Truer Words - A Journal

Mystic River on a March Evening

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 15 Mar 2008 19:11:06 GMT

Lauren and I drove down to the Mystic River for some reason... i don't even rememeber why we were there, now. I had my camera with me (surprise!), and loved the light, so I took some shots. They're a little dark, but I like how they came out. The river was smooth but not quite glassy. The sun was setting behind us, but it lit up the clouds over the river.

Would love to know which one(s) you think are best. Leave comments on the photos, or post something here, please.

Because of Firefox's unfortunate color-space issues, the pictures will look best in Safari or Internet Explorer. They're already dark (intentionally), but they're practically black in Firefox.

Westerly Summer Solstice Festival

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 22 Jun 2007 12:54:35 GMT

Last night, Corinne and I brought Lauren to the Westerly Summer Solstice Festival. She's three and a half months old and has no clue what all the stuff is, but we figured it would be fun anyway. :-) We were right, but mainly because we met Ellyn, Katie, Tom and Gramma there.

The highlights of the festival included the best smile picture of Lauren (so far) as seen here; a really tasty sausage and peppers grinder; the rock wall that Tom couldn't climb often enough; the beautifully restored, antique fire truck owned by the Westerly Fire Department, and the local karate school's street show.

I took lots of pictures, so go peruse.

Ride #14: A Fine Early Spring Day

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 10 Apr 2007 18:28:10 GMT

What a beautiful day for a bike ride!

It was a little chilly (43° F, 6° C), and slightly breezy, but clear and sunny and I was able to work up a good sweat.

I've taken to carrying a small camera with me on all of my rides. So besides the incessant stats that have come with every ride report, I'm going to post a picture with some of them, too. Including this one of the Pawcatuck River, about half way through my ride. (If you're on the mailing list, you may have to go to the web page to see it.)

There's a hidden motive for posting the photos: I'm going to try to convince Steve (and Mike and/or Paul) to come down here for a ride in May again, like he and Mike did two years ago. I know Steve likes the scenery down here, so the idea is that the pictures will do most of the persuading, and I'll just have to ask.

I'm six months behind on updating my stats, but I've been faithfully recording them on paper so eventually they'll all be up to date. For now, there is no "2007" section in the cycling area of this site.

Which reminds me that I need to get the ball rolling on the PMC fundraising. Donors!? The old PMC page still has the right link, even if the page only talks about the . I've raised $500 so far this year (thank you, Mr. You-Know-Who-You-Are), the goal is $6601.

Stats: 43.72 miles (70.38 km) in 2h 27' 25" for an average speed of 17.79 mph (28.64 kph).

Yes, that's slow. It's also very early in the season! (Oh, and I'm not 100% positive about the ride number. It may be ride 13, I'm not sure yet.)

Manchurian "Miss Kim" Lilacs IV - June, 2005

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 01:11:11 GMT

My Manchurian "Miss Kim" Lilacs put on quite a show this year.

Best ever, in fact.

When a Tree Falls, Part Two

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 18 May 2005 22:18:29 GMT

Last July, a large tree fell in the woods at the edge of our property. Quite loudly, in fact.

Last night, on the opposite side of the property, another one fell. This one was right outside the bedroom window, and it was really, really loud!

I assumed it was done by vines, the bittersweet and wild grape that so plague this area, as their first sneak attack of the season after a long Winter's truce. We're at war, and all night I plotted my own first strike. After all, I have a reputation to uphold.

Now I know better. It wasn't vines, it was an old, dead, very large tree that had finally rotted enough at the base to break and fall. It took everything out on its way down. This includes ripping an oak tree almost in half from top to bottom.

I've uploaded some photos with comments to my flickr area, showing the damage.

Ride #78: Tri-State Seacoast Century with Steve, Jason, and Steve

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 27 Sep 2004 12:31:38 GMT

September 25, 2004

(There's a photo album for this ride. You can also click any of the pictures on this page for larger versions with descriptions.)

I set the alarm for 3:30 AM, and actually managed to drag myself into the shower when it went off. (Man it's hard to get up that early, even for a ride I've been excited about for weeks.) The car had my gear and my bike on it by 4:05, and (after a couple quick kisses with my mostly-sleeping wife) then I was on the road. The plan was to meet at the parking lot of Foxboro Furniture at 5:30.

Photo: Steve, Seth, Steve and Jason

Steve Davis, Steve Harper, and Jason Cicero arrived in Davis's car at exactly the same time I did (5:33 AM). A few minutes later my bike was moved to the rack on the back of his car, my gear was stowed in his trunk, and we were gone again. It's another ninety minutes from there to Hampton Beach for the start of the ride.

We waited in line for twenty minutes to register/sign-in, but once we reached the front of the line it only took ten seconds. The lines (queues) were alphabetical, different lines for different last initials. I joked that next year I would have to register as Don Quixote so I wouldn't have to wait in line at all. :-) (OK, that wouldn't really work because the lines were A-E, F-J, etc.)

When we were ready to leave, I couldn't find...

Continued...

Great Shot of Start of PMC

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 18 Aug 2004 19:19:01 GMT

Wow, here's an excellent photo of the start of the PMC. That's almost good enough for a non-participant to understand what it's like, and for our sponsors to really get a sense of the magnitude of this event.

Keep in mind that the group is way bigger than what can actually be seen in that picture, and that the group starting at this location is only about 3/5 of the riders (there's another starting location for a shorter ride).

Sunday Morning, PMC Stage 2, Bourne to Provincetown Inn

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 08 Aug 2004 14:09:46 GMT

It's Like an Insomniac Convention

No matter how good you felt on Saturday -- and I felt great -- 112 miles on the bike will wear you out, and a good night's sleep ends up very high on the agenda. That's why having to get up at 3:45 Sunday morning feels so incredibly WRONG!

But get up we did, and Corinne once again drove me to where I needed to be, from our hotel in Plymouth to the MMA in Bourne, and then drove herself back to the hotel for some more sleep. She dropped me off at about 4:45.

I deposited my bag in the truck...

Continued...

Sunday Afternoon, PMC Family Finish, The Long Trip Home

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 08 Aug 2004 17:13:04 GMT

After having our bracelets scanned on arrival, Jim and I walked our bikes up to the walkway where the Scariest Sight Ever was found last year. This year there were no such horrors. In fact, we were so early that we both got decent spots for our bikes on the walkway itself. Jim counted forty bikes against the rail ahead of us, and there were still plenty of open spaces...

Continued...

Saturday Morning, PMC Stage 1, Sturbridge to Mass Maritime Academy

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 07 Aug 2004 10:02:11 GMT

Since sleep was eluding me anyway, I was up a couple minutes before the wake up call at 4:30. Corinne answered it, and then immediately went back to sleep (or she tried, anyway). After showering and dressing, I put as much stuff back in the car as I could so that she wouldn't have to lug so much when she checked out, packed a small over-night bag with my camera and some clothes for after the ride, threw the bag over my shoulder and then rode my bike to the Host, arriving at about 5:15 AM.

Like last year, the entire parking lot was split up by ropes, dividing the riders into groups by approximate speed. ..

Continued...

PMC Saturday Afternoon, Mass Maritime Academy

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 07 Aug 2004 15:27:01 GMT

After check-in, I parked my bike in the lockup, in section A3. There were 150-200 bikes there already, but that's nothing compared to how many would be there by the end of the day! Then, at Steve's prompting, I went straight to the massage tent to sign up. They scheduled me for 3:00 on table 8 (out of 60 something massage tables!), so I had a couple hours to kill.

From there, I found Steve and and Jim again...

Continued...

Finally, a Picture of Steve at the PMC

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 15 Dec 2003 11:47:36 GMT

I finally ended up looking at most of the pictures in the PMC photo album, but I never did find a picture of Steve Davis. But, it turns out that was because I thought his helmet was all white, and that's what I was looking for as I scanned the thumbnails.

By Saturday night, I had decided that he was just too darn fast for the cameras. ;-)

Steve saw my comment about not being able to find him, and told me where to look. So...

Steve Davis, in perfect focus and yet very fuzzy at the same time! It's a conundrum, I tell you.

(This pic from the Barnstable SAG stop (waterstop) on the second day.)

Me, Bonking in the PMC (Photo Album)

seth@macrobyte.net — Sat, 13 Dec 2003 15:59:25 GMT

I've looked at most of the pictures now, and found five or six with me, and another fifteen or twenty with people I know or at least remember.

Here's what is probably the last picture I'll find with me in it. I'm at the very back of the crowd.

This was the worst part of the weekend, for me. You can't really tell from this picture, but we're heading up a really, really steep hill to a water stop at the top. That's the stop where I was completely bonked, and had to wait forty five minutes for my bike to be worked on.

19 miles to the finsh from this point. A really long 19 miles.

Oh man, I can't wait for next year!

More Manchurian 'Miss Kim' Lilac Pictures

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 29 Jun 2003 20:41:38 GMT

The incessant spring rains were obviously very good for my lilacs, they were fantastic this year.

For a few years I've been trying to take a picture that fools you into thinking you can smell them -- remember that I only get a couple days each year to try -- and I think I've finally done it. You need to know what they smell like already, of course (my photography's not that good!), but if you do then check out the largest version of the last picture on my latest page of manchurian lilac pictures.

My Best Writing, My Worst Days

seth@macrobyte.net — Thu, 22 May 2003 11:01:55 GMT

Why is my best writing always about death?

Depressing thought, huh? Years later, my 'eulogies' to Roy and Dave can still jerk a tear out of some of my friends who knew them, and I think the one about Wixie is just as good.

Yes, writing from pain is a well documented form of inspiration. It still bothers me that those are the three pieces I remember best.

(On the other hand, based on the number of hits certain pages get, the guests to this site only care about Japanese Red Maples, Manchurian "Miss Kim" Lilacs, and my sister's Wedding Rehearsal Dinner... none of which have anything to do with my writing, and everything to do with my photos.)

That's a Scenic Road?

seth@macrobyte.net — Sun, 13 Apr 2003 15:55:43 GMT

Go to Google's image search and look for pictures of a scenic road

It's funny that the very first shot is of the backside of my friend Jim Boyko, when we rode in the Tri-State Seacoast Century last year.

Searches for "scenic road" have overtaken everything else as the number one reason that people find my site, so thousands of people have seen that picture of Jim's better side. ;-)

Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia, SC (1999)

seth@macrobyte.net — Tue, 04 Feb 2003 22:15:27 GMT

In 1999, Corinne and I took a week vacation "South," part of which was spent in Augusta, GA visiting with Jed when he worked at the Augusta National. The three of us drove up to the Riverbanks Zoo in Columbia, SC, which is where these pictures were shot. (I'm very happy with a few of these.)

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13 Inch New Hampshire Snowstorm

seth@macrobyte.net — Fri, 27 Dec 2002 10:45:14 GMT

Eric and Bonny went to NH this week with their kids (and Frank, Bonnie, and Bethany Locke), and were buried under thirteen inches of snow after Wednesday's storm. We didn't get much of anything here along the coast (maybe two inches), so go check out their pictures.

SCC Pictures

seth@macrobyte.net — Mon, 23 Sep 2002 19:09:39 GMT

Steve Davis brought his camera to the SCC this weekend, and today he sent thirty-three pictures to be posted here on [tw]. All great shots, except for a couple of the guy dressed in too much black, scrunched up on his little bike. :-)

Steve threw in at least one bit of humor. There's a picture of a tired and sweaty Seth walking out of the ocean after the ride. What did he name this picture? "Post Ride Dip". I guess that was deserved, after my "butt-slapping" comments!

We Thought 'twas Spring!

seth@macrobyte.net — Wed, 27 Feb 2002 14:06:16 GMT

We thought it was Spring! Yesterday it was almost 60 degrees, and sunny. It was warn and sunny this morning, too... like most of this Winter has been.

This pictures shows what I see outside my window right now (and it's been coming down heavier than that for another 45 minutes).

Corinne's working today in Norwich. I don't know anyone who hates driving in snow as much as she does, so I'm sure she's not happy about this. My mom, on the other hand, is just happy that her Snow Dance still works!