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CoffeeWaffle
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Sunday, 25 February 2007
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9:13:40 PM 
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Sunday, 18 February 2007
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I got out on my bike today with my kite aerial photography gear onboard to capture a bit of Nelson in summer. 
10:06:57 PM
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Saturday, 17 February 2007
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Today I got the right conditions to return to the Boulder Bank for some kite aerial photography. This is the same tree I photographed a few weeks ago, only this time from directly above. King shags nest here so to get this shot I had to launch my kite some distance away, and only after gaining some altitude I slowly walked the kite and camera into position being very careful not to scare the birds off their roosts. Its worth looking at this shot full size to get a good look at the birds.
The colours of the various plants that cling to life out here in this harsh environment are spectacular when seen from above. I'm particularly fascinated by the orange/yellow lichen that forms rings around the trees. I wonder why it only grows around the edge of trees (even dead ones) but not underneath them.
The shot above is looking north with me and the kiteline in the picture.
A former shag roosting tree, now long dead still has the bright ring of lichen around it. The little flecks of blue you can see are actually plastic packing strips; some of mans junk that washes up here. The birds seem to like using it as part of their nests building so it collects around their nesting sites (if you look very closely at the first shot you can see this blue stuff in their current nests.)
Launching the 30 square foot sutton flowform.
My lovely assistant did a great job of minding the kite line on the ground while I took photos.
11:47:33 PM
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Thursday, 15 February 2007
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I have just finshed making a custom snapdeck for my Xtracycle.
Its made from recycled marine plywood which I got by cutting up an old
tobbogan that has been under the house for decades. The colour of the
wood is natural. I have just added about 10 coats of marine grade
polyurethane, and topped it off with some grip-tape from the skateboard
shop. It's much longer than the original snapdeck which makes the bike
seem even longer. I have attached it with six cable-ties. I did it that
way because I want it to double as a sandboard for sliding down big
sand dunes, and this means the bottom must be smooth with no
protrusions. The clips on the bottom of the original snapdeck would
prevent that use. This way is just have a stash of cable-ties in my
saddlebag and whenever I want to use it as a sandboard I can just snip
the cable-ties and go for it. When I'm done it only takes a minute to
re-attach. 
10:04:49 PM
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Monday, 12 February 2007
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"The future of mankind lies waiting for those who will come to understand their lives and take up their responsibility to all living things." - Vine Deloria, Jr.
10:13:38 PM
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Here's a couple of shots of my new pedicab with the full canopy on. 
Between the two front upright is a place to display a small sign. I imagine its where you display the name or number of the cab. I need to think of a felicitous name for it. Any suggestions?
3:28:20 PM
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Sunday, 11 February 2007
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There were some good guesses after yesterdays post but no one got it. I now own this beautiful piece of cycling technology. So what am I going to use it for? Some great exercise, some part time work, and a bit of pocket money. Nelson is a particularly popular place for tourists during summer, but right now there are no Pedicabs operating here. I probably won't be doing to much with it until next summer. I've got some paperwork and one or two mechcanical mods to do to it first. It also came with a larger canopy than the currently attached one. When fitted it will look like this one (except mine canopys are all black). Kaycee got to be the first to try it out as a passenger.
Unfortunatly we couldn't ride far because I have injured my back due to
a combination of a bad motel bed, and trying to lift the pedicab into
the van cold. I can barely walk so this photo was posed. (btw, some of
you may notice I'm missing my beard in this photo. I shaved it off
yesterday just for a change.)
9:59:08 PM
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Saturday, 10 February 2007
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I've just finished stiching together these 10 photos taken last weekend from my kayak. This is the northwest coast of Pepin Island. If you look closely (in full size) you can see
Devon on his kayak heading into the small pebble beach to the right. In other news, I am off to Christchurch this afternoon to pick up something very cool. It's yellow and black, about 2.4 meters long, and most people seem to think I'm mad for buying it. They may be right this time :) I'll post some photos of it when I get back on Sunday. In the meantime I bet you can't guess what it is.
12:02:06 PM
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Monday, 5 February 2007
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11:06:34 PM
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Saturday, 3 February 2007
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This place is known to me and my dog as Kaycee's rock. At this little pool in the Teal Valley River I throw rocks in, and she jumps in after them. She will hold her head under water until she picks up a rock from the bottom and carries it to the bank. It doesn't seem to matter if its the same rock I threw or not, in fact she often comes up with a rock substantaily bigger than the one I threw. Then its back in to position, ready for the next throw.
This is three images taken continously and merged in Photoshop. The splash is actually the stone I threw hitting the water and was caught in the same frame as the last image of Kaycee, giving you an idea of how well she zeros in on her target.
5:20:52 PM
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Every Saturday morning my friend Ted loads up his Xtracycle and trailer and heads of to the Nelson Market. He runs a kites and juggling stall. Everything he needs for the stall goes on the bike & trailer. 
There are no less than three folding tables on the wideloaders.
This side you can see the kite-stock tube (red), the gazeebo on the
snapdeck (yellow), and a of course a trailer full of stock.
Everything you see in this picture (excluding the customers) was transported by bike with zero emmissions. Well done Ted. This just goes to show that anyone who says they can't travel by bike because - insert favourite car-loving excuse here - probably just isn't willing to try. Sure, it would be easier for Ted to throw everything in a station wagon and drive to the market, but he chooses not to. Not because its cheaper, definately not because its easier (it ain't), and it's certainly is not quicker. He does it because it's the right thing to do, for us and our planet (oh...and its fun!). I long for the day this kind of action becomes mainstream.
This reminds me of what one of the Xtracycle inventers said in the video below... "It's not about making your life easier, its about making your life better." This clip is from back in 2000 when the Xtracycle boys were first trying to spread the word about their idea. You've got to admire their tenacity (without which I wouldn't have had a chance to own my xtracycle). Thanks guys.
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© Copyright
2009
Murray Neill
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Last update:
17/02/2009; 10:12:53 p.m.
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