Waiting for Sophie

Waiting for lots of things lately. Waiting for my steel hard tail to return from the weld table. Waiting for snow to dump from the heavens. Waiting for the sun to set at a reasonable time in the afternoon so's I can grab an after work pedal in the woods. But most of all waiting on Sophie to come into this world. I know my sister in law Jeanie can't wait too much longer. Hold in there Jeanie, not too much longer! For my brother's sake I hope it's a girl cause he's got an extremely pink bedroom.

Biking weather for Christmas

Got out yesterday with CCB on a nice 2.5 hour road cruiser. One of the longer rides in recent memory as the ride season is winding down. Answered a burning question in my mind...yes, my legs still work. The best thing about riding with those guys is their knowledge of the area and the way they link up the scenic country roads that roll for miles and miles. Hell, I've lived here all my life and still don't know exactly where we rode yesterday. I'd guess you'd say that they know the roads like we know the trails. With temps in the 50's for late December the cyclists in the northeast have gotten an early Christmas gift. I know this weather can't last all winter but wish it would. Got the hakka 300's ready and waiting to go just in case the inevitable happens.
Lesli and I have little excuse for not sending out Christmas cards this year. Since returning from Honduras we've been playing catch up with a few things and haven't gotten a handle on the details yet. We appreciate the cards we have received from family and friends and have them displayed on the mantle serving as the only decorations in the house (along with a string of lights to brighten the mood). I'd like to send out some Christmas cheer to some folks I haven't seen in a while and others I see everyday. Have a great holiday.

click clack clunk

That's the sound of two bikes rolling down the trail with drivetrains that have far exceeded their useful lives. Can they be coaxed back into smooth working order?...yeah, if you throw a couple Benjamin's at the problem I guess. Money can fix allot of bike related issues... But do you really want to bolt on a shiny new sram chain, cassette and rings for the winter? knowing full well that your only buying time till spring then you'll have to do it again? Well, yeah..if it means that's the only way to fix mis-shifting and broken chains.
Having said that Jeff and I are in the same boat, or our bikes are at least. And the boat they are in is a junk freighter floating swiftly out to sea.

Flowers bay

Lesli and I are settling back into our regular boring lives after a brief getta way. Traveling is an amazing thing. It changes us, maybe only temporarily. But when it wears off and life is a drag again you know it's time to fly somewhere else. Then there's that small issue of funding the trip.

Night time...

Es Fiesta tiempo!
Goofy fun? Si!
Embarrassing? quizá.
Do it again? Uno Momento!

planets not alligned

Some things are meant to be...the sub trip was not. A bit let down but got some extra dives in today as a result of the cancellation.
Last night I ran into Karl (Idabel Owner/operator) at the Cannibal Cafe and asked if everything was all set for our dive into the deep. Nope...broken motor on the sub!! Karl was going to scramble to repair but couldn't guaranty the voyage. The trip was doomed hours before when my sub buddy (Al) got a touch of Montazuma's revenge...I told him not to eat the unpasteurized cheese!
The combination of events told me that this trip was not looking good. Lesli would have gone but a little voice in my head said to just go scuba diving again today.
Going to meet some friends for a couple rum drinks now. Be home tomorrow.

thank you spf 30

With every day here our bodies grow a darker shade of Brown and the insect bites more red and itchy. We have hooked up with an unbelievable dive shop and have logged over a dozen spectacular dives so far and still have tomorrow to dive more. I chose to sit out the afternoon dive today because my core temp seems to have dropped due to all the deep dives...the sun has dipped behind the clouds today with temps in the 70's. Seems that Lesli has greater dive endurance as she is out with the boys diving without me.
I'd share some underwater shots but the camera was ruined on the first day...damn housing o-ring failed! we have our regular digi camera but no transfer cable.
We have forgotten about our daily lives and have transformed into our dive persona's. We've hooked up with a bunch that love to drink the night away and talk about vacations and past dives. The Honduran beer, Salva Vida (life saver) is cheap but impossible to get drunk, but luckily doesn't leave you too hung-over.
The Idabel trip is set for Friday at 8am!!! Going down with the Submarine's creator and a Canadian professor from Vancouver...Lesli likes to dive but doesn't dig the sub. If I don't return from 2000 feet I'd like to leave all my bike stuff to Jeff W. and Brad B. (you can split it). Daren, I'd like you to have my Willys. My Brother can have anything he'd like otherwise.