December Sumac

Muddy Road

Our ridiculous freeze/thaw cycles are making a mess of EVERYTHING!  Does this bring back any memories, BG?

For the Photoshopping folks, the sepia toning was implemented with a color fill layer set to R=91, G=56 and B = 17 with opacity at 50% and the soft light option.  I used the Photoshop Elements Conversion To B&W... yes, I was lazy!  

Emma Is Such A Help!

Last night I had to make an emergency run to the laundermat (don't ask!), so I pulled on my sheepskin lined boots to make the mad dash.  Only it was a painful hobble... so I sat down and pulled off the offending boot.  The quarter in there was no biggie, but this other item WAS!  Dear Emma spent some time in the basement yesterday.  Thank you, young lady.

For those who are into digital cameras, this is the first macro picture taken with my new Canon G10.  Nice camera!  Click the picture to see it full size.  This is only a portion of the image.  Note the threads of wool on the right side of the nut.

Dusk in West Virginia

Big Jim at the end of a long photography workshop day

In Case You Have Forgotten...

the joy of a pile of leaves in the fall!  Grandson Ethan has not forgotten!

Ice Storm

Change after 400 Years

The Isle of Sark abandons feudal rule after 400 years

Change comes to my maternal 'home place'.

San Antonio Crew

Emma at 18 Months

If anything, Emma is has more fine motor control that Ethan did.  There is little that she cannot get into, take apart, or change all the settings on.  She especially loves audio equipment.  She also does not take no for an answer.  And, of course, is beyond delightful as long as she can do as she wishes!

Hunting The Wild Christmas Tree

The snow was blowing and it was nearly dark, but the hunt could not be put off.  We went to the tree farm at Young's Dairy in Yellow Springs as we have for a number of years.  Folks actually make the trip from out of state to buy their Christmas trees there.  We were in luck, as there were no Fraser fir trees in the ground.  So we were limited to the selection near the sales shack with its fabulously warm wood stove.  Ethan spent most of his time drinking hot cocoa there, leaving the actual hunting to his dad and I.  At last the proper tree for the Hensels was selected and we headed home with the trophy tied to the luggage rack.  And we made it home just in time for dinner!  Next week Patricia and I will be doing our Christmas tree hunt at the same place.

Some Grandchildren and Grandparents

Back Row: Eloise, Nicholas and Ethan

Next Row: Chandler,  Sophia and Betty

First Row: Bill and 40 Mile

Ethan's Gingerbread House

Every London first grade student makes one of these at Christmas time.

Aunt Ruth Has Passed On

The last of my parent's generation, Aunt Ruth, died earlier today.  She was 93 and holds the longevity record for that generation.  She played basketball at London High School and graduated from Duke with a degree in Foreign Relations.  And, as you can see, was a beautiful woman.  Mercifully she lived in her house until the end of last year.  With her passing, my generation is at the top of the pyramid and I am not ready for that thought.  In the past week we have gained a new member and lost the oldest of the extended family.  The circle of life moves on.  Rest in peace, Aunt Ruth.

That's Landyn!

How was I to know?

Landon Matthew Hensel

8# 4 oz with red hair... he looks like a Hensel!  Pictures will follow after we get back from the hospital.  Born about 5 PM.

Walking Home From The Bus Stop

Bumper Sticker

Don't Argue With Dragons...

 for you are crunchy and good with ketchup!

San Antonio

The 9th annex reunion was a good one, small though it was. We lost two members to new hip surgery, one to illness, and a couple more for other reasons. I thought small actually worked better, at least for me. It was much more laid back... my kind of reunion. We ate on the Riverwalk, which is a jewel. There was one good hike, some sight-seeing at the Alamo and the Spanish Governor's house (which Anderson kept reminding us: "was the palace where the Spanish Governor lived"). Alas, Anderson never made the 3 block walk to actually SEE it! Neals was appointed (in abstencia) to the next reunion planning committee along with RAH. The Gathering on Friday and Scattering on Sunday will be continued. There is some great music here! Pictures will follow in a few days.

The live oak pictured above was at the side of the Alamo and a lot more interesting than the main attraction.

For Those of You Who Still Think Things Are Still Sane

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/2008/oct/29/vw-volkswagen-porsche-takeover

My Pumpkin Carving Contribution for 2008

I shoulda used the image stabilizing camera.

The Last Barn on the Farm

This barn was built in 1929, just before the stock market crash.  It is featured in Eddie Edson's book, Tales From Deer Creek.  When it was finished, they had a big dance in the loft complete with fist fights among the young bucks!

Fall Rains Have Finally Come

Harvest is all but over, thankfully.  We finally quit about 1PM today.  There is no more room to store anything on the farm, so what is left will have to be hauled off the farm to be stored or sold. Soybeans probably averaged in the high forties and the corn almost 150 bushels per acre.  Less was left on the ground than I imagined, but I still have a fair supply of squirrel corn for the Hensels.  Emma will need something to distract her from the new arrival that is due the 22nd of next month.  I am pleased that my job finished before the cold weather came (snow is forecast next week).  I didn't have to drag out the Carharts this year!  Life is good!

First Light at Dolly Sods, WVA

Carlos on the River

The rafts we used in the Grand Canyon with Carlos waving greetings.  If you click on the picture, you can get a look at the Sandra, one of the original boats that starting running the river with paying customers.  That is a bit more dicey than our rafts.  The Sandra capsized once and Carlos was actually swept out of it in one rapids.  

Blast From The Past

This was taken in 1967 about a week after our wedding.  The couple flanking my wife Patricia are Bill and Mary Holton, who were my 'intellectual' parents.  I have always believed I had three sets of parents: biological, emotional and intellectual.  You had to grow up in a small town rural environment to even begin to understand, but this is my story and I'm sticking to it!

Farm from the Air

Looking west on Moorman Road.

subprime explained

  click here!

2000 miles...

FINALLY!  On a bicycle, of course.

The Week of Breaking Down

Wall Street is not the only place where things are breaking down.  Morman Road, Oak Run Township, Madison County, Ohio is another.  But with luck, the worst should be over and hopefully we will get to just harvest soybeans next week.  The good news is the yield seems to be pretty good, based on the first 100 acres harvested.  As usual, time will tell.  On the other hand, the moisture content is much too low, 9% on the beans to the south and east of Morman Road.  Some rain would be a good thing.  But hold the rain until the wheat is planted!  It is so hard to please a farmer!

The problem Friday was a broken knife.  And that is a big problem as the knife is 25 feet long and a new one comes in 3 sections that takes a couple of hours to assemble and install along with a slew of wear plates that had to be replaced.  And no one could understand exactly how one of the guards was so bent out of shape that a torch had to be used to turn it cherry red to reform it.  It was a good thing that worked, or it would have taken even more time to replace that guard.

Harvest Starts Today

Monday was a false start as the combine broke down after 150 yards.  Not the most auspicious start!  But this will not be as good as last year.  Yields will be lower and the corn was mostly flattened by Ike.  It will be a slow year in the corn fields.  Since I start at 2, I did get one last bike ride in.  I finally did 14 miles in just over an hour, my best time this year!  Now my exercise will be mostly stair stepping up and down those big tractors!

Photography Workshop

I'll be heading to a workshop in West Virginia next month.  Click here for some samples of the workshop guy's work.

Fall is Coming Early

Last Rose of Summer

Perfect Line

We only had the Himacane Ike leftovers, but they caused havoc here in central Ohio.  Schools closed for at least 2 days and many such scenes as this one near our house.  From all appearances, there was little to no damage done to either house.  The tree will soon be firewood, however!

Emma Pic

This facial expression is new... but this is her usual method of sitting!

Eric Pictures/Text

Nephew Eric Emerges from his retreat.

Nephew Eric's Long Retreat Ended Today

I just check his darma center's web site, but there are no pictures posted yet.  The retreat lasted 3 years 6 months and 12 days in Mirik, India.  Those in the retreat chose the most auspicious day to end it.  This one lasted a bit longer than the nominal 3 years, 3 months and 3 days.  Welcome back, Eric!  I will post a picture or two when they become available.  Those in Mirik for this will return about the 23rd of this month.

There is Hope for Physics After All

I just spent most of an hour watching a show on the Science channel entitled What Is Wrong With Gravity?  Not once did they mention string theory.  Incredible!  There was one mention of hidden dimensions, an unavoidable part of string theory.  String theory has been choking the life out of theoretical physics for nigh onto 20 years now.  This is the first sign of some balance returning to physics theory... may that continue!

I also learned that after 40 years of searching, they have yet to find the first gravity wave.  THAT is discouraging.

Top Ten UK Delicacies

Notice that haggis is #3:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2008/sep/04/travelfoodanddrink.uk

A Different Universe...

From mine, at least!

http://www.wired.com/techbiz/people/magazine/16-09/ff_starcity

Bald Eagle Spotted on Deer Creek

The eagle was spotted this morning where Turkey Run empties into Deer Creek.  It stayed quite a while before flying south along the creek.  This image was taken at the Columbus zoo about a year ago.  I was not lucky enough to see the wild eagle today!

Summer is Over

Actually we have not had much August.  It has been dry this month.  The cottonwood trees are shedding their leaves on the bike trail.  The soybeans in the clay ground are turning already.  Those will not do well at all.  The tallgrass prairie wildflowers are doing well as they are drought resistant.  These go as high as 8 feet and 90 percent of the plant is below ground!  They re just the opposite of corn plants!

Emma Strikes Again

In a humorous manner I have been telling people to not get in Emma's way.  Last night was a lesson in that point.  I was sitting on tthe floor when Emma decided to take the musical instrument between me and a piece of furniture.  There was not enough room to do that, but during the struggle she was stomping up and down on my hand.  The combined weight was well over 30 pounds!  OUCH!

Oregon Coast

We did manage a Sunday drive to the coast.  It was COLD!  65 degrees here while it was 23 degrees warmer in Eugene.

Scam Attempt

All I wanted to do was sell a spare guitar for $950, but the check arrived today for $2900.  Showed it to the specialist at the local police department and he declared it authentic... as in authentic fake.  The killer thing about this check is that it will clear because it is using a good account number.  BUT 3 to 6 weeks later the misuse of the account will be detected and that $2900 will disappear from my account.  There is a large article on the front page of The Madison Press today about the general problem.  Seller beware!

1700 Bicycle Miles

This puts me on track for a possible 2500 mile year... as long as the creek don't rise as high as the Colorado River the past few days in AZ!  I figure I'm roughly 300 miles behind the local point leader who is prepping for a 100 mile day in the middle of next month.  I don't think I will make that event!  Especially after being gone for 8 days to Oregon.

Grand Canyon Flooding

The Grand Canyon had 8 inches of rain in one area causing an earthen dam to collapse and the resulting flood washed away rafts belonging to a private party in the canyon. They were helicoptered to safety (yes, any noun can be verbed!). Picture shows a pretty ugly Colorado river!

http://www.azdailysun.com/articles/2008/08/18/news/20080818_front_179631.txt

Grand Canyon Best

This picture was taken late in the afternoon and better shows the palette of colors in the canyon. The lower right shows the Bright Angel Trail from the top of Devil's corkscrew to Indian Gardens. Our walk out was 7.7 miles long and 4400 feet up. Thankfully Todd was exagerating when he claimed it was a mile and a half up. I learned that only time to take Todd seriously was when he offers to bet. We had an exceptional day for hiking out in July as there were clouds and the temperature was cooler. Thank you, Lord!

The more important thing is to set a pace that is not too fast. In flat Ohio I walk 20 minute miles. I set of goal of 50 minute miles on the walk out and actually managed to average 45 minutes per mile. I used a walking meditation of 4 strides per breath in and 4 strides per breath out. This shifted to 3 strides in the upper swithbacks and near the top my steps were pretty pathetic. The counting kept me focused on walking, which helped a lot. I would do this again!

Trader Joe's Wild Boreal Blueberries

These things are fabulous... very small, but loaded with flavor.  They are well worth the $3.69 a pound TJ charges.  Long ago I picked wild blueberries in Ontario, mostly for blueberry pancakes. I don't get to the Ontario outback much these days and pancakes are off  my doctor's list of approved foods, but I'm having these flavor bombs in steel cut oats each morning.  TRY THEM!

You'll LIKE THEM!

Yet another reason for boycotting the tasteless fruit on steriods available at your local supermarket! 

Emma

This is the truest portrait of my granddaughter.  She is all motion, but I did learn something interesting about her this weekend.  While she will not sit on your lap for more than a minute, if you put her beside you on a couch and give her a book she will stay put for a long time.  As long as you don't put your arm around her.  This little girl has very definite ideas!

Lemonade Stands...

are still alive London. Ethan is securing the money jar!

The real money was made in the 50's and 60's before there were grain storage bins on the farms.  Wheat is harvested in July and back then it was taken directly to the grain elevators in London.  There were  blocks long lines of hot, dusty farmers waiting to dump their grain and serious money could be made with a lemonade stand.  Even more money could have been made if you had a beer stand!

Brilliant

www.indexed.blogspot.com

Kansas Flint Hills

Trip I Thought I'd Never Take

I have taken that trip before, but didn't know where I was. I just finished Jill Taylor Bolte's book, My Stroke of Inspiration, which provided the needed insight. I had crossed over into the right hemisphere of my brain during the final meditation of my yoga class last night. Nirvana!

The other trips were also taken during Joyce's unique Yoga Is Meditation class. So she is absolutely correct that there is a reinforcing energy from group meditation. Not that I should have doubted her, but that is my hardcore, left hemisphere, cynical self.

I can't give any directions, as directions are a left brain 'thing'. The key insight from Ms. Bolte's book is that the boundaries of your body begin to disappear when you move into the right side. My reaction was the same as Ms. Bolte's (minus the drama of being in the middle of a stroke): "COOL!" Then I noticed that the left brain's mind chatter was missing: "REALLY COOL!" It is, as promised, a place of peace and a place you want to stay. But the class came to an end and I reluctantly joined the ending ceremony. I hope to return.

Nirvana is not the same thing as the Buddha's enlightenment, which was the extinction of his ego. My ego was put in abeyance for a bit, and is back in control as I write this blog entry. I describe myself as a Presbyterian with strong Buddist tendencies, but lately I have been studying the Tao, as it seems more approachable. Getting beyond my math, engineering and physics trained left brain seemed too difficult. Wrong again! Thankfully!

My humble thanks to Joyce and her class of yoga and meditation students. And to Ms. Bolte for her breathtaking book about her stroke. Without all that support, I would have been RIGHT!

The Grand Canyon

Storm over Lake Powell

Anasazi Granaries

I had always wanted to visit the granaries that Colin Fletcher mentioned in his book River, but I assumed one needed special permission to do that. But all it takes is a modest hike in Marble Canyon. Guides Greg and Cassy (on the left) led this group of 'fast' hikers. I, of course, brought up the rear.

Marble Canyon

Marble Canyon begins just below Lee's Ferry and ends at the Little Colorado River where the river turns west and you enter Grand Canyon. It is narrow and and beautiful in a more intimate way than Grand Canyon can be.

Glen Canyon

Most of Glen Canyon lies beneath Lake Powell. This is the little that remains, a small bit between Glen Canyon dam and Lee's Ferry. It is all that is left.

I finished my Colorado River trip at the beginning of Lake Powell in 1999. This is the beginning of my raft trip through the next section of the Colorado.

been there, done that!

Rafting the Grand Canyon was a spectacular trip. I was so glad that I first saw the Grand Canyon the way John Westley Powell saw it... from the Colorado River. The mind simply boggles at the jumble of geology around you. And the silence is so rare in this world that we now live in. This was a row trip where silence is golden. We would occasionally see the motor trips with passengers packed in like sardines going hell bent for leather. Thank you, Canyoneers. Your crew was as exceptional as my fellow passingers.

Oh, yes, there was the little matter of that walk out. There was so much worry about that little hike. It was roughly 5000 feet up and 7.7 miles long. While it was no 'piece of cake', it was not worth all that worry. Took me a couple of minutes under five and a half hours. Keenan and his sister matched my time up, but I left first, so they were never able to catch me. I am obnoxiously proud of being the first one up at the tender chronological age of 3 score and 6. And no, we won't discuss my mental age! As usual, Gene Pass was right. If you can bicycle, you can walk... even the Bright Angel Trail.

There will be more posts and pictures next week when I arrive home!

Gas Prices

Prices are all over the map out west. The highest I have seen is $4.73 for premium, which is what I have been using. $4.47 is the highest I have had to pay so far, with $4.05 the cheapest. The only good news is I have yet to pay $50 or more for a fillup yet... but it was close. I never let the tank get below 1/4 full here in the west. It can be a damned long way to the next gas station.

Just after posting the story of the French family in Burger King, I read in The New York Times that burgers are THE new, new thing in Paris. Who would have thunk? That Times article said nothing about Cheesy Tots, however.

Blog Troubles in Flagstaff

I quit, I quit, I quit.

see http://www.geocities.com/fortymile/blog.html

for what this should say.

meeting is in a few hours, I will pack tonight and ship out tomorrow morning. I'll be back on Tuesday evening, assuming I can walk up that Bright Angel Trail. I decided against taking a look at it today. Better I should just put one foot in front of another next Tuesday!

Ditto Page, AZ

There are just as many Europeans here as there were in Moab. Most notable was the French speaking family with 4 children in Burger King. Cheesy tots were a big hit with their teenagers! Oh my, oh my! It was astonishing to see how much care was taken in choosing their greasy meal. And then there is Camilla Shannon, who will be entering second grade this year. She has never been to McDonalds, so there is some hope after all.

The only thunderstorm in northern AZ was over Lake Powell last night, complete with a rainbow. With luck, I have a worthy picture of it all. I need to finish this as there is a line for this computer at 5:19 AM here in Motel 6. What are we thinking?

"No Habla Ingles" in Moab

Moab, Utah, that is. There are plenty of tourists, they just don't speak English! As I walked into the Motel 6, the front desk folks were paging frantically thru an English/French dictionary. Today I said something to a young man, who gave me the most completely blank expression I have ever seen. And that is saying something as I taught computer programming for 10 years! The good news is the younger women have brought European styles with them. They conserve on the use of cloth in their clothing. Am in Page, AZ today, hiding from the sun through the afternoon. Can't do that in two days, when the fun starts.

trippin'

Driving cross-country is a breeze, there is no one on the road! Though I just learned the Comfort Inn is full tonight... we just squeaked into the only room left, apparently. Missouri is full of billboards, but many are unrented. The cleverist ones are asking someone to rent them.

Kansas has beautiful classical music and not even that many trucks on I70. AND there are plenty of jobs here, apparently. Matt, search for 'Kansas job links' as there are a lot of colleges and universities here.

We are abpit 4 hours from Boulder, so it should not be a long day tomorrow... or so I hope!

Accessable Clive Barker?

That is what the book jacket promised. "Yeah, RIGHT!" methought... but his novel, Galilee, is, in fact, very readible. Many years ago I tried to read Weaveworld, but gave up long before the end. If you need some summer reading, try this book. I had a very hard time putting it down. Thanks, Matt!

Summer's Abundance

Even with the cool wet weather we have experienced so far, wth wild raspberries are ripe on the bike trail and I made the first (small) batch of early harvest apple sauce. By the time I return we will have sweet corn, blackberries and tomatoes... life is good!

what is in the bag?

Patricia and Mark in a blast from the past!

First Phone Call from Emma

Of course, at 13 months we onlyhad the phone ring. That little girl does love cell phones! And now she can use them to make calls... is this a portent of things to come?

May, 2005 is Peak Oil Production Month

74, 298 barrels per day average. Time will tell if it is the all time peak, or a local maximum as we all should hope. Since I don't believe in fairy tale endings, I believe it is the peak peak... leaving us all in deep, deep yogurt. You get to guess the color! Interestingly, it took 3 years to identify 1971 as the peak in oil production in the US. Read Kevin Phillip's new book, Bad Money, for some thoughts on the political implications.

In Madison County, it has made farm planning much more difficult. Normally you use past history as a guide, but that has left some farmers this year without enough money to plant this year's crop. Farming costs are growing faster than grain prices, hard as that is to believe! Who knows what will happen next?

421 Miles for the month, 1400 for the Year

There is a small chance this will put me ahead of Gene Pass in yearly milage, but it won't last long. I'll be gone most of July and a week in August. Then comes fall harvest and two more trips. I should break 2000 for the year, but 2500 would only happen with a beautiful November. And what are the odds of that happening?

GOBA Awards

Best Town: Wellington for being the quinessential small town... worth a visit!

Best AM Snack Stop: Lexington by miles... thanks

Best Lunch Stop: Millersburg

Best PM Snack Stop (aka second lunch): Apple Valley

Best Camp Ground: Coshocton

Best Set of Signs:

EATING         MAKES YOU          ST JOHNS 
PASTA            FASTA            SPAGETTI
                                   DINNER

Best Ride: Orrville to Wellington... rolling countryside with no headwinds!

Goba Done - 272 Miles

is enough. Met a 6th cousin Friday night who teaches English in Tokyo, Japan. It is a funny old, small old world. Saturday was the best day with rolling countryside that you blast through in high range. And I was not forced into granny gear ONCE! 7 days of camping is enough for me. Sleeping in a bed will seem like such luxury!

One more example of GOBA humor from Grandma's GOBA Gang.

Holmes County Bicycling

There is nothing more to add.

Goba Friday...

and I am in Orrville, Ohio, home of the Smucker Company. Ride today was long and hilly, but I made it in one piece and reasonably on time. No rain yet, but tomorrow may be wet. I'll get up early to give myself the best chance to stay dry. No Amish farmers working hay today, but a lot is on the ground drying. Mostly they were feeding us today. 50 miles tomorrow (40 would be better) and the 20th GOBA will be over! About damn time! I'm ready to reacquaint myself with the wonders of flush toilets!

GOBA Wednesday

It is wonderfu to be whole again. No problem with the ride today. For the first time ever I arrived before the luggage trucks arrived. I did make my own way for the last 5 miles, bypassing some ugly hills. I wanted to stay in one piece! All is well except this part of the world does not gove me cell phone service... but then you can't have everything. One more day off and then the hard ride is on Friday. But I already know how to dodge the first set of hills... hey, every little bit helps.

View for My Front Door

6:48 PM, Monday, June 16, 2008

GOBA Humor

I laughed out loud!

Funny on so many levels

GOBA Prayer Flags

I dedicate this picture to my nephew Eric who will finish his long retreat in Mirik, India in September. I doubt me they have tie-dye prayer flags there!

GOBA Sunrise

GOBA Day Off

At least for the lazy ones like myself. For those with too much energy there is a tough 100 miles to Bolivar and back from Gobaville here in Mt. Vernon. My left leg didn't give me any pain last night... a good sign. I did have pain in my left leg Sunday night is I didn't keep it in a certain position. After yoga this morning, I worked over both calfs, and the left had a knot the size of a large lemon. I worked on it as best I could. There will be another session with a massuse today for sure!

Found a store that lets me print 4x6 photos from my compact flash card. So I can send my grandchildren pictures instead of my hideous drawings! Please let me know if and when your children receive any of these in the mail, Colin and Katie. I figure they will show up in Oregon about the time I get home... sigh!

I have carefully checked maps and tomorrow's ride will be fairly flat. So I have a good chance of getting thru that. If so, I can SAG it Friday and Saturday if need be. After the second SAG ride, you have to leave GOBA. That would be Saturday... and DUH! It's OVER! It is always good to have a backup plan.

Yoga felt really good today... gotta keep going with that!

GOBA Sunday and Monday

We started on Wellington, Ohio... the quinessential small town. Nice place. The ride to Galion, however, was a challenge. About halfway I took a spill. No real damage, just some road rash on my left knee and twisted handlebars. Both were repaired quickly, but it really knocked the stuffing out of me... or so I thought. Most of this ride was west, into a stiff wind. And it wore down everyone. One friend I met later that night was TOAST. It turned out I was no worse off than anyone else.

We camped in Hesse Park and it was perfect, minus the thunderstorm that knocked the tents around a bit. The good news was we did not have to evacuate to a shelter.

I have not been doing yoga on this GOBA because of my eye problems. With no place to eat breakfast, I just headed out of town ASAP. Bad idea as my left leg just was not working well. Middle gear range was all I could muster... bummer. Then when I hit a really tough hill, I got off the bike to walk... an even worse idea as I could not walk on my left leg. All I could do was lean on the bike and hobble up to the top. All I could think was "How long do I have to wait for a SAG wagon?" I gingerly made it to the AM snack stop where they had a great hot breakfast. Thank you, Lexington!

The next leg was a breeze... flat bike trail that I could ado without any problem. Things were looking up! After lunch, the hills started again and it was NOT GOOD. Very not good... so I went even slower. Thank God there is no reverse on a bike or I would have been using that! I managed to get to the edge of Mt Vernon gingerly, but the damned hill at the edge of town killed me. Near the top of it, the slightest change of position of my left leg was agony and this after I had taken two painkillers. That was the worst spot. I made it to camp and put up the tent... VERY important in thunderstorm territory... and hobbled over to the massage tent. 15 minutes later there was no pain and I could walk normally! Go figure! Apparently it was all tightness in my left leg whatevers... several words were thrown at me that didn't connect. In the final analysis, it seems my not doing yoga was the cause of all my pain. And as I was breaking camp I did get a big clue. One muscle in my left leg seized up so violently that I could not move! So yoga is back into my GOBA routine. And we shall see if all is well.

I did start drawing postcards for my grandchildren and sending them. They hopefully won't mind the cartoonish drawing!

GOBA Starts Today

and with any luck I will have a bike to ride. I had to switch to a mountain bike to be able to sit up straighter. All that junk in my left eye is vexing me, though the doc says it will go away and riding a bike is not a problem. I managed to trash one of the pedals on Thursday and have spent most of my time since then trying to get it fixed.

I have a new food plan this year, thanks to Patricia. She suggested using the 99 cent tuna fish snacks at Dollar Tree... great idea! Breakfast is a problem as most small towns we stay in don't have anywhere enough seats to feed 3000 people in a morning! and the bag breakfasts are very unfriendly to diabetics. I found reduced sugar instant oatmeal at Kroger... so I'm doing what the hikers on the Appalacian Trail do... eating a cold breakfast of instant oatmeal with milk in a plastic bag. YUM! It will get me on the road quickly and with luck I can have eggs somewhere down the road.

I'll post something when I can get to a computer over the next week. Patricia tells me the thunderstorms are over and the weather will be cool for a change. 100 degrees and 60 miles to go on a bike is not a beautiful thing. the other good news is the very dark glasses I wear on the bike make it impossible to see the crap floating around in my eye!

cheers,
40m

Bummed

While working on the soon to be art gallery this morning, I had a stranger floater appear as I was bending over. It was like a bit of black in poured on the surface of water. A call to my cousin with the most eye problem experience confirmed that it was probably leakage of blood somewhere in the eye. At least it is a small amount and it is not getting any worse. I already had an eye appointment for next Wednesday, so all I can do is wait. Does not appear to be a detached retina, but I wonder if GOBA is in my future this year. Time will tell.

UPDATE: Had my Wednesday appointment on Monday morning, first thing. The good news is that I don't have a detached retina as I thought from last night's light flashes. The bad news is it is just "old age" and with luck will go away in a while. Whatever a while is!

The Blessing of Rain

It was dry in Central Ohio before the rains came early this week. After 5 inches of rain, the dry has been fixed! Sometimes there can be too much of a good thing. Cousin tells me we will need another rain for the soybeans to come up, as the 90 degree weather starting today will bake an inpenetrable layer on the surface. Still, rain is a blessing. Without it, nothing can grow!

I personally have seen water on roads where I have never seen it before.

1003 Miles on a Bicycle This Year

That was the good news. The bad news was one rock ruined both tires and tubes. In reality both needed replacing since GOBA starts in two weeks, so I"m trying to believe that rock did me a favor. The replacement tires are supposed to last 11000 miles... I sure hope so!

311 Bike Miles in May

I finally managed to average 10 miles a day for an entire month! What I didn't do was get to 1000 in May. I'm sitting at 979 and I have a wedding reception that takes up the rest of THIS day.

The Deverry Novels Are Coming To An End

The Shadow Isle, the next to last of this series of novels, was just published. The last, The Silver Mage, will probably be published early next year. I have been reading then over the 20 years they have been published. I read the first set so long ago that I remember almost nothing of them. This would be the forth set and it is probably the best of the lot. I was astonished! Try them if you can stomach Celtic fantasy novels.

Hundred Acre Woods

In dealing with lawyer crap, I had to find the number of acres of woods on the farm. The answer astonished me: 100.4 acres. My thoughts went immediately to Winnie the Pooh. Our woods spread across 4 sites of from 2 to 56 acres. Still it equals the Hundred Acre Woods!

Farming Equipment Keeps Getting Bigger!

Cousin Mike's new planter. It is 42 feet wide. With both markers unfolded (they are folded over the top of the planter), the wingspan is 82 feet. OY!

Emma Very First Birthday Cake

Giraffes are in!

Cistern Sinkhole

This cistern was part of the sheep barn that someone set fire 30 years ago. It is brick lined and water from the roof was collected here to provide a water source for the barn. The top of it collapsed leaving this 6 foot diameter hole in the ground. My cousin and I spent most of the afternoon filling it with rocks. Even with a backhoe, it was more work than I wanted to do on a Sunday afternoon!

"Looks like you've been sorting tomcats!"

Geraldine was walking in the parking lot near her house and a car backed out (thankfully slowly) knocking her down. The only damage done was two black eyes and a knot on her forehead. Astonishing given she is 95! When my brother-in-law saw her last night, the words in the title was the first thing he said. And we all laughed, even Geraldine.

Tori's Half Marathon Finish

Did Corey ever catch this perfectly! Good job, Tori! Thanks to everyone who supported Tori so well.

Women's After Friday Society

Left: Ailene Davidson, top center: Dot Hunter, right: Jody Goodyear, and bottom center: my mother. They played on Friday nights and husbands were not included! Thanks, Tori, for finding this piece of history in the basement.

May Flowers

Left to right: Ohio spiderwort, dame's rockets, brambles