Finally!

Kylie got her bike! It's been hard to not tell her about it. Gramma came up on Saturday and surprised her with it. Kylie was pretty excited, almost as much as I was. So we did a quick overview of how to use hand brakes and how to shift and she was off. Very cool.

Today I got out with Spencer for a few hours and it was good. For some reason I suggested we should climb hills today and he unfortunately agreed. So we climbed. We did go down Deadman's hill in Rock Springs instead of up it this time for a change. Spent the rest of the day stripping and staining trim and cabinets. I'm pretty sure that's not as good as Matter's floor sanding training but hopefully it's close.

On another note, I finally perused my goody bag from The Boss. Wow! That was better than Christmas. I love the smell of new tires.

Lounging

I finally got the light and outlet working by the patio. Illumination is definitely not overrated as it gets pretty dark around these parts. Celebrated the successfull completion by enjoying a Bells Kalamazoo Stout. Then I compressed the couch cushions until I couldn't take the lack of doing something anymore and put a new rear tire on my road bike. Then I upgraded the firmware on the Powertap CPU. Now I can't change the date using Poweragent. That's handy as it's 3 days off. Hmm.
"I love technology but not as much as thee. But I still love technology. Always and forever"
Kip Dynamite

Normal?

Schedule says 1.5 hrs. Mind says it doesn't really feel like riding. Ring-ring. It's Triple B. OK, I'll meet you. Riding seems a little more palatable. Ring, it's Chicken. Awesome. Start out the ride feeling a little overdressed as it's gorgeous outside again! Riding is good. Meet up and notice it's going to be more than 1.5 hrs. Oh, well. Sorry Jeff. Riding with people is good. Lose one friend. A little later lose another. Huh, riding is ok. This hill is long. I'm glad I wore all this stuff. Am I home yet? Wow, great sunset. I don't feel like getting home yet. I haven't been on this road yet this year. I feel like I could ride another 2 hrs. Riding is fun but I'm hungry. Where's Black Betty when you need her? It's good to be home.



Got to ride home from school with Kylie on Wednesday. It was a good day.

10Lbs in a 5# bag

So, how often have you woke up in the morning and had a Bald Eagle on top of your silo? Never you say? Huh, imagine that. If anyone wants our silo they can have it. Come and get it. That would greatly improve your chances of having this same experience some morning for you, especially if you currently don't have a silo.

So Lisa and I finished up siding the house proper ( still have the summer kitchen to do at a later date) and garage. That was a minor miracle. Lisa really enjoyed being on top of the scaffolding when it was wiggling all over. I think she may start a siding business for some extra money this summer. Give her a call if you need your house done this summer.

With the siding weight off my shoulders it enabled me to "enjoy" the climbing much more on the best weather day so far. Here we are going up "Deadman's hill" in Rock Springs. Remind me not to stop to take pictures in the middle of a climb while trying to keep up with Spencer and Chris.

So after the ride we went to get more of my new favorite beer ever (yes, it is that good). I went back to bask in the beauty of Black Betty. This time I brought friends. They liked her too. After the feast we went on Kelsey's first ride to the thriving metropolis that is Denzer. I think she liked it.

Looks good to me

So after giving the old ride a thorough inspection, my highly compensated (room and board ain't cheap.) mechanics gave the thumbs up. Time to try and send it down the road to another lucky owner. Craigs list here we come. Well, when the siding is done it will be.

First Ride

of the year with the new hammer yesterday. I didn't even pump up the tires to keep her from dropping me. I'm not sure who was more excited to be riding, me or Kylie. She's fired up to start riding again and very happy to have her team jersey. She wanted to wear it to the chili supper in Leland on Sunday but then decided she might get chili on it so she just wore a dress. The chili supper is yet another sign that spring is almost here. I weighed myself pre and post ayce chili, cheese, bread, crackers, chocolate milk and dessert plate. I came home with 4.4 lbs of country cookin' style deliciousness in my belly. I'm looking forward to next year already.

The desserts weren't on par with the Blackhawk Church's 2 weeks ago. That was amazing to saya the least. The chili wasn't as good there but I'm a sucker for desserts. Blackhawk also had heaping bowls of cheese curds on the table for my enjoyment. Yeah, that was a good meal too. If I didn't ride I'm pretty sure I would be pushin' 250lbs by now.