The first five weeks of summer brought us 6,000 miles east, then north, then back. A cross-country road trip that can be described only in pictures. What follows is a short burst of them.

Our First stop was 2,000 miles away. The Outer Banks, NC. We spent a week in solid beach-mode. Eat, Sleep, Go to beach, Repeat.

Eliot, Cora and Talon on the Beach

Grandma Linda and B-Daddy Wayne on the beach..

We stopped for a few days, and milkshakes, in the Big Apple. Tommy and Elizabeth were gracious hosts. We enjoyed many pedestrian miles, sensory stimulations, and each other.

What a Town!

The Subway was Talon's favorite part of New York. It was seriously amazing.

My Dang old Dad in Maine...

Andrew and Mason in Maine...

Talon and Eliot on the beach in Maine.

My two fabulous aunts in Maine. Lou and Jane. I absolutely love 'em.

My Gramps turned eighty this summer...just as he wanted to....on a Lobster boat in Maine...surrounded by his family...all of us enamored with him. Happy birthday Big Guy!

Talon entering the gateway to the west.

We stopped in St. Louis on the way home to visit the City Museum, an abandoned warehouse turned interactive art installation. Indescribable. If you're ever within 1000 miles from it, go visit.

As planned, we arrived safely back in Colorado for the fourth of July. There is no place like home.

Welcome to the World Theodore Ning III

What follows is a short series of photos unearthed from a Carb archive. This one here was snapped by Jake in Moab. It is probably my favorite photo of all time. It says so much about so little, or so little about so much. One might surmise that EVERYTHING began at this moment.

Where's the Love Ya'll?

We don't realize how formative our youth can be, This here trip to Moab, early 90's, probably solidified two major themes of my life: being a dork and loving bikes. These guys are RAD!

This is the second sand dunes trip. A very special one for me especially. Obviously, most of us were having an awesome time.

Classic Mountain Dance Party. This was one of the first 'backpacking' trips around Echo lake circa 1989. J-mar brought the boom box; Kramer, the 12er of Cokes.

To All the Girls I've Loved Before...

This is the house that Tate is building. It's unbelievable; a monster of simplicity, style and proportion...just like Tate. To get there, drive over the mesa, through the middle over nowhere, and into the juniper forest. It'll be the fascinating log,hay,stone and concrete structure on your left. 360 degree views, You can't miss it.

"Hey man, are you the hay man," I said.

There's somethin sweet about hard work, good friends, a warm sun, and cold beer...

We had a fun bash birthday bash for the little guys. They invited all their best friends.

I'm one. can you believe it?

"We have a huge barrell of wine but no cups. That is fine with us." -Rumi

I'M THREE! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?

Nothing is as romantic as two days of rain in the desert. We ventured a long weekend in Goblin Valley State Park, Utah. If you've never been, go there. Except for the flash floods, we had a blast!

We had a great visit from the Hitchin' Post for Spring break. Here's Eliot sleepin' on his Grandma. Great for everyone involved...

Well........um......okay......if you say so daddy..............uh....................then......i guess....................WHEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!

Brotherly Love

We found this guy on the street. Said his name was Brutus, from the Adirondacks. Just ramblin west, lookin for work. We put him up for a couple days, fed him three hots and a shower. Once he sobered up, he could put on one hell of a hoedown!

My mother gave us this walking lilly last year. Graceful plant. It had never flowered until last month, when this stunning blossom opened for just a few hours. Can you imagine?

Work Hard. Play Hard. Nap Hard.

The Simple Life is truly enigmatic. We are so easily sucked in to our own worlds, aren't we? What was once mysterious becomes crystal clear-- and things that once seemed normal are now so strange. The lines blur between real and imaginary, especially among friends. Talon has a robot-elephant friend, a little bug, and this guy. Wiki Wiki.

Let the viewer decide what is really occurring here.

We found this old derby hat. Original Sax Fifth Avenue. I told Talon, "just because you live in affordable housing, doesn't mean you're not a classy guy." He agreed.

We do the Salsa in this house.

Hey, wait a minute. Since when are you so big?

Here's the team on Superbowl Sunday, 2007.

To Eliot A

well you're something aren't you?
sure know what you want
you express and you love
and impress all your thoughts

mostly you're happy
shown by your shy smile
but somtimes you're angry
screams heard for a mile

don't know much about you
only that you are free
from the smallest delusions
you're raw possibility

i adore to wonder
what you will become
an inventor, dissentor, leader of the free world
and then some

it's already happenting
before my eyes
at eight months your head's up
scanning the skies

your strength is becoming
from your legs to your neck

may your ship sail straight, Eli
on the shoals never wreck

-gasp-

Ahhhh. The Perks of Adulthood. One picks your nose while the other farts on your leg.

Good things come in many packages. This was the scene at our house 5AM Christmas morning. I was waiting up, too excited to sleep.

These are home made. Almost sensual, don't you agree?

SOMEBODY was ready for Christmas Way Early. I guess Santa needed a little extra help so Eliot signed up as an elf...