Thanks

I'm thankful for great family, friends and to all those that helped pave the way for us to afford the blessed lives we live today. Here's to the upkeep of that fresh pavement.

Babe

Got another Dirt Rag cover under my belt. This was the first large painting I've attempted since my crash/surgery, and the arm hurts, but I have a backlog of projects and images in my head from those 6 months that need to get out. The final printed piece looks a bit different because the art director tweaked the color a bit. I don't mind it, but I like this better. Let's title it Babe

Pets

Thinking it's time the kids get a pet of their own. No, not a Zhu Zhu POS - they played with that maybe 15 minutes. Something low budget and small. Fish are high maintenance, and I know I'll be the maintenancer... same with hamsters and gerbils which freak the Mrs out anyway... No, I think I'll get them a bird. Not the birds that will out live me and even them maybe - I mean a pigeon.

My older bro and I each had a pigeon as a pet as kids. My cousin raised them for what I don't know but we got them when young and they were our pets. They were "outside" birds. Mine used to land on my shoulder while I was mowing the lawn on Dad's old Sears rider. His name was Dusty. Our black cat, Coco -- the one with the limp, dead tail because it almost got cut off by the fan blade in the engine bay of the '65 Chevy 3/4T -- ate him.

Fear of Needles in Haystacks

I once found somebody's contact lens in the gravel parking lot of the old high school. Another time, found a tiny eyeglasses screw dropped in the grass that somebody was looking for. I think it has to do with my ability to see detailed pictures in my head - and as I scan an area I can align the mental image transparency with the actual thing - so it stands out. Kinda like 3D movie glasses. Annette says it's a gift. I say it's a curse.

Almost Full

It appears I've gotten my fill of this blogging thing. Somewhere I read most blogs never see their 100th post and mine, also, may very well become a statistic.

Meanwhile, I'll think of projects to post to get caught up on documenting crap. I'm not racing CX so there ain't much to talk about on the cycling side. It's been a busy summer and my lack of August post solidifies my belief that the entire month of August should just go away. 85° 6am rides, $350 electrical bills, no holidays, back-to-this and that... Enough already. Perhaps the decay of Autumn will fertilize some thoughts. Yeah.

Above's a pic I took w/an old 4MP camera, holding 8x binoculars in front of the lens and having a steady hand. You can see the crater Tycho and its rays pretty well.

Let the camping weather begin.

Just to get up that hill...

A year ago this week I was on top of a couple mountains.

Colorado is calling again. No MTBing for a while (arm still healing) but I could knock out a few more 14ers, no problem.

Persistence

These cardinals are setting a great example for me as I continue getting my arm strength and range back. This male and his lady friend are in a jihad against every window reflection on the back of our home. They are pissed, but persistent. One could say perpissedent. Starts at 5:20am until 9pm every day for the past couple weeks. Take time to reflect. Look in the mirror and ask if this is who you really want to be. Do whatever it is you know you need to do to become the person you want to see. Then go ride your bike!