20,026

Indeed, it HAS been blustery, so windy in fact that the corollary to the Auckland Rule had to be invoked. The corollary to which I refer is the one that says if you aren't going to be able to keep your bicycle upright in a cross wind it is OK to not ride in the wind.

Besides which, it was cold.

Today was only cold and windy. Windy, not blustery. If I am serious about riding into November it was obvious that today was the day when I had to venture back out there.

I headed out on FirstLOOK and got less than a half mile before screeching hub noise reasserted itself, possible the worst screeching yet. I circled quickly towards home. I dropped off the screecher and pulled my emergency back up bicycle out of the basement and resumed the ride. I got a picture of the emergency back up bicycle with the tires in the orange colorway underneath a tree with mostly orangish, well, definitely at least reddish orange leaves.

Today's ride moved the total mileage on that bicycle's odometer off that wonderfully round number where it has been since November 10, 2010.

What was I thinking not riding this bicycle for that long? This is a great bicycle. For one thing, as I discovered almost immediately, unlike NewLOOK, this one not only doesn't have a shrieking hub, it has not a single rattle or buzz of any kind. This bicycle is like stealth quiet.

Nice.

I rode over to the Marathon course. Obviously the runners today got started several hours ahead of me. When I arrived at about the 23.5 mile mark on Summit Avenue there were not any elite runners to be seen. Instead I found the last runner still ahead of the official race lanterne rouge car and the school bus sag wagon.

They were moving along pretty slowly at this point, perhaps obviously. I suspect as long as she maintained forward motion with an at least shuffling gait that they were going to let her finish. Behind the sag wagon other official race vehicles were requesting the stragglers still coming to move up onto the sidewalk as the street was being reopened to traffic.

I wanted to get this perspective in now before it is too late. This is Sheldon Street near Como Park. Not every tree in the metro area is as big a wimp as the ash trees.

Those are oak and as has been covered here before, the leaves turn very late and remain firmly attached to the trees until spring.

I was nearly home when I passed three mature ladies standing in the corner of a neighborhood yard. They were dressed a bit less casually than you expect to find people dressed while doing yard work on a Sunday afternoon. I noticed that one of the ladies had a large hammer in her hand.

As I passed I discerned that they were pounding a sign into the front yard. This isn't the actual yard or the actual sign but this is in my neighborhood and the sign is for the same candidate as the sign the three ladies were planting.

I recognized one of the ladies and I thought it appropriate to call out, "Hi, Alice."

There was a short slightly stunned pause and as I got a couple of houses distant I heard a "Hi" coming from the trio. I don't think Alice necessarily expected anyone out here to recognize her. Alice doesn't actually represent me right now, Mindy does. But the miracle of redistricting has moved this part of Roseville into a district with the nearby neighborhoods of Saint Paul. That's where Alice lives and where I suspect she would expect to be recognized.

Now that she has cordially returned my greeting I formally endorse Alice Hausman for State Representative.

It was 47 at the Cattle Barn.