Going Back on a Promise, Riding and Road Trips

My Candy Crush fixation has begun to wane after a few months of diligent play. I'm on level 257 and finding that the game doesn't intrigue me the way it once did. It's been a good run but perhaps it's time to find another distraction. Hmmm. I'm considering reinstalling Wordfeud on my phone.

I was quite sure I wouldn't be putting up Christmas lights this holiday season, in fact, I promised myself that last year would be the end of the tradition. I'm a softy. Over the last week or so my resolve to go into these holidays in a less than festive mood is weakening and the idea of involving our new addition in our outdoor light display has been gaining momentum; so much so that I went out to Fleet Farm yesterday and bought a bunch more LED light sets. I've sort of wanted to lay some off-white lights over the top of our pergola so this will be the motivation I need to get out there and do it.

I took yesterday off from work so I could get a head-start on the outdoor lights but rains moved in and washed out most of the afternoon. I didn't mind though because what I probably needed more than anything was a day for laying low. I did manage to get out for a couple hours after sunset last night to begin work on the job with hopes of having all of the lights strung by this time next week.

Tammy had her last watercolor class on Wednesday and came home with a poinsettia she painted. She wasn't totally pleased with it because her instructor insists on her students doing more outlining in black of parts of the painting, making it look somewhat cartoonish. Rather than outlining, Tammy was anticipating shading areas instead where it was necessary. She just goes with the flow and does her best to take in all of the advice whether she agrees or not.

She's looking to sign up for another class when one becomes available. I'm really happy to see her painting again because she's so artistic and I think she needs this outlet. She mentioned possibly using her poinsettia painting as the cover of our Christmas cards this year. She won't need to convince me.

I made it back out to the trails at Murphy-Hanrehan this past Wednesday after sleeping a few hours in the morning following my all-night shift. I'm learning a lot about trail riding but I have such a long way to go. Not having suspension on my Mukluk forces me to find the cleanest line I can through the trails because bouncing off rocks and roots can throw me offline so quickly and send me veering off the trail if I'm carrying too much speed. I not only prefer to keep my bike upright but I have to. I've had no falls my last two times at Murphy which I'm pleased about.

Some video from Wednesday's ride.

Tammy and I drove up to Stillwater Thursday afternoon in search of some end-tables for our sun-porch. Karen cautioned us that we'd likely only find lots of antiques and she was right. Still, it was a nice time. We always enjoy doing that trip together. I think we'll pencil in an afternoon in Excelsior in the next few weeks as well because that's another city where we enjoy visiting the various shops.

I'm not sure where to go next for the end-tables we're in search of. We've been to the more obvious places so now it's time to check out those lesser-known names.

I took advantage of some beautiful fall weather on Friday afternoon to spend some time on my road bike. It was nice to be on it, hammering out a nice cadence and speed. I haven't done nearly as much riding this year as in years past but I've made the most of my time out there and I'm riding faster than I have in a long while thanks to the Quarq power meter on my Serotta. It's made all the difference.

Video from Friday's ride. Hang on tight!