Bike Ride with Cousin Don

A great way to spend a Sunday. Met with my cousin Don (an Albuquerque resident) for brunch at the Range Cafe (on Menaul). From there, we took a bicycle ride to explore.
Our destination was the UNM campus. Yes, its not that far, but then I had ridden the day before, so was not looking for a long ride. We toured campus - Don had not been on campus for a while.
Stopped for hot chocolate/coffee. A little more touring in Nob Hill. Then back to my hotel. Good ride. Nice to have someone to ride with.

Dog Days

This week I'm taking photos for our local library of dogs and their owners to celebrate the Dog Days of Summer. Here are a few of my favorites.

Warning - Book Festival

Edinburgh residents now take for granted the fact that driving through the centre of town is an adventure in new tramwork diversions daily, the sudden appearance of temporary traffic lights in the most unlikely places, and yawning chasms of gas mains excavations. But driving round Charlotte Square on my return to the city I was amazed to see new signs setting a speed limit of 20 miles per hour because of...'pedestrians on road'.
My first thought was 'well, get them off the road.' But on mature reflection I can see it's not as easy as that. The gardens in the centre of Charlotte Square are the venue for the Edinburgh Book Festival, and the road round the square is one of the major diversion routes of the tramworks. It's a racetrack with double decker buses, with the tented Book Festival as an oasis in the middle. Add to that pedestrians of a literary bent, whose thoughts may well be elsewhere, and I can see the point of the signs. It reminds me of the method of disposing of garden snails, which is meant to be more humane than zapping them with chemicals - gather them up and release them on the concrete island in the middle of a busy roundabout...
With that image in mind, here are the Book Festival patrons hurrying in and out, early on Saturday morning.

I can't give you the benefit of sound, but the man at the right of the shot was promoting a show of readings of John Betjeman's poetry, and right beside him was a Big Issue seller. A rich tapestry indeed.
No Book Festival-going for us this year. I didn't get organised, and besides, it gets expensive year on year. A couple of Book Festival events, something on the Festival Fringe, and a main Festival production and whoa, where did the money go?! On a walk round I could see what I might have booked given time and money.

Perhaps the session with Malorie Blackman for my daughter, who loves her 'Noughts and Crosses' trilogy. The session with Paul Stewart and Chris Riddle of 'The Edge Chronicles' might have been interesting.

For me, definitely Michael Morpurgo. My son loved 'Kensuke's Kingdom' when he was younger, and my daughter 'The Wreck of the Zanzibar', and I love everything I've read by him. Maybe Henning Mankell? I haven't read the Wallender books, not being a crime novel sort of person, but Fredrick at Ystad Daily Photo has piqued my interest. Not Sandy Mcall Smith - he's a great speaker, but I've heard him several times and demand for tickets is intense, so I'll give someone else a chance. Demand probably isn't as high as it was for J.K. Rowling - when she appeared at the Festival the phone lines burned out within minutes of booking opening. Finally, definitely not Irvine Welsh. I must be one of the few Scots who hasn't read 'Trainspotting' or seen the film, and I'm very happy without that experience.

BRRP: Back for Labor Day Weekend

We’re baaack!  Back at Bull Run Regional Park (BRRP), that is.

With the long Labor Day weekend extended by leaving the house Thursday after work, instead of Friday, we did consider going to a more distant campground at first.  Then we remembered how horrid traffic can be around here, especially during a long weekend.  So, here we are just about 16 miles (25.5 km) from home instead.

We left the house around 4:30p, and two hours later we were all set up in site 21.  This is a 50-amp electric-only site (jurisdiction rate of $32.50 + tax) on our favored outer loop.  It’s even better than our usual spots further back on the loop; here there are no campsites on the other side of the road.  We have plenty of privacy even though the sites before and after us are all occupied for the holiday weekend.

Once set up chores were completed, we brought out the table that forms the base of the trunk of our CR-V and dined al fresco.  Nothing elaborate; a couple of frozen spaghetti Bolognese entrées were quite satisfactory.  Then, we sat outside and watched a BBC DVD entitled, Shackleton: A Voyage of Endurance.  The story of this Antarctic expedition gone terribly wrong, yet deemed a successful failure because Shackleton managed to bring everyone back alive, was just as enthralling this time as it was the first time we watched the documentary.  (There’s an excellent animation of the two-year saga here.)

The makings of a good “soft camping” weekend.

This was our first opportunity to watch a show on the TV built-into the exterior of the coach.  I was really happy about the way the sound was directed straight towards us and could not be heard at all when I walked to the front and back of the coach.  Good; no possibility of bothering our neighbors.

Let the long weekend begin!

Spider Web Plumeria

Some strands of spider silk cross a petal of a plumeria.

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth

Hummingbird Clearwing Moth , Hemaris thysbe, nectaring on Virginia bluebells (Mertensia virginica).
They are sometimes called hawk moths, and are in the same family as those most unwelcome guests, the tomato hornworms.
-----
Thysbe (Thisbe) in myth: the Greek version of Juliet.
One web source suggests that Hemaris comes from the root haem (blood), but another says it derives from the Greek hemera (day). See here.
A hornworm on your viburnum is probably this species. Leave it! It won't eat much. And it turns into this enchanting creature.
-----
I wondered whether this moth's wing motion was the same as a hummingbird's. The second photo would seem to suggest it, but I couldn't find confirmation on the internet.

Autumn Eagle riding the thermals over Mt. Sophie

My friend Paul and I were fortunate enough to watch this eagle from eye-level on a fire tower earlier today. We were photographing the fall colors when I looked off to the West and saw this eagle coming towards us. I had my wide-angle lens on at the time, so I was quickly digging in my bag to get my telephoto and managed to change lenses and grab a few shots before the Eagle flew away. Usually when I see Eagles flying around I find myself looking up and squinting because of the sunlight. It was awesome looking straight out from the fire tower and watching this eagle bank left and right as the morning sun hit him while he rode the thermals that were rising off the surrounding hills. A great start to a wonderful day!

Pipevine Swallowtail

A pipevine swallowtail nectaring on thistle.

Innocence

Children lose their innocence piece by piece. The layers are carved away until our hearts have been exposed and polished into an unnatural gloss. We spend the rest of our lives trying to remember why we ever loved so passionately and how we dreamed so simply, before life chiseled us down
to the core. From The Stone Flower Garden by Deborah Smith.

Radiation Treatments are DONE!

Took off a couple days from bike riding during the week. Needed some time off, and weather was threatening.

Friday, however, was another thing. This was the day of my last radiation treatment. Ending the over 7 weeks of trips to the Med Center - 37 treatments. After my treatment, ointment applied, nurse checked the biopsy area, signing "release" papers - it was time to ring the bell as I headed out of the clinic.
On the way home, I stopped by the bike shot for a quick visit. Then home. Rested and out to Lake Manawa for a bike ride. Taking a bike ride in the dirt sounded like a GREAT way to celebrate.
While there is no "loop" that can be ridden (other than the western side short loop), I was able to get all the way back to Long's Landing and clocked just over 5 miles.
Felt good to be back!

Two rides in one day!

This morning the weather was saying HOT and humid today. Decided to ride early at Manawa. Got in over an hour of riding - part of my singletrack fix.
Started getting used to Zack's bike - still noticed that it is "skittish", tending to over steer. I have been told that it is in the geometry and will be different next year. Still good ride
The usual spots are slick/wet/muddy. Some dead falls will need to be cleared before the Metro Challenge.
It cooled off at the house, taking the opportunity to process and post the photos from yesterday's "Remembering Tony" ride. Check out the T.H.O.R. web site.
After a nap, it seems that my battery was recharged. I had wanted to ride at Tranquility to check out Zack's bike with climbing. So, I trundle over to the Bike Master's Cycling Club ride.
Climbing at Tranquility was where I noticed the most "skittish" handling. I had to work at staying in the track at the very slow speeds. After an hour of riding, I had enough riding for one day. Mostly my mind was getting tired. I was making more mistakes. Time to call it a day.