Plans
Been a long time since I wrote a new journal entry and it seems like the only time I do write one is when I have a new camera coming. I'm looking forward to my new Canon 5DS R arriving next month for some amazing large print work I'd like to do. Stay tuned for some great shots!
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
Journals42
Newest
Devious Journal Entry
1 min read
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Finally
2 min read
Plans
After years of shooting with my trusty Canon 20D (I still have it and I still intend to use it) I have finally pulled the trigger and updated my camera to the 5D Mark II. It's been a long time coming but with the help of Cathy, Jennifer and of course Rudy I have finally been able to save enough to make the upgrade. I'm very excited about this and looking forward to catching some amazing landscapes of the mountains, desert and of course California when I finally make it there. Napa Valley and San Fran are on my immediate list along with the Great California Redwoods!
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
After years of shooting with my trusty Canon 20D (I still have it and I still intend to use it) I have finally pulled the trigger and updated my camera to the 5D Mark II. It's been a long time coming but with the help of Cathy, Jennifer and of course Rudy I have finally been able to save enough to make the upgrade. I'm very excited about this and looking forward to catching some amazing landscapes of the mountains, desert and of course California when I finally make it there. Napa Valley and San Fran are on my immediate list along with the Great California Redwoods!
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Been Awhile
4 min read
Plans
So I thought I should update my journal since the last time it was updated was last summer just before I was leaving for my 500 mile bike ride across Iowa for Team LIVESTRONG to raise money for cancer research. I completed the ride and we were able to raise over $200,000 as a team. Anyone who thinks riding 500 miles anywhere on a bicycle is easy does not know what they are talking about. To make matters worse Iowa has a great deal of hills. Especially on the east and west sides of it near the two rivers (Missouri & Mississippi) rivers. On top of that the heat index was 120 degrees each day and no rain so you just sweltered in the humid heat as you rode. It took me three days to even think about eating because it was so hot. My body and everyone else's was sweating out what we drank faster than we could replace it. Weight lose was a given on this ride! On top of all that, as if that was not enough at night it would only get down to 85 degrees so there you were laying in your tent sweating all night too and listening to the concerts that were a nightly occurrence put on by the local towns we traveled through. We also had to listen to the trains blowing their horns each night, ALL NIGHT! I swear one of the town we staying overnight must have had tracks that went all the way around the town because the train horn blew constant in a 360 degree circle around the campsite! It was like having 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound in my tent!
I met some amazing people during the ride including a 15 year old boy named Drew. Drew has been battling cancer since he was 9 years old and has lost one of his legs due to that cancer. Every time the doctors think they have it all a new location or spot pops up. Drew has spent so many years that he should have been enjoying being a kid, fighting cancer. Life just is not fair. So one of Drew's biggest wishes was to ride with LIVESTRONG so we got him a team jersey and met him about 5 miles outside of the town we were riding into that night with his family. Drew rode with all 88 of us in a 2 by 2 formation behind him all the way into town and came to our camp and had dinner with the entire team. I happened to notice that his handlebar tape was coming undone and so I had our amazing team mechanic from Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop in Austin Texas re-tape his bars and they looked amazing after he was done! Thank you Sammy! Needless to say I hung in there and finished the ride and had a great experience all around and would love to do it again if I have enough time off available to me this summer. I've hopes to go to Italy this coming summer to visit my son David who is serving in the Air Force and will be stationed there for two years. I've always wanted to go to Italy and since my lodging will be free I figure if I can buy my airfare far enough in advance I should be able to get a good deal.
Warm Regards,
Rod
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
So I thought I should update my journal since the last time it was updated was last summer just before I was leaving for my 500 mile bike ride across Iowa for Team LIVESTRONG to raise money for cancer research. I completed the ride and we were able to raise over $200,000 as a team. Anyone who thinks riding 500 miles anywhere on a bicycle is easy does not know what they are talking about. To make matters worse Iowa has a great deal of hills. Especially on the east and west sides of it near the two rivers (Missouri & Mississippi) rivers. On top of that the heat index was 120 degrees each day and no rain so you just sweltered in the humid heat as you rode. It took me three days to even think about eating because it was so hot. My body and everyone else's was sweating out what we drank faster than we could replace it. Weight lose was a given on this ride! On top of all that, as if that was not enough at night it would only get down to 85 degrees so there you were laying in your tent sweating all night too and listening to the concerts that were a nightly occurrence put on by the local towns we traveled through. We also had to listen to the trains blowing their horns each night, ALL NIGHT! I swear one of the town we staying overnight must have had tracks that went all the way around the town because the train horn blew constant in a 360 degree circle around the campsite! It was like having 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround Sound in my tent!
I met some amazing people during the ride including a 15 year old boy named Drew. Drew has been battling cancer since he was 9 years old and has lost one of his legs due to that cancer. Every time the doctors think they have it all a new location or spot pops up. Drew has spent so many years that he should have been enjoying being a kid, fighting cancer. Life just is not fair. So one of Drew's biggest wishes was to ride with LIVESTRONG so we got him a team jersey and met him about 5 miles outside of the town we were riding into that night with his family. Drew rode with all 88 of us in a 2 by 2 formation behind him all the way into town and came to our camp and had dinner with the entire team. I happened to notice that his handlebar tape was coming undone and so I had our amazing team mechanic from Mellow Johnny's Bike Shop in Austin Texas re-tape his bars and they looked amazing after he was done! Thank you Sammy! Needless to say I hung in there and finished the ride and had a great experience all around and would love to do it again if I have enough time off available to me this summer. I've hopes to go to Italy this coming summer to visit my son David who is serving in the Air Force and will be stationed there for two years. I've always wanted to go to Italy and since my lodging will be free I figure if I can buy my airfare far enough in advance I should be able to get a good deal.
Warm Regards,
Rod
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Devious Journal Entry
3 min read
Plans
Riding for LIVESTRONG
Later this month I endeavor to do the most physical thing I have ever done in my life. I'm riding 500 miles across Iowa from the west side dipping my rear tire in the Missouri River and the all the way across to dip my front tire in the Mississippi River. This venture started back in January of this year when my oldest daughter Jennifer called crying to tell me she had stage two breast cancer. I had to spring to action. The summer before I had read a book by Lance Armstrong called "It's Not About the Bike". It is a story about his cycling career and how him hearing the words "You've got Cancer" changed his life and took him away from cycling. It's a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone you know who has cancer or is touched by someone that does. It's also a great story about the determination and inner energy of Lance Armstrong.
So with the news from my daughter I sprang to action and knew right away from reading the above book and contacted LIVESTRONG and had a bunch of informational literature sent to my daughter and got involved raising money to help support those many programs that LIVESTRONG does support. To date I have raised over $2200 dollars and will continue to raise more. I'm very much looking forward to the ride and helping to raise awareness and give LIVESTRONG a greater presence. There are 100 of us on Team LIVESTRONG and yes Lance Armstrong will be riding with us at least a couple of days. I'm excited about this very much.
I've been doing my training rides and building myself up for this 500 mile ride. The first two days of the ride will be the toughest but not the longest mileage wise. Our longest day will be 100 miles but these first two days will each have about 5000' of vertical climb which is the hardest thing you do in cycling. I'm looking forward to the challenge!
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
Riding for LIVESTRONG
Later this month I endeavor to do the most physical thing I have ever done in my life. I'm riding 500 miles across Iowa from the west side dipping my rear tire in the Missouri River and the all the way across to dip my front tire in the Mississippi River. This venture started back in January of this year when my oldest daughter Jennifer called crying to tell me she had stage two breast cancer. I had to spring to action. The summer before I had read a book by Lance Armstrong called "It's Not About the Bike". It is a story about his cycling career and how him hearing the words "You've got Cancer" changed his life and took him away from cycling. It's a great read and I highly recommend it to anyone you know who has cancer or is touched by someone that does. It's also a great story about the determination and inner energy of Lance Armstrong.
So with the news from my daughter I sprang to action and knew right away from reading the above book and contacted LIVESTRONG and had a bunch of informational literature sent to my daughter and got involved raising money to help support those many programs that LIVESTRONG does support. To date I have raised over $2200 dollars and will continue to raise more. I'm very much looking forward to the ride and helping to raise awareness and give LIVESTRONG a greater presence. There are 100 of us on Team LIVESTRONG and yes Lance Armstrong will be riding with us at least a couple of days. I'm excited about this very much.
I've been doing my training rides and building myself up for this 500 mile ride. The first two days of the ride will be the toughest but not the longest mileage wise. Our longest day will be 100 miles but these first two days will each have about 5000' of vertical climb which is the hardest thing you do in cycling. I'm looking forward to the challenge!
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In
Life has both slowed and sped up
2 min read
Plans
It's been some time since I updated my journal. I'm sorry for that. As summer has slipped away and fall has fallen I should have a bit more time to begin updating on a more regular basis now and through the winter.
Summer was a very fortunate one. I was able to see all three of my children who live abroad from me. Cindy from Tokyo and her husband Kensuke came to visit for Cindy's 21st birthday. How special that was! Jennifer and her husband Rudy who live in Salt Lake City. They came to visit just prior to Cindy's visit and we had a wonderful time. David, my son who is in the Air Force and stationed in Montana was able to come home for an extended visit and was able to have his children over also so I got to play with my wonderful grandchildren. What fun we had.... they never knew a grandpa could have so much energy!
While I'm not shooting models as often as I used to I do plan to still do it, just want to be more selective and creative when I do. I enjoy meeting them and helping launch them along the path or if nothing else giving them the gift of youth to always have for themselves to remember those early years.
I promise to write more as it comes but in the mean time I hope all of you are well and excited about your lives!
Rod
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
It's been some time since I updated my journal. I'm sorry for that. As summer has slipped away and fall has fallen I should have a bit more time to begin updating on a more regular basis now and through the winter.
Summer was a very fortunate one. I was able to see all three of my children who live abroad from me. Cindy from Tokyo and her husband Kensuke came to visit for Cindy's 21st birthday. How special that was! Jennifer and her husband Rudy who live in Salt Lake City. They came to visit just prior to Cindy's visit and we had a wonderful time. David, my son who is in the Air Force and stationed in Montana was able to come home for an extended visit and was able to have his children over also so I got to play with my wonderful grandchildren. What fun we had.... they never knew a grandpa could have so much energy!
While I'm not shooting models as often as I used to I do plan to still do it, just want to be more selective and creative when I do. I enjoy meeting them and helping launch them along the path or if nothing else giving them the gift of youth to always have for themselves to remember those early years.
I promise to write more as it comes but in the mean time I hope all of you are well and excited about your lives!
Rod
Open your mind and do not think
Take it in your mind, repeat.
Feel the life that beats within
let it get under,
under your skin
You are alive!
© RLF, 2008
Join the community to add your comment. Already a deviant? Log In