It's Not About the Bike

All of my hard work between the houses last year (before and after) was being swallowed up by a grapevine of some sort. I thought it made for a nice ground cover when it quietly began to work its way through the area but then I began to wonder because it was definitely taking over. I mentioned to Tammy that I was going to remove it but before I could get out there to take some before and after photos, she had already made a nice dent in it. A couple of hours later and we had reclaimed most of the area with the exception of some stragglers that I'll have to keep my eye on.

I was off from the salt mine this past week and made pretty good use of my time away and no, I'm not referring to some ridiculous amounts of miles on my bike. I actually relaxed some. I spent time doing absolutely nothing which is totally out of character for me. It was nice. It's difficult for me to believe but I spent two weeks away from my bike. That's pretty much unheard of in the summer for this obsessed cyclist. Somebody check my temperature.

We managed another trip to Rochester to deliver and set up a bed for Rachel. She's now mostly moved in with the exception of some odds and ends. That's three trips to Rochester in one week for us. I actually enjoy the 75-mile drive.

We were in the studio three days this past week. I could get used to spending lots of time there if I had unlimited amounts of both that and money. We'll settle for what we can at this point. I felt like I was pushing the limits of my abilities this week by blowing a little bigger and a different shape than I'm used to. I just feel it's time to begin exploring my abilities more. It was fun. But I'm a little concerned about the last piece I made. I struggled to release it from the punty once it was finished, allowing it to cool down quite a bit before I finally got it in the annealer. Steve was watching me (I didn't realize it at the time and I really appreciate his watchful, experienced eye) and gave me a little advice. He said that the next time that happens, stop what I'm doing and take a quick flash in the nearest glory hole then begin the process again. It makes total sense. Keep the piece hot! He pointed out that it was really cool going in the annealer which causes me to wonder if the next time I see it it'll be in more than the one piece it had been. I hope not.

Rachel finished her Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) class at Inver Hills Community College and followed that by completing the 2nd of 3 days of clinicals where she shadows another CNA. She came home last night and told us all about her day. It was so evident that she has a heart for not only this work but any work that involves helping others. None of the more squeamish tasks seem to bother her at all. I actually had to laugh just a little as I listened to her and her mother talk shop. This little girl of mine is no longer that. As much as I would've loved to have kept her 13 years old forever, there's a world out there that needs her.

We made our traditional visit to the Dakota County Fair in Farmington Wednesday night, not so much for the fair and its numerous exhibits but for the demolition derby. We brought a couple of inexperienced friends with us and they loved it! I couldn't help but wonder if Job was the only black man in the lily-white crowd? He had fun and that's all that mattered.

Here's some video from the night. Don't give up too soon as there's some pretty humorous stuff in there midway through.