Saturday, June 15, 2013
Randall Knife
One of the best songs ever written about a father. Happy Father's Day to all the dads out there.
Sunday, June 2, 2013
Rained Out
I'm an early morning cyclist, especially during hot Texas summers. I get up and try to be wheels down within 15 minutes of sunrise. For really long rides, I'll even ride the first hour in the dark in order to be home before it really gets hot. This schedule is not without risk.
This morning I woke up at 5:45 AM. As I always do, I looked out the window and saw no fog and dry pavement. I brushed my teeth, got kitted up, and headed downstairs for coffee and a banana. While eating, I realized the local meteorologists were wrong. WeatherUnderground showed that the weak cool front that was supposed to bring a line of strong storms, including lightning and strong wind, did not pass through during the night. It was still about 30 miles away, and projected to hit the Houston area around 8 AM. Within 5 minutes of seeing this, my ride partner called and we decided to cancel.
Such are the risks of riding in the morning. You beat the heat, but sometimes you get rained out and end up drinking coffee on the couch watching cartoons with your kids. I guess it's not that risky after all.
This morning I woke up at 5:45 AM. As I always do, I looked out the window and saw no fog and dry pavement. I brushed my teeth, got kitted up, and headed downstairs for coffee and a banana. While eating, I realized the local meteorologists were wrong. WeatherUnderground showed that the weak cool front that was supposed to bring a line of strong storms, including lightning and strong wind, did not pass through during the night. It was still about 30 miles away, and projected to hit the Houston area around 8 AM. Within 5 minutes of seeing this, my ride partner called and we decided to cancel.
Such are the risks of riding in the morning. You beat the heat, but sometimes you get rained out and end up drinking coffee on the couch watching cartoons with your kids. I guess it's not that risky after all.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Status Update
Guess who hasn't posted in a year and a half? Not sure if anyone will read this, but what the heck - here's a short status update on what's been going on with me.
Cycling
I am still riding as much as I can. I'm at 1619 miles year to date, on target for 3500 miles or in 2013. I've ridden two centuries this year -- the Shiner GASP, and one solo century.
I've got my eye on a new bike. Probably a BMC (RaceMachine or maybe GranFondo), but I am really salivating for a Moots. Unfortunately, I need to find a bag of money first. Meanwhile, I'm still riding Ol' Junky. Here's a current photo of her from last weekend:
Barbecue Pit Refurbishment
Lately, people are going nuts for barbecue. Books, TV shows, and growing national exposure, especially for Central Texas style 'cue. I've never owned a smoker, but Pa-Paw sold barbecue out of a roadside stand near Navasota, Texas, so I guess I've got a pedigree of sorts. Thanks to a dear cousin who recently upgraded, I'm getting a retired, custom made, offset smoker.
It's a small pit, but plenty big enough for me. It needs some significant work: repair to rust out on left side, replace rusted-out feet, repair and modification to fire box damper, and addition of a heat deflector between the fire box and pit. Of course, I'll pretty it up with new wood, hardware, grill surface and paint. But the rig has personality, including the State of Texas and the family name of the original owner on the pit lid.
Cycling
I am still riding as much as I can. I'm at 1619 miles year to date, on target for 3500 miles or in 2013. I've ridden two centuries this year -- the Shiner GASP, and one solo century.
I've got my eye on a new bike. Probably a BMC (RaceMachine or maybe GranFondo), but I am really salivating for a Moots. Unfortunately, I need to find a bag of money first. Meanwhile, I'm still riding Ol' Junky. Here's a current photo of her from last weekend:
Barbecue Pit Refurbishment
Lately, people are going nuts for barbecue. Books, TV shows, and growing national exposure, especially for Central Texas style 'cue. I've never owned a smoker, but Pa-Paw sold barbecue out of a roadside stand near Navasota, Texas, so I guess I've got a pedigree of sorts. Thanks to a dear cousin who recently upgraded, I'm getting a retired, custom made, offset smoker.
It's a small pit, but plenty big enough for me. It needs some significant work: repair to rust out on left side, replace rusted-out feet, repair and modification to fire box damper, and addition of a heat deflector between the fire box and pit. Of course, I'll pretty it up with new wood, hardware, grill surface and paint. But the rig has personality, including the State of Texas and the family name of the original owner on the pit lid.
I'll try to post project updates on the pit, and maybe even some more frequent cycling posts. But since it took me over a year to post this, I can't make you any promises.
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