Thurs eve my little sister, Lise, called me for her b-day call to me. I call her the night b4 also. She caught me out beside a Yokes grocery store hunkered in the shade w/ internet access while I was fixing dinner. I decided to have wild Gulf shrimp and to make a new dinner. I researched a web site and picked a simple dish using zucchini I paid for, no connections to the ubiquitous home gardeners supply. Saved a shrimp for Toeless, Bill & Jenifer’s super special cat. My treat to him. Later when he visited my van I presented it to him. It was untouched when i woke up. So much for a seafood treat to a cat.
Drove to Bill & Jens for the night. Bill is laying in his chair suffereing from a damaged hamstring suffered @ work. Laid up he is. Crutches, the whole bit. Visited for awhile then walked “home”.
Fri AM my Dad, living in East Coast time zone, calls me @ 7:00 just as I am crawling out from under the warm covers. Some time passed as I gained traction to start the day. Chatted.
I needed to keep moving to meet Jeff @ 10:00 for a ride on Mica peak. First I needed to do my wash. Ah, clean clothes. Jeff caught me as I finished. We put my bike on his bike rack and headed east. Today is another 90 something degree day. He used the air conditioning thus isolating what would come @ the TH. Plan is to replicate my previous ride plus the summit. Jeff is recovering from Shingles @ his tender 30 something years. He is normally beyond way stronger than me. Today I stay ahead of him. Hot day that cooled as we climbed. Jeff called for a break right as we arrived at the K intersection. I picked a spot of ground to sit on. I checked it out for sharp pokey things. I sat down then felt repeated pricks on my left cheek. I jumped up as it was. I searched the ground and found a small bumblebee that I had sat on. First time I have ever been stung by one of them. Jeff wouldn’t look @ my butt for damage. Darn sting was right on my saddle contact patch. Neither of us really needed to ride to the summit. Pointed ’em down. It took us 1 hr 40 mins to this point. It took 20 mins to drop down to the bottom. Frequent worn down nasty waterbars controlled the speed. Somewhere part way down we hit the open oven temp layer. Upper 90s.
Jeff dropped me off. I drove to insurance agent and paid my yearly premium. They did a creative job to get insurance on my one-off vehicle. Stopped @ Bicycle Butler for a shower. Cleaned up I drove down to The Elk for a birthday dinner. To my birthday I added a shot of Lafroig. I made mention I was 62 today. Kyle read the intent and comped me. I sit @ the bar usually where there is a greater likelihood of conversation just like tonight.
Middle sister Lynn called me on the way to Bill’s. Different kind of conversation. She is president of our Dad’s aluminum foundry and times are hard. Dad’s father bought a 3 man nonferrous foundry during the Great Depression. Dad grew it during prosperous years. Lynnie gets this economy.
Bill fixes up old cars. He restored a Henry J car. Does nice work. Today he showed it @ a vintage car show.
Jennifer worked out a surprise B-day party for Bill today.
I left for a ride on MT Spokane to pick berries. I rode up to the outhouse. Along the way I hit berry patches that I stopped to pick. 2 riders arrived. During our conversation one guys asks if had read about me in a mag. Yes I said. I spent maybe 2 hours picking berries. I found some loaded bushes and many huckleberries. Lots of time spent for small reward. I justified a shorter ride today because of yesterday’s 3100′ climb. I rode back down 110 that I rode up on. I climb up this trail and make a big loop from other trails never riding down this trail. I chose riding down it for enjoyment. Down towards the bottom my line was just at the edge of the brush where I caught a broken branch right on my left middle finger tearing holes like a cheese grater would. I held on until I could look down. Just blood seeping out a bunch of punctures. Later I picked several pieces of wood out.
B4 starting I filled my solar shower from the creek then hung it to heat from a rain gutter on the van. Hot day and I needed a wash off b4 Bill’s party. 3 hours of direct sun does not make steaming hot h20. 90 something heat made up for what the h20 lacked. Made Bill’s party, maybe 30 people, several were my former road neighbors. One, a woman, is a bailiff for a female judge. Both prefer to be called “sir”.
Freezing berries in small batches. Fridge is doing good job of staying between 35 and 40 in these 90 degree days. I will keep the fridge.
My old house is on the edge of Peone Prairie where several thousand acres are planted in wheat that is now being combined. Several days ago I drove thru a patch of chaff that was so thick it turned the sky brown.
So I head out from Spokane on Wed.
I ordered a Road Id elite identity band that provides a link to my on line medical and contact info. It arrived today and it is now on my wrist.