Dumbfounded and Pop-up Professionals
Finally! I was able to get outdoors on my bike a couple times over the weekend. Our temperature climbed out of the single digits (and considerably more) long enough to thaw out our frozen, snow-covered shoulders giving me ample room to do my thing. It also gave me a chance to get my 1998 red Serotta out on the road after having a bunch of work done to it over the winter. New fork, bars, stem, and saddle. I'm very pleased with the upgrades and the help of Adrian at Flanders Bros.
Thursday's route took me south to Castlerock then west toward Webster.
There were a few icy patches to negotiate but traffic was light enough that I never had an issue taking the lane when I needed to ensure I had good footing. It was close to 30 degrees for most of the ride. That may seem cool to some but from the perspective of anybody who has endured our winter, it's nearly short-sleeve weather. It was a 44-mile day.
I got out again yesterday for 49 miles in 22-degree weather. I'd only planned a 30-something mile ride but as is common I had no good reason not to stay out longer. Tammy was in the office and my stained glass project could wait. Here's some random video from my day.
Speaking of video—I was back at Flanders having a little more work done Friday morning when I had to circle the block before finding a spot to park. I took a one-way street to work my way south before making another attempt to find something in front of the shop when I noticed a couple of cars coming toward me going the wrong way. The reason was soon obvious. There was a truck up ahead trying to negotiate an icy driveway and it was blocking the way. I watched for a few seconds before finding myself dumbfounded by what I was seeing. The video speaks for itself. I thought about getting out to help but as I shut off the video to do that, another guy came along but they appeared to decline his offer to help. I filmed a few more seconds before putting it in reverse and continuing on. Thinking back, I should've gotten out and offered to help if for no other reason than to snap pics of both license plates involved to give to the police so the owner of the car would know what happened. No, my confidence in my fellow man to do the right thing is not so great. I may still go back on Friday and see if I can find the car and follow up.
Mom is going back to the hospital for more surgery in the next week or two to re-affix the 3rd lead to her pacemaker/defibrillator which has once again become disconnected. Surprisingly, though, she's feeling okay for now.
I got a text from Rachel Friday night telling me "My dogs are barking hardcore. Wooo!"
She's found a group of dancers in Rochester that she's spending time with. This night they were doing the Foxtrot and preparing for an upcoming competition. It's different than any other style of dance she's done so she's finding it fun and challenging. Plus, there are some very talented dancers in the group she says.
She also sent me a text with a picture of a makeshift ping-pong table they've set up in their apartment. "I keep up with the boys" she wrote. I'm not surprised because we used to play a lot together when we had a table of our own before finishing our basement. It was years later before I confessed to her that I used to play her left-handed to make it fairer. Funny thing though (and I told her this, too) is that I probably got as equally good left-handed (we played a lot) as I am right-handed, which isn't necessarily saying much. Still, she's got a pretty good game...for a girl.
She's enjoying herself at UMR and we're really happy for her.
I don't suppose I could make this blog entry without making mention of the uprising in Egypt that is grabbing all the attention. I don't know what to make of it nor does it appear that our government has any more of a clue.
This is such a precarious world we live in. A short primer on Egypt.
Paul and Kate are part of our small-group at church. We meet every Thursday night (a group of 11 of us) for a few hours. Together they make the most amazing Christmas cards and we're now blessed to be on their list. These are so much better than any other Christmas card you could imagine or that I have ever seen. Life got in the way and they were a little late in getting them out this year but they're very much worth the wait. Here's a short video to show how the card unfolds followed by some closeup photos.
Front view, overhead view, left side, center and right side. Kate is a graphic artist; the calligraphy is her handiwork. I told them that they went through a lot of trouble for something that's going to end up in our trash at week's end. Just kidding, of course.
I have a confession to make: we let our pups on the furniture; in fact, they sleep with us. If you come to our home you're likely to notice the smell of our dogs. I really don't know this to be true because if the scent is there, I've grown so used to it that I can't tell. We (me, anyway) make no apology for that because to us they're family. See what I mean?
Thursday's route took me south to Castlerock then west toward Webster.
There were a few icy patches to negotiate but traffic was light enough that I never had an issue taking the lane when I needed to ensure I had good footing. It was close to 30 degrees for most of the ride. That may seem cool to some but from the perspective of anybody who has endured our winter, it's nearly short-sleeve weather. It was a 44-mile day.I got out again yesterday for 49 miles in 22-degree weather. I'd only planned a 30-something mile ride but as is common I had no good reason not to stay out longer. Tammy was in the office and my stained glass project could wait. Here's some random video from my day.
Speaking of video—I was back at Flanders having a little more work done Friday morning when I had to circle the block before finding a spot to park. I took a one-way street to work my way south before making another attempt to find something in front of the shop when I noticed a couple of cars coming toward me going the wrong way. The reason was soon obvious. There was a truck up ahead trying to negotiate an icy driveway and it was blocking the way. I watched for a few seconds before finding myself dumbfounded by what I was seeing. The video speaks for itself. I thought about getting out to help but as I shut off the video to do that, another guy came along but they appeared to decline his offer to help. I filmed a few more seconds before putting it in reverse and continuing on. Thinking back, I should've gotten out and offered to help if for no other reason than to snap pics of both license plates involved to give to the police so the owner of the car would know what happened. No, my confidence in my fellow man to do the right thing is not so great. I may still go back on Friday and see if I can find the car and follow up.
Mom is going back to the hospital for more surgery in the next week or two to re-affix the 3rd lead to her pacemaker/defibrillator which has once again become disconnected. Surprisingly, though, she's feeling okay for now.
I got a text from Rachel Friday night telling me "My dogs are barking hardcore. Wooo!"
She's found a group of dancers in Rochester that she's spending time with. This night they were doing the Foxtrot and preparing for an upcoming competition. It's different than any other style of dance she's done so she's finding it fun and challenging. Plus, there are some very talented dancers in the group she says.She also sent me a text with a picture of a makeshift ping-pong table they've set up in their apartment. "I keep up with the boys" she wrote. I'm not surprised because we used to play a lot together when we had a table of our own before finishing our basement. It was years later before I confessed to her that I used to play her left-handed to make it fairer. Funny thing though (and I told her this, too) is that I probably got as equally good left-handed (we played a lot) as I am right-handed, which isn't necessarily saying much. Still, she's got a pretty good game...for a girl.
She's enjoying herself at UMR and we're really happy for her.
I don't suppose I could make this blog entry without making mention of the uprising in Egypt that is grabbing all the attention. I don't know what to make of it nor does it appear that our government has any more of a clue.
This is such a precarious world we live in. A short primer on Egypt.Paul and Kate are part of our small-group at church. We meet every Thursday night (a group of 11 of us) for a few hours. Together they make the most amazing Christmas cards and we're now blessed to be on their list. These are so much better than any other Christmas card you could imagine or that I have ever seen. Life got in the way and they were a little late in getting them out this year but they're very much worth the wait. Here's a short video to show how the card unfolds followed by some closeup photos.
Front view, overhead view, left side, center and right side. Kate is a graphic artist; the calligraphy is her handiwork. I told them that they went through a lot of trouble for something that's going to end up in our trash at week's end. Just kidding, of course.
I have a confession to make: we let our pups on the furniture; in fact, they sleep with us. If you come to our home you're likely to notice the smell of our dogs. I really don't know this to be true because if the scent is there, I've grown so used to it that I can't tell. We (me, anyway) make no apology for that because to us they're family. See what I mean?
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