Dogs

Sarah has three dogs. The first and oldest is Sasha the black Lab and Husky cross show in the first photo. The dark German Shepard is Ruby a dog she adopted after she found her almost dead from lack of food and water when she was about 3 months old. The light colored German Shepard is Lobo. Lobo is about 9 and has cancer in his front leg. The vet has no idea how long he might have and right now Sarah is just trying to keep him happy and comfortable. Lobo is a brother to a Shepard I used to have.
In the 2nd photo Sarah is playing a Navajo Indian flute for Ruby. Sarah majored in music in collage with the flute being her favorite instrument.

Harrington circular

Barry led this. With Maureen and Gordon. Grey morning, but we escaped the rain. Just over seven and a half miles.





We set off from Harrington, near the pump, just opposite the area called the Falls, as we did last time. I had hoped for bright sun, so that I could capture the contours better, but the weather wasn't playing ball.





Shaggy ink cap fungus and others in the Falls field, Harrington.Some lettering on the brick built overflow bridge for Newbottle bridge.





Newbottle Bridge -there was once a village - the only evidence is some humps and bumps in a field and this bridge over the River Ise.

A rather well-hidden stile

Inquisitive cows with Desborough (?) in the background.

A slightly overgrown path leads back towards Harrington.





Wildlife spotted - one high speed fox crossing between two hedges with the white tip of its brush clearly visible.

Visitors

We had some handsome visitors. They didn't stay long, though... Jasmine wasn't very hospitable.



When I first got interested in birds, I took a local class, where I learned that I'd been calling these by the wrong name my whole life. It's Canada Goose, not Canadian Goose! Branta canadensis in Latin.

Go see the Friday Ark for more critter pics!

Pickleball in the Extreme Heat

Pickleball play is still going on, even with the heat and humidity. Normally we are soaked with sweat when we leave the court. The Chesapeake crowd is one of the nicest we've encountered so far. It cracks me up because they call us "transients".One of my favorite people is here now-Buddy! When Dee heard Buddy was coming last night, she said "I love Buddy" and we laughed because everyone says that about him. Here's Buddy playing with Mike. Love the look of fierce concentration on Mike's face. Dee playing with the guys. Dee can hold her own and then some with the guys. I think Dee and Sally are the only ladies that still intimidate me when I play against them. They keep me inspired to keep working at the game to get better at it!Here are some of non-transients here with Dee. Scott, Dee, Gilbert and Joanne. Scott's a sweetheart, Gilbert is a hoot and Joanne is really cool. I haven't had a chance to talk to Joanne a whole lot, but she strikes me as one of those people that I would find fascinating if I did.More non-transients: Tommy who wears me out by lobbing the ball over my head every five seconds, Mike the Chesapeake pickleball King, Mel the other sweetheart and Rick who is the Rich of Chesapeake. The Florida crowd will know what I mean by that. I haven't had the chance to play with or against Rick, but I've watched him play and it's a beautiful thing to watch.Wiggie, who gets his own picture because he wouldn't join the others:And Rich who gets his own picture simply because he is Rich. Notice he has his mouth open. That's all I'm going to say.There is a serious lack of females on the court here. It's a strange thing to me, because I'm used to the "transients" being out there as couples for the most part. I'm grateful for the few that do play here, and I miss having more of us on the court. Of course, as hot as it is, I'm impressed any of us are out here.

Living the life in too hot Virginia!

Purple Wild Flower

This purple wildflower is blooming all over the desert. This one is right by my house. They are such a lushish shade of purple but if you look close you can see the hair-like stickers that they will have when they are through blooming. These will go right through cotton gardening gloves and are as bad as cactus stickers to remove for the glove or your skin.

Reading New York to Lockport New York

On Handmade Bicycle Shows

[image via prollyisnotprobably]


Continuing with the theme of framebuilding, today is the first day of NAHBS - the North American Handmade Bicycle Show, held this year in Austin, Texas. I received a couple of invitations this time around and for a brief moment considered going... then remembered the state of my finances and swiftly came down to Earth! Besides: To tell the absolute truth, my feelings on NAHBS are mixed.






[image via YiPsan Bicycles]


On the one hand, NAHBS is a great thing. A trade show where some of the best independent framebuilders and component manufacturers showcase their newest work, it is a spectacular multi-day event. If you are into handmade bicycles, attending the show will enable you to visit numerous framebuilders all at once, compare their work, and chat to them about their process. There is also media coverage, which gives exposure not just to individual framebuilders, but to the culture of custom bicycles at large.






[image via Retrotec & Inglis Cycles]


New designs, accessories and components are shown off at NAHBS, making rounds on the bicycle blogs and giving us all something to talk about for weeks.






[image via J. Maus]


So, what's the downside? I think there are several issues here. First off, it seems to me that the culture that has developed around the show creates unfair pressure on framebuilders to exhibit, which in turn is a huge financial strain for most of the builders. The fee for a booth at NAHBS is quite a large sum. Add to that the price of airfare and housing, plus the transport and insurance of numerous expensive bicycles, and the cost of exhibiting quickly adds up to several thousand dollars. Most framebuilders I know - even the "big names" - can hardly make ends meet as it is, and feeling compelled to exhibit at NAHBS every year and swallow the expenses involved makes life more difficult still. While it is true that no one is forcing them to go, there is implicit pressure. With NAHBS positioning itself as the biggest/greatest handmade bicycle show, potential customers who follow all the hyped up coverage start to expect framebuilders to exhibit at NAHBS. It is as if exhibiting in itself is perceived as a sign of industry recognition - which in actuality it is not: Any framebuilder with appropriate credentials can pay for a booth.



The other major issue for me, is that I am simply not a fan of centralised and grandiose anything. I don't like the idea of there being "the" handmade bicycle show,which is how NAHBS presents itself. Instead, I'd prefer numerous smaller, regional shows, where the framebuilders exhibit on their own turf and visitors get to see not just the bikes themselves but also the flavours of the local framebuilding cultures. To me such a system seems more interesting, more diverse, and less wasteful of resources than what we get with NAHBS. I know that many may not agree with me, and I mean neither to offend nor to push my views on others - but that is how I see it. We do currently have some regional shows, and my wish is for them to grow stronger and more influential in the years to come. I heard great things about the Philly Bike Expo last year, and will try to make it to the New Amsterdam Bicycle Show in NYC this April. While I follow NAHBS with interest, I do not consider it to be a fully representative display of framebuilding talent.

Sunrise over Hollow Rock Bay

This morning's sunrise certainly wasn't "knock your socks off" beautiful, but it was still pretty. Generally I like to have some nice clouds to accent the sunrise, but a lot of times that doesn't happen. One thing that really stood out about this morning was how calm everything was. The lake was very flat, just a barely perceptible surge that was moving in and out of the bay. The trees were absolutely still, not a lick of wind to stir their branches. The sound of the ice crunching underfoot was almost deafening in this silent air. The morning started off chilly with a temp just below 20 degrees, but not long after the sun came up the temp rose to above 30 and with no wind and that radiant heat, it felt quite warm!

Black Suede Shoes: Review of Chrome Arnhems

Several months ago I was contacted by Chrome and asked to review a pair of shoes (my choice) from their new footwear line. This is the first review on Lovely Bicycle that was done upon manufacturer's request. In principle I am not against this practice, if the following criteria are met: (1) the product is something I could have bought for myself; (2) I like the company; and (3) it is understood that I will post an honest review even if my impression of the product is negative. I discussed this with the Chrome representative, and we agreed.

The model I chose to try were the black suede Arnhem shoes: a classic, "Chuckie-style" ankle bootie in black suede. I love suede and I love ankle boots, so the choice was a no-brainer.

Like all the other shoes in Chrome's new footwear line (4 styles in total), the Arnhems are embellished with the red Chrome logo on the side, red piping, and screaming-red soles. The look is a bit too "bike messenger chic" for what I normally wear, but I thought that if I liked the shoes I could just sharpie over all the visible red parts (sorry, Chrome!) and they would look like classic back booties - attractive, minimalist, and (hopefully) good for long, sporty rides.

However, my hopes were not realised and I never got to try the Chrome Arnhem shoes, because, tragically, they are not made in my size. I asked for a "size 7", naively expecting to get a women's 7. But the sizes are men's only, and so the 7 I received was the equivalent of a women's 9. There was nothing smaller. Turning tragedy into an opportunity to play "dress-up" with the Co-Habitant, I went to my local bike shop, Open Bicycle, and exchanged the size 7 for an 11, so that he could try the shoes instead.

I must tell you that the Co-Habitant resisted this idea. The shoes were not his style. Plus they initially felt "weird" when I coaxed him into trying on a pair (I think they have a bit of a "reverse heel"). But he did like the soft, luxurious feel of the suede, and the craftsmanship struck him as high quality. His other shoes are all falling apart. And so, hesitantly, he decided to give the Chrome Arnhems a try - the main motivator being that they would spare him, at least temporarily, from another dreaded shopping trip.

A month and a half later, he happily wears the shoes almost daily, and is making me terribly jealous with his comments about all their wonderful attributes. This is the truth, and it is quite funny that he likes them so much given that he initially refused to even put them on. Here is the break-down of his impressions:

On the bike: The Co-Habitant likes to ride his bicycles fast and he does not wear toe clips. Therefore he appreciates a shoe with a stiff, grippy sole. According to him, the Chrome Arnhem shoes take the concept of "stiff grippy sole" and enhance it exponentially. In these shoes, he feels that he is able to apply significantly more power to the pedals than in any of his other shoes, which include dress shoes, casual shoes, and workboots - all of which have soles that he thought were sufficiently stiff and grippy until he tried the Chromes. In terms of grippiness, he finds the shoes to be virtually slip-less in all but the wettest weather.

Off the bike: As far as walking goes, he says that the shoes get more comfortable over time and that, more than anything, it takes a little while to get used them. The position (angle?) in which they put his feet felt unusual to him at first, but once he got used to it, he found it comfortable. At work he sometimes has to spend 12 hour shifts mostly on his feet, and the shoes accommodate this just fine.

In Rain and Snow: One surprising thing about the Chrome Arnhem shoes, is that the suede is fairly water resistant, as well as roadsalt resistant. I thought for sure the shoes would get ruined if the Co-Habitant wore them in the snow and slush, but they seem to be doing fine. We did not treat the suede with anything, so this is how they came from the factory. A nice surprise, and it is good to have shoes that you can wear both during warm and cold seasons.

Aesthetics: The Co-Habitant likes the feel of the shoes so much, that he is willing to deal with the red soles and the logos (when his pants are rolled all the way down, only the red piping remains visible). Still, the look is not ideal. I think that Chrome should seriously consider releasing a more subdued version. This would make the shoes stylistically suitable for a greater number of cyclists. They could even be worn as dress shoes to the office - the nice suede is certainly luxurious enough. Not all of us are bike messengers or want to look like bike messengers. Just a thought!

In conclusion, Chrome Arnhem shoes are well made, great for cycling, and can be worn in the winter. The two major complaints are the limited appeal of the current "colourway", and the lack of women's sizes. The latter is pretty upsetting, given how much the Co-Habitant likes his shoes. If Chrome ever releases the Arnhems in a size to fit my women's size 7 feet, I will gladly buy a pair... And yes, I will take a sharpie to it!

Line Dancing at Colony Cottage Recreation Center

Every night Donna and I email each other and decide what we are going to do the following day. Last night we decided to go line dancing at a new place, the Colony Cottage Recreation Center. We got there early, and I'm so glad we did because shortly after we arrived, there was a line waiting to get in.



Because there were so many people, it meant a very crowded room while we were dancing.



Donna took some of these pictures, which meant she captured me while I was dancing.



The line dancing class starts at Beginner level and works up to Intermediate level. Each week we are learning more and more, so we are able to stay and dance longer. Donna is a former professional dancer, so she is incredibly fast at learning and she is an awesome dancer. I move along at a much slower pace across the board, but still manage to have a lot of fun.



After we hit the level where we needed to stop we made sure to take some pictures of the recreation center we were in. We both managed to take some, so I have a mix of pictures from my phone camera and ones Donna shared with me. I will try to take more pictures of the recreation centers, because they are all incredible. There are 63 recreation centers in The Villages. Each one is decorated in a specific theme. Colony Cottage is a regional center and is gorgeous. The details in each of the centers is truly exceptional and I love just wandering around and looking at each one.



This one is so pretty and relaxing. It really does feel like a beautiful cottage.




I'll try to write about the rest of our day tomorrow, because we have an early for me day in the morning so I need to head to bed!

Living the life in The Villages!

Hello Deutschland!

The last two weekshave hadsome big numbers (numbers of readers) coming from Germany. I just wanted to thank everyone in Germanyfor the extraordinary support of ColdThistle. Those 6 and 7K page read daysin the weekly graph? Half are from Germany!



Many Thanks!

Alpental Ice ..

So the quest for ice begins. (Earlier this year due to La Nina.) Adam and I were thinking of getting out earlier in the week to check conditions at Alpental. Early reports were not positive, so we delayed. I was hoping to head to Leavenworth this weekend, but that plan fell through, and so a quest for ice at Alpental was planned. I was going with Rod, while Adam, Zach, Steen and Kristy were also coming separately from us.

Rod and I were one of the first cars in the lot and we geared up in what felt like weather that was too warm. We commented that we might be "taking the tools for a hike" as Washington State ice climbers will often say. We donned snowshoes, and hiked into Alpental Falls where we hiked up to the falls.

Hiking up to the falls

Alpental I looked in from the base. There was a bit of a boot track to it, so perhaps it was climbed in previous days. I didn't like the drum like nature of the right side as it seemed not to be bonded to the rock underneath. Right in front of me was a snow gully like feature which I told Rod I'd give a try at. So we geared up and I started climbing. When I got to the first step, I didn't feel comfortable with the thin ice, and down climbed off the route collecting my screw on the way. We decided to head up valley to see if anything else was in to climb.

Around this time our friends showed up and went past us before we regained the trail. Zach and Adam headed back to the car to get their snowshoes for the off trail travel. We joined the women near the base of Alpental IV. Rod and I inspected the possibility of climbing Alpental IV while the other group set up some top ropes in the woods. We eventually joined them as neither of us wanted to lead any of the falls. Way too much running water.

So we all got to top rope three short lines in the woods. A fairly thick line on the right, a mixed (mostly rock) line in the middle, and a mixed (mostly ice/snow) line on the left. After we all tired out and started to get cold we took the top ropes down.

Kristy on the fatter ice

This outing went about how I would have expected it to go. I was happy to use my (new to me) tools and go leashless for the first time. Surprisingly, I did not over grip. But I was very concerned about dropping them as I have yet to build my umbilical. The freedom of going leashless was wonderful, and I was surprised that it did not take much for me. Perhaps because I haven't climbed ice in a while, I forgot about relying on the leashes. I look forward to more leashless climbing.

The luxury of doing without

Remember when it was actually a big deal when watermelons arrived in the stores and farmer's markets in the summers? I can remember being really excited about eating ice-cold slices of sweet watermelon right about the fourth of July- and the anticipation of it was as good (or almost as good) as the watermelon itself. That absence of melons in the fall, winter and spring enhanced the olfactory experience when they came into season. Now, because melons apparently ship well from warm climates (the thick rind and relatively long shelf life assist with this), watermelon tastes pretty good year round. And as a result, it lost some of its magic.
Thankfully, we haven't figured out how make winter tomatoes taste like summer tomatoes. And although I'm all for horticultural innovation, I hope that breeders and growers never figure this out. There's nothing I dream of more than a tomato sandwich on white bread made with tomatoes ripened in the southern summer sun. Tomato sandwiches should only be eaten when you're wearing a short-sleeved shirt while in the shade of a porch. I don't think a tomato sandwich (no matter how good the tomatoes) would taste as good while wearing a sweater sitting by the buck stove.So there's my plea. No good tomatoes in the winter. Keep them mealy and tasteless.
This idea transfers into the landscape as well. I'm tired of azaleas the bloom in the spring and fall. I don't want a garden where every plant blooms all the time. If all plants flowered year round, they'd lose their magic. Just like watermelon did.
I think we've forgotten than doing without can actually be luxurious. The anticipation makes it something to be acknowledged and savored when they come into our worlds, much like a vine-ripened tomato.

Tumbling Tumbleweeds

This is a small tumbleweed. The best known of the weeds we have here. These, too, will grow with no water as do all of the weeds we have. The tumbleweed is called that because in the fall when they dry they come loose from the dirt and 'tumble' across the desert with the least little breeze. A wind can send them for miles. They will then stack up against any thing that gets in their way- fences, houses, cars, (they love to go down the roads and get stuck under moving cars and can even catch on fire from the hot undercarriage of the car). Again we fight them constantly as each tumbling tumbleweed has millions of very tiny seeds on them that fall off as it tumbles and will then sprout where ever it falls off. Again this plant is not native to here and the story I have heard is that it is a Russian thistle brought over from Russia about 200 years ago to be raised as cattle feed and as food for people. I have heard that it is a good 'green' if pulled and cooked like spinach soon after it sprouts. If left to long it gets the stickers on it and isn't good for people eating. Horses, cows, sheep, goats will eat them from the time they sprout until there is nothing left of an old, dried-up weed. My horses beg for them when I am pulling them as weeds. They do cause allergies for lots of people when they bloom. Some blooms are a nice shade of blue and almost big enough to be seen. There are several different kinds of tumbleweeds and we seem to have some of all of them.

Fall Produce

We've been in fresh produce heaven since we arrived in Holley. I can walk across the street to the above produce stand and that's just one of many in this area. I'm taking advantage of the bounty and trying to do some batch cooking to make some home cooked goodness that we can eat now and freeze some for later.



Normally I take time each morning to have some quiet time. I do many different things during this time. It doesn't matter so much what I do, just that I have some quiet time that is good for me and gets me to be a bit more centered before I face the day. The part that is consistent is that I take this time to stop and be mindful of things I am grateful for so I call it my Gratitude Walk, even if I'm not walking while doing it.



With all the prepping I've been doing for the cooking, I've used this as my quiet time. Interestingly enough, it has also been easy for me to do some pondering of things I'm grateful for too while handling all the fresh fruits and veggies. While cooking is not one of my favorite things to do, I do find that I like it so much more when I am using whole foods. It is something that I am in awe of each time I do handle them. I can't help but be aware of the fact that the earth gives us these precious gifts and that whole process is just spectacular in its own way. I think of all of the parts that go into the process in order for food to grow from seed to maturity. Food that nourishes us with its life giving properties and tastes so wonderful to boot. Yesterday I was chopping tomatoes and realized it just feels as if each time I do come in contact with this kind of food in this way, I am literally pulling up a chair to God's table to eat.



So what goodies have I managed to cook up this week? Two batches of bolognese sauce, (Mira gave me her recipe for the Bolognese Sauce which is similar to Pastor Ryan's), two batches of marinara sauce, two batches of chunky vegetable spaghetti sauce, pizza sauce, a huge batch of chili, fried apples like Cracker Barrel makes, apple dumplings, apple crisp, apple butter, applesauce and coleslaw. Nathan has made his oh so good salsa and still wants to make another huge batch. I still have butternut squash and pumpkins to use. I'm guessing we'll get some extras to take with us before we leave. I'm going to miss it when we do leave, but we'll soon be back in Florida where we can get year round fresh produce again.



Now if I could just find a way to get someone else to clean up the mess after I cook, I might not mind this cooking stuff at all!



Living the life in New York!

Rio Grande River at Las Cruces

Photo of Sarah and her dog Lobo. Lobo is the brother of a dog I used to have.

I posted photos of the Rio Grande River at Albuquerque, NM a few weeks ago. These are photos of how it looks where it runs near Las Cruces. The dought has hit harder there that it has here. There were only small, murky puddles of water here and there. But it gave a good view of the river bed which I had never seen. This cottonwood in fall colors looked great against the beauty of the stark, gray rock hills. Sarah's dogs Lobo and Ruby loved to chase a stick and bring it back together. The also liked to play in the yucky mudpuddles. There is a photo of me and Lobo. And a photo of the river sand with a few of the tiny, delicate fresh water clams that should live here. All I found were a few shells. I hope that there will be enough of them to survive if the water ever comes back. A lot of the water is used for irrigation by the farmers and a lot is left in Elephant Butte Lake which is north of Las Cruces. I would think it would make more since to take more water out of the lake and send it down river, although I have heard the lake is at it's lowest since it was built. It is a man-made lake. I didn't get any photos of the lake this trip.