When I was in Africa, almost seven years ago now, I took most of my wildlife shots with the Canon 70-200 f4.0L zoom lens. I really loved that lens. It was light enough to hold and the optics were phenomenal. When we decided to take this trip up the coast, I was all set to buy the same lens again (still available, still the same price) when I learned about the version with Canon's Image Stabilization. The lens automatically compensates for shaking, allowing one to expose the sensor for a longer period of time. The difference in cost was not prohibitive, and so I opted for the IS version. The optics are as good as I remember; even stopped down, shots are crisp. The IS allowed me to get some shots indoors that I'd not have been able to get otherwise; Canon makes a version of the lens, which sells for almost twice as much, as an f2.8 -- it is heavier, but for lower light situations, will certainly outperform this lens. Fortunately, all I want to do is take pictures of critters.

And that's a wrap! Kathy and I successfully defended out theses on June 7 and 8. Thanks to scheduling our wedding on the 10th, we both were fortunate to have many friends and family in town. Our advisors threw us a wonderful celebration after Kathy finished hers, which was a fine way to end our formal schooling: 1 year of pre-school, 1 year of kindergarten, 12 years of formal schooling, 4 years of college, and 6 years of graduate school (24 years total, believe it or not). And I still can't tell my left from my right.

We held our wedding reception and ceremony at Ton Kiang . The ceremony was short and sweet, presided over by our dear friend Sarah Kotowski, whom we'd deputized earlier. My brother Elie and sister Tamar played a short piece on the cello and violin, and Laura Certain read an e.e. cummings poem. The reception was a 9 course banquet, followed by a cake from Schubert's. Needless to say, nobody left hungry, and Kathy and I could not have been more pleased. We're truly grateful to our friends and family who could join us, all of whom made it happy and memorable.

My Odyssey battery from G-man Industries arrived on Wednesday. What a difference twice the amps makes! I barely have to brush my finger on the starter, and the bike roars to life. Rode around SF a bit, picking up groceries and some art supplies for Kathy without a bit of trouble. A milk crate bungee-corded to the back of the bike may not look great, but it does hold a weeks worth of goodies. The dozen eggs made it home safe and sound....

After a closer look in the sunshine and another jump start, it appears that there really weren't any problems with the bike. The brakes were a bit sticky from not having ridden for a few days, but otherwise it looks great. I rode for a bit today, and while I'm pretty sure it needs another battery (simply not enough juice in this one to start cold after a week of not riding) I didn't notice any problems. I think I will purchase another battery, and see if I can't get another few months out of her.

Almost three weeks ago, I came back home to find my bike on its side. Underneath was a note that said "Sorry, and call me if there's any trouble." I took a look around the bike, and the only thing cosmetically damaged was the right rear turn signal, which the driver was kind enough to pay for. Thanks to a dead battery, and some broken spark plugs, I didn't try to ride the bike until yesterday, when Joel came by to give her a jump. He took the Wing around the block, came back, and announced that the front was all out of whack. It looks like the left front caliper was hit hard enough to knock it into the disc, and the fall probably tweaked the handlebars. I called the woman who hit the bike and explained the situation, and asked her to let me know if there was anything she could do within the next day or so. If she agrees to pay for the repair, I'll take her in, otherwise this little Goldwing experience will come to a close.

June 10, 2007. Ton Kiang, San Francisco. e-mails forthcoming, invitations to follow. Now the only question is whether or not we'll graduate before the wedding.

One of the best parts of having a camera is learning to see the way it does. This past year, I've stuck for the most part with a 50mm fixed lens. Some have argued, and I agree, that sticking with the 50mm is an excellent way to learn to compose interesting photographs. It has been quite challenging, as I've tried to use the camera/lens combo for every picture I've taken. This year, Kathy's parents bought me a wide-angle lens, allowing me to go from 20-35mm. The challenge, as I see it, is three-fold: to tell an interesting story where I can capture more image than I could before, to learn to capture interesting landscapes, and to do it all under more difficult lighting conditions. Here are a couple pictures I took today, while walking to or out at Ocean Beach.

My mother sent me a set of proofing baskets! Now I've got no excuse for not trying the no-knead bread recipe (link goes to recipe). From the Sullivan Street Bakery in NYC, comes two interesting suggestions: first, don't knead the dough, just leave it alone for a while (12+ hrs) and second, bake the bread in a covered pot. I can sympathize with the first suggestion: it has long seemed to me that the quality of the crumb (the size and shape of the bubbles of air) followed the amount of time I left the dough alone, whereas I never saw much of a difference from kneading. Kneading seemed much more crucial when the desired product needed to be elastic, say, for a strudel dough. As for the covered pot bit, the hive mind says that according to Elizabeth Davis, that notion can be traced to the ancient Greeks (see English Bread and Yeast Cookery). Makes sense, given the ancients' proficiency with earthenware. More to come; look for pictures of the final product.
3 cups flour; 1/4 tsp yeast, 1 1/4 tsp salt, 1 1/2 cup water. Mix dry ingredients, mix in water, pull together, let sit many hours. Pat with flour/wheat bran, fold dough over on itself, proof seam-side-down. Bake in a pre-heated pot @ 500 degrees for 30mins closed, then 15mins open. Or something like that....

Kathy said "yes!" We decided this past September when we were at her parents' place in Vermont, but kept quiet about it until Thanksgiving, when we could tell her parents in person. We'll likely head down to city hall one day, followed by a wedding banquet in San Francisco.