Smokin' Spokes & More!

I've let long lapses occur between blog posts, and every once in a while I consider discontinuing the blog. However, just about the time I'm convinced no one is reading, someone will mention that they've enjoyed a post or a photo album. So, on the outside chance that someone out there is reading from time to time, I'll keep posting from time to time.

I've a few things to tell about starting with a great bike ride in Salado at the end of March. If you enjoy bike rides, Mark and I strongly recommend the Salado Smokin' Spokes ride benefitting the volunteer fire department. It is a well-organized, well-supported ride through a lovely area--and it starts and ends in Salado so what more could you want? We were happy to have much better weather this year (cold & windy last year), and because of that, I finished the ride in much better time this year. We did the 16 mile route and followed that up with a cup of coffee at Roy T's. Roy T's is a great stop for coffee & a beignet or other pastry--it's just off IH35, so you don't have to be a cyclist to enjoy a break there. The ride was also held on the same day as the Salado art show. We enjoyed the fine paintings, pottery, etc. but I was mostly delighted to come home with Billy. (Doesn't he look great in our herb garden?)
You can see more pictures from the ride by clicking on the 'Smokin' Spokes 2010' album at the right.

Speaking of gardens, our 'Back 40' ('feet', that is) is jam-packed this year. We are starting to harvest our carrots and the onions shouldn't be far behind. Our grape tomatoes, bell peppers, and jalapenos are growing nicely. As you can see from the picture of Billy above, the herbs are coming along too. We have both strawberries and blackberries starting to produce and corn (yes, corn!) is growing along the back fence. It truly is amazing to see what you can do in a small space. You can see more garden pictures in the 'Armadillo Pfarms' album at the right.

7 More Weekends

Well, our 25 mile Mamma Jamma ride is 7 weekends away! For the first time all summer, we went to our neighborhood pool Saturday. We swam 7 laps and then were evicted from the pool because of lightening in the area. We heard thunder, saw lightening & dark clouds, but only got about 4 drops of rain (if you can call it that) at our house. But, someone in the area got rain and we figure it is because we finally decided to go swimming. So, we tried again on Sunday afternoon--figured we'd either get in a good swim or we'd get rain and that we'd be happy with either outcome! This time we completed the full 15 laps as planned & did a little stretching in the pool. The skies looked dark, but it didn't look like anyone around us got rain.

What does this have to do with the Mamma Jamma ride? Well, ukulele playing & crocheting will not help to get me in shape for the ride and it is way too hot for me to handcycle (we have had 60 days of 100plus temperatures here), so swimming is the most relevant exercise Mark and I can do. We really enjoyed it and are planning to go again next weekend.

As for the ukulele--I can't say how much fun I'm having with this little instrument. I always thought of the uke as a novelty type instrument, but it actually can be quite pretty. I've mostly been playing whatever music I have available, so that's included lots of hymns. Many hymns are really old folk tunes and some of them sound quite nice on the uke (even the way I play!)

A Great Ride!

Yesterday, Mark & I did the 14 mile route of the Red Poppy Ride in Georgetown (see pictures in the Slideshow list to the right, if you're interested). The weather was perfect--it sprinkled a few times, but the rain held off and there was plenty of cloud cover to keep the temperature down. We had a nice breeze (no hurricane force winds like we had last month in Salado!) and a lovely route. As usual, I enjoyed getting the chance to ride away from town; it was nice to see fields and streams and horses, donkeys, cows, goats, chickens, etc. I was amused by one donkey who just couldn't seem to figure out what I was as I pedalled by. He and his two equine companions watched me closely the whole time; I think they finally decided that although I looked strange, I wasn't a threat.

The route was well-marked; friendly volunteers helped with traffic at intersections and supplied refreshments at the 'rest stop'. Kudos to the organizers of this event! As usual, the bicyclists were very nice and supportive. The event was well-attended with all kinds of bicycles (recumbants, tandems, big bikes, little bikes...) and cyclists of all ages and skill levels. We enjoyed seeing the families out riding together.

I rode well; not sure what to attribute that to, but I was pleased with the pace I was able to keep, my effort on the hills, etc. It was also nice to be in a ride with cyclists of all skill levels. Although the avid cyclists still left me in the dust, I managed to stay with other cyclists throughout the ride--and even passed a number of folks (not all of whom were 8 year olds). All in all, we couldn't have asked for a better ride. This one makes the 'Will do again' list.

After the ride, we checked out the 'Red Poppy Festival' at the Georgetown courthouse square. It was pretty crowded, but we were able to navigate through the crowd fairly easily. If you like this sort of thing, look for this event next April.

Thanks for Reading!