Well, now it's even later in the month... - Saturday, 21st to be 'exact' - and I'm just back from a VERY VERY NICE ride along Lake Okeechobee, and here's just a very few pictures to prove it...
this is an 'iPhone Panorama' - scroll WAY RIGHT to see the whole thing - it's a pretty good example of what it is like to ride along the dike at Lake Okeechobee (some call it the 'L.O.S.T. (Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail). - we just call it peaceful, beautiful, etc.!!
we found this guy near Taylor Creek...
I've found this 'view' before and it never ceases to amaze me at both the comments I get and how beautiful it always is...
and this 'video' is of interest to some, not to others: link to: LOST_video1.mov (MAYBE you will have to convert the format if you have a Windows PC, I don't know?)
Well, now, it's 'later' in the month... - some new things (in NO particular ORDER?!)
from one of our 'Beach Camera' locations - this is a (September 19th) sunset picture (west is to the left)...
from the same "Beach Camera" location - this is an 11th September sunset, also...
a 'micro' turtle with his distinctive shell-colors - found on the cycling path about 1.1 miles south of our house...
a slightly larger version of the 'micro' - this one I obviously disturbed in the middle of his mid-morning meal... - he was found on the cycling path (through Seabranch State Park (VERY pretty!), this location is about 4 miles south of where we live...
we found a LOT of 'grown-up' as well as 'tiny' four-legged-friends, this last couple of weeks, on one day's ride I saw six gopher tortoises within less than 2 miles on my return-home about 11am - noon or so...
if you want something more 'dynamic' you can try this link....
Today is Friday, 6 September... - For Many Many months / years / decades... (well - maybe 5-6 years since I started riding my 'tricycle'), I've wanted to find SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, SOMEHOW who I could ALWAYS BE ASSURED of being faster than... THEN I recognized that the iPhone allows me to 'capture' some of those 'faster than me' - but I had to get the darned thing out, turn it on, etc. etc. etc. -
SO FINALLY I found someone who is SLOWER than ME - in all respects - and found him in a very photo-genic-mode this morning while we were Rollerblading in "Miles Grant" near our house...
AND
- Today, (Friday, 6th) my friend Mr. John, agreed to help me get the
Trailex trailer (with the two Europe Dinghies on it) out-of the 'fixed'
roof and underneath the 'tent' that we put-up a few days
ago. This will give Ms. May more room for her kiln and
pottery things and Mr. Bill more room for his shop-things - and still
keep the Europes covered (mostly) and out of the 'weather'...Well - Today is Wednesday, 4 September, and things are HAPPPPPPPPPPENING... (all around south Florida...)
YESTERDAY I accomplished a lot of things. I went to "Boca South Beach" and fixed a camera's DSL modem (amongst other things).
Then I picked-up a 'storage-tent' we'd ordered 'on-line' about 10 days ago, and we set-that-up in the back (north) yard. We're (theoretically) going to put our Trailex Trailer (with our two Europe Dinghies) in this storage-tent (to keep the sun-off of the trailer / boats, mostly)... - we've not gotten that far, yet, we need to tie-down the tent, and do some other things first...
I got some more paving-stones for Ms. May's new project, and she's
staining those, this morning, they'll be 'added-to' those in the above
picture...
Mr. J opened his kiln on Sunday, 1st - pictures to follow - not sure how many, how big, how much, etc. etc. etc. - but we'll have pictures here SOONish, there are some pictures in other places, though, like try this link: http://www.liveoakpottery.com
Mr. Bill has had a few days of excellent cycling rides in Sebring (the event is called "Tour of Sebring") - and this year is the 31st annual event (that means they've done this 30 times before this - they are getting PRETTY GOOD at this...
Mr. Bill has 'piloted' his trusty tricycle to speeds never before seen in a 'group ride' like this:
- Day 1 was 62 miles in 5 hours & 7 minutes = (appx) 12.2 mph
- Day 2 (that's Sunday (1st) ) to 63.2 miles in about 4.70 hours - which is a little better (no flat tires) = (appx) 13.5 mph
- Day 3 (Monday (Labor Day) 2 September) was the best yet - only 58 miles, though (I "skipped" the part in Highlands Hammock Park)...
Day 3 was very very fast, though, less than 4.2 hours for an average speed of nearly 15 mph. I have achieved these sorts of speeds by doing a lot of what is called "drafting". I've drafted 'in practice' before, but never in a 'group-ride' - especially since drafting is a very very risky proposition. I know the people I practice with, they know me, and we don't ride very fast (maybe 15-19mph). However, there was one 'episode' on Monday where I was drafting in a 'pack' (of about 40 riders, and seem to have gotten 'stuck' in about the middle of the pack) and the average speed for almost 30 minutes was well over 20 mph. That's fast by anyone's standards, and that's pretty much screaming on a tricycle...
This group-ride has changed my whole perspective on a lot of things... I now feel a LOT differently about drafting, and about my ability to keep-up with a higher-speed. BUT it seems as though I really need to draft to maintain those higher speeds. I had not really witnessed this issue before, but now I know it beyond any shadow of a doubt, and it has really changed me and the way I think about cycling!
There's a graphic, available, that can explain / show this - if you're interested - let me know. One form is a '...jpg' file - an 'image' of the graphic, the other forms / formats is / are ...gdb (GPS) file, and/or a ...kmz (Google Earth file) - this Google Earth file is the most flexible and has the biggest screen-display...
I've got several Sebring - ride pictures - located here-below, and more to come as I 'develop' them (I need to edit and crop and scale a lot of them...)
This is what the Apple iPhone calls a 'panorama' picture... - I'm told, by people who shall remain nameless) my foot (in the middle of the picture) looks 'funny' , and I'm also told that this road looks "funny HOT!" - and it was DEFINITELY HOT when I rode this road... (the road, just for reference is an east(left-side) - west (right side road) and so the view is, then, south-facing...
This
image is a view of 'Reedy Lake' in the town of "Frostproof"... - this
was taken at the 'rest-stop' (at about mile-point 38 (of 63 miles)) -
again this is what the Apple iPhone calls a 'panorama' shot...
This is a Google Earth image, with a GPS-'track-log' overlay of the first day's (Saturday, 31 September) ride...
a similar file is coming for today's (Sunday, 01 September) ride is coming
then those will be replaced, sometime on Sunday evening with one graphic file that includes all three rides...
Today is Thursday, the 29th of August... not much has happened for September, 2013, (yet, but it will!)
This picture is from August, but it's pretty good, so I'll leave it here...
and here's another 'panorama view' from the same basic site...
some flowers (and other things) you might not have seen - in the August web-site...
view on the 'Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail' (L.O.S.T.) where I tricycle frequently...
a bumper sticker we saw in the parking lot at the local library... (we looked in the back-seat of this car, and saw no dragon, nor signs of one? - (HHHHmmmm???)
Ms. "Cat Buddah" has a friend! - Ms. May was lucky enough to catch this on her iPhone.