Wednesday, June 15, 2005

Back in the Saddle Again

I've now ridden to work twice this week. 3.7 miles each way, since I didn't take Rachel. Monday it took me exactly 15 minutes riding time (not counting lights & such) to get to work and about 19 home. 14:04 to work on Tuesday, but then I wound up leaving the bike at work over night so I could go visit my grandfather in the hospital with Elisabeth. After having Dawn & Rachel drop me at work this morning, I rode home in about 17 minutes riding time. I'd actually planned on not riding today, but it worked out just as well to have done it this way. There were a few points in ride to work on Tue when my legs were really burning. I want to ride again tomorrow or Friday. It's felt great to be back on the bike again, both in terms of the fact that I'm finally getting some exercise again, and just that I enjoy it.

Monday, June 13, 2005

A Bonafide Great Weekend

We had an actual great weekend! I can't remember how long it's been since we could really say that. Saturday morning we went to the Y to play at the Kinder Gym, and then to the Farmer's Market where we had some Thai BBQ for lunch and bought a few things. Had a really nice time. Initially, we were going to ride, but then Rachel decided she didn't want to ride after all, so we compromised by bribing her - if we didn't ride to the Y & Farmer's Market, we would ride to dinner, but we could go to Barney's. We walked to the Y and then to Farmer's Market, and then home. Walking is good too.

We did, in fact, ride to Barney's for dinner. I also rode over the to bike shop to see if they had our missing lock sitting there. They didn't, so I bought a new one. I also requested an exchange from Kryptonite for the one we have that can be opened with a Bic... haven't heard anything back from them. Anyway, got a few reminders of what I have to remember about riding with an extra 40 pounds right over the rear wheel... decided to dodge a sewer clean-out that was slightly indented and the back wheel started to slide. OK. Don't try to dodge something that doesn't HAVE to be dodged.

Sunday, Rachel suddenly announced about 10:30 in the morning that she wanted to go riding! Far be it from us to discourage that behavior. I had been getting ready to do some of the house work I wanted to get done, but I dropped that stuff immediately. We wound up riding to a park we like that's about a block from Rachel's friend Tessa's house and hooking up with Tessa and her father, Dana. Not sure I've mentioned them before, but Dana and I have actually known each other since before High School. All told, I got in about 7 or 8 miles of riding over the weekend, picked up a new lock to replace the one that went missing, and got rear and head-lights installed on both my and Dawn's bikes.

We had made a list on Thursday or Friday of several little things we wanted (me) to get done around the house this weekend... putting in some curtain holdbacks, hemming a curtain, putting up some new shades, that sort of thing. We got them ALL done, along with testing the sprinklers, which haven't seemed to be working properly, and Dawn got to go pick up some flowers to plant. We ended today with a bit of BBQ, eating outside again.