Cycling Buddies

Cycling friends are a very interesting group. You spend hours with them, in the heat, in the cold and even beautiful days.  You have long conversations about work, family, politics, sports and other things in life, yet you never see them except on the bike.

Last evening when I was at the bike shop purchasing new tires for my commuter bike, I finally met my buddy Don off the bike. I have been riding with Don for about three years. He evolved fro "the guy that rides in the sandals"; to John, until Big Dave told me his name was Don.

Since we are always in spandex, lycra, helmets and sunglasses, he was in the shop when I walked in and did not even recognize him. Plus you look ten times thinner in street cloths. Not until I heard his voice, did I realize it was Don. He made the same observation.

I hope I looked a little thinner in my suit.

Flat

Little slow on getting this on the blog.

I am very pleased how my cycle commuting puts me in a good mood for the day. It is peaceful on the way to the bus and I spend my workday looking forward to the ride home. Even my friends on the bus enjoy trying to spot me downtown as I headed home.

Even the flat I got on Tuesday could not ruin a 72 degree afternoon with a quartering tail wind.  Above is the screw that I got lodged in my tire.

Folks in Vietnam

I have been communicating with my Mom and Dad during their visit to Vietnam. It is amazing to me that through text messages and email, I have been staying up to date with their travels. Since they are 13 hours ahead of me, I am often confused because their today is my tomorrow.

Having never been in combat, I will never know what it is like to go visit my former battlefield, but that is what my Dad is doing. I have truly studied the Vietnam War, because it has such an impact on my family. I am just as proud of my Mom and Dad’s trip back to Vietnam as I am of my Dad’s two combat tours.

Here is an excerpt from the most recent email from my Mom explaining the end of their Washington and Lee University organized tour of Vietnam.

The rest of the tour departed for Cambodia this morning together with most of the other tours in the area departing as well, we have Saigon for ourselves with 9,000,000 others of assorted nationalities. We're going to mass this morning just to do it then wander around town for the rest of the day doing those things expected of American tourists. ...  .... Yesterday morning, we visited the Cu Chi tunnels close to where Dad spent the last three months of his first tour. Our guide, Thanh, purchased a tree which we planted for W&L, Company B, and all those fallen on both sides of the conflict. It was a moving experience to say the least. Dr. Barton Dick, W&L '62 and a combat Marine physician, Thanh, our guide, and Dad planted the tree together above the tunnel complex. (Thanh described the tunnels as the terminus for the Ho Chi Minh trail.Tomorrow it's on to Tay Ninh and Dau Tieng with a new guide arranged for us by Thanh, Hung. The weather is constant, 90 plus degrees with 90 plus humidity. It's funny, but first time visitors expected something else despite Dad's telling them otherwise - Shirley Shugart 03/06/2010

I think today, but it may be tomorrow (see above) my Dad will walk the battlefield of Soui Tre where he earned his Silver Star, March 19, 1967. Based on my Mom’s email, it will be quite an emotional experience. Just like his first trip, I believe this will be a life changing experience.

Manly Day!

Saturday was quite the manly day for me. It included a 2 ½ hour bike ride, the use of the reciprocal saw, a truck, a trailer and a trip to the brush pile at the back side of the Garden’s Park.

I have been procrastinating getting rid of the broken limbs from various storms over the past few years. The winter storms over the past few months have added to my ever growing brush pile. I had committed to Carol that I would take a day off and take care of the pile so it could be hauled away with the trash.

The City of Dalworthington Gardens, in their infamous wisdom, gave the citizens this weekend to haul all their broken limbs to the back side of the park for disposal. I am not real sure what they are going to do with them, but I concluded it was not my problem.

I borrowed a flat bed trailer from a buddy and Saturday afternoon, after a very nice bike ride, went to work. Due to very poor planning, or the desire to hide the brush pile from Carol, the brush pile is on the back side of our property. While Aedan and Carol watched, I hauled to broken limbs and brush to the to the trailer. It is important to note, that Aedan figured out what was going on and would pick up broken twigs and put them on the trailer for me.

I, of course, had to make some of the limbs a more manageable size, ergo the reciprocal saw. Nothing makes you feel manlier than cutting dead wood with a powerful tool. We hauled the trailer full of branches to the park. It was very clear that the citizens of Dalworthington Gardens were taken advantage of this free dumping. The size of the pile was amazing, about a half an acre at six feet tall. After unloading our trailer I helped a man unload his, but we had to move the truck to let the two more trucks in to continue utilizing the free service.

Any day that includes a helmet and power tools is a high testosterone day!

Cycle Commuting

I have a confession to make. Although I like the green-ness of cycle commuting, I really just do it for more time on the bike. This past Friday was the first time I got to cycle commute this year. My grand plan is to cycle commute as much as I can in the spring before it becomes ungodley hot and pick it back up again in the fall.

Considering the fact that I am not remotely close to my completive cycling shape, I will really need to cycle commute at least twice a week through March.

I ride from the house to the bus stop, put the bike on the bus bike rack and ride in. My parents bought me a really cool pannier for my commuting bike a few years ago. I it drapes over my rear rack, but it is garment bag. I get to work, shower, and change and at my desk in time to start my day.

I change in my office at the end of the day and ride home. It is about 16 or so miles from my work to the house, it takes me about an hour. I could tell on Friday it had been quite some time since I have ridden the commuting bike.

The only adventure on Friday was turning left into the driveway. Although I clearly signaled, looked back, made ey e contact, but an impatient driver still tried to pass me just as I was turning left. What completed the experience was that she gave me the middle finger as she went by…

Thank you voters!

I normally stay away from politics in my blog. I figure there are enough people out there with rants about this or that, that one more noisy voice in the crowd really is a waste of time.

That being said, thank you voters of Tarrant County for re-elected Joe Shannon as your Criminal District Attorney. Joe was appointed by Governor Rick Perry to replace Tim Curry, who passed away last April.

Although Joe just won the Republican Primary, there is no Democrat as an opponent in the fall, so that election is just a formality. “In the interest of Justice“ in Tarrant County will continue to be served.