Monday, 12 March
It was a weird weekend. It started at Mason Lake on Saturday, where it never really stopped raining. I was the official for the cat 4 women's race, and 100 meters after we turned onto the course, 3 of them crashed. Three-quarters of the way around the course, about 10 more piled into each other and crashed all over the road. After arranging "transport" for those whose bikes or bodies wouldn't go any farther, we passed about 20 women riding in onesies and twosies before we finally caught what was left of the race: 11 riders (37 started). Higgie was in the lead car and gave a post-race coaching clinic. I hope he was able to calm what must have been some pretty taut nerves.
There was nowhere near as much excitement (of any kind) in my own race. I wanted to race with the masters, but there weren't enough of them. And then I decided I wouldn't race at all because it was pouring and the road had a winter's worth of sand plus some new gravel in spots and I still had visions of bodies and bikes going every which way. But I knew that I would be my own biggest critic for a week if I didn't at least start, so I did. The riding wasn't so bad, and on the first 3 laps you could convince yourself it wasn't raining when you were on the backside of the course because there was a tailwind and no spray off the chipseal. But the main road was like being in a gritty shower. The field did not offer much hope for excitement: 5 Byrne (including last week's winner), 4 TiCycles, a sprinter from Portland, and a climber from Spokane. I now know who cannot sustain an attack for more than 100 meters and whose body language gives at least 5 seconds of notice before her attack starts. Of course, the right combo of last week's winner plus a Ti rider finally got away. The only thing left to do was marvel at the gap between the pro-1-2 break and pack (they passed us exactly one lap apart). Oh yeah, and it absolutely POURED for the whole last lap.
On to Sunday, after losing an hour's sleep on Saturday night. Old As Dirt and I led a ride with Frankie Andreu for the Cascade Bicycle Club. Early start: I rode to the ride while O.A.D. drove to pick up Frankie at his hotel. 25 die-hard fans turned out to ride with him, and he did not disappoint. He chatted with everybody, leaving O.A.D. to play gate-keeper and flat-fixer and me to ride on the front all day to make sure everybody went the right way. I learned from these Cascade riders that I (1) did not give the mandatory preride safety lecture (I obviously failed to do that on Saturday, too) and (2) ride a really smooth, constant pace (which tells you more about Cascade rides than about me). Brunch was fine, then it was off to the Bike Expo (the reason Frankie was here) to see sponsors, mechanic, coaching staff, framebuilders, race organizers, etc. When we picked Frankie up to go to dinner, the bag he set in the back seat next to me had a very subtle imprint on the top that said "U.S. Olympic Team 1988." Nice. I wonder how many airline employees see that. And good to know that we're not giving flimsy schwag to our Olympic athletes--this piece has been in use for 18 years.
Biggest ego boost of the weekend? Frankie recognized O.A.D. immediately because he was wearing his team StokedHat and Frankie had seen pictures of my donated auction item at the MVA auction on Saturday night. Well, that and Frankie accusing me of almost dropping him on Rainier Avenue.....
Monday, March 12, 2007
Thursday, March 08, 2007
Remember riding in January ?
Thursday, 8 March
My employer thought it was a great idea to encourage people to ride their bikes to work in all kinds of weather conditions at the beginning of the year (remember them all?). Some people had so much fun doing it that they were inspired to submit their own haiku describing the experience. You can read the whole lot here. The winner of this part of the Ride in the Rain competition was:
I hate being wet / but I have no choice because / my husband makes me.
I thought that one was worth mentioning here. Another that strikes chords of sympathy:
Morning sky is blue / Black is ice upon the street / bicycle slides, body hurts.
Skipping over most of the sappy ones, this one might be a happy summary of why we ride if only it didn't imply we are going in endless circles:
It is a circle / Pleasure, pain, gain and again / Ride hard, ride often.
My employer thought it was a great idea to encourage people to ride their bikes to work in all kinds of weather conditions at the beginning of the year (remember them all?). Some people had so much fun doing it that they were inspired to submit their own haiku describing the experience. You can read the whole lot here. The winner of this part of the Ride in the Rain competition was:
I hate being wet / but I have no choice because / my husband makes me.
I thought that one was worth mentioning here. Another that strikes chords of sympathy:
Morning sky is blue / Black is ice upon the street / bicycle slides, body hurts.
Skipping over most of the sappy ones, this one might be a happy summary of why we ride if only it didn't imply we are going in endless circles:
It is a circle / Pleasure, pain, gain and again / Ride hard, ride often.
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
The jersey
Tuesday, 6 March
Tonight was meant to be my last installment of winter racing at CycleU. One more effort to find those elusive 20 average watts I lost somewhere in the last year. And then they give me the leader's jersey and tell me I keep it until I lose it. Oh, the pressure. Now I have to go back and defend. They figured out how to suck me in. And I try to tell myself I'm really not very competitive....
Sunday, February 25, 2007
2007 race number one
Sunday, 25 February
Time trial. Tandem. Drive time to crochet. Does bike racing get any better?
My 2007 season started today with the Frostbite TT on the oh-so-familiar River Road between Lowell and Snohomish. As expected, the wind was out of the SE, so headwind out, tailwind back. And, as remembered, this is a smooth, smooth road, which meant tons of spray on my backside and feet because TT bikes have no fenders. But, as noted, no dirt...or, at least, no unpaved sections.
It was a pretty uneventful race. No major snafus. It still feels odd to leave a race without results, but there were "sorting issues" (and we all thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier). So not only do I not know how I placed, I don't even know how many women I was competing against. The good thing about that is I don't yet have any evidence that it's time to retire. That'll come soon enough, I'm sure.
On my single bike, I kept trying to tell myself that I'd worked harder trying to hang on the back of a group on fierce training rides on this road. That worked for the first part, which I figured was going to be the hardest because it was most directly into the wind. The one tiny short drag wasn't as bad as expected; I don't think I shifted at all until the turnaround. And after I turned--wow!!--I shifted up about 3 gears and rode all the way back in my 55x13. I was so proud of myself for (1) remembering to bring my watch and (2) remembering to start it with my one-minute guy. Next week I'll have to try (3) remembering to stop it as I cross the line so I know my time.
We got a really good (hard) start on the tandem, but I missed the sound of the disk wheel. O.A.D. turned us around just fine on the narrow-ish road, and then we were able to chase down his teammate, Paul. My position as stoker is head down and elbows tucked in out of the wind; I let myself look up when I thought we were at about 1K to go--and we were about 100m from the finish! Somehow, we didn't get any of that great tailwind boost on our return, so our speed didn't go up and we rode in the same gear both directions.
Kudos to Rob and everyone at PSB Racing for starting another fine TT tradition on a course we all love to ride hard on. 120 riders at a brand new race is an accomplishment. And thanks to the WSBA officials for standing out there in the bitter cold and wet.
Time trial. Tandem. Drive time to crochet. Does bike racing get any better?
My 2007 season started today with the Frostbite TT on the oh-so-familiar River Road between Lowell and Snohomish. As expected, the wind was out of the SE, so headwind out, tailwind back. And, as remembered, this is a smooth, smooth road, which meant tons of spray on my backside and feet because TT bikes have no fenders. But, as noted, no dirt...or, at least, no unpaved sections.
It was a pretty uneventful race. No major snafus. It still feels odd to leave a race without results, but there were "sorting issues" (and we all thought technology was supposed to make our lives easier). So not only do I not know how I placed, I don't even know how many women I was competing against. The good thing about that is I don't yet have any evidence that it's time to retire. That'll come soon enough, I'm sure.
On my single bike, I kept trying to tell myself that I'd worked harder trying to hang on the back of a group on fierce training rides on this road. That worked for the first part, which I figured was going to be the hardest because it was most directly into the wind. The one tiny short drag wasn't as bad as expected; I don't think I shifted at all until the turnaround. And after I turned--wow!!--I shifted up about 3 gears and rode all the way back in my 55x13. I was so proud of myself for (1) remembering to bring my watch and (2) remembering to start it with my one-minute guy. Next week I'll have to try (3) remembering to stop it as I cross the line so I know my time.
We got a really good (hard) start on the tandem, but I missed the sound of the disk wheel. O.A.D. turned us around just fine on the narrow-ish road, and then we were able to chase down his teammate, Paul. My position as stoker is head down and elbows tucked in out of the wind; I let myself look up when I thought we were at about 1K to go--and we were about 100m from the finish! Somehow, we didn't get any of that great tailwind boost on our return, so our speed didn't go up and we rode in the same gear both directions.
Kudos to Rob and everyone at PSB Racing for starting another fine TT tradition on a course we all love to ride hard on. 120 riders at a brand new race is an accomplishment. And thanks to the WSBA officials for standing out there in the bitter cold and wet.
Friday, February 23, 2007
A new baldy
Friday, 23 February
There are some fine people in my life who are bald, and there's about to be one more. Kenny Williams has teamed up with the St. Baldrick's Society to raise awareness and funds to cure kids' cancer. His role in this team effort is to get you and me to contribute money to a worthy cause and to shave his head as a gesture of solidarity with those kids he's trying to help. You can get all the details on his "space."
Since you're probably going to laugh at him when he shows up at a race in March with his helmet 2 sizes too big because he's lost his curly locks, then the least you can do is make a contribution!
There are some fine people in my life who are bald, and there's about to be one more. Kenny Williams has teamed up with the St. Baldrick's Society to raise awareness and funds to cure kids' cancer. His role in this team effort is to get you and me to contribute money to a worthy cause and to shave his head as a gesture of solidarity with those kids he's trying to help. You can get all the details on his "space."
Since you're probably going to laugh at him when he shows up at a race in March with his helmet 2 sizes too big because he's lost his curly locks, then the least you can do is make a contribution!
Two-track Oregon ?
Friday, 23 February
OK, so it's a long way from the introduction of a bill to the building of a velodrome, but you've got to start somewhere. Oregon could have TWO new velodromes:
http://bikeportland.org/2007/02/23/portland-velodrome-takes-major-step-toward-reality/
http://www.pdxvelo.org/
Funds would come from lottery proceeds. I guess I'll have to buy a Powerball ticket next time I'm south of the border.
OK, so it's a long way from the introduction of a bill to the building of a velodrome, but you've got to start somewhere. Oregon could have TWO new velodromes:
http://bikeportland.org/2007/02/23/portland-velodrome-takes-major-step-toward-reality/
http://www.pdxvelo.org/
Funds would come from lottery proceeds. I guess I'll have to buy a Powerball ticket next time I'm south of the border.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Antiquing
Saturday, 17 February
I did the FRM team ride today, riding tandem with Old As Dirt. After 65 hard miles, we roll into Snohomish. OAD teammate says, "We could go antiquing!" I say, "And carry it all home on the back of your bike?" And OAD says, "Isn't that what I've already got on the back of my bike?"
Apart from that little quip, it was a nice 90-mile ride today...except that we keep getting dropped on the climbs. I guess that's what happens when your stoker is an antique.
I did the FRM team ride today, riding tandem with Old As Dirt. After 65 hard miles, we roll into Snohomish. OAD teammate says, "We could go antiquing!" I say, "And carry it all home on the back of your bike?" And OAD says, "Isn't that what I've already got on the back of my bike?"
Apart from that little quip, it was a nice 90-mile ride today...except that we keep getting dropped on the climbs. I guess that's what happens when your stoker is an antique.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Stoked does the track
Ides of February
Sorry to make you drop your coffee cup in shock over that title above. What it really means is that I just donated custom, handmade StokedHats to the MVA auction. I didn't see any Axley items in the auction catalogue, but maybe PruDog is working on a secret model just for the MVA. I'll just assume the rest of you are going to support our velodrome by going to the auction and picking up some good stuff. If I'm lucky, nobody will want a hat by mid-March and Old As Dirt won't have to do all the driving to races this spring while I'm making somebody else's hats.
Sorry to make you drop your coffee cup in shock over that title above. What it really means is that I just donated custom, handmade StokedHats to the MVA auction. I didn't see any Axley items in the auction catalogue, but maybe PruDog is working on a secret model just for the MVA. I'll just assume the rest of you are going to support our velodrome by going to the auction and picking up some good stuff. If I'm lucky, nobody will want a hat by mid-March and Old As Dirt won't have to do all the driving to races this spring while I'm making somebody else's hats.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Done in the gym?
Lincoln's Birthday
Are you done at the gym for the winter? Think again.
Do you think you can quit lifting weights now that the road racing season is upon us? Think again.
Cycling is right up there with swimming and sitting on the couch for what it does for your bones--or, rather, for what it doesn't do for your bones. Whether you're male or female or not, whether you're 25 or 50, if you spend a lot of time on a bike, you also need to spend some time actively working to maintain your bone density. Year 'round. You don't have to put 493 pounds on the leg press or look like Arnold. But don't stop the resistance training, the high-impact routines. Your bones need to be jarred, so that when you really jar them--say, when you slip running down your front stairs to get a package from the FedEx driver--they are strong and not brittle.
So keep up with those weights. Run some stairs. Load the OBRA truck once a week. But don't just go sit on your bike and think you are the picture of health. Odds are, someday you'll fall off your bike, and that's when strong bones can make the difference between bruises and breaks.
OK, off my high horse and back to the latest, top-secret StokedHat.
Are you done at the gym for the winter? Think again.
Do you think you can quit lifting weights now that the road racing season is upon us? Think again.
Cycling is right up there with swimming and sitting on the couch for what it does for your bones--or, rather, for what it doesn't do for your bones. Whether you're male or female or not, whether you're 25 or 50, if you spend a lot of time on a bike, you also need to spend some time actively working to maintain your bone density. Year 'round. You don't have to put 493 pounds on the leg press or look like Arnold. But don't stop the resistance training, the high-impact routines. Your bones need to be jarred, so that when you really jar them--say, when you slip running down your front stairs to get a package from the FedEx driver--they are strong and not brittle.
So keep up with those weights. Run some stairs. Load the OBRA truck once a week. But don't just go sit on your bike and think you are the picture of health. Odds are, someday you'll fall off your bike, and that's when strong bones can make the difference between bruises and breaks.
OK, off my high horse and back to the latest, top-secret StokedHat.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Backseat driver
Saturday, 10 February
OK, so no one else thinks tunes in your shorts will make the training better, either (see below). But I assure you that training does go better on a tandem. Thanks, Sal!
Today I finally had a legitimate excuse for the backseat driving I am prone to do on a tandem: my captain had no clue where we were or where we were going (he's not from these parts). Fortunately for him, there were lots of long straightaways (E Lake Samm, Issaquah-Hobart, May Valley [mind the grates!!!], etc.) where I mostly shut up or blathered at someone else. It was a gorgeous day--58 degrees when I got home--and a mostly mellow ride. We took some long pulls and had to chase back on after a couple of spots that were hard to navigate on the tandem, and about 90 minutes after we got off the bike, I realized that my legs were really tired for a mostly flat 59-mile ride. One thing I love about riding tandem is that perceived effort is LESS than the amount of work you really do. Having tons of fun getting a hard workout: who needs music in their shorts?
OK, so no one else thinks tunes in your shorts will make the training better, either (see below). But I assure you that training does go better on a tandem. Thanks, Sal!
Today I finally had a legitimate excuse for the backseat driving I am prone to do on a tandem: my captain had no clue where we were or where we were going (he's not from these parts). Fortunately for him, there were lots of long straightaways (E Lake Samm, Issaquah-Hobart, May Valley [mind the grates!!!], etc.) where I mostly shut up or blathered at someone else. It was a gorgeous day--58 degrees when I got home--and a mostly mellow ride. We took some long pulls and had to chase back on after a couple of spots that were hard to navigate on the tandem, and about 90 minutes after we got off the bike, I realized that my legs were really tired for a mostly flat 59-mile ride. One thing I love about riding tandem is that perceived effort is LESS than the amount of work you really do. Having tons of fun getting a hard workout: who needs music in their shorts?
Friday, February 09, 2007
Whose idea was this?
Friday, 9 February
The March issue of Outside magazine starts off its section of reviews of "the best gear, tested" with a full-page feature on the Pearl Izumi Vertex MP3 Bib Short. A "flash-drive player fits neatly into a rubberized port in the middle of your back, with integrated push-button controls on your thigh." And you gotta love the fact that your shorts will be Bluetooth-enabled. 512 mb. $500. I don't even know where to start on this one.
The March issue of Outside magazine starts off its section of reviews of "the best gear, tested" with a full-page feature on the Pearl Izumi Vertex MP3 Bib Short. A "flash-drive player fits neatly into a rubberized port in the middle of your back, with integrated push-button controls on your thigh." And you gotta love the fact that your shorts will be Bluetooth-enabled. 512 mb. $500. I don't even know where to start on this one.
Tandems&hats: what else?
Friday, 9 February
OK, so it hasn't exactly been the best week ever. But it started with a warm date with my nearly under-age tandem partner at a place of his choosing that couldn't have made me happier (obviously women are NOT hard to figure out). Tuesday night I got to ride with a tandem newbie at the CycleU TT; he got a rude shock when he tried to suddenly stop pedaling while we were warming up because I kept pedaling ("it's worse than a track bike!"), and then got payback by trying to wear out the 12 and 13 cogs for the 14 minutes of our TT. But we had a good ride. And maybe, just maybe, there's a tandem ride in my tomorrow--but stokers are the last to know.
OK, so it hasn't exactly been the best week ever. But it started with a warm date with my nearly under-age tandem partner at a place of his choosing that couldn't have made me happier (obviously women are NOT hard to figure out). Tuesday night I got to ride with a tandem newbie at the CycleU TT; he got a rude shock when he tried to suddenly stop pedaling while we were warming up because I kept pedaling ("it's worse than a track bike!"), and then got payback by trying to wear out the 12 and 13 cogs for the 14 minutes of our TT. But we had a good ride. And maybe, just maybe, there's a tandem ride in my tomorrow--but stokers are the last to know.
Last night I gave away my latest hat and the recipient seemed genuinely thrilled. I am now at work on a top-secret design that might be revealed by, say, Ohop. There's just a little thing called work that might get in the way.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
PNWBuckeye, it could be worse....
Tuesday, 30 January
My poor cat got out of jail today, but it sure wasn't free. And he's on pretty tight home surveillance, complete with this charming "e-collar" that disorients him and makes it a challenge to do anything besides purr (you know, basic things, like eating and walking). The vet assures me that since his wound and abcess were on his face, he WON the fight (the loser gets an abcess on his hindquarters--and note the pronouns here are all MALE). But, like PNWBuckeye, I don't think he feels like he won much. I do have a supply of kitty painkiller, meloxicam, if you run out of morphine.
My poor cat got out of jail today, but it sure wasn't free. And he's on pretty tight home surveillance, complete with this charming "e-collar" that disorients him and makes it a challenge to do anything besides purr (you know, basic things, like eating and walking). The vet assures me that since his wound and abcess were on his face, he WON the fight (the loser gets an abcess on his hindquarters--and note the pronouns here are all MALE). But, like PNWBuckeye, I don't think he feels like he won much. I do have a supply of kitty painkiller, meloxicam, if you run out of morphine.
Monday, January 29, 2007
Blogger factoid
Monday, 29 January
From today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Study: Blogs more hype than hit
Here's an interesting tidbit. The Sacramento Bee reports that, according to MRI Research and CBS chief research officer David Poltrack, only 8 percent of Americans read blogs.
"One of the things that's probably overstated by the press is how many people are visiting online blogs," Poltrack said in a presentation to TV critics recently. "I think you all blog each other, but I'm not sure the rest of the world is joining in the process that much."
The 8 percent figure is based on a survey of 20,000 people. In a conversation later, Poltrack told the Bee that he would guess the majority of people who do read blogs are bloggers themselves.
"That does not leave a whole lot of real people who spend their time with blogs," he said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/301394_tf229.html
From today's Seattle Post-Intelligencer:
Study: Blogs more hype than hit
Here's an interesting tidbit. The Sacramento Bee reports that, according to MRI Research and CBS chief research officer David Poltrack, only 8 percent of Americans read blogs.
"One of the things that's probably overstated by the press is how many people are visiting online blogs," Poltrack said in a presentation to TV critics recently. "I think you all blog each other, but I'm not sure the rest of the world is joining in the process that much."
The 8 percent figure is based on a survey of 20,000 people. In a conversation later, Poltrack told the Bee that he would guess the majority of people who do read blogs are bloggers themselves.
"That does not leave a whole lot of real people who spend their time with blogs," he said.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/lifestyle/301394_tf229.html
Sunday, January 28, 2007
Tandem treks
Sunday, 28 January
Saturday: 79 miles on the tandem. Beautiful back roads from Snohomish, past Lake Roesiger, into Monroe. Glacier Peak and a bunch of mountains nobody could identify were spectacular, as was Mt. Rainier from the Tualco Valley. A few thin patches of fog at the start, but mostly pure sunshine.
Sunday: 104.5 miles on the tandem. More beautiful roads, this time out to Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie Falls, North Bend, Beaver Lake, Marymoor. Mt. Si was just gorgeous. Sunshine all the way.
Funny thing. Back in the last century when I started training and racing my bike, my reasoning was that it was the only way I'd see my husband on weekends (otherwise, I'd be at home, doing chores, while he was out riding, and then I'd want to go "do something" when he wanted to sit on the couch and recover). All these many years later, finally I really did get to see my husband ALL weekend. On the tandem, he never disappears up a climb ahead of me or decides to take a longer way home. (He did try to trade places with a teammate to get away from me, but Kenny was lucky and still had his cross pedals on his rain bike so couldn't swap bikes.) But you know what you feel like after 104.5 miles on a bike, and after all that togetherness, it was probably a good thing that he had to go to a team meeting and leave me at home by myself.
If you need some entertainment early Monday morning, come watch me try to ride my single bike to work. After 183 miles of not steering, I will not be able to point my bike in a remotely straight line. And forget getting out of the saddle.
Saturday: 79 miles on the tandem. Beautiful back roads from Snohomish, past Lake Roesiger, into Monroe. Glacier Peak and a bunch of mountains nobody could identify were spectacular, as was Mt. Rainier from the Tualco Valley. A few thin patches of fog at the start, but mostly pure sunshine.
Sunday: 104.5 miles on the tandem. More beautiful roads, this time out to Carnation, Fall City, Snoqualmie Falls, North Bend, Beaver Lake, Marymoor. Mt. Si was just gorgeous. Sunshine all the way.
Funny thing. Back in the last century when I started training and racing my bike, my reasoning was that it was the only way I'd see my husband on weekends (otherwise, I'd be at home, doing chores, while he was out riding, and then I'd want to go "do something" when he wanted to sit on the couch and recover). All these many years later, finally I really did get to see my husband ALL weekend. On the tandem, he never disappears up a climb ahead of me or decides to take a longer way home. (He did try to trade places with a teammate to get away from me, but Kenny was lucky and still had his cross pedals on his rain bike so couldn't swap bikes.) But you know what you feel like after 104.5 miles on a bike, and after all that togetherness, it was probably a good thing that he had to go to a team meeting and leave me at home by myself.
If you need some entertainment early Monday morning, come watch me try to ride my single bike to work. After 183 miles of not steering, I will not be able to point my bike in a remotely straight line. And forget getting out of the saddle.
Tuesday, January 23, 2007
Monday, January 22, 2007
Squares too
Monday, 22 January
My crocheting repertoire includes things besides hats. This is for a colleague's baby shower tomorrow.
Saturday, January 20, 2007
Rose-colored glasses
Saturday, 20 JanuaryThe temperature at ride time this morning was 36 degrees. The forecast was for a damp, grey day. The last item in my preride bundling-up process was my sweet pair of brand new Axley Ozone glasses. They transformed a cold, miserable ride into a tropical adventure: sunshine, beach, roasty toasty temperatures, huge expanses of white sand. Who would have thought that seeing the world through rose-colored glasses was enough to transform it?
Oh. Wait. Sunshine? It really was sunny all day today in Seattle. The beach? That would be the inch-deep sand across the road all the way down the back side of Hollywood Hill and heaps and piles of it everywhere else. The balmy temperatures? That's what the low 40s feel like when it's been in the 20s and 30s for so long--and I was waaaaay overdressed. The white sand? That was beautiful snow, out on the Woods Creek Road north of Monroe. There was still 3-4 inches of it everywhere out there--in the fields, under the trees, right up to the fog line (and across the road at just one point). It was riding a bike in a winter wonderland, which for me was having my cake and eating it too.
It was pretty much an idyllic January ride today, thanks to my new rose-colored glasses. And only once did I hear my mom telling me that I shouldn't ride by myself out in the boonies.
Tuesday, January 16, 2007
Something's wrong with this picture
Tuesday, 16 January
I came across this scene on my walk home from work tonight. The street was covered with compact slush--not real wet and not too slippery underfoot. You'll notice that the truck slid sideways (over the landscaping bricks and small trees) into this position. The "door" in the side of the house is brand new.
Somebody (thanks, Ed) sent Old as Dirt a picture of these nifty 700c tires. Thanks to "global warming," he now thinks he needs a rain bike AND a snow bike.
Coach Curly refers to this as the Tandems and Knitting Blog, but O.A.D. thinks it has become a Trees and Knitting Blog. Here's a tree picture too, so you're not disappointed: this is the view from my office.
BTW I'd love to get back to blogging about the tandem, but it has been parked in the living room for weeks, and that's even less exciting than trees with snow, or trucks trying to sneak in the back way.
I came across this scene on my walk home from work tonight. The street was covered with compact slush--not real wet and not too slippery underfoot. You'll notice that the truck slid sideways (over the landscaping bricks and small trees) into this position. The "door" in the side of the house is brand new.
Somebody (thanks, Ed) sent Old as Dirt a picture of these nifty 700c tires. Thanks to "global warming," he now thinks he needs a rain bike AND a snow bike.
Coach Curly refers to this as the Tandems and Knitting Blog, but O.A.D. thinks it has become a Trees and Knitting Blog. Here's a tree picture too, so you're not disappointed: this is the view from my office.
BTW I'd love to get back to blogging about the tandem, but it has been parked in the living room for weeks, and that's even less exciting than trees with snow, or trucks trying to sneak in the back way.
Sunday, January 14, 2007
Not all bad
Sunday, 14 January
Just when I thought everything was snow and ice, we came across this witch hazel tree in full glorious bloom today. What other yellow flowers are you going to find in Seattle in January? These are worth watching for--a gold lining to that snowy cloud.
Just when I thought everything was snow and ice, we came across this witch hazel tree in full glorious bloom today. What other yellow flowers are you going to find in Seattle in January? These are worth watching for--a gold lining to that snowy cloud.
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