Sherpa (Pre-)Craft, Three

A Sherpani uses a rather spindly spindle to coil some freshly spun yak-fur yarn, in a Namche side street.

Behind her are signs for two of the many, many tourist-oriented amenities in the town- massage for weak, weary, western muscles, and a salon to rid oneself of one's mountain (wo)man-ity.

Sherpa Craft, Two

The Om Mani Padme carved into a defunct yak horn, near Khumjung.

Sherpa Craft, One

A Buddhist ceremonial horn, found in the Sherwi Khangba Sherpa Culture Museum above Namche Bazaar.

Newsies

R on Orange Oswald, an extremely awkward 5.10a, Summersville, New River Gorge.  She's past the crux here, and cruising onto the comfortable chicken-head holds at the top.

Floodwaters

DN on Hat Change, 5.10d, the only moderate available on the Whippoorwill crag, down in the New River Gorge.  Just around the corner from this line is an array of sub-11s that would have been just perfect for a chill last day.  We took a gamble coming here and lost- the lake she rises fast in spring and there was a ~5ft deep stretch of water between us and the rest of the climbs.  Took a few laps on this (and CB took a burn on what looked to be a very shitty 4-bolt 12a) and then hopped back in the car.  Ah, well.

Also, on the approach I fell on my bum in the mud.  Badass.

Angular Light

Shadowplay in the I.M. Pei-designed (as though you couldn't tell) exhibition hall, of the Deutsches Historiches Museum in Berlin.  I am a firm believer in letting light do the heavy lifting when it comes to architecture- it lends a dynamic, organic quality; a sense of slow, dignified movement within what would otherwise seem (to us mortals) an almost eternal monolith.  And Pei was a master.

Apparently he would only agree to design a small building integrated into the existing museum, as he did not want to distract from the surrounding architecture.

Helping Hands

The thousand-armed Avalokitesvara, or Guanyin in Chinese, the mythological Bodhisattva of Compassion who requested and received 1,000 hands in order to save all sentient life.  Baodingshan, near Dazu, China.