All is right in our cycling world as Kristie, aka Cookie Lady has returned to the peloton having labored to make and offer us post ride treats. Morning rain gave way to scattered clouds by the time about 40 of us gathered for our "conversational paced" B ride.  Sure, lol, sure, quite the conversation one can have when the group average is 20+mph.  Not complaining at all as it is the good workout I need. Soooo, it doesn't take a genius to figure out that all the effort required by me to stay with the group for the first half of the ride, can't be sustained yet for 2+ hours.  T ..read more

My enjoyable cleanup in the woods continues with still more dead ash trees to cut.  Even given 6 months, I don't think I'll finish this project, this year. Partly of course cause I'm spending time with the 3 grandsons.  I took for granted that I would win a chess match with Ben and almost lost.  Then Anthony, above, beat me at badminton.  I may have missed a shot or two on purpose but he was thrilled with the outcome. I checked out Highbanks Metro Park and that has a good system of trails. Then, my son asked me to look at the creek behind his house.  He wants all t ..read more

Dan R, aka, "Dirty Dan"  greets me but then of course, proceeded to mock me for having been dropped from last week's B group.  I had no defense, it is humiliating and I guess I could say it's no ordinary B group but my cycling fitness does suck so....  More to come on tonight's scintillating ..read more

Hey gang!  Sorry, had internet issues so late with this report.  My day began, starting a small fire than soon a raging fire so I could drag more brush onto it and begone!!!  Awful, briers and thorny bushes. I've managed to tug and yank on them without slashing my face so that's good. And then...on to the Thursday Cycling Club group ride.  Beautiful evening as 65+ show up for a 32 mile ride to the east...well, always to the east cause to the west is Columbus.  I've been pretty good about remembering names although I did refer to "Jonathon" as "Carlos" but that's been ..read more

Granville has a new wine bar!  I & 2 children enjoyed a glass of wine as I contemplated my first group ride in OH, in 5 years. You would think, a guy coming from southern AZ would be fit as a fiddle but alas no. For a variety of reasons, I struggled to reach 100 miles each week, usually well short. With absolutely no prodding from me, the ride organizer, Don N, allowed his emotions to get the best of him as he greeted me.  Truthfully, it was as if I never left and I throughly enjoyed reconnecting with the gang.   There were 43 of us for tonights journey through rural Ohio ..read more

The visits to my silly blog have ticked up and I suspect that a is because the Tuesday group ride has come and gone and a few people are anxious to read about it.  Meantime, it was new shoe day at the Denison Bio Reserve. It was great to run on soft dirt trails and leap, awkwardly like a wounded antelope, over streams and logs.  Also nice not to worry about a rattlesnake, poised to strike behind the logs. A long dear tree, soon to fall over. The trees are massive.  Some of the most mature examples of oaks, maples and.... beech.  Got in 4.5 miles on this Sunday before ..read more

That for which I returned to Ohio was a big part of my first day in Ohio.  Anthony is thrilled I am staying longer than a week.  He dearly wants to be a goalie but being 8 in an "Under 11" league means he's too small.  But, he is undeterred and so I was required to kick ball after ball so he could practice. And than the woods.  I will finally bring order to the 3 acres and cleared brush and briers for several hours. And the projects to relieve the work load of my son-in-law and son.  On the second day, I began splitting these pieces of cherry.  Alas, those in t ..read more

The Catalinas received a bunch of snow after precipitation marred my final 2 days in Tucson.   I enter NM and approach the Organ Mountains.  Actually hiked there once. A rest stop had this unusual statue. I pass White Sands. I was following the system that came through AZ and the scenery was amazing. More snow capped peaks in NM. So far, I had threaded the needle and avoided the rain, which was good considering I had 2 bikes on the back of my SUV. Now this is annoying!  Trucks occupying all three lanes. Day 3 and going through St. Louis with the Arch.  I broke the ..read more

When I announced to friends I was about to become a grandfather, they said, "Ohhh, you won't want to return to AZ." I did and was glad to but then.....during a visit last spring, I had a great time with grandson Anthony but upon returning to AZ, the separation ate at me.  A visit last fall, in which the other two grandsons, Chris & Ben had also transitioned from babies into boys, really impacted me after I returned to AZ. Having great memories of my grandfather coupled with the certainty that if I continued to live my life as I was, in 10 years, I'd be filled with deep regret. Someth ..read more

We drove about an hour to the southeast to visit Tombstone.  A cold (52 degrees) and very windy visit. We walked the streets and frequently dove into shops to warm up.  My daughters and grandson wanted to watch the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" so while they did that.... ...I visited "Big Nose Katy Saloon" and had lunch.  A couple from WI sat next to me and stated their winter has been the mildest in 140 years. Rain arrived and created great views.... ....all around. We had a fun time playing putt-putt golf where.... ...Anthony did all he could to distract me.   ..read more