On The Fly

Brendan on Buick Rock Ker-Plop! Was the dismal sound I heard surrounded by the rushing waters of the trout stream in the High Sierras, as my Coolpix digital camera sank to the bottom of the river. “Grab it quick, take the battery out, dry it off the best you can” shouted my fishing companion above the roaring waters. Immediately, I reached into the icy cold, crystal clear waters, grabbed the camera before it was washed away in the rushing current. The date, Friday, August 23, 2013. Our Sierra trips were as much about photography as they were about hiking, camping, and exploring. Now all I could think was, Damn! - So much for taking pictures on this trip. We had just arrived for our four day mountain adventure at Parchers Resort west of Bishop California at an elevation of 9,200 feet. Undaunted, we made plans to hike to Bishop Lake (elevation 11,128 feet) and establish a base-camp. This adventure began at the trailhead access point near South Lake (9,750 feet). However, today...

Patrick Ball with Lori's Trek Madone Today marks another year of my holiday on earth, over half-a-century, (exactly 20,819 days old) sounds ominous doesn’t it. What can one say about this accomplishment? Let’s examine days remembered. As a young boy, say, six or seven years old, when we met any of my grandfathers (on my fathers side) friends attending a field trial (at the fox hunters camp), a hunting trip, softball game, a trip to the county fair, or just a visit to the barber shop all I remember thinking was, “ Boy this ole’ guy sure is old .” As kids we didn’t exactly have a respectful command of the english language, did we? Then you mature, and reach the teen years, now it’s “Who is - this - ole’ geezer?”  What do small children think when they meet an elderly person? “Wow! Look at those thick bushy eyebrows, big ears, wrinkled skin, that oversize nose,” or maybe it’s the wooly hair that sprouts from these body parts, or all the above. My grandfather had one of thos...

“What about this American, this amateur art collector, a Mr. Leyland I believe, who contacted Monsieur Rossi? Should we not contact him as well?” was my question to Peridot as we left the outdoor cafe headed for our rendezvous.  “My hunch is,” said Peridot, “tonight's dinner will enlighten our situation enormously.” I simply could not imagine how crystal clear all the events that brought us to Florence would soon become. With the Arno River on our left our early evening stroll took us past the Ponte Vecchio Bridge. We then turned north and followed the narrow cobblestones to a central round about with the Column of Justice ( La statue de la justice ) in its center. As our destination approached, I caught Peridots glance. He appeared to recognize a man sitting at a small table, just outside the cafe, curiously looking at his phone. Peridot walked directly over to the man, cleared his throat, to get his attention, and held out his hand, “Well Mr. Davies, how have yo...

Habit is the link between goals and accomplishments. You’ve heard it said that it takes 21 days to establish a habit, why? According to Julia Layton, “ Habits are essentially patterns of behavior that become "worn in" to our brains. Someone who wakes up every morning, pours a cup of coffee and lights a cigarette, in that order, every morning, has that pattern built in to his or her brain, in the form of well-used synaptic pathways.” With patience, persistence, and predilection you can teach yourself whatever you choose to learn through the power of habit. Since December 2003 its been my privilege to share my “ Thought for the Day” via the web, on Twitter, at pball001 . (This has since morphed to a podcast). Sometimes I ask myself why?  Who really reads this stuff? Does it make a difference? Then I realize - (I do) that reading or listening daily to a variety of books - biographies, science, philosophy, mysteries, travel logs, or whatever tickles my fancy - my mind, th...

iOS 7 “The iPhone is revolutionary,” for those who virtually attended any of the late Steve Jobs (1955-2011) Apple Event products launch via the web there was always an air of exhilaration and anticipation speculating what new gadget could possibly be next! I never missed one; I would eagerly jump out of bed early the next morning to discover what innovative products Apple was to release. What better ways to stay abreast of technology innovations than watching Steve Jobs perform, the Edison of our time. I’ll admit, I was a skeptical late adopter of the iPhone. The iPod Touch did everything and more that a gadget could provide (I thought). It was during my visit to South Africa in February 2011 that I pre-ordered my iPhone 4 via Apples Online Store with the anticipation of the Verizon release. Everyone had said, “Wait until the iPhone 5, it will do so much more.” I couldn’t wait to get home and open the box, it was like Christmas all over again at six years old – so exciting! ...

Fignon & LeMond Ah, Summer! Bicycling magic is renewed for millions when the voices of Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, and Bob Roll, grace the television airwaves broadcasting Le Tour de France (Le Tour). When you dare to believe you’re an accomplished bicyclist, just tune into the NBCSN Sports broadcast of Le Tour in July. Very quickly humility sets in. To date, the riders in that race have ridden nine grueling stages, with an average distance of 186 kilometers, that’s 115 miles per day. This year is the 102 nd  Anniversary - 21 stages, a total distance of 3,360 kilometers, and only two, yes two , rest days - of this classic race that tours the French countryside with the finale in Paris on the Champs-Elysées. Dare I say it – Le Tour can inspire even casual riders, take your bicycles from the back shed, dust them off, inflate their tires, and hit the streets. It’s amusing to see people pretend, they are in Le Tour, competing for the coveted yellow jersey. It’s summer...

Patrick Ball 1962 My kid days were filled with experiences, like learning to ride a bicycle, that decorate my thoughts akin to the excitement of colorfully wrapped Christmas gifts. As another birthday approaches, I realize now that growing up in Cuba, Illinois was going to happen with no particular thought or effort on my part. As an insatiably curious child, I stumbled through those early years not really paying attention to where we lived just accepting the fact - as I look back, appreciating the fact - we lived in a small midwestern town. I slid down the chute on the 229th day of the year, August 16, 1956. It was a Thursday in Angouleme, France. My father was an MP in the U.S. Army, from rural Illinois, and within three years he moved the family back to Cuba. One of my most vivid early memories was the challenge and freedom of that first bicycle. It was a red, single speed 26 inch Sears bicycle. No training wheels, just hop on and away you go . . . well, it was not qui...

Juniors' Buddy Nightly, when I get home from work, I’m greeted at the door by a friendly face with two large, bright, golden-greenish eyes, white whiskers, and what appears to be a smiling face. It’s my buddy, Tony Junior (Jr.), our Tabby. Early evening is when Junior with long, lanky  stretches  - wakes up from his daily snooze. Both Junior and his sister Missy spend their days, lounging around the house, sleeping. They are decidedly indoor cats. Over the years, we’ve lost too many cats to varmints that roam the open space behind our house. Jr. and Missy were four months old when we adopted them from the shelter. Thank goodness they are content to roam the house and sit in the window sills to watch the world pass by. Don’t be fooled, now, four years old, as much as I would like to think I’m Jr’s buddy, he is persnickety. With a rather demanding - meow, he runs to his chair, (my recliner) in the TV room, leaps to the back, turns to look at me as if to say, "A b...