Posts tagged ‘family’
return to routine
Summer is sweet.
With their summer research projects wrapping up, the boys briefly returned home for a couple of weeks before heading back to university life. It’s been pleasant days of biking and playing around – morning runs for coffee, paddling on the river, family bike rides, catching up with old friends, dinnertime humor around the table. Summer is sweet.
But eventually, as the sunsets come a little earlier each evening, it begins to feel like time to return to familiar routines. Back to school, back to friends and regular schedules … all as it should be. And as much as I love them and will miss them as they leave, I think we are all ready to turn the next page, to return to the story.
I have enjoyed the break of being away from things – putting down the camera more often, leaving the computer to sleep, and spending more time in one-to-one conversation rather than cyberspeak. I’ve loved the warm, lazy days with my family … and yet as the weather begins to cool, and the books and bags are packed for the semester ahead, I happily anticipate rides yet to come, and the return to routine.
Meanwhile … scenes from summer days.
absence
The month of May brings big changes here at home, and sadly, not so much blogging. It has been proud parent days again, with my youngest son graduating from High School last week. My three older boys all arrived home from college, and our home was filled with family and boxes full of college “debris” (which, among other things, included epic amounts of dirty laundry … sigh).
We’ve done some biking, but I’ve tended to leave my camera on the shelf. My beloved husband is also recovering from a shoulder injury/collarbone fracture (a story for another day). Spending some time catching up with my boys, our family, has been my priority as the three oldest are about to leave again for summer research positions at various universities near and far, and my youngest begins his own college orientations and preparations.
Time is short; departures begin again next week. Blogging, Flickr and all other cyber things are taking a back seat – at least for a few weeks.
Bikes, biking, cows and old barns will be back soon … hopefully with a few new surprises in store.
The Graduate: soon to be mathematics student in University of Tennessee Chattanooga UHON Honors Program … Congrats, G! You are the awesome-est!
Be back soon …!
the warm before the storm
December ... in shorts
It is December. And we are riding in shorts.
Do you ever have those days when your responsible self says: I really should stay at home and get (fill in the blank) done, or do this or do that… ? And then of course you completely ignore it. OK, well maybe you don’t.
With the holidays looming, I have a fairly lengthy to-do list – which does not exactly include spending a few hours goofing around on bikes. Oh well. But there is a pretty serious storm and rain event in the forecast, so we decided to take advantage of the calm before the storm. (So if you don’t receive a Christmas card, you’ll know why).
I will also take this opportunity to thank my amazing husband for going out of his way to let me selfishly spend my time this entire weekend doing the things that amuse me (biking, photo-ing, sewing, reading, knitting, movie-watching, napping, etc.), as well as for his unending patience in letting me take his photo – repeatedly – while riding. He’s actually trying to get somewhere, while I’m completely distracted by the lines of the road and a fence, and a field full of cows…
“Can you just go back down the hill and ride back up toward me so I can get a shot from up here?” (Sometimes said not just once, but several times…) Be glad you don’t have to ride with me… 😉
two moo
in the White Oak Valley
heart-stopping
Let me begin by saying: nobody was seriously injured – nor were there any bicycles involved.
Yesterday afternoon I had one of those moments that every parent dreads beyond description – getting a phone call that your child was in an car accident. My youngest son was on his way to tennis practice after school and was stopped behind a van for a driver making a left-hand turn – and moments later he was rear-ended by a driver who admitted to being “temporarily distracted”/momentarily not paying close enough attention. (I won’t even start on my abhorrence over cell-phones use in cars, texting, etc. – even though we don’t know if this was a contributing factor in this accident).
While I understand that accidents happen, and we are more than willing to forgive and forget, I hope that this will serve as a reminder to both the driver and to my teenage son (who is in that high-risk group, even though he was not at fault here): distracted driving is completely unsafe and irresponsible, and the outcome could have been much, much worse. Sad business all around.
My cousin sent me a link to this video made by AT&T entitled “The Last Text” about texting while driving, which I made all of my boys watch, and I think it’s definitely worth viewing – here.
Grant is fine, a little bruised and shaken, but we are SO grateful that the outcome was as good as it was. I can always replace a car … had anything happened to my son, well, I can’t even think about it.
One thing that left me fairly shocked (although the attending police didn’t seem to find it unusual for some reason), was that even though the dash basically popped out, or was pushed out by the impact, the driver’s airbag didn’t deploy. I am a bit mystified. Can someone explain? I may be asking the folks at Honda about this.
why didnt the airbag deploy? (I wish someone could explain this to me)
As for bikes and cycling … well, I guess this is one way for me to be car-free for a while. Mark will be driving my car, while Grant drives our other car. Distances, along with Grant’s before- and after-school activities and Mark’s business travel make it necessary for them to use cars, while I can fairly easily get by on two wheels. Good thing.
Meanwhile – don’t drink, text, use a phone, apply make-up, shave, read, or do anything else when you’re behind the wheel. Please. Please.
a beautiful way to be car-free
the day after
by the river
So what do you do the day after #330daysofbiking? C’mon … did you really think there was any other option? 😉
Two of the boys were home for a brief weekend visit, with the local Battle of the Bands being the driver. The boys’ band The Night Shines took the win this year (YAY!) – and they have a free download of their song Forest Fire on their bandcamp site, for anyone interested).
Ross and I had a perfect day to take a great ride up to and along the river. After all of the grey and rain of the past days, it felt so good to have the sun shining.
While I don’t intend to keep a running tally of how many days I ride over the next year or so, I may just keep a personal log of the days I don’t – which hopefully will be kept to a bare minimum.
The perfect cycling life lesson appeared in my friend Jim’s (@bikerly) blog today; it can’t be said any better than this:
bikes, the people I love, and a beautiful day - it doesn't get any better
the snow excuse
there is nothing... NOTHING... better than this - sun, fresh snow, high mountains, my skis and first tracks though the trees
To the people who have known me best over the course of my life, they know with little doubt where my first love lies – on the snow, on skis, in the mountains. As much as I am passionate about cycling, and as much as it has become such a big part of my life, there is nothing I love more than being on skis on a cold sunny day on top of a big mountain. Nothing. Period. (Apologies to my beloved bicycles.)
A little background … my father decided put me on skis when I was a pre-schooler, and I still have fond memories of first lessons in the mountains of Colorado and New Mexico before I was even able to read. My dad became a National Ski Patrolman in the midwest where I grew up, which enabled us to ski virtually every day during winter. I grew up racing and eventually became a ski instructor. I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to ski in the summer for several years, when I shipped off to summer race-training camps on the high mountain glaciers each June.
with "my boys" at 10,000 ft - Storm Peak, Steamboat Springs
Skiing was a huge part of my life, of my family’s life … and despite ending up living in the snowless Southeast and raising my own family, the passion continues with my own boys, who have become incredible skiers in their own right – learning to ski in North Carolina, and skiing each year in the Rockies. They have become skilled enough to ski everything on the mountain – from the trees to the double-black diamond chutes.
Ross shows how it's done ...
Mason heads down Storm Peak
powder day ... you can't really tell, but he's grinning ear to ear 🙂
So what does any of this have to do with biking? Well for me, it appears that this crazy obsession/diversion of the trip to the mountains has managed to derail #330daysofbiking. Since I managed not to get in a single day of cycling while out West, it appears I will be two days short of meeting my goal by April 1. Rats. But I just couldn’t help myself – the lure of the snow and the mountains was just too irresistible to do anything other than ski. It’s my only excuse.
Despite this “failure” – and it is disappointing, because I was so close – I think it was good to have the interruption for sake of perspective. Maybe it was good to get off the bike for a few days and revisit another passion with the people I love.
Someday I hope that we will be living in a place where I can set another (silly) goal – one that would look something like #100daysofskiing-and-#300daysofbiking. Load the ski equipment onto the Xtracycle and pedal to the mountain for a day on the slopes. (Although I might have to add in a #30daysofcupcakes and #100daysofknitting just to round things out 😉 ).
For now, I have a renewed enthusiasm to be on my bike again, and the quest continues to finish #330daysofbiking one way or another. Since I can only blame my weakness for snow for the lack of cycling in recent days, I’m leaving a few last pictures from the mountains. Sigh.
the snowy day tree
the USSA Junior National Freestyle Championships were being held on the mountain while we were there - these kids were unbelievable; our future Olympians
the art of spotting (and not landing on your head)
I had to restrain myself from buying a pair ... but I seriously thought these would look SO hot while riding my bike
the iconic symbol of Steamboat Springs ... the old barn on a snowy day
... and as the sun sets over the mountains
Day 300: Napolean Dynamite
Day 300: no shocks, no pegs, and I've never tried taking her off of any sweet jumps...
Today I reached day 300 of #330daysofbiking … and I am still wondering how I actually got here? (Don’t even say “by bicycle”.)
I will be honest – I am sighing a big sigh of relief and happiness that I’ve managed to stay on target and am on the final stretch to meet this ridiculous goal. For some reason, I was feeling … well, ridiculous. A little giddy, a little goofy, and considerably nerdy for some reason.
I wanted to ride out to get a cupcake (but didn’t). I didn’t want a “serious” ride today. For other reasons unknown, the famous bicycle scene from Napolean Dynamite was on my brain today – as well as the Napolean Dynamite soundtrack song, Music for a Found Harmonium from Penguin Cafe Orchestra. Ok, well that was on my iPod. (But please listen and watch, for it is the only way you can appreciate my peculiar mindset.)
Dressed in skirt, tights and a sweater with ruffles (and I would’ve added a hat with feathers if I owned one) – rather than “cycling clothes” – I took Elisabetta out for a purely leisurely and fun ride through a local abandoned golf course (more about this place will come in a future post), riding on the golf cart paths. No traffic, no people, no chasing dogs. It was relaxing, it was fun, and it was probably a little bit silly and pointless basically riding around in a series of circles. But I think it was what I needed. To just let loose, to let my inner Napolean come out – to feel like a kid on a sweet bike. Without the sweet jumps, of course.
no more golf carts
So … I have until April 1 to finish the last 30 days of biking (for #330daysofbiking). Hard to believe that nearly a year has passed by, and even more baffling to realize that I may actually see it happen. We’re heading to the mountains and going to be doing some spring skiing in March, and I was (am) afraid of not having access to a bike for several days. But if all goes as planned, I still have enough “buffer” days to finish. Fingers crossed.
Meanwhile, here are a few pics from the last few days of #330daysofbiking. A little more serious, a little less my inner “Napolean”. 😉
a taste of springtime
in search of Holsteins
father and son ... Mason made a quick trip home last weekend; we had some beautiful riding together
they laugh and make jokes over the things I ask them to do for my camera 😉
I cannot master the panda {-P
#330daysofbiking continues
- a spot of color on the winter landscape … Mason
I’ve been enjoying spending the recent days riding with “my boys”. Some days it requires a little coercion – when the weather is cold and grey, or when they’ve been up until 4 am watching movies and playing video games with the usual suspects (i.e., Matt, Tim and Boaz).
We actually had a day or two when the temps were unseasonably warm – into the mid-sixties, and warm enough to ride in shorts. Now the forecast is back to normal winter stuff, including the likelihood of some snow in the next few days.
boy talk
boyz on bikes
bare trees, bare legs
I always find it kind of ironic that I don’t see more people cycling here during winter. I’m not sure what keeps them off of their bikes? Our temperatures are really pretty moderate, most of the time above 30’F during the day. Add a skull cap, some gloves and layers of clothing, and I really like riding during this time of year. (And I love that I don’t arrive everywhere a dripping ball of sweat). The landscape is so … muted, peaceful. Shades of dun and buff, silhouettes of tree limbs, and beautiful low light.
Even the boys admit that once they get out there, it’s always worth it.
typical winter
As of today, the official #330daysofbiking count stands as follows: have ridden 253 of the past 283 days, 84 days remain.
In a few days, the boys will all head back to school … meanwhile, I am loving every minute of our being able to ride together.
thanks for your patience with my goofy ways, Mason - and for always managing to make me laugh
souvenir 🙂
day 1 of the next 25 years
- “holding hands”
Yesterday was our 25th wedding anniversary. There were beautiful flowers, heartfelt messages and cards, and a lovely romantic dinner, reminiscent of our trip to Italy… yet how does one even begin to write meaningful post about something like this, without sounding like a smarmy greeting card? I had to leave that to my beloved partner, friend and husband – Mark. He sent me an email early this morning:
Happy Day 1 of the next 25 years!
Yes. Just ….. yes. 🙂
As we near Thanksgiving, and celebrate this personal milestone, I am reminded of how beautiful my life is, that I am well-loved by an amazing and inspiring family, and that I can think of no person I would rather continue on this journey with than my husband Mark.
A very happy Day 1.
25 years later... (Steamboat Springs, CO - March 2010)
the center of my universe - my family (Washington DC by bike, October 2008)
shebicycles 