Saturday, August 30, 2008

Last weekend we made it down to Rainier NP. Big thanks to Owen for setting us up with an awesome tent set-up. It was the best I've slept in quite a while.

This picture captures an increasingly rare sighting: blue sky. I just noticed there is a mountain blocking the view.




The trail was steep! I have Sherpas for that. Actually Ryan is one person I have gotten out and done the most with. I love getting out on the trails more than I ever did and so THANK YOU for giving a hand!

Along the way we inspired a little Japanese Grandma we met on the table. She broke the language barrier by grabbing our hands, passionately wishing us each "Good Ruck! Good Ruck!"




My two favorite girls where there....



Monday, August 11, 2008

I've got bags of mountain gear that aren't getting much use these days. Fortunately, I know a Rescue Ranger that I trust will put it to good use...


Got to meet this little guy too...

Looking forward to posting some pictures of Avery, Ethan and co. in Dubai soon!

Monday, August 04, 2008

Two in a row from the Johnson's...someone shuffle the deck!

We call this installment "60 seconds with Cai"

Sunday, July 27, 2008

This doesn't have much to do with anything, but I like it. There's something about jumping from space at the speed of sound that touches a chord...






and speaking of random...check out Matt Johnson in his yellow shorts. Far out man, like wow.

Tuesday, June 17, 2008



"Yes, I have seen 'Murderball'.

No, I don't play 'Quad-Rugby'.

Nor, do I care to. "


Monday, June 09, 2008

Here we have the beginnings of a professional bamboo install starring MJ as beast of burden, the linebacker of labor. Gotta hand it to him, he didn't complain quite as much as I thought he would.

30" deep x 20' x 2', perfectly squared, lined with barrier and back-filled with composted soil.



Cai's like,
"A muddy hole in the ground!!! You guys ruin everything!!!"


Don't worry little buddy, we'll wrap it up tomorrow -it's going to look awesome. One day it'll be a contained 20+ tall grove of bamboo with bright yellow, green striped 2" poles. The leaves will rustle in the wind, just look how it turned out!

"Yeah! Sweet! Bamboo!"

Monday, June 02, 2008

Got out on the water again yesterday - thanks as always Nathan for picking up the kayaks and making that happen. We paddled an extra couple miles and I'm feeling it today. I fight hard and concentrate on keeping my body straight, my shoulder blade down, my wrist steady... everything is an exercise. The searing "knife-in-the-gut" pain tells me my right abs are activating and I've retrained my brain that its a good feeling! This time there was a lot of boat traffic on the water, a small ship passed by throwing a head high wake. Nathan's even mellower than I am, I'm looking at him like "Oh sh*t!" and he's, in his quiet mellow voice "Just paddle, paddle right on through it...."

I started seeing a chiropractor who specializes in neurological matters. So far, I'm on a new regimen of nerve boosting supplements including B-12 injections. By now I have a pretty good idea of my rate of recovery and will be able to tell in a couple months how it's helping me. Wednesday will be the first time I really work with him, I'll keep it updated.

Almost 2 years after breaking my neck, I continue to work harder than ever for function and recovery. Over the past few weeks my hamstrings have started to flicker and fire, the left one stronger than the right. By now, physical life is a conscious exercise. Every movement self-scrutinized - am I:

sitting straight/shoulder level//over compensating/keep that side squeezed!/elongate obliques/pull with the lower back/scapula flexed/forearm contracted/fingers stretched/counter-twist torso/hips set/flexors/extensors/ think - try and move a leg/crunch the abs/on and on all day long!

This is by now a part of life. It's a sub-conscious habit and drive that is slowly but surely paying off. I'm humbled at the scope of this injury, it leads into so many topics that I don't even know where to start.

You kind of reach a point where you say "I can accept this, I can accept this condition, what's happened to me, this new life. But not forever, this is not my future. In fact my nerves are reconnecting, growing and healing. I can accept but not settle."

The motivation and drive to believe and keep trying, to not only survive but grow stronger as a person, really - to be honest -, comes pretty easily because of the people I am surrounded with. Kinnavey and all my family, to that I have only close friends that are my family too. Life in spite of itself is rich and largely a matter of perspective and perception.