Why ?

Most who know me know that physical activity isn't exactly my idea of "fun". So what am I doing thinking that I can hike the canyon in the middle of summer.... surely I must be crazy.. maybe I am.

The idea of wanting to do something about cancer has been an itch since 1999 when Judy's dad C.L. Gilbert succumbed to Leukemia.

Last spring one of our friends - Joyce Piatt trained to hike the canyon and in the process raised money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society who fund research into all kinds of Blood Cancers. I was inspired.

I felt that this fund-raising would be a meaningful contribution to the world-wide efforts against cancer.

Monday, February 26, 2007

Amicalola Falls State Park, GA.



Last weekend, the group hiked Kennesaw Mountain. I chose the magical confines of Disney's Animal Kingdom instead. This weekend it was back to real work.

Woke up at 5:30 AM and hitched a ride with 6 others to the Amicalola Falls State Park in Dahlonega. I didn't know these facts, but apparently Amicalola is the highest water falls in the US East of the Mississippi. It is also where the Appalachian trail starts. The 8.5 mile approach trail takes you to the southern end of the A.T. and from there it is 2,100 miles to Mt. Katahdin in Maine.

Well, we were definitely not going to hike that far.. not that day anyway. After a bit of excitement with a lost hike captain, the hike got underway. We went approximately 2.5 miles on the Appalachian Access Trail where we encountered several hikers who were obviously going a lot further than we were....

After, the hike, it was time for a little bit of socializing and home made granola bars. Thanks to mentor Jennifer Coffey. The ride back to Canton was mostly quiet.... there was that conversation as to whether Williamson Bros BBQ had the best pulled pork....

Back home, I ate lunch and crashed. I enjoyed the day. Some pictures are available here.

Fund Raising Update:
I finally got around to contacting people. Thanks for all the donations, pledges and the words of encouragement and support.

I do have a request. LLS is offering a $50 REI gift card for the person who collects the most money in online donations between 2/21 and 3/2. I would love to win this gift card. If I do, I promise, it will be one of the raffle prizes. So, there is no time like now to make that donation. Donate online at http://tinyurl.com/33qyrc . Thank You.

Web Site Update:
I have added a Live Chat window to this site. so stop on by often and say hello.
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Sunday, February 11, 2007

Stone Mountain, GA.


Stone Mountain, GA.

I was parked at the St. Michaels and All Angels Episcopal church parking lot at 7:45 AM on Saturday. We were going to meet there and walk into the park so we wouldn't have to pay the $8 per car :-). Sitting in the car, I was quite warm and toasty and had no idea how cold it was outside.

We had been warned that the temp would be around 30 with a wind of 10-15mph. It was cold and I had to borrow a ski cap from Captain Jerry.

The hike itself was quite comfortable. I had not seen this side of the Stone Mountain in all my previous visits. We could see patches of ice on the slopes. Luckily for us, the mountain is so bald that the water doesn't puddle and freeze.

It was 1.25 miles to the top with a very brief section that was steep. It was cold and windy at the top so it was a quick turnaround. After the hike we went to REI for a gear clinic and ended up buying some stuff that we will need.

The day's activities could perhaps be captured by this credit card ad...

REI Hiking Boots: $90
SuperFeet Insoles: $35
Hiking Socks: $10
LEKI Trekking Poles: $65
Camelbak Hydration System: $90
Being able to sleep in on Saturday: $4500
Helping find a cure for Cancer: Priceless

here are some more pictures from my day at Stone Mountain.
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Monday, February 5, 2007

Kick-Off

The fund-raising and training are now officially on. We have a published training schedule for the next 3 months. This includes individual as well as group training sessions with the first group hike scheduled for 2/10 at the Stone Mountain.

I also have a mentor - Carol Dierdorff aka Hiker Babe has promised to whip me into shape :-)
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Raffle

Every donor was entered into a raffle with one entry for every $10 donated. There are five prizes that can be one. Each donor can win no more than one prize. The first winner gets to choose any one of the five prizes, The second winner gets to choose any one of the remaining four and so on and so forth.

1. Flora

24" x 24" poster. all photographs by Albert Thomas. See larger image.
2. Sun and Water

24" x 24" poster. all photographs by Albert Thomas. See larger image.

3. Super Bowl I - XXX

A football lovers dream. Collectors set of DVDs of all the Superbowls from I to XXX by NFL films.

4. TaylorMade Golf Balls

A dozen TaylorMade Distance Plus golf balls. According to TaylorMade, these balls are "built to maximize distance and improve scoring for the committed player".

5. Maxfli Golf Balls

A dozen Maxfli Noodle Golf Balls.

... and the winners are

  1. Bill McGregor - Roswell, GA.
  2. Joyce Piatt - Mableton, GA.
  3. Frank Jakse - St. Louis, MO.
  4. Senthil Mukunthan - Indianapolis, IN.
  5. Push Venkat - Chicago, IL.

Options to spend money and feel good about it..

Help bridge the chasm by purchasing one or more of the following unique services. Some of these have a material cost component. This will not count as a tax-deductible contribution. Please send me an email if you would like to commission one of the following. Thank You.
1. Scan and Create Web Album from photos – 75 Photos.

Got a lot of pictures from your pre-digital days? I will scan those and create a slideshow CD. If needed, I can also upload them online and create a web album for you. I can scan up to 75 pictures. If you have more ( I hope you do), please see the next item.

Sponsorship Amount: $75 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0

2. Scan and Create Web Album from photos – 150 Photos.

Got a lot of pictures from your pre-digital days? I will scan those and create a slideshow CD. If needed, I can also upload them online and create a web album for you. I can scan up to 150 pictures.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0

3. Your own Photo Poster.

How about a photo mosaic of your favorite pictures and/or your favorite people. This will make a great gift for all those times when you have no clue what to buy (Hint: Mother’s Day is 5/13/07 and Father’s Day is 6/17/07).

  • Make poster from Digital images or Prints (up to 30 prints).
  • Poster Size - 24” x 24”.
  • Poster shown here is a sample. Click here for larger samples - Flora : Sun and Water.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 Material Cost: $30 (24” x 24” poster)

4. Painted Wall Mural.

Planning a birthday party? How about a set for the party? The mural will be painted on poster paper and affixed to the wall using push pins so you can remove after the event. No need to repaint.

  • Poster Size – 10’ x 8’.
  • The pictures shown here are from Ashley’s 6th Birthday. Click here to see larger photos of the mural - Photo1 : Photo 2.
  • My painting skills are pretty rudimentary (to say the least) and so we have to stick to cartoons. For your sake, please don’t ask me to paint someone you know
Sponsorship Amount: $200 (entire amount is tax-deductible) Material Cost: $0 ( I already bought way too much paper and paint)

5. Mondrian Coffee Table.

So what does a $500 coffee table look like? Like the dining table pictured here. This is a one of a kind, contemporary coffee table that is also a piece of art. The coffee table is hand-crafted and consists of a Piet Mondrian reproduction using acrylic on canvas, framed by wood with a metallic finish. I don’t have a picture of the coffee table itself, because it hasn’t been made yet. Click here for a larger photo of the dining table. Coffee table will be 48” x 36”.

Sponsorship Amount: $500 Material Cost: $100

6. Warhol at the Georgia Aquarium – Poster.

Warhol never visited the Georgia Aquarium. What if he had? What if he had seen the anemones at the Cold Water Quest? The poster was created using a photo I took of the anemones recently.

Sponsorship Amount: $100 Material Cost: $30 (24” x 24” poster)