Photos, travels, good food, cooking, meandering, birds, and oh yeah, a bike.
Shawn Kielty Photography. All images and content are Copyright © 1982-2015, Shawn Kielty with all rights reserved, unless noted otherwise.
Saturday, September 1, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
I Could ...
Saturday, August 18, 2007
John Francis Kielty
As a Sailor in the Navy, he was part of the illustrious Task Force 16, also known as the Doolittle Raiders. They were the pilots, and seamen responsible for the first attack on the mainland of Japan just four months after Pearl Harbor. He was sunk on the Hornet (CV-8) at the Battle of the Santa Cruz Islands, he was at Iwo Jima on the Hancock, which lost two hundred men in a single kamakazi attack. He was a plankholder on the Lexington (I am sitting here looking at a piece of the floor of that boat). He was at the Marianas Turkey Shoot, he sailed into Tokyo at the end of WW2. I think he was in every major battle in the Pacific in World War II. He also served in the Korean War.
He taught electronics for the Navy in Monterey in the 50's. He was the only TV repairmen I ever knew whose TV never worked. He was a Little League coach, and president of the local Little League. (I thought) He invented T-Ball. He was an Indian Guide Leader. He taught Hunter Safety courses. He sold Amway. We hiked in the wilderness. He ran the Bay to Breakers (a 7 mile run across SF). He taught us all to revere the world -- but especially nature. He lived, we lived, he taught us to be proud. He taught us to work hard, and so did he. He was alive, and so were we. He was a good citizen.
He hit a hole-in-one.
He could be kind, and stubborn all at the same time, and often quite funny. He knocked out the chief of police of a neighboring community at my brother's wedding. Twice. He used to joke about us all meeting over at the (horse) race track bathroom to send his ashes out to sea by flushing them down the toilet. Endless stories will be told to recount the wit and humor of this man.
He is survived by his wife Ethel, children Jacqueline, Kevin and Shawn, grandchildren John, Dana, Molly, Danielle, Heidi, and William, and great-grand child Nicole, and his sister Mary Jane Flynn of Wausau, WI.
There will be the fifteen of us casting his ashes a sea -- On the following day there will be an open house at the Kielty home, starting at 1:00.
If you want to make a donation on his behalf; St. Judes would be a good choice.
In my life there's just a big hole where my father used to be.
Friday, August 3, 2007
Did You Bring the Flashlight, Pop?
Today as I helped a nurse lift him free of his chafing bonds, I realized just how far I was from the day we got lost in the Mokelumne Wilderness (then just a wayward forest) right at dusk, or the day I limited in pheasants -- or shot two Canadian geese at dusk while his father watched us from a great distance. My grandfather later asked my father if he had shot those birds, and my father quietly pointed at me, an unspoken acknowledgement that I had reached a certain level of savvy mad voodoo skills. A lineage of male "hunter" and outdoor skills, passed from father to son, over generations, rewarding Indian Guides, Cub Scouts, Eagle Scouts, Fisherman, Woodsmen, Hunters, Rivermen, Boatmen, men, with the art of survival. Survival in a seemingly male way. A simple box of hand-tied flies passed down to a grandson ... a goose call gift in a car driving in the middle of the night, hours making decoys from paper in the garage, starting a fire, freezing you asses off. Hiking 50 miles in three days with a crazy dog eating road apples. Serious survival.
Today, I was at the hospital, and really just trying to find a wheelchair to roll my mother down to the car. I walked up to someone sitting at a computer and asked where to find a wheelchair.
"I actually can't help you with that, I am the chaplain."
"That's a pretty good job if you can get it, if you're here, I mean." Flirting with her a little.
"Yeah, especially if you do what I do." She flirts with me. "Go down there and ask ..." Pointing.
I hope she's there tomorrow.
"Forgive me father for I have sinned," a rush of condemnation slams me from my childhood and adulthood. I have done so many things wrong, how will I ever get these few things right. You are now free to feel guilty. I hope she's there tomorrow.
It is a strange day and we are in an 11 foot boat in a large open stretch of delta with 5' tall rolling waves and we are at three-quarters and going with the waves. The boat is rocking hard and my brother and I are laughing, and the man at the helm is looking across at me and saying something like "Knock it off," while meaning "Tighten up the straps on you life jacket and hold on, this is not a good time for laughing."
Fair winds and following seas, my old friend. I hope you are reaching up to greet the angels.
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Puget Sound
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
My Vacation Options
Several opportunites appear.
1) Here a tentative itinerary:
Wed., Oct. 3
Start at Wire Pass trailhead, UT (Map.)
Hike 12.5 mi (20.8 km)
Camp at Buckskin Gulch campsite, additional campsites 1.5 mi and 2.5 mi further (1 mi and 2 mi after confluence of Buckskin Gulch and Paria River)
Thu., Oct. 4
Hike 7.5 mi (12.5 km) to Whitehouse trailhead
Drive 300 mi, approx. 5h40m to Needes, Canyonlands National Park, UT (Map.). We must get here before 4:30 pm to pickup permit or wait the next day until 9:00 am when the visitor center opens
Camp at Squaw Flat Campground
Fri., Oct. 5
Hike 7.5 mi (12.5 km) to Chesler Park campsite (http://www.nps.gov/cany/planyourvisit/upload/needles.pdf)
After setup of camp, day hike around Chesler Park 7 mi (11.5 km)
Sat., Oct. 6
Hike 1.5 mi (2.5 km) to Elephant Canyon
Leave packs, hike 4 mi (6.7 km) to Druid Arch (in and out)
Hike 6 mi (10 km) to Squaw Flat Campground via Squaw Canyon
End of official trip
2) August 14-18 Shawn's Birthday Puget Sound photo workshop.
3) Owens Valley Photo Workshop in October. It is planned as the Owens Valley / Kick Matt's (Blaize) butt out of California Workshop. Maybe someday I'll explain that, I'd be happy if he would finally stop teasing me about that waitress I
4) I want to go deer hunting.
Does anyone else wonder if the first trip seems kinda hard. Does the Buckskin Gulch part of the trip actually have a 30 foot rope assisted drop in it?
Trail: There is no trail for this hike, but the route is easy to follow. You will be walking along the bottoms of two narrow desert canyons. Occasionally there are deep pools of water in the canyon narrows, so be prepared with an air mattress or some other means of floating your backpacks across. You will also need a 30-foot length of rope to help you get down a rockfall near the end of Buckskin Gulch.
I know my friend is aware of this. It means dry bags and perhaps climbing gear, and extra water. Although I have the gear (harness and rope and whatnot), I need training. plus what -- you have to get out of the canyon and it's 12 miles long. At a very aggressive pace it's at least 4 hours in a slot canyon in October.
I've already committed -- God forbid anyone of my friends should have any real excitement without me. I will go -- they are getting permits on my behalf as we speak. I am sharpening my nerves and my crazy mad skillz. Perhaps the elder brother will teach me a bit more about the ropes.
So that's a 5k route plucked off the map right near my home. Before breakfast tomorrow. 3 times a week. till I can do more. I need to be able to keep the pace with the happy hiking guy. There will be risks. If it's tough going we need to beat a mile and one half per hour pace. I'll need a few extra pounds and the ability to pull myself up. I'll have a minimum of food -- but should try to get an ultralight sleeping bag. I'll want to wear lighter shoes -- so I need to work out in those.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Lessons in Grace ...
In The Charcoal Cathedral
4 days in the charred remains of an ancient wilderness. 26 miles on foot. 2 Black Bears, one Bald Eagle, 3 Mule Deer, a Western Tanager, the sound of an Owl. One river, three springs, two dogs, two friends. I think I might have heard the sound of a Woodpecker. 4 days in the charred remains of an ancient wilderness.
Humility sanctified. Lessons in grace.
There was hope. The trip was defined simply enough. Hike from Chinaman Hat to the Illinois River at Collier Bar via the 1161 (or 2) and 1174 trails in the Kalmiopsis wilderness. By way of Bald Mountain Spring, Polar Spring, and the spring at the Pup's Camp. Around 13 miles each way.
The trail was rough and hard at the beginning and end, with a 3000 ft. descent from Bald Mountain into the Illinois River canyon representing the most formidible feature. It was a difficult and challenging hike. The first day we hiked to Bald Mountain Spring and then to Polar Spring and broke off to make camp at the Pup's Camp, totalling 9 miles or so for the day. The climb from our parking spot to Bald Mountain spring barely served to warm us (my friend Jim and I, the dogs Josie and Lily) up, and as the day progressed it seemed clear that our pace was not going to bring us to the IllinoisRiver by the end of the day. We shot photos and videos and looked for cougar (0), or as the local teen trail cleaner girls called them, "Screamers," which was followed with a bit of giggling. And bears (2), or Elk (0) or Deer (3). We lally-gagged at the springs, drinking deeply, and growing used to the wilderness. Jet fighters flew through a cloudy sky to help minimize the culture shock.
We fought our way down the trail. There was a lot of debris, since the forest was burned to a crisp in the 2002 Biscuit fire. Some areas were also burned in the 1987 Silver Complex Fire. There were many fallen trees and branches blocking the trail. Sometimes it is so much easier to walk around and step over the obstacles. It appeared the no one had been down the trail since last summer. We were alone. There was very little life and no bird song. It was ominous and severely quiet.
Charred giants. Entire hilltops rendered treeless. Sticks remaining. Large sticks. A forest destroyed, charred beyond comprehension. I was there in 2003 or 2004, and although the carnage was obvious, I just saw the edge of it. The Biscuit fire was the largest fire in Oregon's history. That forest was torched, totalled.
It is still inherently beautiful.
There is no way to describe in words or pictures the awesome power whose force is evident before me. And how insanely gorgeous I found this forest to be.
Part of the reason for stopping at the Pup's Camp was my concern about my knee and going downhill. We spent the night there and in the morning we hiked the 4 miles and 2000 ft down into the steep Illinois River Canyon and set up camp. This was a bit hard on my knee. But not as bad as the poison oak. I have poison oak. I got it 3 or four different times on this trip. The trail was overgrown with Poison Oak. The Elder Brother says that "it used to be called the poison oak forest ... ." Jim insisted that I eat tablespoons of Certa™ and I put Gold Bond™ cream on it. It disappeared. Like a badge of honor that vanished. I swam and bathed in the Illinois River. We hardly moved from the camp at Collier Bar until Monday when we packed up and bailed out with a bit less than a days food left, to hike the 13 miles out. We did discover this hornet's nest hanging in a tree almost in camp.
Oh -- The mushroom girl might enjoy this.
Lily at the first bath in the Illinois River.
Jim the videographer.
Josephine in the river cooling down.
On the way back down the trail we met a party of 12 of Oregon's youth clearing the trail. Their leader told us that while we were out the fire level had risen to 2, meaning no open campfires, and that they were to spend a week clearing the trail to Silver Creek. They were a sign of hope in a stale climate of preserving, rather than enjoying the wilderness. 12 young people learning early lessons of work and joy in the wilderness. So there is hope, we saw other signs of hope.
Those are rasberries there in the foreground. Despite the dead trees everywhere, the understory had sprung to life with layers of Madrone and Douglas fir, oaks, rasberries and poison oak. There was a carpet of a youthful forest before us, promising to return to a past glory. There were places with a hundred fir trees per meter. It was stunning; brilliant in both the vibrance and urgency of the new growth.
There was hope everywhere. Hope for me, in my 4 day marathon in charcoal, and hope for the forest. The two represent personal bests for me. Longest trip at 25+ miles, and longest single day at 13 miles.
End of the trail.
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Trip Day
If you look closely at these two pictures you'll see some familiar things ... these shoes ... and all the regular stuff one takes into the wilderness. Matches, pink water bottles, a bandana ... GPS.
Tomorrow I will be sitting around with my old friend and we will be picking apart the contents of my backpack, commenting on the coffee pot and the can of sardines ... talking about bear spray, and escape routes over a map, and reducing the load one more time. I am sure it's not the addition of that titanium fork that pumps the weight up, but rather the way that things just seem to get heavier over time. Although the two extra days of food could contribute, we all know that a fleece vest weighs about a pound when you buy it, but after carrying it for a while it weighs about ten. This is not a function of fatigue, but rather a general property of things to get heavier over time. It's called the uncertainty principle. You'll never quite know how much you're going to have to carry.
Despite knowing and planning for the afternoon showers and humidity, I will probably eliminate the rain gear in favor of the river shoes or try to strip the first aid kit by half. For some reason this pack is about 10 pounds heavier than it was back then. It's 50 pounds, and oh man -- there's no camera in it. Adding the 10 lbs I would normally wear and the 4 pounds of camera, my burden will be 64 lbs. Ouch. Once I eat all the food ...
It's always too heavy. Jim will remind me that I don't need an extra day's meals and that maybe I don't really need that jar of
Velogirl Sighting
Tuesday, July 10, 2007
Monday, July 2, 2007
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
"Hey, Where are You Going? ...
Monday, June 25, 2007
I Took a Week Off from Cycling and ...
Me at the bike shop. "It goes pedal, pedal, pedal, clunk ... pedal pedal, pedal, clunk. I think the bottom bracket is out of adjustment."
"It looks ok to me," says the clerk.
"Maybe you should try to ride it."
Well the BB was a 1/4 turn out and there was a few loose things here and there. It's feeling very reliable, and almost brand new. I gave my son my commuter so he is going to ride it to his gig every day. He took all the cool stuff (like the rack) off, cause he wants a faster bike. Go figure.
Thursday, June 21, 2007
Damage in the General Direction ...
... of travel. Let's imagine now that we are getting better rather than worse. just for a few minutes.
Some signifigant changes in the bone locations in my right foot (pop, pop, pop) and some popping in my knee, and I'm noticing some more than occasional pain in new places. And these three bruises on my knee. Two in this picture on the inside of the knee, near the lower end of the femur, and one on the outside of the right kneecap. It seems my body might be trying to find a more comfortable position.
I am still mobile, however it seems a bit more painful each day. If I have caught the lucky break, I'll start being able to walk downhill again.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
A Mountain Bike ...
Wednesday, June 13, 2007
A Younger Me
Ok, so i am on foot. I have been walking half of my commute,
I am getting ready for a pack trip in July and another one to the Colorado River in September or so. I need to get my blown out knees to work better. so I am:
1. Walking on them
2. Using linamint
3. Taking cod liver oil from a jar with a spoon
4. Contemplating taking some
5. Using the hot tub
6. Praying
and 7.
July is a trip to the Illinois River in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness in Southern Oregon. It will be a multi-day backpack trip with serious hill climbing and 10 mile days. Character building, I'd imagine.
The photo is a scanned 4"x5" Polaroid taken with my Graflex after carrying that 45 lb. beast 4.5 miles to Babyfoot Lake, in the Kalmiopsis Wilderness. I took this picture in the year following the Biscuit Fire, which was the largest fire in Oregon's history. We walked through a smoky charred forest to get here.
Monday, June 11, 2007
Sunday, June 10, 2007
Gray Whale Cove -- McNee Ranch State Park, CA
Despite the current abundance of Humpback whales on the California coast now, and the name of the cove being Gray Whale Cove, we didn't see any whales. It was quite foggy -- so we didn't see much beyond the immediate vicinity. We did hear some sea lions, and see one in the harbor finally.
Friday, June 8, 2007
Wednesday, June 6, 2007
One of those Days
Then I got a flat during dinner at my mother's. And another on the way home. I think I may need to walk for a few days.
Monday, June 4, 2007
Hmmm, Trouble in Paradise
Saturday, June 2, 2007
Graflex Graphic View 4x5
Friday, June 1, 2007
What'cha got in That Bag of Yours?
Lately, I am using a North Face Yavapai daypack. In it is:
The Canon 20D + 80-200 EF Zoom lens. This is kinda important, albeit pretty hefty.
A book about Ant (not ants -- silly) . The fact that I need a book about ant is proof that I am not actually a geek. All geeks already know ant.
A small tire repair kit -- This typically is used to repair other people's tires, or my own in a dire emergency.
A hair brush -- left over from when I had more hair. Notice the hair bob.
No less than 2 checkbooks.
An Aurora headlamp.
A new copy of Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire. I gave the last copy to a young woman headed for New Zealand. Hopefully she'll show up one day soon to tell me she was too busy having fun to read it.
Serfas'™ Multi-tool, Spare tube, and 3 tire gadgets. These used to be iron ...
CalTrain Schedule.
Reflective stickers that say Real®.
Jar of Icy Hot®
Registration and smog paperwork for two different cars.
Jar of cod liver oil capsules.
Well, that's maybe too much stuff. At least it's not winter. In which case there would be an extra pair of socks, and shoes, rain gear, and something decidedly warm.
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Bennies
Corporate kicked down some cool items for those of us who rode in on bike to work day. Logo emblazend reflective gadgets and a sand control device for
Anyone care to guess where I work? I never talk about my work on my blog. I am breaking one of my basic rules. "Thou shall not yak about one's work". It seems my readers want to know. They're curious.
So for the further curious, I work for Real, as a
Since I am actually really a test and release engineer for the software tools that publish stuff (content) for Rhapsody™, mostly I write tests and build tools, take out trash, and do the dishes. I try not to think of release day as hellweek, but then again, sometimes you can crash when your riding a stolen scooter.
It's a cool job, in a cool spot, and seriously, I work hard, and hopefully, everything sounds better, looks better, feels better, because of it.
And now this recruiter over at Netflix is poking at me. But I am so jealous of the guy I met on the train that works at Flickr. Now that's a cool job. But me -- I work at the place where music lives, and I like it.
Monday, May 21, 2007
Oh Yeah
I miss the new Jane -- I saw her last week and that made me want to move. I have a brand new job, I work where music lives, and I listen to music for a living (not really, but sometimes I am actually supposed to listen to music). It's a good job if you can get it. It's a cool place where people juggle and wear headphones, and ride scooters around in the office, and there's free organic fruit, organic beer, and organic granola. It is less than a block from my old job. The company provides us with free copies of Rolling Stone Magazine. If you're my friend and I recommend you to work there -- they will give me money and I will buy you lunch. Then you can listen to music too, forget to shave, look like Peter Falk, threaten to grow your hair out again, and get paid with organic money. Unfortunately, I can't move right now. I have a new job.
But -- I thought you said you had a bike. Well, it's busy where music lives, and so I don't get to play on the blog quite as much. But, hey -- I still get to ride my bike.