Saw this while walking my kids to school. We love Autumn. View high resolution

Saw this while walking my kids to school.

We love Autumn.

I’ve always loved sunsets. This wasn’t even in the direction of the sunset! Southeast from Fitzroy. View high resolution

I’ve always loved sunsets. This wasn’t even in the direction of the sunset!

Southeast from Fitzroy.

“
The wine urges me on, the bewitching wine, which sets even a wise man to singing and to laughing gently and rouses him up to dance and brings forth words which were better unspoken.

Homer, The Odyssey

Greek epic poet (800 BC - 700 BC) 

This is magical.

Get the fuller story at the website here: cainesarcade.com

Remember in last year’s Tour de France when a car stupidly squeezed past some riders on a narrow road and caused one of them to end up tangled in the barbed wire fence? Well he got back on his bike minutes later and completed the entire tour. 8 months later, this is just Johnny Hoogerland’s leg. Professional cyclists - warriors. View high resolution

Remember in last year’s Tour de France when a car stupidly squeezed past some riders on a narrow road and caused one of them to end up tangled in the barbed wire fence?

Well he got back on his bike minutes later and completed the entire tour. 8 months later, this is just Johnny Hoogerland’s leg.

Professional cyclists - warriors.

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Enough to bring you to tears….

Beautiful.

Thank you Moby

Two shots from a recent Bluearth staff training camp at Mount Hotham.

I feel most alive sharing experiences in incredible natural landscapes.

Tough Mudder?

Last weekend on Saturday I did Tough Mudder. The event took place on Phillip Island around the moto GP racetrack.

I’d done a bit of training for it but felt like I needed more. However I was still ready. I did it with a bunch of mates that made up a team - Mitch, Dave, Tim, Brenton and myself. 

The course was about 15-20kms long (they said 20kms but I’m not sure) and was peppered with various obstacles like:

  • mud crawling under barbed wire
  • 5 metre high walls
  • a trench to run through filled with debilitating smoke
  • mud and water crawling tunnels
  • ice water pools
  • electric shock tentacles

I ran all the way in between the obstacles and although my knee got very sore from the half way point onwards, and I wasn’t able to go that fast, we all got through.

However the thing is that it wasn’t that tough. 

In my opinion, if Tough Mudder wants to maintain credibility and their branding, the challenge needs to meet the declaration. At this point it should called Moderate Mudder. 

But the overall experience was great. The organisation, festival atmosphere, weather and actual event were all really good. It was great to see so many people getting out and active, having a go. Love it.

We also surfed on Friday - Wooloami had great banks, good swell and clean conditions, and had 2 great meals together for a great social time.

It’s only motivated me to do more of this stuff………

Stairway to Heaven

Wow!

Byron Bay

I just spent the last week in Byron Bay on holiday. 

It was great!

I’d last been there in 2004 and 2005 with my wife Emy, daughter Marchella, and was back this time with the family including our youngest daughter - Odette. Mum was there, having organised and made the trip happen, and my brother Mitchell was also there with his family.

I’d forgotten how good the place is.

The Pass

Some of the good things about it:

  • Only 45mins or so from Gold Coast airport, mostly on a freeway
  • Sub tropical climate
  • Incredible green vegetation and forest from all the rain they get
  • The weather - both the tropical rain and the not too hot sunshine
  • The beaches and beautiful clear, warm ocean water
  • The waves
  • The hilly terrain, especially out towards Wategos and the lighthouse 
  • The hinterland out the back
  • The relaxed atmosphere of the people there and overall feel of the place 
  • Lots of things to do

Tallow Beach down to Broken Head

Highlights for me on this trip were:

  • The location of where we stayed - directly over the road from the beach. 150 metres away!
  • The fun my girls had in the pool and at the beach
  • Creating Marchella’s first surfing experience - she stood up and rode waves at The Pass multiple times (way more than she fell off) and rode one wave for about 150 metres!
  • Surfing -  Mitch and I surfed at least once every day and got good waves at Tallows, Broken Head and Lennox Head
  • Noticing the water temperature rise and fall with different wind currents - One day the water was was so incredibly warm and clear it was amazing! 
  • Surfing in just boardshorts -  always a completely different experience than in a wetsuit.
  • Some of the meals we cooked - especially when Nick, an ex-chef friend of ours who now lives in Byron, brought around a Spanish Mackerel he’d caught the day before, and we ate it raw with lovely marinades on it
  • The tropical weather including some cloudy and rainy parts of the days. Great for the skin.
  • The tough mudder training run Mitch and I did - from the stair sprints at Clarks beach, around the rocks at The Pass to Wategos, on the coastal path up to the Lighthouse, down along the ridge top stairs through the beautiful forrest near Tallows, all in the backdrop of incredible physical challenge of running up long steep hills 
  • Surfing Lennox head for the first time - another icon wave ticked off the list
  • Sharing a great time with the broader family

I accidentally left my phone at home which meant I wasn’t actively taking photos, so this reflection is just words. But I ripped a few shots off the web instead!

Chris Rock quotes

The good wife sent me this….

I’ve always loved Chris Rock. For me its the energy that shows up as timbre in his voice and of course the humour, wit and perspective. 

In these quotes you can just hear that voice.

Love it.


Like the skunk Pepe Le Pew.

Love the bounce, the hang-time, the enthusiasm.

The joy.

(Reblogged from lifeslittleloves)
Having a long history playing baseball, this image had a real impact on me. I love everything about it. The position, the potential. Knowing the left leg will plant in a millisecond, and start the kinetic chain of events to throw. Chase Utley - loading the slingshot to get the out at 1st. View high resolution

Having a long history playing baseball, this image had a real impact on me. I love everything about it. The position, the potential. Knowing the left leg will plant in a millisecond, and start the kinetic chain of events to throw.

Chase Utley - loading the slingshot to get the out at 1st.

“
You do not win the Tour de France on mineral water alone.
5 time TdF winner and giant of cycling, Jacques Anquetil in reference to recent doping decisions for Armstrong, Ullrich and Contador.
“
A Zen-like mind that is empty of thoughts allows a stronger connection to the wave……..A surfer needs to be in touch with the wave as opposed to being apart from it. This allows things to happen in slow motion…. although in real time the process is moving very swiftly.
Mr. Pipeline Gerry Lopez.