If I bet on Humanity I would be betting on a dream An idea that never truly formed I would be betting on hope On thin air Grasping for the wisps Of a shadow slipping away The half drawn portrait of a beautiful woman Not finished, never finished Betting on an abstract thing That could have been But never was If I bet on Humanity I would be a poor woman With empty pockets But a heart full of hope Left with nothing but everything Betting on the underdog Knowing it will loose But hoping Only hoping They will pull through in the end But never do ...

What first caught my attention, believe it or not, was your tattoo on your neck of a pair of lips. I am not sure why it wasn’t your hair that caught my attention because it is so noticeable. Then of course I noticed all of your piercings, you ears, nose, and your upper lip. That was the strange one, a small ring inside your upper lip that showed only when you smiled. I thought that was an interesting concept. Did you do that so only the people who made you smile would get to see this hidden symbol of happiness? You were intriguing overall and it took me a while to get this shot because you disappeared for some amount of time in the New Leaf. I finally asked you for your picture. You seemed a little confused, but who wouldn’t be? Thanks for letting me take your picture, thanks for smiling.

This was definitely one of my favorite pictures from my road trip to Michigan this year. There were old dock pilings that went on forever until they disappeared into the mist. The water was os placid and clear that the pilings reflected upon themselves causing a near ghostly effect. The juxtaposition of this dead ghostly image with the fresh, new green plant growing out of it was splendid. The idea of old things growing into the new. This haunting and wonderful picture reminds me just how much I love driving across the country. You never know what sort of strange sights you will see in the most obscure of places. I wish I was out exploring instead of stressing over school. But hey, no use wishing away life, the next chances I get, I will be on the road again.

It was a tough night yesterday, and I knew I had to get Nick to lower elevation to help him feel better. So it’s back down the trail to see how he feels when we get to the Pear Lake turnoff. Plenty of great views along the way, and I’m happy to see Nick starting to feel better. Unfortunately Nick is in no mood for another tough night in the back country, so it’s back to the car for the both of us. I’m looking forward to our next trip, with a little more time to acclimate. ...

You were definitely my favorite outfit that I saw at the Lady GaGa Concert. You basically only had on underwear and caution tape. Not including the sunglasses and the soda cans in your hair. It was amazing to see how willing people where to bear all in front of a massive crowd of strangers in the name of their dedication to a musical artist. Whatever your motivation behind this outfit, I enjoyed it. Also, kudos for putting yourself out there, maybe it would be best to do it in a slightly different way than walking around basically nude. Still, kudos 😀

It’s been a long time since I’ve gone backpacking with any of the kids, and this fall it’s Nick’s turn to enjoy the great outdoors with his grizzly dad. We’re headed to a new hike for me out in Sequoia National Park. We drove out early in hopes of getting a permit for one of the nicer areas. We decided on the Lakes Trail route out to Alta Peak for the first night, then over to Pear Lakes for the second night. It was a dusty hike with a good amount of climbing, up through Panther Gap and on to Mehrten Meadow. Unfortunately I didn’t anticipate that Nick might get hit with altitude issues, so we took it easy and setup camp in the Meadow. It was a tough night for him getting up every hour or so. ...

I couldn’t really tell what your float was about but the people on it with you were very interesting. Your mask was enchanting something utterly demonic about it and at the same time it was almost childish. It matched your tattoo very well on your arm. You seemed like a stoic protector over your float. Like a silent ghost set down there, you hardly moved, just stared forward with your mask unmoving. You captivated me, thanks for being there, and thanks for the mask.

There were also big begonia floating parade boats that people created. They showed them off as they slowly tooled down the river to be judged. There were some very nice ones that I really enjoyed like the octopus float. I also enjoyed the none to pleased looking mermaids on the float, especially the little mermaid inside of the clam. The others were really cool as well and the people manning them were very interesting as well. ...