Tuesday night cruise

Members of our small group have been wanting to get together and ride on Tuesday nights. Well, the first one happened last night. Since it was a little late, with VBS the next morning for the kids, we decided on a "shorter" route, instead of going all the way to Rockford. The shorter ride, to Comstock Park, was 8 miles instead of 11. Funny - it still felt like 11. :-D

The high point of the ride? You know that bridge that crosses West River Drive that says White Pine Trail on it? I crossed it. :-D On the way to CP, I actually rode up the hill to the bridge, over, and flew down the other side. (I have a theory that the only thing that keeps a bike rider going is the thrill of going down the other side of the hill...)

The low point? Something went boinky with my front wheel on the way back, so the wheel was wobbly and didn't want to turn. So I couldn't ride up the bridge - had to walk it up. :-( Vicki (and Greg and Jon) think it's the bearings in the hub. So, I get to earn more frequent flyer miles on another trip to Freewheeler. Ah well...

Great ride - some tough stuff, a few mishaps with the kiddos, but a great ride. And, I now know good places for ice cream in both CP and Rockford! :-D

Finally, I actually saw some improvement in my riding. My legs were a bit better last night. I took the day off on Monday, and they seemed stronger last night. I'd like to get a short ride in today, but we'll see when Freewheeler can get my wheel fixed. But it's nice to see that my legs are starting to adapt to riding again. Good times, as Hannah would say...

One Bike, Two Bike, Red Bike, Blue Bike

One small trip for a normal cyclist - one GIANT ride for me. :-D Thanks to our friends Tammie & Greg, and their kiddos Madison, Mitchell, & Macy, we took quite a ride on Saturday. We went from their house to Rockford, spent some time relaxing (and giving me time to stop panting...), and then rode back to their place. The total? About 11 miles (round trip) of riding. It was Macy's first time to make the trip, and she did GREAT!

How did we do? Well, Vicki flies on that beautiful blue bike of hers. As for the big guy, I actually did alright. Got a little tired at times, and my knees crabbed at me at times, but the sense of accomplishment I felt at the end of the ride made it all worth it.

How I felt SUNDAY, tho, is a different matter. :-D I'm kidding. I'm a bit stiff and sore today, but not all that bad. Good thing, considering I think we're going to do that ride again on Tuesday with our small group. Yee haw! :-D

I LOVE playing music for older folks!

Here's a couple of choice comments from the folks at Covenant Village, when I played there Wednesday at their "Welcome to Summer" party...

(to her friends at the table, noting the different instruments I use) "He's used three different things, and I haven't recognized any one of 'em yet!"

(when looking at my wind controller) "What d'ya call that thing?"

(when looking at the whistles) "What d'ya call those pipe things?"

They're so cute! It's a joy to play music for them, because their reactions are so wonderful! They really appreciate the songs, and especially appreciate that my system makes it possible for them to listen to the music, and still have a conversation at the same time. I came away from this encouraged that Vicki was right - this is definitely the path I need to be on right now. :-D

OK - one more senior comment, this time heard in Riverside Park. I haven't talked about Vicki's new bike yet - that'll come soon. But it's a recumbent, similar to mine (but MUCH nicer! :-D), and she is usually out ahead of me, since she flies on that puppy. Well, a couple of older ladies were sitting on a bench, and as I followed along, some distance behind my honey, one said to the other, "He must go with that other one."

Have a weekend, li'l tater tots!

Babble On...

So, a friend said they were reading my blog, and noticed how I babble about stuff, and thus am just kind of thinking out loud. So, that must be how I process things - by writing them out.

Babble?

Hmmm... While I understand what they meant, I have to admit that the word babble brought to mind the blog equivalent of posts like "yabba-dada-goo-goo-squeak-giggle-drool..." Not exactly flattering.

But, in essence, isn't a blog digital babble? I know certain folks who impart Deep Thoughts or Important Information or Things That Thou Must Read that smack of holy writ, but for us normal human beans, our blogs are a place to tell our friends (and other semi-interested or not-so-interested people who wander by) where we is at. So, if we were communicating face to face instead of "you read my blog, I read yours," does that limit the babble factor? Or, do we tend to babble even when we see each other? I've had some conversations that have gotten deep and profound, but the majority of them are a path to re-connection. Just to catch up with each other.

And, let me tell you, for conversational re-connection, babble is the super glue that holds it all together. :-D

So, I could tell you about playing bass at the Evangelical Covenant Annual Meeting for the past two nights here in Grand Rapids - a huge event that I was honored to be a part of. Or, about Vicki's new bike, and how she flies past me on the bike path. But, I think I've "babbled" enough for one day.

And to the unnamed person who made the babbling comment - no, I didn't take offense. I actually found it funny. :-D

Yabble-yabble-dada-coo-squeak-hiccup-giggle...

Festival and the rolling umbrella stand

Before I get into Festival, it should be noted that I now have a pair of the coolest shoes on the planet. Not only are they real Converse Chuck Taylor All-Stars (low cut), but they're PURPLE!!! Purple Chucks! I smile just thinking about them... And, since I wore them to Festival, we move along to our current topic...

Our yearly visit to Festival was, as usual, delicious! :-D We went Sunday afternoon, with great weather, and had our usual goodies - Saigon Sate, Chocolate Waffle Sundae (Vicki's favorite treat), some grilled shrimp, and a huge chocolate chip cookie.

Vicki, my ever-clever wife, discovered something that came in handy, using our beach umbrella (the kind meant to stick in the sand). She found that if she put the bottom half of it in the cane support on my wheelchair (a little platform that allows me to stick my cane on the back of the chair), and velcroed it in place, that she could use me as a rolling umbrella stand. I'll admit - I thought it was a tad silly, right up until we were sitting in cool shade on a sunny sidewalk. We'd pick a spot, Vicki would grab some food, and then up goes the umbrella and we eat in coolness. And, on the long walk back to the car, things were a lot more comfortable as she was helping me roll along since we again had shade that traveled with us.

My wife is a genius! Sir Vander Molen would have been proud of us...