January 30, 2005
Winter Walk Ravine Loop
Doug walked Tux, or the other way around, and I held onto Samantha and Django's leashes for a brisk stroll around the Ravine loop.
Ice - Day Two
The freezing rain and sleet have passed and the temperature is rising. The frozen neighborhood is thawing, dripping and occasionally crashing clumps are falling.
January 29, 2005
Margaritaville
The neighborhood this afternoon is like giant frozen Margarita. Mostly frozen but some slushy stuff too. I took the K-9 crew for a stroll up the road, they had big fun and I took a couple more photos of the scenery.
Ice Event
Ice Storm '05 is well underway. Freezing Rain, Sleet, and even some snow in the mountains. Travel is not advised and conditions will not improve until midday Sunday. Flights canceled, power outages and interstates shutdown are what's on the news today. It looks like a little more than a 1/2 inch of accumulated ice on our neighborhood roads.
Icy images from around the crib
January 28, 2005
DVD Movie
Watched "The Aviator" at home this evening. It was pretty good and I really enjoyed some of the music, especially the two cuts by Django Rheinhardt. I spotted a cameo appearance by Loudon Wainwright (as a night club singer), I watched him as a real night club singer in Atlanta back in 1973.
Before he was known as an obsessive-compulsive recluse, Howard Hughes was a famous movie mogul, pioneering aviator and a dallying playboy with a roster of leading ladies, including Jean Harlow (played by Gwen Stefani in this movie).
TT Rescheduled
Message from the race promoters:
After consulting the meteorologist, USCF Officials, and looking outside, we have determined the weather is too much for us to be able to provide a safe & fun race environment.
We are postponing the race this Saturday (Jan 29th). We have been working diligently to move this event to another date. The event is being rescheduled to the following weekend (Sat Feb 5th).
Torrents
A while back I started messing around with Bit Torrent and found it pretty simple to use. If you like to collect movies and TV shows you can find ALL of them with this. A couple days ago I leeched the entire DVD of a brand new Scorsese movie starring Leo DiCaprio in a story about an eccentric billionaire.
Here's some guy's blog post about using Torrents, be forwarned this guy's blog can otherwise be offensive.
Tundra TT - frozen?
Several teammates and myself have been looking ahead to this Saturday, the 3rd annual Tundra Time Trial held on the Silver Comet Trail in Hiram, GA. I missed last year's edition and won the Masters 45+ category in the inaugural edition. I have been anxious to return to road racing, *BUT* the weather forecast is freezing rain and high temps of 28°F tomorrow morning. I anticipate that an email will go out to all the riders this evening canceling the event.
January 27, 2005
Stone Mounds
Samantha, Django and I went for a walk around the Ravine Loop.
Little Mulberry Park - sign near some stone mounds reads...
Stone Mounds
Do not climb on or disturb the stonesThese piles of stone range from neatly stacked cubic assemblies to scattered piles of rock (that appear to formerly have been neatly stacked). Some are stacked five to six feet tall. There are hundreds of these mounds scattered in various clusters - all are protected within our park.
The precise age of these assemblages has not been determined, but they are almost certainly associated with native American cultures. Archeological investigations have failed to uncover artifacts as necessary to definitively attribute the mounds to a specific time frame or culture.
No artifacts or human remains have been found in association with the mounds. Hence, there is much speculation as to the stones ritual or other practical utility. Nevertheless, today we may reflect upon the considerable time and effort required to construct them.
photos from nearby the stone mounds
January 26, 2005
Auburn Hilly 23
It was sunny and 60°F on This Wednesday in January. Gerard R., Tracy H. and Shari J. all met in front of the Auburn City Hall at 11:30-ish AM and rolled out for a short ride. There was an agenda for Tracy and myself, we had "Form Sprints" on the workout schedule. Form Sprints are like the real thing but short 10-15 seconds and downhill or with tailwind. The idea is to practice the form and feel the speed but not to cook your legs too bad, yet. Tracy nailed 'em. Gerard was on a fixed-gear bike so he was mostly just watching. Shari jumped in and played with us a few times, got to hand it to her she's pretty darn good. The Form Sprint intervals are clearly visible on the HRM data graph, you can see the 7 or 8 spikes in speed and heart rate with several minute recovery in between sprints.
I had mapped out the route the night before and decided it was a pretty good route, so here's the PDF of it for future reference.
Auburn_hilly_23_map.pdf
January 24, 2005
Recent Visitor Activity -- Hmmm...
Gosh, don't type anything that may be political. There's no telling who might check up on your blog if you do.24th January 2005 12:37:35 Washington Dc, Washington, United States res.net.va.gov (152.130.7.130) Department Of Veterans Affairs No referring link 24th January 2005 10:45:07 Arkansas, Little Rock, United States (198.133.100.133) Alltel Information Services Inc No referring link 24th January 2005 09:42:53 Washington Dc, Washington, United States kc.net.va.gov (152.133.7.130) Department Of Veterans Affairs No referring link 24th January 2005 08:47:13 Maryland, Hyattsville, United States (204.46.175.214) U.s. Environmental Protection Agency
January 23, 2005
Frozen Fingers
Well it looked sunny and inviting outside this afternoon, so I put on my winter riding gear (balaclava, thermal tights, two long-sleeve jerseys, neoprene booties, wool socks, etc) and headed out for a bike ride. Sure it was mostly sunny, HOWEVER Wind Chill <10°F AND Wind Gust up to 22 mph. For the most part I was OK, except even with 2 pair of glove liners and neoprene outer gloves my fingers were hurting. Here in the deep South we almost never need real winter clothing but I'm going to breakdown and buy some serious gloves, just in case I am compeled to ride my bike in freezing weather again. You might be in trouble when after an hour of pedaling your fingers are too cold to shift gears and your water bottle freezes so you can't get a drink.
Fox Flips
A Fox News anchor flips out when a guest dares to question the nature of Bush's elaborate 2nd inauguration.
January 22, 2005
Dirt Road Ride
At 9:30 AM EST eleven tough riders gathered in the village of Bethlehem, GA to embark on the 74km Robertson Bridge Dirt Road Ride. It was cold and wet but the spirit of adventure and excitement levels were running high. Jay H. had assembled 21 sections of tough dirt roads, or as we like to call them, Georgia Pavé.
Click on the image below to view a brief video I put together from a couple of clips that Ming T. had recorded with his handheld camera.
January 21, 2005
51% Is Hardly A Mandate
Bush won a second term in the last U.S. presidential elections by almost 51 percent. That means more than 50 million Americans voted against Bush.
While Bush appeared to bask in the glow of his Inauguration Day festivities, the overall feel of the event was paranoia and fear. Snipers watch from above. The contentious, heavily armed, hyper-secure motorcade passing down Pennsylvania Avenue made the U.S. look like a Banana Republic: a country that is politically unstable and is typically governed by a dictator or the armed forces.
The inaugural streets were the streets of mutual disdain. On one side of the fence, you hear the parade announcer say something about one nation under God. The patriots make jokes about the protestors, but only barely audibly. On the other side of the fence the protesters turn their backs on Bush, but really it was about everybody turning his back on something, someone, some other American's unacceptable ideas.
January 18, 2005
Tempo Intervals
Although the sun is shinning and it looks inviting outside, the temperature is a frosty 34°F. Yeah, sure I know that's not THAT cold to you guys up north. I wimped out and decided to do my workout inside today. I mounted my trusty Cannondale cyclocross bike to the wind trainer and proceeded to knock out 5 x 6-minute Zone-3 intervals @ 85-90 RPM. It's not as easy as it sounds, but not exactly brutal either. Brutal is the first races of the 2005 season, the Tundra Time Trial Series, scheduled for 1/29 & 2/12 on the Silver Comet Trail -- I will be there if all goes as planned.
Tom Mitchell
A few weeks ago I was treated to a surprise visit from an old band-mate, Tom Mitchell. Tom and I played together back in the early to mid 1970's. I remember he was way better than the rest of us and it was a honor to play with him. Tom has managed to keep track of most all of the Atlanta musicians of that era and he has a fantastic memory of all the stuff that went on. I think that maybe he should write a book.
Anyway, he's still a cool guy, good musician and proud father, ya gotta like that. He sent me this photo taken at Violette, December 2004. Photo by Tom Mitchell.
January 16, 2005
Sunday - Holy Rollers
CoyBoy ride around the Walton Co Loop -- w/Theron, Wojtek, Doug & Dean.
Just Like The Record
Saturday night I played with the Paragons at the Cox Hall on the Emory Campus and we did a lot of Beatles songs and old disco stuff - some music from my youth. I have to admit I enjoyed doing the Beatles "Something", "With A Little Help From My Friends", "Norwegian Wood", "Can't Buy Me Love", "I Saw Her Standing There" and "And I Love Her". On the other hand, I could have done without "Get Down Tonight" and "Staying Alive". We did get a standing ovation for an instrumental version of "Oye Como Va" which most people associate with Santana, but actually it was written by the great Harlem-born Puerto Rican musician Tito Puente.
I like playing the oldies now and then, but I wouldn't want to do it too often. About ten years ago I did a couple shows with Peter Noone, from Herman's Hermits, and that guy has to sing "I'm Henry The VIII, I am" and "Misses Brown You Have a Lovely Daughter" every night of his life!
Last year I did a show with a band that played all Allman Brothers songs, and that was actually pretty challenging and fun for a guitarist. But one night was just about enough. Same with Motown and R&B bands.
At least with Jazz the tunes provide just the basic melodic and harmonic structure while the musicians, moods, interplay, interpretation and improvisations are spontaneous and hopefully creative and unique. You are not playing jazz if you are playing it just like the record!
January 12, 2005
Jazz at The High
I played at the High Museum this evening at a banquet for very proper blue-bloods. You can tell when folks come from money and were sent to Ivy-League schools, they have an air about them. I'm not sure it is aloofness, I think they simply see the world from a different perspective.
I chatted briefly with a gentleman in the restroom, he mentioned the "rather large donations" he had made to the museum. When he realized I was in the jazz band he asked if we would play "Sophisticated Lady" sometime. That's cool, it is a classic tune by Ellington.
See the difference is if it had been some nouveau-rich... oh say, developer or business person, they would have requested something more like "Sweet Home Alabama" or "Margaritaville"... or if they thought they were hip to jazz, they would request "Take Five" -- Geez, gimme a break!
Anyway, the band was cool. The musicians I shared the stage with were Keith R. at the drums, master of the understatement and mate from high school days. Mack on keys, a self-taught natural talent that came up in the churches and bars of south Georgia. Bob L. another of the very rare native Georgians, but more urban, schooled and a master of all things brass and woodwind.
We made some great music but unlike painting or sculpture, music is a performance art and there are no physical artifacts. The moment in time must be witnessed, preferably by one who has the capacity and willingness to comprehend what's being communicated.
January 09, 2005
Saddle Time
I had originally hoped to join Shey's ride from the International Horse Park in Conyers this morning, but the wedding reception last night went too late (those Jewish families really know how to party) and I couldn't make it to the early AM start.
Doug, Theron and I headed out on the 55+ mile "Walton County Loop" shortly after 11 AM. It was mostly a steady pace with Theron doing more than a few long pulls at the front. We made it around the loop and I headed over to Dacula to meet up with the Apalachee Cycle group ride.
The AC group had about 18 riders today. The shop owner, Bruce said that's the most they've ever had show up, probably due to the warm weather. This group was really nice but strictly tourist, no racer-types (except for Wojtek who was looking for a recovery ride after yesterday's WBL ride). This type of group is actually harder to ride with because of the erratic tempos and unpredictable nature. It seemed like we stopped a dozen times to regroup and there was rarely any hint of any structured group riding skills. We all had fun, pedaled about 35 miles and no one got hurt so that's a good thing.
I had to stop my bike computer several times while we waited for the stragglers to regroup, inevitably I forgot to turn it back on once and didn't record several miles of this ride which totaled a little bit over 90 miles. I even got a little bit of a suntan, in January, cycling for more than 5 hours today.
January 07, 2005
Ravine Loop 2x's
After a somewhat upsetting afternoon at the Gwinnett Medical Center, where a nurse totally botched inserting an IV in my arm, I decided because of my slightly mutilated arm to forgo the free weights workout that was originally planned.
Ruth drove over and picked up Rachel and I then we went back over to Little Mulberry Park this evening. I jogged 2 clockwise laps around the Ravine loop and felt pretty good afterward. That trail feels like a combination of a treadmill and a stairmaster in the woods, it's a good hard workout.
January 06, 2005
Little Mulberry Park
Even though the sun was hidden behind a swath of clouds and a rain storm had just blown through, Rachel and I took off for a walk through the "Ravine Loop" at the recently opened Little Mulberry Park.
The Ravine Loop trail is about a 3 mile walk with an elevation loss & gain of over 500 feet. The actual trail is a wide macured path of pea-gravel with more than 100 stone steps. Some highlights along the way included an overlook with waterfalls, some mounds of unknown origin, a giant oak tree, some creeks and the Little Mulberry River.
Photos - Rachel & Dan at Little Mulberry Park
The Alcovy River, Apalachee River and Little Mulberry River all orginate within a mile or so of this area, and there are hundreds of rock mounds of unknown origin and a few areas known to be ancient indian burial sites all around these parts.
January 04, 2005
Upper 60's ?!
I thought this was January, doesn't that mean "winter" in this hemisphere? Well anyway, the sun is shining and the temps are in the upper 60's at this moment.
Doug, Nathan and I rode around the Old Thompson Mill Loop this morning and when we completed the rolling and almost 30 mile loop, our average speed was a respectable 19 MPH.
Going up the climb on Mt Moriah Road, Nathan pointed out where their new house will be built. The bulldozers were clearing the land when we went by. Directly across the street is the still active Mt Moriah church which was established in the early 1780's and has a graveyard out back with markers more than 220 years old.
January 02, 2005
CoyBoy Ride 5-Hills Loop
A peloton of friends rolled out of my neighborhood at noon and met the CoyBoys, Doug, Dean and Matt at the top of Sunny Hill Road. Riding with us today was David and Bonnie on the tandem, Carlos, Wojtek, Ernie, Shari, Nancy and Tracy. Theron was dressed and ready but called at the last minute saying he had to pass on this event.
Photos - CoyBoy Ride - 5-Hills Loop
Matt threw down the gauntlet and took the first county line sprint. Matt also tried to lead the way down the 50 mph descent of Capitola Farm Road, but the tandem team of Dave and Bonnie had a distinct advantage.
Carlos must have been feeling inspired because he was hammering up the big climbs, but couldn't quite hold off the hard-charging Matt and Tracy. Wojtek was attacking the climbs in his big ring and muscling to the tops with raw power. Ernie was riding strong and Shari rode smart using her perfect spin to conquer the hills. Doug and Nancy never seemed to be in too much difficulty, but it looked like the pace on the climbs was taking a toll on Dean today.
After the first three major hills and two county lines (I took the second sprint uncontested), the peloton swung into the parking lot of the Addictive Cycle Bike Shop for a quick peek, but Doug and Dean headed on down the road to get a bit of a lead. Matt took off solo and bridged up. Dean decided to skip the final few climbs and took the shortcut home. At that moment I went back to find the tandem team which had been delayed by traffic, and asked the group to wait for a moment. When I returned with Dave and Bonnie, the group had disappeared. They apparently saw Dean, who was taking the shortcut, and did not see the turn that Doug and Matt had taken, so they followed Dean. I called Matt on the cell phone and asked for him and Doug to wait while I rounded up the misguided group.
Finally back together we did the big climb up Boss Hardy Road and Flanagan Mill Road. Next, Matt and Tracy lead the group down a "Georgia pavé" road to Cronic Town Road. At this point an enthusiastic young dog started running along side the pack of riders and was able to stay with us for well over a mile as we climbed away from the Little Mulberry River toward Pool Mountain.
The old time GTC riders knew the final county line sprint on Wages Road well. Dave, the captain of the tandem, was aware the downhill sprint would favor him so he moved toward the front and got into position. I knew before the downhill was a substantial little rise, so seeing Matt cuing up on my wheel, I employed the feisty little Tracy to be my lead-out woman. On my cue she cranked it up and the tandem responded running right alongside her. Dave and Bonnie kicked it into a bigger gear and took the advantage as Tracy faded. I switched from Tracy's wheel to the tandem's wheel. I was behind the tandem on the downhill but Tracy's pace on the rise had put Dave and Bonnie at their limit, so they didn't have quite enough left to hold me off as I came around them at the line. Matt took a close third in the high-speed skirmish.
Finally we all settled down and eased on back to my crib, dropping off Matt and Doug at their neighborhood. Everyone had a good hard workout and a lot of fun. I am lucky to have so many good friends who will come out and play with me when I call. Thanks all!
