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, April 30, 2007

The Lonely Planet

Kennesaw Mountain

It was 9AM on Sunday and I was all alone in front of the visitor center at Kennesaw waiting to start my timed mile. Technically, I wasn't "all alone", there were plenty of people around... but there was no one I'd gotten accustomed to over the past few weeks.

We were supposed to hike Kennesaw on Saturday, but there was a March of Dimes walk planned for that day and the hike was moved to Stone Mountain. I could not go to Stone Mountain because I needed to be home rather quickly to help Judy get our home ready for an afternoon of grilling with friends. So, it was me by myself on Sunday morning. The objective was to see how fast I could cover the 1 mile to the top and to report the time to our Hike Leader.

As I set out, I swore I would never do this hiking by myself thing again. I got to the top in about 22 minutes. Not my best time, but not too shabby I guess. I had a lot of fun on the way back. I took my time (about 1.5 hours actually) walking back down. I noticed a lot of stuff which I had overlooked during past hikes. There were a whole new set of plants that were blooming this time around. By the time, I got back to the visitor center, I was beginning to think that I just might be doing more of these solo hikes. Pictures from Kennesaw are here.

Next week, we go to a new trail. We will be hiking at the Vogel State Park. It is going to be a long day on the trail.

Hike Update:
When we started the training, we were told that we could choose from one of several different trails. The trails were classified as Categories 1 through 4 with the descriptions stating that the Cat 4 trail should be attempted only by experienced hikers who have trained hard and who have hiked one of the other trails before. My aim was to train hard enough to attempt at least one of the cat 3 trails. Ultimately, it would be up to the Hike Leader to make the call as to what trail we will be hiking.

Well, Our Hike Leader and Captain had been encouraging a few of us to go for the Grandview trail (the only cat 4 trail) and so I opted for that and that is what I will be hiking. As with all the other trails, this one doesn't go to the river either. We travel about 3.2 miles in and descend 2600 feet to Horseshoe Mesa. The entire hike is expected to take about 8 hours.

Here is a very good account from another Georgian who hiked the Grandview trail last May.

Fund Raising Update:
April 30th is here and I had set a goal of reaching the target. We are very close indeed. We have so far raised $4,395.00 We need to raise only $105 to reach the goal.

Thank You very much. If you were planning to write a check but just didn't get around to it, We still need your help. The $4,500 is a goal but one that is by no means all that is needed. Every little bit is needed. If we can raise $25 more, then that is one extra prescription for a patient. A $100 more will cover the cost of 2 CT scans for patients.
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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)