The Dancing Man,

Just enough time to get home from work, lift weights, shower and get out to the door to go listen to the music. I've always loved music people, people who spend their whole life immersed in playing music and performing, to perfection. For them it is for the love of music and not the money. So I get to enjoy, all their hard work, and let the music take me places. Tonight was the first outdoor music to start the summer season. Something we do, my lady and I is watch people, and the outdoor music arena is the place to this. Tonight we

saw the "dancing man' this guy danced by himself song after song, as if in some other world, go man go, I love the free spirit.


Got home and my son Caleb was leaving, to a party, on the bicycle, well wise choice young man, riding a bike, cause a DUI he knows all about and the 'goods' are in the bag.

















Tomorrow is rain, rain, and rain, I am hoping to ride, ride, and ride anyways. A gravel century is the goal. Not bicycling because it is raining just doesn't work. Would be too many days missed if that be the case.

Melissa my wonderful daughter runs her first marathon tomorrow in Fargo ND. The girl is amazing. When she puts her mind to something, consider it done. She has mastered flute, piano, motherhood, marriage, 4.0 student, National Merit scholar, Chemical engineering degree, and about a year ago has decided to take up running. Well after a well plotted training schedule including 20 mile training runs she is ready. Thunder storms might make this race a killa. Run Melissa, run.

Yikes, I stayed up past my beauty rest time, Lord knows I need it. :-)
Lata
Dave

THIS IS THE END

I hope I don't offend anyone here, but here's my view on the "new end" this Saturday. Every couple of years, for every generation some group interprets when the End is going to occur using some new revelation obtained from bible interpretation. Every group seems to think their right, until the day after. This has been going on for centuries. I'm not worried about it. I enjoy my life now, more then I ever have, but if the end is going to come, then I'll get in the check out line, check out and see what happens next.
This Saturday is the "new end date" I'll be out on a country road, riding a bicycle, for a metric century. I will be disappointed if the cold beer in the refrigerator goes to waste and I don't return.
Seriously however, if this does nothing else but causes some to reflect on how precious life is, and the importance of our relationships with those we love, then I say thanks again End Timers.
Tonight after work I was able to ride a bike, lift weights, stretch and watch American Idol. Can it get any better then that?
Tomorrow night it is outdoor music and beer, YaHoooo!!!!!

Ok, I think I should zip it now.

Dave

A day on the bike.

The weather peeps said 67 degrees and partly sunny today. It was 53 degrees when I left, and thought it should warm up fast, and didn't pack a lot of warm wear. At 30 miles out, the wind was blowing, it was starting to rain, and I was cold!!!!
I turned my IPOD radio on and the weather report came on telling me it was raining, windy and 53 degrees. So with fingerless gloves, shorts, and a light wind breaker on I was chilling. I stepped up the pace, pushing myself, to help stay warm. Riding on a road on top of a ridge, I decided to drop down onto a valley road and get out of the wind.
Stopped at the "Cement Slab Cafe" they were closed, fortunately I packed the American staple, PBJ.

Rode a gavel Metric Century and some more. I am taking the time to stretch out every day. It takes time and patience, but I gotta stay on it. Shoulders and other moving parts are feeling well. Looking forward to riding these back gravel roads this year.

So, over and out,

time for some zzzzzzzzzzzs.

Thanks for visiting

Dave

Gnome, Mr. Toad and Blog Stalker.

A drizzly grey day, but it was a much brighter inside my head on this Metric Century 63 miles in  gravel day, so I brightened the sky color. Banging down a Snicker bar here, been loving them since about the time I could first walk or maybe even before that. Was able to push the pace, energy and strength levels were there, some body parts were hurting but they all hung in there and was able to stay on a good pace.   

The Gnome and his pet Toad were out. Later they went to their shroom deck.



Wish I could do this everyday, and not have to go to work, or do house chores, and other things like that. But the Gnome and Mr. Toad didn't offer me any pixie dust to sprinkle, so I will continue to juggle duties and play in my life.


Recently I have become aware of a blog stalker. So with the help of the FBI, CIA, and other assorted law enforcement agencies we have determined what this man looks like. For now we will call him "Joe" Here is a picture of him, if you see him please exercise extreme caution and lock up the women and children and call in the Navy Seals.

Hope your day had some fun too.
Dave

vanity of vanities; all is vanity

Ecclesiastes 1


So tonight's road ride, a good wind at my back. Feeling full of energy, feeling strong. My neighbors. Ed and Peg, pass me on their Honda 3 wheeler motortricycle and we nod at each other. I hang on to their wheel, and follow. The pace picks up, a windy day at my back and makes it possible for me to keep up. I stay on their tail and check my speed. 28 mph. YIKES!!!! OK the only way I can do this is a good strong wind at my back, a good road bike, pavement, not too long, and vanity. I'm thinking let me show them what this old guy has in him. I am dying!!!! I am sucking air. I need oxygen and maybe a AED machine. So after a couple of miles of this we approach a stop sign, just in time, I get to stop. I could not have kept this up, and I pull next to them. Peg the passenger didn't know I had tailed them, and looked surprised. I pretended not to be in an extreme oxygen dept, smiled and peddled past them, they turned left. 10 minutes later I was still sucking air, and in an oxygen dept. Next time they see me they'll think, man that guy is an manimal.
Vanity of Vanity, all is vanity.

For goodness sakes, for your own good, don't be like me. :-) 


Dave

Escapism

One of those days at work I don't like. My personality finds it easier to work with equipment easier and much more predicable then working and overseeing people. Today I had to tell a man, an apprentice, that he is not doing the job. Which means he can no longer be employed in that position. I don't like to do that, but I had too. It was the right thing to do.

But that being said, my point is this. I had a bicycle ride to escape into. To remove any feelings of awkwardness, to fly away, for as long as I please, and that I did.

Found this table on the road to no where.

Now the day is over,

Thanks for visiting.

Dave

I never knew it would feel this way.

People would often tell me that when someone as close to your heart as your mother is, passes on, there is a void that occurs that never leaves.
I didn't understand, then. I do now.
My mama left this place last July   see blog post here----> 'sailing away'

Some days I don't think of it, some days the void comes out of no where, like a freight train rolling through in the middle of the night, unstoppable and overwhelms my thoughts.  I want my mama back, and nothing will change that, I can't bring her back, and nothing will change that.
She was an magnificent, wonderful, lovely, incredible mom.

Spend time when you can, with those you love, it is much more important then bicycling, work, houses, and employment, and a lot of other things we wrap our self's around. There will be plenty of time to spend on our passions. My mama would most always say when I was visiting, did you ride your bike today David. :-)

Over the handle bars and through the woods I go

I've been through here dozens of  times, without a problem, until today that is. The public trail ends here. To keep going you pop over a small curb, square yourself with the gate, drop off the ledge and turn some to the right as your back tire is dropping off, to get on the single path. Today I wasn't paying attention, my right shoulder bumped the post, knocking me to the left as my front tire dropped off the ledge, and I tried to correct the situation when my forks turned too sharp, and I was ejected from my seat as quick as a fighter pilot out of his plane, flew over the handle bars, and landed hard with outstretched hands, in nettles, jamming my right shoulder some. I hope and pray this doesn't flair up my shoulder again, I don't think I would like that very much. This was only mile 3.




I walked it off, and saddled up, for a Metric C. Legs felt strong, I'm ready for more. This is only Gravel century #2 for the year. Last year I had 17 by this time, but I'm hoping to get er going now.

The wind was at my back on the way out, gusts up to 20 mph, I knew I was going to pay the penalty for the assist on the way back and that I did.

Please don't hold this against me, but I 'juiced' today. I needed a boooooost. Was feeling a bonk, after the turn around and the wind was putting me standing on the level to pedal.

Saw these wild animals today a beeffalo cow and a grizzly bear with a long long neck, I think that is what they were, I'm just a city boy yanno.

Stopped and visited with my one eyed tree face friend.

Wasn't expecting to ride a metric gravel century, 62 miles, but had plenty of energy, and legs, to keep on the pace. Now as long as this shoulder behaves, I'll be happy.

Thank you for visiting.

Dave

My pedals want me

Doing lotz of things, lotz of things going on, been busy, but I like busy.

I received a couple of letters from two different local bike shop owners this week about attending a meeting the Conservation Committee meeting, regarding a home owner wanting to stop completion of a bike trail that has one small non finished piece to make a 31 mile country trail complete. A trail ride I have rode thousands and thousands of miles on. This missing piece disconnects the trail from the city.
So I was all set to give it to em, to get up and speak, this was close to the heart to me, some anger, was stirring in me and I wanted to challenge who would challenge this.
Due to circumstances beyond my control I arrived late, too late to speak. I walked in late, and picked a chair next to Parrish, LBS owner and bicycler extraordinaire. He tapped me on the shoulder and said it was all over and motioned for me to go to the back and talk, local bike club president Joe, and one other guy followed us to the back.
Well long story short, the 'other guy' was the home owner, he shook my hand, said he was sorry, said he was all for the completion of the bike trail. The problem was, with it's design, and the raised trail would build a damn, and every spring his commercial property would flood, the DNR had agreed tonight, and more studies needed.
I was glad I was running late and didn't shoot my mouth off. Seems I often shoot my mouth off before listening to the whole story, like Judge Judy says, there is a reason we have two ears and only one mouth.

Been working it. Stretching lotz. Lifting weights, riding every other day. Trying to work out some joint inflammation problems I've been having. Tonight I ride a  Time Trials 5 mile loop around my home area, totally hilacious, for 5 laps. I won't  be timing myself, however. This hilly course makes old man legs like mine scream and beg for mercy, I'm not ready for that yet. My doctor wants me to do a 24 hour pee in the bottle test so I stay close to home and then he will analyze, to see. I don't know what he wants to see but I guess that's his business.


Tomorrow my hopes are to ride a bunch.


Here is a picture of my 87 year old papa, with two of my brother's 6 children. My dad still works out every day, and is very serious about stretching, the proof is in the pudding, he is in great health, and still working.

I like this house on my TT route. .

Couldn't resist took a breather from TT and rode some trail with my roadie.

Visiting with grams and gramps. Take time to visit those you love in your life before this is the only way you can.

Ok time for nitey nite, hopefully looking for some mileage tomorrow.
LaTa,
DAve.

Why ride a bike?

Yesterday, being I had some spare time, because I wasn't going to spend  my whole day on a bicycle and had a 30 mile recovery sort of ride planned. So I thought I would do the manly thing like the rest of the neighborhood man crowd and do some yard work. My first thought was WOW!!!! weeds have taken over. Now I am not a 'yard freak' but if you don't do some basics, especially with the hard soil I have here, this yard will get totally overtaken with weeds. This was the worst I have ever seen it. So I mention this to Birgit.
She says back to me, "Well remember last year you

were going after your "ride a 100 centuries" goals, fell behind, and said you would have to let some other things go, and 'get er done'?" It wasn't a complaint from her, but just an observation. That got me thinking about all this. Seems I use almost all my vacation days, weekends, and times after work riding a bike somewhere. All that riding requires a lot of time consuming bike maintenance and part replacement also. So it takes a lot of time. Spose I could change my evil ways. Keep my yard up, wash and wax my car on weekends. Could probably get my house projects completed, maybe join a bowling team on Tuesdays, and darts on Thursday. Maybe a golf league on Wednesdays or perhaps find a 8 ball team. Take my dog for walks, and join a pet club. I bet there is all kinds of other stuff I could find to do.



But where would that leave me at the end of the day? The end of the year? The end of me? I get along with people fine, but I am not that  social of a person for these gatherings. Activities like golf, bowling, darts, don't seem to have meaning to me. There is too much time in between turns, you have to count on others, you can't push yourself, take risks, or face challenges.

So I guess I'll remain a bike rider. It doesn't have a thing to do with what is better, or who is better doing what. Makes no difference to me, because see, I get to ride a bike in rain, on hot days, in snow and ice, and beautiful spring days. Being sidelined from physical endeavors with some chronic joint inflammation recently, made me realize what a wonderful gift health is, I am not going to waste that health and sit on the couch and know all the TV shows. I choose instead to fly like an eagle, down a dirt road, somewhere in Iowa, on my well tuned bike, with all kinds of  thoughts in my head, and a smile on my face.

I say no more, I have a bike waiting.
Dave


Recommended reading, my seeesters blog tonight.    click ---->  Here