Country Life II

I love living in the country. I picked these less than 50 yards from the front door. Mmmmmmm. And there are more ripening right now. I think we'll try a berry crisp with vanilla ice cream tonight.



Update: 9PM. My wife used Paula Dean's recipe for a berry crisp. Here is how it turned out.



My portion.



Oh, Yeah!

Too hot to post?

I've been remiss in posting here. It has been really hot here, and I left to escape the heat. Where we went had no internet access, but it did have mountains and water and boats and an average temperature of at least ten degrees cooler than the DC area. I did have to come back though, but some thunderstorms Wednesday night herarlded a cool front and brought temps down to something bearable.

The yard and garden are a mess, except for the pumpkins and melon plants which look great. I think we'll just call this year's a garden a warm up for next year, and not worry about it too much.

Garden Fresh

The world laziest gardener finally has something to show for it. Ok, I've had radishes and chard for a couple of weeks, but tonight I was able to bring in some green beans for dinner. Wash, snap and dip raw into a bit of blue cheese dressing. I'm tellin' ya, this country livin' is great.

Fun Weekend

I was fortunate to do a couple of bike rides this weekend. Yesterday I attended a vintage, classic and fixed gear enthusiasts gathering in Baltimore County. We braved rain to do a 25 mile ride, and then had a cookout, while looking over everyones bikes. There were some really nice rides there, both vintage and modern. The only downside was the absence of Tom Bruni, who was killed riding in Carroll County last week. Tom was a frame builder and big supporter of the bike scene in Maryland. There were several Bruni Bikes there, and he is sorely missed already.

Today I lazed around and watched the Tour de France in the morning, but finally got motivated and went for a ride in the oppressive heat and humidity. It was hitting me hard climbing Catoctin Mountain past Gambrill State Park, but some thunderheads rolled in and cooled things down and I raced them off the mountain and back to the truck. 37 hard fixed miles.

Good News

My nephew is back from a year long deployment in Afganistan with his unit (3/116 Inf.) of the Virginia National Guard. His unit suffered several casaulties and at least two fatalities during the year they were deployed. That means all of my various siblings and nephews who serve are back in the states.

Great Divide Race

The Great Divide Race is over. Congratulations to Matthew Lee, who set a new course record - 19 days, 4 hours and 17 minutes.

My favorite Kent Peterson set a new single speed record, but I don't have the numbers at hand.

Kent posted some pictures here.

Man, what a race. Anyone who even attempted it is a winner in my book.

Endless Wheel

Alan Thwaites is a fixed gear rider from Canada. He rides really long distances as a randonneur. He is on several of the email lists I frequent and has a blog, Endless Wheel. A couple of months ago he was hit by a van and broke his hip. I've been following his recovery and and glad to say he got back out on his bike. He was also nice enough to link to my Fixing Frederick pages which he read during his convalescence.

Go Alan!

Drive In

Did something Saturday Night which I haven't done in at least thirty years. I went to a drive in movie. It is one of those things which sounds good in theory, but you aren't sure how it will work out in practice. Fortunately, it worked out pretty well. The four of us piled into the van and headed up to beautiful Dillsburg, PA to see the show at Haars Drive In. Box office opened at 6:30 with the movie at 9PM. We didn't know what to expect so we wanted to get there early. We arrived about 6:45PM and the place was probably half full already. There are specified rows for trucks and vans, and rules about hatchbacks being open all the way, to preserve the sight lines for everyone. Whe let the kids sit up front while the Mrs. and I took a back seat. The sound was broadcast on FM, so no need for the old-time speakers, although some rows had those. By 8 or so the kids were pretty bored, but we made it all the way. The movie was The Fantastic Four. About what I expected there. Diverting, but not great. We opted not to stay at 11PM for the second movie (double feature included in one price) because the kids were tired. The kids had fun. When we go back (and I think we will), we'll be better prepared:

Bring the truck and losts of pillows, blankets and padding. Park backwards and set up in the truck bed. Folding chairs for the (so-called) grown-ups, or we can sit in the bed. Portable radio for sound.

Cooler. Bring our own snacks and drinks. Cheaper. The fries from the snack bar were pretty good though. So was the fried shrimp.

Diversions. Have enough stuff to keep the kids happy while waiting for it to get dark. Books, real games, electronic games, etc.

Even with buying dinner at the snack bar because we got started late, the evening didn't cost any more than it would hae if we had gone to a regular theater. With good planning, it would cost much less.

New Link

I need to tell you a secret. I have a banjo. Not many people are able to admit it when they do. I even enjoy it, although I fail to practice nearly as much as I need to (which is why its a secret, I sound terrible). One of my co-workers also has a banjo, and in an effort to play more we are going to try to get together and practice.



All of this is just a roundabout way of mentioning that last December I went to the eastern shore of Maryland for a jam session where I met Patrick Costello, an enthusiastic banjo player and teacher. He has a website, but I also just found his Blog: Plunkthumping. Check it out.

Grand Day Out

One of the places we visited while in Ohio was the United States Air Force Museum, At Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton. Free Admission, and well worth several hours of your time. I'll be going back.

On the road

Blogging from Ohio. All is looking good. Hot and steamy earlier in the week followed by the horrendous thunderstorms for which the midwest is famous. That brought in a cool front and Friday and yesterday were perfect. Had a nice ride on Friday over to Cycles Gaansari, and a nice visit with Gary Boulanger, the owner. More later.