Ryan Jacobs

Katherine having fun in her rocker

One of the great joys I have experienced as a new father is interacting with my daughter and getting her to smile and laugh.  I am thrilled to have captured this picture of Katherine while she was in her rocker and I was lucky enough to have the right lens on my camera for the moment.

Our cats Jacob and Elvis received an early Christmas gift from their Nagymama and Nagypapa in California. It is a collapsible play cube. In this picture is Elvis, who immediately jumped in.

The following represent my favorite iPhone apps from the past year.  The apps listed aren’t necessarily ones I use daily, but are more representative of those that I think leverage the platform well and in interesting ways.

And I only list 8.  Sure I could have found the obligatory 10, but I only wanted to list 8, and this is my list after all.

1. Snapture – There are many Camera alternatives available for the iPhone, but I have found this to be the most useful.  The following features are what set this apart for me.
   • 3 shot burst mode .  When photographing a moving target such as a cat, this is helpful to get a better shot.
   • Quick view/delete/mail features. This means less back and forth to camera roll since the photos can be managed in application.
   • The level aid is also handy to ensure that photos aren’t crooked.
2. MotionX GPS – There are a lot of navigational apps out there and many of them are replacements for TomTom and Garmin units for use in the car.  This application adds many of the features that I like on my handheld GPS as well.
   • Record your tracks. This is similar to the breadcrumb trail I have used on my hand held Garmin. The log can be exported as well, which is useful for a number of things, and it uses GPX standard. One is to be able to sync your location with photo timestamps. Using freely available software such as GPSPhotoLinker, you can then add the coordinate information to your photo’s EXIF data for geotagging capability.
   • Save custom waypoints.
   • In-application access to iTunes. I guess that is useful if you want to record your running workout while listening to music. I don’t use it, but I am sure others do.
3. aNote – A handy note taking application that does two-way syncing with Google Docs. This makes a very easy way to accomplish things like shared lists with your friends and family.
4. RedLaser – This app is interesting in that you can photograph barcodes, which are then interpreted with OCR technology.  Then, the item you have scanned can be searched online to do comparison shopping for the best price. What impresses me with this application is how well the barcode ’scanning’ actually works. That’s just cool technology.
5. AirMouse – With this app and a free AirMouse server application running on your computer, you can use your iPhone like a mouse on the computer over a Wi-Fi connection.  This makes controlling computer based media centers easy and also allows you to use your iPhone as a handy Powerpoint/Keynote presentation remote. No laser pointer — but it is still pretty cool.
6. DirecTV – This is a very easy way to remotely schedule DVR recordings. You can also schedule season passes and choose which DVR to record to if you have multiple units.
7. Ustream Live Broadcaster - Video on your iPhone is cool. Especially when it is only a 3G. To stream video live is exceptional.  It works really well, though I don’t work well without a net, so you probably won’t catch me streaming live often.
8. Skee-ball – I guess I had to have at least one game on here. I am not a big gamer, but I like simple games that I can quickly play.  This very much fits the bill and I love the cheesiness of redeeming tickets for items like fake mustaches and mullets.

If you have an app suggestion, please leave it in the comments.

My brother and I attended the 2009 Ohio State Buckeye’s football season opener vs. Navy Midshipmen. As far as season openers go, this was the best. In both planned and unplanned ways, it felt more like a bowl game. Given that we were playing a service academy, there was far more ceremony than typically offered at a home opener, including a military flyover.

For the unplanned part, I am not sure most figured the game would be as close as it was. The folks who left in the fourth quarter missed a game.

Here was some video I got from my Flip Mino of the flyover.  The south stands were a great place to be to get the full effect.

Flyover Only:

National Anthem + Flyover :

Rebecca had her detailed ultrasound last week at the 20 week mark of pregnancy. We were able to see an incredible amount of detail including the heart, legs, cerebellum, feet, ribs, stomach and much more. Also, we were able to find out our baby will be a girl and are thrilled.

We have decided to name her Katherine Elizabeth Jacobs and look forward to her arrival.

Oden State Fish Hatchery

While in the Petoskey area, we got a tip to check out the Oden State Fish Hatchery.

This old railcar is now used to give some information about the hatchery. Back in the day, the trains used to be used to transport the fish from the hatchery to various lakes and streams.

Also, there are free guided tours available throughout the day as well as self-guided trails that take you past some of the ponds and streams containing various broodstock.

Rebecca and I returned  from roughly a week in northern Michigan. We rented a cottage on Crooked Lake near Petoskey and had access to a fire pit, canoes and swimming if we wanted. An advantage to staying just a bit outside of Petoskey apart from having more reasonable rent was that it was very quiet and very relaxing. It was a perfect spot for our ‘babymoon’.

Simple Serenity - Our cottage view of Crooked Lake

We originally planned that the Petoskey area would be our base of operations for our various sightseeing adventures. It turned out that Petoskey was probably our favorite area apart from our time at Sleeping Bear Dunes Park. There is a lot more to see in the area that we didn’t have time to experience, but I think this is one area we’ll go back to with some regularity.

Below are some highlights.

The Good

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Park – This park offers many beaches and scenic views.

The Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive seemed well worth the 10 dollar admission to us.

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive - Glen Lake Overlook

Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive - Lake Michigan Overlook

Glen Haven Beach – This beach is in Sleeping Bear Dunes and at first glance gives you the impression that it isn’t a public beach at all. The beach is very secluded, but there is a bath house to change in. When we were there, the water was very, very cold yet exhilarating. It was colder than the pacific for sure but it felt great.

Glen Haven Canning Company

Glen Haven is a restored historical logging village located in the Leelanau Peninsula. This building used to be a Cherry cannery, but is now a boathouse museum.

Petoskey State Park - This park had an entrance fee of 8 dollars. A bit steep, but as far as beaches go, this was a really, really nice one. The beach was on Little Traverse Bay and so the water was a bit warmer. Also, when we were there, the waves were incredibly high and ocean like. I forgot how fun it is to play in the waves.

Downtown Petoskey - There are a lot of high quality establishments in a downtown area that could otherwise just take advantage of being located in a touristy area. Here were the ones we were impressed with.

• Papa Lou’s Pizza – The pizza quality was great  and an outdoor view of Petoskey Bay is hard to beat.
• Roast and Toast - When we peeked in to this place at first, I thought it was just another soup and sandwich shop that served coffee. However, after reading a bit more about them, I found that they did roast their own coffee, so I figured it warranted further investigation. I ordered a ristretto, which was very well done. While we didn’t sample the food they served, it did look very good and the place was always packed with people eating.
• Crooked Tree Arts Council – This is an active facility for dance, theater, pottery, and other arts. The building is repurposed space from a Methodist church that moved out of the space in the late 70’s and the exterior still looks like a church. It also hosts private galleries  as well. I was very impressed by what they did with their space. It would be welcome in any community.
• American Spoon – They specialize in jam’s and sauces made from Michigan produce. The flavor combinations are exceptional. The gelato from the cafe wasn’t bad either, though it wasn’t quite Jeni’s good.
• City Park Grill – Phenomenal food at a phenomenal price. Almost too good of a price. Oh, and Hemingway hung out there.

House of Pies – Located in Oden, MI is this wonderful pie shop. Holy moly were they good.  Indeed , their website is awful, but the pies are great.  A place serving pies this good shouldn’t have been as empty as it was.  I have no idea why they mess around with gourmet hot dogs and antiques. I think they’d do far better to partner with a good local coffee roaster.

Leelanau Coffee Roasting Co. – Located in Glen Arbor, I noticed this establishment while driving through the little town and smelling the familar aroma of roasting coffee. Judging from the outside, I did not have good vibes about the quality of the product and was concerned that even if it were good quality, that it would be served by summer help.  I was mistaken. The espresso I was served was probably the best I have purchased in the last 5 years. Kudos.

The Bad

The Little Traverse History Museum – There was a 2 dollar admission fee for this museum in Petoskey, which seemed reasonable, but in retrospect should have clued me in that they couldn’t command a higher entrance fee. There just wasn’t much to look at and quite honestly, I was already tired of hearing about Hemingway hanging out in the area, so it didn’t do much to read about it yet again.

St. Ignace – This town just across the Mackinac Bridge seems to have pretty much everything going for it. Great views, great location, but it is just a run down town with run down stores. In a weird way, this is kind of a good thing since it isn’t congested, which makes their rundown boardwalk kind of fun to walk around. However, it seemed clear that the town is just content with being a stop to catch the ferry to Mackinac Island. Very strange.

The Odd

Stalled Wind Turbines - Driving across the Mackinac Bridge, we noticed two of those enormous wind turbines that produce electricity. It was a pretty windy day, which should have been good for producing energy, however, we noticed they were stalled. We found out, ironically, that it because it was too windy to run.  Hmmmm.

Roadside Table Litter Barrel - I don’t recall seeing signs like this in Ohio, but we saw several signs on 31, that said ‘Roadside Tabel Litter Barrel’, which seemed a bit odd until we realized it was quite literally a small stop consisting of a picnic table and a trash can alongside the road.

Baby Jacobs circa 13 weeks in utero.

Some folks know this, some don’t, but Rebecca and I are expecting our first child in December of this year.  I too have seen many of these sonograms and quite frankly, I know they may not look like much, but it is true — when it is yours it means everything.

The picture above was taken just after the first trimester — Rebecca took a spill at a Dayton courthouse and out of precaution had an exam to confirm everything was alright.

There have been a few reasons why we haven’t mentioned it publicly until now:

• We have dealt with infertility as a couple and have experienced early losses.
• Generally speaking, the most risky period of miscarriage is within the first trimester. We wanted to wait until at least then to announce publicly.
• Even though we are now past the first trimester, I got so used to not discussing it that sometimes I forget there are people who I haven’t told.

Below are a few questions we get asked frequently.

Q: Have we picked out any names?

A: We have a few ideas depending on if it is a boy or a girl, but we are keeping it close to the vest.

Q: What about the adoption?

A: Our agency, Adoption Circle, is putting us on hold, but we get to keep our paperwork on file for a time with them. We had mostly completed our home study already. This is a great thing because adoption may yet be a part of our lives. It is definitely a great option and we really have loved working with Adoption Circle.  They have been absolutely fantastic to work with.

Q: Will you find out what you are having ahead of time?

A: Yes. We should know by the end of July. Our expectation = human

Rebecca and I walked around Whetstone Prairie and the Park of Roses in the Clintonville area. I have  a new macro lens that I wanted to try out.  The prairie isn’t quite in full bloom, but was fairly interesting.

The photo above is a close-up of a one of the plants in the ‘prairie’. I have no idea what it is, but I liked the way the shot turned out.

Rose at Park of Roses

This is a close-up of one of the many spectacular roses you can view at the Park of Roses.

Yellow Rose

Today, I went with some friends to do the Hocking Hills Canopy Tour, which is a zipline course. There were 10 ziplines on the tour, which gives a great view of the Hocking River and many natural rock formations.

Our tour guides Joey and Shamrock were great and well trained. I highly recommend the tour if you get the chance. 

I took this video using my Mino video camera strapped on to my harness. It gives some sense of the velocity of the experience, but since I couldn’t aim the camera, there is little context for it. 

This video is of Mike doing the Eagle Scream zip. During this one, we were encouraged to attempt to scream the whole way across in one breath. I believe Mike was channeling Led Zeppelin’s Immigrant Song.