Dec 10 - a day of accomplishments

Yes, I rode 100 miles and we finished watching the videos ! Yay !

"Doing a century" is always a significant event for a cyclist new to long distance cycling. Even for those of us who've completed long rides, doing a century is still a long day in the saddle. There were a couple of notable points to yesterday's ride -- 1) flats; and 2) wind.

Flats, yes, I had two flats. The second one was probably my fault. I had a slow leak that I'd noticed the day before but not enough to even loose enough pressure during a ride to be a problem. After I fixed the first flat I think that I found the cause of the slow leak -- one of those steel-belted-radial fine wires sticking through the sidewall of my tire. Luckily I carry pliers now because otherwise there is no way to get these out. I also carry drug-store glasses, but didn't need them this time.

What we need down here is a few good snowstorms. Snowstorms cause snowplows to clear the road which gets rid of a season's worth of glass on the shoulder. Here it just builds up. Twice on the way down I stopped and checked my tires after riding over a pile of glass that was unavoidable. I only had to do that once on the way back but it was too late -- I already had a flat. I only carry two spare tubes with me ... after that I break out the patches ... but I did not need them yesterday, thank goodness.

The wind was really blowing. Judging from where I could or could not feel wind at my back on the return trip, it was gusting to 25 mph. In rolling time, it took 3:40 to ride south and 2:40 to ride back -- that is the wind at work !

Sandy's luck with cars continues. I delayed my start by 1/2 hour hoping that the road would dry out a little from an early morning shower. She was going to Orlando with the M5 ... click-click -- yes, dead battery in this car too ! This is the original battery and we've had this car since May 2001, so it's 7.5 years old. The car's electronics are a constant drain and since we've been here the longest trip that it's made has been to church. It has been sitting most of the time, not on the battery-minder that is its companion when we're not here, so perhaps this should be no surprise. Anyway, a few minutes on the charger and it turned over and later in the day, fully charged, it started. I also discovered something that I should have realized when I tried to start the SUV two weeks ago -- this battery charger with 50 amp starting amps is nowhere near enough amps to start either of these vehicles if the battery is dead. My dad had a great big charger that would put out 100 starting amps -- that's probably more like what is required.

So ... she took the X5 ... complaining about driving a dirty BMW ... ha ! She had been looking forward to driving the M5 since it is much more fun but that did not work out.

We watched the last two videos:

Aug 90 - Oct 91 -- but this is mis-labeled, it's actually Oct 90

-- baby robins in nest. There was another segment of these birds on another tape that I'd not mentioned
-- Harry at cottage
-- more of the birds, leaving the nest -- this is actually quite good
-- then there is a copy of a professional video on loons, well worth watching
-- Harry again, sunning on the dock
-- Jason's kids with some friend of theirs on a windsurfer
-- Harry on the 3-wheeler
-- Aunt Joan's cottage at Ophir Channel, at first nobody home then Joan arrives with Bobbie and I'm not sure if it's Helen's husband & Duncan, or Allan's other boy but it's the same one who was on the canal barge in England (I think)
-- Port Credit with Jeffrey, Stef, Nathan with some girl who had hair right down past her butt, all playing in the pool
-- Olivia's christening -- Jane ?
-- back at Joan's
-- Jack Robinson and someone else fishing
-- Jeffrey and Vicki on the paddleboat
-- Jeffrey & Stef on the paddleboat
-- David on the dock
-- Meghan & Olivia in the bathtub at the cottage
-- Alex and me hunting

Aug - Dec 91

- Sudbury big nickel with Jeffrey
-- Karen ? -- Dolores daughter + grandchild
-- Our gang & whippoorwill lodge for dinner, no Stef ?
-- Willie & Flory in North Tonawanda -- very good segment for Flory to see -- one of the granddaughters, then her daughter Sandra with her kids, then Mom & Dad and Willie & Flory flew to Las Vegas
-- sightseeing in the desert
-- back at Philip's place
-- fall colours on highway 522 at the cottage
-- Phil Burfitt at the cottage
-- Alex and me duck hunting, shots of a duck that we brought back
-- Snow on Nov 4
-- Jeffrey hockey in Port Credit
-- a short segment in Florida

That's it !!

Whew ... I'm back ... you didn't even realize that I'd left but I closed down the browser, including this tab by mistake but was "saved" but the autosave function in google blogger otherwise I'd have lost all this typing !

For dinner we had wahoo again but although it was cooked properly this piece was definitely stronger than the last. I don't think that Sandy will buy wahoo again.

Today -- I've got to cover the boat in the next few minutes. It is still uncovered from our boating the other day. There are big storm clouds about to hit us and it looks like we are going to have a windy wild day. Tomorrow's high is only predicted to be 60F so that's an abrupt change. I'll get over to Home Depot a little later and pick up a few more drippers for the watering system, to complete that chore before we leave. I also have some Christmas shopping to do.

Three more days, including today, and we leave for the great white north. By the time I get up there though some of that great white will have melted because it is supposed to rain on Monday ... but we'll see. It could be a real skating rink. Bonnie reported that there was 26 inches of snow on the ground.

That's it ...