Test from my PC Via Wifi N95

 

Home splash . . .

Home splash . . .
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Sun 2008/12/07 12:22 Huh, my kids can't take NO for a answer . . . Although it was sunny and hot outside, we had to go for a 30min drive to the cattle range in Tsitsikama and I did not want to drive the entire trip without the aircon. Nevertheless,shortly after I took the pic, I too ended up in the pool. The trip has been postponed.

Home,sweet home . . .

Home,sweet home . . .
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Sun 07/12/2008 12:20 My kids in the pool at home. - I took this pic with my N95, ISO filter set on 'high'. All other settings left on 'auto'. The result is perfect - at least for my taste.

Mario at the Map of Africa.

Here am I with my Golden2 paraglider,flying at Wildernes coastal village,halfway between Cape Town and Port Elizabeth. The road you see in the pic is the 'Garden Route'. I flew in the moderate sea breeze for well over a hour. It was one of the most relaxing flights, with no turbulence what so ever. The pic was taken by my old friend and flying buddy,Gerhardus. A pity my N95's battery went flat,otherwise I should have returned the favor.

Claudia & her teacher.

Claudia & her teacher.
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Mon 03/11/2008 18:02. This is a older picture I got while on holiday, visiting my brother in Europe. The little girl is Claudia,my brother's daughter,while the pretty lady is her kindergarten teacher. I have quite a number of pics which I took with my cell during the visit. If I only could find more time to upload them . . . This was the first time when, while on a European visit, I did not bother to take a dedicated camera with me. The N95,with its nice video recording capabilities,did just fine. Welcome to the future - I guess -.

Zeus,My Dobe

This is one of the last pictures I have. He was such a wonderfull animal. Here are a few facts about him: Born - 1999-05-02, Obedience training begin - 1999-10-07, Tracking training begin 2000-04-03, First successfull tracking - 2000-11-14, Longest successfull tracking - 6,5 km and 2 criminals arrested - 2006-06-17, Dagga/cocaine/crack training begin - 2000-09-01,First detection (dagga) - 2001-01-04, Fastest 4km run - 5min 12sec on 2003-06-30, Weight average 50kg/110pound, Biggest canine tooth lengt - 25 mm, Total nr. of arrests where involved - 72, Nr. of times got hurt by criminals while on duty - 4, Nr. of innocent people bitten in his entire life - 2. Dead on 2006-02-17 because heat stroke while on a training run in 38deg C. The animal basicaly carried on executing the command (fast run) around the track,until dead. And yes,the owner/instructor feels very guilty till this day. Simply IRREPLACEABLE !

Hey,Hey is Marina's Birthday :-)

OK, her birthday was on the 15th but only today I've managed to upload the pics.and if I look back,I can't believe 7 years have passed since her birth.She is now 7years old (Good thing) - I am 7years older ! (Bad thing)

Rain, Rain and more Rain

This was the view I had from my office window, Tuesday the 18-th of Nov-2008. What a mess. Next time I will bring my rubber boots - at least I will be able to go home without taking my shoes off :-)

My self at almost 16.

Here is the pic you asked for.Sorry for the B/W. The color faded over time and it looks more realistic this way.The picture has been taken over 26 years ago and I used the B/W filter of my cell phone to 'hide' the discoloration. You are looking at a picture of a (old) picture. And yes, I did use the 'closeup' setting on my cell :-)

To fix or not to fix.

Here is Tim and Ken on the back hill at Kerk farm.

My Cat Cindy.

After a month of roaming in the woods,our cat named Cindy,decided to come back. She was very 'wild' to begin with and the month long 'outing' made her even wilder. Unfortunately she never could get used to vehicles driving up and down our streed. Only 3 days after her welcomed return, she got killed by a car on the streed, only a few meters from our house. How sad. As a after thought - she was much better in the wild. This picture I took just after she returned and about 2 days before she got killed.

2008-10-19 At the Shack

It was so hot outside! The only thing one could do is to go for a swim. And that's it what we've done :-)

Addo Wildlife Sanctuary outing.

Lifeblog post
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Sat 18/10/2008 14:11 Warthog in Addo. Hey,once again it was a bit windy to fly and I took my family to a nearby wildlife sanctuary. My mission was to see lions,which have been introduced fairly recently into the park to deal with the Warthogs. However,by the numbers of the warthog population, it looks like either the lions, leopards and hyenas do not know how to catch them or the warthogs are so many that the carnivores barely make a dent.

Buffel's Bay Sanctuary

Buffel's Bay Sanctuary
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Thu 09/10/2008 16:01 Emerei and daddy canoeing at Buffel's Bay. While no vacation in Buffel's Bay,Southern,South Africa, I and my daughter Emerèi,went for a few hours on a canoe.It was very relaxing and for a change,even Emerèi stopped complaining :-) I will definitely come back.

Waste of time - big time !

Waste of time - big time !
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Thu 09/10/2008 10:47 Mario at the Train Station PE. While waiting for 2 police buddies to come with the train from Johannesburg, I walked around the train station in Port Elizabeth. Not much to see. I bothered to take this one picture though.This place must have looked better in the old days (judging by the building's size and structure). What a pity, the 'new' South African government gives a shit about the past achievement if it does not involve them.

Lifeblog post

Lifeblog post
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Wed 10/09/2008 15:22 Mario in Bisho Head Office. This is my second time in Bisho. After finishing the meeting I went for a (very) late lunch at a nearby restaurant. I took this picture just before getting into the vehicle. In the background you can see the Police Headquarters (Eastern Cape Province, South Africa)

Swing, Swing, Swing

Swing, Swing, Swing
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Tue 02/09/2008 18:13 Michael in the Garden. I am only posting this pic to highlight the difference between manual vs. automatic compression. Not only the quality is better in the manual compression but also the picture is bigger overall. On the other hand, auto compression is more convenient and quick.

Lifeblog post

Michael on the Swing
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Sun 31/08/2008 09:40
Michael in the garden,keeping himself busy while I was cleaning the swimming pool after a storm. He is a bit 'easier' on his parets then the two older girls

Show me the MONEY !

Show me the MONEY !
Originally uploaded by gomario.

6:13 PM Thursday, July 31, 2008 Show me the money stupid Can someone count the 'zeros' please? There is a good reason why this banknote has so many zeros - The locals want to make sure everyone can see its value - ZERO :-)

Ready,Steady,Go . . .

Now,I am not going to tell you. Is this pic taken with a cellphone or a hi-end camera?And yes,sometimes I ask myself,why should I carry a 1pound cybershot if my cell is just as good?Or isn't it?

Marina in the news.

Hey,look here (small picture middle/right). My 6 year old girl made the local newspaper. She and her dog 'Jessica',together with her friend Anke (and her dog) got chosen for the picture, while their school had a promontion going on.

Trip to Capetown

This pic was taken with my good old N70.I went to Capetown on a 'business trip' and,on the way back,drove over the Longtom Pass. The picture is taken right at the top,looking back to Capetown (W-SW). Unfortunately the weather was bad. The wind was blowing in excess of 50km/h and a cold,fine drizzle shortened my picture taking session. Nevertheless,the view was breathtaking.

Test

Test
Originally uploaded by gomario.

9:08 AM Sunday, February 03, 2008 Bontebock at 500m

Marina

A few weeks ago, I forgot my cellphone at home. I was a bit late for work and left it on the charger. During the week I had a looks at the pictures and realized,'someone' played with with the thing while I was at work. Never the less, here is a nice pic of Marina which her friend Anke took while playing.(They took other 'less good' pictures too,until the phone run out of memory.)

More Golden2 pics :-)

Here are a few more pictures of my Golden2, a friend of mine took yesterday while I ridge-soared at Rondebosch in very light conditions. What a pity, after only 25min I had to land because my evening shift was begining.For a change he used his digital camera and not a cellphone.I did resized them on the computer and transfered a few to my Nokia N70 from where I've uploaded them to the blog.
And yes,this is the first time when I upload more then one picture.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Mario & the Golden2

I can't remember if I have already posted a pic of my 'new' baby. Anyway, a few days ago I come across this one. Yes it is a bit old (the pic) but who cares :-) In theory,there is no difference between 'theory and practice' but in practice it is - this wing has done more for my mental sanity/stress release, then all my other hobbies combined.

Naughty boy -

How is that for a change.I've been a bit sick the last few days (a cold) and did not go to work. Today I feel much better and my son tried his best to get me out of the bed to go paragliding with him on a nearby hill. He regularely watches all my paragliding DVD's, over and over again - now that's what I call, dedication to the sport :-) I wished his mother shared the same feeling.

99 Air Balloones

While on my short vacation I went to see my friend Kobus in Bethleem (South Africa). Because of the favorable geographical location (1500m + above see level) and mild wind, every year the aeronauts have a competition. I missed the comp but I still enjoyed nice views like this one during the pre competition training.

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Marina & Michael

This pic was taken with my Nokia N73 just before it broke.
Michael and Marina enjoying the last few hours in Bethleem. Reflecting back on my 8-day vacation, I can only say one thing for sure - it was veeery nice but a bit stressfull. 9km short of 4000km in such a short periode and with 3 kids 'on board' aged between 3 and 8 years, was a tiny bit too much though. Never the less, it was veeery nice :-)

My Golden2's damage.

This is the damage my new glider got, after been dragged on the ground over a 'sand stone' rock for only a few inches. While taking off at the Rondebosch South-West site, I did not see the trailing edge of my glider resting on top of a 'sand stone' rock. Although I felt the resistance while inflating the wing, I did not realize the trouble I got into. Just after taking off I had a quick look at my lines and I was happy to see they were OK. I had a nice 30+ min flight (ridge soar) and went to land next to my vehicle as usual. The glider flew like usual. Only during packing the wind I saw the damaged cells. I was so upset, I ran back up the hill to the take off spot and found the 'culprit'. A sandstone rock has very interesting properties, one of them been - it has a very rough surface (no sharp edges though). This one was particularly 'vicious'. Just to give you a idea how sharp the rough side is - I rested the palm of my hand on top of the rock and tried to slide it over it. My palm hurt and on closer inspection I saw the skin almost coming of in places. Is a wonder the wing did not suffer more damage. Fortunatelly the damage is right at the trailing edge where the pressure isn't that much during normal flight. Never the less - it is not nice to know my new 'baby' has alread 'battle scars'. After all, I barely have 50flights (just under 10hours air time) on it :-(

Monster bug.

This pic I took with my cell phone in macro mode. Is some sort of bug my kids found while on holiday in Nelspruit. The cell phones of today are incredibly good at taking pictures. I will never bother again with our old film camera.

Mario on Vacation

While driving back from Nelspruit to Bethleem, I had to stop at Barberton and take this picture. In the background you see some of the oldes mountains on earth,dated at just over 3.5 Billion years ! Incidentaly those mountains offer one of the best places on earth when it comes to paragliding/hangliding. With the National paragliding comp comming up in about 6 weeks,I had to see the site. Keep in mind,from here to our home in Jeffrey's Bay is about 1500KM or 15hour driving.
1 x pic attached.

---

2 kids of mine.

2 kids of mine.
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Mon 2008/04/14 14:14 taken with n73.
This is a picture of a picture, I took with my Nokia n73 cell phone.I can not help but wonder at the good quality a cell snaps a pic those days - Only a few years ago, one had to buy a dedicated camera to get such nice pictures.

Swimming in winter !

Swimming in winter !
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Sat 2007/08/11 11:26 Michael and the sisters at Erstrevier. Here is a pic I took with my cellphone at Ersteriver.I could not believe if my kids said they want to swimm.After all, the see temperature isn't much above 18deg C.I was getting cold just by looking at them.

Naughty on the beach !

Naughty on the beach !
Originally uploaded by gomario.

11:26 AM Saturday, August 11, 2007 Michael Erstrevier This picture I wanted to post for some time but never got that far. It is taken while on vacation (Dec) with a few friends and family members at Ersteriver, a village close to my father in law's farm.

Almost finished !

Almost finished !
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Fri 2008/01/04 09:42 Mario Quad patrol After 5 hours of beach patrol we decided to call it a day. This picture is taken on the way back,while visiting the last lookout point about 5km south of our 'home' beach. With tanks and stomacs empty,it was a welcome sight indeed.

Finaly at home :-)

Finaly at home :-)
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Thu 2007/12/27 09:52 Night swiming. It was very hot and humid outside.I thought the evening will cool 'things' off,but clearly that was not the case.After more then 2 weeks in our new home,I finaly had my first swimm.

Michael getting wet.

Michael getting wet.
Originally uploaded by gomario.

Thu 2007/12/27 09:54 Michael and the watter.N73. And here is Michael up to mischief,while his sister Marina posed for dady.