Usually, the scent of food scraps in the bayou will bring alligators to the spot, but none graced us with their presence this night.  We walked along the bayou side and skirted the swamp that my brother and I grew up playing in as we made our way back to the house for more eating!  Now, as an adult, I look at the bayou and swamp in amazement that we spent so much time in this environment as kids.  We had a pirogue (flat-bottomed, wooden Cajun boat) that we would paddle around and had a rope hanging from a tree that we'd fling ourselves into the snake and alligator infested bayou with.  Perhaps ignorance really is bliss because I can't seem to recall a single incidence of being harassed by wildlife during any of our childhood adventures.  Well, sometimes my brother would coax me precariously close to dangerous critters, but we almost made it home in one piece before the sun went down!

Our excellent day of riding and visiting with family was capped off with dessert while sitting around the back porch telling stories and enjoying the interaction of four generations.  This is my mom in the photo rocking her great-granddaughter to sleep.  I sure do enjoy being home on the bayou :-)

 

 

Catching up...the wedding!

Philip refereeing Andy & Ashley's wedding!

For the fifth weekend in a row, last weekend I got X-rayed by TSA and boarded an aircraft for locations beyond the TX state line.  This time it was a quick trip one state over, but I knew I had to be there.  My Godson, Andy, asked me to be present at his wedding to Ashley at my mom and dad's house.  How could I say "no"?!

This is a second marriage for both of them so the setting was much more relaxed and very much non-traditional.  Well, for south Louisiana, maybe not so non-traditional!  Andy and Ashley both love the Saints so they had sport-themed nuptials.  Although Andy's brother Philip did hold the whistle in his mouth during the ceremony, there were no flags on the play and the Justice of the Peace pulled off the union without delay :-)

Ashley, Andy and Bryley.

The wedding was small and limited to close friends and family, but the small size kept it meaningful and joyous.  Ashley's daughter Bryley dressed up like a cheerleader and wore herself out running around and celebrating.  As usual, my mom put in a ton of time and love to make sure everything was just right from the yard to the food.  She always downplays her role in these events, but Mom puts her heart and soul into accommodating her children and grandchildren.  As always, the decorations were great, the food delicious and her yard looked amazing.  I don't know how she does it!!

It was great getting to meet Ashley's family and getting to know the important people in her life.  I'm looking forward to many more celebrations that bring the two families together.

The groom's family.

I was only in Louisiana for about 24 hours, but each trip home is worth every minute I get to spend with my family.  I hope that Andy and  Ashley have many years of happiness together and that they tackle life's challenges together as a team.  Yes, that pun was intended!



Food and photography

Workshop location:  Dream Big beach house.

After only two full days in San Antonio, I got back on an airplane and headed east once again.  This time, I flew out to the Florida/Alabama Gulf Coast for a food photography workshop.  Don’t roll your eyes; you know your mouth waters whenever you see a great food picture in a magazine or online!  It may sound a bit geeky to some of you, but with as much as I enjoy food and telling stories, it was a natural progression.  I’ve always loved photography, and now that I’m shooting with a sophisticated camera again, I really wanted to learn how to produce photos that capture the way my mind experiences culinary adventures. 

Helene demonstrating styling and shooting!

During my convalescence from hip surgery about a year and a half ago, I had purchased a book titled Plate to Pixel by Helene Dujardin.  She is a professional food photographer who also maintains a cool foodblog.  As I followed her blog, I discovered that she taught food photography workshops several times a year.  Since I was right there in North Carolina, I signed up for one she was putting on in Charleston, SC.  Unfortunately, I ended up deploying the same weekend as the workshop, but Helene was kind enough to give me a rain check for the workshop this weekend. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This dessert tasted way better than it looks in my pic :-(

So, after more than a year of waiting for professional guidance, I finally participated in her workshop, which was conducted at a beach house on Gulf Shores, AL.  The seminar was co-taught with another professional food photographer/blogger named Clare Barboza.  Whereas Helene is a pastry chef turned food photographer, Clare’s background in art brings out more of the backstory of food instead of recipes.  Although their approaches to food and bringing its story to life are different, both seem to arrive with very similar accounts and philosophies.  The dynamic duo of these two talented women, coupled with the equally gifted culinary assistants of Laura and Libby, produced an informative and fun educational experience embedded in four days of great food and company! 

Antipasta shooting assignment.

There were a dozen attendees whose backgrounds included professional, as well as para-professional, photographers and bloggers,  restaurant owners, chefs and hobbiest.  Even with so much variation in experiences, Helene and Clare were able to address each of our talent levels and facilitate the transition of each individual into his/her next level of mastery.  They accomplished this through assisted assignments.  Having just gone through training on how to be an effective instructor, I appreciated the thoughtfulness and structure of the exercises.  The first two were on our own after a didactic overview of lighting, depth of field, composition and styling.  I struggled with the dessert assignment but seemed to find some vision for the anti pasta shoot.  Although the amount of food manhandling that occurred while we positioned the food for each shoot dissuaded group consumption most of the time, I was relieved to find that their food styling techniques weren’t overly artificial.  I’ve read accounts of photographed foods being primped with hairspray, paint, fake parts and other non edible means which strikes me as dishonest.  I'm inevitably disappointed when food I buy or am served in a restaurant doesn’t look like its advertisement pictures.  Instead of food trying to look like its marketing pictures, I prefer for my pictures to be a real, albeit somewhat refined, representation of the food it depicts; Helene and Clare showed me the way!  Of course, I’m not trying to make a living off my photos or the foods in them, so I have the luxury of my altruistic view! 

Bread company assignment.

After the individual assignments, we were paired with another attendee for the next two shoots.  For the first, I was the photographer and my partner, Sharon, was the food stylist.  Our guidance was “product shoot, bread company, rustic French kitchen.” 

 

Not contemporary, but it is light and airy!

For the second shoot, I was the stylist and Sharon was the photographer.  Our direction was “editorial spread, healthy eating, light airy and contemporary.”  Although I struggled as a stylist, Sharon and I collaborated to a successful final product.  Both she and I tend to gravitate towards rustic more than contemporary, so we shot a few in that style as well, as depicted in the accompanying photo. 

Ugly can challenge....budget Italian wedding soup.

The final photo shoot of the workshop was the “ugly can challenge.”  We had to each choose one of over a dozen budget, canned soups lined up on the counter and present a photo that could be used by the manufacturer in a marketing ad.  My challenge was a can of Italian wedding soup.  I’ll let you decide if I met the challenge or not…. 

Gulf Shores, AL beach.

Overall, I spent a satisfying four days on the Gulf Coast.  The weather was cooperative, the company animated, the instruction exemplary, and the food decadent.  Even though I don’t earn an income off my culinary reproductions, I felt like my time was well-spent and my experience-repertoire enhanced by the trip J    

 

Just to prove that I'm not alone in my food and photography fascination, here are links to the websites of other participants...

Nancy, Janice, Paola, Jerry, Gale, Marilyn, and Tiffany.  Enjoy!

 

 

East Coast

Karla & Jim on USS Wasp

Both professional and personal commitments took me out east for the last week.  I flew out to VA for a conference that I've attended annually for the last several years.  This year, the location changed from Las Vegas to Norfolk, and the purpose went from being critical to the performance of my job to being a self-funded continuing education opportunity.  I have earned and maintained several certifications over time that enable me to stay informed, current and connected in the overlapping fields of nutrition and human performance.  Maintaining certifications in these two fields however, is both time-consuming and expensive.  So although the conference wasn't at a resort in Vegas this year, the fact that it was in Norfolk persuaded me that it was worth the effort since I could combine it with a visit to Jim & Karla's!

I arrived the weekend prior to the conference to spend some quality time with Jim & Karla.  Jim had duty on the ship one day, so Karla and I brought him lunch to eat with him on the USS Wasp.  After lunch, he gave us a tour and explained his role onboard.  Having been an aviation sailor, and a land-based one at that, I had never been on an active Navy ship.  I found the environment and facilities fascinating, but I'm still thankful that my brown shoe Navy service didn't include ship time.  Don't get me wrong, I love the water and have no problem living in austere environments, but I don't think having such little personal space for such long periods of time would be that much fun.

Karen, Robyn and Jon.

The conference itself was informative and nostalgic.  Although my new position still involves performance, the focus and environment is quite different.  It was great to catch up with numerous colleagues and friends from my time with the THOR3 program as well as from the US Olympic Committee.  It really is amazing how small and intertwined the human performance community is.  The presentations and interactions rekindled a spark in me for educating and facilitating passion for performance in others.  The combination of quality time spent with Jim and Karla, Rob & Barb and a satisfying conference certainly made the time, effort and money invested worthwhile.

Jess and Dano.

The cherry on top of this great week was that it coincided with Jess's baby shower.  Yes, I know what you're thinking...Karen...baby shower?!  I'll admit I do have a bit of an aversion to showers of any type, but I knew that with Christi hosting, there was no way the shower would be traditional.  I was not disappointed!  I drove a rental car from Norfolk to Fayetteville where I got to hang out with Christi the night before the shower.  Although the weekend was filled with the all-day BBQ/shower at Jess and Dano's, I still managed to catch up with my Airborne buddy, Bridget, and her husband Will.  It never ceases to amaze me how flexible my military friends are.  After finding out at 9:00 pm that I was in town for such a short period of time, she invited me over for breakfast with her and Will at 9:00 am the next morning.  Now that's a good friend!  It was a short visit, but enough time for us to get caught up.

Christi, Jess and Karen

As for the shower, you know it's not going to be a traditional party of games and etiquette when a keg of beer and wine table is involved!  Similar to Whit and Kathie's baby shower years ago, it was an outdoor event for both adults and kids celebrating the impending arrival of another Ranger into this world.  With the distinguished careers and characters of both Jess and Dano, we will now forever refer to them as hero-makers :-)

It seems that every important event I wanted to attend in 2013 is inconveniently bunched into April and May.  I tried to triage them and figure out if there were any I could cut out to facilitate an easier transition into my new job.  Ultimately, I decided that they all bring value to my life, either professionally or personally (and in some cases both), so I will continue to juggle them with my new responsibilities and make it work.  The type A personality in me is cringing, but the little bubble on my interior level is floating with glee that I'm participating in these events that help bring balance to my life.

CDR Robinson.... Honor and Respect

Family entrance.  Photo by Maile Geis.

Where do I even start with this story? 

Perhaps at the beginning.  1994.  AT2 Daigle lived in one of the nicest apartment buildings in Fuenta Bravia, a little town just out the back gate of NAS Rota, Spain.  I was an E-5 in the Navy drawing flight pay, and due to frequent deployments involving flights over Bosnia, collecting hazardous duty pay and tax-free status.  Because of all this "extra" income, I was able to afford an expensive, sweet apartment right on the beach.  Most of the other occupants of the building were either summering Spaniards or Navy officers.

Whit receiving Seebee plague.  Photo by Maile Geis.

Enter one of the apartment complex tenants:   LT Whit Robinson.  From the moment we met, we were like brother and sister.  For those of you who think men and women can't possibly be "just friends", I have proof of several such relationships in my life.  I truly feel sorry for you if you've never had a platonic best friend of the opposite sex, because my relationships with Jim, Rob, Dave, Whit and a few others, are some of the most rewarding relationships of my life.  Because of Whit, I became not just a better NCO (non-commissioned officer) but a better person in general.  So many philosophical talks, adventures and shenanigans... 

And so, 19 years later, I found myself flying out to San Diego to attend his military retirement.  Because I'm in a training course that allows absolutely NO absences, I informed Whit a few weeks ago that I would not be able to attend. The universe conspired however, and I was able to miss a day of training to fly out West for the big event.  Kathie and I kept it a secret and surprised the crap out of him!

Whit presenting flag to Kathie.  Photo by Maile Geis

 Rewind to May of 2001.  I was a civilian and graduating with my undergraduate from LSU.  Second to enlisting in the Navy, earning a college degree was one of the most significant events in my life.  It was at this momentous occasion, surrounded by the best of friends and family, Whit brought a date; the love of his life.  And so it was, at my undergraduate graduation, I met Kathie.  I don't think Whit could've ever envisioned the friendship that Kathie and I would forge over the years.  We instantly hit it off, and from that day forward, have relentlessly ganged up on Whit!

As relayed by one of the guest speakers at Whit's retirement ceremony, Kathy has saved Whit from many a falling anvil (think of Wile E. Coyote in the Road Runner cartoon).  Kathie has been the perfect anchor to Whit's magnificently creative brain.  I can't imagine a better pairing.



Post ceremony flash mob!  Photo by Maile Geis

One of the things I love about the military, and particularly about the Navy, are the customs and traditions that ground us to a profession of arms.  I have known many people who just like to fade away once their 20+ years of military service is complete.  But to them, I counter that fading away is disrespecting the Service.  The coming together for a retirement is really a show of respect to the military and all those who have come before you.  Yes, it gives a sense of closure and "moving on" for the family, but ultimately, participating in the pomp and circumstance is a show of respect and a display of honor to the profession of selfless service.  I am not melodramatic.  I do not use the phrase "selfless service" flippantly.  Whit and Kathie both sacrificed during Whit's military service, particularly during his year in Afghanistan.  The dangers were very real; the sacrifices made for each other during that time were as real as it gets. 

Whit and Karen, numerous years and ranks later!  Photo by Maile Geis.

 CDR King, LCDR Bartlett and CAPT Medved captured the essence of Whit through their guest speeches.  With what I guestimate was 100+ people in attendance at the ceremony, it was so cool to hear different sections chuckle while different stories were told by the guest speakers.  Each one, in turn, successfully relayed the shenanigans, and leadership, of Whit during different times in his career.  Whit was a significant factor to me going to college.  Not only did he encourage my pursuit of education, he was the one with whom I raised my right hand so he could commission me into the US Army.  Oh, and did I mention there was a flash mob at the end of the ceremony to the song "Do the Hustle"!!!  

And so it was that I found myself in full ASUs (Army Service Uniform) on a chilly San Diego day, choking back tears as the US flag was respectfully passed from one Naval Officer to another, under music and oratory, to the awaiting hands of Whit; which he promptly transferred to the hands of the mother of his children. 

Anticipating Texas....Photo by Maile Geis.

Once the official duties were done, we retreated to Whit & Kathie's party yard for the after-hours party!  Whit's post-retirement job will bring him and the family to Houston, TX!!  Finally, we'll all live in the same state again!  Great food, adult beverages, and eclectic company provided for a memorable evening of celebrating Whit into the civilian world. 

Whit showing us construction site.

Before the weekend would end, we persuaded Whit to take a few of us on a tour of the Camp Pendelton Hospital Replacement Project.  Whit has been heading up this $450 million project for the last 3 years.  Impressive just doesn't capture the scope.  An impeccable safety record, fiscally responsible and ahead of schedule, this project is an appropriate ending to Whit's stellar career.

So with great joy and respect, I wish Whit, Kathie, Cal and Naomi a successful transition into the civilian sector and the next chapter in their lives.  I have no doubt they'll be just as successful in their new adventures as they have been in the past!

Congratulations Whit & Kathie! 

Oh, and kudos to Maile Geis for the great pictures of the day!  Please visit her website at www.mailegeisphotography.com to see her impressive portfolio of subjects in the San Diego area.