Friday, June 6, 2014

Gone Ridin'? Mostly.

I did not mean to take a three-week posting break! But here I am, so let's get caught up, shall we? 

The most glaring reason for the break was general busy-ness, exacerbated by lovely opportunities to go for nice weekend rides. On top of that, I had to make the very sudden and difficult decision to put my lovely Charlie-cat to sleep on May 23rd, which was very sad and left our home cat-free, a status change I found nearly as upsetting as losing my best boy-cat in the first place. The impact of that loss and the hole it created in our household meant that The Husband and I ended up interviewing a number of kitties for adoption, and ended up being selected by two year-old ginger boys, who are crazy and affectionate, and now named Calvin and Hobbes.

And so, between socializing the new kitties, introducing them to The Corgi, and general craziness associated with human bikey-socializing and the holiday weekend and LIFE, here we are. Back to the bikes.

Due to the above-mentioned events, I didn't ride to work as planned on Friday the 23rd. That weekend I had a house-guest, and last week was pretty stormy. ('Tis that time of year.) I did ride Thursday May 22 (to try to get a new kickstand fitted for the Linus at a local bike shop), which didn't work out and ended up with a fun, if very wet, ride home in a sudden downpour. Then, last Saturday, I drove the bike to the city and met up with bike friends to do a Tour of Old Carondelet, which is a neighborhood in extreme South St. Louis that used to be its own town separate and apart from STL and is FULL of stories and history and just beginning to come back to life as interest in walkable, bikeable, liveable neighborhoods renews. Some of my favorite photos from the tour:








The next day, I had another bikey-lovely day. In the morning, I rode to church, then I made a pit stop at a local grocer and headed to our "all-church picnic". It was warm both days (and so humid), but there is always a breeze when you're on a moving bicycle.

This weekend, I plan to mostly stay in, but I may squeeze in a trail ride or two, and if we find ourselves with another not-too-hot/not-too-stormy day, I may try riding to work again, but perhaps with another route. 

Cheers, and happy riding!
R

3 comments:

  1. I just wanted to say that I'm so, so sorry about your Charlie-cat. It's so hard to lose them, and having to make that decision is just awful. Sending you a big hug along with my most heartfelt condolences. But I'm so glad that two new fur-babies have come to live with you. Kittens are so much fun, though they can be a tad bit exhausting!

    It's been a week of lots of riding here. I think I've done over 140 miles on my bike(s) this week! Mostly long fun trail rides with CatMan, but I also ran some errands around the neighborhood. Gotta say... after spending so many hours on my road bike it feels really strange to hop on the old hybrid again. I feel so upright! But it's a good kind of strange. Happy riding!

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    1. Thank you. It was really hard to let him go, and I find myself thinking of him daily. Such a good kitty. I think we've lucked into pretty amazing new dudes, though. They are cracking us up.

      You are riding so much! I love it. I haven't ridden to work since BTW day. I just don't enjoy the route much, I'm afraid, and with the high humidity, I get drenched even on flat routes. Having tried the 10-speed on a few long rides, I find I much prefer the more upright position for most rides. I do wish I had extra gears, but I am afraid that is cost-prohibitive on this bicycle.

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    2. Ha! We generally enjoy very low humidity here in Denver, but I have yet to find the perfect clothing for casual riding. On my road bike it's easy because I'm practically in a "uniform" with my spandex riding shorts and jersey. But last time I took the hybrid out in hot weather I ended up looking SOOO ridiculous with my sweaty butt that it kinda defeated the purpose, because I was too embarrassed to get off the bike and let anyone see the huge wet spot on my rear end! I'm thinking this might be one situation where natural fibers like cotton aren't gonna cut it! :-)

      I totally understand how hard it is to let a kitty go. I lost a very special cat in January after a long illness. But he comes to visit me in my dreams the, so I know he's OK wherever he is. And I'm sure your boys will keep you busy! My "kittens" are 5 years old now and currently absorbed in an epic miller moth hunt! :-)

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Let the bicycle talk begin...