What I'm Doing

For the benefit of friends and family back home in Blighty that I don't get to see too often these days, here's a run-down on some of the more interesting things I've been up to since I got to the USA. (The rest of you are welcome too!)

Photos in these pages are by the people indicated or me; click on a small picture for a full-sized version.

Chipmunks and Marmots and Deer... Oh Wow. King's Canyon 30 Aug - 1 Sep 97		When Paola at work suggested a weekend hike, I didn't know quite what she had in mind; a 3-day expedition to Kings Canyon, with a 5,000-foot climb... 5 go mad in bear country!
Yosemite Snow and Water Yosemite 12 Oct 97		A potential backpacking trip was called off, and the weather was closing in; but I couldn't resist the lure of the mountains, so I set off for what turned out to be a jolly nice day hike in Yosemite.
In the Bowels of the Earth California Caverns Fall 97	A pleasant trip to Calaveras county, followed by a long crawl through some incredbly narrow (and beautiful) holes in the ground. Those chest-high mud marks indicate the depth of water we were wading through. (Photos by Jan and others.) Before... ... and after. Cleaning up.
Skiing '98 Tahoe Winter 97/98	It's winter, so I'm skiing, of course! Check out my photos page for some skiing photos. Thanks to Paola, I sometimes get to crash in the rather nice cabin she has a share of... The front view. Looking out of the dining room window. And the back window! Some of my handiwork.
Riding in the Pacific Surf Daly City 23 Dec 98	With the company busy moving offices, we had to stay away, but being a work day, we had to do an official group activity. My group was officially skiving (don't tell the stockholders!) so just to show how industrious I am, I seconded myself to another team for the day. Their official activity was riding on the beach. And very cool it was too! Lisa; our guide and organiser. Thanks Lisa! The group rising back up from the beach; looking north towards the Golden Gate. Jan the boy racer. Jason. Lisa with her trusty steed. (It shrank in all that surf.)
Moving to my New Office Wind River Way, Alameda 28 Dec 98	We've just built the first two buildings of our new campus, so we all had the fun of moving to new offices. Everything was remarkably easy (up and running within the day), and the new buildings are great! Wind River Way. The dedication stone for the new campus. The Patio (just outside the restaurant). My productivity zone. The odd little granite blob is my fountain. The view from inside my office. My workstation. Gromit makes sure I don't get too wild. A panoramic view (3 images stitched together). A passing boat (Coast Guard Island is just up the estuary). (532k) A movie of my office. A mega-panoramic view of the grounds (6 images stitched).
Skiing '99 Tahoe Winter 98/99	Back to the mountains again! Only this time I have a full cabin share, so it's time to go totally ski-mad (like I wasn't already). Our cabin; in Tahoma on the West shore of Lake Tahoe. The front path... Paola is making her way through Clint Pass; dug by hand by me. Paola's car. Really. You can see the wing mirror and aerial. The road outside the cabin... ... and looking the other way. Inside the cabin. A mega-panoramic view of Lake Tahoe, from Homewood (5 images stitched). And the skiing was good too! In the trees at Squaw Valley. The cabin; well decorated with icicles. After a moderate snowfall. Avalanche rescue dogs -- note their avalanche transmitters. (1337k) A movie of the dogs in action.
The Grand Tour California 11-26 July 2000		Some friends of mine dropped in from England and wanted to see some of the sights, so off we went for a little drive... for 15 days in an RV. Follow our adventures with my photo tour of California.
Sailing! The Ocean		So, with a new boat just built for ocean cruising, it's time to get out there and get some real sailing in! Go read the ship's log for details.

Copyright (C) 1995-2006 Ian Cameron Smith.
visits since 18Aug05. Last modified: Fri Sep 22 08:46:21 BST 2006 ($Revision: 1.28 $)