Winterurlaub pur!

Freuen Sie sich auf einen abwechslungsreichen Winterurlaub in reizvoller Umgebung und erholen Sie sich im staatlich anerkannten Luftkurort Grassau, um Energie und Kraft zu tanken. Die mächtigen Ausläufer des Alpenhauptkammes liegen direkt vor Ihrer Tür und laden mit ihren schneebedeckten Gipfeln zu einer verträumten Winterwanderung durch verschneite

Urlaubsort: Grassau am Chiemsee

Grassau hat in der kalten Jahreszeit einiges zu bieten. Finden Sie geräumte Winterwanderwege, gespurte Langlaufloipen und auch die Freunde des Schlittschuhlaufens, des Rodelns und des Eisstockschießens kommen auf ihre Kosten. Möglichkeiten zum alpinen Skilauf werden in unmittelbarer Nähe sowohl auf bayerischer, als auch auf Tiroler Seite reichlich angeboten.

Der Ort Grassau liegt ca. 7 km vom Chiemsee entfernt, die nächsten größeren Orte Reit im Winkl und Kössen in Österreich/Tirol erreichen Sie in ca. 20 km. Der nächste Bahnhof befindet sich in Übersee, ca. 7 km von Ihrem Hotel entfernt.

Das Skigebiet

Das Skigebiet Unterberghorn in Kössen (1.773 m) wird durch insgesamt 10 Liftanlagen erschlossen. Dieses Gebiet eignet sich besonders für Familien, da es überwiegend sanft geneigte Hänge und weniger rasanten Alpinski-Genuss bietet. Umso anspruchsvoller sind die Loipen, die für Skating und klassischen Langlauf präpariert sind.

Zum Skireisen Anbieter, Kategorie Ski Special: Ski- und Winterreisen bei Berge und Meer Reisen

As I said in my other blog, I've been spending a lot of time at the skatepark. It's kind of nice, it makes me feel younger, gets me exercise and I finally bust my gear out for a few photo ops today.

It's kind of neat to see how surprised people are when you bring out a bunch of gear and lights. I think the kids thought I was going to bring out a little point and shoot.

Anyway, I only had time for just a few shots today. I had two lights and three pocketwizards, so I was a little limited on gear, but you do with what you have. (And until I get more money I will be real light on gear).

I've been reading a lot about rim lighting lately so I wanted to try and incorporate that a little. I didn't have much time because of the weather and dinner was almost ready, so I got to work. David Herrera really wanted to get some big air shots, which was fine with me because it can create clearer backgrounds. Skateparks are always filled with chainlinked fences that get in the way.

I had him show me what he was going to do. Then I moved my lights in where I thought they would work best. My lights were an SB-80DX and a Canon 550EX. I have a little hotshoe with a pc cord that I spliced and put a 1/8" mono plug for the pocket wizard.

I had a light set camera right and set to the approximate height David would be flying. This I used as my rim light. I used a 24mm spread because I new that I couldn't get hime to jump at the same height each time. The wide spread allowed for more lenience in lighting from the backside. The 550EX set to full power. I wanted keep that light nice and bright. I probably didn't need it so much because of the light background, but I was being stubborn instead of lighting smart. The SB-80DX was set to 1/2 power from the front left. Instead of using a light meter I just eyeballed everything. I had another kid stand in place where I thought David might end up when I snapped the frame. Got my approximate working apperture and shutter speed and fired away. I want to say I was somewhere are around F9 or F11, but not 100 percent sure. I was shooting at 1/250 of a second.

In looking back I should have balanced things a little more evenly. I went about these shots assbackwards. Instead of figuring out what the right working apperture should have been for natural light I just started trying to overpower it, which I still didn't do effectively as you can see by the pure white sky. This shot is a little blurry, which I was hoping would've been more clear because of the shutter speed, but it helps when you don't try to blur pan.

The next shot David wanted to try was another big air kickflip transfer. I was going to be right behind a guard rail so I thought I could light directly behind him, but ran into several problems. First of all, I forgot the light stand would still show up. I didn't have my superclamp either. Otherwise I could've slapped it to the guard rail and all would have been fine. Plus I couldn't get the light at the exact height to block it from the camera and give a nice dramatic effect. Solution: Move it to the left. It definitely didn't givve me the effect I wanted, but still made a usable image. Again, had the same problems with the sky. I'll keep that in my mind for next time.

Next was a 5-0 grind down the main box. I love grinding photos and they scare me a lot less. You never know where big air jumps will end up. So again I set my lights up with similar settings. One light directly behind him, one camera left. I ran into a similar problem with the light stand, but with a few shots and better timing I was able to hide it. I was hoping to overpower with a halo behind him, but I was in a hurry and again didn't get what I wanted. I personally like this shot the best though.

We quickly moved back to the original spot and shot another photo with him going the opposite way. I wasn't very impressed with the shot, but I'm partial to grind shots. I'll probably go out tomorrow too, so hopefully I'll get a lot more, but I'm not going to be able to do this everyday. batteries go pretty quick I've found.

Look for more in the coming days. And again, thanks to all the kids that helped out.

I know it all had to be done though, I had to leave, but that doesn't stop me from feeling guilty about it. Hubby think I am silly, but this is how I feel. I haven't seen any of the kids from the rink here since I left in February. It's a little odd, it's not a very big city. I try to keep an eye out though for the competitions in the region, to see how they are doing. From what I have seen, not that great. There's a competition coming up in a week, and none of them have entered. There's another in October, I guess we'll see if anyone signs up. It's a little obsessive, I know, but I still CARE about those kids.

Surfers took up skating when there were no waves to surf on, and as a result of this commercially made skateboards became available in the 1950s.

Skateboarding is now one of the fastest growing sports in the world.  Competitions are held on a regular basis in almost all countries, and attract hundreds of both amateur and professional competitors.  These competitions are generally held in custom-built skate parks which can now be found in most major towns and cities.  As a result of this increase in popularity special shoes and clothing have been made solely for skateboarders.

There are two types of skateboarding: Street and ramp.  Street skateboarding is done anywhere but on a ramp.  Tricks are performed on streets and roads, in car parks and school grounds, wherever the surface is flat and safe.

Skate parks are custom-made for all these kinds of skating.  They have excellent smooth surfaces, and often include a obstacles such as curbs, ramps, and fun boxes.  There is also an extreme form of street skating called skateboard racing.

Skateboard racing involves riders pushing off from a starting position, then racing one another down a winding and sloping piece of roadway.  They stand or kneel on the fast-moving skateboard, and can reach speeds of over 65 km an hour.

Ramp skating is carried out on either vert ramps or on mini ramps.  The main difference between these two types of ramps is their size.  Vert ramps are giant U-shaped ramps which are over 4 m long and have a vertical portion at the upper end of each side.  Mini ramps are smaller than vert ramps and do not have any vertical part in the transition.  They are generally easier to ride on and is where most skaters practise their tracks before moving on to bigger ramps.

Skateboarding can be a dangerous sport, however if you follow these simple rules you will keep yourself and others safe: 1) always learn your basic moves on flat and safe ground 2) keep in control of a skateboard at all times 3) always wear a helmet, wrist guards, and knee and elbow pads 4) never skate alone in case of accidents 5) keep all your skateboarding gear well maintained

If you want to learn how to <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/learnskateboardboardtricks">skateboard like a pro</a>, there is one important thing you need to know.  Visit this site now to find out what I'm talking about. <a href="http://www.squidoo.com/learnskateboardboardtricks">Learn Skatebaord Tricks</a>

When we finished our games, Drama Queen skated for over an hour.  Ashley and I decided to just watch since neither of us has skated in quite a while and we didn't want to risk injuring ourselves.  It's a lot harder and more embarrassing to pick yourself up off the floor when you're our age!

Afterward, we met our best friends, James and Deena, at their furniture/appliance store, they closed early for the holiday, and then we drove to a nearby town for an early dinner.  We laughed and talked and caught up with each others lives,  I love that even though we only see each other every few months, we pick up right where we left off. 

We've been friends since high school and they have been instrumental in our lives in so many ways.  In fact, God used them to lead us to move to Georgia.  They had moved the year before, and when we came to visit them in January of 1996 we knew God was leading us to move, we just didn't know where at the time.  But, after visiting them we knew it was God's will for us to move to Ga.  So, here we are twelve years later and although we did move an hour south three years ago to be closer to our grown children and grandchildren, we have remained just as close to them as ever.  We are very blessed to have them for friends.

How did you spend your Labor Day?  I hope you had a wonderful day, and have a great night!

Love, Velvia

I'm motivated (again) by the upcoming Kansas City Roller Warriors tryouts.  I don't have the time to devote to being a full fledged team member, but I am seriously interested in becoming a ref (less of a time commitment, and less out of pocket expenses).  I considered this option last year.  I almost did it, too.  But, I couldn't get over the "all or nothing" mindset I've had since the very first time I got the roller derby idea in my head (and then failed miserably at the 2007 tryouts).  This time around, I will go to the skating clinic this fall.  I need the experience.  I need the motivation.  At that time, I will discuss with the necessary person/people what I need to do to become a ref.  Between now and then, I will make it a point to skate whenever and wherever I can (but not at the expense of my family).  These are the goals I am promising to myself.  I need this (well, not roller derby specifically, but something similar).  I need the social outlet that knitting (my only "real" hobby) has yet to provide.  I need the aggression outlet (not that I'm aggressive, but still... some people jog to literally run off steam.  Some people drive.  Some people lift weights, do yoga, jump rope, etc...  Whatever it takes to get them out of the house for their "me" time).  That's what I need.  An outlet away from home.  If it turns out the roller derby isn't in the cards for me, even as a ref, then I'll come up with a plan b.  For now, this is what I'm going to focus on.

This weekend, I'll dust off my skates and go to the skating rink.  Or maybe the park, if I can find my outdoor wheels.

there were actually people there at public skating!

the last few times i went i had the ice completley to myself, but this time i didn't.

i had this one really nasty fall do a catchfoot spiral, but after that i did some really AMAZING spirals.

less than 2 weeks 'til my competition!

If you can't already tell they created these deep sea creatures out of their denim products. I couldn't tell at first when looking at the ad then I zoomed in and was like... wow what a good idea!

Aside from not putting a URL on the page I'd give this campaign an A+ for sure. Ya know even with the no website to be found on the ad I'm guessing most people will know to go to the Quicksilver website since the brand is deeply entrenched in the American culture.

Great job Quicksilver!

Truly,
Mr. Echo

I had the ice to myself for half the session, and the other half of the time, was just me and a little 5 year old doing her Basic 2 program. heehee.  It was so much fun though. :)  My moves in the field were good, and I REALLY want to test them at the next test session!  Patty added more stuff to my footwork.  My mom taped my whole session.  I hadn't really watched my footwork on tape a lot yet.  I have 2 spread eagles in my footwork, and watching them back, OMG, it scared me so much.  Like I know I don't fall into the splits on them or something, but just watching them back still really freaked me out. :lol:  My feet were just so far apart!  Patty helped me with my back camel, and I did 2 of them with 4 and a half rotations (new personal best) in a good position!  Now, I've just got to work on doing them well in the program.  I need to work on my ina bauer though.  I did it twice (when I did my program) and the first one I almost fell out of.  My feet were just so far apart.  And I didn't lean back at all.  The 2nd one the little 5 year old was standing right in my way.  So, I didn't really do it.  I just need to practice it more.  I've never really worked on it because it's just come naturally, but I want it to an awesome stand-out thing in my program.  So, it's got to be better.  The 2 run-throughs I did today were really really awesome.  My competition is 2 weeks from this weekend.  I AM SO EXCITED!  I feel pretty prepared and ready now.

Oh!  I forgot to say this.  I STARTED WORKING ON DOUBLE LOOPS YESTERDAY!  My very first double jump!!  So, I'm on my left foot, jump into the air, rotate twice, land on my left foot.  I just did a couple of attempts yesterday, but I'm really excited to start working on them!

it was the best skating experience i have EVER had (besides a competition!)

i was the first session after the zamboni.   that means the ice was completely PERFECT.  it was just me and one other skater in a lesson.  and she's an adult doing some half jumps.  i did 4 run-throughs back to back and none of them were too bad.  plus, i got my change of edge spiral!  i had been working on that on saturday constantly and i just couldn't get it.  it was soooo frustrating.  but i leaned over more and TA-DA!  soooo much better.  patty's now calling it my "michelle kwan spiral" because michelle kwan's signature move is her change of edge spiral, but mine also has a change of position WHILE i change the edge so yippie to me.  and i got my back sit held down long enough.  it's in my change foot sit spin. (i start spinning on my right foot in the sit spin position and then switch to spinning on my left foot in sit spin position).  spinning on the left foot in the correct position is what i find difficult.  but on monday, almost all of them were REALLY good!  my mom's always said that my footwork looked really blah and easy. (which it's definitely not! but that's the way it appeared to her)  but the other day, she could tell a difference!  she taped me and i agree that my footwork did look a billion times better!  i didn't work on my jumps too much besides when i did a run-through of my program.  they were good.  so, i didn't have to work on them anymore.  and yes, i still hate jumping.  micaela came halfway through the session, and she skated right up to me and was like "ellie!  i need help with a math problem, and my mom doesn't know how to do it!"  it was just funny, and i answered her question.  lol.  and today's riley's birthday, but i knew i wasn't going to see her after monday before today so i went ahead and gave her her present there.  she was surprised, which was totally my goal.  heehee.  i made her this sweet video of her at competitions.  our very first competition we competed against each other.  so, i've got like tons of videos of her on my computer.  she called me later monday night after she watched it.  she loved it and was really surprised on how i made it. heehee.  plus, when i got off the ice, there were like 50 billion skaters getting on and some of them were the ones doing triples.  i chose the best session. :)

Bournemouth was the destination this year; Kings Park and Slade Farm skateparks. I didn't manage to get any shots from Kings Park as I didn't want to lose any precious skate time between the rain showers. But I got some pics from Slade Farm, an old 70's relic that's pretty mellow and really good fun to skate.

Skate photos after the jump...

 circa 1938: Gracie Allen (1902 - 1964) the American comedienne
with George Burns (1896 - 1996), visiting the Roller Skating Derby Final.

When Travis makes his way to Spain - he'll be carrying my latest boot. The Version 4 - EGC. I just finished it this morning. Yeah! That's two this week. The Mad Dog and the WTE. The colours are black and light grey with a hint of red - something perhaps to go with the new Team Canada suit -

Specs are below:

Weight (each with buckles, no laces) : 310g
Shell: 6 layers of carbon fiber (4 full, 2 partial), 5.8 oz plain weave
Epoxy: West Systems with Slow Hardener
Bagging System: FoodSaver
Uppers: Cowhide, full leather
Buckle: SIDI Micro Buckle
Strap: DACRON webbing 1.5 inches
Liner: 1.5mm Perforated, EVAlite, EVA sheet
Padding: 6mm EVAlite, thermoformed and feathered in the ankles only
Scuff Pad: 1.5mm Vibram Outsole, soling sheets
Blocks: 5mm Aluminum bar

Pretty much the same as the 'Mad Dog' boots, with the exception that the buckle is made by SIDI (a very well known Bicycle Shoe manufacturer.)

A few enhancements were made over the Mad Dog's and a few issues encountered:

• Cuff is a bit cleaner, but as you might have guessed, I really don't like this design. I'm working on another one and my next boot will use this new modified design.
• Buckles broke on the Mad Dogs, so I've reinforced this area, as well as lengthened it a bit as my initial design was too short.
• Eyelets were first drawn in place using a template (see Mad Dog article), then punched, stitched and reinforced with metal eyelets. The topline on the Mad Dogs were only partially stitched.
• The upper uses a different design to match a drawing, but I won't use this pattern in the future.
• Gloss coating was a bit rushed and the peel ply left TOO rough a surface. It's not as smooth as the Mad Dog's
• Minor carbon wrinkling due to the laminating sequence
• The rivet on the buckle is much more pronounced than in the Mad Dog - I can really feel it poking through the boot. While I don't think this will be a problem since it's on a very fleshy part of the foot, I can really feel the rivet with my fingers. I'm designing a new "riser" system to separate the rivet from the main boot padding - I'll write about this in a future article since it will be incorporated into the next pair.

http://www.freewebs.com/squirrelmanstudios/team.htm

Peace!
from transworld skateboarding forums.

It is a collection of the internet’s most amusing corners. Today, there was a post involving monkeys and figure skating. As I sat back and watched these monkeys perform things I could only dream of doing, I began to think about how exactly they were trained to do that…:

JJRC: I wonder how you train a monkey to do that instead of flinging its own poo - which probably more fun for the monkey


Ivan: haha, beatings.


JJRC: true - tortured animals do amazing things

This is most likely the case. That poor monkey would rather be flinging feces at another monkey in a rainforest somewhere than being placed in a hideous sweater and forced to skate around with a foot over its head. Of course, this revelation had a domino affect. Doese this mean those dolphins I saw at Six Flags didn’t want to splash me with water as I watched it do tricks for fish?!

Sadly enough, probably not. I’m sure you couldn’t convince me to a confined life if you served me my favorite dish every day… First of all, I would probably become a helpless land monster - tipping the scales at ungodly numbers. Secondly, I would get tired of it… that and people banging on my cage to get their attention. Sigh, the skating monkey ruined my life…. I wish I had more work to do so I wouldn’t mess myself up like that.

JJRC

for the first 5 minutes or so, i got to play my cd with amazing music on it since nobody was doing their programs yet.  so, i got to warm up listening to carrie!  heehee.  my first run-through was really really good.  i put all the choreography and all the elements in it.  some people got in my way a couple times, but besides that it was really really really good!  i did it later right as the session was ending, and only one skater got in my once.  and it was really awesome.  last week, my programs were absolutely awful, but today's practice was amazing.  i'm really excited for my competition!

afterwards, my mom kept going on about how pretty my program was and that she was proud of me for choreographing it by myself.  and that makes me feel good because it always seems likes she's the hardest person to please.