Aug 19 - Stretching my legs

Yes, that's really all I did yesterday. I started biking and felt so weary (wonder why ?) that I decided to keep it short. Perhaps I'd have felt better if I hadn't piled a few cords of wood the day before ? I was initially thinking my usual 70 miles but once biking, 10 miles total, but it became 20. By the time I turned around at 10 miles my legs were starting to feel some life but I turned around anyway. I could have done the 70 but my heart was not in it.

Back home it was time for some prep work. I've made appointments at both True North Cycles in Guelph as well as at my dentist, both for Monday. In preparation for the installation of rack mount points on my rando bike, I stripped the frame of all but the headset. It looks forlorn. While shiny once cleaned, it has lots of scuffing. The decals are ragged. Being titanium, there's no damage, but it's not as pretty as it once was. Re-assembly draws the eye away from the scuffing ... and I suppose that I could pay someone to shine it up ... perhaps I should ask True North if that is something that they can do. Litespeed will also do that and reapply decals, but that costs a couple of hundred dollars and shipping to & fro ... and involves another stripping and reassembly.

(After typing the above paragraph I sent an email to True North with the question).

While I'm at it, I'll replace a couple of cables that are at risk and probably swap the saddle with the yellow bike. The yellow bike has the same saddle but without the wear. I'll also likely try installing the new rear derailleur and cassette -- a 12/32 vs the 12/27 that I'm currently using. Those few extra teeth would have been very handy on the 14% grades on the Granite Anvil but I didn't want to screw around with a new setup before that ride ... and also didn't realize that we'd have grades that tough.

Around 4:30, I wandered over to see what Jason was doing, thinking that we might drill some holes for his pine tree support cables. I found Lorraine, Gavin and Mike outside. Jason and Kyle were in Parry Sound sitting in the hospital emergency for a few hours at that point. Kyle had banged himself up the evening before taking a tumble on his mountain bike and they'd decided to check out his chin -- might need a stitch -- and his elbow, which was very swollen and sore. The rest -- road rash -- was incidental and just a badge of courage :). Oh -- I call this "road rash", but it's really "rock rash" -- he went over the rocks by our barn, hit the brakes when he shouldn't have, and went end over end. He's in quite a bit of pain.

It's amazing how many times we have to learn the same lessons. He should have been wearing a helmet with a face guard, perhaps elbow etc. pads for that kind of biking. The prior day I'd taken on the challenge of riding up the wooden ramp beside their cottage with his bike and fell on my butt the first time, made it the second time. I could just as easily have fallen on my head. What was I thinking ? What was he thinking ? I was lucky ... he was not.

Of course I need a helmet all the time ... even launching a boat. I have a small badge of courage (stupidity) lingering on my forehead.

The evening before Bonnie had called and asked if I could look at one of her tires. She said that it looked low. I checked the door decal which said 32/44 for her tires and found that all four tires were set to 32 ... other than the low one at 10. I pumped that up to 34 and departed as the mosquitoes were in full swing. She called the next morning to check on the pressure that I'd set ... seems that it was still at 34 ... that was good. Later in the day she decided to take it in to the garage and they checked it ... 34 ... did a water check and found a nail. That's twice in the last while that she's picked up a nail. She figures that it's from the dump, and that's probably true. Although I often take garbage with the 4-wheeler, that's a reminder that I should almost always use that means of transport.

It's pouring rain and supposed to rain much of today and tomorrow and then clear up for the weekend. Either tomorrow or Saturday, once it looks like there's a break, I'll get in a proper bike ride. There are some other inside projects that I should start. I also have a book to finish reading that I started on our skiing trip back in January, didn't finish, and decided to simply re-read from the beginning when I had some quiet time at the Durham College Granite Anvil start point. I DON'T WANT TO READ THE FIRST HALF OF THE BOOK THREE TIMES !!

It's funny how your fingers have a mind of their own. Muscle memory / remembered neural pathways ... when I typed the sentence above and re-read it "book" was typed as "bike" ... perhaps that says something ? Do I type bike more often than book ?

Sandy went to Parry Sound yesterday, having decided to save a day of mail transit mailing off Emma's birthday gift as well as picking up wine that was waiting at the LCBO. Seven cases -- 2x12 and 5x6 -- our wine cellar runneth over / filleth up. I need to take stock -- now doesn't that sound like a good, low exertion rainy day project ?

We had Chinook Salmon for dinner. It was every bit as soft as Atlantic Salmon. If we remember, we should bypass Chinook. I like the drier, firmer textured salmons.

The day concluded, at least for me, with Lorraine coming over at 9pm to say that Jason and Kyle were on their way. They'd sat in Emergency for 5 hours before being seen. They hadn't eaten. Someone might have been a little annoyed.

They did put a stitch in Kyle's chin and the doctor reading the x-ray said that there was "no obvious break" in his arm but that a tech would re-read in a couple of days and let him know if there was a hairline fracture somewhere. Of course having a hairline fracture simply means that you need to baby it a little more to let it heal. They are not going to cast it.

It's cleared somewhat outside with only drizzle at this point. I'll check the doppler and see what's on the horizon. I had planned on going out fishing this a.m. if it was clear and might go out if it doesn't look too wet.

I've been exchanging emails with Alex about this year's deer hunting. He has the first week of November off, which coincides with the first part of the two-week season in this area. I'm not sure if I want to do that this year. Fishing, yes; duck hunting, probably; deer hunting ... not sure. I am interested in trying bow hunting, which is a little more peaceful and has a longer season but have not bought a bow and am not rushing out to buy one now.

That's it ...