It's June and I'm peeling already. Actually, it's Junuary here ("a month to remember what the weather was like 6 months ago") and I'm only shedding a few flakes of sunburned skin.

I'm getting excited about summertime, but no matter how much I dream about it, the weather still refuses to STAY above 60 for more than a few hours at a time. Bummer. I just want the rock and trails to dry out so I can go climbing and mountain biking.

Oh yeah, I finally bought a mountain bike. After my Trek 4900 Alpha was stolen two years ago I have been in need of a fun bike. I did make an impulse purchase last summer on a bike that was too small and too heavy for me. So I sold that this year a picked out a Gary Fisher Piranha. The best part: it's electric green.

I'm planning to take my first ever "vacation." This is a time when The BBJ will let me not work for a week but still get paid. I like this idea, very much. In fact I wish I could do it more often. Here's my rough plan: celebrate the Fourth, take a weekend sailing class in the San Juans, go on a multi-day hike, then celebrate my birthday at the base of a granite rock wall somewhere not too far away. 

With the holiday in there, I get 10 days off for the 5 days that I am technically taking off from work. That's strategic scheduling, folks. 

I think I'm getting better at photography. I'll let you be the judge. Click here to see my latest photo gallery for an article.

Ike - who brewed his own beer and will soon be enjoying the fruits of his labor