Palouse Falls Video

I'm trying to get on top of and stay on top of all the little videos I've been taking of our weekend trips.  The evening after our trip to Palouse Falls I spent a couple hours putting this together while Vanessa spent a couple hours downloading and editing photos.  It is a lot of work documenting this stuff.  But not enough work to discourage us and get us to actually stay home.

In this video I did a better job with the sound, getting the background music volume to go up and down and normalizing the sound track of the actual clips.  I don't entirely understand the normalize function on iMovie yet, but I'm getting there.  So much to learn.  Here it is:


Palouse Falls June 6, 2010 from Corey Judd on Vimeo.

The Palouse and Palouse Falls and Palouse

This weeekend we finally made the trip to Palouse Falls.  We have wanted to check this place out for at least a year.  So we enjoyed a drive through the Palouse that is covered with a carpet of verdant green winter wheat.  We trekked across some scablands along the southeastern fringe of the Columbia Basin to the small state park that houses the great horse tail falls of the Palouse River.  I stole the below photos from Vanessa as she wears the camera straps in the family (though I'm currently making a bid for designated videographer).

It is impressive, but is even bigger than this earlier in the spring.

Here is a video of a guy kayaking off the falls, which was a world record at the time (186 ft.)

Below is a stiff family portrait.  We were just getting geared up for the photo frenzy that is Vanessa.

Starting to loosen up:

Ansel is a little too loose, and leaky:

Of course he got a lot less loose after he saw this guy near the railroad tracks:

For the rest of the hike he stayed close to a parent and had a few episodes of panic when he "thought he heard something."  I'll have to put that in my bag of bad parenting tips for when I want him to stay close by--"Ansel, I think there's a rattlesnake over there."

Upper Palouse Falls:

Castle Rock (No photos of Vanessa, no video of me.  We have to make sure we switch jobs from time to time).

More Palouse Falls:

Palouse Falls Canyon from the top of the falls.

Cool bearded mountain guy in the parking lot:

Later, back on the Palouse, on our way to the town of Palouse:

Green brick wall in the town of Palouse, a nice little artsy community just north and east of Pullman:

Video to follow.

Helpful Hint of the Day

Everyone gets a song stuck in their head from time to time and it can be a devil getting rid of it.  I may have found a solution.

This morning as I vacuumed the detritus from the kids' movie and popcorn gorging last night in the TV room, I got the old Whitney Houston song "Greatest Love of All" (or whatever the proper title is) stuck in my head.  I don't know why or where it came from.  As I rhythmically pushed the vacuum back and forth it threatened to really nestle into the gyri and sulci of my brain.  I had to do something.

Luckily, I didn't panic.  Instead I started analyzing the lyrics and began dictating a sort of thesis of deconstruction in my head.  I didn't even get past the first line--"I believe the children are our future."  Of course children are the future.  They're children and will most likely be here longer than those older than them.  What's to believe about that?  In fact, they have a bigger stake in the future and it is more in their interest than mine to prepare for it.  Perhaps the elderly who, by extension, have less of a stake in the future, should be eyed with suspicion as they are typically the ones who wield power in government and business. 

And I went on and on in this ridiculous way, trying to make Derrida proud until, POOF!, the song was gone.  Success...until a half hour later when I heard Vanessa's voice echoing throughout the house, "Treat them well and let them know the way.  Tell them all the beauty they possess insiiiiide."  

I must have been whistling the tune earlier and didn't realize I infected her as well.  I've got no cure for that.

Daily Opinion

Like most people, I am typically enthusiastic when something is new.  This new space for my blog is no different.  So within the space of only one day, I am posting a second time.  Unprecedented and unlikely to happen again.

Today, as I went about my weekend activities, I generated a few unimportant opinions.  They are as follows:

1.  If you ride a loud, annoying motorcycle you shouldn't be allowed to wear ear plugs to mask the sound for yourself.

2.  Local art festivals really only need to be attended once every couple years since much of the same stuff is there every time.

3.  I think I have the discipline to be a vegetarian, but not the discipline to cook vegetarian food.

4.  A good paid house cleaner is awesome and addicting.

5.  Rogue advertising signs along rural roadways are tantamount to littering.

Playing Catch Up

Here's a video I finished 99% of the way a few months back.  Thought I should post it somewhere after all that work.  Of course the music is a little off, but I don't have too much on my computer to choose from--Broken Social Scene with Leslie Feist singing and a banjo covering the rhythm.

Go Savanna!


Skiiing Lookout Pass, February 27 2010 from Corey Judd on Vimeo.

Spring is Here

A couple weeks ago we took a family ride on the newly paved stretch of the Fish Lake Trail.  We've used the older stretch of the trail quite a bit over the years and this is a welcome edition.  The trail was busier than I had anticipated but was nice for the kids and much longer than the older stretch.

Ansel likes riding on the back of the Big Dummy.  

  

Emmy just keeps pedaling and pedaling.

 

This weekend I took in some snow camping with the local mountaineer group.  It was fun.  Camping in snow is nice because there are no bugs or dirt and you can build things with the snow.  I dug a boot pit at the door of the tent that was very convenient.  

 The lack of snow this winter has made it easier to be ready for Spring and getting out.  We have plans to start backpacking again, with the kids.  Hopefully it works out.

Vacation Projects

I had some time off a couple weeks ago and got a lot of little projects done.  Cleaning and organizing the garage after installing some ceiling shelves was the most practical project, but wasn't quite photo worthy.  My favorite project was the coat hook rack I made.  I "reclaimed" some wood from a pile of garbage on our neighbor's property that had been dumped there years ago (gotta love that about the outskirts of Spokane), cleaned it up, trimmed it down, and mounted some nice hooks I picked up at Restoration Hardware.  I think it turned out better than expected and is quite practical.  In the hallway from the garage the kids tend to dump their school backpacks and hang their coats on the floor.  Now they each have a hook and I don't trip over their stuff when I get home after them.

 
  

The wood has been nicely weathered locally:

  

I also got lots of little errands run, spent some time in Ansel's class, bought a truck, and finished my taxes.  Among other things.