Tuesday, 30 June, 2009: if you blink, you'll miss this...
We got Ms._May a new (used) carbon-frame (and other carbon (read this as LIGHT)) bicycle yesterday (yeah - I SHOULD have updated the web-last-night but by the time I would have gotten to it - it would have been Tuesday, 30th ANYWAY)...
anyway - here's a (BIG) picture of her new bike in the back of the min-van ...
- some details: 4 years old, bought from a (Trek) dealer near Tampa, (3 hour drive each way) weighs less than 18 pounds (LESS THAN!) - Mr._Bill, even with gimpy shoulder can pick this thing up with ONE HAND... - I won't bore you with the LENGTHY process that it took with (collectively) 5 college degrees to re-set ALL the parameters in the "Shimano SC6502 Flight Deck Computer" - but will just say that neither of us alone, nor us together could really figure out the auto-magic-Japanese translation until about the fourth or fifth try... (and I thought auto-magic Cantonese translation was 'fun'! It also has superior technology rims, spokes, hubs, to say nothing of carbon-fiber crank, handlebars and seat-post... - OH did I say that I can pick it up with ONE HAND... and that we got a pretty fair deal on it, too!
AND YES - the VERY FIRST THING I was required to do (as the wrenching-hubby) when we got home was to remove the pink water-bottle-holders, and replace them with something less ostentatious...
We will see just how badly my huggly_wife can kick-my-butt this morning when we go for our first ride. I feel I'm in for a whole 'nother level' of bicycle-fitness now that she has a "REAL" bicycle...
(I might just have to get back on my (17 year old) (carbon) Trek 5200 in order to whup-up on her?)
and - for-to-finish-up this 'episode' - here's a picture of a very very strange cloud we saw, just west of Yee Haw Junction about 6-7 miles, on the drive home to Stuart, in what turned out to be not nearly as much rain as we witnessed on the way over towards Tampa, earlier in the afternoon...
Sunday, 28 June, 2009: yes - we rode the L.O.S.T. again, this morning - somehow no matter how EARLY we awaken, we can not seem to get pedalling before 06:45 a.m. HOWEVER, this time it was Mr._Bill's fault, so - UGH UGH _ MAYBE next week we'll leave the house at 05:15 a.m. (pedalling by 06:00 a.m.?) - we'll see...
In any case it was a short-ride-day - (even though the sweating and the mosquitoes were in FULL FORCE) And if you stop for more than about 0.5 seconds, and you don't HOLD ON TIGHT to your bicycle the mosquitoes WILL CARRY YOU AWAY, they are THAT BIG and there are THAT MANY OF THEM!...
AND - if we were to TRY to catch-up with Mr._Gary, we couldn't do it this well - seems like we are almost always seeing him on the L.O.S.T... - this time he found Ms. May before they both found me - I had to ride back to the mini-van to make sure I'd locked it - I had - (but my failing brain didn't remember?) Mr._Gary thinks (as do I) that we need to get Ms. May a different bicycle for our North Carolina outing. She's now riding my 20 year old carbon-frame-Trek 5200 - which we've discovered was really about right for me - so - therefore it is too big for her. However, with fiddling this, that, and the other 'settings' / adjustment(s) - it's 'ALMOST' able to fit her... and she's FAST on this thing - so fast I could hardly catch her...
AND _ earlier this week, I was doing a short ride (about 30 miles) and I got bee-stung (or maybe it was a wasp) never-the-less it HURT, but Ms._May_(the_nurse) pulled out the 'stinger' and put something on it that made it feel better... Gave me a heck of a headache for a while, but other than that - no ill-effects...
Sunday, 21 June, 2009: a sunrise on the "L.O.S.T." - near Port Mayaca, Florida...
We had a good, if LONG ride on the L.O.S.T. this morning - Ms._May did nearly 40 miles - Mr._Bill did a hair over 60 miles (now well over 2,000 miles since I got my trike the end of last October) track-log-file(s) here: ...kml ...gpx
and a ( BIG (620 k bytes) ) ...jpg image file here
We're both (just a little) wore-out... - MAYBE we have reached our current limits of endurance... In my case, though, it's not so much muscle problems as abrasion ( a little here, a little there - it adds up after 50-60 miles ), and a LITTLE HEAT - 90 F and 94 % humidity might have had something to do with it.
Today I wore a long-sleeve cotton tee shirt instead of my ( O'Neill ) lycra top - the cotton shirt must have weighed-in about 10 pounds when I took it off, sopping wet... But we lucked out with the wind 'mostly' behind us coming back to Port Mayaca (our parking and starting point) and the weather held-off the sun with mostly overcast, so it wasn't "THAT HOT" - though 90 and 94 might be considered hot ( the heat index was about 110 so the NOAA web-site said )...
AND - hydration, Ms._May is still using her Luna (powder) by the Clif-Bar-people, and Mr._Bill was just using water and then Gatorade (older product but VERY innovative web-site ( if you have the time )) mixed with water, after the Texaco Station stop. However, a guy I met riding yesterday ( who used to do the " Ironman " ultra-triathalons ) said we should investigate the " Hammer Nutrition " line of products - and they are available, locally (at my favourite bike-shop), so maybe we'll do that...
Wednesday, 17th June, 2009: Today is 'mid-week' - lots going on though...
Trip to Jax to see Mom, ride trike (32 miles / Tuesday morning, early ( kml gpx ), drive in rain (on the way north) and mostly good driving weather on the way back south, yesterday...
Found some cargo tie-downs on the way up and the way back (four this trip (3 x 1" wide and one 4" wide))...
Cleaned-up the yard on Monday morning. Looking to do another weather-station re-location this Friday or Saturday.
Need to get some salt for the water softener, today, and change-out filters on the reverse osmosis system.
Somehow when one owns a house and lot there is never a dull moment, never a chance to relax. THOUGH it appears as though we might get some kite-boardable wind this afternoon, I'm not holding my breath!
AND we have had a couple more Mangos, off our wonderful tree, however, there is 'Competition' for the Mangos. Please see Ms._May's blog_spot here to see our mango-competition.
Here's some weather-stations you might be interested in viewing to find out the weather in and around our region...
Sunday, 7th June, 2009: - another 'bright and sunny day in paradise' - (well at least until it RAINs this afternoon!) we went bike / trike riding this morning (around the L.O.S.T.) - and just one more time proves that you Can NOT RELY ON the NOAA weather forecaster(s):
Murphy's law of bicycle / tricycle riding: No matter WHAT DIRECTION you are riding in the WIND always comes from in FRONT
Murphy's law of 'attempting' to rely on the NOAA Forecast: - no matter WHAT it says about the WIND, it's ALWAYS WRONG...
It was NOT a 'bad-day' (Mr._Bill = 50 miles; Ms._May = 42 miles) - other than the WIND - (Way too strong, right into the wind, on the way home when we were TIRED...) But - I managed to meet-up with Mr._Gary, again, if only briefly - we seem to keep seeing each other on the L.O.S.T. - it's a heck of a coincindence when you think about it - we never call to try to coordinate, but we seem to meet-up all the time... - He lives in _Okeechobee_ and he's an avid biker, so I guess that we're both on the trail a lot...
BUT - well - here's a few track-logs (very boring on the L.O.S.T.) because they are just, basically, straight-lines - not much place to get off / on / etc. for those who haven't had enough track-log-views: small large ultimately_huge!
AND if you STILL NEED MORE tricycling information / - here's a 42 miler that I did in-town on Saturday - much more interesting track log - actually has some turns & stops & etc. in it. small medium hugeness
Final tricycle note - I might add, here, that I've 'retired' the little tiny white Garmin 48 (that is / was about 12 years old) and took 4 x AA batteries (which I went through almost every single day) and with the longer rides I'm doing, now (mostly over 3 hours) I was going through batteries at a prodigious rate (maybe I should buy stock in Duracell, huh?) PLUS this older GPS only had 1,024 point storage capacity for track-logs - that means in a 4 hour ride I could only store about 256 points per hour - that was 'o.k.' but didn't give me very good resolution.
Now I'm using the Garmin GPS-Map 76CSx - the same one that I use hang-gliding (because it has an altimeter in it). This one only uses 2 x AA batteries (and has a bigger color screen (and MAPS!)) and the batteries can last about 4-8 days. It can also store 10,000 track-log-points - so I NEVER have a problem trying to 'fit' a long-ride in the track-log-memory...
Friday, 5 June, 2009, and very (VERY) little to report, except:
These are 'what's left over' after we 'attempted' an 'un-biased' sampling of just a few of the energy bars that we had both read about (on the internet, in bicycle magazines, and perused contents at the store)...
I feel like (after reviewing all this) as I did about 10 years ago when I returned from Hong Kong (after being away from America for 12 years) and went to the grocery store to simply buy some Salad Dressing. However, - when I realized that there were 5 shelves (high) of salad dressing and they extended for 1/2 an aisle (in a SMALL grocery store)
I gave-up - WAY too many choices; I could NOT BELIEVE that Americans - as a Society either REQUIRED that many varieties, nor could I believe that with that many different salad dressings on the market, anyone was generating any profit in that part of their food-offering?
This is the way I feel about 'energy bars'... We're attempting to figure out what we should take with us up to the North Carolina bike-ride (400 miles (well - actually closer to 350)) in late September... Needless to say, after this review - it's obvious that there are way too many to 'sample' before we go, and my guess is that they are all 'tasty' but - whether or not / how they provide you with 'energy' - is anyone's guess... - they ALL require a 'bit' of liquid to wash-down / drink with them... - since they are all 'dry-tasting' by nature and I'm guessing that's one of their attractions in terms of 'storage-life' is that by reducing the moisture in them - they are able to be stored longer (and maybe even at higher temperatures.? So - if you need to carry extra liquid (either on a bike / trike or in a hang-glider (where weight is really a 'sensitive' issue) - that's extra weight, - does the extra weight help, too? - and/or / and/or / and / or ??? - who knows?
ON to the 'review':
Luna Bars: (on he right) - these are at least ostensibly, for women (like the drink-powder Ms. May got) and they are all tasty, she says!
Clif-Builder's Bars: (on the left): supposed more organic stuff (33% of total) and (seems like) more chocolate than the regular "Clif" bars which I have loved for years The Builder's Bar's outer covering (chocolate or chocolate appearing) melted (severely) when we went on a 56 mile jaunt around a goodly portion of Lake Okeechobee on Sunday, 31st May... - so there's a down-side to those bars when it's HOT outside. The "normal" Clif-bar has nothing to melt in them - so they would be better...
In the middle (of the above picture) - a "Jocalat" bar by: LaraBar which seems "SINFULLY" choclate & coffee flavoured, - I can not believe this bar is actually an 'energy bar' - it's way too tasty for that... - but - well - whatever...
I've already mentioned you need some liquid (water / sports-drink / whatever?) to wash these down with, here's another 'down-side' - these things ain't cheap.
We're talking $1.40 up to about $4.00 each for these - there's no question you pay more in the grocery store and when you buy them one at a time - you can get your cost for most of these down below $1.80 each if you buy a 'box' - (which tends to be about 20 (sometimes 24)) - and sometimes you can get a mixed-box (of flavours)... Buying them in ones and twos at the grocery store can be pricey...
If you missed the 'last installment' from 'last month (May)' - then you can 'click-here' for that web-page.
MUSHROOMS: - now ask yourself this question, "HOW MUCH importance do I place on MUSHROOMS in my life?"
O.K., so the answer is 'not much' - then ANSWER THIS QUESTION: - Why, last night, did I dream about all these mushroom things:
On Sunday, 31 May, we rode the "Dike" - that is the dike around Lake Okeechobee; sometimes called the 'L.O.S.T.' = "Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail", a good day for a ride (very little wind, 'some' sun (but not a lot) and a few miles. Ms._May did about 46, and Mr._Bill did about 56. all in less than 5 hours on the road (dike). -
We are, at least theoretically, practicing for this 400 mile - mountain (Blowing Rock) to sea (Surf City) trip in North Carolina, in late September, this year - yeah, it's still 4 months away, but during that trip we'll be having to do over 60 miles per DAY...
I'm barely averaging 30 miles every OTHER day right now - so needless to say I need some severe 'conditioning' here. Ms._May, on the other hand - is in great condition, but she might have to do some 'work' to get in shape, too. We'll see, only time will tell...
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I've also spent an exhausting few days (last 2-3 days of the month of May) helping out the ceramic artist in the family who has just acquired a new kiln. Though the 'hard-part' (physically) is done (taking it apart, carrying the parts back to the garage, and putting it back together), the mental anguish over the protecting the walls in the shop (with some concrete boards with an air-gap), and installing the 'vent' (a 4" duct-work with a squirrel-cage-blower (which required a 4" hole in the exterior wall), and some new lighting and well - you get the picture.
Monday (1st of June) is the 'big-day' when the electrician will come to hook-it-all-up and we'll 'smoke-test' it to see if it gets REALLY HOT inside there so Ms._May can make newer and fancier things!
Here's Ms._May with her 'New Toy' - the top of which is spring-loaded and counter-balanced to some degree so she can open it with two fingers... The right-hand picture was taken on Saturday afternoon (30th May) after Mr._Bill hooked-up the 'venting' system, the silver hoses and there's a small squirrel-cage blower in that small grey box on the wall... - it will vent most of the 'fumes' to the outside air. The grey-board(s) to the left-and right of the kiln are concrete-based board(s) originally meant for kitchen-use, but these are spaced away from the wall and the floor with a 1 1/2" gap - meant to keep the walls cooler...
Mr. Bill's best hang-gliding-flight (Ever) - see the FlightLog.Org web-page, here...
We got Ms._May a new (used) carbon-frame (and other carbon (read this as LIGHT)) bicycle yesterday (yeah - I SHOULD have updated the web-last-night but by the time I would have gotten to it - it would have been Tuesday, 30th ANYWAY)...
anyway - here's a (BIG) picture of her new bike in the back of the min-van ...
- some details: 4 years old, bought from a (Trek) dealer near Tampa, (3 hour drive each way) weighs less than 18 pounds (LESS THAN!) - Mr._Bill, even with gimpy shoulder can pick this thing up with ONE HAND... - I won't bore you with the LENGTHY process that it took with (collectively) 5 college degrees to re-set ALL the parameters in the "Shimano SC6502 Flight Deck Computer" - but will just say that neither of us alone, nor us together could really figure out the auto-magic-Japanese translation until about the fourth or fifth try... (and I thought auto-magic Cantonese translation was 'fun'! It also has superior technology rims, spokes, hubs, to say nothing of carbon-fiber crank, handlebars and seat-post... - OH did I say that I can pick it up with ONE HAND... and that we got a pretty fair deal on it, too!
AND YES - the VERY FIRST THING I was required to do (as the wrenching-hubby) when we got home was to remove the pink water-bottle-holders, and replace them with something less ostentatious...
We will see just how badly my huggly_wife can kick-my-butt this morning when we go for our first ride. I feel I'm in for a whole 'nother level' of bicycle-fitness now that she has a "REAL" bicycle...
(I might just have to get back on my (17 year old) (carbon) Trek 5200 in order to whup-up on her?)
and - for-to-finish-up this 'episode' - here's a picture of a very very strange cloud we saw, just west of Yee Haw Junction about 6-7 miles, on the drive home to Stuart, in what turned out to be not nearly as much rain as we witnessed on the way over towards Tampa, earlier in the afternoon...
Sunday, 28 June, 2009: yes - we rode the L.O.S.T. again, this morning - somehow no matter how EARLY we awaken, we can not seem to get pedalling before 06:45 a.m. HOWEVER, this time it was Mr._Bill's fault, so - UGH UGH _ MAYBE next week we'll leave the house at 05:15 a.m. (pedalling by 06:00 a.m.?) - we'll see...
In any case it was a short-ride-day - (even though the sweating and the mosquitoes were in FULL FORCE) And if you stop for more than about 0.5 seconds, and you don't HOLD ON TIGHT to your bicycle the mosquitoes WILL CARRY YOU AWAY, they are THAT BIG and there are THAT MANY OF THEM!...
AND - if we were to TRY to catch-up with Mr._Gary, we couldn't do it this well - seems like we are almost always seeing him on the L.O.S.T... - this time he found Ms. May before they both found me - I had to ride back to the mini-van to make sure I'd locked it - I had - (but my failing brain didn't remember?) Mr._Gary thinks (as do I) that we need to get Ms. May a different bicycle for our North Carolina outing. She's now riding my 20 year old carbon-frame-Trek 5200 - which we've discovered was really about right for me - so - therefore it is too big for her. However, with fiddling this, that, and the other 'settings' / adjustment(s) - it's 'ALMOST' able to fit her... and she's FAST on this thing - so fast I could hardly catch her...
AND _ earlier this week, I was doing a short ride (about 30 miles) and I got bee-stung (or maybe it was a wasp) never-the-less it HURT, but Ms._May_(the_nurse) pulled out the 'stinger' and put something on it that made it feel better... Gave me a heck of a headache for a while, but other than that - no ill-effects...
Sunday, 21 June, 2009: a sunrise on the "L.O.S.T." - near Port Mayaca, Florida...
We had a good, if LONG ride on the L.O.S.T. this morning - Ms._May did nearly 40 miles - Mr._Bill did a hair over 60 miles (now well over 2,000 miles since I got my trike the end of last October) track-log-file(s) here: ...kml ...gpx
and a ( BIG (620 k bytes) ) ...jpg image file here
We're both (just a little) wore-out... - MAYBE we have reached our current limits of endurance... In my case, though, it's not so much muscle problems as abrasion ( a little here, a little there - it adds up after 50-60 miles ), and a LITTLE HEAT - 90 F and 94 % humidity might have had something to do with it.
Today I wore a long-sleeve cotton tee shirt instead of my ( O'Neill ) lycra top - the cotton shirt must have weighed-in about 10 pounds when I took it off, sopping wet... But we lucked out with the wind 'mostly' behind us coming back to Port Mayaca (our parking and starting point) and the weather held-off the sun with mostly overcast, so it wasn't "THAT HOT" - though 90 and 94 might be considered hot ( the heat index was about 110 so the NOAA web-site said )...
AND - hydration, Ms._May is still using her Luna (powder) by the Clif-Bar-people, and Mr._Bill was just using water and then Gatorade (older product but VERY innovative web-site ( if you have the time )) mixed with water, after the Texaco Station stop. However, a guy I met riding yesterday ( who used to do the " Ironman " ultra-triathalons ) said we should investigate the " Hammer Nutrition " line of products - and they are available, locally (at my favourite bike-shop), so maybe we'll do that...
Wednesday, 17th June, 2009: Today is 'mid-week' - lots going on though...
Trip to Jax to see Mom, ride trike (32 miles / Tuesday morning, early ( kml gpx ), drive in rain (on the way north) and mostly good driving weather on the way back south, yesterday...
Found some cargo tie-downs on the way up and the way back (four this trip (3 x 1" wide and one 4" wide))...
Cleaned-up the yard on Monday morning. Looking to do another weather-station re-location this Friday or Saturday.
Need to get some salt for the water softener, today, and change-out filters on the reverse osmosis system.
Somehow when one owns a house and lot there is never a dull moment, never a chance to relax. THOUGH it appears as though we might get some kite-boardable wind this afternoon, I'm not holding my breath!
AND we have had a couple more Mangos, off our wonderful tree, however, there is 'Competition' for the Mangos. Please see Ms._May's blog_spot here to see our mango-competition.
Here's some weather-stations you might be interested in viewing to find out the weather in and around our region...
- Jupiter Inlet - a few miles south of us
- Jensen Beach (the 'real' beach - also where we paraglide and hang glide in front of the abandoned hotel
- Bathtub-Beach (still in Martin County - sort of near where we live)
- Hobe Sound National Wildlife Refuge (near here)
- Sebastian Inlet (quite a bit north of us - but very near where Mr._Bill volunteers for _US_Fish_and_Wildlife in _Vero_Beach_
- Myrtle Beach, South Carolina - VERY far north of us...
- Lake Worth Inlet (actually the "Inlet" at "Peanut Island" (West Palm Beach, Florida)
Sunday, 7th June, 2009: - another 'bright and sunny day in paradise' - (well at least until it RAINs this afternoon!) we went bike / trike riding this morning (around the L.O.S.T.) - and just one more time proves that you Can NOT RELY ON the NOAA weather forecaster(s):
Murphy's law of bicycle / tricycle riding: No matter WHAT DIRECTION you are riding in the WIND always comes from in FRONT
Murphy's law of 'attempting' to rely on the NOAA Forecast: - no matter WHAT it says about the WIND, it's ALWAYS WRONG...
It was NOT a 'bad-day' (Mr._Bill = 50 miles; Ms._May = 42 miles) - other than the WIND - (Way too strong, right into the wind, on the way home when we were TIRED...) But - I managed to meet-up with Mr._Gary, again, if only briefly - we seem to keep seeing each other on the L.O.S.T. - it's a heck of a coincindence when you think about it - we never call to try to coordinate, but we seem to meet-up all the time... - He lives in _Okeechobee_ and he's an avid biker, so I guess that we're both on the trail a lot...
BUT - well - here's a few track-logs (very boring on the L.O.S.T.) because they are just, basically, straight-lines - not much place to get off / on / etc. for those who haven't had enough track-log-views: small large ultimately_huge!
AND if you STILL NEED MORE tricycling information / - here's a 42 miler that I did in-town on Saturday - much more interesting track log - actually has some turns & stops & etc. in it. small medium hugeness
Final tricycle note - I might add, here, that I've 'retired' the little tiny white Garmin 48 (that is / was about 12 years old) and took 4 x AA batteries (which I went through almost every single day) and with the longer rides I'm doing, now (mostly over 3 hours) I was going through batteries at a prodigious rate (maybe I should buy stock in Duracell, huh?) PLUS this older GPS only had 1,024 point storage capacity for track-logs - that means in a 4 hour ride I could only store about 256 points per hour - that was 'o.k.' but didn't give me very good resolution.
Now I'm using the Garmin GPS-Map 76CSx - the same one that I use hang-gliding (because it has an altimeter in it). This one only uses 2 x AA batteries (and has a bigger color screen (and MAPS!)) and the batteries can last about 4-8 days. It can also store 10,000 track-log-points - so I NEVER have a problem trying to 'fit' a long-ride in the track-log-memory...
Friday, 5 June, 2009, and very (VERY) little to report, except:
These are 'what's left over' after we 'attempted' an 'un-biased' sampling of just a few of the energy bars that we had both read about (on the internet, in bicycle magazines, and perused contents at the store)...
I feel like (after reviewing all this) as I did about 10 years ago when I returned from Hong Kong (after being away from America for 12 years) and went to the grocery store to simply buy some Salad Dressing. However, - when I realized that there were 5 shelves (high) of salad dressing and they extended for 1/2 an aisle (in a SMALL grocery store)
I gave-up - WAY too many choices; I could NOT BELIEVE that Americans - as a Society either REQUIRED that many varieties, nor could I believe that with that many different salad dressings on the market, anyone was generating any profit in that part of their food-offering?
This is the way I feel about 'energy bars'... We're attempting to figure out what we should take with us up to the North Carolina bike-ride (400 miles (well - actually closer to 350)) in late September... Needless to say, after this review - it's obvious that there are way too many to 'sample' before we go, and my guess is that they are all 'tasty' but - whether or not / how they provide you with 'energy' - is anyone's guess... - they ALL require a 'bit' of liquid to wash-down / drink with them... - since they are all 'dry-tasting' by nature and I'm guessing that's one of their attractions in terms of 'storage-life' is that by reducing the moisture in them - they are able to be stored longer (and maybe even at higher temperatures.? So - if you need to carry extra liquid (either on a bike / trike or in a hang-glider (where weight is really a 'sensitive' issue) - that's extra weight, - does the extra weight help, too? - and/or / and/or / and / or ??? - who knows?
ON to the 'review':
Luna Bars: (on he right) - these are at least ostensibly, for women (like the drink-powder Ms. May got) and they are all tasty, she says!
Clif-Builder's Bars: (on the left): supposed more organic stuff (33% of total) and (seems like) more chocolate than the regular "Clif" bars which I have loved for years The Builder's Bar's outer covering (chocolate or chocolate appearing) melted (severely) when we went on a 56 mile jaunt around a goodly portion of Lake Okeechobee on Sunday, 31st May... - so there's a down-side to those bars when it's HOT outside. The "normal" Clif-bar has nothing to melt in them - so they would be better...
In the middle (of the above picture) - a "Jocalat" bar by: LaraBar which seems "SINFULLY" choclate & coffee flavoured, - I can not believe this bar is actually an 'energy bar' - it's way too tasty for that... - but - well - whatever...
I've already mentioned you need some liquid (water / sports-drink / whatever?) to wash these down with, here's another 'down-side' - these things ain't cheap.
We're talking $1.40 up to about $4.00 each for these - there's no question you pay more in the grocery store and when you buy them one at a time - you can get your cost for most of these down below $1.80 each if you buy a 'box' - (which tends to be about 20 (sometimes 24)) - and sometimes you can get a mixed-box (of flavours)... Buying them in ones and twos at the grocery store can be pricey...
If you missed the 'last installment' from 'last month (May)' - then you can 'click-here' for that web-page.
MUSHROOMS: - now ask yourself this question, "HOW MUCH importance do I place on MUSHROOMS in my life?"
O.K., so the answer is 'not much' - then ANSWER THIS QUESTION: - Why, last night, did I dream about all these mushroom things:
- how to 'herd / manage' cats who were managing bunny-rabbits who dug holes to plant mushrooms
- how to build a mushroom-farm-planter on a cell-phone tower so the 'critters' could not eat the mushroooms
- how to research mushrooms on the internet with no-one finding out about your research (use an anonymizer?)
- how to get mushrooms to market faster
- how to find a 'culture' for whom mushrooms were REQUIRED (therefore the market was greater) than the USA
- how to 'genetically engineer' mushrooms for faster growth, more 'bruise-resistant' strains so that automated equipment could be used (thereby lowering the cost of 'farming' the mushrooms
- how to research / genetically engineer mushrooms so that they can be grown in climates that are hot and dry (rather than moist and cool?
- how to - well you get the idea - and I dreamed about this ALL NIGHT LONG ? - go figger?!
On Sunday, 31 May, we rode the "Dike" - that is the dike around Lake Okeechobee; sometimes called the 'L.O.S.T.' = "Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail", a good day for a ride (very little wind, 'some' sun (but not a lot) and a few miles. Ms._May did about 46, and Mr._Bill did about 56. all in less than 5 hours on the road (dike). -
We are, at least theoretically, practicing for this 400 mile - mountain (Blowing Rock) to sea (Surf City) trip in North Carolina, in late September, this year - yeah, it's still 4 months away, but during that trip we'll be having to do over 60 miles per DAY...
I'm barely averaging 30 miles every OTHER day right now - so needless to say I need some severe 'conditioning' here. Ms._May, on the other hand - is in great condition, but she might have to do some 'work' to get in shape, too. We'll see, only time will tell...
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I've also spent an exhausting few days (last 2-3 days of the month of May) helping out the ceramic artist in the family who has just acquired a new kiln. Though the 'hard-part' (physically) is done (taking it apart, carrying the parts back to the garage, and putting it back together), the mental anguish over the protecting the walls in the shop (with some concrete boards with an air-gap), and installing the 'vent' (a 4" duct-work with a squirrel-cage-blower (which required a 4" hole in the exterior wall), and some new lighting and well - you get the picture.
Monday (1st of June) is the 'big-day' when the electrician will come to hook-it-all-up and we'll 'smoke-test' it to see if it gets REALLY HOT inside there so Ms._May can make newer and fancier things!
Here's Ms._May with her 'New Toy' - the top of which is spring-loaded and counter-balanced to some degree so she can open it with two fingers... The right-hand picture was taken on Saturday afternoon (30th May) after Mr._Bill hooked-up the 'venting' system, the silver hoses and there's a small squirrel-cage blower in that small grey box on the wall... - it will vent most of the 'fumes' to the outside air. The grey-board(s) to the left-and right of the kiln are concrete-based board(s) originally meant for kitchen-use, but these are spaced away from the wall and the floor with a 1 1/2" gap - meant to keep the walls cooler...
Mr. Bill's best hang-gliding-flight (Ever) - see the FlightLog.Org web-page, here...
and-or see the track-log over Google Earth Image(s), here... small_image larger_image (1 megabyte)
Archived BeachWeb monthly site(s): Click here for a list of the archived months
Some people have asked, WHERE can I FIND, "X" - whatever the heck "X" is?; but in my case - these two things are being asked about...
The "Tire Changing Web-Page" and/or the VANC (VikingAsia (Networks and Computers) Consulting) web-page.
AND / OR if you 'WANT' (or desire or need or have an 'urge' for something you don't see, then you can e-mail me at: bill@vikingasia.org
Archived BeachWeb monthly site(s): Click here for a list of the archived months
Some people have asked, WHERE can I FIND, "X" - whatever the heck "X" is?; but in my case - these two things are being asked about...
The "Tire Changing Web-Page" and/or the VANC (VikingAsia (Networks and Computers) Consulting) web-page.
AND / OR if you 'WANT' (or desire or need or have an 'urge' for something you don't see, then you can e-mail me at: bill@vikingasia.org
updated: 05:34.m. on Tuesday, 30 June, 2009 - revID: 1n