The Binker Files

Race Day

Saturday was a big day - it was Garrett's 14^th birthday -

and the Peaks Island 5 Miler race day.  Silas ran the kids 1K, his first race ever.  He did a great job and is very proud of his medal.

Erik, Mark & I ran it for the second year in a row, and were joined by Bridget, Suzanne, Simon and Angela.  Levi & Sophia went along for the ride in their strollers.  Steve, Heidi and Garrett provided great team support.

It was a beautiful day, the weather was perfect, the winding course around the island has fantastic views and the after-race lobster bake was a fun time.

We hope to see everyone running again next year and would love to see some new faces, so consider this an invitation and a challenge to Tim, Danielle, Brad and Garrett!

July 14, 2008

A lot of people wonder what life is like and what the heck I'm actually doing out here.  Today, my day began at 6:30 at a local greasy spoon.  After breakfast we headed west, and then north, with a stop for an early lunch in Gerlach, NV.  Gerlach is a classic high-desert town in the middle of nowhere.  Or, just north of nowhere, as the town of Empire, a few miles south has a sign that reads: "Empire, NV - Welcome to Nowhere."  Gerlach's saying is "where the pavement ends and the West begins."  I don't know much about this tiny town, but think it's present claim to fame may be that it's home to both the official Burning Man offices and Bruno's Country Club; a rather interesting place to visit.

The pavement does end outside of town, but not the road.  We drove an hour north and looked at volcanic rocks for minerals and textures that are indicative of bonanza-type gold vein deposits, aka high-grade.

After a few hours of doing this it was time to head home.  We took a shortcut across the playa (Black Rock Desert) on the way back to Winnemucca, following a dirt road nearly a hundred miles into town.  Driving across the playa is more like boating than driving, as no road exists, just a vast, open expanse.  Before crossing, we set a waypoint on our gps so we could navigate the crossing.  I was back at the Airstream by 7:30pm.

After a long day looking at a gold property somewhere in the northwest corner of Nevada, I received the message that Martine and Joel are now parents to a new little dude.  Congratulations guys!

Nevada Hoe

I picked up my own $99 Nikon Coolpix camera today, a hoe if you will, so that I can begin sharing my story with the folks back east.  Here are the first few shots:

These sunflowers were growing across the street from where I was having dinner with some work friends.  Lately, the sky here almost always looks like this in the evenings.  Usually it's blowing dust, but this haze is from the fires burning in northern California.

Somewhere out in Grass Valley...the hot, dry and dusty high-desert around Winnemucca.

This picture is of the Sonoma Mountains, a small range just south of town.  As you can see there are only a few trees, although aspen glades exist at higher elevations where water flows year-round.

Finally, big 'ol Ruby with a summer shave.

Stroller time in Maine

Since we're back in Portland with its many car-free trails, we are slowly getting back into the habit of running together - what we call "stroller time".  Actually, I'm the only one running, Silas rides his bike if he is feeling strong, if not, he rides in the jogging stroller with Levi.  For stroller time today, Silas had some specific requirements, he wanted "a trail that is completely flat, very beautiful and has some blue."  By blue, he meant he needed an ocean view.  Luckily, we have just the trail in Portland.

We had a great run/ride on the Eastern Promenade trail, then spent hours playing on the rocks.  A fantastic summer afternoon.

                                                                                                                                                           

Portland

Mark & I have an apartment building in downtown Portland.  Earlier this month, our long-term tenant Lisa moved out, and the boys and I moved in.  We are now enjoying life in the cozy 3rd floor attic apartment.  It is a little warm, but filled with light and we love it! 

We are spending lots of time at the beach and ocean and are thrilled to be back in our old neighborhood.  We love being able to walk everywhere - to the store, library, children's museum and the Old Port, to name a few hot spots and are just enjoying the energy of the city.  Such a contrast to our last six weeks at camp!

We still have a lot of friends here so our social lives are pretty busy.  Silas & Levi are especially happy about our six-year old neighbor, Henry.  They spend hours playing with him, running up and down between apartments and out to the backyard.  They are having a blast.

So, life is very good right now.  We've got the city life and can escape to camp whenever we need a break.  It would be just perfect if Mark could be here to share the fun - maybe next summer!