My Co-Pilots

The boys and I doing some hangar flying after Valentines Day brunch in Heber.

"Diamond Star Eight-Eight-Five Uniform Sierra"

I love flying this thing. As soon as I have my bona fides in hand and have figured out how to operate a camera and a stick at the same time, I intend to post some pictures from above. Utah is a pretty place to fly.


For those interested in such things: N885US is a Diamond DA-40 XLS.

Will

A nice shot of the kid getting ready for Christmas Eve. He's a happy boy.

T-ball

Max's foray into the world of organized sports. I think he had a good time with t-ball, but probably not as much fun as we did. Watching little kids run around in their oversize uniforms is a good time.

No Respect

Poor Will. Not a single post on this outdated blog (it's been over a year since there's been any posting of any kind!). We shall remedy that. A few shots of the kid over the past couple of months...

Girlie Man

Girlie man with his cousin Lucy.

Are you confused?

Derby at Duchesne County Fair

MVI_2359
Originally uploaded by Eric Petersen

The first derby I've been to. Max was a bit concerned that the cars were smashing into one another, but he liked it. I see a future career path for myself.

Missy Moo

MVI_2365
Originally uploaded by Eric Petersen

Our friend Tommi introduced us to Missy Moo, a very sweet cow at her parent's house in Duchesne (we were there to celebrate her 30th.) I love cows and apparently so does Max. Extra points to the boy for recognizing the milk as milk.

Max with wings

Max wanted butterfly wings. Here he is with his wings and his butterfly net. 

Chicken fight!

Chicken fight!
Originally uploaded by Eric Petersen

Totally unfair. The victorious chicken is like 3 feet taller than the sunken chicken.

Surprise Party for Brit

Some photos from our good friend Brittany's surprise birthday party. Despite the best efforts of her male model/weatherman boyfriend Aaron, she smelled a rat and was on to us. She is sneaky. It was a lot of fun.

Top: Brit opening a gift from Tim and Camille; Middle: Garrett, the nicest patrolman you'll ever meet; Bottom: Everyone waiting for the girl to open her presents.

Max is 2!

Video of Max blowing out his birthday candles at Grammy's house. 

Grandma & Max

Jaymi's mom came to visit us for a few days. Here she is with Max reading My Circus Story, a book that Jaymi had when she was a little kid. The text is typewritten (like from a typewriter) and customized with Jaymi's name throughout the story. High technology of the mid-1970s.

Whoa.

This pretty thing arrived a few weeks ago. Brings tears to me eyes. 2008 Porsche 911 GT3 RS. If you like 'em check out more photos on Flickr or see a Lap Around the Track. 

Photos on Flickr

I'm in the process of moving our photos to Flickr. Some of the albums (like my boring car stuff) are public, but most are for friends and family so you have to sign in to see them. Please send me a note and I'll add you to the list. You can click the link in the sidebar to visit Flickr from here, or go to www.flickr.com/photos/ericpetersen/collections/

We've Moved!

Our new address:

6228 E Brigham Fork Circle

Salt Lake City, Utah 84108

Halloween 2007

A nice shot of Carl and Ruby at her fabulous Halloween party, and Max in his puppy dog outfit at Tim and Camille's. (It should be mentioned that I do not naturally have orange palms. That would be the effect of one Mist-On tanning booth, at its highest and most expensive setting, on a guy that is naturally very pale but needing to appear very tan in a very short period of time.) 

"Bicycle"

The kid's first Radio Flyer, a milestone in any man's life. He calls it his bicycle.

U of U Game

Some shots from the U of U game. Top: William, Bagg's sister, me, Michelle; Middle: Jaymi and Tommi; Bottom: Baggs and Ann.

Crawling is for kids

We've been in Florence and then to the countryside near Sienna for the past 13 days, sans Internet access. We're back in Rome with two days to kill before returning home. Lots of pictures to post. But that will have to come later; today, the boy walks! Official stats for the books: 10:36 pm, Central European Summer Time, June 13 2007, Roma.

Italy - Florence

After leaving Porto Santo Stefano, we headed to Florence for 7 days. We stayed in an apartment in the heart of the city, about two blocks from the river, on the fourth floor of a four-story building without an elevator. Lots of steps to climb each day. It was a nice place, very well done inside with a kitchen, bedroom, and two lofts, but not nearly as large and luxurious as our previous pad.

Here's a shot of Max in the fireplace, his favorite hangout spot.

Italy - Lunch at Il Bottegone

Ahhh, lunch and espresso on an open deck overlooking the sea. Heavenly.

Italy - Pitigliano

Today we ate at our favorite seaside ristorante in Porto Santo Stafano: Il Bottegone. It's tucked away around the back of the island where there are several vineyards and very nice houses in place of tourists. After lunch we headed to Pitigliano. The scene approaching Pitigliano is unlike anything I've ever seen. (Click here for a panoramic pic.) The entire town sits on one big volcanic rock. As you can see, this place is old. The basements of the houses here are carved out of a rock foundation that dates back to the times of the Etruscans. And I thought my basement was scary.

I couldn't stick around to see much as a delicious bike ride from Pitigliano up to Manciano and back down to Albinia was calling my name, but Jaymi and Max wandered around and took some photos of the cemetery. There are also cave-tombs beneath the town that house dead folks, which we may drive back to see tomorrow if time permits. Death seems to be the overarching theme of this town. I guess when your hood is a few thousand years old it fills up quickly.

Italy - Max Enjoying the Sea

A shot of the kid enjoying seagulls and boats.

Italy - Manciano

Today we ventured further up the road to Manciano, a hilltop town that looks like the hilltop towns you see in travel books on Tuscany. There must be a lot of these towns here: castle or church at the top, with a maze of narrow, zig-zagging cobbled streets that lead up to it. There isn't an apartment in the entire town that doesn't have a killer view of the valley below.

(Left: Random apartment with a balcony that overlooks the valley leading up to Manciano. I could retire here. Right: Jaymi and Max wandering up one of the skinny roads. Eventually we reached a church at the top.)

The winding road from Albinia to Manciano begs to be ridden (we saw several cyclists making their way up), so tomorrow Jaymi and Max will drop me off at Manciano as they continue on to the next town, Pitigliano. I can't wait...

Italy - Buona Mattina!

Good morning from Italy! Il bambino is in a good mood today...

Italy - Cycling in Albinia

Tuscany is home to some of the best cycling in the world, so we're traveling with a good friend: my bike. The Sci-Con travel case has performed as beautifully as it looks, is easy to maneuver, and (contrary to popular opinion and my own intuition) fits snugly in a station wagon with five bags, a baby and a stroller. This morning I unpacked and drove to a little farm town called Albinia, 30 minutes out of Porto Santo Stefano. The ride was relatively short, about an hour, but now that I have a little experience I plan to ride most days.

Today's highlights: Agriturismo upon agriturismo in gorgeous rolling farmland; angry bike-chasing Italian wolf/dog with apparently nothing else to do; discovering the Back to Start feature of my bike GPS, which is perfect for cycling unfamiliar territory in an unfamiliar country; and the tail 7 miles of my ride in the afternoon rain.

Italy - Porto Santo Stefano

It's Monday. We've been in Italy a few days now and are having a relaxing time, mostly lounging around and sleeping while everyone gets used to the time change. (Max likes to wake up at 2am, ready to roll.) Our condo is very nice and spacious, with beautiful views of the town and the sea. The attached pictures of a rainy Porto Santo Stefano were taken this morning from our balcony. We go to sleep to sailboats and wake up to sailboats! (Click the photos for a larger version.)

MMP East Track Video

Next Monday is my first track day of 2007 at Miller Motorsports Park. Last year I didn't take any pictures or video of my track days, something I hope to remedy this season. In case you're interested in the view from the driver's seat, click here for a video of the East Track (the full track is often split into East and West tracks that are rented out separately).

Teething is Great Fun!

This is how we roll.

F1 on the Streets of Italy

Ran across this very cool Shell & Ferrari commercial. If you dig Italian motorworks, check it out. (Be sure to turn the volume up.)

"B" is for...

Hilde would be so proud.

Look Closely...

Take a close look at this picture. I'm sitting in the aisle seat on our flight to Los Angeles, when the guy to my right takes his shoes off. Confusion sets in. Is that a hand on his foot? No, that's a foot. Clearly I have a hand, with five fingers. He has a foot, with five toes. Why am I so confused? Oh yea, his socks have individual toe holes, like a glove. Don't see that every day. Weird. I ordered a Budweiser, we landed safely.

Los Angeles

Some photos from our trip to Los Angeles. (This one of Max relaxing atop the Getty Center.)

We stayed in West Hollywood in a quaint little neighborhood of gay men and little dogs, just down the road from the Viper Club on Sunset. It was a nice break from the cold. Highlights: Sun, In-and-Out Burgers, walks with the kid, a chance boardwalk encounter with Paris Hilton & The Simple Life trailer (we left before the fun started), and the Getty Center.



Left: One of several buildings that comprise the Getty Center. If you haven't been to this place it is an architectural must-see. We spent about 3 hours, which was enough for one visit but not enough to see the entire place or to browse the museum.

Right: Getty Center detail. I happened to notice this slanted cut and snapped a photo. Didn't see another block like it...

I've posted a full set of pictures to Flickr (if you don't have a friends/family login ask me)

Illin' no more

The boy has recovered from last week's nasty seven-day virus...

Who is this woman?

Did I marry well or what? Doesn't look like Jaymi to me, but it is. (I find both versions to be quite attractive.) We're chillin' at Red Rock waiting for a table...

Orbea in January

While those in the eastern US are enjoying the more positive aspects of global warming, we westerners are encased in ice. It's about 10 degrees outside and should hit zero by midnight.

Today, however, it was much warmer: low 20s, sun shining, relatively clean air. So I went for a ride while Jaymi and Max went shopping. We arrived home at the exact same time (really), which turned out to be a convenient photo opp.

Today's destination was the Cows loop (so named because it passes cow pasture north of the airport. I do like cows.) Didn't actually make it that far due to frozen ears and a late start, but you can click the above link to view the regular route. Slick, ey? This all made possible by the Garmin Edge 305 GPS-based cycling computer, which is just about the coolest thing I've ever purchased. In addition to recording my exact coordinates on Earth with every pedal stroke, it keeps track of my heart rate and cadence. Unfortunately I rode sans-Garmin today, so the above link will show you a ride from August 8th of 2006 (which happens to be the last day I rode this particular Cows route before favoring the more interesting Emigration Canyon and Wasatch Loop.)

Max in the ER

Max developed a stomach flu last week and ended up in the emergency room to treat his dehydration. When we arrived at the hospital his eyes were sunken and purple and his weight a thin 17 lbs. The boy didn't look so good. We spent the night in the Rapid Treatment Unit and left the next morning around 10 o'clock. He's been smiling ever since. (Jaymi and I snapped a few pictures on my camera phone. Bottom: On the bed waiting for the IV. Top: The next morning stuffed full of liquids, with Thumb Sucking Monkey in hand. Look at that puffy face!)

Partying in NYC

This picture was taken at the apartment of our friends Tim and Camille for Tim's birthday (2005). We happen to be in New York along with our friends William (far left) and Ann, Andy and Brittney (my left), and... Hilde and Stew!