Fall Ride

sunday afternoon in mid-october...after what seems like a month of rain i escaped to dillon for a relaxed afternoon ride as the colors are starting to turn and the air is turning crisper and crisper as we tick off the days of autumn...i rode solo today as dillon was just a short little side trip from my mom's house where vera was dropped off for an afternoon of pampering....i had forgotten about all the roots and mainly rocks at dillon but it was one of those days and everything rolled so smoothly under the tires allowing me to truly enjoy the beauty of the day and the solitude of the woods...seriously i only saw two riders during my time on the trails...but squirrels, they were everywhere darting up and down trees, across the trails, under the leaves, here, there and everywhere...i pulled to the side of the trail to let the two bikers pass in the opposite direction and randomly look down to see this heart rock staring back at me...one more thing to bring a smile to my face...

and to top of the ride, i get back to my mom's to find a hot plate of chicken and mashed potatoes ready for dinner and a tired, tired vera....i have been trying to motivate myself to post about squam but it still seems like just yesterday so my next installment will be all about my most memorable excursion to new hampshire.

Labor Day Weekend

Three and a half action packed days, not enough sleep but as I sit here ready to jump into the work week ahead, I do feel refreshed and ready to go. It could be the fact it"s a short week or that Lani will be arriving from Novia Scotia on Thursday or our upcoming departure for New Hampshire less than a week...but most of all it is the wonderful weekend filled with friends...old and new. The weekend started off with a wedding on Saturday, a quiet Saturday night with Kim and a good bottle of wine but the highlight was Sunday night's fire. We had our normal cast but extended a warm 2000 degree welcome to Jen, Stefani, Amy and Steve. We have started losing the sun earlier and earlier, the evening temperatures are cooling off all signs of the start of fire season at Good Manor - so keep those weekend night open because if we are in town there is always the possibility of a spontaneous gathering.

summer 2009

well i am back and can't believe i have not posted since may - but the summer has seemed to pass just that quickly. i had grand plans of posting of our wonderful trip through chicago and onto valley ridge for a week. but really what more can be said about valley ridge??? it is truely a place to get away, to feel the magic and beauty of what wisconisin has to offer and then add the smiles, love and laughter that kathy and bill to make the whole VR experience surreal and new time and time again. chicago was, well as expected, a lot of laughs and general foolery with laura and jane. we can alway shave a good time regardless if it is two hours or two days.

unfortunately, i had a mtb crash just before going to wisconisin so my riding was cut short due to some residuals and then was ordered off the bike until July -- man, was that tough - to feel OK but not have an outlet for all that physical energy---but do not fret I am back on my bike and note taking another chance to ride this year for granted.
the summer has been and interesting one for me to say the least. i have worked a lot on getting to know myself which has really enriched my relationships with many and opended the door to new ones...have i changed? have you noticed a difference?? maybe yes and maybe no - but i embrace the opportunity to be able to start each day with a smile on my face and an eagerness to start the new adventure of the day. so, ok. yes, I may have chnaged a little and a mere couple of months ago would not have published this for the world to see...i have learned that being true to yourself can make all the difference...i will embrace my life for what it is and make the most of everyday....enjoy a few shots of summer mixed in a slew of self portraits courtesy of my blackberry, darius.

after watching a discovery channel special with deb and kelly in the dead of winter, we have all been planning a trip to check out the beaches in erie for some beach glass treasures, sure we did not repel down the ocean side cliff and collect strainers and strainers of glass as they did in oregon but we did collect a little glass and had our own little adventuresome rumble (or tumble in deb's case) down to the last beach...kim had the beach glass find of the trip, stop by her blog to see her yellow treasure...but we all came away with some glass, heart rocks, smooth rocks and other unique finds...we hit a few of my favorite erie county spots...arts bakery has the worlds best iced sugar cookies, a must stop. in an effort to keep this a low budget trip and competing with local graduations we ended up staying at the microtel, yes i typed that right the microtel -- it was not as bad as anticipated we did have microrooms but they were clean microrooms so all was well in hotel land. a quick trip to the erie cemetary to snap a few shots before we headed back to ohio. back in ohio we spent the week in anticipation of kim's new arthroscopy which i can report was successfully completed yesterday..now the rehab begins but we have to accelerate the process so kim is ready for our june much anticipated excursion to wisconsin and valley ridge...we are counting down the days!

Nest of Stones

since moving into good manor we have been blessed by the ever present killdeer...the killdeer make their nests on the ground typically in stone and gravel. the first year at good manor, we had our first experience with the killdeer and their nests. the killdeers defense/protection mechanism is diversion, if their nest is in danger they will move away from their nest acting as if their wing is injured, squawk loudly, and even roll on the ground for added effect...yes, i was fooled the first time this happened but after a little research was very impressed by the little guys acting skills. this year a pair of killdeer have decided our driveway was the perfect place to lay their eggs...first one, then two and finally all four. the incubation period is 24 to 28 days which puts their hatching date smack dab in the middle of our trip to valley ridge, hopefully the family will still be around when we return but by then the little ones will be off and running. unlike most birds, killdeer are in their eggs longer and come out eyes open ready to fend for themselves...i really hope we get to see them upon our return to good manor...in the meantime, our wheelbarrow sits right in the middle of our turn around to protect the nest from unsuspecting vehicles.

we are off to erie this weekend to explore some beaches with deb and kelly...looks like it may be a soggy treasure hunt but we are always up for an adventure!

Wood Turning - Take One

Last week I took my first wood turning class and I am hooked...already checking Craigs List for used wood lathes. I was of course the odd one out in class, three retired men and one guy in his mid-forties all telling old shop class stories....but I am ready for my next class...ready for more pens, then spindles, then bowels and pepper mills...the possibilities are endless. I was looking at an on-line woodturning catalog today and saw a couple kits that I already have ideas on how to alter and put my own spin on it or would it be turn on it...ok enough...here are a couple shots of the process...of course I did not get a shot of the blank before we started but you will get the idea.............stay tuned for more.............

spring travels

settling back into life at good manor after an april full of travel...i spent a week, well week and a half, traveling to north carolina, california and then back to north carolina. the first part of my trip was spent riding and camping with my COMBO mountain biking friends. the weather couldn't have been better and the trails were picture perfect. yes, there was a lot of climbing but what goes up...must come down.....after getting my dirt fix, i headed west to spend a couple wonderful days in the mountains with a sweet, sweet friend - noreen even made an appearance here and there and provided us with several laughs - all kidding aside i felt so at home in this little part of the world - it truly was beautiful and mesmerizing. my carolina trip was interrupted by a quick business trip to napa but after flying overnight on thursday, i arrived back in asheville safely, albeit a bit tired. it was so nice to be welcomed back to the mountains with open arms...saturday's drive on the parkway will never be forgotten, nor will the congested jaunt through cherokee...what a sight!! i know i have said it before but thank you nina for a wonderful visit to your mountains....plenty of beauty along with a good deal of laughter...i can't think of a better way to usher in spring.