My First Bike Ride In Over A Year Went Well For The Most Part

That is my newly restored two-wheeled personal locomotion device laying on the ground.

No, it is not laying on the ground due to a malfunction.

I stopped to take a picture. To take a picture I have to remove my sunglasses. If I don't I can not see the camera screen.

About 8, or maybe 9, miles later I realized I had left my sunglasses on the ground. Unlike the Tandy Hills Easter Sunday lost sunglasses incident, I found them today upon my return to the spot where I left them.

I estimate I quit riding my bike sometime last July, or maybe August. I attempted to get the wheel fixed in October, at Panther City Bikes. Or whatever it is called. I had a worse impression about that place than I did/do about Bicycles, Inc., so I did not get my wheel fixed there.

There are not as many bike shops to choose from in the Dallas/Fort Worth zone than in areas that have a lot more bike riders. At least I'm assuming that is the cause of the bike shop shortage.

I am glad I found Colonel's Bicycle Shop.

Getting back in the saddle, after more than a year of not pedaling, went surprisingly well. I was surprised at how solid the bike now feels with its fixed wheel. I quickly realized I put up with that wobbly wheel way too long.

I was zipping along at around 20 mph, with the help of wind behind me, breaking the speed limit by 10 mph. Came to the first up and down, zipped down and up. It was feeling good.

I forgot to mention, my return to bike riding took place at Village Creek Natural Historic Area, then left the VCNHA trail to continue on on the Bob Findlay Linear Park trail.

Which is where the picture was taken. It's in Interlochen. An area with a lot of canals. Betty Jo Bouvier asked me how it manages to be so green here, so I took a green picture for Betty Jo.

Soon after that, at mile 6 or 7, I thought of Betty Jo again. I started off feeling real comfortable on the saddle. I'd forgotten that prior to my bike's long period of rest I'd put a comfy new bike seat on it. But, by mile 6 or 7, not so comfy. I think my seating area has lost some of its padding over the past year. Which is why I thought of Betty Jo, thinking riding a bike might be a bit more comfortable if I had a more ample derriere.

I had multiple issues with squirrels acting squirrely today. Four times the little beasts darted out in front of my front wheel, almost causing a crash each time.

Around mile 10, on my way back to my van, before I realized I'd left my sunglasses behind, I stopped to drink some water. I leaned over to get the water bottle and then had a real dizzy sensation, in a way that felt good. It was at that point I realized that biking is way more exercise, aerobically speaking, than the hill hiking I've been doing for the past year.

By the time I recovered the sunglasses and made it back to my van, I'd covered 13.646 miles. Not the longest bike ride I've gone on. But, it seemed long enough for the first bike ride in over a year. As soon as I stopped and got off the bike, without the motion caused Wind Chill, I switched into heavy duty sweating mode. I'd forgotten this part of bike riding when it's HOT.

So, that was the fun part of today. The un-fun part of today was totally unrelated to riding a bike. If I feel like re-living that in blog form, I may do that later.

The Last Day Of August Starts Dark & Cloudy & Humid

I am up way before the sun on the last day of August. As you can clearly see via the view from my patio. It is a dark, cloudy morning.

I opened the windows this morning before realizing it was 79.9 and very humid. As in 79% humidity. About 10 minutes later the windows were shut and the A/C turned on to try and un-do the damage I'd done to the interior climate.

I am looking forward to my first bike ride in a long, long time, today. I think I'll go pedaling on Village Creek Natural Historic Area's paved trail. That was the location of the last time I was on my bike.

I think I'll hit a paved trail, or two, to make sure I am comfortable back in the saddle, before hitting a mountain bike trail. I suspect new trails have been added to my favorite nearby mountain bike trail, that being the River Legacy Park mountain bike trail.

But, before I go biking, I am going swimming. But, I need the sun to show up with some brightening before I do that.

Fort Worth's Colonel's Bicycles Has Me Back On 2 Wheels

Well. I am back in bike riding mode. It has been quite a long time since my bike became unstable, due to the rear wheel getting way out of round. Or un-true in bike wheel-speak. Or is it out of true?

My biking had sort of gone the way of my roller blading. With roller blading I decided one day that the fun quotient was out weighed by the lack of a desire to go through another long recovery from a bad blading fall.

And then I sort of got addicted to heavy duty hiking and its resultant positive effects.

But, I sort of missed riding my bike.

And then a couple weeks ago I was walking the paved trail at River Legacy Park. Walking it. And way more bikers than I ever remember seeing there, reminded me of how often I'd biked that trail. I decided then to get back in bike mode.

Part of my reluctance to deal with the bike woes is I have had bad luck with bike shops here in Texas. And I was never all that happy with bike shops in Washington, except for the bike shop in Fairhaven in Bellingham. I think it was called Bellingham Bike Shop. I bought my favorite bike there. And then a Texas trail killed it. Killed it good.

I think it was back in October I mentioned taking the wheel to Panther City Bikes on Magnolia in Fort Worth. Fort Worth Weekly picked it as the Best Bike Shop, in last year's Best of 2009 Issue. It took me about 2 minutes in Panther City Bikes to turn and run out. I think I blogged about this and my previous experience with taking the wheel in for help at Bicycles Inc., in Bedford, which left the wheel still wobbly. slightly improved, but still wobbly.

I believe it was after that that Steve A pointed me to Colonel's Bicycle Shop on University Drive in the heart of purple TCU territory. It seemed like a long ways to go at the time Steve A mentioned it.

But, I wanted a working wheel. So, last Thursday I took the wheel to the Colonel. I was told I needed a new wheel. And that it should be ready by Tuesday. Well, this afternoon, just as I was heading into Fort Worth for another reason, I got a call from Colonel's. The wheel was ready.

When I was in Colonel's on Thursday I lamented about my bad Texas bike shop experiences. The bike guy I was talking to joked that they'd try and not be another bad bike shop experience. I told the bike guy I had a tendency to blog about my bad experiences. And my good experiences.

I was fairly certain I was going to have a good experience at Colonel's Bicycle Shop, due to the fact that Colonel's has a good website that oozes competence. And a lot of good customers comments.

So, I got back here, figured I'd have an easy time attaching the tire to wheel, with a tube inside, and then sticking it on the bike. It'd been awhile. Eventually I got the tire on the wheel, with the tube inside. I figured sticking the wheel on the rear gear thing would be easy. Done it many a time.

It took at least a half an hour before the wheel suddenly, correctly slid in to place. By then I'd somehow mucked up the brake cable. But that was easily fixed.

So, now, after way too much effort. I am ready to roll. But not right now. The rolling will have to wail until tomorrow.

Hot Tandy Hills Hiking With Purple Bruisers

It is one day before the end of August and there is still plant life coloring up the Tandy Hills. Not a lot of it, but there is still color.

Today I saw a delicate looking tiny orchid-like pink wildflower. And the big Purple Bruiser you see in the picture.

I think the Purple Bruiser belongs to the thistle family. It was quite thorny.

A slight bit of rain damped us up a bit a bit before noon. This shot the humidity way up. So, even though it was only in the high 80s, it was one HOT hike today.

When I stopped to take the picture of the Purple Bruiser, it was near the end of my hike time. The act of stopping and getting low to the ground, to take the picture, turned me into a fountain. I'm sure the Purple Bruiser appreciated its second watering of the day. I know I would have.

I am ready for fall to fall. There were signs of the impending hall on the hills today. Leaves in some trees starting to slightly change their color. It is only 22 days til fall.

I am out of here, back out in the HEAT. I've something I need to attend to.

J.D. Granger's Trinity River Vision Happy Hour Tubing Party Boondoggle Continuing Fun

You are looking at another photo taken by Joyce Marshall in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. There are now a lot of photos documenting last Thursday's bizarre Trinity River Vision Boondoggle J.D. Granger inspired Happy Hour Inner Tube Float down one of the most polluted rivers in America.

Judging from the comments to the article in the Star-Telegram, the locals seemed to be fairly universally repulsed by J.D. Granger's latest great idea.

One commenter lamented the wish that something cheaper be found for Kay Granger's boy to do.

It was Elsie Hotpepper who pointed me to the cornucopia of amusing and cogent comments, pointing me to them, because one commenter, Rude Dude, mentioned Durango Texas as being his information source for the Trinity Tubing.

I'll start with the comment from Rude Dude, then follow that with other comments about J.D. Granger's latest Boondoggle...

Someone named Agassifan had asked "So, how were these folks chosen?"

RudeDude then wrote:

They weren't chosen the float was open to anyone. They probably learned about it at J.D. Granger's Twitter or Facebook page. I read about it several weeks ago at Durango Texas. Fort Worth Weekly and FortWorthology may have also announced the float.

Jabbo wrote:

Anyone who has pushed the wasteful billion dollar Trinity Vision project (Granger & Son, Moncrief, the Tarrant Water District, etc.) should be put on an innertube and set out to sea!

localyokel wrote:

UGGHHH!!!! Between the alligator gar, the "brown trout", and God alone only knows what else, there is no way that anyone who valued their health would even think to get in the river. I've pulled CARS out of the river, BODIES out of the river, did a Trinity River Trash Bash and saw an old man with a net scooping used NEEDLES out of the water.

McNugget wrote:

Between the mammoth alligator gar, 2 headed snakes, gators, and dead bodies known to lurk below the foamy waters of the Trinity- No Thanks! Not to mention the fact that you will smell like a toilet boil for two days after.

anngws wrote:

There was documentary on recently about aligator gar - they focused on the Trinity River because it has such a huge population of that terrible fish. They can be deadly and grow to be very large - they have 2 rows of aligator teeth in a long thin snout. Who on Earth would swim in a river with those things? They can shred anything they bite into. Who would even promote such a thing?

TexasProud wrote: (quoting from the article in the Star-Telegram)

"With Budweiser swim trunks, a can of Natural Ice in his hand and a pack of Marlboros hanging around his neck in a waterproof container, the Fort Worth resident was ready to go."

This is why Fort Worth is Fort Worth, and not someplace with higher standards....it's the people....stupid.

astlobo wrote:

Great just what the Trinity needs, dirty Fort Worthians polluting the river even more.

McNugget wrote:

I thought these Trinity River people were only in charge of the big "flood control" project that we're all going to be financing. Now they're doing tubing and restaurants by the river. Maybe next they can come over and clean my house?

rickhatcher wrote:

you can't eat fish from the Trinity River what makes people want to put their bodies in that nasty thing. If they cleaned up the river it would help immensely. I am not sure it is safe for tubing anyhow. I don't think I would want to eat at any restaurant on the Trinity River because of the horrible smell.

sulla012 wrote:

I love tubing and I love Fort Worth it would take millions to get that river in tubing shape for the general public. I will choose to do the spring fed rivers of the Hill country and miss my chance to tube with "uncle dave". Maybe next year "uncle Dave". Nothing like a stagnant foul smelling river to go tube at on a lazy afternoon. Good idea wrong river.

jlwesty wrote:

Many tubing areas are not deep, over one's head. The Trinity is deep and there are no life saving stations. The Fire Dept takes too long in an emergency. They are more for recovery. Many city dwellers can not swim. As a child I remember many people being drowned yearly at family outings. The river is for flood water it is filled with limbs, trees and rocks. After a rain it foams like your washer because of chemicals in the run off. Once drowned bodies take days to find if they don't float naturally as they deteriorate. I would think authorities would tell you to boil the water if you were going to drink it. The rare boat race or tug of war that gets out of hand and leads to a sip probably would not kill you but inviting the world to come down and take a dip makes no sense just like the project. I wish we could have found something cheaper for Kay Granger's boy to do. It is a disgrace which will come to nothing.

A Polluted Texas Monday Morning Moon Seen With ISO & Shitzu

We are looking out my bedroom window, early Monday morning, with this being the last Monday of August. It is 79 degrees out there, so I've got my windows open.

My camera has multiple settings that I spin a dial to change. Settings like 'Fireworks', 'Snow', 'Foliage', 'Portrait', 'Night Snapshot', 'Kids & Pets', 'Indoor', 'Sunset', 'Beach', 'Aquarium' and 'ISO'.

I had no idea what ISO meant. This morning I set the camera on ISO and took the picture out of my bedroom window. I think what ISO means is at that setting you can take a picture with little light and no flash will go off and you end up with a photo that fairly closely replicates what the darkness actually looks like.

I think I'll leave you for a moment and go out on the patio and see if this ISO thing can take a picture of the pollution halo that is currently surrounding the moon. I'll be right back.

Well, you can sort of see the haze around the moon. And you can also see that the sun is starting to light up the place. But not sufficiently bright to alert the birds that it is time to go into their morning tweeting routine.

I have yet to get to see and take a picture of the little Lhasa Apso doggy who found a home on Saturday. The lady who adopted the nice little doggy, we called Shitzu, because we thought he was a Shih Tzu breed of nice little doggy, already has 2 dogs. Little Schnauzers.

When I first met the lady who adopted Shitzu she only had 1 Schnauzer. I met the little Schnauzer when a Pit Bull was trying to eat it during a fire emergency. It was drama layered upon drama.

I see Shitzu's new mama a couple times a week, usually, out walking her doggies in my neighborhood. It will be interesting to see how she handles 3 dogs at once. And how Shitzu is adjusting to his adopted siblings.

Well, the birds have started making a racket. Which means it is time to go swimming.

Walking With Texas Indian Ghosts While Talking To Tootsie Tonasket

You are looking at the paved trail in Village Creek Natural Historic Area in Arlington, Texas. The picture was taken about an hour ago, a minute or two after I was untangled from the leash of a passing Doberman. You can see the Doberman and its humans in the distance in the picture if you look real hard.

My one longtime reader may remember me mentioning, yesterday, that Tootsie Tonasket had sent me a rather disturbing email detailing the latest chapter in Tootsie's ongoing roller coaster of a soap opera.

So, I called Tootsie Tonasket today while I walked and talked for an hour or so. I gave Tootsie excellent advice as to how to handle the latest Tootsie Travail. I'm sure my excellent advice will be totally ignored.

I tell you, the troubles that people find themselves accidentally getting into, make me grateful I pretty much live a trouble-free existence. As long as I stay out of Tacoma and its Vortex of Weirdness.

I think I broke my record in the pool this morning, time-wise. It was feeling so salubrious I did not want to get out. I was in the water very soon after the sun arrived, so I had musical bird tweeting helping create a soothing jungle atmosphere.

I was in Boerne, Texas, virtually, all morning. I'll be returning there again, virtually, this afternoon. Interesting town.

Time for lunch now. Burgers, with salad, oven-baked spud rounds and lemonade.

An Early Texas Sunday Morning Thinking About A Former Shih Tzu Former Homeless Puppy

We are looking out my bedroom window at the slightly moonlit early morning of the last Sunday in August.

It is way hotter than yesterday's morning temperature of 67. Right now, at a little past 6am, it is 78 out there.

The cute little formerly homeless doggy had a successful trip to the groomer and vet.

Miss Puerto was sure the little doggy was of the Shih Tzu breed. Yesterday the vet identified it as a Lhasa Apso doggy. And it is just a puppy, less than a year old.

Miss Puerto Rico is hoping I'll take a picture today of the newly spruced up Lhasa Apso. Apparently after his haircut he looks really tiny.

I think I need to close the windows. I am sort of overheating in here. Maybe it's the HOT coffee.

In Texas Celebrating A Rare Scrabble Win Against The Scrabble Queen Of Washington

Saturday night I had me a Scrabble Celebration due to the rare occasion of winning a Scrabble game against the Scrabble Queen of Washington.

It was a decisive victory, by dozens of points.

I think the Scrabble Queen of Washington lets me win every once in awhile just to boost my easily boosted spirits.

A couple weeks ago I read somewhere that Scrabble, the actual board game, not the Facebook version, has become a very trendy fad.

It seems like the actual board game version would be complicated, figuring out how to score the points. That would involve arithmetic. The arithmetic part of my brain went to sleep a long time ago.

I see in the morning email that the Scrabble Queen of Washington has invited me to play a new game of Scrabble. The usual pattern is she lets me win one. And then decisively defeats me to remind me why she is the Scrabble Queen of Washington.

While I'm a mere Pauper in Texas. I just realized I am not sure I know what a Pauper is.

Paying Homage To The Tandy Hills Shrine While Talking To My Mom, Worrying About Tootsie Tonasket & Thinking About The Tacoma Queen Of Chocolate

You are looking at the newly restored Tandy Hills Shrine on top of Mount Tandy. The oracle known as Stenotrophomonas prophesied that new balls would migrate their way to the shrine. As it was prophesied, so it has come to be.

Before I say anything else about anything else, I must tell you the nice homeless doggy I introduced you to has found a home. At this very moment he is getting a haircut. And then it's off to the Dog Doctor for a check-up and shots.

It is like the nice homeless doggy knew something good was happening. He'd been a bit skittish, we did not know how we'd get him in a dog carrier cage for transport to the Dog Fixers. Instead, the cage door was opened and the no longer homeless doggy walked right in. Liked he'd seen this before and knew it led to good things.

Enough of the dog. Back to me. On the way to the Tandy Hills I got gas, so, like I always do when I get gas, I called my mom. Mom was being chatty, so the chattiness continued after I arrived at the Tandy Hills. After my mom stopped being chatty I called Tootsie Tonasket, because Tootsie had emailed me regarding a rather urgent matter that she wanted to talk to me about. I got voice mail.

Tootsie just called back, but I'm blogging right now and not in the mood to talk about Tootsie's Travail.

I heard from the Chocolate Queen of Tacoma, this morning, that she's been reading my blogs.

Most complicated website I ever made was for the Chocolate Queen of Tacoma. The complicated one, that I made, has been replaced by a less complicated, but far better, version.

Next time I'm in Tacoma I'll be visiting the Chocolate Queen. There is a chance if I do that I might get to taste some exotic chocolate. Most chocolate I've ever consumed, occurred during a 10 day period in February of 2004, while I put chocolate products on Amazon for the Queen of Chocolate. I probably had more chocolate during that 10 day period than the entirety of my life up to that point.

When I flew up to Washington, in February of 2004, I weighed 206. When I returned to Texas, 10 days later, I weighed almost 220.

The 10 days of overeating were topped off with a 10 hour layover in Phoenix, where I had McDonald's All You Can Eat, twice, within an hour, once, when I landed, again when my sister landed. A few hours later it was off to Happy Hour at some place with cheap Happy Hour appetizers. After that I was stuffed, but then it was off to my first visit to an In-N-Out, where I learned why they are so highly regarded, by having two burgers.

After In-N-Out they took me back to the airport where I slowly waddled in, eventually barely able to secure a seatbelt around me. I was very happy there were very few on board. I had a whole section of the plane all to myself.

Even though we got down to only 35 degrees above freezing, last night, the sun has managed to heat us up again, to 93, so the A/C is back doing its cooling thing.