Another Snowy Sunday...

This "lump" is actually our 1973 Volkswagen sitting outside under a tarp... and under some snow. I dug it out and started it up, but couldn't get it up the driveway. I didn't act fast enough and put the snow tires on it before the white stuff came; now the bug will just have to sit until the snow thaws and there's exposed gravel once again.

Speaking of snow... I woke up this morning and got to take a walk with the snowblower once again. (I also did this when we got home from work last night.) It probably takes close to an hour to really clear the driveway and turn-around area when the snow is heavy, as it was both last night and this morning. (And it's still snowing as I write this, at 8:30 AM.)

Delivering mail in Boise yesterday was in the worst winter conditions that Valerie and I can actually remember. Her route is flat, but the snow doesn't melt and gets pressed down and turns icy. This makes it difficult to drive on, let alone get out of the truck to get to a mailbox.

My route has several hills; a few of them are quite steep. The city hadn't come around to sand the streets, which helps a little bit, so I had to improvise on the first hill of the day by driving to the top and then delivering to both sides of the street as I slowly drove back down. To stop at a mailbox in the uphill direction means that you'll never again get any forward momentum on this hill: you'll spin your wheels and drift sideways or wind up going backwards.

On another steep cul-de-sac, I just left the mail truck at the top of the street and walked down the street and then back up to the top; this road wasn't sanded so to have attempted to drive down would have worked but there's no flat area at the bottom to get any speed built up to attempt to drive back up the road. The mail truck would have been stuck down there until spring!

So today will probably be spent on the inside looking out, as trying to go anywhere with the roads as they are isn't the smartest of options. While driving home a couple of nights ago we saw a pickup truck that had slipped off the side of the road into a ditch. We found this mildly humorous -- it was a four-wheel-drive truck, so I guess that means it can grip the road no matter how fast you take an icy corner! We knew that a tow truck would be on it's way to get him out as soon as they could.

Just a couple of miles further up the road was a set of amber emergency light flashing (indicating a tow truck), although they were at a funny angle and not parallel to the road. There was also the telltale red and blue flashing lights of the local law enforcement vehicle, so we slowed down in case there was a problem. The tow truck (one of the flat-bed models with a vehicle on the bed already) had slipped off the road into the ditch, and the sheriff was there directing traffic and offering assistance.

Drive slow, think smart and remember that four-wheel-drive doesn't make you invincible!

Bah! Humbug!

We woke up to between 1 and 2 feet of freshly fallen snow on Christmas morning. It took several hours to clear the driveway, because I kept having to go over the same spots a few different times, and it took me a while to figure out how to get the tread back on to the snowblower once it had come off.

We also found a car that couldn't make it up the road abandoned at the top of our driveway, blocking us from being able to leave. We actually wound up having to dig around the car and then free it from it's high-centered trap and move it to one side so we could get out and run to the store. It was after all this that the owner then came out of hiding and came down to reclaim the car!

So... for all those of you who were hoping for a white Christmas this year... I hope you're happy!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Yes, I missed a post again last Sunday. I was at the computer and kept putting it off, thinking "I'll do it later." And when "later" finally arrived, I was off doing something else.

Anyway, Valerie went in and got a "Christmas colonoscopy" yesterday, and was declared "all clear" by the doctors there. She doesn't have to drink the special gallon of "go juice" for another 10 years; I, on the other hand, wasn't quite as lucky and (if memory serves me, even though I'm trying to forget) I have to return in five years for another fun-filled adventure.

We're having a white Christmas this year, even though it arrived here later than usual. (I wore my postal shorts into the first part of December this year, something that I rarely am able to wear past the first week in November.) This Christmas Eve promises an incoming storm, so we should be having another layer of "Christmas cheer" on the ground by morning. Hooray...

Valerie got stuck working today (which is our scheduled day off), while I didn't. So I'm sitting at the Toyota dealership right now having some routine service being performed on our RAV4 -- which is a great winter driving machine! After this, I'll probably go do some last minute shopping (is there any other kind?), and spend a little time this afternoon with my mother.

Merry Christmas to those of you who observe this Holiday, and have a pleasant day wherever you might find yourself!

It's Starting to Act Like Winter

Christmas light are going up, the temperatures are falling... and as of yesterday, so is the snow. I was able to get up this morning and go start up the snow blower and take it for a walk up and down the driveway before driving down to the local store to pick up the Sunday newspaper. The roads are snow coated with a layer of ice underneath the snow, which I found out about when I turned left onto the main road and had the back end of our car slide a little bit. This is a little different than "normal" when it comes to driving conditions.

The photo here is from a house in Boise that must personally keep the electric company in business every December. The photo was taken with my Blackberry, so it wasn't the greatest to start with... but the whole yard, house and roof are covered with lights and decorations. It's truly an exercise in visual excess that has to be seen in person to be appreciated!

The volume of mail is down this year; either people are late in mailing or they're just not sending out as much "stuff" this year. The package volume has been down, and (so far) the amount of Christmas cards just doesn't seem to be as high as in years past.

Next week it looks like it's going to be cold here (in the 20 degree F. range for a high), and the chance of snow will be here each and every day. I might have to quit wearing my postal shorts and put the long pants on! This (mid-December) is probably the longest I've ever worn the shorts -- it usually gets too cold for my liking in early November. Interested in what the Boise weather will be like? I use the Weather Underground for answers to that question!

Valerie's grandmother was hospitalized for observation after apparently having a "mini-stroke", also known as a Transient Ischecmic Attack. According to the American Heart Association's website, " a TIA is a "warning stroke" or "mini-stroke" that produces stroke-like symptoms but no lasting damage. Recognizing and treating TIAs can reduce your risk of a major stroke." You might want to read more about the subject at their website. At last word she is okay, and has been deemed fit to return home. My own mother had a series of these several years ago while living in Arizona.

That seems to be all the new and exciting information I have to rattle off about this week. My year of "blogging" is almost up, and I'm looking forward to not having to try and remember my "once a week posting" pledge!

Thanksgiving Trip Revealed...

I've fallen off my "post every Sunday" routine for this blog, and it's time to try to get back on track. I'm typing with our "sole-survivor-cat" sitting on my lap, and he's being a nuisance. (This is probably what he thinks his job is... he's never quite learned the concept of just sitting still and relaxing.)

Anyway, we went to Tampa to spend Thanksgiving week with Valerie's grandmother and her late mother's husband, George. A good time was had by all, and this was a trip that was well worth the effort.

On one of our days out we stopped and walked along a gulf shore beach area near Clearwater -- and I use this town's name loosely, because I quite honestly have NO idea where we were. (I wasn't paying a bit of attention... I was either watching the scenery go by or playing with my Blackberry...)

The weather in the general Tampa area was hitting the 70 degree mark, but the beach felt a little cool when we were walking there (thanks mainly to a stiff breeze) -- I wasn't sure if I needed a light jacket or not, so I took it with me (and looked like an idiot for having one). In this photo the two predominant people are George and myself -- he looks like the confident resident and I look like the misfit tourist.

After our beach walking exercise, we drove in a northward direction and wound up at a place called the "Lucky Dill Deli" at the corner of US 19 (Alternate) and Alderman Road in Palm Harbor, Florida. I couldn't find a website to link in this article, but you can find plenty to read about if you do a Google Search for "Lucky Dill Deli". There's a lot of people out there who do NOT like this place, and yet it seems to pack in the crowds. The food we had was plentiful, reasonable in price considering the amount of meat they cram into the sandwiches and the in-house bakery case was amazing in itself.

Thanksgiving Day was spent driving from Tampa to "The Villages", a golf retirement community where George has a small place to go to on the weekends (yes, he's an avid golfer). First off, this place is HUGE. If you like golf, check out the link to their website and take a look. Being that I'm not 55 and I don't golf, I don't think I'll be buying into this place anytime in the conceivable future. But I did notice a lot of old farts who were into cycling -- not the slow, bike path kind of riding but the hard core Lycra and high tech roadie style of cycling. So if I were to ever take up golf... there's the cycling option to be found there too.

Valerie's sister drove down to the Villages to meet up with us, and that's them with their grandmother smiling away in the photo. A few other family members showed up at the country club George had chosen for the meal and then we all sat down to a fabulous lunch (dinner?) that offered the choice of smoked salmon, prime rib, ham or the traditional dish of the day... turkey. Almost everyone at the table chose the turkey, although there was one who went with the ham.

The food was amazing, and there was plenty of it. There wasn't an item on my plate that I didn't hesitate to finish (and I've never been a huge fan of yams and stuffing). Besides the turkey and the afore mentioned items we also had mashed potatoes, mixed vegetables cranberries, bread and a choice of soup or salad. Dessert was pecan pie with a scoop of pumpkin ice cream -- which was actually quite good, and the two complimented each other nicely.

We also spent some time walking around a couple of the malls in the Tampa area, and found that wheel chairs were readily available so we could push Grandma around and take it all in. She still gets around pretty good, but in places as big as these were the wheel chair was a real blessing considering the distances we covered (and the speed we did it in).

All good things have to come to an end, and we flew back to Boise the day after Thanksgiving. The weather here is cooling down, but still not as much as it should be doing for the season... and there's NO snow to talk about. The skiers are not happy about this, and if we don't start getting some "weather" and start putting some snow into the mountain ranges we're going to have a very dry year ahead of us.

Now that we're up to date... I wish you all the best until my next post!

Answer to the Question

On October 12th I posed the question of "how much longer would our favorite cat last?" Tonight, December 5th, at 8:00 PM she answered the question.

She was very skinny, and in the last day or two had quit eating and usually stayed in her kitty bed. Just a few minutes before she died, she made the effort to come in to where we were sitting to be with us, acting like she knew something was happening.

We decided that perhaps it was finally time to take her to the vet as her discomfort was obvious, and our vet was gracious enough to agree to meet us at his clinic when I phoned him. A 50 mile drive wasn't what we had planned on, but plans don't always pan out.

Fortunately for all of us, we didn't even make it out of the garage before Kittle passed. She was in her kitty bed on Valerie's lap, and just as quickly as we had gotten ready to go... we didn't need to anymore.

People place strong attachments to pets... and this one certainly had us wrapped around her little cat-paws.

Thanksgiving

I blew right through last Sunday's posting as we were flying from Boise to Tampa. Because of our Thanksgoving trip I'll be posting a week later. Until then, happy Thanksgiving!

In a Rut... uh... Rush. Yeah... In a Rush!

This entry is a quickie to let everyone know that I'm still among the living. I've got to be down in Boise around 10 AM to see my mother for a little while, go out to breakfast and then at 1 PM I'll be helping our union fold, label, stamp and stuff envelopes for our regular mailing of ballots this time of year.

For once I'm not on the ballot, and will not be editing the newsletter for the next term (or hopefully ever again).

It's the middle of November... I haven't put the postal shorts away yet. With sunny days and temperatures in the 50's, why would I want to start wearing "cold weather" pants yet?

And th... th... th... that's all for this week folks!

We've Fallen and We Can't Get Up!

Leaves are falling all over Boise. People's lawns have disappeared under blankets of fallen leaves, except for those yards who have perfectionists tending to them 24 hours a day. They so much as hear a leaf scream as it lets go of the tree and they're out there with a rake a leaf sack to capture the intruder.

The streets sometimes disappear as well, when all the leaves seem to let go in unison. And they always manage to get in the storm drains and clog up the works. The city has regular crews that have to go around in a truck that has a high pressure hose that they run down the drains to clear out the blockages.

Soon the leaves will be gone, and winter will set in. Instead of the colors that were so predominant just a couple of weeks ago, we'll have skeleton-like branches clawing toward the sky in hopes of finding the sun, which is often hidden under a flat blanket of clouds. The greyness gets a little old sometimes, but when springtime finally gets here and the flowering trees and bushes come rushing back to life with a palette of springtime hues, it always makes the wait through the cold months seem more worthwhile.

Sometimes living with four seasons can be inconvenient, but the true beauty of life's cycles just can't be matched living closer to the tropic zones. I guess I'll just have to mumble through the cold days when the snow flies, because with the snow-pack comes the water needed for the other three seasons and the beauty that makes each one distinct and vibrant.

A Change of Season

It snowed once in early in October, and then the weather rebounded with temperatures in the 60's... often the upper 60's. We've had our little resurgence of summer, and now the season appears to be changing just as fast as the leaves are falling. In the photo that accompanies this entry, there were green, yellow and red leaves all on one tree -- due to the overcast conditions the photo didn't do the colors justice!

Yesterday afternoon it started to rain. It continued to do so on and off throughout the night. Today the clouds look like they've won the battle and any hope of blue sky making an appearance has been dashed. The temperatures are supposed to hit the 50's today, and possibly tomorrow before they slide into the 40's to finish the week off.

Rain is predicted for most of the week. We knew it had to happen sometime, and this year we actually had decent weather longer than normal, so... I guess it's time for a change of season!

The Final Countdown

Between Valerie and myself, one of us has been the editor of our local union's newsletter since about 1990. This morning I was working on the layout of the next newsletter, and stopped to realize that after this one I'll have two more to put out -- and then I'm done with it.

Nominations for union officers came up over the last two meetings, and I declined to accept the nomination. Frankly I'm glad that it's almost over with as this extra little job has always managed to steal a good portion of what would normally be a day off. Not that it hasn't been fun, and -- yes -- it was a paid position, but I've lost the desire and the interest to keep doing it.

It wasn't as tough when we lived in the Boise area, but since we moved to Garden Valley in 2000 the drive down and back is at the minimum a 100 mile round trip. It's become a chore that I no longer look forward to doing, and thankfully it will be passed along to fresh blood soon enough.

I wonder if I'll find something else to take its place, or just give up on any kind of writing altogether? I've got this mostly unread blog going on its one-year commitment, but after the year is up, then what? I've got an idea for a knitting blog, that instead of featuring the daily rantings of one person would actually enlist the stories of other people worldwide on why they knit. People who might have a tale to tell -- once -- and then they'd be done, unlike the person who is doing a daily journal. Perhaps this theme might catch on or perhaps it won't, but it might be interesting to see.

I need to talk to a couple other computer literate knitters first, because if something like this becomes a hit... I might find myself needing help just keeping up with it. Plus, if there's a way to turn a hobby into something that generates a little cash flow... who am I to say "no"?

A Good Weekend

Every six weeks Valerie and I get Friday, Saturday and Sunday off from the Post Office. We are fortunate that the routes we have are both on the same rotation, so we have the same work schedule. This doesn't always mean that she gets the day off, as she's on the overtime list and this weekend she wound up working both her Friday and Saturday, leaving only Sunday to rest and recover.

But, now that my mother is living in Boise, there is always something to do when a little spare time pops up and Valerie is off slaying postal dragons. And so it was that this weekend we spent a little time seeing the sights.

This past Friday my mom and I piled into the car and made a run to Costco, a place I wind up going for lunch supplies and a few other items that tend to come in large quantities. We took a less than direct line of travel, and went driving through some neighborhoods looking at the various fall colors, including a hilltop view of downtown Boise and the entire Treasure Valley from part of my mail route.

After Valerie got home from work we all got in the car and drove north to McCall for dinner at one of my favorite places, "The Mill". The scenery was incredible as the sun set over the mountains ending what had been a warm fall day.

Saturday dawned and after making mochas for my mom and myself, we set out to return to her apartment. We didn't go the direct, paved way but instead drove through the mountains starting on Alder Creek road and winding our way to Idaho City, and then drove back toward Boise along State Highway 21.

As an added treat we stopped in (unexpectedly) at the Idaho Sewing & Vacuum Center where my cousin Gail works. She hadn't seen her "Aunt Nina" in many years, and was beside herself when she recognised who had just come in the store. Facial expression can say a lot, and when someone lights up with the joy of reunion you've witnessed one of the greatest expressions you'll ever see.

How Much Longer?

It must be nice to be a cat, spending most of your time snoozing away on anything that's soft and cozy. The little cat pictured here is "Kittle"; she's 15, diabetic and causing me to wonder how much longer she's going to be around.

She can't keep dry food down anymore, and when we feed her canned food she'll usually lap up the juices, and occasionally pick at the food. She's been losing weight, and doesn't get up to greet us when we get home at night like she used to do in her healthier days.

There are times I'm tempted to take her into the vet for the "final" time... and then the next day she'll seem to be perfectly fine, purring loudly whenever she's near us. I'm hoping that nature will take it's course before we feel we have to come to a decision of that nature. This has been our favorite cat... and making a choice like that wouldn't be an easy one.

How the West Was Moved...

This week's installment is brought to you by U-Haul... truly a moving experience. (The photo was taken looking out the passenger's window and we descended a long grade into Lauglin, Nevada.)

My mother has made the move from Arizona to Idaho, and somehow survived the ordeal. She decided to opt out of the "easy way" of getting here (flying) and chose to be the navigator in our 14 foot boxed van. Two days and 850 miles later we were in Boise. But I shouldn't end the story before I begin it...

One of the reasons Mom chose to ride on the ground was the opportunity to "see the sights" -- something that can be a bit challenging from 38,000 feet. Getting her in and out of the van wasn't easy, but they are a little more accessible than they were a few years ago. Still, even with help climbing in and out of one of those vehicles can be tough on older joints and her knees were screaming a new song after a couple days of this routine.
We opted out of going over Hoover Dam because of the security requirements: they wanted a "walkable aisle" in the van, and the right to inspect anything they needed to (and we were responsible for repackaging it). Having read that on the website, I figured the 25 miles around would be a lot easier than hoping to find an inspector who was in a good mood and didn't feel we were a threat to the security of America. So we took the spur from Kingman, Arizona into Laughlin, Nevada and then headed north to Las Vegas.

We had talked about hitting a buffet for lunch while in Las Vegas, and to me there is none better than the Carnival World Buffet at the Rio. (Well, there probably are better ones, but to a non-Nevadan this one is pretty amazing.) I pulled off of Interstate 15 on W. Tropicana Avenue, south of where I could see the Rio and thought that I'd then travel one of the side streets to the hotel. This faulty reasoning is where the trouble began.

The street I wanted to use (South Valley View Blvd.) didn't go through; it seems that a railroad track intersects that street between Tropicana and West Flamingo (where the Rio is located). Valley View dead ends right by the rail line. Great.

I thought we'd head a couple of blocks east and try again. Polaris Avenue yielded the same result; dead end at the track. Now I could get back on the Interstate (which was thick with traffic and scary in a U-Haul) or I could head out further west on Tropicana until I hit another major street and try heading north again.

After crossing under a bridge with the railroad above us I knew it was safe to turn right, and Arville St. took us all the way to Flamingo, and then another right and it was off to the Rio. We had to circle the entire complex to find a parking area the was empty enough to park the U-Haul and then it was off to the casino, Mom in her wheelchair and me providing the horsepower behind her. Needless to say that the buffet was in the section of the casino furthest from where we had to park!

Lunch was good, with more food choices than a person could possibly consume in one (or five?) sittings. We then loaded up and got out of Las Vegas as fast as possible. Road construction was everywhere, and vehicles with very wide loads were blocking both lanes in a crowded and narrow part of the freeway as they slowly lumbered up the road. I was very happy to get that mess behind me!

We stayed in Ely, Nevada at the Hotel Nevada. It's actually a fairly nice place for an OLD building, and the showers seem to be their claim to fame. They're hot one minute and cold the next and then back to hot again. Guests are warned that this is going to happen, and that it's part of the "charm" of an old building with antique plumbing.

The following morning we were up and out of there before sunrise heading ever northward toward Idaho. There were a couple of areas where road construction was delaying traffic, but I got there just as the pilot truck was getting ready to lead people through in the direction we were travelling, so we lost no time having to wait.

We arrived in Boise about 2:30 in the afternoon and then spent the evening at our house in Garden Valley. The following morning a crew of my misfit friends helped up unload the van, and moved Mom into her new apartment. There wasn't much room for her with all the boxes, but over the past few days Valerie and I have been working to reduce that load and make the place livable.

I got her computer up and running yesterday so she has contact with the "outside world" once again, and on Friday we took her new power chair outside for it's maiden voyage: a trip to a branch of her bank which is just about a block away from where she's living.

All in all, I'd say "Mission Accomplished!"

In Arizona

The plane pictured here is one of Pterodactyl Airlines (actually Great Lakes Airlines) finest transports - a Beechcraft 1900-D. It seats a whole 19 passengers, although there were only two of us on board from Phoenix to Prescott, AZ on Wednesday, the 24th of September. From Prescott they were flying to Ontario, California -- with absolutely no passengers on board. (Not very cost effective, is it?)

It seems that the cat I took to the vet had a urinary tract infection and a respiratory infection. They gave him some antibiotics that Valerie has to feed him twice daily. It's some pink crap that she has to stick a dropped half way down his throat to get him to swallow it. For 16 years old he puts up one heckuva good fight to NOT get his medicine.

We're preparing for my mother's move next Monday, when we set off from Prescott to Boise, Idaho in a U-Haul moving van. Ah, the joys of the open road await. Her house looks much different with everything stacked in boxes in one corner of the living room, or else having already been given away to other people who wanted some "stuff".

A crew from her church will be there Sunday afternoon to load the van, and then bright and early Monday we'll leave Prescott for the last time. Another chapter has come to a close, yet another one waits to be written.

It's Going to Be a Long Week...

I'm back... but not with a vengeance. Just back. I mentioned that last Sunday we took a bike ride in Boise and wound up at "Joe's Crab Shack" along the Boise River; this is a picture of the view from our table.

Prior to this post is one called "Testing". Sure, I probably could have just deleted the thing and have moved on, but laziness has its benefits (in other words, that's one less thing I have to do). What it was all about was a test of my new cell phone, a "Blackberry Curve 8330". Even thought these phones have a ridiculously small keyboard on them, they still have internet access and, therefore, I can use it to post to the blog when traveling (if for some reason my laptop is not with me). I'll still need to try taking a picture using the phone, and then uploading it to this blog site before I can call my test 100% successful.

On Wednesday of this week I'll fly one-way to Arizona. Yes, that's right... I'm leaving Valerie for another woman. No sense in getting a round trip ticket for this little adventure. My mother is in the process of getting her household goods packed and will be my navigator as we travel by U-Haul moving van back to Boise beginning on the 29 of September. There's a one bedroom apartment (handicapped accessible) that has come open and she'll be moving in on the 1st of October. From then on anytime her computer gives her troubles I won't be able to use the excuse of "I'd have to be there to see what it's doing" -- I'll just have to stop by after work and fix it!

In the cat market... our oldest cat Ralph has suddenly started peeing in a certain area in our bedroom. This leads to speculation of why he suddenly is exhibiting this behavior (when he's never had a problem with the cat box before). Perhaps he's experiencing kidney shutdown, as he isn't drinking like he used to and he (like our other cat) is diabetic. Or could it be kitty alzheimer's, where suddenly he's too stupid to remember where the cat box is? I fear that Monday he will be taking a ride to the vet with me... and at 16 years old and whizzing on the rug, this might turn into one of those "one way" rides.

Testing!

This is just a test to see whether I can post to our blog from my cell phone.

To those reading this, please excuse me for this little trial run!

What to Do?

It's one of those Sundays... do we do anything, or just stay home and take it easy? We just came off of working six days straight, and we get to do that all over again starting tomorrow. I'm torn between taking a nap and heading up to a lake that we've never visited before -- surprisingly. It's about 40 miles from here, 26 of which is on a dirt road leading up a valley in the mountains northeast of here. If we go, I'll have to remember to take the camera...

Update: September 15th

We didn't make it to Deadwood Reservoir, but instead went into Boise and rode the tandem around. We stopped for dinner at a restaurant along the Boise River and then returned home. More information to follow in the next regular update.

A Lazy Day...

It was a Saturday, part of the once-every-sixth-week rotation where we have a Friday, Saturday and Sunday off to make a three day weekend. Unfortunately, Valerie had to work this Saturday, leaving the cats and myself to wander aimlessly around the house. As you can see by the photo, Kittle wasn't much into wandering and spent most of the day passed out near the back door, where she could experience the fresh air without actually having to get up the energy to go outside to enjoy it.

This photo was taken with a digital camera we picked up just yesterday evening to replace one that suddenly decided it didn't want to work anymore. It's a Nikon CoolPix P-60, which means that it's an 8.1 megapixel, 5X zoom point-and-shoot camera with a thin enough profile to fit in the back pocket of a bicycling jersey with no problem. It replaces a 4 megapixel Pentax Optio that had a 3X zoom, and probably cost less than the Pentax did when we bought it.

I spent some time playing with the camera today, and took a LONG nap to make up for a restless night, mowed the lawn, knit a little bit but actually managed NOT to give into the temptation to jump into the car and drive off somewhere.

The cats and I all say, "mission accomplished!"

I'm Feeling Blue...

This is a [poor] photo of the sweater that I entered in the Western Idaho Fair a couple of weeks ago. The attendant who took the entry felt that I should enter it in the "Made By Men" division; she must have been right. The sweater took a blue ribbon for first place, plus the other rosette for "Best in Division". They also awarded the sweater "Best Use of Texture".

I'd like to say that, because of all of these awards, I'm now filthy rich... but at five dollars for each one I'm not planning on retiring anytime soon.

The one thing I did figure out while trying to photograph this sweater is that one of my digital cameras is no longer working correctly. It's the one we use when we go bicycling as it's small and compact, and fits easily into the back pocket on my cycling jersey. Suddenly the images have lines running the length of the image, as if someone took a comb and ran it along the photo, and each tooth was an eraser that left a blank line in its wake.

Now the debate begins... do I pay to have this one repaired, or spend almost double that amount and go get a new one, the features of which will far surpass the one I'm using now? Interesting debate... one that I'll have to figure out later!

This is the weekend of Labor Day, another questionable "Holiday" that I'd rather be working. We take the day off to honor the laborers, and then go back to work a day later and have double the mail volume to deliver, thus laboring twice as hard. Somewhere I just don't see the sense in this!

Another Hot One...

All in all, our summer hasn't been bad. The temperatures have been warm, but usually not to the point of being excessive (unlike some summers that seems like the 100+ degree days will never end). We've had a couple of those days, and today promises to hit 100 degrees, but then we head into a week with weather in the 70's and 80's. I like it!

The Western Idaho Fair has been running for the past week; today is the final day. I entered one sweater in the fair this year, but haven't bothered to go there to see how it's displayed or whether it did well in the competition. Exhibits can be picked up tomorrow, so after work I'll run down there and pick it up... and find out then how it did. Curiosity has almost gotten the better of me, but there's just nothing down there other than other knit items that justifies paying the admission price. Maybe I'll change my mind, but then again there's those 100+ degrees on the thermometer today to dissuade me!

And the Results are In!

Ah yes, today was my very first colonoscopy (how I wish it would be the last). The stuff they have you drink the evening before so you can be "cleaned out" to make their sightseeing trip up your butt easier isn't the most pleasant of things to get down. I was fine until my third glass of the stuff, when I suddenly found out that I actually had a drinking limit and barfed a fair quantity of said third glass right back up. I was so pleased to be standing by the kitchen sink when this occured!

From that point on my drinking of the magic tonic slowed severely, but I finally managed to get the entire quantity down without any further gastric rejection. (But there were a couple of swallows that almost did me in...)

Anyway, most everyone knows what happens after you ingest this magical "go-juice", and I did exactly what I was supposed to do... many, many times. If only there was a pill instead of the gag-reflex inspiring liquid that could do the same thing. Or a capsule that, when chased by a LOT of water would have the same result. Someone out there could make a LOT of money by making this whole process a little easier to perform.

Anyway, the results are in and there was one lonely polyp found, and it wasn't anything to worry about. They said that, because there was a polyp present, I'd have to come back in five years for a check up. So, all you future pharmaceutical revolutionaries... you've got five years to formulate and market a product that I can actually stomach the next time. Get busy!

Another Sunday Lost...

I see that I totally blew through last Sunday without a post, or even the acknowledgement that I had even missed a post. Life must be getting dull, or I must have been sleepy... there's got to be an excuse if I only dig deep enough to find it.

The sad truth is that, while I didn't post anything last week, I have no amazing tales to make up for it with this week. But things will start to liven up in a couple of days.

I get to go in for my first colonoscopy on Wednesday! I've heard rumors that this is almost as much fin as a trip to Disneyland... so the real fun starts on Tuesday when we start "cleaning out" for the trip on Wednesday. I'm hoping that they don't find anything and that this procedure (like most) turns out to be an incredible waste of precautionary money.

So until sometime after this little sightseeing trip, I'll bid you farewell!

And Camping It Was...

Sunday morning came and went... shortly after noon we set off for our overnight camping experience. We arrived at the campsite sometime after 3:00 PM. Then the fun began...

We purchased the tent pictured here LAST summer, thinking we were going out the same week we picked it up. Hah! Not only did we NOT go camping that same week, the tent was still sealed in the box a year later... until yesterday afternoon (sometime after 3:00 PM).

The instruction book was somewhat helpful, but having not put this particular monstrosity up before I was soon at wits end, and the forest creatures were hearing new, frightening phrases being uttered by this [now over the boiling point] camper. We finally got the tent most of the way up, and then went into town for a few items... one of which was better tent stakes than the ones that came with the tent.

With the tent problems finally behind us, we took off for a bike ride along the Harriman Trail. We didn't have time to ride the whole trail, but got in about five and a half miles of it, and then returned back to the campground on Idaho 75 (both paved and downhill). It was a couple of ticks short of 10 miles, but was a very pleasant ride nevertheless.

The evening sky was dark thanks to the absence of the moon, and the display was breathtaking. Even though we see a lot of stars from our own home, the darkness from our campsite provided us with an even more brilliant celestial panorama than we normally see.

Morning came, I made the run into Ketchum for Valerie's morning coffee and then we set about the task of waking up fully and slowly getting ready to return home. I made a quick breakfast of pancakes (store bought mix, just add water) and then got busy in earnest for breaking camp.

Breaking down the tent was much less frustrating than putting it up, but next time we'll have a better understanding of what-goes-where when putting the tent together!

Where's the Post?

This week's entry is merely to say "hello" and ask for volunteers to hit the "comments" link at the bottom of this message and leave a brief message. A friend recently e-mailed us saying that she tried to leave a post, but the system wouldn't accpet it.

Type something in the message area, scroll down to "Choose an Identity" and select either "Name/URL" or "Anonymous". With the "Name" selection you'll have to type in just that... your name. It's tough, I know! And with "Anonymous" you don't have to do anything except hit "Publish Your Comment". That should do it.

If the system rejects you for some reason, and you know our e-mail address, send us an e-mail letting us know what happened!

We're hoping to head up toward Sun Valley this afternoon, set up a tent and camp out over night. We'll be taking the mountain tandem with us so hopefully we'll get a ride in before we have to return home tomorrow. The campground we're going to is nestled right along the Big Wood River, and is only about a five mile drive north of the town of Ketchum (which tourist such as ourselves refer to as "Sun Valley", even though it's not quite correct). The nice part about this camping out experience??? Starbucks is only five miles south of us!!! How's that for "roughing it"?

This post is dedicated to Jamie, who lost her mind when trying to post a "comment" a couple of weeks ago.

Maruishi Mountace MT18

I recently started searching the web for information on Maruishi Bicycles. While I found mention of their touring or commuting bikes (and their website which is in Japanese), I didn't find any mention of mountain bikes. I bought one around 1985 (can't quite remember the exact year), the "Mountace MT18". It featured a lugged frame and a lugged fork (the next year's models switched to a unicrown fork) -- notice the amount of fork rake in the photo.

A decal on the frame proudly proclaims "Original Sports Frame Cr. Mo. Double Butted Tubes", and the bike came equipped with Shimano Deore components, friction shifting for a six speed cluster and Shimano Biopace chainrings.

This bike took me on a fully loaded tour from San Francisco to San Diego in 1988, a couple of fund raising rides for the American Lung Association and has served me well for local rides over the years. I started looking into getting a new mountain bike a few days ago, wound up with sticker shock and realized that because my wife and I primarily ride a tandem I'd never really get my money's worth from a new bike. So it was off to E-Bay to score a good set of Biopace chainrings to replace the worn ones on the bike, and I'll be refurbishing my rolling relic within the next month or two.

Every time I look at the bike I'm reminded of my California tour; the images are fresh and I'm suddenly 20 years younger reveling in the joys of pedaling along the coastline or breathing in the fragrance of the eucalyptus trees in the cool of the morning. This old bike of mine does everything I ask of it, and I can't really justify tossing my old friend into the heap for the sake of something shiny and new. The memories are strong, and there's still the promise of more adventures to come. All I have to do is ask, and this bike will be ready to respond with a good solid ride.

Another Road Trip

Friday, July 25th, 2008. We decided late in the morning to take a drive to Sun Valley, and took the new car for another miles per gallon trial. We must have been very gentle this time around, because we managed to squeak out a little over 41 mpg! (This was all highway mileage.)

Other than that, the day was pretty laid back in that we did nothing outrageous, didn't buy anything that we didn't need (Valerie did pick up a pair of bicycling shorts that had a cut along the front that looked like it would provide better comfort -- we'll find out shortly) and because we didn't drag a bicycle along with us we didn't get any biking in either!

She drove to Sun Valley while I knit; I drove home while she napped. We stopped at a small store and restaurant at a place called Smiley Creek; this store was a popular stopping off place for bicyclists during the American Lung Association's "Sawtooth Pride Ride". They feature tasty burgers, hand scooped milkshakes and if you like onion rings... they have some good ones!

Today I took our road tandem in for some much needed maintenance; our mountain tandem is still in good running order. I'm hoping that we can get out on it this weekend for a little while, once the temperatures back down from the high 90's!

Oops...

I totally let this Sunday slip by without even thinking about a blog update. The big picture says "it's warm in Idaho, and I'm lazy as a result." I'll be back when time allows, but today has been a blur.

What's Blooming?

Something's in the air... and has been for quite some time now. It starts in the lower elevations and through the course of the spring and summer works its way upward. I dread going to work in Boise in the springtime, because when I get there my eyes start itching and soon I'm gouging them with willing fingers, trying to get a little relief from the irritation. I find that I hate going to Boise during this time of year.

Now I'm in the mood to go to Boise, as whatever it is that I'm allergic to is growing nicely up where we live. I've noticed that as we drive toward Boise I start scratching at my eyes, but when we've arrived I feel pretty good (other than the skin around my eyes being sore from the constant scratching). Sometimes I think that winter is the greatest season of all... because NOTHING is blooming!

The car pictured above (horrible photo, I know) is doing its job very nicely. I checked the mileage the last time we bought gas, and we averaged 37.5 miles per gallon. We had mixed driving, so these results were pretty good. On a test run between our house and McCall, Idaho (150 mile round trip, mostly highway driving) we were able to average 41 mpg. All things considered, this particular investment was a good one. If we lived in the Boise area, I'd be bicycling to work and home again. Unfortunately, living where we do (and as far out as we do) has a price, and that price keeps going up at the pump.

I'm a little over half-way done with this "blog" now, as I committed to trying to write a weekly installment for one year. It hasn't been overly difficult, but one often has to wonder if anyone is actually reading this or whether this is just an exercise in actually doing something as promised over a period of time!

In and Out...

I was looking for a topic to write about this morning, and nothing came to mind. It's July 6th... and I wonder what happened on this date... was there anyone of interest born, or did anyone of interest die? (Define "interest" -- as in what does it mean to each person? Obviously it's going to be very different from person to person.)

I did a search to find a website that would list births for each day, and found this particular one. It's wasn't fancy, but it got the job done. I went down the list and decided to find one name in each column that I found the most interesting, or that meant the most to me. For the births it was Nancy Davis (Reagan) in 1923, and for the deaths it was Louis Armstrong in 1971.

It occurred to me that a great game could be made of this by picking a date and having everyone in your mailing list go through the births and deaths column and pick ONE from each that means the most to them. Maybe even off a brief explanation if they feel compelled to do so. It might be an interesting way to see what your friends or family members value.

Also on the website linked above was the video put out by a guy under the name of "Joe American". I've heard about the video, but hadn't seen it before. There's a lot of things he says in his presentation that make perfect sense to the average person in this country, which is probably why it won't make a bit of difference in Washington, DC. If you haven't watched the video, go to the "date in history" page and then click on the play button. (If you only have a dial-up internet connection, you probably won't want to spend all day waiting for the video to load!)

The website for Joe American is a little sparse, and looks like someone got it started and then forgot to finish it, or keep it up. Still, you can visit it if you wish at http://www.joeamerican.us/.

The photo at the top of the page was taken outside of Stanley, Idaho on the fourth of July. The wild flowers are in bloom in the higher elevations, and some of the meadows look more like a sea of violet than of green grass. This is the perfect time to take in the scenery, before the summer heat dries out the lush grass and turns the green of spring to the gold of autumn.

Sick Leave is a Dangerous Thing...

My surgery went well. The problem seems to have been correctly diagnosed, and my calcium levels are back down to where they should be. The worst part of it all was the week I had to stay home from work... I'm limited in lifting nothing over 10 pounds or doing anything to stress the sutured area in my neck, so life has come to a screaming halt. I couldn't even sneak off and finally start getting a little bike riding in, because of the constant strain that would be on that general part of my neck.

So what do you do when there's nothing to do except pace? Start browsing the Internet to see who has gas efficient cars these days, that's what. We don't think with the distance we drive that a hybrid is really a good choice, and some of the mechanics we've talked with seem to agree. There's one thing I DO know for certain; the truck we have isn't being used, and it seems silly to have it just sitting there gathering dust.

I made the mistake of going to the Toyota dealer to look at a model that was supposed to get 36 miles per gallon with just a standard engine (not a hybrid). Too bad for me, but my head scraped the roof liner -- not a good fit at all. Then the rat-bastard salesman (whom we actually like and have dealt with previously) suggested I look at a Corolla instead. (The last time we went there, we were seriously thinking about a hybrid SUV. The same salesguy suggested the newly redesigned RAV-4 instead, which got roughly the same mileage and cost less. We like our RAV-4!)

So when he suggested I look at the Corolla, I figured I might as well listen. I tried it out, found out that the Sport level has a five speed stick (Valerie really misses having a stick, an option not available in the RAV-4), and after wasting all of the day down in Boise we no longer have a truck, but there IS a new Corolla in the garage. We bought it outright with the trade and cash; no payments to come in a month's time and suck the joy out of life!

The downside is that I used money in an account I had been saving up to get a new tandem with... a top of the line model that breaks down and fits into a couple of suitcases, thus making travel with the bike a snap. I figure I've got three and a half more years before I'm eligible for retirement, and we haven't been able to get out and do any riding since the ride in Stanley. It's either been too cold, too windy, and then there's the medical part once again.

The upside is that, with gas prices the way they are, we'll be able to afford to make the daily drive to work. And I can start saving up, once again, for that dream retirement tandem.

Let the Games Begin...

Another lazy Sunday rolls around... and the temperatures here have caught with the fact that it's now summer. This past week has left no doubt about what season it really is!

This evening I'll go into a local hospital to do a sleep-study, and maybe we'll find out why I always feel tired. People keep saying that sleep apnea is the culprit; perhaps after this we'll know for sure.

Then in the morning, I'll walk across to the main entrance of the hospital and check in for surgery. It seems there's a problem with the parathyroid leeching calcium out of the bones and into the bloodstream... high levels... which means if it isn't corrected I'll wind up with a rapid onset of osteoporosis. Now wouldn't that be fun? Then on Friday I'll be getting my routine physical and I'll probably cave in and let them schedule a colonoscopy. Who needs to take a vacation when you can be doing all of these fun things???

So that's the excitement for now... Valerie and I plan to go to the "Bonefish Grill" for my "last supper" this evening, and then she'll drop me off for the sleep study. I might as well enjoy it now... as there'll be nothing by mouth after midnight. And I don't check in until 10:15 in the morning, which means I'll have a few hours of watching other people eating and drinking while I'm whining about NOT doing the same!

Waiting For the Silver Bird

It's about 8:45 AM local time in Phoenix, Arizona. I'm very happy to be inside the airport where the air-conditioning seems to be working nicely. The current temperature is about 95 degrees at the moment. It's supposed to get up to around 112 before the day is over. On the other hand, the temperature at the Boise Airport is right around 70 degrees, with the high projected to hit 88. That's more like it, and I'm ready to get home.

Interestingly, Prescott (where I drove in from this morning) is showing a current temperature of 91 degrees, with a projected high of 90 degrees. I guess they're expecting a cooling trend?

Anyway, my visit with my mother was a general success, unless we're talking about playing Scrabble. If Scrabble happens to be the subject, then she'll be regaling you with tales of elder abuse and offspring treachery. We played six games last night; she only was victorious once and that was only by a two point margin.

I have never been able to beat her at that game until my last visit, when the table of fortune turned in my favor and I took seven out of seven games. I don't think that memory will ever be erased, and our recent battle wasn't much better. We lost track of the total number of games played, but she might have had four wins out of 12 games.

I wish that I could say that my true genius potential has finally come to roost in that space where people always eluded that a brain was supposed to be. Sadly, this isn't the case. There are some days when two players have an evenly matched battle, where sharp wits and word knowledge truly makes the difference. Then there are the other days when one person seems to get all the good tiles, and the other person gets stuck with total garbage that just can't be played anywhere. This is how her luck has been during our tournaments, while I've just blindly backed into great scoring opportunities that just shouldn't be happening game after game... after game.

I know I should feel guilty about this sudden unbalanced winning streak. Let's face it, it's more fun when you really have to work at beating your opponent on an evenly matched playing field. If this had been a golf game, I would have been a first time golfer knocking off holes-in-one at each tee, while she being a long time professional golfer would have been whacking the ball into the rough on each shot.

Every time the guilt starts setting in, I remind myself of the long running history of how, every time I played the game with her, I was mercilessly slaughtered. Suddenly I don't feel so bad... even if it takes absolutely lopsided luck to put myself into the winner's circle.

The only thing is that this lucky streak won't last... and a smart person would quit while they're ahead. "Duh... see ya next time, Mom!"

World Wide Knit in Public Day

It was World Wide Knit in Public Day, and I wasn't anywhere near my home turf... I was in Arizona visiting my mother for a few days. What to do? Get on the Internet and see who was hosting one of those gatherings in the general vicinity.

There wasn't anything listed for Prescott, where my mother lives but there were two events listed in Cottonwood, so I picked the one that was meeting at an espresso shop -- better known as Jerona Java Cafe and Gifts. Great choice! My mother and I both slurped down strawberry smoothies and chatted with the knitters (and crocheters), and I worked on a small project as well.

We've been playing Scrabble quite a bit while I've been here. This is her favorite pastime while I find it excruciatingly painful! The last time I was here, I did the unthinkable and beat her in every game we played (seven in all). It was almost embarassing, as this is the person that I could hardly ever even come close to in the points -- I was usually left WAY behind.

I figured that this time around things would go back to normal, but after the first three games we played on my first night here, I again had won all three. This just wasn't right... something was "wrong"!

Whatever caused the "Scrabble Curse", it lifted today. We started out with me winning two games, and then we took time out to go to dinner. When we came back... she won two games, and is in the process of taking her third. And my scores? She's been sinking me by almost 100 points in each game. Yes, things are back to "normal"!

Waiting for Weather...

The accompanying photo was taken almost a month ago outside of Stanley, Idaho -- a small high mountain town the very often gets the lowest temperatures for the state during the winter months (and sometimes the summer months as well). While I can't swear to it, I believe that there's even been some occasions where Stanley had the low temperature on a national scale too.

So why write about low temperatures? Perhaps because we're over a week into June now, and the weather is acting like we're in March. We've had a lot of wind, chilly temperatures and haven't had the bike out since this particular picture was taken. Today the high in Stanley is expected to be around 54 degrees and partly cloudy. This is JUNE... could we kick it up a notch or two just to keep up with the global warming hype???

I noticed that the weather at my mother's house in Prescott, Arizona is supposed to hit 80 degrees... and to think that I'll be down there starting next Thursday for a short visit until Monday. While it looks like Boise will be doing a roller coaster ride between the 60's and 70's with a good mix of clouds, I'll be contending with a few days that (so far) look to be right in the 80's with no clouds in sight. Poor me!

Another Lazy Sunday

The first Sunday is June, this year known as "June 1st", is upon us. After a week of moderate temperatures and sunshine, our day off comes crashing in with gray clouds, cooler temperatures and a big threat of rain. Any chance of actually getting a bike ride in today? At 8:00 AM in the morning, my answer is a definite "I don't know!"

I've been complaining for a long time that Valerie is a workaholic, and have felt bitter at times that she got stuck working every day off she had... leaving only Sunday as a catch-up-on-chores and rest-up-from-the-week day. Then a friend of mine (from the Post Office) wound up getting a ticket for "driving under the influence"... and lost his license for a month.

I wound up taking him to work daily (in his truck), splitting both of our mail routes up so we could work them together from my postal vehicle and then in the evenings we'd go mow lawns (hence driving his truck to work in the morning... complete with trailer for lawn equipment).

This wouldn't have been such a bad deal except that when we started doing this (which negated my days off in favor of mowing lawns), the Post Office decided that the "overtime" people would no longer be used on their scheduled days off. After all my whining about Valerie never being around to do things with, suddenly she was free and available on her day off -- and suddenly I wasn't! Think that's funny, don't you? Well, read this:

I have completed my "month of service" and am now looking forward to my time off again. The Post Office has now changed direction and has scheduled Valerie to work on our next day off! Irony? Misery? Whatever it is... it ain't fair!

A Little Secret Sees the Light!

Back in 1993 Valerie and I went to England for a vacation, and we took our tandem bike with us. We planned to tour the country during our stay, but wound up taking a side trip to Blackpool without the bike (there were a few roller coasters that needed to be ridden there).

During this trip we enjoyed the hospitality of many people who members of the [British] Tandem Club. We were perhaps a little rough around the edges for some of these folks, as we still smoked at the time (which doesn't really seem compatible with the "healthy" cycling lifestyle). There was one couple who befriended us that we've kept in touch with ever since... it pains me that the commute is so big as they're the kind of people you'd love to have over for dinner at least monthly.

After my last post ("It was Twenty Years Ago Today"), Graham sent the following e-mail... which is so priceless that I've got to share it!

We always love your blog! I've never really been a beer drinker and when you were about to visit us for the first time in England those many years ago (in fact half an hour before you and Valerie arrived) I rushed to the store and bought a box of 24 Budweiser - the only "American" beer I could name. And I hate the stuff! Imagine my shock/horror/gloom when I offered you a beer and you said "no thanks, we're reformed alcoholics"! I think that we still have some of the cans!

I don't think I ever told you this before, did I?

No... you didn't! But thank you for sharing it now -- it just shows an even deeper side to your kindness and hospitality!

As I seem to recall, this is the same guy who borrowed a friend's lorry and then went looking for us along a cycle path that ran between Bath and Bristol just in case we were tired and couldn't quite make it all the way to his home. He arrived just as we pedalled by, and tried to run after us calling, "Rich! Rich!" The wind was in our ears, and we thought we heard some lunatic yelling, "Bridge! Bridge!" I brought the bike to a stop just in case this person knew something about the trail ahead that I needed to find out about... like a bridge that out. Instead it was just Graham, making sure that we were okay and giving us his first welcome to the area!

Between Graham and his amazing wife "Ros", there couldn't be two nicer people on the planet. If more people were like them, this world would be far better off. My thanks to both of you for some marvelous memories!

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

Perhaps one of the most famous opening lines for a song, it was also twenty years ago today that I spent my first day doing something other than consuming alcohol... and the clock is still ticking! (Do you hear any honking in the background? It's probably just me tooting my own horn!)

The last twenty years have probably been my best, and the years before this period are those I wish I could go back and revisit. What a waste of time, potential and a burden on other people -- whether or not they even realized it.

Thank-you's are due to Jodi, who got my butt kick-started on the road to sobriety, Susan who has always been a good friend and mentor in sobriety, and Valerie who has made life with another person good enough that I have no desire to run off and hide in a bar or a bottle.

Today is going to be a gorgeous day... so I'm turning off the computer and going... outside!

Back From the Dead...

Last Sunday I suffered from premature brain-death and totally forgot to add a post to this blog. I'll cling to the excuse that I was feeling absolutely rotten, with either a chest and nasal cold going on... or the heavy onset of seasonal allergies. I don't know which it was, but I do know I didn't enjoy it at all! It wasn't until yesterday afternoon that I even thought about this blog and then started wondering if I had skipped right over the weekly post. And the answer is an embarrassing "yes".

The picture included today is from the trip to Idaho Falls for the convention mentioned is the previous post. I was driving with another letter carrier (and coincidentally the guy I work right next to in the mornings when we put our routes together). He was armed with field binoculars and was on the hunt for anything that moved, and we had several deer and elk sitings... and then up ahead crossing the road was a wolf. We had to stop and watch him, while trying to get the cameras out before he trotted up the side of the hill and out of range. (The picture isn't great, but it's all I could get.)

We also managed to see antelope on our return trip home, but the mountain sheep he was hoping to spot eluded us during our trip through their little niche in the wilderness.

I've been working with a friend (the carrier who works on the other side of me) mowing lawns after work for the past couple of weeks. Perhaps this is how the allergy and/or cold cycle got its start. He's been needing help, and I've been assisting... last year I filled in for a couple days a week and I was slated to do the same this year. But until the end of the month it looks like I'll be doing a Monday through Friday thing after delivering the mail, which means leaving the house at about 5:45 in the morning and generally not getting back home until 9:00 PM at the earliest, which makes for a long day.

We used to ride bikes together, but then he started doing his lawn service and things got a little out of hand for him, so bike riding became a thing of the past. I started mowing with him mainly as a way to spend a little time together being that he wasn't going to go biking... the sad part is that I've never liked yardwork of any kind and have always insisted that God's greatest gift to mankind was asphault! He loves yardwork, and keeps talking about when we're both retired from the USPS that we can make this a full time business! Please... somebody... shoot me NOW!

In Idaho Falls

I've been in Idaho Falls, Idaho since Thursday, April 24th. I drove here with a co-worker to attend the Idaho Association of Letter Carriers convention and we return home today in about 6 hours from now... which means I need to stop messing with the computer and hit the sack. Still I wanted to get in some kind of post, rather than miss my usual Sunday installment.

The picture included for today was taken from our motel balcony, and shows the Mormon Temple on the east side of the Snake River.

Heading Back Toward Winter...

Happy Sunday everybody! After last weekend's teaser that warm weather was here at last, the Boise area finds itself looking at a projected high of 45 degrees and 30% chance of precipitation. Yippee. Can you feel my elation?

This coming week will throw a change into my routine; on Thursday I'll drive to Idaho Falls (on the east side of the state) where I'll be attending the state convention for the National Association of Letter Carriers. I'll drive back on Sunday, and rejoin life's normal programming. The weather, of course, calls for highs in the 30's to 40's along the route traveled with at least a 30% chance of snow. I'll be stuck inside a meeting room at a hotel for most of the time so I guess it doesn't really matter what the weather is like outside as I won't be out in it anyway!

Valerie found a bicycle helmet she liked last week; it didn't mess with her hair (which she keeps in a pony tail when riding) and was far more comfortable (and less hassle to put on because of the pony tail). Of course they didn't have the color she wanted... but we managed to find one on-line through Bike Nashbar that was on a close-out price. What a deal! We can never find stuff for me on close-out because my sizes are much too common and are always sold out! But she found the same helmet locally in my size (and matching color) and then asked the store personnel if they could do better on the price... and they gave her a discount! Good for her!

Now we're awaiting the arrival of her helmet through the mail and the return of some decent weather once again. I'm betting that the helmet gets here first!

On the Bike at Last!

It certainly took longer that usual to get us out for the first bike ride of the year, but today we finally had all our ducks in a row and the weather was "go"! Boise was expecting temperatures between 75 and 80 today and we drove down there to take advantage of it. (I imagine that the weather in Garden Valley was pretty nice too, but the route options are severely limited.)

We had a breeze to contend with, but fortunately for us it was blowing "the wrong way" today, so we rode into the wind for the first half of the ride (at a slow pace in an easy gear) and then screamed back toward where we parked the truck, with the wind pushing us all of the way.

We rode 17.5 miles... which doesn't sound like much, but for the first time out it's not too bad either. There's a lot of muscles that need to be awakened and worked back into shape, and then there's the matter of being able to sit on the bike seat for any extended amount of time! Hopefully, if the weather stays decent we'll start to be able to do a little riding with a little more consistency. (We're going to have to ride regularly if there's any hope of getting back into shape like we were back in "the olden days"!)

We stopped at a couple of bike shops along the route and checked out some of the new helmets for Valerie, and then after the ride we made the BIG mistake of stopping off and grabbing some Mexican food for dinner. We wound up with chicken fajitas and both ate more than either one of us should have. We probably negated all of the good work we accomplished by riding, but what the hey -- it tasted great at the time!

Where's the Good Weather?

7:30 AM: This has been one of those weeks where the weather started out filling us with hope that when our day off came (today) that we would be able to get the tandem out and take our first ride of the year. But the sunny hope week's beginning has given way to the cloudy gloom of week's end.

Here's what today's forecast for Boise says, courtesy of the "Weather Underground": Cloudy with scattered rain showers. Chance of precipitation 30 percent. Highs 50 to 55. Southeast winds up to 10 mph in the morning...shifting to northwest around 10 mph in the afternoon.

At first glance, one would tend to think that 50 - 55 degrees at this time of year would be great riding weather. And, if the sun were out, you'd be right. And there are others who would say that all we need to do is dress for the weather and get out there and do it anyway. You would also have an arguement that would be hard to beat. Enter the "I don't want to" factor.

I don't want to ride in chilly weather. We both have to work outside for a good portion of the day delivering mail. We get to experience the sun, the rain, the wind and the snow whether we want to or not. This week was breezy, and the breeze was nothing like the ambient temperature -- it was bitter at times and cut right through the clothes we were wearing. We were hoping that the weather was on the upswing, rather that the direction it took.

I don't want to ride in the rain. Again, refer to the first few sentences in the paragraph above. Combine "wet" with the chilly wind, and you have even less of a chance for an enjoyable ride. It's not like we were stuck with an office job all week and are dying to get outside, no matter what.

I don't want to catch the flu. I know this sounds silly, but I've managed NOT to come down with a cold or flu this season while Valerie has. And it's cycled back around for her, so she's enjoying it a second time. This is the variety that hangs around for a couple of weeks, and then slowly backs away... but some of the symptoms seem to take a month or more to disappear completely. I've been fortunate this season in that I haven't come down with anything, and Valerie doesn't need to be out begging for pneumonia to come and visit.

I don't want to grow old. But it's happened. If I were young in age and/or spirit, I'd ignore all of the excuses in the above paragraphs and get off of my ever-expanding arse and just go do it. Instead I'll sit here at the computer, with the heater cranked up and a warm mocha in hand and wait until summer arrives. (Which, by the way, is always much too hot to engage in any kind of physical activity when one doesn't absolutely have to!)

10:30 AM: It's been snowing since about 8:30, so the bike ride seems like an even sillier idea to me now! But you know that there's always next weekend!

Time Machine

Here it is, Sunday -- March 30, 2008 -- and I've got so little on my mind after our San Francisco trip that finding a subject to write about seems just about impossible.

Take a look at the ugly sucker in the photo. That's me roughly 30 years ago. Hair that had some color to it... and a much higher active follicle count. A pack of cigarettes in the t-shirt pocket, probably an open beer somewhere just out of camera range. Ah yes, life was good. Or was it?

No, it really wasn't. And I wonder how many of us would jump at the chance to go back 30 years while retaining today's knowledge to do a better job with life. That seems to be a common fantasy... "If I only knew then what I know now."

I know that I could do a much better job with my life, and look back with pride instead of regret. But the nagging question is this: if you could go back, would you listen to your own advice and immediately change your life's course? Or would you simply think, "Hey... I've got 30 years to get it right... there's plenty of time."

Have an opinion on that? Leave a comment!

The Final Sunset

It's Wednesday morning, and we arrived home from San Francisco at 8:00 PM last night. Valerie just left for work and I've got one more day "off" to try and get our union newsletter published and mailed.

The picture featured here is a digitally-played-with photo of the sunset we saw from the Cliff House while we were dining there.

Our cats were happy to see us once again... and life is moving back toward "normal" once again.

Don't forget... if you only check back weekly, there are a few posts from our trip that you may have missed, because this blog seems to like positioning the most recent entry at the top of the page. Scroll on down to see if you've missed anything!

Back to Reality...

As I begin to write this, I stare westward out of our hotel window on the 13th floor of the Parc 55 Hotel (apparently once known as the Renaissance Hotel), I'm wishing I had more time to spend here... along with more money to spend. And let's not forget a tandem bicycle to ride around the greater San Francisco area. That's something else that's sorely missing!

We trekked back down to the Wharf again yesterday so Valerie could shop for a few souveniers, and then made our way to The House once again for lunch. This time I had a striped sea bass plate for lunch, and she had the grilled chicken dish that I sampled a few days ago; this time there was an odd taste to the chicken so it wasn't a great memory builder. No one offered to ask how we liked the food, and seemed to be in a hurry to move us out... so we didn't bother to tell them. It's funny how one mediocre dish can turn rave reviews into a reason to try something new the next time we're hungry!

So, like all good tourists, we tried something "new" last night. The Cliff House, which has been around in one incarnation or another since the late 1800's, was our new target. We walked the short block to the Powell Street station and hopped aboard the "L" train, getting off just a couple of blocks shy of the Pacific coast and then began walking north. There's probably a mile and a half seperating the "L" train from the "N" train, which we planned to ride back into the city after recovering from our walk at "Java Beach" (we seem to have a knack of finding all the interesting espresso shops lately).

After some debate, we decided to catch a bus instead and stop at the Cliff House for dinner... but the bus never came. I called the dispatcher and asked about the frequency of busses on the line, and while it was normally 20 minutes the bus we were waiting for broke down... so we were looking at about 40 minutes until the next one came by. We figured that we'd already walked this far, so we'd just keep on going... so about the time we were at the Cliff House, the bus we would have been on chugged up the hill past us. But the walk, albeit windy and a wee bit chilly, was still the highlight of our day. (In the beach picture, the white building perched along the land's edge is the Cliff House.)

I had a sole dinner, fried in a macadamia nut breading with a fruit salsa on the side, a rice dish and baby bok choy. I was highly satisfied with my choice and only wish I could have gone back there today for more... instead of to the airport to suffer with airport food. Valerie had some clam chowder, but was saving herself for dessert... and found pure joy in a hot fudge chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream on the side.

It's just about time for me to leave the room and check out, walk the short block to the BART station and begin our journey home. It's been a nice few days... we'll try to leave the city in the same condition we found it in.

Coffee...

This is just an "update" about the Blue Bottle Coffee Company... we found the "Kiosk" (more of a glorified garage) in an alley... with a line waiting for service. Good stuff, odd location. But it WORKS! And the Blue Bottle Cafe... again good stuff, with good food. The contraption to the right drips water slowly over a course of hours to make a brew that is used in their "Kyoto Iced Coffee". We've managed to make our way there daily, and even ate at the cafe during their Easter Sunday buffet.