Tour de Whatever

And to celebrate the Tour I've been listening to Kraftwerk's Tour de France Soundtracks album most every chance I get.

You know the one, it's hard to find, but the single is quite the epic, with the breathing syncopating with the rhythmatic beats and what-not.

I heart Kraut Rock.

I guess I don't heart the Tour as much.
Way back in '86 when I was making that transition from BMX to MTB/Road racing, my family went on a 2 week Euro tour. Wouldn't you know it, but we were actually in Paris on the final day when the first American won the bloody thing. It was neat and exciting to be in Concorde Place, and I, along with many others, took pieces of the banner. I carried that thing all around Europe, and it's up in the attic somewhere I'm pretty sure.
It was neat, but it wasn't life altering.
Used to watch it some too. Seemed like a neat thing to do w/ fellow cycling comrades, gathering around someone's TV after a hard ride or in a hotel room. Then maybe it became too much the focal point of the year, too much of a big deal.
I do have rather fond memories of doing the Tour of Monroe County, there in Woodsfield, OH, and at night or in between the day stages we'd gather around someone's hotel TV and catch up on the action. Just as we were in our own action too.
Then my interest waned even more so when it became the focal point for the racers, focusing their entire year on just that one event, like all the rest were not worthy, like it was the biggest bang for the buck (which of course it proved to be for some).
So I just stopped watching it.

I did get to meet and "ride" with Miquel I., at a promo event up in Pittsburgh in '99 or so. Now he was a horse of a man. Huge hands, huger thighs, and very soft spoken. He about dropped us all and he was just riding around in sneakers and on a bike w/ all the decals striped off. Amazing.
Strangely enough I didn't even see the Stage where my old friend Floyd L. took back all that time. Though I do think I might have seen a few other stages from that year.
Last year I don't think I saw any of them.
And this year Will F., past WVer, is in the mix and of course an old teammate Cadel E. is looking good all bandaged up and wearing the yellow right now.

I checked my i500 smartphone, and sure enough I did have some website bookmarked for Tour updates for 2006, but I think mostly it was the challenge of finding a text page that would display nicely on the phone.

Well you let me know how it plays out.
I'll be doing something else I guess.

Dig, dig, dig... Sick, sicker, sickest

That's the way the last month has been.
And now it's coming to a head of sorts. If I don't get better this week I'm not going to be able to race, so says Betsy.
Probably shouldn't have raced last w/e at the Appalachian/Applalachain Classic, but I was hopeful and it *was* JR's premier event.
I'll blame it on Chris and JR.

It all started before May 23.
Chris was trying to talk us into doing the Kelly Bike Jam. I wasn't registered, but he was, for two races, so he agreed to let me "take" one of his races if I could get that to happen, and then we'd come over for the race.
So I pulled in a couple of favors, finally got myself registered, got Betsy registered and then woke up that Friday, May 23, sickly feeling.
After all the hassle and crap I had put some folks though, we made an executive decision and didn't go for the Saturday race.
Betsy ate her registration and Chris had to beg, plead, and grovel to able to get himself in both races again. He used the excuse that he hadn't allowed me to take his spot in the first place. Smart man Goose.

So Betsy did a mini-Death March and I laid around the house.
Then we raced the WVMBA race on Sunday, the White Oak Challenge.
I did ok, but wasn't feeling all that great. Had to use some "local lines" and such and a last minute effort to reel in a couple guys and get 4th for the day.
The next day we were supposed to join others on the Memorial Day Ride, but I was back to feeling crappy, so we just rode up to the "Gene" Falls later in the day.

Tried to get better that week.
Guess it failed.
I forget what I did or didn't do, but apparently it wasn't enough.

The next w/e was the Mohican 100.
At the last minute I opted for the little kids loop, 100K instead of the manly 100M. But I was going to be there.
We got going after Chris made it into Motown, but that freakin' place is out in the middle of nowhere and it took forever to get there.
We set up camp, got settled, then got to enjoy several thunderstorms rolling though.
I wasn't sleeping well and all I could think of was "there going to have to cancel the event, it's raining way too hard". That was my only hope as I didn't sleep but two winks and was still feeling el crapo.
Morning came and the rain had stopped.
I was still feeling crappy, couldn't get my head cleared, we had to drive to the start, and my head was all over the place.
Part of the race I raced, part of it I just rode along. Had my moments, coasted and heckled some too. Got 4th, to the same guy from the previous w/e, Brad W.! Funny but weird.

The very next day we had to drop Betsy off at the Airport, so we took our time getting out of Mohican, took our time getting across OH, took our time in the B&N in Pittsburgh.
Probably that week I didn't take the best of care of myself.
Still not feeling that great.

Luckily for me I was all registered and such for the 24 Hours of Big Bear, on a Duo Pro team no less!
It was another rainy week and I was half hoping that they would cancel that event too.
Alas it went off w/o a hitch, though I did have to pay the exhorbant price of 10 bucks to Dan to get him to provide Nanny services for the w/e. Yes sirrre I spare no expense...
Well I got through that adventure, got fast lap, put in 8 others for a total of 9, didn't feel awfully bad besides not being able to sit.

The next week Betsy took off to visit her family in Dayton and so once again I was left to my own devices starting on Wednesday, AND I had all of the Director Sportiff duties to preform on the bikes from the 24 Hour race.
Yeah it was a relaxing week for sure.

So Friday found me feeling overwhelmed and by night fall I didn't have the bus packed or all my ducks in a row.
Goose comes in, we eat some, watch some videos and get to sleep.
I can't sleep, then don't sleep to well, then wake up early cause I know I have tons to do and not tons of time to do it in.
The bus gets packed, we make some last minute provisions and vittles shopping and then clouds let loose their fury and we're on the road.
We have less than 2 hours to make the 2:16 drive to Granstville.
Lo and behold we get there right at 2:00pm, unload Betsy's machine and she gets to race. Goose doesn't want to and I really shouldn't.
So we set up camp, try to eat some and then all get ready for the Short Track, which is just nuts. 30 minutes for us, in which I do 23 laps and get 3rd to Jeremiah B. and Nick Waite, who I actually unlapped myself from!
That night the Weedhawks were playing, we show up late, it's a small but great crowd and they play until almost midnight. We so wanted to leave but it wouldn't have looked good.
So once again we're getting to bed late and I can't sleep.
Wake up the next day feeling only partially rested.
Shouldn't race but I begin preparing lots of food and try and cram as much of it as I can down my gullet.
High Noon finds me on the starting line, and although I try several times to "snap" into an aggressive nature, it just doesn't happen. I roll in a decent and admirable 6th, but the heat and everything else has really taken it's toll now.

Last night I stayed in bed, half sleeping, half feeling crappy for almost 12 hours.
Now I'm full on hacking, full on feeling stuffy all the time, full on deep in the Kimchee.
Bob V. has gotten the phone call and once he gets back from the river we're going to formulate a plan and get rid of whatever this is that afflicting me.

It's now or never.
Big and bigger races are still right around the bend.
All that early fitness and great riding is going by the wayside.

Looking back it seems so obvious...

I'm falling apart. More bane, teeth

Now mind you I don't floss or brush as much as Betsy,

But I do. Them both.

I think it has more to do with what I did with them as a child.
I guess I used my teeth as tools. Opening things, a weapon, a tool(s), many things when I didn't have enough hands or the proper machine-made tool unavailable.

I broke/smashed a tooth on the old Honda ATC 70 when I was kind of young.
Riding in the snow, having a good old time, sans helmet, but I had a toboggan on though, hit a patch of dry ground with one tire and ice with the other and smacked my mouth on the little bent up handlebar.
Had to rip the tooth out of my mouth cause it was just hanging there, blood everywhere since my lower lip was split open. Ride it on home...
Stitches in the lip, bone fragments in the upper jaw, and gap where the tooth used to be.

Got braces, and they *still* had to take some teeth out. And I was always playing with the bands and then they'd come loose and I'd flick them back and forth and then of course have to return to the evil orthodontist.

Well the fine ortho-man didn't leave me much of an over bite, so I started wearing my toothers out, grinding a bit at night, sharpening them up, to do some more cutting and tearing too. Just didn't stop.

And of course, like any good American boy, I had cavities. Not tons, but certainly I was no stranger to the dentist.

Had a buddy "help" me out by doing a wisdom tooth extraction on the cheap.
No antibiotics and of course I woke up that evening wanting to die. Had to get a buddy from Uniontown come and go get me the anti's and by day 2 I was finally able to get out of bed. It was rough. What a nightmare.
For the other side I did it the "front door" method and I was back at work later that afternoon. Amazing!

Now I gotta wear a little mouth guard so I don't grind my teeth down anymore.
I got fillings coming out if I'm not careful w/ my candy selection.
I chip my teeth occasionally.
They ache every now and again.
Sometimes I just want to rip them out and get dentures or something.

Had a big filling come out last week, just after I chipped off a slice of a front tooth trying to hold my jersey collar w/ my teeth and grabbing the zipper w/ my hand.
The big abscess is pretty far down the tooth and the Doc was a little afraid that I might need a root canal or crown or extraction.
Just great.
Yesterday after having a shiny silver filling put in (it should hold better than the more aesthetically pleasing "natural"), I couldn't open my trap much at all and felt like crap for the rest of the day.
And I'm still not recovered from the Duo 24 Hour race, so this is just ducky.
You ever try and take a picture of your mouth? It ain't easy-

Seems like a lot of stuff going on there don't it.

Well I'm feeling better today. No pounding, not sharp edges for my tongue to snag on, but I still have to go back and get the chipped front tooth worked on and they think that there's another "trouble area" inbetween two teeth that's just going to get worse...

Yuck.

More Bane, my feet

These are my feet-

Not sure when it started,

But it may have been that "year of hard work". Working for Benji on his Custom Contracting Crew. But that in itself is worthy of a book, or a small tome.
Good guys, really hard work, quite enjoyable until things started hurting. A lot.
My feet went first.
The cold, the standing, the cold, who knows.

So that was 2006 or so.
That year for Cross I started cutting my insoles off just past the ball of the foot, to try and give my toes more room. They were hurting enough that it was beginning to severally deter my riding.
I had nice shoes, they were just too tight in and around the toes.

Come summer they get better.
Then last fall they got bad again. And I really couldn't even wear the cycling shoes I had. Went up stairs and got an old pair of 1996 Time's that were the "cold weather" pair cause they were on the big side.
But even they couldn't relieve all the pain all the time.
So I got that pair of Lake Winter shoes, but even they didn't stop the pain in the toes.
I took back the pair of Keen boots that MikeY gave me that I gave my dad. They were nice.

I need a pair of cycling shoes that are shaped like Keens or like my Whites, only taller in the toe box.

And mind you I do not have sensitive feet.
I walk on gravel, I run across the road, I spend as much of my day w/o shoes.
And what's weird is that my mammy used to say how much she loved to be w/o shoes. So much that she'd go off to school wearing shoes but shortly on the long uphill walk she would take the shoes off and then of course get in trouble for not having shoes on.
I didn't think it was cool back when I was young. But then sometime in the mid 90's I started going barefooted more and was actually trying to toughen up my feet.
It has taken years, but I'm actually most comfortable w/o shoes now.

Shoes are for sissies!
Except when you have to have them to race/ride your bike. And maybe mow the grass.

These feet do not fit well into these shoes-


Anyone got any suggestions?
I'm tired or it all.

Lights, the Bane of my 24 Hour racing

I've had lights and have been riding at night since late 1989 I figure.

Back then we used lights that would be considered marginal at best now. But for us, we mostly rode in the dark, learned to "see", and just dealt w/ it.
Really hard to imagine the stuff we did ride and the conditions. Not really sure you could coerce me into doing it again, but it's what we did.

Then a few spent some serious dough and got Night Suns or Nite Riders.
I still had that old 4xAA halogen bulb contraption that you strapped onto the bars. It was "good enough" and made me tougher.
But I did see the "way" with the helmet lights, Night Sun being the first I remember.

Cut to 1992 at the first 24 Hours of Canaan.
Matt had us hooked up with some of those Nite Riders, both helmet and bar mounted units with the batteries that weighed several pounds and you had a separate fanny pack for.
They were going to be sweet!
Every lap I ended up coming in w/ dead lights. Every lap I carried more batteries and every lap I would ride behind or in front of someone else whose lights worked.

Next year Nite Rider set us up w/ some lights that were lighter and actually lasted the whole lap.

Now I don't ride much at night.
Why? Cause I don't have to. And that's really the only reason you do, cause you have to.
I'd rather watch TV/Movies in the dark.

But those blasted 24 Hour races still happen in the dark.

2006.
Still had my Nite Riders from back in the day. Both were aging and not lasting too long, 1:15 max.
So my buddy Dave let me borrow his new fangled ones, w/ the NiMH battery. They were lighter, had the digital head lamp, several light settings... and the batteries which had not been charged for a few years... were about toast.
I tried to cycle them through a couple times. The guy at Nite Rider said they were toast, you gotta keep them charged or they'll die eventually. But I used them anyway.
And 3/4 through the lap they'd fade and I'd be bumping along in the dark. Hoping for others.
Maybe the first night lap they both lasted. Then they just got progressively worse until both were fading.

So this year I got old ones, new old ones, ones that don't work, ones that seem to work.
Tried to take notes, measure, calculate which for what laps, then threw up my hands.
One of the terminals broke on the bottle-cage battery.


Yesterday I marched down to Pathfinder and w/ the sage advice from Robbie got a Nite Rider MiNewt.X2.
It is small. It is cute. It is bright.
Last night on the "low" power it lasted all night!
Also last night one of them (I bought one for Goose too) burned out. That ones Goose's.

Boy I'm really looking forward to the dark this year...

me ≠ bball player

I am not a basketball player.
I have never been a basketball player.
I never really wanted to be a basketball player.
I have never really wanted to play basketball, well maybe once, some 25+ years ago.

I never watched basketball on TV until college I think.
I have seen probably 5 or so games my entire life.
Watching basketball does not make me want to play it.

I have had high top shoes, but only to skate in.
I have had many pairs of Chuck Taylors, but only for skating, as a gift, as fashion.

I have never played basketball more than once in a row except for the Winter before our family moved from Clearfield, PA to Morgantown, WV.
I was a Jr. in High School and a fair number of my friends would play on Saturdays at the "something" building at the Fair Grounds.
I think I may have gotten a pair of "basketball" shoes then, but more than likely they were also skate shoes.
I played for quite a few weeks.
I remember enjoying it cause we played full court and I could run up and down the court pretty well and I knew my time w/ these guys was limited. I did enjoy the activity. But it didn't matter that it was basketball.
I don't remember learning many for the rules, getting much better at dribbling, or knowing any moves or plays.
I think I got decent at shooting the ball.

I played once w/ Betsy over at the WVU Apartments 2 years.
Betsy hurt my thumb on that day.
My thumb still aches. Maybe not because of that, but it certainly didn't help.
I used to stove that thumb a lot while playing baseball.
I wasn't great at playing organized baseball; Little League, Farm Team. I never really "made" it to Little League, though I did play on the Farm Team All Stars two years in a row.
I like playing sand lot baseball.

I played last night w/ the guys from Pathfinder at Whitemore Park.
We only played 1/3 court.
I have no moves.
I can't dribble and move around.
I can usually hit the backboard.

I sat on the bench like a champ.

My mom liked basketball.
Sorry mom.

Betsy says I've had enough

Pasta Salad that is.

Mike Goss from Sirianni's brought over a hole heap of yummy Pizza and three big, ahh... big, aluminum container, not sure what to call it, to the Cooper's Race.
The pizza all got ate, but we had two Pasta Salads containers left. One went to the Don Park family, one went to the fiendFamily.
Well here's what it looks like getting on down to the bottom on Thursday evening. We had made quite the dent in it.
Sure wish we would have weighed and photoed it when it was new and bloated-

What we took from the race was an unopened one. Completely full, making the top bow. It was really full.
And really heavy.

So starting on Sunday evening we had at least one bowl of it per day. A few days I had several.
Betsy lasted until Tuesday. Her belly wasn't enjoying it any longer. She's doesn't do well with the same thing for two out of the three meals per day.
I've been having it every day. Every day until tomorrow.
I had my bowl today. It didn't smell funny or nothing, but I did feel a little weird shortly there after. And I kind of made mention of it in an email to my Team Bi-atch Comrades.
Now it may have been the long day we had yesterday; saving the turtles, racing in the slime, driving-driving-driving, eating shakes and fries and then Chinese food for dinner.
But Betsy put down her little stompy foot. No more pasta salad!
There's really not much left and I was pretty much intending on not eating anymore after tomorrow anyway.
So I feel a day short of my quest.

She says I was starting to kind of smell like it anyway...

I'll have a photo of what's left soon.
Here it is!-

Couldn't stand it.

Just sitting in there. Still smelling good and Pasta-Salady.
So I had a bowl this morning. Tasted just as good as it did prior to yesterday.
So I had another bowl, warmed up in the microwave, just like the good old days.
Mmmm.

And now it's gone!
Finished!
I did it, and I'm not even beginning to feel ill. At all.
Joy.


Me Pappy would be proud!

Betsy's not here

She's racing w/ her road team, Team Americas Dairyland, in NM, at the Tour of the Gila.

Tonight's pre-evening snack-
Beer and Pop-Tart.

Ummmm yum.

Uh yeah, I don't always take the best care of myself when she's not around.
We do better when we're together.

Right Betsy?!

This is what Spring is all about!

Now this is what Spring is about, and to have two of them in a row, well I don't know how I got to be so fortunate.

Nice weather, cool still, but manageable w/o too many layers at all.
Sunday morning bike race, close to home, ~1 hr drive.
Race well, feeling good, get in the lead break or the chase group, manage to win, and I'm pretty sure that didn't matter. It just matters that you race well and feel good about it in the end.
Get home, get some food, walk Jackie, do a few things done, watch the rest of a movie started a while ago never finished, then take a nap.
Wake from nap, do some laundry, put Jackie outside and then go out for another leisurely ride. Air still cool, sun still warm, all conditions good.
Close to a bonk, but that's ok, cause you can always mosey home somehow.
Eat some more food, more soup, an egg and bread delight cooked in olive oil, a few Twizzlers, and then a small glass of cheap red wine.
Do some more laundry, relax in front of the video screen and take in another movie of episode of something good. Tonight we're watching "Omega Man" in memory of the recently deceased Charlton Heston.
Liked him as an actor didn't care for his politics.

Just how many more of these "perfect Spring weekends" can we expect?

Does one make his fortune or is it fate?

Time vs. Cold weather vs. Clothing

It's a tough transition and we or at least I am having a tough time.
Winter just does not seem to be going away.

And if it is, rather slowly, getting warmer, it doesn't seem like it cause of this weird relationship we got going on here. Cold weather turning warmer --> Time.
I don't know how to graph it, I suppose somebody can, or perhaps it's just not possible, cause it's not really happening as I think it is.

As time marches on, and the winter weather just *starts* to subside, I still find myself wearing the same amount of clothing!

Let me try and explain.
About a month or two ago, when it dropped to the teens I'd have my usual long-sleeve base, jacket, and thermal then finally add the wind breaker with my Patagucci hat and lobster claws.
Now when it's in the high 20s to 30s I find myself still putting all that crap on.

My toughness is wearing out.
Or it's my body growing tired of taking the hit when it's cold.
Or I'm getting old(er).

Whatever the reason, I was pretty happy today, when, in the mid 40s, it felt a bit "warm", not the usual "cold damp" down by the river.

I think Spring may come after all...
And none too soon.

It's nice out, here's a post!

Today in Morgantown it was up in the 70s.
No lie, that's what Audrey told us. Audrey doesn't lie, here's where she got her info-
wunderground weather
Check for yourself what the weather is like here in Morgantown, WV.

Today was swell though, first time, since only the Lord Baby Bi-atch knows when, that I've worn shorts, and look at those legs, it has definitely been a while


Yes, the jersey has its tag still on. I don't wear sleeved jerseys much, so I just left the tag on. Been washed twice so far.
And yes, that jersey has always fit a bit tight.
I'm not fat, I'm just fluffy!

Hopefully this is a sign of good things to come!

Jackie sure is a cutie when she wants to be-

Or when she's *not* eating my socks!
Grump.

Me and more stuff

Just what we needed,

But I just couldn't refuse them.

After riding to work w/ Betsy, one cool and early morn, and coming back the extend-o loop, according to my Cycle-Dumb Training Program, I saw our friend Vlad the Bikepaler, aka Nick Hein, who heads up Positive Spin and whom we've caught sneaking home in the mornings after a long night of bike gathering.

He was loading, sorting, and getting rid of some bikes and pieces and such, to be sold for scrap and then using the money for more bicycle advocacy, as is his volition.
I stopped by, started chatting a bit with Nick and also, unbeknownst to him, started eyeballing a few of the frames.

So I helped him sort some, move some, and he also showed me around the new digs that Positive Spin will be sharing very near the Rail Trail in the Wharf District.

I told Nick that I wasn't going to let these two frames go anywhere and would take them home. I'd give/donate some money to PS some day as well.

So I rode the rest of the way home with two frames wrapped around my neck and upper body.
Wish I would have had a picture of me riding, but I couldn't very well do that and ride...

So here I am finally at home-


And here are the frames.
One, as you can see, is a genuine Tom Ritchey frame without fork. Replete with the oh-so-bad-idea of chain stay mounted brakes, serial # - A5G00019


And this gem just pleaded with me, spoke to my roots, as a skater, punk rocker, and cyclist.
Just take a gander at the stickers that are still visible!
The one that really caught my eye was the Big Black sticker off one of my favorite albums (you have to guess or know the album)-


Yeah, that's it, just two more frames.
Might put them together. Might just take some more photos. Might make Chris help me put the HardCore f/f together and we could donate it to a worthy cause.
Probably gonna do some research on the Ritchey frame and see just what's up w/ it. Nick said it was given to them from a landlord, tenant left and there you have it.

First Out, Last In

It is butt cold out again.
We rode in this morning and the temp was in single digits F. That makes for a chilly morning, and unlike most mornings when once you're out there you don't feel too bad, it only felt worse once you were out in it.

But that's only part of what this post is about.
I realized on the way back (trying to not think cold thoughts and looking down a little more) that the tracks on our route were from Betsy and I on our way home yesterday evening. All the way from in front of the Rec. Center, across the CAC to the front, from the top of the Arboretum down the service trail, all along the rail trail, across the Decker's Creek Bridge, clear on out Past Med-Express to where we turn around, then all the way back around, up Decker's Trail, up the trail to Forest Ave., up the steps to Whitemore Park and then the tracks weren't showing up anymore past Mario's Fish Bowl since it we were on the well salted road.

Not that we're really trying, but on most days this winter, we are amongst the first out on the trail and then one of the last that evening.
We start at about 7:15am which until just recently was still quite dark, and we usually get home around 5:45pm or so, again, which until recently was getting or already dark.

Some days it's just a little easier than others-

I know, I'm looking old anymore, especially in the cold. Must be the Cold...
This is with (starting from closest to the skin) a long-sleeve turtle neck, regular polypro T, bib shorts, pretty heavy Specialized Jacket/Jersey, heavy Sugoi Uni-suit, old ESSM thermal Jacket, two wind jackets, one Patagonia super-visor-cap, Patagonia neck-thingy, tall socks, new Lake Winter boots, newish PI lobster claw mitts, and an old helmet that fits well w/ layers under it.
Pretty slim and trim.

Still pretty chilly.

First out, last in.

First Tracks

Enough of that warming weather, clear skies, and the crawling critters coming out from hiding!
We've got more snow! And cold! And bleak skies!

Probably not for too long, and most definitely not as much as NE right now and always, but it always does funny things to the scene and the folks around here when we get a nice bit of ground cover over night.

After calling for the second time to make sure NIOSH was still operating a "normal" schedule, we headed on out, to get Betsy to work-


Boogied on down Wiley St., slowly avoiding a poor girl whose car couldn't get stopped before coming out onto Wiley, dashing through town, passing other vehicles of the non-human-powered-locomtion-and-butt-heavy-big-four-wheels variety, and finally making it to the fresh and virgin Rail Trail.

The snow was still falling, but not as much, the wind was still blowing, maybe a bit more, we kept on pedalling, having a nice relaxing ride in the snow.

Coming home I did a little trail maintenance up at Whitemore Park, got closer to home and rode around a bit more, just cause it was so quiet and peaceful-








After I was done tooling around and such I also noted that not everyone was having as much fun or doing so well in our new terrain.
We'll call these Bad Tracks-


I think cars look best in the snow like this-



"Cars are great, I just don't think they should be driven all the time."

I Scream!

Ever since I got my post-cross-season-holiday crude I haven't had hardly any ice cream at all.
A really meager amount once or twice, and this was about a 4 week period! I was really trying to get better, not drinking much coffee, not drinking much beer.
It was torture!

Then I kind of just got used to it.

Two nights ago we went to the grocers and got a fresh tub of 'cream to celebrate a paper being finally published of Betsy's. That night we didn't even open it.
Last night we didn't either, though I did have a nice Sam Adam's Irish Red.

This afternoon (very early afternoon) I sampled it.
  Then I had a bowl.
    Then I had another bowl.
      Then I scrapped the lid.

It's all over now.
Coffee, beer, ice cream here I come.

It's just another plain nice day

Sure has been awfully nice here lately.

Yesterday the high was 71 and although today didn't get anywhere near that, it was still a nice sunny day.
Sunrise was at 7:40am, the same it's been for at least three days now, but sunset is now at 5:13 and gaining a minute at least for the last three days.
This morning it was super windy out, which made for some fun echeloning on the rail trail with Betsy.

Picking her up on the rail trail today was going to be the lightest it's been for some time so I brought along the camera to take some snappies.

Sure enough, it was glorious-


But before that, it was even lighter and I was just cruising along.
Cruising along, taking pictures and riding no-handed-


Can you feel the speed?
I was getting bold, trying some new things, it was super-awesome!
Look what a nice picture I took-


Then I got too carried away, and as you can tell, the edge of the trail was coming up on the right.
Luckily I didn't take a picture as I was eating shite-


It's ok, I meant to do that...

Fun's over, it's cold out this morning (1/10/08, 6:50am).
Yuck.