Mattie, Shelby and Aullie - In loving Memory

 

Words are hard to explain the joy and comfort that a family dog(s) can deliver.  They give you someone to hold when you feel blue.  They give you someone to talk to when no one else will listen, and somehow they understand every word.  If your single, they give you someone to come home to.  They are just as eager to see you, because they've missed you too.  Some how they make a bad day that much brighter.  They are always happy to see you, and want to spend as much time with you as possible....... and they love every minute of it.   I received this from a good friend a while back....It's called "Good Advice."

If a dog was the teacher you would learn stuff like:

When loved ones come home, always run to greet them.

Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.

Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.

When it's in your best interest, practice obedience.!

Take naps.

Stretch before rising.

Run, romp, and play daily.

Thrive on attention and let people touch you.

Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.

On warm days, stop to lie on your back in the grass.

On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.

When you're happy, dance around and wag your entire body.

No matter how often you're scolded, don't buy into the guilt thing and pout ... run right back and make friends.

Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.

Eat with gusto and enthusiasm. Stop when you have had enough.

Be loyal. Never pretend to be something you're not.

If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.

When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by and nuzzle them gently.

SS Ride with BFF

 This weekend I was invited to Micki's for some holiday baking and card making.  If anyone knows me well, you know I am not very creative, so I was a little skeptical about making the cards but the cookie dough did entice me!  She invited several friends over and had recipes for everyone.  I got there early to help get the kids cookies started.  I rolled out the dough, cut some cookies, and then the kids showed up and of course they wanted to help too! So I would roll it out and they would cut them and put them on the tray for baking.  It turned out that I was in charge of the oven , which was fine with me.  I would put the pans in and make sure they didn't burn.  This was my "out" for making cards... someone has to watch the oven!  I had a great time and I think I can tell you where just about everything is in Micki's kitchen. :)

Once everyone left and the house was clean, Steve came home from REI.  We ordered some pizza, of course I had to have some with meat on it and Micki got her veggie/spinach pizza.   Our bellies were full and my "Sweetness" (SS) was making some noise.   So Steve took a look at it for me.  All the while Micki and I are telling him stories from the day.  He did some modifications to my bike and now the brakes work better and the front brake doesn't rub.  Thanks Steve!

This morning we got up and had our oatmeal, a pre-ride staple. We decided to go to the McDowell Mountains on the Fountain Hills side.  As we get closer to the park there are some nasty looking rain clouds forming.  We were almost done with the ride as I took these pictures, you can see it really wants to rain and the clouds are getting darker and darker.

The ride itself was fun.  I got more used to the single speed and realized you can only go as fast as your gear, so in some spots I was pedaling, for nothing.  It was not making me go any faster.  I finally got into a "rhythm" and hit some rolling sections with some water boards.  That was fun... this bike is much lighter than my other bike and it seems like I can get more lift from it going off the water boards.  "I felt like E.T." One time I got major air and I even came down correctly... back wheel first!  It was awesome!  We are at the end and there is one last little hill, but you have to work hard for it.  Micki got there before me... no surprise... I came round the corner and started up.   She is digging in her pack looking for her Nano to take some video... I'm half way up the hill and I am standing up to pedal and going super slow.. yelling at her.."I can't go any slower hurry up and get it out before it's too late.... too late,......... I'm at the top".... we start laughing.   We get back to the car and change and it starts to rain.  We have such good luck, it usually holds off until we are done.

                                                     

 I had a great time this weekend and a great ride with Micki.  Good times!  No, that's not a cast on my arm, that is my wonder woman power band that helps me rock the 1 cog!!

I ROCKED THE 1 COG

Well, as you know, I got a Single Speed (SS) for my birthday.  It's a custom build with some fierce parts on it.  It also has an ENO eccentric hub and I'm runnin' 32-20.  I got to take it out for a spin last night.  We did trail 396 which is rated moderate to difficult.  Our friends Dan, Brady and Keith came along for the inaugural ride.

I got a small warm-up on the road before the trail head which helped.  It was pretty chilly (50 degrees)when we started and I need time for my lungs to warm up, and I got some spinning time with the SS to get used to it.   We start and they send me out in front... one I don't usually like to lead because my pace is quickened because I know someone is behind me and, I don't want to hold them up.  2... I like to take it easy!  So anyways, I start out, they give me a head start to be nice.  I get almost to the top of the first section......and here comes Andy, he is most impressed!  It took him quite a bit of time to catch up to me.  Once at the top, we determined this was the quickest I had ever made it up that section. I said "I was just pedaling and found the groove."

At the top however I did think I was going to die... my lungs were on fire and I had to stand up a couple of times to pedal.  I am not used that, so it took quite a bit energy.  We start out and now it is down hill and I let the guys go ahead, they have more weight and it carries them fasted.  I did however notice that I didn't get a much speed going down hill with my SS as with my geared bike.  But the funny thing is, Andy thought I was faster on the down hill than normal.. I said that it was because I was at a comfortable speed and didn't have to use my brakes as much.

We get to the Pond and now it is time for the hardest part of the trail.  I start off and get to a rocky patch of trail... I wasn't sure how this bike would do, so I lost some momentum, I made it over the rock, but then had to stop because I wasn't pedaling.  The SS is a hard tail and my geared bike is full suspension.  I am used to the rear suspension soaking up the bumps as I go over and not really losing any speed.. not so much with the hard tail.    As I continue I so wanted to stop a couple of times, but Brady was behind me, so I knew I couldn't stop without hearing about it, so I sucked it up and just pedaled as best I could.

Once we start going down I noticed I really like this bike... I felt very confident on it, I was able to make turns with more speed and steering  was easy.  I think this is due to the wider handle bars and the "meatier" tire on the front.

We went down Feldmier and that was a challenge.  One, there are lots of obstacles, but I made all of them. Yay, and then on to the rock garden.  I made it over, but I had some extra speed and almost ran into a fallen tree, but I saved it at the last minute.  I noticed I had to let some air out of the front fork because it is set for Andy and there was no give at all!  It was like I had no suspension on the front.

We finished in the dark... the last section was really dark and not my cup of tea, but we made it safely to the cars.  It was fun and I really enjoyed the bike.  I can't wait to try it again and see if I do as well now that I know how it rides.

Thanks everyone for the build!    Andy took some pictures but I haven't downloaded yet due to the battery being dead.  I will add later.