Wednesday, May 23, 2007
More Spring Fun
We're having lots of fun in the warmer spring weather. The girls love naked time outside. And inside, too.
Yesterday was my birthday. I told Audrey in the morning while I was making us oatmeal, and she said "Daddy, can I have some of your birthday?" I said, "Of course!"
Carol and I did a little swing dance demo at Audrey's preschool. The kids were enthralled. Even though Carol and I only dance once or twice a year in public (we dance pretty often for a song or two after dinner with each of us holding a girl), we still remember how to do it pretty well. And we love dancing together - it's how we met and the fact we enjoyed dancing with each other so much is a major reason we're here together now.
A while back Carol was cleaning out her closet with help from Audrey and Charlotte. Audrey discovered a flower-print negligee that she fell in love with. She hasn't gone to bed without it since. It is now her "nightgown".
Dennis (Carol's dad) and I split the cost of a USB turntable that was on sale at Costco.com. For the past week I've been "ripping" vinyl albums. I have about 1000 albums that have been in boxes since 1997. It's a trip down memory lane seeing and hearing them again. Obviously I can't rip them all - I'm picking the ones that are not easily available on CD (and that I haven't already replaced on CD). It takes about an hour per album (playing time for the record plus some manual processing one has to do).
Pussycat, Pussycat
Labels:
family
Audrey liked a Tom Jones song she heard in the car today. It's on a CD that her friend Harper made for her. Tonight she was singing it in the back yard while running around with Charlotte.
Carol's Auction Furniture
For the third year in row, Carol hand painted children's furniture as the contribution for Audrey's class to the Phinney Neighborhood Center/Phinney Neighborhood Co-op Preschool annual fundraising auction. The first year she painted a table and chairs and last year she painted Adirondack chairs. This year it was a table and chairs again, with an "art" theme.
After the auction, Carol got several inquiries about doing commissioned work for people. Carol is considering starting a business doing this and is pondering thing like how much to charge and how to save some of the labor time. We'll see.
The interior isn't finished yet, but Carol got to use her studio in the new garage for the project. There is progress on that front: the plumbing is now roughed in and gets inspected tomorrow. Once that passes, we're ready for the final framing inspection, then insulation and drywall. We might finish the garage, yet!
Monday, May 14, 2007
2007 Inland Empire Century
Labels:
cycling
Saturday, May 12 was the date for the 2007 edition of the Inland Empire Century, a supported bike ride put on by the Tri-City Bicycle Club. I had done this ride in 2005 with two friends and enjoyed the route. It's a great chance to get in a 100-mile ride early in the season.
Coincidentally, Richland happens to be Carol's hometown so doing this ride also means we get to visit Carol's parents. All the grandparents are back in their northwest homes after wintering in their southwest homes. So on Friday Audrey and Charlotte got to see all four of their grandparents on the same day, albeit with a 200 mile drive in between.
Those same friends from 2005 originally said they were going to do the ride this year as well, plus a couple more. But they all bailed over the past couple of weeks, leaving little ol' me to do it all by myself. That diminished my motivation a little, but I really wanted those miles. Last year I got in a lot of miles early in the season and it gave me a base for the best biking season I've had in many years. I plan to repeat the experience from now on.
I made it to the start by 7:15 and started riding at 7:30 sharp. Within a couple of miles I found myself riding with another guy about my age, from Pendleton, OR. We rode side by side along the river path on the Pasco side of the river, but when I got a front flat at about mile 12 I told him to ride on without me. Fortunately, that flat was obvious and easy to fix by just pulling out a few inches of the tube and patching it.
The ride has 25, 50, 75 and 100-mile routes. They all share the beginning portion, so I was always around other riders. But once the 25 mile route split off and the rest headed for Benton City, riders became a lot more sparse. At the first food stop at 22 miles I saw a group of about 9 fast riders go by without stopping. They were apparently a local club because the food stop volunteers yelled to them. That was the only paceline I saw all day long. I wish I had been riding when they passed me, I could have jumped on (after asking, of course).
The winds were hard to figure out all day. Sometimes I'd feel like I was fighting a headwind, but I'd look at my computer and see 23mph. I can't do that pace into a headwind, so obviously it wasn't. Other times I'd feel the same resistance and I'd be going 17mph - obvious headwind. Hmmm.
I endured the most boring part of the ride, a long straight stretch along a frontage road to Benton City, refueled, and headed for the big climb of the ride - up Weber Canyon to the high plateau of Horse Heaven Hills. At the bottom of the climb, though, I got my second flat - on the rear this time. This ride is famous for flats, mostly caused by tackweek (aka goat's head or "bendies"). This time I found a tackweed thorn in my tire. I contemplated putting in protective tire strips before the ride but didn't because I had just installed new tires that are supposed to have a puncture-resistant layer. I guess it doesn't resist tackweed.
My legs were mixed all day, switching back and forth from tired to strong. Little rollers would bring me to a crawl, but big climbs would feel good. Very weird. Weber Canyon actually felt pretty good and I sustained a 10mph pace. I passed a few people and was only passed by one rider almost at the top. Fortunately, after leaving the water stop at the top the winds were cross to tail for the long straight due-west stretch across Horse Heaven Hills. I felt pretty good the whole way and kept up a steady 21-22mph. Even for the little climb before the big drop down to Prosser I felt pretty good. The descent is a couple of miles of 6% grade that are fun but a little scary with gusty crosswinds. My top speed was 43mph.
From Prosser at 64 miles the route follows the Old Inland Empire Highway back to Benton City at 82 miles. I found myself practically staring at the odometer wishing the miles would go by. But it was purely mental because physically I was doing fine. In fact, the winds were obviously at my back because I was doing long stretches at 24mph again. I made a quick stop at the food stop at Benton City, but when I went to leave my rear tire was flat again. OK, my third flat repair of the day. But then when I went to leave again, my front tire was flat. Sheesh! Fortunately right then a sag vehicle pulled in with a floor pump so I didn't have to make my arm fall off trying to get 110 lbs. into the tires with my hand pump.
OK, only 18 miles to go. A few mixed winds along the way, but overall not too bad. No big hills. At 2:30 I rode into the start/finish area. 102 miles in 5:45 (riding time) for a 17.7mph average. Given that I didn't draft for an inch the whole ride, I'm pretty happy with that pace.
I downed my traditional polish sausage at the finish and rested for a couple of minutes, then grabbed my bike to ride 2 miles back to Carol's parents' house. I had another front flat! There was no way I was going to repair another one, so I just pumped it up as far as I felt like and rode it home. I made it. 5 flats in one day is a new record for me.
Back at the in-law's house I pretty much collapsed for the rest of the day. I rallied to walk the kids to the playground with Carol, but mercifully a storm started brewing so we headed back to the house and the sofa. I was pretty hammered.
The sponsoring club's web site now says that 279 people ended up registering for the ride and 155 of those signed up for 100 miles. It sure felt like fewer riders than that were on the road. I had long stretches of seeing no one. Other than the tackweed, this is a great ride. I think they should market it more to people like me from the west side of the mountains. The weather was perfect and the scenery is beautiful. Even the drivers are nice - only one driver passed me unsafely all day long.
Next big ride: The 7 Hills of Kirkland on Memorial Day. My loser friends assure me they'll actually ride that one with me.
Coincidentally, Richland happens to be Carol's hometown so doing this ride also means we get to visit Carol's parents. All the grandparents are back in their northwest homes after wintering in their southwest homes. So on Friday Audrey and Charlotte got to see all four of their grandparents on the same day, albeit with a 200 mile drive in between.
Those same friends from 2005 originally said they were going to do the ride this year as well, plus a couple more. But they all bailed over the past couple of weeks, leaving little ol' me to do it all by myself. That diminished my motivation a little, but I really wanted those miles. Last year I got in a lot of miles early in the season and it gave me a base for the best biking season I've had in many years. I plan to repeat the experience from now on.
I made it to the start by 7:15 and started riding at 7:30 sharp. Within a couple of miles I found myself riding with another guy about my age, from Pendleton, OR. We rode side by side along the river path on the Pasco side of the river, but when I got a front flat at about mile 12 I told him to ride on without me. Fortunately, that flat was obvious and easy to fix by just pulling out a few inches of the tube and patching it.
The ride has 25, 50, 75 and 100-mile routes. They all share the beginning portion, so I was always around other riders. But once the 25 mile route split off and the rest headed for Benton City, riders became a lot more sparse. At the first food stop at 22 miles I saw a group of about 9 fast riders go by without stopping. They were apparently a local club because the food stop volunteers yelled to them. That was the only paceline I saw all day long. I wish I had been riding when they passed me, I could have jumped on (after asking, of course).
The winds were hard to figure out all day. Sometimes I'd feel like I was fighting a headwind, but I'd look at my computer and see 23mph. I can't do that pace into a headwind, so obviously it wasn't. Other times I'd feel the same resistance and I'd be going 17mph - obvious headwind. Hmmm.
I endured the most boring part of the ride, a long straight stretch along a frontage road to Benton City, refueled, and headed for the big climb of the ride - up Weber Canyon to the high plateau of Horse Heaven Hills. At the bottom of the climb, though, I got my second flat - on the rear this time. This ride is famous for flats, mostly caused by tackweek (aka goat's head or "bendies"). This time I found a tackweed thorn in my tire. I contemplated putting in protective tire strips before the ride but didn't because I had just installed new tires that are supposed to have a puncture-resistant layer. I guess it doesn't resist tackweed.
My legs were mixed all day, switching back and forth from tired to strong. Little rollers would bring me to a crawl, but big climbs would feel good. Very weird. Weber Canyon actually felt pretty good and I sustained a 10mph pace. I passed a few people and was only passed by one rider almost at the top. Fortunately, after leaving the water stop at the top the winds were cross to tail for the long straight due-west stretch across Horse Heaven Hills. I felt pretty good the whole way and kept up a steady 21-22mph. Even for the little climb before the big drop down to Prosser I felt pretty good. The descent is a couple of miles of 6% grade that are fun but a little scary with gusty crosswinds. My top speed was 43mph.
From Prosser at 64 miles the route follows the Old Inland Empire Highway back to Benton City at 82 miles. I found myself practically staring at the odometer wishing the miles would go by. But it was purely mental because physically I was doing fine. In fact, the winds were obviously at my back because I was doing long stretches at 24mph again. I made a quick stop at the food stop at Benton City, but when I went to leave my rear tire was flat again. OK, my third flat repair of the day. But then when I went to leave again, my front tire was flat. Sheesh! Fortunately right then a sag vehicle pulled in with a floor pump so I didn't have to make my arm fall off trying to get 110 lbs. into the tires with my hand pump.
OK, only 18 miles to go. A few mixed winds along the way, but overall not too bad. No big hills. At 2:30 I rode into the start/finish area. 102 miles in 5:45 (riding time) for a 17.7mph average. Given that I didn't draft for an inch the whole ride, I'm pretty happy with that pace.
I downed my traditional polish sausage at the finish and rested for a couple of minutes, then grabbed my bike to ride 2 miles back to Carol's parents' house. I had another front flat! There was no way I was going to repair another one, so I just pumped it up as far as I felt like and rode it home. I made it. 5 flats in one day is a new record for me.
Back at the in-law's house I pretty much collapsed for the rest of the day. I rallied to walk the kids to the playground with Carol, but mercifully a storm started brewing so we headed back to the house and the sofa. I was pretty hammered.
The sponsoring club's web site now says that 279 people ended up registering for the ride and 155 of those signed up for 100 miles. It sure felt like fewer riders than that were on the road. I had long stretches of seeing no one. Other than the tackweed, this is a great ride. I think they should market it more to people like me from the west side of the mountains. The weather was perfect and the scenery is beautiful. Even the drivers are nice - only one driver passed me unsafely all day long.
Next big ride: The 7 Hills of Kirkland on Memorial Day. My loser friends assure me they'll actually ride that one with me.
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