Last Wednesday I flew to NY to visit family and friends.... got in a few days of skiing and came home with a high fever...hence a little late making my weekly post.
here is a little video I took to show the snow covered trees....
I was able to enjoy a dinner the second evening home with my nephew and his Fiance.... they will be married this summer in July.
As a follow up to this summers through the bike frame photos I thought I would try a through the skis photo.
This is a pic of Ed & Margaret two of the folks I ski with when I go to NY. They are both good skiers as I type this they are at Steamboat in Colorado for two weeks, a true picture of the active retirement lifestyle.
This week was another full of Basketball games. Derek is now just over 6'5" and he is getting used to his height; more rebounds, blocked shots and baskets made. They won one of the three games to take their record to 12 wins and 3 losses. They only have 2 more games this season. Notice his hand size on the basketball in the picture.
Saturday the 19th was the Ididaride bicycle "race". I put it in quotes because technically they call it an endurance event but when you put 350 people at point A --- say GO --- and everyone heads to point B it is a race. They keep track of everybody at each checkpoint and tell you how many people have come through ahead of you. We encountered HEAVY rain and 43 at the start and rain off and on with a high of 49 throughout the 50 miles of off road riding.
I rode the ride with 2 friends John and Tommy we finished 9th including the 3 guys that passed us while we were changing my flat tire. It was cold and wet as we traversed down trees and stream crossings not to mention many large 6"+ deep puddles.
Both John and Tommy had numb feet from the conditions ... mine were wet but the smart wool blend socks kept me reasonably warm. My rain jacket which got no workout on the cross country ride sure got it's workout Saturday.
Tommy is a very strong rider was there for a group endeavor so even though he could have come in first he rode with John and I often providing comic relief. I was pleased to finish 9th I was hoping for a top 30 out of the 350 registered. There were some who came but did not ride due to the conditions and I did not wait around to see how many there were at the finish. I do know that after we finished ...showered.... and ate the BBQ chicken dinner provided... there were still alot of riders finishing.
The bikes held up well; other than one flat tire we had no issues. If you look at the mud and such on the shifting mechanisms it is amazing how well they functioned
It was nice to finish 9th against all age groups covering 50 miles at 50 years old.
We had three basketball games this week- two away and one home game...All three were victories and their record advanced to 11 wins and 1 loss. In last nights game Derek scored 7 points. Here is a video clip of last nights warm up and jump ball which Derek controlled.
Two of the guys that make Forest High School basketball fun are Coach Waters and "Coach" Floyd.
Coach Waters has been Derek's Coach for two years. He is an even tempered man who cares about the guys on his team. It has worked the guys play hard for him and the record speaks for itself.
"Coach" Floyd is a fixture at Forest High School, he graduated in 1977. He runs the clock for the team. I keep the score book so we work every home game side by side. His smile and positive attitude are contagious.
Training continues for the Ididaride continues. The 50 mile off road race is less than a week away. Today I did the last long ride prior to the event. I did a 43 mile ride off road. Most of the time when I train I ride alone, primarily due to schedule and daylight availability. So a few years ago I added Gumby to the front of my bike so I could smile and tell Bernice I was not riding alone. (she knows and I do carry my phone in case of emergency).
Today's ride was with my neighbor and friend John who will be riding the Ididaride next week as well.
We had a good time negotiating the obstacles along today's route. Some of them provided us with opportunity to laugh. Next Saturday we will negotiate logs, bumps, dips and stream crossings. It is only a bike ride and there are so many things to be thankful for. I wanted to mention some of them before a brief bit of levity. I am thankful for my wife of 27 years and both boys,for our health and the way God blesses us. I am thankful for friends both near and far and the way they help us grow. To Jeff, Tim, Tim, Cullie, Tom Harper,Bruce, Gary and Bob thanks for your friendship.
This week we welcomed in 2008 a new year of opportunity. This year should be a good one we have lots of neat stuff planned within the next 12 months. Several ski trips in the next couple of months, a bicycle trip to Holland . Michael has a big year planned,he is set to graduate from the University of Florida, join my financial planning practice in May , and get married July.
Bernice & I went to Inverness to look at some bike we are considering. They are made by a company called Co-Motion. They are coupled bikes that come apart and can be transported in a suitcase. This will make it easier to travel and take our bikes with us. If you click on the picture you will be able to see the couplings on the frame. This is not a flashy racing bicycle it is a workhorse, reliable and comfortable ride. It will take panniers(saddlebags) for touring.
While in Inverness we noticed some of their older buildings and could not help take a picture of the Courthouse. It is a neat little town.
Our roof is now on an looks great. He finished up the job this week.
We had a basketball game for Derek on Friday night. It was a close one decided in overtime. Derek scored 6 points in the second half and helped keep the momentum going for his team. They advanced their season record to 9 wins and 1 loss.
I was able to enjoy a dinner the second evening home with my nephew and his Fiance.... they will be married this summer in July.
As a follow up to this summers through the bike frame photos I thought I would try a through the skis photo. 
This is a pic of Ed & Margaret two of the folks I ski with when I go to NY. They are both good skiers as I type this they are at Steamboat in Colorado for two weeks, a true picture of the active retirement lifestyle.
