Mostly we've been playing lots and lots of pickleball and working on a new project that I'm excited about. I'll wait a bit before sharing more on the new thing, but it has taken me hours so far and will probably do the same until we leave Florida.
We are really enjoying Aric being with us. He is jumping into pickleball fun with both feet much to our delight. This means we can play the game even if others are not around! WooHoo!
Here are some of his shots of us playing:
Keeping in mind that in order for this non-morning person to play: I roll out of bed, dress, put in contacts and slap on a hat and go. Don't tell anyone, but these are my PJ bottoms this day. I must have gotten lost in the "dress" part of the routine. Nobody cares, they just care how you play! Or so I hope!I'm not going to point out that although I obviously couldn't mange to dress this morning, I did manage to run with my paddle somewhat in the "ready" position. Unlike someone else who is all loosey goosey with his paddle. I also won't point out that even when I'm in ready position, I play a tenth as well as loosey goosey who is obviously poaching my ball due to that reality. Life just isn't always fair now, is it?
Here is my favorite part of playing pickleball: the sitting down and resting and chatting! Especially when it is someone as sweet as Margie. Auburn, do you recognize the dog?
Living the life in warmer Florida!
How dark does it get where you cycle at night? Some of us travel mostly on lit city streets, others in sparsely lit suburbs, and others still along pitch black country roads.
Last week I rode a good chunk of a 10 mile trip home in complete and utter pitch darkness. Even with my good LED headlight, I could only see a small part of the path ahead of me at a time, but eventually my eyes grew accustomed to the dark and I began to distinguish other clues. I went at a steady pace of about 12mph, which was sufficiently slow for me to recognise upcoming turns and obstacles on the road. A small fox trotted across my path once, crossing from one side of the meadows to another. I stopped and watched her wet fur glistening in my headlight beam, then continued on my way. At another point, a raccoon considered dashing to cross in front of me, but changed his mind and observed me from the side of the road as I cycled past him. I also encountered a few late-evening joggers and commuter cyclists, all of whom I was able to spot in advance at the speed I was going. Any faster though, and I don't think it would have been safe on that particular trail. Local cyclists are always ending up in hospitals from crashing into one of the gates and dividers that are placed there.
I have LED headlights on most of my bicycles now, and the Co-Habitant has just updated his Pashley's stock lighting with the Supernova E3.The front and rear standlight features are on the dim side, but we think that is due to the bicycle's barely adequate 2.4W dynamo hub. When in motion, the lights are super-bright.
While good LED lighting is important, I think that cycling in the pitch dark also requires a certain degree of skill, as well as knowledge of your bicycle's handling and familiarity with local terrain. What's the darkest you're comfortable with when traveling by bicycle?
This geranium is sitting on a table on our deck and you can see the Sandia Mountains that we can see any time we are in our backyard.
As mentioned previously, I received aRivendell Sam Hillborne framefor the holidays. It was a joint gift from several parties, purchased atHarris Cyclery.Here are all the beautiful Rivendell frames that were hanging at Harrisat the time (Atlantis, orange Hillborne, and green Hillborne). The one on the right became mine. I was excited to get the last green frame in my size: They are being replaced by the orange, but that gorgeous green was the colour I wanted.
Some of you expressed surprise that I got a diamond frame and not the Betty Foy. But I specifically wanteda diamond frame that I could fit with drop bars and use for sporty, long-distance rides. My experiment with drop bars on my vintage Motobecanedid not work out last summer, but I do miss them. The one thing Rivendell bikes are known for, iscomfortable geometry, making the Hillborne perfect for trying to conquer drop bars again. So that was the rationale behind this frame. Receiving a frame rather than a finished bicycle does put financial responsibility on me to come up with the funds for parts. But I think that's great, as building up the bike will keep me obsessed/entertained for months.
This is a built-up Harris floor model in the same size as the frame I got: 52cm, with 650B wheels. It is fitted with gorgeous red Grand Bois Hetre tires (650B x 42mm), Nitto Moustache handlebars, and a Brooks B17 saddle. I will probably fit mine with the white version of these tires and with Nitto Noodle bars, as well as add some fenders.
As you can see, I have been perfecting my leg-swing technique and no longer have too much of a problem mounting diamond-frames. (I was actually kind of proud that I could do this in a floor-length parka!)
There are many things that attracted me to the Hillborne, but what truly swept me off my feet was how comfortable and stable it felt. Even with the Moustache bars on the floor model being set too far out for me, I felt comfortable riding it in traffic. And the geometry allows me to keep my leg extended when pedaling, while still being able to reach the ground with a toe - Splendid!
The Moustache bars on the floor model were handsome, but after trying them a few times over the past several months I do not think they are for me. I feel that they present the same challenges as drop bars, but without the benefit of offering as many hand positions. So I think I will stick with the plan to get drop bars.
These are such nice looking handlebars though, and I know that some people, like Alan at ecovelo, are very happy with them - so it is a matter of personal preference.
This pretty much concludes my Hillborne test ride report. I like the way Harris builds up their floor models and will only make a few changes when I build up mine. The main one, is that I plan to get a dynamo hub (Shimano Alfine) for the front wheel, which should be exciting. I am looking forward to riding my own version of this bicycle in Spring!