Still Life with Bicycle

You might be wondering...

2010-08-01T22:11:00.005-04:00

Where the heck have I been??? Well, I haven't been riding my bike much, unfortunately, and there are two main reasons for that.

First of all the month of July here in central Pennsylvania was dangerously hot much of the time. We had temperatures above 90° for fourteen out of twenty eight days, plus a few days that hit over 100°. In addition to the heat the humidity was out of control, making for some dangerous biking weather.

But the main reason is that just over three weeks ago I woke up in the morning feeling like an elephant was sitting on my chest. The pressure of it literally woke me from sleeping. I then had pain spread from my chest down my left arm and into the left side of my face and jaw. Can you say panic?

Now I have had chest pain before-- and even woke up because of it-- but this was different. Due to my job I have developed some tightness and trigger points all around my chest area and that can sometimes cause pain. But the pressure and spreading pain was not like trigger point or muscle strain.

I started to feel numb, except for a shooting pain down my left bicep. Maybe it was because I was starting to panic, I don't know. It seemed crazy to think that I might be having a heart attack. But I was scared enough that I went to the emergency room.

Once there (and yes, I drove myself-- I know, bad move) they hooked me up to an ekg machine, gave me an IV, put a nitro glycerin patch on my chest, the whole nine yards. I had a chest xray. Everything was coming back normal, including my heart rate. The pain had subsided by the time I had arrived at the hospital, and it was shortly thereafter that the pressure was relieved.

Since heart problems run in my family, the decision was made to keep me overnight and do blood enzyme tests every eight hours to see if I had actually had a heart attack. To make a long story short, despite the fact that I was allowed to have my laptop at the hospital with me-- and I even had a pillow from home-- I was so BORED and uncomfortable that I was miserable there. It was one of the longest twenty four hour stretches of my life! Luckily everything came back normal and so I was sent home the next day (Saturday) and told to come in for a stress test early in the week.

I had a nuclear stress test on Tuesday and let me tell you-- all this bike riding has paid off in the heart strength department! It took almost the entire nine minutes to get my heart rate high enough and once they ramped down the treadmill my heart went back to resting rate quickly and without incident. I was completely reassured by the stress test.

When I saw my doctor the following week he told me that everything looked great-- my heart was healthy and strong, my cholesterol was low, and I didn't have diabetes or thyroid issues, both of which can cause the symptoms I had. I do, however, have pericarditis, which is an inflammation of the pericardium, the lining around the heart. They don't know why I have this, but it could be for any number of reasons. Mostly they are non-fatal so I'm trying not to worry!

For now I have to take an anti-inflammatory drug and they've put me on a diet. I'm also taking a baby aspirin each day. The diet is fine; I've been trying to lose weight anyway! I'm not happy about the medication or the aspirin, but I'll be retested in three months and can hopefully stop taking both at that time.

Needless to say I was afraid to ride my bike while waiting to find out what the heck was going on with me. I've been on a few short rides this past week, the longest being about 18 miles. Not many pictures, though. But now that I'm on this new diet I've taken some 'before' photos to have later for comparison. So here's me, and I hope you'll see less of me in the future!

Stop and smell the roses... or something like that.

2010-07-07T23:03:00.012-04:00

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I picked up Bike Snob's book the other day. In one of the early chapters he writes, "Everything about riding a bicycle compels you towards beauty." Not to be too sentimental (okay, maybe a little; I am something of a romantic after all), but that statement really spoke to me.

I'm an impulsive person who rushes around, hurries up, doesn't want to wait for anything and so on and so on. I can't STAND those "it's the journey not the destination" types of sayings-- they make me want to slap someone! However, riding my bike really is about the journey, lol. It's about the only thing I do where I go slow, take my time, relax and appreciate what's going on around me at that very moment. It's rather Zen I guess you could say.

Anyway, here are a few pictures of some of the beautiful things I've come across while out on my bike. Today I'm putting up mostly flowers with other subjects to come later on.

Beginning of the season
Coreopsis?
Moth Mullein
Rough-fruited Cinquefoil
Beardtongue
Spiderwort
Dewberry
Multiflora Rose
Oxeye Daisy

Wild Lupine with Zabulon Skipper

With more butterflies (and maybe a few more flowers) to follow in the next day or so...

Finally!

2010-07-05T21:37:00.007-04:00

I know, I know. I've been terrible at updating my blog lately. I've been so busy these past two weeks that I've barely had time to ride, let alone take pictures and then write about them! I actually have a backlog of photos to share, though, including some from my trip to the Statue of Liberty last weekend.New route last week-- and to my surprise I found a covered bridge! At some point I want to take some close-ups, but as you might be able to tell, it's downhill to the bridge and then an immediate uphill. I'm not really inclined to stop my momentum when it's so darn hot out. So I'm thinking it'll be about October before I do anything...

I took the picture above because I loved that hollyhock just randomly growing on the side of the road, plus it was the same color as my shirt!

My dad and my sister were down this weekend and we went for a ride on this new route. It's kind of hilly-- rolling hills-- but they did just fine. Mostly I was thinking of my dad because, well, he's my dad and a bit older than me and it was beastly hot.

Maybe someday I'll put up some pictures of me, but for now my bike will have to be my stand-in:

Oh and it wasn't until after this ride was over that we realized I was using a broken lens-- no wonder I had a hard time getting things in focus!

My dad and I also went for a ride this morning before he left to go back to New York City. We rode down for breakfast at Spill the Beans and then did a short ten mile ride around Lititz. It was so hot-- like 90 degrees at 10:30am-- that we stopped many, many times for rest and some water. But I'm excited about how much my dad likes bicycling! It gives us something fun to do when he's here for visit (other than sitting around talking, of course).

I have a bunch of flower and butterfly pictures from the rides with my family, and hopefully I'll get them sorted and identified soon! Until then, here's another way to get around Lancaster County:

Let's Go Ride a Bike Summer Games!

2010-06-26T11:34:00.012-04:00

I'm blogging from New York City today! I'm going to New Jersey for my 25 year high school reunion, and staying with my Dad in Manhattan for part of the time I'm here. I didn't bring my bike this time, though. Too many logistical hassles between here, the hotel and home. It's Saturday and I haven't been for a ride since Wednesday-- I'm having withdrawals here...

I wanted to make sure I got my official Summer Games post in before this segment finished-- I've actually been doing many of the activities listed, but I haven't been blogging that much these past few weeks.

One of the challenges this time around was to carry a load on your bike. I do this fairly regularly as I try to bike to work as often as I can, and that means hauling loads of clean and dirty linens back and forth (I'm a massage therapist). My hybrid had a great basket on the back to haul stuff in, but sinceI got my crank forward back in October of last year I've been without a basket. That meant lugging three or four sets of linens in a messenger bag-- not fun at all. It also meant that I couldn't do much grocery shopping if I needed to get things like milk. As I posted a week or so ago, I had a rack installed on my crank forward and I've bungeed a basket to it. Mostly I've been hauling my camera around, but here's what I got last week:

Lavender! Here's a closer look:

I stopped by the Flower Wagon and bought seven new lavender plants. I'm going to edge my driveway with them. I underestimated the amount I needed, though-- I need at least seven MORE plants to make it the whole way down the drive. Anyway, I felt so very European toting my lavender on my bike! And it smelled great, too.

Another Summer Games task is to do some kind of maintenance task, big or small. Of course I wash my bike regularly and I check the tires daily and fill them if necessary. The last thing I want is a pinch flat, especially on that rear tire.

The one thing on the list I really wanted to do was read a book about cycling. I picked up

Bike Snob: Systematically & Mercilessly Realigning the World of Cycling

by BikeSnobNYC at the Borders by the Rockaway Mall in New Jersey. It's very funny and I also love that he opens the book talking about the Amish (except he's wrong when he says they don't wear sneakers-- some of them do). The illustrations are great as well-- I would recommend this book to any bicyclist who's willing to poke fun at themselves, and even to those that aren't-- they might climb down from their high horses and mingle with the hoi polloi!

I also have a subscription to Bicycle Times magazine. I love it because it's mostly about regular people doing regular bicycle riding. Some of the stuff they write about goes right over my head, like some of the technical stuff about brakes or whatever, but it's very balanced between the technical and the mundane. Perfect for me, lol.

I hope to get a ride in on Monday or Tuesday. I've been missing my bike!

Bike Freedom Valley!

2010-06-20T21:57:00.007-04:00

Otherwise known as INSANITY! And I mean that in a good way, of course!

Let me say two things right at the start: first, I only took two pictures today, despite the fact that there were many interesting sights along the way, and second, this ride kicked my butt! I finished, though, and I wasn't even the last one to roll in!

I woke up at just after three this morning and couldn't get back to sleep; I was too excited about the ride, I guess. I finally got on the road at about 5:30 (because even though I was up early I still couldn't leave on time). Unfortunately I kept having problems with my bike rack and had to stop three times to monkey around with it until I got it the way I needed it. So now I was running late-- registration check-in was from 6:30 to 7:30, with a projected start time of 7:45 am and I wanted to get there before seven so I could get a good parking spot!

I got to Kelly Drive in Philly at about 7:15 and found a spot easily. I had pre-registered, so getting my number, cue sheet, and other stuff was quick and easy. I took a picture of the riders assembling at the start, as you can see above, but it doesn't show AT ALL how many people were there. I don't know what the number was, but hopefully it will be on the web soon and I'll post it.

Right from the start I knew it was going to be a bit rough. At eight in the morning the temperature was 77 degrees with a humidity level of 82 percent. The humidity did go down as the day went on, but the temperature went up, with the "real feel" going as high as 98 degrees!! Oh misery!

I opted for the 35 mile shared roads ride (meaning shared with cars). The info on this option said the terrain was hilly, and I assumed that meant something similar to "Lancaster County hilly": rolling hills with an occasional steeper climb, with lovely flat sections in between to give some rest. Well, I was wrong. VERY WRONG!

The first fourteen miles were torturous. Seriously, if I had realized how hilly it was going to be I never would have thought I could have ridden it. I'm not sure that I've mentioned it here on my blog, but I am one overweight chick right now. I won't say how much, but it's significant. Maybe someday I'll post some before and after pictures. Anyway...

I actually had a little mental breakdown at about mile eight when I realized that it was going to be an incredibly challenging ride and I still had 27 miles to go. I sat on the side of the road and cried for about twenty minutes, wondering how in the heck I was going to do this thing. I just decided that I would go as slow as needed to, walk if I needed to, and rest if I needed to. It would be that simple.

And that's exactly how I did it. I walked up quite a few hills, lol. The first rest stop, at Villanova University, was around mile fifteen. The oranges, bagels and cold drinks revived my spirits! The best part? It was mostly all downhill to the next stop, about ten miles farther down the road.

Along the way I met this guy, whose name I can't remember, and his horse Showtime:

I don't usually think of cowboys and Philadelphia as really going together, but they look awesome don't they? He said Showtime was 27 years old-- he's in great shape for such an old guy!

I didn't get a picture, but there was a couple riding a recumbent tandem who always seemed to be either just in front of me or just behind. The woman was in the front seat doing the driving while the man was in the back seat strumming a blue ukelele! And they were singing as they went along. I wish I'd taken their photo.

I also rode for a while with a woman from Berks County, and we exchanged numbers at the end of the ride, with hopes of getting together and doing some biking.

The last leg of the ride was on the Schuylkill River Trail (pronounced SKOO kill, but with a G sound in the middle there, too). After a few miles you could opt to get back on the street in Manayunk (MANny unk), or follow the trail the whole way back. Since the trail option was also the flat option, that's the one I chose! And it really was a trail-- packed dirt and small rocks, running through trees along the Schuylkill River. I saw two big turtles sunning themselves on a fallen tree trunk and I stopped to take their picture, but just as I was getting my camera out some people rode by and the turtles slid back into the water. At that point I just wanted to get to the finish so I put the camera away and pedaled on.

When I got to the start/finish point I rang my bell like a crazy woman for about thirty seconds. I was too tired to whoop it up any other way. I got a quick butt massage-- yes, butt massage (and legs, too). I needed it something awful! I grabbed a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and after resting for a half hour or so I loaded up my bike and headed home.

I will definitely do this ride again next year, and I will definitely choose the same ride option that I did this time around. I want to see how much I improve over the next twelve months! Although it was a tough ride for me, I'm glad that I underestimated the term "hilly." If I had really understood it I never would have chosen to try the 35 mile route and challenged myself.

I think I'll take a rest from riding tomorrow... but maybe not...

Lots and lots of miles this weekend...

2010-06-13T21:16:00.007-04:00

Or so it seemed anyway. I did close to thirty on Friday, twenty on Saturday and just over twenty today!

My main ride for Friday was the Long Ears Loop again. Still no baby mule but look above-- it's a black lab sitting in a tree house! This treehouse is in a goat pen and they climb all over it and play on it. The dog's name is Tika and she lives in the pen with the goats. If you go over to the fence she'll bring you a ball so you can throw it for her over and over and over and over again... This pen is another Amish farm just across the way from where the twins live. In addition to Tika and the goats there are cows, a bull, and horses of course. They also run a store that sells items in bulk. I haven't actually shopped there because I don't really need any bulk items.

This little beauty lives on a farm about a mile past the baby's farm. When I stopped to have a drink and a rest she came right over to check me out. As soon as I brought my camera out she got shy and wouldn't look at me! Until her buddy came over, too:

Later I rode down to the Cozy Crop House to do a few massages, and then rode from there to my mom's at about 10:30 pm! It's only about two miles from CCH to her house but it was DARK. I do have head and tail lights on my bike, but it was a tiny bit unnerving to be riding on somewhat lonely country roads that late at night-- the rustlings in the cornfields and long grass were the worst!

Saturday morning I went on a sixteen mile ride with the bike club and it was hard. The route was hilly as heck (because flat is a relative term in Lancaster County-- and I mean that seriously, not sarcastically, lol). It sure seemed like the pace was faster than eleven miles per hour, but that could have been because the hills were wearing me down. I don't have a problem with shorter hills, or ones where there's a downhill first to gain momentum but those long, low-grade ones just kill me. And there were plenty of those kinds of hills on this ride! The upside is that I didn't have to get off and walk any of them, and I kept the pace pretty much. I did fall behind from time to time but once I got caught up I stayed with the main group until I tired on a hill. Luckily for me I wasn't the only one struggling a bit so I had plenty of company, lol.

Today there was a twenty mile ice cream ride scheduled, but the only ones who showed up were me and the leaders (they ride a tandem). It was beastly hot-- 89 degrees with humidity at 73 percent! Like a sauna or something. Since it looked like thunderstorms could roll in we decided to ride around Lititz rather than out towards Ephrata-- that way if it did start to storm we would be close to home. We went about 15 miles, stopping for ice cream at the end. I had a root beer float and boy did it hit the spot on such a hot day!

Thirty miles of beautiful riding and then a few in the rain...

2010-06-10T11:51:00.008-04:00

It's twins! Alright, I don't know if they're really twins but they're certainly a well-matched pair. They live on an Amish farm in Warwick Township and I can't say that I've ever seen them pulling a buggy or doing any kind of farm work or even being ridden around, so I can't imagine what their function is. I doubt they're just pets, though.

I don't think I've mentioned that I'm going to be riding Bike Freedom Valley on June 20th. It's a non-competitive bike ride in Philadelphia with the Bicycle Coalition of Greater Philadelphia. You can choose from a number of different routes, and I've chosen the 35-mile ride from Villanova to Spring Hill and back. To that end, I've been trying to up my daily miles in preparation.

On Monday I rode 22 miles in the morning and then another 8 in the evening. It was a gorgeous day for a bike ride! Sunny, dry, relatively cool and a little breezy. I did the "Long Ears Loop" in the morning hoping to get some good shots of the baby mule, but he and his mom were nowhere to be seen. I did get some waves from the adorable little Amish girls in their black pinafores as I went by, though. They also have a stand selling strawberries and rhubarb so I'll have to make sure I bring some money with me for next time. Fresh strawberries right out of the strawberry patch are delicious!

I was obviously taken with this wheat field... at least I think it's wheat. I guess I'm going to have to do some research! What I loved about this field is that it looked so soft. I didn't actually touch it, though, so I'm not sure. I tried to get a good close up of at least one stalk, but it was too windy to get a decent one.

Tuesday I was in Delaware most of the day and so didn't get a chance to ride at all. Yesterday I decided to try and do the Spooky House Ride before the rain got here. Of course I was about halfway done when it started coming down; I was soaked by the time I got home! I'm going to have to spend some time cleaning my bike today because it's covered in mud splashes and worm bits-- but I can say with confidence that my new bike rack did an excellent job of keeping that stuff off of ME, lol.

I did stop to take a picture of these wild roses despite the water. They look like they're about done and I was afraid the rain would knock all the petals off before I get back own this way again.

Unfortunately the Wednesday night ride with the bike club was rained out, too. I can only make the bike club rides when I don't have work in the evening, so it was disappointing to have no work and no bike ride! Especially when it's an ice cream ride...

Here's to next Wednesday then!

Look! It's my dad riding a bike!

2010-06-06T21:08:00.009-04:00

My dad also came down for a visit this weekend and of course I asked him to go for a bike ride. I've asked him before and the answer was always no, but this time he decided to go for it. He rode the hybrid and he wore a helmet, which made me happy.

We rode Saturday and Sunday, both times meeting Sam downtown for breakfast. My mom also came to breakfast on Sunday. Here's Sam and my dad on Saturday:

And here's one that my brother might like better...

I tried to explain to my brother and my dad the concept of bicycle driving as opposed to bicycle riding, because I think it's the best way to approach biking on the road. I don't think I did the greatest job, considering that I kept remembering one more thing I had to tell them and then a few minutes later would remember another thing I needed to tell them and so on and so on. In a nutshell bicycle driving, or vehicular cycling, can be understood in this statement from John Forester, who originated the system: "Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles." Riding with them made me realize how much I've learned about safe bicycle operation over the past year or so.

This is not to say that they don't know how to operate bikes or are dangerous or something! Not at all. Just that riding with people who don't do bicycle driving makes me realize how much safer and effective it really is-- for motorists and bicyclists.

So my dad and I rode down by the meadow reclamation area both days. For someone who hasn't ridden a bike in about fifty years (according to him) he did a lot better than I did when I started riding again after a long time away from it! We rode a little over eight miles on Saturday and eleven miles on Sunday.

There was a fishing derby going on own at Lititz Run today. I had hoped we could take a break there and rest for a while, but all the sitting areas were taken-- unless you wanted to sit in the damp grass. I sure didn't want to sit there and my dad didn't either, so we just walked around and watched for a little bit and I took this picture of some cattails:

My dad said he wants to ride again when he comes for a visit. It'll be fun!

2010-06-04T13:29:00.013-04:00

So my brother Sam and his girlfriend Mary are visiting from Florida, and I convinced Sam to go for a bike ride with me. Here he is riding my old hybrid-- by extension my sister's old hybrid, since she gave it to me in the first place! As you can see he refused to wear a helmet. No comment from me on that; it's his brain. Ok, actually I do have a comment. I think you should always wear a helmet while biking but of course he's old enough to decide for himself what he wants to do. I will say this-- even though he's puffing away on a cigarette here he still rode faster than me, lol. Of course he did have the more efficient bike to ride...We went downtown to Spill the Beans for breakfast (of course) so I could have my usual scrambled eggs and potatoes. It was far too humid to sit outside. Afterward I went to the Matthew 25 thrift shop to look at stuff-- you can often find beautiful handmade afghans there for like five dollars-- and then sat around and took pictures while I waited for Sam to get done on the phone. I think he talks on the phone more than anyone I know, other than myself.You can kind of see my new narrow tires and rack (I bungeed the basket to it). Here's a better shot:I know; now it looks even more dorky than it did before. Awesome!

But I've had a heck of a time with this bike these past few days. First there was the flat over Memorial day weekend, and then there was the whole gear issue... yes, a gear issue and it really put a damper on my ride with the bike club!

I picked up my bike from the bike shop on Wednesday night and went right to the ice cream ride start point. As I was tooling around in the parking lot, I could feel that the gears weren't shifting quite right, but it didn't seem awful. Certainly not anything that would cause me to not ride-- it would just be a little rough shifting from time to time.

I can assure you that it was a fricking disaster! Once we got going I could only keep it in first gear or seventh gear-- the lowest or the highest-- everything else just went ka-clunk-ka-clunk-ka-clunk and wouldn't stay. Well, every once in a while I could get it to third or fourth for a time, but as soon as I had to shift I fell way behind. I was so embarrassed! The sweep stayed with me, and we didn't fall way way back, but enough to make me frustrated.

We rode about six miles to Rita's in Mt. Joy. There were about twelve on the ride I think (I was too absorbed with my problems to pay attention) and it was a beautiful evening. And as one of the other riders mentioned, one of the absolute best ways to see Lancaster County is by bike! I would definitely like to do this ride again when I can enjoy it rather than suffering like I did, lol.

I don't think anyone at Green Mountain did anything wrong with my bike, I just think that the internal gear thingy is complicated and also uncommon. At any rate, I decided to take my bike back to the place where I bought it and have them look at it. After all, they put it together in the first place.

Shirk's is about 30-40 minutes from my house depending on traffic-- and that means farm machinery and buggy traffic! It's literally out in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by farms. I do believe the owners are Mennonite, and they speak both English and some kind of German dialect, too. They also wear the standard strict Mennonite clothing with the suspenders and porkpie-looking hats. They don't have a website or I would link it.

They spent about ten minutes messing around with my bike and it was done! And they even adjusted my brakes and tightened up my handlebar stem. And best of all, my bike runs perfectly now! I won't go anywhere else for bike related stuff ever again.

Whew-- what a week!

I think this'll be fun!

2010-06-01T16:35:00.002-04:00

I've decided to enter the Summer Games at Let's Go Ride a Bike, a nifty website/blog I came across yesterday. The Games actually started May 17, but the first round ends June 7 so I'm making it in just under the wire!

There are three different categories composed of five different activities. All you have to do is complete at least two activities in the featured category to be entered in drawings for all kinds of cool stuff. Obviously that's a way simplified explanation; click on the picture above to get all the details! And give it a try! I never win anything so I won't be holding my breath, lol. I love bike challenges, though, so this is right up my alley.

I did ride today for just a short bit-- downtown for breakfast, to the bank and on to the dentist to pay a bill. Then I took my bike over to Green Mountain Cyclery to have some new tires and also a rack put on my bike. I've decided to try narrower tires to see if I can make my riding a titch more efficient-- but they're going to hang on to my old ones in case I don't like the feel of these new ones. I LOVE riding on fat tires-- so comfortable and easy in many ways. But I'm wanting to go longer distances now and it makes sense to do what I can to facilitate that.

As for the rack, a couple of people told me that I wasn't going to be able to put a rack on my bike due to its crank-forward design. Well, they were wrong! The mechanic found one that would work in less than five minutes. This rack doesn't come with its own basket so I'll try my Topeak basket, and if that doesn't work I'll do like the Amish and bungee a milk crate or cardboard box to it!

The only negative about all this is that I can't pick up my bike until after four tomorrow! That means no riding tonight or most of the day on Wednesday... boo! On the plus side, I did get the grass mowed this afternoon and I now have plenty of time to vacuum before my brother shows up on Thursday.

Once I pick up my bike tomorrow I'm heading out for my second ride with the bike club, and it's another ice cream ride. A great pace to try out my new tires!

Here's a picture I took about a month ago of a barn cat-- it looks like she might be pregnant, actually:

I love long-ears!

2010-05-30T14:43:00.020-04:00

I love mules. They're highly intelligent, mentally stable-- almost imperturbable really-- hardworking, sure-footed and generally kind. Mules are also masters of self preservation and won't do things such as overwork themselves or work while injured. I don't wonder if that trait is a reason they've gotten a reputation as being stubborn. A mule will definitely stand its ground in that way!

I shared a picture of my mule Ida in an earlier post. I was always crazy about horses when I was a girl, although I didn't get to ride until I got older. When I was about fourteen- so this would have been the early eighties-- Smithsonian magazine did a story on mules, picturing two blond sorrels on its cover. After reading the article I decided that if I was ever in a position to buy a horse I would try and find a blond sorrel mule instead.

When I was in my early twenties I became a farrier's apprentice. One of our client's hobbies was carriage driving and they had a mule on the farm that was used for driving and riding-- Ida. In fact one of the grooms on this farm would ride Ida in the hunt (fox hunt, that is). After I bought her, I rode her bareback around town and to the local park all the time. I couldn't afford a saddle so bareback was all there was! She came with me when I left New Jersey for Chester county, Pennsylvania in 1993, but I had to sell her when my son was born in 1995. I simply didn't have the money to care for her anymore. I sold her to the barn where I kept her, and they used her for children's camps and things like that as she was so very gentle and good-natured. I miss her!

So-- these mules are from the farm with the baby. They were shading themselves under those trees when I came by, but being the inquisitive creatures that they are, a couple came over to check out me and my camera. I love their expressive faces! I still haven't been able to get a good shot of the baby; here's the only half-decent one:

Baby was curious but mom was cautious and they walked to the other side of the hill where I couldn't see them!

These two live on the same Amish farm as Sunshine the cow. In fact I think this is a picture of them working.

The one on the right was a little bit shy but the one on the left came right up and practically posed for pictures.

Looks like he works out, doesn't it?

Now he's letting his inner sweetheart show-- click on the picture to really see his expression:

And then suddenly he was intense again-- I love this guy:

As of right now I have no clients on Memorial Day, so maybe I'll try again to get some pictures of the baby. He's going to be big before you know it!

Annoyed, irritated, inconvenienced and indignant. It was just that kind of day...

2010-05-29T22:40:00.007-04:00

Before I say anything else, let me say that it has been a day. An annoying day full of rude people and tiresome adventures.

So let's get started. Notice anything wrong in this picture?

I had a flat. Woo. Hoo. And look-- there's something even more wrong in this picture:

Yes. I had a flat at Oregon Dairy! And nothing I needed to make even the most rudimentary repairs...

But before I even got to Oregon Dairy I met a couple of buffoons on the road. Generally when I'm out on my bike other riders are friendly and we exchange waves or greetings. Sometimes they initiate it, sometimes I do. So I saw these two guys coming towards me on the other side of the road, we made eye contact, and I said, "Hello there!" They didn't return the sentiment-- as they passed my line of sight one of them said, "Get a real bike!" Sigh.

Anyway, I wanted to try and get some new pictures of the baby mule I saw last week, so decided why not stop at Oregon Dairy for lunch and then head over to where the baby lives. Lunch was delicious-- chicken and waffles again-- but when I got outside there was my bike sitting there with a flat tire! I usually carry a portable pump and some fix-a-flat foamy stuff with me just in case something happens. I really should have a regular repair kit, but since I've not actually fixed a flat before I bring that stuff.

At any rate, even if I had a repair kit I wouldn't have been able to fix the flat there in the parking lot. You can't just pop the back tire off; you have to take the whole enclosed gear thingy apart (and don't ask me the proper name of the "gear thingy," because I don't know it, lol).

Luckily my mom has a bike rack for her car AND she was home. She picked me up and we brought my bike to a local bike shop for a quick repair. Now I know that my bike is not quite like most other bikes around, but it's not some kind of strange alien transport, either. The counter guy at the bike shop couldn't seem to find anything nice to say about it, though.

"What is it?" Um... it's a bike? I'd be interested in a fender and a rack for the back if you have any.

"You can't put a fender on there. Or a rack. There's no room for it with that seat like that. It's completely impractical." I love it, though. It's so comfortable!

"I bet it's comfortable. But it's like a chopper."

What the heck-- is this insult my bike day??? It wasn't that he called my bike a chopper. It's that he called my bike a chopper. The tone was so condescending.

Or maybe I was just overly sensitive and bristling from the "real bike" comment earlier in the day.

Whatever! The mechanic did a lovely job fixing up my tire and I rode home. Later I went out for a quick eight mile ride and so ended the day on an up note.

I took a bunch of pictures but I'll have to leave them for another day. Here's a picture of the caterpillar living in my dill plant. Look how much it's grown and changed in just two days-- it's now about an inch long:

Hopefully tomorrow will be less eventful... or at least let the events be positive ones...

They're back! Plus my first ride with the bike club...

2010-05-27T10:57:00.006-04:00

Caterpillars are finally back!

Can you see it there? It's maybe half an inch long-- maybe. It's a Black Swallowtail Butterfly caterpillar. The past few years I've been planting parsley for them-- they show up as these tiny little things and then over the course of a few days they strip the parley bare and grow to be a few inches long with green and black stripes. Then they disappear. I've never seen a cocoon, but I do see the butterflies.

Last year, though, I had hardly any caterpillars, and there seemed to be less butterflies about, too. As it turned out there WAS a butterfly shortage last year due to the cold and rainy spring. I guess it set back butterfly reproduction enough to make a noticeable difference. So I'm glad to see the caterpillars again. What I didn't know is that they also like dill:

Last night I went on my first ride with the Lancaster Bicycle Club. It was an ice cream ride, so the pace was mellow and the route wasn't hilly. And there was ice cream, of course! We rode about ten miles all together and I really had fun. In fact I can't wait to do it again! I'm actually a pretty shy person, so I was something of a basket case riding over to the start point. I did already know the people who were leading the ride so that helped, but everyone was super friendly and I felt great. And I kept up just fine, too! The only negative was the beastly hotness of the air, lol.

I've gone for a ride already this morning and it was almost worse than last night. Nine o'clock in the morning and it's already over eighty degrees. In May! That's disgusting! I may go for a ride later tonight if it cools off some. Today I get to see some friends that I haven't seen in a long time so that should be awesome!

To end, here are some wheat pictures-- at least I think it's wheat:

And a close up:

Did someone say crazy windy rainstorm rolling in?

2010-05-24T20:58:00.008-04:00

Yeah-- me! It's been cloudy on and off the past few days and we've had some sprinkles, but nothing major. I decided to go out for a quick ride around 5:30 and the sky was blue with some fluffy white clouds. As I was taking pictures, though, I noticed that the sky was getting darker and darker...And all of a sudden it started POURING! No thunder or lightning, which was my main concern, but I got soaked! I stopped at my friend Eugie's house to see if I could hang out there until everything blew over, but she wasn't there-- she was out on HER bike, lol. Her husband was there, though, and we chatted for a few minutes until the rain slowed down and then I headed back out. I was already drenched, so stopping didn't really help me all that much anyway!You might recognize this spot from an earlier post... it's the Lancaster County Stonehenge, only now it's covered in clover and all kinds of other plants (and look at the sky-- yikes). I love clover because it's purple, smells sweet, and you can eat it, lol.Mulberries! When we were kids there was a mulberry tree up the street and we used to go pick a bunch and put them in a bowl with milk and sugar. Yum!And raspberries! Raspberries and blackberries also grew in the woods around our house, but they were never as plentiful as the mulberries.Obviously neither the mulberries nor the raspberries are ripe yet. The question is-- can I get a few berries before the birds do?? These past few years they've picked everything clean before I even get a chance at them, the stinkers!

One more thing-- despite the rainstorm, there wasn't a rainbow to be found. Boo! Maybe next time...

Beautiful day for a bike ride!

2010-05-21T23:07:00.004-04:00

Well, not really. It was way too hot and humid for me. I did go out about 5pm-ish and it was quite pleasant, though.

My first stop was the Cozy Crop House here in Lititz, where I do massage on many weekends. If you're a scrapper you should definitely check out the link! Awesome space, delicious food, scrapping classes AND a store on site, plus you can even get a massage from me!

I was awfully hungry as I hadn't eaten since breakfast, so I decided to ride over to Oregon Dairy for chicken and waffles. If you haven't had chicken and waffles before you should probably try it right away. It's one of my favorite foods! Pulled chicken and gravy over a waffle... what could be better? Maybe corn on the cob or my grandma's pickles, but not much else.

Oregon Dairy is an interesting place and something of a Lancaster County landmark. It's a grocery store, ice cream shop, restaurant and gift shop all rolled into one. It's also an actual working dairy farm. And there'a a playground there. But one of the things I love about Oregon Dairy is this:

The bike rack! I try to ride my bike everywhere-- to work, for fun, downtown, to the grocery and so on and I can't think of another grocery that has a bike rack. It's much easier to use your bike for everyday errands and trips when you have a safe place to leave it while you're going about your business.

I ate at the counter and while I was there one of my clients stopped by to say hello, and I met someone who is related to two of my other clients. It's one of the things I love about living in a small community-- the interconnectedness of people. And it's funny; when I was moving up here I heard over and over again that the people of Lancaster County are standoffish and even unfriendly. I haven't found that to be the case at all. Is there a certain reservation? By some people and at some times, yes. But isn't that true everywhere?

Now it is true that I have heard Lancaster County natives complaining about people moving in from other places, particularly New York and New Jersey. As someone who grew up in New Jersey, I know the state gets a bad rap and there are many negative stereotypes about the people that live there. It does sort of hurt my feelings when I hear that kind of talk, but I'll usually chime in with "Hey! I'm from New Jersey!" and the answer is usually something along the lines of "Oh but you're different." The town I grew up in was very much like the town I live in out here. A bit less charming, but similar in many other ways. But to make the point about stereotypes, one time I told a lifelong Lancaster Countian that I was from north Jersey and they replied, "Oh? Are you Italian?" Hahahahaha! I think they watched too many episodes of The Sopranos!

I have a long day tomorrow, so I'll wrap up with this picture of a mule baby and its mother. The baby is blurry because it was wiggling all over the place. I'll be riding down that way again, though, and will hopefully get some better pictures.

Spooky house-- now with flowers! And cows!

2010-05-17T22:11:00.007-04:00

So I decided to do the Spooky House ride, only in the opposite direction. I'm such a rebel. Imagine my surprise, though, when I saw cows in the pasture at Spooky House Farm. Now, there is another house on the property that isn't nearly as dilapidated as this one, so I'm guessing people live there. But all the outbuildings are falling apart--- they don't seem "animal-worthy" to me. But what do I know?

What's not surprising is that the cows at Spooky House Farm have horns!! A perfect fit with their surroundings. It gives them something of a mischievous look don't you think? Although I don't think I'd like to meet her in a dark alley...

Or her...

Right across the road was a soft place to rest and keep your eye on those cows if you were so inclined... and you could even take it with you-- for free!

I did see some wild strawberries that had fruited, but I couldn't work up the courage to eat one. When I was a kid we used to eat all kinds of stuff we saw in the woods or growing along the road or on trees. Now that I know how many different kinds of poisonous plants there are out there I feel kind of lucky to have made it to adulthood! The strawberry had a dry feel to it and it was also kind of hard-- not at all juicy. Also, the seeds (I think they're seeds) rubbed right off when I was touching it, giving an even greater impression of dryness.

All told I rode about seventeen miles today. Not bad, and I even tried to go out again after dinner, but we had some thunderstorms roll in and that put the kibosh on that. Tomorrow I have appointments in the morning and early afternoon but as long as the weather isn't dangerous I'll be able to go out later in the day.

I made a few new friends yesterday

2010-05-16T16:58:00.024-04:00

I rode down by the meadow reclamation area yesterday. My plan was to head out to Newport Road to check on the wild strawberries I photographed last week and if they were bearing fruit maybe get brave and eat one. Along the way I met some interesting creatures!

The cutie above is Boomer, and obviously a bulldog! He was so wiggly and friendly that I had to take about twenty pictures before getting this one. Boomer was out for a walk with his two young owners and their aunt. One of the boys wanted to show me a "secret path" into Lititz, but when I saw it I wasn't allowed to photograph it, else it wouldn't be a secret path anymore, would it?

So I continue down the (non-secret) path and I see this:

and I thought, "What the heck?" or something like that, lol. I thought it was a dead possum at first. But as I got closer it was obviously a turtle:

I'm pretty sure he (or maybe she) was a snapping turtle... he certainly liked clicking his jaws at me!

I know-- it looks like he's smiling. But he's actually thinking how awesome it would be to bite my leg off...

This turtle definitely had a 'Go ahead. Make my day' attitude:

A cute (?) butt:

And some rather large claws-- or maybe they're talons?

And here he looks rather statesman like, I think:

And finally, a Red Admiral butterfly. I love them because they seem curious; they may flutter away but always come back and land nearby.

Whew. That's a lot of pictures. I also went for a long ride today, but will leave that for another post!

Brrrrr....

2010-05-11T10:54:00.006-04:00

So I got my wish-- we've had tons of chilly weather this past week. I don't mind riding in the cold. After all, I rode all winter-- even when it was only ten degrees outside with a windchill of minus one. But the wind! It's been so, so windy that I haven't had the energy to get out there.

A couple of weeks ago I went for a long ride in an area I hadn't visited before. Along the way I saw a red-haired, red-bearded Amishman driving a team of two white mules. Now that's something you don't see every day, even in Lancaster county! Of course I don't have any pictures but hopefully I can get some photos of the mules in the coming weeks.

Most mules I see around here are blond sorrels. Here's a photo of my mule Ida, who is a nice example of that coloring:

Doesn't she have a kind face? And yes, that's me-- about 17 years ago! Please ignore my horrible seat position and posture, too, lol. I was just sitting around waiting for my neighbor to get her horse ready so we could go for a ride. Ida spoiled horses for me; if I ever get a chance to own again I will definitely be getting a mule!

At any rate, this Amish farm apparently has a pair of white mules as well as these dark bays. And a very picturesque setting, too.

Ugh-- it feels like summer out there!

2010-05-02T21:56:00.011-04:00

And I'm not a big fan of summer. Too hot, too humid, too miserable. Blech. We went from downright chilly to unbearably hot in like two days. Bring back the cold weather!

Do you love this picture as much as I do? I think it looks like an entrance into a fairyland. So green and mysterious.

And why do people hate dandelions so much? Look at all the white fluffiness!

I have my 25 year high school reunion coming up at the end of June. Last September I posted a message on the reunion facebook page saying I would be willing to lead a bike ride sometime during the weekend if anyone was interested. I never heard anything, so I figured nobody wanted to ride. Well, I just heard that people ARE interested! Uh oh, lol. The problem is that I've never led a bike ride in my life-- what in the heck was I thinking when I volunteered myself!?

So now I need to buckle down and get myself ready to do this ride. Right now I'm averaging 15-20 miles a day. I don't think the reunion ride would be longer than that, but going those distances isn't always easy for me. There's plenty of stopping and picture-taking going on that gives me plenty of rest time. So my goal in the next two months is too increase my stamina to regularly ride 25 miles over somewhat hilly terrain. That should put me in good shape for the end of June.

Getting back to today's ride, I found wild strawberries growing on the side of the road this morning-- it's actually a fairly busy road:

According to my Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers, they are edible. Here's what it says:

"This plant produces the finest, sweetest, wild strawberry. The edible portion of the strawberry s actually the central portion of the flower (receptacle) which enlarges greatly with maturity and is covered with the embedded, dried, seed-like fruit."

And finally, I got a picture of a bluebird down at the meadow reclamation area-- and he caught me in the act! It's kind of blurry because I had to use the crummy zoom feature on my camera.

2010-04-25T23:11:00.006-04:00

Wow-- I can't believe it's been almost two weeks since I posted to my blog! I had a very busy end of the week last weekend, doing just over twenty massages in four days, so not a lot of biking was done. I was just too tired.

I did get a few rides in, though. Here are some pictures from some rides I took on the 14th and the 15th. The lilacs were so beautiful and sweet-smelling, despite the fact that they weren't quite in full bloom. They made me think how much I'd like to have some lilacs in my yard. I'm in the middle of redoing my front garden beds so there's a possibility that I could add some. Right now the only keepers I have are two Zepherine Drouhin climbing roses-- thornless and very fragrant-- and some mums. Everything else is going.

To that end, I joined the Lititz Garden Club! well, I kind of joined. I went to a meeting at the library last week and listened to a talk on trees. The talk was interesting but even more so was the fact that I rode my bike to the meeting, lol. Interesting to me anyway! I anticipated riding home at about eight, but the speaker went long and I didn't start until about ten minutes to nine. I've ridden many times in the dark, but this was the first time I was going to be riding in a more congested area with no real shoulder. Not that there's every really congestion in Lititz, but still. I got a horn blare from a driver who didn't appreciate my biking efforts, but other than that it was an uneventful trip.

Even though I haven't been riding as often these past two weeks, I have been riding farther. My average ride is now about fifteen to seventeen miles, with some longer distances thrown in on occasion. In the grand scheme of things or compared to the mileage of others they're not great feats at all, except when you consider that my overall physical condition isn't very good. It wasn't all that long ago when going four miles was a huge achievement. And I'm lazy, which makes any bike riding at all a big deal. Or maybe not lazy, but I do have a hard time feeling motivated to do things most days. Just the way life is right now. So fifteen miles on a regular basis is cause for celebration!

The sign above is representative of a common sight in Lancaster county-- religious admonitions posted where passers-by can see them. I see them often when driving, but haven't seen many while biking. Some of them are kind, like this one, but others are about repentance, sin, etc. As I encounter them I'll put them up here.

I'll wrap it up with a cow picture. These cows (and I think the one on the right with the black face is a bull-- his name was Tony) are on an Amish farm in Warwick Township. They are also the cleanest cows I've seen. I hate to say it, some of the farm animals I see around here are filthy. One farm in particular has the dirtiest cows I've ever seen. I'm pretty sure they're dairy cows, and it makes me never want drink milk or eat cheese again. But these cows were neat and tidy, as you can see.

Random photos to go with a random bike ride...

2010-04-13T22:15:00.007-04:00

No pictures from my ride today. I hadn't really planned to do any riding anyway as I woke a up at four in the morning and couldn't get back to sleep, plus it was raining. I had taken most of the day off to meet with my writing group and had no clients scheduled for the later afternoon and evening. But wouldn't you know it... as I lay in bed trying to take a nap around 4:30, the phone rang-- I had a client who wanted to come on at 6:30.

I decided to ride over to the office and then back home, a three mile round trip. Oh my gosh I was soooo tired. But on the way home I got a second wind and decided to go around the block-- around the block meaning an additional eight miles.

Eight miles is hardly any distance at all, except that it was pretty much dark when I made the decision to do it. Of course I have head and tail lights for my bike as well as reflectors, but I didn't have my reflective vest and I was going to be on some lonely roads that had no street lamps. But I went anyway.

I guess I just wanted to scare myself because I took the loneliest of lonely roads around my house, mist coming off the fields and everything. I can't remember the last time I pedaled so fast... thank goodness I wasn't riding by the spooky house!

Anyway, I took no pictures tonight so here are some photos taken at Lititz Springs Park at different times during the past year. And we'll finish up with some cows scaring me:

Going to the dogs (and cats)

2010-04-10T23:26:00.015-04:00

Biking around Lancaster County means you'll always see lots of farm animals: horses, mules, pigs, chickens, cows, and goats are usually out and about in the fields and in the case of horses, on the roads. We even have an alpaca farm in my town!

I enjoy seeing them-- although I find cows somewhat frightening-- but I really love meeting people's dogs when I'm riding around. Since I haven't ridden my bike since I got my bad sunburn on Tuesday, I thought this would be a great opportunity to share some photos of some of the dogs (and cats) I've met in my travels.

First up, in the picture above, is my neighbor's dog Scooter. I've blogged about her before. She is one of the sweetest dogs I've ever met.

On the left is Annie, who belongs to another neighbor. As you can see she's out for a walk with Scooter.

Annie is an apricot poodle who is somewhat shy, but not fearful. Her poodle friend Oliver died recently and she's just starting to get the hang of being a solitary dog. Dainty little thing, isn't she?

Next is Kona, who belongs to a lady that works as a cashier at a local grocery. I met them while biking on a path in the meadow reclamation area.

Kona wasn't too keen on being photographed but she loved being petted!

When I biked over to my friend Sheree's on Easter Sunday her son Ryan was there from Massachusetts and he had brought his dog Brody. Check out that tongue!

I have a soft spot for Brody and am always happy to see him when he visits. He's one of those once-in-a-lifetime dogs, if you know what I mean. Smart, affectionate, well-behaved, intuitive-- just special. He reminds me of my dog Gabby in that way. And speaking of Gabby, here's a picture of her from about 1983:

Awesome dog and my best friend for years and years!

Finally, here's a picture of two semi-wild cats I saw near the start of the rails-to-trails path. They were interested in watching me, but wouldn't come near when I tried to coax them over.

I did it!

2010-04-06T22:43:00.005-04:00

I accomplished a big goal today-- I rode 24 miles in one go, rather than doing my usual ten or so earlier in the day and then adding anywhere from three to fifteen later on. Yes, before today the longest I ever rode at one time was fifteen miles. At least that I can remember! Certainly since I've had this bike. I could ride over twenty miles in one day, but not at one time. So I'm quite pleased and feel confident that I can reach my goal of riding fifty miles in one day by the end of the summer.

This is Sunshine. At least that's what her ear tag says. She wasn't quite sure what to make of me at first but eventually overcame her shyness and looked right at the camera. This farm is an Amish farm across from the Lancaster Airport. Riding through here was pure hell! The wind was so, so strong and coming directly at me. I was quite envious of the two cyclists I saw going in the opposite direction with the wind at their backs... The sun was also a problem today and I got a pretty bad sunburn on my arms and face. It didn't seem so bad when I was out there, but now it's extremely red and painful. I definitely need to be more careful in the future or I could have heat exhaustion. Don't want that for sure!

On Easter I rode about 24 miles as well, but broken up into three parts. I rode six miles to my mom's, then about five miles to my friend Sheree's and then close to fourteen miles from her house to mine.

Now the reason I went fourteen miles between her house and mine is that I got LOST. I was supposed to head back to my mom's for a little while, but wanted to take back roads and avoid a certain busy area.

I went left instead of straight, straight instead of right and so on and so on. My preference for going downhill rather than working to go uphill certainly played a part as well! I don't know why I do the downhill thing over and over again. I know if you go down you eventually have to go up again but I keep trying to avoid the hills. Just lazy, I guess!

At least I got to see some new scenery. One of the roads I passed is called Spooky Nook Road, and here's Spooky Nook Greenhouse, which isn't on Spooky Nook at all but on Colebrook. Spooky Nook sounds more interesting for sure!

And of course I couldn't help but take a picture of my bike in front of said greenhouse/farm:

Sauder's Egg Ride

2010-04-04T11:12:00.016-04:00

Yesterday I participated in the Sauder's Eggs 18th Annual Easter Egg Run & Ride. It's fundraiser for the Lititz Fire Department, and you can do a 5K walk, a five mile run, or 10, 25 or 50 mile bike ride. The run is for prize money, but everything else is just for fun. I opted for the ten mile ride (although it was actually almost eleven miles-- plus my three mile round trip to get to the start point). I thought I could probably do the 25 miler, but didn't want to over-reach on my very first group ride-- and what a wise decision that turned out to be!

Check out this hill:

Aaarrrgghhh!! Yes, I walked it from about the half way point. It was tough to have little kids on dirt bikes and grandparents on hybrids passing me, but I tried to keep in mind that my bike is not made for speed. It's made for cruising around and enjoying the scenery. And this was not a race! But it bugged me, I admit. I did keep up for the most part, although I had to stop from time to time to take pictures, of course.

These babies were interested in watching the bikes go by:

They were so funny, too-- turning their heads first one way and then the other as people rode by.

This picture caused me to fall way behind the rest of the group. I kept taking and re-taking it, trying to get it perfect. I think I had like fifteen or twenty very similar shots when I uploaded the photos from my camera!

What I should probably do is take a photography class and learn how to really use my camera rather than relying on luck to get a picture. Or I could read the instruction manual... if I can ever find it.

When we got back to the start point they served omelets made with Sauder's eggs. I didn't take a picture of my omelet, but here are some other photos.

Water, oranges, bananas, etc, and a funny egg-like creature:

I have a number of other photos to share, but I have to get ready to go to my mom's for some Easter dinner. So I'll just end with this photo of my bike before the ride:

At the Drive-through...

2010-04-02T22:55:00.009-04:00

Sometimes Becky and I pop over to the Lititz Family Cupboard restaurant for something to eat if we have time between clients. They're just around the bend from the office and they serve typical Lancaster County food. Just good country food like chicken and waffles, chicken pot pie (chicken soup with a big noodle in it, not the chicken pot pie that they make everywhere else), sweet cucumber salad and so on. And lots of hardboiled eggs --although I avoid those.

They also have this adorable little drive through connected to the bakery portion of the restaurant. That red cow bell just tickles me every time I see it.

Anyway, I ride up there on my bike and order an iced tea once or twice a week. Always unsweetened tea, no lemon please. I should probably invest in a cup holder for my bike since it's a bit of a pain to steer when I have a big cup of tea in one hand!

If you look closely at the picture above you can see a silo reflected in the glass. Here's what you see if you turn around and look opposite the drive up window, taken on a rainy day earlier in the week: Or was it last week? I guess it doesn't really matter.

And when I look at this next one I wonder what the heck I was doing at the drive through-- it looks so dark and ready for storming. These two were in the same batch I took the day I got caught in the rainstorm. Maybe if I'd spent less time taking pictures I'd have been home before the rain started!

I committed the penultimate faux pas...

2010-03-25T21:27:00.004-04:00

I accidentally took a picture of an Amishman! I think the only thing worse would have been if I had taken the picture on purpose.

There is an Amish farm that I ride by a few times a week and tonight the horses were out in the pasture grazing, rather than working with the farmer in the fields. I really wanted to get a picture of the baby above, but was also snapping photos of the grown horses. And yes, that's a baby-- just not a new born foal. I didn't pay enough attention to see if it's a male or female, but either way it's a Belgian baby.

Anyway, I was taking my photos when the baby and one of the big horses took off. I looked up and saw an old Amishman with a grey beard about down to his waist hiding behind a tree! He wasn't close enough for me to speak to, but I was afraid I'd done something wrong-- like maybe he was afraid I'd bother the horses or didn't want me taking their pictures, so I moved on. Needless to say, when I uploaded my photos to the computer there he was!

I'm sure most everyone knows that the Amish do not want to be photographed. I deleted the pictures and wouldn't have posted one here anyway, even though you could hardly see him. It would be disrespectful. But now I feel like I should stop by the farm tomorrow and apologize or something-- or at the very least let them know I was only trying to snap the horses and not them. I know they won't yell at me or anything, but I'm so nervous about going over there. I would never intentionally disrespect someone, though, and these are my neighbors. Not my next door neighbors, but close enough and I do pass by their farm frequently. It only seems right that I stop by.

This picture gives you an idea of how much bigger this little one is going to be. I do believe the lighter horse in the background is mom, and the other one is just another worker horse. I do love this baby's face, too.

All told I did 18 miles today. The weather forecast calls for rain tomorrow, so my 30-miler might have to wait for another day. But if the weather's decent I'll give it a try! And I'll stop by the farm (if I can keep my courage up I will, lol).

Here's a picture I took yesterday just because I liked the color contrasts between the light brown and bright green fields and also the almost-black of the trees:

Spring in Lancaster County means...

2010-03-24T22:07:00.010-04:00

babies!

There are so many calves and colts and lambs around these days. So much adorableness is almost unbearable, lol. These babies are about four miles from my house. There are also some lambs a little farther along the way; maybe I'll get some pictures for Friday's blogging.

I went on two rides today for a total of 23 miles. I did go back to the spooky house to see if I would be brave enough to peek in the windows and take a picture, but while I was getting myself psyched to do it the wind kicked up and this piece of the (metal) roof started banging around and I thought I was going to have a heart attack. I literally jumped off my bike seat! Can you see it hanging there?

I also got a picture of another decrepit tractor-- at least it's protected from the elements...

I did go left instead of right at an important intersection and ended up miles away from where I intended to be-- and at the bottom of a very steep, very long hill. Bummer. I walked it most of the way. I thought this was pretty funny as I was walking by:

Really? Is it that dangerous? Looks pretty benign to me, but what do I know? I'm from New Jersey!

I took a bunch more pictures today but I'll leave them for tomorrow. I'm doing as little work as possible for the rest of the week as my hands are literally burning from overuse. I need ice, rest and some massage for the next few days. Having a crank-forward bike has been a god-send! Because I sit back and upright there's no real pressure on my hands or arms while I'm riding, allowing me to still get out there and do my thing. Tomorrow I have my last two clients of the week as well as a school meeting so I won't get much riding done. Friday I'm off, however, and plan to try for thirty miles! If my hands are really bad I'll have to scrap it, crank-forward or no. So here's hoping I'm on the mend by then.

Spooky house ride

2010-03-23T21:24:00.010-04:00

I've been bored going the same routes over and over again, and so decided to head off in the completely opposite direction today. I got some great new photos but the ones I want to share today are of this spooky old house I came upon:

Getting closer:

Dilapidated tractor to go with the dilapidated house:

Two front doors (and now I'm starting to feel creeped out):

Riding away:

Riding FAR away:

And just when I thought I'd really gotten away, there was this mysterious arm pointing towards the house whispering, "Go back. Go back..."

Needless to say I took off!

Water! Again!

2010-03-22T22:23:00.005-04:00

This time falling from the sky:

And this is what I have to deal with every time I ride back and forth to work. I'm only on this road for half a mile or so, but it's by far the most dangerous section I ride. Too many people speeding along not paying attention.

Anyway, I got stuck in the rain on my way home. I got splashed by passing cars and by all the water being thrown up by my tires-- time for some fenders, I think!

I took some other pictures before the rain started, but they didn't come out very well; they were all blurry for some reason. Hopefully the weather will be good for riding tomorrow. I don't mind riding in the rain, but I would rather do it with some rain gear-- and I don't have any rain gear as of right now, unfortunately.

Water!

2010-03-21T22:43:00.005-04:00

Not just water-- rapids!

No, not really. This is a little ripple in Lititz Run. To put it into context here are two more pictures of the stream, looking in opposite directions.

To the east:

And to the west:

Looks kind of peaceful, doesn't it? But turn around and 772 is right there, with cars zipping back and forth. But if you're close enough to the baby rapids all you hear is water, so it's all good.

I don't know what the deal is but most of the cyclists I'm seeing out and about these days aren't all that amiable. Seems like everyone I saw out riding during the winter had a friendly hello or a wave. Now, though, they just blow right by without so much as even a nod. Maybe there's something about meeting a fellow traveler willing to brave the elements that makes people want to acknowledge each other. And hey, even rude people want to get out and enjoy this beautiful weather-- it's simply my bad luck to have encountered them!

I'm so tired...

2010-03-20T21:28:00.006-04:00

In fact I'm so tired I don't have anything to say. I didn't make it to the pub; maybe one evening this week I'll get there. I ended up working at the scrap house a bit later than I anticipated so I have some late afternoon/early evening photos today. This one was actually taken about five minutes before the one up top:

I have no idea why they look so different!

2010-03-19T22:47:00.004-04:00

No new pictures today; these are from earlier in the week. I'm so tired right now that I can't even remember which farm this is. It's somewhere within a fifteen mile radius of my house, I know that much!

I rode downtown for breakfast-- as usual-- and later went on my seven mile loop, only in the opposite direction. In between those two rides I ran errands, did some laundry and got a massage. I don't think it's a great idea to try and go for a bike ride after having a two hour massage. I was like a wet noodle, lol.

There's a new pub just opened in town called Marston's Bulls Head. I haven't been yet, but I'm planning to ride down tomorrow evening after I'm done doing massage at the Cozy Crop House.

Lititz doesn't have much of a night life so here's hoping the Bulls Head will help get things moving in our little burg!

I don't know if they're planning to have music there or if it's just going to be a gathering place, but I'm hoping for some entertainment.

Anyway, I'm not much of a drinker at all but from the outside looking in it looks like a nice spot. I guess I'll find out tomorrow night!

2010-03-19T08:28:00.006-04:00

Just a small obstacle in my way yesterday morning!

I'm not a fan of the sun, really-- I burn too easily and hate hot weather in general. Plus I have a hard time taking pictures in the bright sun since I can't see anything on the camera screen. Hmmm... maybe that's a sign I should ditch the digital go back to a film camera!

Still, even I have to admit that yesterday was a beautiful day. All told I rode close to 22 miles-- around town and then back and forth to work three times. I finally finished riding at 9 pm!

Here's a point of interest in my town:

It's the Julius Sturgis Pretzel House, home of the first commercial pretzel bakery in the United States. I've not visited myself, but my son went on a tour in fourth grade and brought home some pretty good pretzels. During the summer there's often a line of tourists waiting to get inside, so I guess I should get there too, lol.

Isn't this strange? It's like a Lancaster County Stonehenge, only way less mystical. Another view:

The pictures don't really do it justice. Maybe I'll try again on another day.

2010-03-17T21:42:00.007-04:00

Actually it was a beautiful day today; I just didn't have time to take any photos. These are Tundra Swans heading to Middle Creek in Ephrata. Tundra Swans stop at Middle Creek during their migrations between North Carolina and northern Canada. There can be nearly 80,000 of them at a time, as well as thousands of snow geese and Canada geese! I hope to get up to the preserve soon to get some photos. I don't know if I'll be able to bike up there, although I do have a cue sheet for the ride. It's very hilly and I don't know that I'm up for it just yet.

My biking was mostly work related today. First, though, I had to ride over to the high school and deliver a forgotten set of gym clothes! Then I rode downtown for breakfast, and after that it was on to the office for my first client of the day. I had four clients and rode back and forth three times. All told I rode not quite 12 miles.

Tomorrow I'll be heading downtown as usual, and I have two clients. I'm hoping to get a "fun" ride in, too!

How about this mess?

2010-03-16T21:37:00.008-04:00

It's a telephone pole! I'll be sure to get another picture after that vine is growing green again.

I decided to get right up in it:

You know I won't be doing that once everything is growing again-- I'll end up with spiders or other creepy things in my hair!

I didn't ride far today as I had to leave early to make an appointment in Wilmington. I just went downtown for breakfast and some window shopping, about 6 miles total. One of the places I stopped was Outback Toys, at Binkley and Hurst.

I was so disappointed! They used to have a huge aisle of Breyer horses-- both sides-- and now there's like less than half of one side of an aisle that has them. Boo! I've been collecting Breyers since I was a kid and they're not that easy to find.

I wasn't in a position to buy one so I guess I shouldn't complain, but still. More Breyer horses, please!

Finally, here's the tree picture I meant to put up yesterday:

Same tree, different perspective

2010-03-15T21:42:00.011-04:00

But first, a worm...

The road looks dry up there, but it was actually quite wet. Why else would there be a worm in the road?? Seriously, I think I need to spend some time reading the instruction booklet that came with my camera so I can take better pictures. They don't always seem to reflect what I see with my eyes.

I rode out near the black walnut tree that I took a photo of last night and became entranced by this fence post-- don't ask me why!

It looks so much more interesting when it doesn't have any leaves,

don't you think?

I also think it looks kind of wistful, like it's staring off into the distance, looking for something.

Or its true love ran off, and now it waits patiently for his or her return.

I don't know! I just liked it. Anyway, my knee was bothering me quite a bit today so instead of going back and forth to work I just rode the seven mile circuit. We'll see what tomorrow brings.

Oh! I forgot the tree picture! I'll put that one up tomorrow.

2010-03-14T20:39:00.004-04:00

I went for two bike rides today. In the late morning I went downtown for my usual Sunday breakfast and then out into the countryside for a fifteen mile ride. Unfortunately it started raining about six miles from home and I ended up getting soaked! I definitely need to get a good pair of goggles for riding in the rain. Probably a rain coat, too.

Later I went for a ride around dusk. I only planned to go to the Mennonite church and back, but once I got going I really didn't want to stop.

So I flipped on my headlights (and tail light) and continued on my way. I do wish I'd thought to bring my florescent vest, though.

I only went about seven miles; as you can see it was getting quite dark. I was about four miles from home when I snapped this picture.

Tomorrow I have three clients spaced two hours apart. It's a crummy schedule from a time-use perspective, but it does mean that I'll get to ride to the office and back three different times!

And hopefully I'll work in a ride just for fun, too!

2010-03-13T21:24:00.004-05:00

My new license plate:

'Nuff said.

Happy New Year! Pt. 2

2010-01-03T09:11:00.008-05:00

New Year's day I rode down to the local Brethren church for a traditional New Year's meal: pork and sauerkraut. I also had mashed potatoes, applesauce, a roll and a piece of angel food cake. The church uses the monies raised through the pork and sauerkraut dinner to fund their youth programs and various other church-related needs.

I had never heard of pork and sauerkraut as a New Year's day tradition until I moved out here about six years ago. I don't know if it's a German tradition or specific to the Pennsylvania Dutch, but it's supposed to bring good financial luck in the coming year. I hope so, because I could use some financial luck these days!

It was foggy starting out:

After my meal I rode over to the park to take some pictures, most of which didn't come out very well. Here's two that were ok-- a picture of my bike at the park (of course a picture of my bike, lol) and one of the stone lion:

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T22:09:00.003-05:00

Happy New Year!

What's that picture up above? It's the tail light on my bike. Yes, I went out for a ride just after midnight to ring in the new year! There was a mix of snow and rain and the roads were a little slippery, so I just rode up and down my street. Still, it was a great way to start 2010!

I've only made one resolution for the year: my goal is to ride 2010 miles in 2010. That's about five and a half miles a day. I definitely think this is a reasonable goal. I'm riding at least three miles a day even in the cold weather-- and sometimes I go as far as 30 miles! In the summer I'll be riding even more.

Finally a resolution I actually have a chance of making a reality!

2009-12-20T20:40:00.003-05:00

So we had quite a bit of snow yesterday; I think the total was 11 inches. I tried to go out for just a quick ride around the neighborhood but it was far too slippery and I couldn't get any traction.

That didn't stop me from going out today, though! I rode to the Rec to work out, and that trip was mostly fine. Mostly-- I had to ride through so much slush that my butt was soaking wet and totally numb by the time I got there! But there were very few slippery patches.

I decided to go my usual back way home and that's where the trouble started. As you can see in the picture above, the back roads were still pretty snowy. It wasn't deep, but it could be slippery and I fishtailed around a little bit. One of the great things about crank forward bikes is that their configuration allows you to put your feet flat on the ground while still sitting on the seat. That was a tremendous help in keeping the bike steady.

The other problem was that the wind was blowing, and it was blowing hard enough to make it difficult for me to stay upright. Plus the snow was stinging my face! I really need to get a pair of goggles. I tried to get a picture of the snow blowing across the fields and roads-- it looked more like water flowing over rocks than snow blowing across the landscape-- but none of the pictures I got came out. Here's a picture of me, though, looking kind of chilly!

2009-12-13T22:20:00.007-05:00

My mom is decorating her house for Christmas and I rode over to help her. My mom LOVES Christmas-- or maybe it's that she loves SANTA. She has probably like 700 Santas displayed throughout her house. No, that's not a typo; I really mean 700 Santas!

Her Santa collection deserves its own blog (and we're working on it!) but I took a few pictures of the first bearded ones coming out of their warm weather hibernation and decided to post them here. Above you can see the fireplace mantel and some other Santas on the floor. You never know where one is going to pop up, really.

Grumpy Santa and his strange yarn friend:

Patiently waiting to be uprighted and placed in just the right spot:

In bike news, I had a flat tire when I went to get my bike out for my Sunday ride to breakfast and it really put me in a grouchy mood for most of the morning. I had wanted to get a ride in before the rain/sleet/snow started and of course that went out the window. I bought some "fix a flat" foaming stuff and at first it didn't seem to work correctly, but now my tire seems ok-- knock wood. It's held air for almost eight hours now but tomorrow I'll know for sure if it sealed the hole. If not I have a new tube, but I've never changed a tube before and I don't want to test out my skills tomorrow-- I want to go for a ride!

2009-12-06T18:33:00.002-05:00

It's cold outside! I'm not sure how cold, but enough to make my cheeks burn. Still, once I got going I warmed up-- except my cheeks!

I went downtown for breakfast, then off to the gym for a workout. After that I rode down to my mom's to see how her Christmas decorating was coming along, then off to Starbucks for a hot chocolate and finally, home. About 15 miles overall.

Often when I'm out and about on my bike people like to talk to me about it-- it looks different than a "regular" bike but it's not always clear ~how~ it looks different. I've even seen people putting their kids on it when it's parked outside the coffee shop. It doesn't bother me when that happens; I think it's kind of funny!

Hopefully I'll be able to get another long ride in tomorrow.

2009-11-20T21:15:00.002-05:00

So I've been riding my bike every day but haven't been doing much picture taking. Part of the reason is that my biking has become more utilitarian rather than leisurely. I still ride for fun, but much of my biking time is spent going to and from work, the gym or downtown for errands. I do try and add in some extra miles throughout the day, but I don't seem to have as much time for stopping to take pictures.

I did have a scary experience earlier this week. Not every road has a large shoulder-- in fact many of these country roads have no shoulder at all. I was riding down a road with a small shoulder when a tractor trailer drove by-- this isn't a busy thoroughfare by any means but big trucks and farm equipment travel down it frequently.

Anyway, the trucker didn't see fit to move over even one foot and practically sucked me under the wheels. As it first came alongside, the air pushed me out to the right but as the truck pulled away the air sucked me towards the trailer. I got a first hand experience in drafting! Very scary and also eye-opening in terms of how oblivious some drivers can be about bicyclists.

16 miles

2009-11-12T22:24:00.003-05:00

It was kind of dreary when I went out this morning-- and cold. The sun was trying to break through the clouds, though.

I prefer grey, rainy days myself. Then I can indulge my morose side without having to listen to people constantly tell me to cheer up-- they just chalk my gloominess up to the weather!

These kinds of days make me feel creative. Note I said make me feel creative not actually be creative. Someday, though!

I rode downtown for breakfast and then on to the countryside around Lititz. Nothing particularly exciting happened, no kissing teens sitting in the middle of the road or Amish kids driving buggies while texting on their cell phones, but life around here can't always be that thrilling!

After riding to work in the afternoon my total mileage for the day is 16. Not bad!

Hello again!

2009-11-10T17:01:00.005-05:00

Here I am! I'm back!

I stopped biking over the summer due to health issues but am finally back on the road. Actually I've been riding practically every day for almost the past six weeks. I hope to update my blog regularly, but it probably won't be daily as it was before.

As you can see above, I got a new bike! It's a Trek Sole Ride 300, a crank-forward (or semi-recumbent) bike. The seat is lower and the pedals are farther forward than on a traditional bike, allowing me to sit on the seat rather than straddle it, making for a MUCH more comfortable ride! The handle bars come farther back, too, so there's not so much straining to keep hold of them-- no more numb hands or arms.

This bike is so easy and fun to ride that I could ride up to twenty miles almost immediately after purchasing it, even though the farthest I ever made it on my hybrid was 12 miles. Currently I'm riding anywhere from three to twenty miles every single day.

The bike is kind of heavy, though, and I wish I had been more patient when looking for a semi-recumbent. There are lighter models available-- although they're not lighter on your pocketbook. Still, as soon as I took this one for a test spin I didn't want to look any further. I was completely won over by how comfortable it is!

Here's a picture from a recent ride; this was just at the top of a big downhill segment:

See you soon!

2009-04-27T21:56:00.003-04:00

It was 96 degrees today-- it's like we went right from winter to summer. I hate summer! Well, I don't really hate summer, just hot weather. Ok, I guess that means I do hate summer.

Anyway, I only went for a short ride to the Mennonite church and back. I didn't stop to take pictures; it was just too hot and I wanted to get back home. So here are a few pictures that I took yesterday-- dried up stalks of daisies or coneflowers, I'm not exactly sure.

They look pretty much like I felt riding out there today: parched and dusty.

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 19

Ok, let's try this again...

2009-04-26T23:18:00.005-04:00

Last year I had the brilliant idea that I should try and ride my bike every day of the year-- even in the rain and the snow. It wasn't a particularly well thought out plan, but I had some success, riding my bike for about 50 days straight before I missed a day.

Now that the weather's turned pleasant again (Thanks, Jay!) I'm itching to try it again. So here we go...

I've been riding now for three days in a row. The first two days I went four miles each and today I went for seven. If you've read my blog before (or if you've seen me recently) you know that I'm out of shape and also kind of a whiny baby about feeling tired, sore or just plain crummy. Well, that hasn't changed! Still, these first rides have been relatively easy-- I definitely didn't expect to hold on to the small amount of stamina I built up last year, but I'm pleasantly surprised at how good I feel.

Now I have to remember how to upload and organize any pictures I take... I still have lots of flower and bug pictures from last year to be identified, and I've taken about 70 new pictures in the past three days. Lots to identify there! But here's a roadside daffodil-- it's a sweet little thing even though it's kind of wilting away here. It made me smile to see it, anyway.

The top picture speaks for itself, I think, even though it's grainy (I told you my camera was junky!). It was just luck that I was riding by as the horses and tractor were close enough to be in the same frame. The horses are obviously working the field with an Amish farmer, while the farmer on the tractor is Mennonite. How do I know he's Mennonite? I've seen him with his family and the women's clothes are a dead give away. Their farms are a little less than a mile from my house.

Well, here's to a successful year of bike riding!

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 15

Epic Fail and an inauspicious new beginning...

2008-10-30T13:37:00.006-04:00

Yes, it's true. I've failed in my quest to ride my bike every single day for a year. I don't know if it was just that I lost some momentum and excitement at the end of the summer or the fact that I wasn't very organized during the first part of my school semester or some combination of the two, but I haven't ridden my bike for about five weeks now. The picture above is from my last ride-- this is the farm where I saw the helicopter way back when.

So I decided today that I'd give it another try. Start over and see if I can make it 365 days. We're supposed to have a terribly cold winter, but I'm going to try anyway.

When I took my bike out earlier today I couldn't figure out why it was so hard to get going and why it was such a rough ride-- I'd only gone a block and half. Well, my back tire is practically flat! I'll have to take it to the gas station later or tomorrow and pump it up.

What a disappointing start!

Anyway, since I didn't get anywhere I took some photos of a few of my front porch plants. And my meditating dog. I wish my real dogs were that serene.

Day 50 of 365 I'm still here!

2008-09-17T18:57:00.006-04:00

Yes, I'm still here-- and still riding! I just haven't been riding very far at all for almost the past week. Just around my block. When I logged on today I couldn't believe it had been six days since I last blogged! Hopefully everyone will come back and start reading again.

As I said I've mostly been riding just one block sometime in the day. I think maybe I'd gone only about two miles this whole week, until today. It just seemed like every day my time got away from me and I couldn't go for a longer ride.

But now I'm back on track! I could really notice a difference today in my stamina-- that low-mileage week has set me back a little. I'm sure I'll be back up to speed in just a few days, though.

The scenery has changed, too-- most of the corn and soybeans are gone and many of the flowers have turned brown or have puffed out like the milkweed above. It's still like a Woolly Bear city out there, though, and I also saw this Monarch Caterpillar munching on a milkweed leaf. You can even see his chew marks at the top of that leaf.

I also saw this guy-- I think it's a Leafroller Moth, but I'm not positive:

He was tiny and I think it was nothing but luck that I saw him in the grass. And that he didn't fly away.

Total miles for the past six days: 6 Total miles: 219

Day 44 of 365

2008-09-10T23:39:00.006-04:00

I waited until nighttime to ride today. I went out about 10 pm. Just around my neighborhood, as I usually do if I end up riding late. Although there are some clouds floating around, the moon has been bright tonight and I wanted to be outside for it.

I really would like to go for a longer night ride, but I don't think it's safe even on our more deserted roads. Just the fact that there's hardly any traffic makes me think a person driving a car down one of those roads would be so shocked to see a bicyclist that they might hit you in their surprise! Plus I suspect I would get pretty freaked out riding along some tall corn or trees in the dark...

Here are some pictures I took at the park the other day. I thought the moss was sufficiently creepy for a post about riding around in the dark. The spider webs are definitely creepy.

Tomorrow I'll post some other pictures of the park, to give the moss some context. I never really paid attention to it all until I was thinking about what I wanted to photograph the other day. It's gothic in a way, I think. Or something.

Miles today: 1 Total miles: 213

Days 42 & 43

2008-09-09T21:27:00.004-04:00

We had pouring rainstorms today. Lots of lightning, thunder and wind, too. I was able to get a ride in between the rain, but I didn't go very far-- just up to the Mennonite church. I didn't want to risk getting caught in one of those storms.

I thought maybe I'd be able to get one of those dramatic "rain drop on foliage" pictures, but all I got was this photo of grass with slimy stuff underneath. Black crickets were everywhere. What's the significance of that I don't know, but it was interesting.

This isn't the greatest picture of a Chickweed Geometer Moth. It was the best I could do, however! This was taken a week or so ago and I only just identified it. I did find an Audubon Society guide to butterflies, but not moths. Apparently there are thousands upon thousands of varieties of moths and only tens of thousands varieties of butterflies. So identifying moths has been much more difficult.

Yesterday I rode to the mailbox and back, about a mile each way. Mondays are going to be challenging for me, as I have work and then school in the evening. But I'm sure I can make it work.

Miles today and yesterday: 6 Total miles: 212

Day 41 of 365

2008-09-07T22:17:00.011-04:00

What a beautiful day today was! And what a great day for butterflies! I couldn't believe my luck with getting pictures of these guys today. For some reason they're not quite as crisp as I'd like, but they still came out decently for the most part. This Buckeye above is my favorite of the day-- and it was also the easiest picture to take. It was just sitting there in the road sunning itself. Beautiful.

This is a Painted Lady. The side view is just as striking but didn't come out as clearly.

This is an Eastern Tailed Blue. It was difficult to get a picture of this one-- I was lucky with this shot!

I believe this is a Common Branded Skipper, but it's kind of hard to tell.

Either way, he was pretty mellow and easy to photograph.

I rode downtown for breakfast and then to the park. I took a ton of pictures at the park, but once I got all these butterflies (and I have more that haven't been identified) I decided to put them up today.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 206

Days 39 & 40 of 365

2008-09-07T18:19:00.007-04:00

Friday and Saturday were pretty much lost days as far as bicycling went.

On Friday I was still feeling the effects of sitting and standing in the hot sun for close to eight hours on Thursday. I worked early and then headed out for a ride out near the farm where Wendy and Allie live. I got about one mile and I felt so tired that I decided to turn around for home. I ended up sleeping most of the afternoon and again at night.

I guess my body can't take abuse the way it did in my twenties!

Saturday we were dealing with the effects of Hurricane Hanna-- lots and lots of rain. I did put on my rain poncho and started riding out of my development when there were flashes of lightning and huge rumbles of thunder. I definitely wasn't going to go bicycling in those conditions.

So all told, in two days of riding I ended up logging a little over two miles.

Total miles: 190

Day 38 of 365 Obama!

2008-09-04T23:10:00.015-04:00

I went to Buchanan Park in Lancaster today to hear Barack Obama speak. Here's a repost of my synopsis from the Two Peas in a Bucket message board:

First of all, did you see me on CNN? I was the one right up front wearing the Obama t-shirt...

I got there at about 10:45 and was one of the first 20 or so in line. All I can say is it was HOT today. Drank lots of water and got sunburned.

We were let into the park at 3pm, and I was able to get right up to the fence. There was a roped off area inside the fence, in front of the podium. Later they brought the volunteers and some others into that area.

People inside that enclosure were able to (had to, actually) sit down and relax, while those of us on the other side were pretty much standing room only. It was so incredibly hot with all those bodies mashed together! The people on the inside kept trying to get cheers going, and at first we all did it but then all we could say was, "We're too tired! We're hot!" lol Volunteers were continuously passing water to as many people as they could.

Once Obama got there, EVERYONE was energized-- cheering, clapping, waving and so on. Bob Casey spoke first, and used the line about McCain being a sidekick, which got tons of laughs. Then Chris Wright, a lifelong Republican who's voting Democratic this time around introduced Obama.

He talked mainly about the economy, about personal responsibility and of course, John McCain. As usual, he complimented Sen. McCain respectfully before outlining where he thinks McCain has it wrong.

He did touch on last night's speeches, saying, "Some reporter asked me what do you think about being attacked so savagely?" he said. "And I said, 'Well, what else do you expect them to do? This is what they do every four years. And anyway, I've been called worse on the basketball court. It's not something I spend a lot of time worrying about."

Lots of cheers.

He did mention the mocking, but only mentioned Palin once and in passing, but he did zing Guiliani, saying, "Maybe that's not interesting work for Rudy Guiliani, but for the people on the ground, seeing the difference it makes, that's important stuff." More cheers.

Now, I didn't remember that verbatim or write it down or anything. I remembered the gist, but got the quotes here.

Now for the pictures! Bob Casey:

The crowd: It was so incredibly hot and I think you can see that in people's faces!

More Obama:
Finally, he didn't come around to where we were to shake hands, just around the enclosure. We were chanting, "Barack over here! Barack over here!" but to no avail. Maybe next time!

According to the Lancaster paper there were 15,000 people there today. The amazing thing about that is not just that he drew such a large crowd in a very conservative area, but that he got those numbers when this stop wasn't officially announced until this morning.

Back to the blog post: This was a great experience and I would do it again in a heartbeat.

I was exhausted when I got home, so I only went around the block. Now I'm going to bed and will probably sleep better than I have in weeks!

Miles today: less than 1 Total miles: 188

Day 37 of 365

2008-09-03T21:56:00.005-04:00

It's gotten warm and humid again. I hate this kind of weather; I always have a hard time getting my ride going when it's like this. But it makes for a pretty sunset.

Now how's this for cute? This is my neighbor's dog Scooter, one of the sweetest, most adorable dogs that's ever lived. If I could, I'd take her home to live with me!

Scooter is a Jack Russell/Pug mix, I think. All the kids love her, all the adults love her and almost all of the other dogs in the neighborhood love her. She sees the kids onto the bus in the morning and greets them when they get back. She plays with all the dogs around and I've never seen her growl even once. She's a perfect neighborhood ambassador.

Below is a Virginia Tiger Moth. Those woolly bears that I've been seeing lately eventually become these moths.

Miles today: 5 Total miles: 188

Day 34 of 365

2008-09-03T18:33:00.005-04:00

Finally I'm getting around to blogging about my ride on Sunday! Not that anything spectacular or incredibly interesting happened, I just haven't gotten around to doing it.

The area around my dad's apartment is blessed with bike lanes on both sides of most streets and that's what I used for the majority of my ride. It was Sunday morning, so there wasn't much traffic-- definitely a bonus for a newbie city rider like me.

It does seem that bicyclists in New York aren't required to follow the same rules of the road as everyone else. My sister swore that this is an incorrect assumption, but I'll tell you what-- my eyes tell me otherwise. (Of course, she meant that they're supposed to obey traffic laws, they just don't) They ran red lights and stop signs, pulled out in front of cars (and me!) and basically acted like they owned the road. I'd hate to be a little old lady crossing the street when they're barreling down the way. But I survived to ride another day...

I even made a friend. This is Roberto and his dog Mangy. Does that cutie look like his name should be Mangy?? As I was taking the picture at the top of this post (which is the George Washington Bridge, btw) this adorable little dog came running down the sidewalk towards me. How could I not pick him up and hug him and kiss him? Roberto's pretty cute, too, don't you think? I suspect Mangy is his woman-meeting mechanism, lol.

I had a pleasant conversation with Roberto, took a picture and headed out for more bicycling.

Miles today: 2 Total miles: 183

Day 36 of 365

2008-09-02T20:54:00.004-04:00

I rode up to the Mennonite church this evening-- before it got dark, this time. I didn't take any pictures, though, because the sun was sinking fast and once I get going with the camera I can lose track of time. I don't want to ride on that road at night if I can help it.

Above is another picture from New York City-- I'm not sure what road it is down there, but maybe my sister will get on and tell me. I believe that's Fort Lee, NJ that you see across the Hudson. Not sure, though. This shot was taken from Haven Avenue, the street where I parked my car. Where my dad parked my car, I mean.

Sure looks a lot different than New York, doesn't it? But I have to say, riding in NYC has made me eager to get to some other places, too. Maybe Washington, DC before the end of the year. We'll see!

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 181

Day 35 of 365

2008-09-01T21:01:00.006-04:00

I missed day 34, I know. I did ride, I just haven't blogged about it yet. Hopefully I'll get it done tonight.

This is a picture of a bike I saw when I was riding in New York. It was parked here just outside Columbia Presbyterian Hospital.

My trip got cut short and I ended up coming home late last night, two days earlier than I'd planned. Everything is fine, it's just some of that family stuff that happens from time to time.

Needless to say, I've been pretty down for most of the day and spent most of my time moping around the house and sleeping. I did finally drag myself out for a ride at about 8pm. It was already dark so once again I rode around my neighborhood. I hope to get back on a good biking track (no pun intended) tomorrow.

Here is a view down the street where my car was parked. Haven, I think it was. My car is up on the left. (you can't see it) This road runs parallel to my dad's. Also on the left is the park that you can see from my dad's apartment. Now here's my car: (the Subaru)

I know the other day I said there was only like six inches on either side of my car, but obviously when you look at this picture you can see that it's more like 12 inches. It's still too close as far as I'm concerned!

Miles today: 1 Total miles: 177

Day 33 of 365

2008-08-30T21:44:00.007-04:00

Well, I'm here in New York! This is a picture of the outside of my dad's apartment. I have no idea who that strange woman is by the door... actually it's my dad's friend Betsey, lol.

They live in Manhattan, in the Washington Heights section. Here's a shot of their lobby-- pretty nice, I think! And check out the floor... I love the details that old buildings have, inside and outside. Makes a lot of today's new homes and such look nothing short of vanilla.

It didn't take me long to get here, maybe 3 hours. And it would have been much shorter it wasn't for the traffic at the George Washington Bridge. It reminded me of why I hate driving in highly populated areas!

And the parking-- forget about it. My dad actually parked my car for me. There was no way in heck I could parallel park like that. I think there was something like six inches between my car and the others along the street. I can't even imagine how I'm going to get out!

Tomorrow I'll be riding in the morning up to 186th street (I think, I have to double check) and heading down by the river. Or maybe not, since the hill is steep according to my dad. Then my sister's picking me up and we're heading out to Long Island for the day.

I rode around my block today, and then a block or two back and forth waiting for my dad to wedge my car into its parking spot. So let's add it to the past two days' rides and call it one mile!

Miles today: 1 Total miles: 176

Day 32 of 365

2008-08-29T23:40:00.003-04:00

I'm so bad. Really awful. I didn't get on my bike until 11 o'clock tonight.

It's been raining all day and I kept hoping it would stop so I wouldn't have to ride in the rain. In the meantime I had four massages to do today. Add in going to the grocery, the bank, getting laundry done and packed for New York and it was a pretty full day. Still, I need to stop this nighttime riding, even if it is just around my neighborhood.

And to top it off, I didn't even ride a full mile! It's not exactly raining here anymore, but it's misty. Foggy almost. And creepy that close to midnight. That muffled quality of everyday noises when it's foggy and that weird, reflected light you get on these nights was just too eerie for me. I went two blocks and turned around for home.

And look what was hanging around my bushes when I got home:

Gross. I think it's some kind of Orb Weaver spider. It's not as big as the Black and Yellow Garden Spider, but it's big enough to give me the willies. These spiders always come out around this time of year and disappear by mid-fall.

Miles today: less than 1 Total miles: 175, same as yesterday!

Day 31 of 365

2008-08-28T21:43:00.003-04:00

It was a dark and stormy night.... oh wait-- wrong blog...

It was a dark and drizzly night, with a slight SSE breeze and gusts of 6 mph. Now we're in the right place! Yes, once again I didn't get my ride in during the day and had to take a quick trip around my development in the dark.

One good thing about it is that now I know I'm going to need a pair of goggles or something for riding in bad weather. I'm thinking something like this might work. And if you have time, take a minute and read about Pancho Barnes. She was quite a character, like many of the early aviatrices. Reading about them and their adventures is one of my hobbies.

I swear that tomorrow I'm going to put aside my daily procrastination and start getting my rides in earlier in the day. Soon the sun'll be going down at 5pm, so I better or I'll be riding in the dark every day.

Here's something sunny for today: Prickly Lettuce.

Miles today: 1 Total miles: 175

Day 30 of 365

2008-08-27T20:37:00.004-04:00

I know a week ago I couldn't believe I'd been doing this for three weeks, but now it's a full month gone by and I still can't believe it. I tend to be one who has many great ideas and fantastic plans, but can't seem to follow them through to their very end. So one month is a huge accomplishment for me. Only eleven more to go!

I'm starting to look ahead to cooler weather-- I'm going to have to get some long johns and better gloves. I'm not too worried about wearing a hat under my helmet but I should probably get a pair of earmuffs. I have a great neckwarmer from Turtle Fur.

I got some so-so pictures of a butterfly (or maybe it's a moth) but I haven't been able to identify it. I think I'm going to invest in a butterfly/moth guide from the Audobon Society, just like my wildflower book.

Today's pictures are a soldier bug and some thistles that have puffed out.

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 174

Day 29 of 365 I see you're keeping up with it!

2008-08-26T21:26:00.005-04:00

The cows at this farm sure are a curious bunch, aren't they? This one is watching a truck making a turn across the way.

The trucks were a pain today. As you can see in the picture to the right, the fields are pretty empty. That's because they've been cutting down all the corn! I'm not sure exactly how they're doing it, because I just showed up and all the corn was gone, but I do know that they're trucking all the waste parts via big trucks.

I know this because I had probably eight trucks pass me and leave trails of corn bits, stalk bits and lots and lost of corn dust in their wakes. And I'm still coughing up corn dust two hours later!

For some reason only one of my close up shots came out clearly. It's of a moth of some sort, but I haven't been able to identify it yet. Once I figure out what it is I'll post the picture.

I also saw many more Black and Yellow Garden Spiders, and I'm not kidding, I saw one that looked as big as a hummingbird. Scary. It was down in the grass in a spot that I couldn't get a picture, but I'm going to ride this route again before I leave for NY, so I'll look for it again and try to get a photo.

As I was getting close to home, an old man sitting in his front yard called out to me, "I see you're keeping up with it! I see you go by all the time!"

Wasn't that nice? I was tickled. I've never seen him before, but the house has a picture window so maybe he's seen me through the window.

Miles today: 9 Total miles: 170

Day 28 of 365

2008-08-25T20:22:00.002-04:00

Today was a day for utilitarian bike riding. I rode to work, to the grocery and of course, home. Here's a picture of my bike loaded up and ready to head out for work. It's kind of hard to see against the light-colored backdrop of the garage, but I have a kitchen garbage bag there filled with sheets and work clothes. There's three sheet sets in there-- and I'm not a great folder, lol. Some day I'm going to weigh one of these bags-- I swear it feels like 30 pounds as I'm trying to ride uphill.

And it's official-- it gets dark around here by 8pm. Boo!

This weekend I'm going to visit my sister and her partner in New York City-- and yes, I'll be bringing my bike. So look for some photos from the mean streets of New York! Actually, I don't know that I'm really going to ride on the street. I think we're going to go to the park and ride around there. I admit, I'm intimidated by the thought of riding on the road up there. But there's another part of me that wants to do it anyway, just for the heck of it. But I don't know that my riding style-- slow and looking all around (you know, touristy) -- is quite the thing for city biking.

Miles today: 5 Total miles: 161

Day 27 of 365

2008-08-24T22:33:00.004-04:00

I don't know what my problem was this afternoon, but I felt so tired and cranky on my ride today. Maybe it was because I went out at about 6:30 but hadn't had anything to eat since breakfast around 10. Maybe it was because I had just spent the previous half hour trying to keep myself from falling asleep on the couch. Or maybe it was because the heat and humidity are back, and riding in those conditions is miserable.

I did see a hot air balloon but it was too far off, and the air too hazy, to get a picture of it. The last weekend in September is the Keystone Hot Air Balloon Festival I believe, so I should have a chance to get plenty of pictures during that time.

Other than that this was a pretty uneventful ride-- just a lazy, end-of-summer day. If my basket had room for a lawn chair, book and cold drink I would have stopped near that field in the picture above for a short while. There was a pleasant breeze, but anything more active than sitting and reading made for an uncomfortable time.

I did see lots of woolly bears-- white, brown and black-and-brown. I'm pretty sure that folk wisdom says that if you see lots of woolly bears during the summer it means the winter is going to be a cold one. And it would be just my luck to pick a cold winter to ride every day. Last winter was quite mild; we had only two or three days that were cold enough for snow. We mostly had rain. I guess I'll have to wait and see.

That's a Black Walnut in the picture.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 156

Day 26 of 365

2008-08-23T22:27:00.004-04:00

I can't believe I'm going to admit this after my post yesterday, but I went for a real nighttime ride today-- at almost 10 pm! My dad is down for a visit, plus I went to the farmers market, took my son to guitar lessons and worked. So there was no time to ride earlier.

I only went around my development, though, where there are almost no cars and plenty of streetlights. Needless to say it was a short ride. But I liked it! I wish it was possible to ride at night safely.

Tomorrow I'll be riding down to breakfast and maybe a little farther if I can. But for today it's just one short mile.

The top picture is a grasshopper of some kind-- I'm pretty sure it's a grasshopper and not a locust or something like that.

And then there are two pictures of the Common Buttercup, one with petals and one without.

Now if I'm lucky maybe I'll get another chance at Clifford tomorrow!

Miles today: 1 Total miles: 149

Day 25 of 365

2008-08-22T21:37:00.009-04:00

Well, I had to turn back before I had planned to on this ride. It was just too dark to be out riding without lights or reflective gear.

I've been cleaning my house practically all day today, and when I wasn't cleaning I was at work giving massages. And I did some homework, too. So I didn't get out until almost 8:30 tonight. I thought I could at least get up to the Mennonite church and back-- there's a decent sized shoulder on that road and didn't seem all that dark. But once I got out there I realized how foolish it really was for me to be doing this. It was dark enough that I couldn't even see what I was riding over, and I had a couple wheel wobbles from riding over rocks. I turned around just after one mile.

Maybe it was for the best, anyway. My legs should probably get at least a little break every once in a while!

No pictures today, of course, it was too dark. Here are some pictures that I took that day I got lost. On the top is Birdsfoot Trefoil, above left is Scarlet Pimpernel and on the right, Moth Mullein.

Miles today: 2 Total miles: 148

Day 24 of 365

2008-08-21T21:35:00.018-04:00

My aunt Barb is back in town and look what she found! Actually, this Black Swallowtail butterfly had been sitting among the flowers in my mother's garden all day. It was just as docile as the Monarch from yesterday-- in fact, it had been sitting on my arm before it fluttered over to her shoulder.

I rode around down by my mom's today, although I didn't ride from my house to hers. There's a lot of construction going on around her. Some of it more modest than others. How about this place:

It doesn't really say Lancaster County, does it? Countians aren't exactly known for being free with their money, so seeing houses like this is a bit confounding. But there are a bunch of them in this area. Three, four, five car garages. There's even a house in this development that's practically a block long! Ok, maybe not that big, but it has a five car garage and looks like a hotel.

Development has its place, but I like this part of Lancaster County:

Miles today: 5 Total miles: 146

Day 23 of 365

2008-08-20T22:05:00.008-04:00

I wish this picture had come out a little more clearly-- isn't he (or she?) cute? It just gave me a chuckle when I saw that head peeking over the wall. This isn't the same farm where Maud, Allie and Wendy live, nor the farm on the slope. It's between my house and the Mennonite church, but closer to the church-- maybe half a mile from it.

I also got this photo of a Monarch butterfly. Unfortunately, I think the reason I was able to get the picture is because this butterfly is close to dying. I'm not particularly knowledgeable about butterflies, but every time I've seen a Monarch they're flitting about and very hard to photograph. This one was just sitting there and barely moved when I came near or when a car drove by. I was even able to touch it gently. It's sad to think of, but death is part of life, after all.

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 141

Day 22 of 365

2008-08-19T21:59:00.011-04:00

If you don't like spiders you might not want to read to read to the end of this post.

This is a Yellow Wooly Bear caterpillar. Or so I've read online. Apparently they can be white, yellow or brown-- there's a photo of a brown one in an earlier post.

Soybean leaves appear to be a favorite food of the Yellow Wooly Bear.

One of the challenges I have when taking pictures of all these flowers, bugs, cows, horses and so on is that sometimes I have to step into the long grass on the side of the road. For most people this probably wouldn't be an issue, but I have an almost paralyzing fear of ticks, and ticks love long grass. But now I have another reason to be afraid of long grass... LOOK:

I about died when I saw this thing in the grass tonight. It was huge. Horribly, horribly HUGE. And then I noticed there were a whole big bunch of them making webs among the grass. Obviously I was able to take this picture, but I felt creepy crawlies on my legs for the rest of my ride. If I could have stripped naked in the middle of the road to make sure there were no spiders--or ticks-- anywhere on my body I would have done it in half a second. Shiver....

It's a Black and Yellow Garden Spider.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 137

Day 21 of 365

2008-08-18T21:19:00.008-04:00

Wow! Can you believe it's been three weeks since I started this challenge? And guess what? I haven't lost one single pound.

The point of riding 365 days wasn't really to lose weight, although I was hoping it would be a lovely side effect. But when you eat bacon and eggs for breakfast, chicken with cheese and BBQ sauce for lunch and then chips and ice cream for dinner what can you really expect?!

That's bad eating no matter what your weight. So I've decided to get serious and hit the health food. Or at least eat cleaner. I'm all set to start-- tomorrow. Tonight I had a "last meal" of chicken flautas with green sauce, guacamole and chips with salsa, washed down with a coke. (Regular only, I don't eat artificial sweeteners) Ice cream for dessert. Of course I've had many of these "last meals," so we'll see how it goes. Maybe the blog will keep me honest... although I don't plan to post about my eating habits very often.

So after this Mexican feast I hopped on my bike and headed out for a short ride down to the Mennonite church. Once I got there I thought, "Well, I could probably go a little farther," and it started all over again, just like it did the day I got lost.

I didn't go nearly as far, in fact I only went half the distance, but the terrain was even more hilly than the other day. I have to say that going fast down some of these steep hills almost makes the uphill climb worth it.

I took these pictures on one of the flatter parts of the trip. It's a road that's cut into the side of a hill. Not a big hill, but big enough. I don't know if you can see how the cows are grazing on a slope. But trust me, they are.

Across the road from them is the barn from the photo above. It's not exactly one of those yard signs, but same idea I think. Down below you can see a picture that puts the barn in context with its surroundings.

As I was speeding down one of the steeper hills I saw Jimson Weed and Honeysuckle, two flowers I haven't gotten pictures of yet. And then I saw sheep! Some of them were sheared and some of them were very, very woolly. But there was no way I was going to give up my momentum on that hill-- I needed it to help me get up the next one. Once I get stronger I'll stop and photograph them.

Also, I want to mention that Mexican food and cranberry juice make a very sour mix...

Miles today: 6 Total miles: 130

Day 20 of 365

2008-08-17T13:55:00.008-04:00

I woke this morning feeling thoroughly exhausted and very crabby. Staying up until 2:30 in the morning arguing on teh internets--even about that most arguable of topics, religion-- probably isn't the best use of my time. But sometimes I do stuff I shouldn't; it's part of my charm, I suppose... or what makes me just like every other person in the world!

Anyway, nothing seemed to go right on my ride today. The sun was too bright, the shade was too dark. Walkers and other cyclists either rudely ignored me or bugged me by saying good morning. My cranberry juice got warm, the camera wouldn't cooperate, and some lady thought I was eating "public" raspberries when I was actually taking a picture of them! Physically every turn of the pedal was hard, and mentally I just didn't want to deal with it.

And to top it all off I missed an opportunity to get a picture of Clifford, and then got scratched up by a giant thorn bush.

There is a guy who rides around town here on a scooter covered with red fur. It also has floppy ears and a black nose, and the word "Clifford" somehow attached to it. I guess for those who don't know Clifford the Big Red Dog. I see this guy all the time and have often hoped I'd be able to get a picture of him riding down the street.

Well, when I was down in the gulley off of Front Street photographing some forget-me-nots, he pulled up right next to my bike and started looking around for something. Here was my opportunity-- I could just ask him for permission to take a picture or two of Clifford. But I chickened out. I couldn't bring myself to do it! Oh for the rashness and brashness of youth... I would have done it twenty years ago, and with aplomb!

So I had to settle for a friendly greeting and no pictures. He drove off pretty quickly; I don't even know why he stopped in the first place. And then when I rode away, I took a route that caused me to have to ride so close alongside some bushes that I got scratched up by their thorns.

I'm still crabby and tired, but I'm going to the bookstore in a few minutes. That should cheer me up.

Pictures today are top left, Butterfly Weed and top right, a Black Swallowtail caterpillar in my parsley. There are actually three of them there right now but this guy's the biggest.

Bottom left is Asiatic Dayflower and bottom right, the aforementioned raspberries!

Miles today: 6 Total miles: 124

Day 19 of 365

2008-08-16T23:50:00.009-04:00

I did something really dumb today. I decided to try out a new bike trail that starts on the other side of town. No, that's not the dumb part. This is: I wanted to stop at the tea shop to get an iced tea and sugar cookie for the ride, so put a five dollar bill in a plastic bag and stuck it back in my basket, just like that. Nothing weighting it down or anything, just lying there on its own. I assumed my camera and bottle of cranberry juice would hold it in place.

I forgot how much my camera and bottles bounce and roll around back there. Needless to say, by the time I got downtown my five dollars was long gone. At that point I was so annoyed that I wanted to turn around and go home.

I'm glad I didn't, though, because I found the most amazing new flowers on this bike path! This is bur cucumber (yes, only one 'r' in bur) in both these pictures. And that's also bur cucumber below on the right. **Those prickly fruits are actually common burdock, not bur cucumber as I originally thought**

I don't think I'd want to eat these cucumbers...

I have lots of photos to go through and flowers to identify. I took 67 pictures today alone.

Tomorrow I'll be riding down for breakfast and depending on how I'm feeling I might go back down this bike trail.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 118

Day 18 of 365

2008-08-15T23:23:00.007-04:00

I'm really squeaking in under the wire with this post!

I just got in a short bit ago; my aunt is visiting from Bucks County so I rode down to my mom's to see her. (And to see my mom, of course)

My mom's house is six miles from mine if you travel the back roads, which is the only way I go right now. I don't feel confident enough to ride through the middle of town yet. Too many hills and not enough shoulder for my taste. Soon, though.

I felt great today. I thought for sure I would be hurting and miserable after my 12 mile debacle yesterday, but I actually felt fantastic-- strong, even. I didn't need to stop until around the four mile mark, and that was because there was a STEEP hill that I just couldn't ride all the way up.

I had decided not to stop to take any pictures until I had reached that point where I had to stop, and I was very pleased with how far I was able to go. I'm improving, no doubt about it!

I pass a quarry on the way to my mom's, and I have to say that the picture above doesn't do it justice. It's huge. Really big. Almost directly across the street is an Amish farm, and here you can see the tobacco that they're growing. Three Amish-- two women and a man-- were there picking the leaves, but of course I didn't photograph them.

I have to say that I'm so glad I'm not an Amishwoman. Not only do they do all the "women's work" like cleaning, cooking, gardening and childcare, they're always out in the fields working, too. I often see them driving mule teams or doing other fieldwork.

I'm definitely too lazy for that life.

Miles today: 6 Total miles: 111

Day 17 of 365

2008-08-14T12:29:00.010-04:00

So I got lost today. And I ended up going just over 12 miles before I got home-- I don't know when my knees are going to forgive me...

And the reason I got lost? I'm lazy. Yes. Deep down inside (well, not all that deep down) I'm pretty much a slacker. I'm all over short cuts, easy-ways-out, wasting my days on the computer, laying around... you know what I mean.

Riding a bike around here means you have to constantly go up and down hills. You can't go half a mile without some kind of grade change. They're not necessarily big hills, but they can be long. And a long, gentle rise can sometimes be as tiring as a shorter, steeper one.

Last night I'd ridden 9 miles, and here it was about 12 hours later and I was out riding again. I just wanted to do a short little jaunt. I was taking a new route, but was pretty sure I knew where I was going.

Except every time I came to a crossroads and saw a hill in the direction I meant to travel, I turned a different way instead. Eventually I had no idea where I was... but I kept going to avoid those hills. I finally recognized this barn and was able to get my bearings and head home.

And in the end I made more work for myself because not only did I travel farther than I probably should have today, I STILL had to go uphill to get home and the hills were steeper than if I'd just stuck to my original plan! My lazy streak made my logic go awry-- generally if you go downhill when heading out you're going to have to go uphill to get back. I don't know why I thought I could get away with only going downhill. All I know is I kept thinking about how I just didn't feel like working that hard...

In honor of a morning ride, here's a Morning Glory that was wrapped around some corn today.

Also, you can see signs like the one above all over Lancaster County. This one happens to be at the Mennonite church (and where the road splits), but many times they're seen at private homes. I'm going to start photographing them and putting them here on the blog. Sometimes they can really be "fire and brimstone" and sometimes they're a little more gentle.

And I had to laugh at the irony of having taken a picture of that particular sign on this particular day.

Miles today: 12 Total miles: 105

Day 16 of 365: It's so embarrassing!

2008-08-13T20:46:00.005-04:00

You know, I get passed by other bicyclists all the time when I'm out riding. Well not all the time-- there aren't all that many people out and about usually. But when they are, they pass me.

But today was the worst! As I was getting close to home, I turned a corner and heard voices behind me. Before I knew it I was completely surrounded by about ten other bicyclists-- all of whom were at least as old as my mother and looked to be even more out of shape than I am.

And then they passed me! I started pedaling harder and kept up with them for about the length of a city block but they began to pull away. Then two elderly men breezed by and they were all out of sight in about a minute and a half. Some day I'll be able to hang with the speed demons. But for now I'm the tortoise...

That's a Bull Thistle up on the right. Soon I'll be getting some photos of the puffball stage of these guys.

Miles today: 9 Total miles: 93

Day 15 of 365: Isn't that a moving violation?

2008-08-12T21:49:00.005-04:00

As I was stopped on the side of the road having a drink of water I saw an Amish buggy heading towards me. That's nothing unusual; this is Lancaster County after all.

I've never taken a picture of Amish as I try to respect their wishes-- they don't want to to be photographed. But I kind of wished I had taken one tonight...

As the buggy went by I looked inside and saw the driver, an Amish teenager, texting someone on his cell phone! Like every other person texting while driving he wasn't even looking at the road. Lucky for him he had a co-pilot-- his horse!

And speaking of horses, here are two I saw tonight. I couldn't get them to lift their heads for me for anything. I didn't go right up to them, though. I certainly don't have any fear of horses, but I don't like to approach them if I haven't asked or been invited to first.

I'm so tired tonight I don't even know if I can stay up for women's gymnastics. Tomorrow I have one client and then I'm getting a massage, so I'm going to try and ride early. I challenged myself today, going 8 miles on some pretty hilly terrain so I'll probably just head downtown for my ride tomorrow.

Miles today: 8 Total miles: 84

Day 14 of 365

2008-08-11T18:03:00.009-04:00

Have you ever gone to one of those huge mazes cut into a field of corn? You wander and wander and wander and every time you think you've found the way out you come to a dead end? It's as if the corn is moving around and keeping the true path hidden...

Well, guess what? It probably is doing just that! Check it out:

Corn stalks have feet! Who knew?! But is it creepy or wondrous? I'm thinking it depends on whether it's day light or darkness.

The days are so beautiful right now-- it really is like September. I did my seven mile ride, but in the opposite direction.

I took these pictures at different times, but they are both White Campion. I love the seed pod; if it wasn't so tiny it would be great in a dried flower arrangement.

Don't forget to watch for the Perseid meteor shower tonight!

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 76

Day 13 of 365: Sunday breakfast with mom

2008-08-10T13:08:00.010-04:00

My mom called me yesterday and asked me what I was going to be doing today. Just riding downtown for breakfast, I said. Oh, she said, maybe I'll join you. And she did. It was kind of shocking, really.

She didn't let me take a picture of her, but snapping one of her breakfast was acceptable. So here you have it: western omelette, wheat toast and potatoes with a little bit of mother in the background.

Now here's how I get my iced tea home in my basket. I have to stick it in the corner, put my purse up against it snugly, then thread my purse strap through the holes in the basket and tie it down. If I don't do this, I'll have no tea by the time I get home! It seems like there must be some kind of bungee cord that's small enough to handle this job, but I haven't found it yet.

And it's hard to get a good picture of this system...

After breakfast I rode down by the stream again and took some photos. I'll put them up when I get them identified. We're supposed to get strong thunderstorms this afternoon but if it stays nice I might go out for another ride today. I'm also going to try and put some links to other blogs and websites I visit-- if I can figure out how to do it!

I'm back! I went for another ride this evening after all the crazy rain-- seven miles. I did see something out of the ordinary but I didn't photograph it. As I was coming around the corner of one of those country roads, I thought I saw two bodies crumpled in the middle of the lane.

"Oh my God!" I said, and the two crumpled bodies turned into two sheepish teenagers making out in the stupidest place imaginable.

Very romantic, if you're looking to get run over by a tractor or a bicycle.

Miles today: 10 Total miles: 69

Day 12 of 365

2008-08-09T12:06:00.008-04:00

As planned yesterday, I took it easy today and just rode downtown for a tea. It's the craft show today, as you can see in the photo above. They close down the two main streets downtown for it, and also have vendors in the park. I think it's going to be really packed today as the weather is just as beautiful as yesterday. Look how busy it was at 9:30 in the morning!

This isn't my favorite craft show-- it seems like many of the booths have similar types of items and a bunch of it isn't even "home-crafted." It's mostly country style crafts with a few more unique artists thrown in.

I didn't walk around much, but I did buy this lovely key chain. It matches my grandmother's everyday silverware pattern, silverware that my mom gave to me a few years ago. It's not the fancy stuff, but I don't use it regularly because it's not as hardy as my everyday silverware.

I do, however, collect other items made with the pattern. There's this key chain, of course, and I also have a barrette and a watch.

I took a few pictures of flowers on the way and saw a bunch I want to get tomorrow. Now it's time to get ready for doing four hours of chair massage. I'm going to be exhausted tonight!

Miles today: 3 Total miles: 59

Day 11 of 365

2008-08-08T21:44:00.005-04:00

I'm blogging while watching the Olympic opening ceremonies, so this'll be short.

It was an absolutely beautiful day today-- more like September than August. I took advantage of it and added another two miles to my ride for a total of nine. I started feeling it in my knees near the end so I'll probably keep it short these next couple of days. And now I'm eating chips and ice cream for dinner, so it's a wash anyway!

There is a pair of hawks in this area, actually I think there's more than one pair. I heard two of them calling to each other yesterday but couldn't see them in trees. Today I was lucky enough to get a picture of one. They were both flying overhead, but it was hard enough to even get this shot.

I also saw a train today. Here it is crossing in front of an Amish farm. Aside from the obvious buggy in the yard and black clothes on the laundry line, I knew this was an Amish farm because a bunch of Amish kids came running out of the house to see the train go by. Where this train is going I don't know. To pick up grain? Liquid chocolate at Wilbur's? I can't imagine what else it could be.

Miles today: 9 Total miles: 56

Day 10 of 365: Maybe I should change the name of this blog

2008-08-07T14:43:00.007-04:00

to Still Life with Bicycle and Wildflowers. I know for sure that I need to remember to put a bigger memory card into my camera before I go out again. The card I had today was full before I'd even gone a mile, and I was being very selective about what I was trying to photograph!

On the left is Hedge Bindweed and above, Chicory. Chicory is one of my favorite flowers-- weed, wildflower or regular garden flower. I love the color.

I have so many pictures to identify and TONS of flowers that I haven't even gotten photos of yet. And it's only been one week in August. AND we're just talking about roadside plants! Just documenting what's there right now is daunting. When you start thinking about all the different plants that bloom at different times of the year and then factor in the growth phases of all those plants... well, it's almost overwhelming.

But I'm hooked, so I'll keep at it! I think I might do a little flower scrapbook. Keep track of when and where I took each photo and so on. Where I'll find time to do that I don't know, but it sounds like something fun to do.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 47

Day 9 of 365

2008-08-06T22:12:00.011-04:00

These long days at work are killing me! I didn't get out to ride until after 7:30, and it's getting dark earlier and earlier every day. Makes for a pretty sky and all but not particularly safe for biking.

The cows were out tonight! When I stopped to take pictures they kept crowding each other and getting closer and closer to where I was. I was hoping the fence was electrified!
I know I shouldn't be afraid of cows, but there it is.

I never realized until today that each cow has a name as well as a number. Above is Maud and below are Wendy and Allie.

I don't have any clients until 6 pm tomorrow, so I'm planning to go on a wildflower hunt.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 40

Day 8 of 365

2008-08-05T21:22:00.013-04:00

It was hard to get a ride in today. I only had two clients but I couldn't get my time organized enough to get much of anything done. It didn't help that it was incredibly humid and we even had some rain. I finally got out there at about 7:15. I went up to the Mennonite church. No pictures, though, because of the threat of more rain. So here are a few photos of wildflowers that I've taken on other days.

Although they look similar, the one on the left is Nightshade and the one on the right is Horse Nettle. This next one is kind of interesting, I think. Clammy Ground Cherry is on the left. I think they're related to the Chinese Lantern plants you see in gardens. And on the right is Butter and Eggs.

This last flower is Bouncing Bet, a variety of Soapwort.

And now it's 9:30 and I haven't even had dinner yet!

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 33

Day 7 of 365: Dominican food and wildflowers

2008-08-04T16:52:00.009-04:00

My neighbor's mother is visiting from the Dominican Republic. She'll be here for two more months, and then we won't see her again until next year. Every few days she brings me over a huge plate of food-- for lunch, she says. Look what she brought today! It could feed two or three people, I think! There's rice, beans with bacon, sweet potato with cinnamon, a chicken leg AND breast, and a corn & spinach casserole. And all of it is really, really good. I'm not nearly as good a cook as she is, so I reciprocate by bringing over vegetables from my garden.

I took a trip downtown for my ride today. I went to the post office to mail some letters and got an iced tea at the coffee shop. On the way home I stopped along the brook that runs through town to take some pictures.

I'm going to identify these flowers as best I can, but if anyone wants to correct me please do! I'm using The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers as my reference.

Above on the right is a Pale Touch-me-not. On the left is Vervain and to the right is Blue Vervain.

The bottom yellow flower is an Evening Primrose. They open in the evening and close around noon. It was around 11am when I took these photos so it was just starting to close up, I think.

I have no idea why these pictures don't show up on the blog the way they do on preview. Hopefully I'll figure it out some day, because it's getting annoying...

Miles today: 3 Total miles: 29

Day 6 of 365

2008-08-03T22:03:00.009-04:00

I rode seven miles today-- a full two miles farther than I have previously ridden! Now, seven miles may not seem like much but when the terrain is slightly hilly and the rider is out of shape, an additional two miles is an accomplishment. Above is a view of the road I'd just ridden down. Usually there's cows out and about on this farm, but I think they were in the barn for milking when I rode by.

This is a Yellow WoolyBear caterpillar crossing the road. He (or she) will become a Virginia Tiger Moth in the next few weeks.

I stopped to try and get a picture of
some grasshoppers (or locusts, or whatever they were) that were sitting among the soybeans when I got a shot of this butterfly, a Pearl Crescent.

I've been getting some good shots of flowers along the road, and when I get them identified I'll post them.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 26

DogDog Beauty Salon

2008-08-03T19:49:00.014-04:00

I know this post isn't about bike riding, but I couldn't resist. This is our 10 year old Cairn Terrier mix CeCe. Can you tell she doesn't like getting her picture taken?

CeCe is a rescue dog from the SPCA who joined our family last October as a companion for this one, Belle:

Belle is also 10 years old; she's a Doberman/Beagle mix, and is an SPCA rescue as well. She's also completely neurotic! Actually she's a pretty good dog, she just has separation anxiety. When our old dog Deputy died two years ago, Belle had a hard time being alone. She would bark or howl non-stop, try to shred the carpet and throw up or pee everywhere. We tried medications, herbs, exercise, food puzzles, special training, everything! Finally we got CeCe, and Belle has done much better. Not perfect (of course), but better.

Anyway, CeCe definitely needed a haircut! Without further ado, a before and after:

Obviously she doesn't like getting her picture taken any more after her haircut then she did before it. (And yes, she's on the table)

She goes to Petsmart for her grooming, which for some reason we've taken to calling the DogDog Beauty Salon. Ok, I'm the only one who calls it that, I confess. But it sounds better than Petsmart Grooming Salon, don't you think?

Day 5 of 365

2008-08-02T16:13:00.004-04:00

One of the neat things about bike riding is how much more aware you are of what's going on around you. And by that I don't mean cars passing by or dogs chasing you, I mean how things are growing, the lives of bugs and flowers, the sounds of rustling in the grass along the road.

Now, I'm not one to go out into nature and get overwhelmed by the beauty of it all. Sure it looks nice but I'm usually not "struck" by it, if you know what I mean. Still, there's something fascinating about being up close to things I'm completely oblivious to when I'm in a car. How quiet it is-- and then how quiet it isn't-- nature is pretty noisy!

So today I stopped to take a few pictures of some of those things I miss seeing when I'm driving down the road. There were so many butterflies, but I was only able to get shots of two different varieties. Up above on the right is a Silver Spotted Skipper sitting on some alfalfa, at least I think it's alfalfa. There's a japanese beetle there, too. On the left here is an Orange Sulphur with some red clover. Hopefully I'll get some good shots of other butterflies soon.

I tried a new route today. Unfortunately, before I could get to my turn around point (and take some pictures) the sky darkened, it started to sprinkle and I heard thunder. I don't mind riding in the rain, but I definitely don't want to be out in a thunderstorm!

Miles today: 5 Total miles: 19

Day 4 of 365

2008-08-01T17:15:00.011-04:00

Now here's something you don't see every day! This helicopter was at the farm where they sell the free range eggs. From the "spray arms" (I'm sure they have a technical name) attached to the helicopter to the tanks in the field beyond, I assumed they were going to be spraying the field with something, fertilizer probably.

They did end up spraying, but I have no idea what it was. As I was getting ready to take pictures of it in the air before it picked up whatever was in the tanks, I started to get nervous: what if they didn't want anyone to photograph them? I hadn't asked permission after all. They might come after me--- fly real low and send me into a ditch! Land in front of me, jump out, take my camera and smash it! I was getting into something of a panic, lol.

Once I got a ways away I did take a picture. This was as it was circling back to make another pass low to the field.

I did my regular ride up to the Mennonite church in the middle of all that excitement. It was hot as heck but not nearly as humid as it has been. A lovely day for a short bike ride, all in all.

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 14

Day 3 of 365: Say hello to my little friend...

2008-07-31T13:55:00.004-04:00

My little nemesis is more like it. You'll have to click on this photo to actually see it, but this light makes me crazy.

I have to make a left to get onto the 'busy-ish' road I mentioned yesterday and this stoplight is my gateway to where I need to go. But unless there's a car right behind me I can end up waiting a long time... probably forever if I didn't go ahead and cross against the light.

It has one of those little cameras (or is it a scale under the road surface?) that tells it to change if someone pulls up, else the opposing traffic has a continual green. Well, apparently my bike and I don't rate because it never changes just for us.

When I can cross with the green I get good momentum for the last leg of the trip, which is uphill. That's because there's a slight downgrade here and I pick up speed as go across. When I have to inch up and inch up to see the cross traffic I lose that extra boost. And for someone like me every little bit helps!

Miles today: 3 Total miles: 10

Day 2 of 365-- It's a sauna out there!

2008-07-30T13:23:00.003-04:00

I got my ride in early today!

The forecast here is for temps hovering around 88 degrees with a "real feel" of 96 and humidity at 62%. Afternoon thunderstorms possible. Not very pleasant conditions for a bike ride, for sure.

I had two clients today, starting at 9am, so I decided to ride to work. I'm not sure of the exact temperature when I headed out, but it was up there. The breeze still had a hint of coolness at 8:15 this morning, though.

My office is a mile and a half from home, and the route is mostly uphill on the way there and downhill for the return trip. (of course) I don't usually like riding to work at this time of day because of the traffic. I have to ride on a busy road-- busy for this area, anyway-- and people are rushing to get to work, not always paying attention. Still, there's a good shoulder and everything was fine.

The trip home at noon wasn't exactly miserable, it was downhill after all, but man was it HOT and HUMID. The air is almost thick right now, like being in a sauna or a big fog. I was soaking by the time I got home and I wasn't even working that hard!

Tomorrow is going to be a challenge. I have 5 clients, the first appointment starting at 9 am and the last one at 8:15 pm. I have some down time between 11:30 and 4, but the weather is supposed to be similar to today, with more thunderstorms likely. I'll see how everything goes, but I suppose it's possible I'll be taking a short trip around my neighborhood at 10pm!

Miles today: 3 Total miles: 7

Day 1 of 365

2008-07-29T21:54:00.007-04:00

For my first ride of the year I decided to head out to the Mennonite church down the road from my house. It's exactly two miles from my place and a pretty easy going ride. When I took the dogs out at 9 this morning it was already 80 degrees, so easy was the way to go.

This isn't the church of course, but a neighbor's farm. They sell free range eggs for $2.50 a dozen-- an excellent price. The corn's looking pretty good! Tall, at least. The corn silks look so vibrant-- almost like real hair. Not all slimy like they can get in the store.

I went out around 7 pm. It was still hot, but there was a cooler breeze and the sun wasn't beating down. I took some pictures of the church but they were terrible, so I'll take some shots another time and add them to another post.

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 4

What the heck am I thinking-- going for a bike ride every single day for a year??

2008-07-29T00:20:00.000-04:00

Even in the snow and the rain? Well, that's the plan anyway!

When gas prices started going up, and up, and up I decided to try and save a few pennies by riding my bike to work. It's only about a mile and a half each way: very doable, even for someone as out of shape as myself. I'd save money on gas and help myself get on the road to better health. (no pun intended!) As an added bonus, the less I drive my car the better it is for the environment, too. WIN all around!

I have been riding to work, to the farmers' market, to my favorite coffee shop downtown, but not as consistently as I'd like. The other day this thought came to me that I should ride my bike every day for a whole year-- in the rain, the snow, the heat, the cold, all of it. Even if I could only go three blocks-- because how far can you really ride in the snow?

So that's my vague plan-- ride my bike every day, 365 days straight, and see what's what at the end of the year. Will I really be healthier? How much gas money can I actually save? Can even a short bike ride give me some quiet time and keep me on an even keel on the most frazzled of days? And how many miles can I ride in a year? I guess I'm going to find out!

My bike is just a regular old bike. My sister gave it to me a few months ago; she had been using it for getting around the city, but over the last few years it had simply been cluttering up her apartment. I was very happy to take it off her hands.

I added this nifty basket set up to transport linens and clothes for
work, groceries and whatever else I might feel like carting around.
Press the top yellow button and the basket slides out so you can carry it into the market or the grocery or wherever you're going. It would have been just as workable-- and less expensive-- to bungee a milk crate back there, but I got dazzled by the high-tech-iness of the basket contraption while at the bike shop.

I hope to post about my rides each day, even the short ones, as well any other stuff I might be thinking about. I can't ride very far just yet, but will keep trying to add to my distances. I might even join a bike club ride when I work up the stamina.

See you tomorrow!