1st Post, Headlands

this will be a first for me...a blog. there is a 90% chance that it will get dropped from my priority list, but so far in the first two lines it seems cool. Perhaps a nice outlet for the dramatic increase in free time. If it lives, this thing could serve several purposes (in addition to the free time thing)...an update to friends/family/loved ones, a chance to do something with the output from my new Nikon D200, an outlet for random thoughts (that will always be brief, i swear), and a chance to share with others some of the things i love in life. We'll see. It better be captivating.

This was me waking up this AM, en route to Farley's coffee...where did this grey come from? It's hard to smile for self portraits. Farleys has administered caffeine to me in Portrero Hill for 6 years now.

I am one week into a return to SF, fresh from finishing up 15 mos in Paris, and visiting Sweden, where the pavement pounding of 9 interviews yielded 3 actionable leads, and my fingers are crossed. The going is slower here surprisingly, but i am looking for companies/roles in a pretty tight niche, so patience must rule. So this is where March finds me - looking for the next big thing after 15 mos running a finance org for a mobile music provider called Musiwave.

I am loving this new camera....D200 with an 18-200 and 12-24 lens. Takes shots like below in the Marin headlands....on or near my 2nd favorite running trail called the Coastal Trail.



This is one of the most specatacular sites in all Marin...a must see in Feb/Mar each year. A true valley of heather, full bloom, with heights that are twice me. Access this scene simply by driving up Highway 1, 1/2 mile from the Pelican Inn, another must see. A little known secret for the romantics - take someone for a hike out of Muir Beach, plant a big one on her 600 ft up on an overlook, and then just by chance, wander into the low-ceiling bar of the Inn for a pint. 100% guaranteed she falls for you, 120% if its at night during a full moon.

Here's another favorite view, that i first saw in a Galen Rowell book...a savana-esque tree so high above the marine layer that it seems to be suspended. Park on the first lot on the right on the road heading up to Mt Tam from Pantoll Ranger Station. Its one of the views on my trusty, #1 ranked trail run that hits a 70 ft waterfall, single track high above Stinson Beach, and then a tough slog back up to Rock Springs parking lot.

On the same route...a major reason why Spring is the best time in Marin - the poppies wake up from winter...and Mt Tam steadily drains itself of the storms (blog wouldnt take my TIFF image). There are at least 20 spectacular waterfalls on the Catarack Trail

Hope to get out there this week again. In the meantime need to keep pressing ahead on the job leads. T