The Cape of Cod

The days were warm, but not very sunny.

While I've never seen a cod wearing a cape, I did just spend a few days down in Falmouth. It was nice to go down there "off season." I can't imagine being there when the place is swarming with people, but then again, I don't really like people, so the same could be said for just about anywhere. Jean's parents had rented a beautiful house for a two week vacation. Jean went down for a few days, came back to do some work, and then went down again. Once my work schedule cleared up a bit, I went down for a few days as well.

All in all, it was a relaxing time. We did a little road cycling, a little running, I took some photos of random things (Jean took plenty of photos too), I did some reading, oh, and I did my fair share of wading waist deep (or deeper), into cold water to dig up quahogs. Jean's dad LOVES digging for quahogs, and if left to his own devices, would still be out there. My first couple of days doing this were a bust, but on my third day, I had 20 before Del had one.

Vermont

I love Vermont, I love Kingdom Trails, and I am saddened by the fact that I had not been up there yet this season...

So, I threw the dogs in the back of the car, battled some morning traffic, and made the day trip up to East Burke to get my "fix." Perfect weather, perfect trail conditions, and no mechanical issues on the bike--what more could I ask for?

Now, I feel the need to get up there one more time before the season ends...

Antique Freak Show

Like many husbands, I've been dragged to my fair share of antique shops. It's in the marriage vows, I think, as one of the husbandly obligations. Anyway, I usually go along, "oohing" and "aahing" at the appropriate times, but my mind is usually somewhere else (on a bike likely).

However, Jean has recently taken me to Todd's Farm and Antique Flea Market in Rowley, and I actually like it there.

Hampshire 100

I'm not sure why I thought this 100K MTB race would be a good idea. I don't remember that last time I have put that kind of miles in on the mountain bike (I don't think I've even gone that far on the road bike this year). I guess last year at the Wild Cat Epic 100, and the Vermont 30, but that was a year ago...

And I *think,* if I recall, last year I had done that thing where you ride your bike lots and lots in order to prepare for an event... I think it's called "training." Yeah, training. I didn't really do much of that this year. Oh well, what's the worst that can happen, right?

Going back to Cali...

One of my very good friends invited me to his wedding. Then, he threw the curveball at me by asking if I would officiate the wedding. Hmmmm….  I had just completed the lengthy ordination process to become a minister (filling in some data fields and clicking "submit"), so rather than let all of that hard work go to waste, I agreed. Later, I'd reflect, what the hell had I gotten myself into?

A ride of meh-pic proportions

It was going to be a good ride. In reality, any ride that you make it home in one piece is a good ride, but there are certain factors that can make a ride bad; getting lost, having mechanical issues, crashing, getting swarmed by mosquitoes and biting flies. Independently, all tolerable, but when combined, I was pretty close to having a hissy-fit.

Summer = Riding

I've been trying to ride as much as I can with the summer weather finally upon us.

I do have silly number of bikes, but I can say that I use them. Over the past few weeks, I have ridden my time trial bike, my road bike, my singlespeed mountain bike, my geared mountain bike, my cyclocross bike and my beloved freestyle bike. Sadly, my diversity proves the "Jack of all trades, master of none" theory.

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Squished.

Yep, it's true. My trusty Element has been squished. Here's how it went down.. I was at work, minding my own business, saving lives and such when one of the security guards asks if I have a black Honda. "I do," I replied, and that's when he informed me that it was involved in a 7-car accident.

I just can't let go...

Techno-Hell

I DO love technology. Anyone who knows me knows that I don't go too far without some form of gadgetry, but sometimes, this stuff is just a huge pain in the ass.

Right now, I'm trying to get my TV set up. It's not so long ago when I remember having a giant antenna on the roof of the house that would sometimes need adjusting after some strong winds. Then cable TV came along and changed everything. With a connection from the outside cable to a cable box to the TV, we had clear signals and oh so many channels. Adding a VCR in to the mix, or, to really get crazy, adding a video game system (Atari 2600), would really be fancy. I remember taking things to the next level by having two VCRs in parallel to copy tapes and having external speakers for better sound.

Spain--Day 2

Sunday, we awoke, with alarm at the fact that it was 11am! I hadn't slept that late since I was working night shifts. Fortunately, Jean-Francios and Luc, who thought we might have died in our sleep, still had breakfast for us: more freshly baked breads, fresh squeezed orange juice, a bowl of cut fresh fruits, and sliced meats. Oh, and the coffee...

Spain--Day 1

I was awoken at about 1am, on my body's time, for a breakfast of Milano cookies and bright red orange juice. These are the sorts of things that happen when flying across oceans and time zones, and about 24hrs after our original departure, things were still a bit odd.

Buenos Dias!

Okay, Jean and I just got back from Spain, and the day-to-day mania of our regular lives has already begun. I won't bore you with the details, but I will say that I'm looking forward to spending some quality time with Adobe Lightroom and sifting through my nearly 1000 photos from the trip!

In a nutshell, the trip was great. We flew into the coastal city of Malaga, then spent a couple of days at an amazing B&B called Tapa Luz. More details on this, and everything else on the trip later, but for now, know that Tapa Luz served absolutely amazing food.

Blah, blah, blah... the winter blahs...

Anyone who has known me for a long time knows that I hate winter. I hate the cold. I hate the snow. I hate the ice. And as you know, the 2010/2011 winter has had PLENTY of cold, snow, and ice.

Aside from my daily walks with the dogs, who, I think, are also a bit fed up with the snow, I have TRIED to do "winter" activities.

Take a photo journey with me...

Yep, I dug the cross-country skis out, and well, they peeled like bananas. Sigh. That's okay, I didn't really want to go skiing anyway.

My snowshoes are still intact though, so I've been out on them a few times. Great hip flexor work-out, but Jean enjoys the snowshoes much more than me. As far as I'm concerned, snowshoeing is just plodding through the snow. And the idea of "flotation" is a myth. I've got the largest snowshoes I could find, 36" back country Tubbs, and if the snow wasn't already packed down, my leg would sink to knee.

Dogs

My dogs love snow. I hate snow. Fortunately, I get some enjoyment seeing them have fun wrestling in it. I took this little video this morning, when it was about 0-degrees F. They didn't seem to mind.



You can check out some pics here too, from another snow romp.

Anyway, while they do have fun in the snow, I'm looking forward to the warmer weather, and they can get back to the beach...

Winter Health Tips

I've seen a recurring theme in the Emergency Department in the winter months. Sure, regardless of the weather, people are going to have abdominal pain, and chest pain, and headaches; and little old ladies are forever going to be weak and dizzy, but there are some ED complaints that are certainly seasonal.

I'd like to provide you with some tips on avoiding the need to come in to see me at work.

Winter Wonderland!

Bleah. Winter's coming. The cold weather is here, and today's dusting is a precursor to snowy days to come. Bah Humbug. I guess it's time for my favorite winter past-time; complaining. I've taken whining to a higher level, so if you're new to bitching and complaining, I don't mean to overwhelm you. You see, despite living in the northern latitudes for most of my life, I've never developed an affinity for any winter sports. Everything I like to do is a "warm weather" pursuit, although, admittedly, biking and running can be done year 'round. I just hate the cold weather, and snow certainly adds another element, literally, to the deal.

Dollars, Donuts, and Derailleurs...

http://www.russcam.com/

Ah, the Ice Weasels... I wish more races had the vibe and atmosphere found here in Wrentham. Rowdy crowds, irreverent announcing, crazy barrier prizes, beer hand-ups, and an overall party flavor. New, this year, was mild temperatures, a dry course, and a fly-over.

Similar to last year, at least for me, was a mechanical issue with my bike. Unfortunately, the Fickle Pickle of Fate was not on my side this time around. You see, last year, my pedal broke right in front of the pit area--I had to run about two steps to get my other bike. I was not so lucky this time around.

I had a decent start, felt good, had some gas in the tank, and was optimistic about the race. On my first pass over the barriers, my chain fell off, DESPITE a chain keeper. I ran a little farther to get out of the way to get the chain back on, but, the chain keeper, which should have kept the chain from falling off in the first place was preventing me from sliding it back on. Oh, and a quick look at the back of bike revealed that the chain had already lodged itself securely between the rear cassette and the spokes, and the derailleur was up at an odd angle. My assessment was that the bike was out of commission and I was far away from the pit. So, I started running, all the while riders were passing me until there were no more riders to pass me. I still kept running, er, jogging, um, okay, finally walking. It was a long walk. I got to the pit, switched bikes and headed out.

Lynn Woods

I haven't been to Lynn Woods in a long time. That used to be my default mountain biking or trail running spot. I guess I got bored of the chewed up trails, who knows. Lately, I've been thinking about heading back for some miles. I was just there the other day, but not running, not biking, just heading out for a hike with Jean and the mutts. The renovated stone tower is great, and the trails are calling me back...

See more pics here.

Where did I put my giant foam finger?

Okay, so I went to a basketball game last week, and the whole scene, from top to bottom just seems absolutely ridiculous to me.

First off, cheerleaders, or, okay, "dancers," ... really? Is that supposed to invoke something in me other than cynicism? Don't get me wrong, I love scantily clad women, but a team of them jumping around on the middle of a basketball court flanked by camera crews, ball boys, and a guy on stilts with giant foam hands, just makes me think the whole idea is stuck in a tacky 80's cheese-fest.