Morning ride

I got out this morning and decided to replicate a ride I did a little over seven years ago.  I got on the Steed and headed south and east out to Temple Israel.

The Temple has some fine raised beds where they are growing onions.

On the way out I went through Millwood, a golfing community.  On the way back I tackled FR 186 and its infamous valley.

I barely made half the speed limit going downhill!

Coming back into town I went by the community garden that was built by Schweitzer Methodist Church.

Arrived home with 20+ miles, and that not on the road bike!

Finally, I put up a new clothes line for us to use this summer.  Already, my goal is to not drop a second [!] clothes pin.  The past has come to haunt me!

Stay happy,

 

Here and there, this and that

Just a few photos of recent events.

In my last post I mentioned I had one more bike lock/cable to get open.  I found the one pictured below on the streets of Springfield, locked.  It is reprogrammable with any one of 10,000 possible combinations.  So I set to work trying to open it by starting with the first possible combination of 0-0-0-0 and going to 9-9-9-9.  No luck.  So I tried it again.  The same failure.  I went online and watched videos about how to lock pick.  I didn’t have the right tools….  I put it out in the garage and told Jan I would cut the lock off some day and at least get a good cable out of the deal.

A couple of weeks later I was working on the Christmas Luminaries that we put out Christmas Eve.  I took a glance at the lock and it was as you see below.  Open.  I thought for a second, “Did I get that open and not remember?”  No.  I failed.  Twice.  But there it was.  I removed the open lock from the cable.  I now had a usable cable!  The lock combination was at 0-0-0-0.  I said, “Hoover, you have nothing to loose” and locked it.  I pulled on it and it opened up!  I have no explanation.  Weeks before I had twice tried that combination to no avail.  Now, just hanging in the garage, set to 0-0-0-0, it fell open.  If the combination had been different, it would still be locked.  I reprogrammed it and it is now usable once more.

Please don’t ask as I have no idea what to say.

I mentioned the luminaries.  This is a project I look forward to each year.  I remelt wax and cast new votive candles.

Pieces of wax and melting pot on the left. Candle forms on the right

Jan and whoever of the family is present helps me set them out after sundown.  This year we were on our own.  Sarah and her boyfriend were in Ecuador for a few months.  Sam and Family stayed in Colorado Springs.  In fact, we left to visit them the morning of 26 December.

Representative of the Star of Bethlehem that gave guidance to the three wise men.

We arrived in the Springs the evening of the 26th.  Cora’s second birthday was the next day!  They now live in a house and I do not miss the 39 steps up [and down] to their old third floor condo anymore!!!

Jan with Cora, Max, and Evie.

Sam and Katie got a cat for the family while we were there.  I noticed this cat food while we were out getting supplies.

Feed your cat’s soul?? Really now, people! What happened to plain common sense? Really!

Stay happy,

Road Swag

Major success

This was the third bikelock/cable combination I have found this year.  Two of them have been solved.  One more to go.

Stay Happy,

Columbia Trails

Our daughter has moved to Columbia, Mo., and we went there last weekend to visit her and her man, Patrick, who owns Renew Missouri.  This company advocates for more clean energy in our state.

Saturday afternoon Jan attended a yoga workshop put on by Sarah while Patrick and I headed out to do some of Columbia’s famous trails.  I had brought the Steed along for this very purpose.

We got on the MKT Fitness Trail from a center city trailhead. This trail connects Columbia with the Missouri State Park KATY Trail.

This Fitness Trail is a rails to trails project.  I fell in love with it.  I don’t want to gush too much, but I applaud Columbia and their Parks Department for the work put into the trail system in the city.  It reminded me of Colorado Springs.

I guess one can find these all over.

We turned off a few times to explore a secondary spur, trail head, or city park.  One spur had a 100 foot climb that included a switchback.  I thought of Gerry!

Once outside the urban center of Columbia, the trail turns to packed limestone. We saw no evidence of rain washed damage, but then it has not rained here for quite a while.

Twin Lakes Recreation Area was our farthest point west.  It has a fenced in dog park that we walked through.  Before going in I asked Patrick if it was wise for cyclists to go through this area!  We thought about it and elected to walk.  No incident.

On the way back in we stopped at the Martin Luther King Memorial Garden. The granite pillars are inscribed with various quotes from the Reverend.

We stopped at the yoga studio and brought chocolate covered strawberries for everyone at the workshop.  They were happy.

Following that we went north to Patrick’s parent’s farm where we stayed for the night. They live about thirty minutes north of Columbia and west of Clark before one gets to Moberly.

Sunday morning breakfast included a quail egg omelet and homemade banana bread.

The neighbors across the road raise quail and supply Patrick’s parents with eggs. Tasted like regular chicken eggs.

On the return trip to Columbia that afternoon we stopped to enjoy Pinnacle Camp.  My phone camera would not cooperate so you will have to just trust me on this one.  The trees with their fall leaves were a beauty.

Possibly on our next visit Jan can bring her bike also and the four of us can do the trails.  I certainly plan to.

Stay happy,

Later

Moved into a new home.  That is what we found [and expected] when we visited Sam and Fam in Colorado Springs a while back.

It was interesting for me to note that the 6500′ elevation line went right through their back yard.

Perfect weather

We spent a day up at Rampart Reservoir

That was summer.  Now it is October.

Yes, you know what this is.

The last

Stay happy,

A few things

I know a lot of us have had nails or some type of spike through our tires.  I even save mine as some sort of trophy, “Look at what I survived!”  But this last week I had a close call and was not aware of it until one of the fellows I work with called it to my attention.

A nail through the inside edge of my right walking shoe.

As I said, I did not know it had happened.  The culprit now shares space with my other close calls.

This morning, Jan and I rode the Frisco Highline Trail, a well known rails to trails path in our neck of the woods.  We shared the path of other cyclists who participated in the Iron Horse Gravel Grinder.  Riding on gravel seems to have taken hold of a good size portion of the cycling population, but it will not get hold of me.

The section between Springfield and Willard is paved.

We found a few mulberry trees with ripening fruit, also too much poison ivy.

With a tip ‘o the chapeau to TP, this was the best photo I could get of a scissor-tailed flycatcher.

The state bird of Oklahoma.

We rode a bit over 25 kilometers and know that we have to improve as the year goes on.

Stay happy,

Holiday Ride

Jan and I finished our morning chores and headed out for lunch and a ride ’bout town.

Prior to checking on a friend’s home I became thankful I was wearing cycling gloves as I fell over at an intersection.  I could not get my foot out of the toe clip.

With this being Memorial Day weekend, most businesses are closed and traffic is sparse.

We picked up lunch at a sandwich shop and ate under the trees on the Drury University campus.

An empty campus with the Spring Term now ended.

Close by our lunch site were these flowers.

We picked mulberries as the raspberries are not out there yet.

The traffic will return tomorrow. Sigh.

Stay happy,

Finally a sunrise

This has been Bike To Work Week here in Springfield.  Some of us have tried to meet each morning to view the sunrise and afterward visit a local coffeehouse before heading on to work.  My workday begins at 0700 and the coffeehouse visit is not feasable.  But this morning we did get a sunrise after a few days of clouds.

We met at the top of an urban parking garage.

A couple of dads brought their children.  Jason’s daughter was having Bike Day at school so they decided to go all out by doing the sunrise and then riding home so she could pedal on to school.

A little trooper.

The Wednesday morning gathering was at a downtown park.  Some were enthusiastic.

Mike appears to be trying to get Kyle to do some type of stretching while Tracy just stands there.

After this week, the sunrise/coffee group will go back to meeting every other Wednesday.  With sunrise coming earlier I will be able to join more often.

Stay happy,

 

Sunrise and Coffee

We have a group here in Springfield that meets every other week on a Wednesday morning to watch the sunrise and drink coffee.  Afterwards, we head off to our respective jobs.  It was decided to meet each day this week as the city is having a Bike To Work Week in an effort to encourage healthy lifestyles.

Through the winter, they met at coffee shops as sunrise was too late for most of them.  I am able to join them for sunrise May through July as sunrise is earlier and I start my work at 0700.

This morning, clouds [post rain] prevented a viewing, but I was able to join Jason, Jackie, Keith, Chad, and Trevor for the meeting.

We met on a 100+ year old pedestrian bridge that goes over the railroad yard.

I plan on meeting them again on Wednesday and Friday.  Jan might come along on one of those times.

Stay happy,

Taxes at work

Yesterday and this morning I noticed two examples of Government At Work.

Now, I am not a big fan of government.  James Madison observed, “The necessity of any Government is a misfortune. This necessity however exists; and the problem to be solved is, not what form of Government is perfect, but which of the forms is least imperfect.”

When I think about it, there are examples of government almost everywhere I look, paved streets, traffic lights, a beautiful sunrise.  No, wait, not that last one.

Back to the two examples, I rode Southcreek Trail last evening and saw this bike repair stop.

A bike stand and a pump.

The pump worked well.

The other example is this group of workers patching a street at 6:15 this morning.

It was a large section to repair, so I guess they worked overnight.

Stay happy,

The day off

The present job requires a Monday through Friday, 0700-1530 schedule.  Weekends are off although I have on occasion had need to go in on a Saturday.

Not today.

I helped Jan with a Garden Plant Sale and afterward we were treated to a visit from our friends, Sam and Linda.

With my friend Sam

They had returned to the Ozarks from their time down in Florida for the Winter.  Jan and I might have to visit them also when we go see my mom sometime.

With the threat of frost now past, the garden is in full swing.

Onions in the closer two beds, then potatoes in the next. Green beans in the far right bed close to the fence [these planted by our granddaughter Evie]. Radishes in the far bed [planted by our grandson Max].

A final blessing to show is our lilac bush.  A single limb of it was a late bloomer for some reason.  We get to enjoy the aroma all over again!

Stay Happy,

Thinking …

An early May morning on the commute

I have been reading through my old blog posts over the past few days and realized how much fun I had and how much I enjoyed interacting with my blog buds.

I might have to pick up the pen again and continue on for a while.

Stay happy,

Here and there

Life is good in Ozarkland. Jan has wanted another raised bed and we started it on Saturday.

Dirt soon to come

With the serious threat of snow/ice now past, the commute occurs more often.  On the way home one day last week, I saw my bud Chris.

Jan and I got out Sunday afternoon found this tree all abloom.

Two beauties

Our street was repaired in sections.  The city did a fine job of it.  However, I ran across this section of the city wide Bike Path that had been patched up.

The cure was worse than the disease

Stay happy,

Facing Forward

I give a belated New Year’s greeting to my good readers.

Before turning to 2014 I take a short look back on 2013.

*******

With my dear Jan’s help and encouragement I was able to do a respectable 2700+ miles on the bike, most of them on the Steed, my city/trail bike.  I had no accidents this year for which I am thankful.

Last fall I had a bike fit with my road bike.  I had purchased a new saddle and thought it best to follow up with a professional fit.  Both the fit and saddle have worked out great.

Friends in England and elsewhere will be pleased to learn that I kept the Sock Drawer neat and tidy ALL YEAR.  My dear Jan might contest this interpretation, but I consider any pair of socks that has been rolled together as shipshape.

Other goals such as not stepping in dog poop or expanding the garden were met with ease.

2013 ended with a bang as our third grandchild, Cora Jayne Hoover, was born December 27.  She is adorable and we plan on seeing her and her siblings, Evie and Max, soon.

*******

2014 has brought plenty of snow which limits the commute, but snow melts after a time and cycling resumes.

I would like to get more road miles in this year and also more rail/trail miles.  Perhaps this will be the year Jan and I do [part of] the KATY.

For my birthday I asked for and received a pair of running shoes.  Cross training looms but I am not the long distance type when it comes to slapping the tarmac.  Two or three miles is reasonable.  Any advice from cycling/running friends is welcome.

The year still feels new to me.  I pray the best for all of you.

Stay happy,

Wonderful news

Cora Jayne was born yesterday at 3:19, Mountain Standard Time.  At 7 pounds and 6 ounces, she is 19½ inches long and lovely.  Congrats to Katie and Sam who are both doing fine.  Meme and Papa are not doing too badly either!

Cora Jayne Hoover

Stay Happy,