After ruining my knees from years of running (five surgeries) I decided to try mountain biking in May of 2000. I really got into it and I made remarkable progress over the course of a year. However, both knees went out again in May 2001. I had surgeries six and seven in November of 2001, and after a six month recovery period and a full year off, I returned to the trails in May of 2002. I managed to ride at least once a week until February 2007. In May of 2007 MRIs confirmed I had absolutely no cartilage under either patella so knee replacement was my only option. I had a total knee replacement on my right knee June 1st, 2007 and a total knee replacement on my left knee July 10, 2007. I continue to have serious knee pain and I recently had a neurostimulator (spinal cord stimulator) implant, which allows me to mask most of the pain with an electrical current. I have a separate mountain biking page with photos, videos and maps.

I had been an avid photographer for decades but I had let my interest wane for several years. With the advent of really good digital cameras my interest has been revived. I currently own a Canon 5D Mark II digital camera with the following Canon lenses: 100 mm macro, 70 - 300 mm zoom, 100 - 400 "L" zoom, and 24 -105 mm "L" zoom. I also have a Canon MR-14EX macro ring lite and a Canon 580EX II speedlite. In addition, I have a Canon G9 compact camera, which is what I use on the trail. I have web pages of general photographs, mostly plants, as well as a database of microscope images used for teaching. I've recently started a more serious photo site on SmugMug.

I am also an avid computer user, both professionally and just for fun. I have a very powerful i7 950 64 bit home desktop system with 9 GB ram and a 24" LCD monitor. I also have a fast Lenovo Thinkpad X61 Tablet PC used exclusively for teaching, and a 9" netbook.  

I have combined several of my hobbies by purchasing a Sony DCR-HC 90 digital camcorder to record some of my mountain biking trips. I mount the camcorder on my bike helmet. Several helmet cam videos are available on my mountain biking site. The digital format is quite easy to work with. The data is downloaded into the computer via a firewire connection, you edit it, add music, images and transitions between scenes, and then put it back out to the camera. It can be viewed on a TV, directly transferred to VHS tape or DVD, or compressed for web or classroom viewing. Of course this experience will be applied to making educational films.