Memorial Day Eve

For the first time the turkey I am grilling for Memorial Day is fresh, never frozen.  We hope to have a nice representation of family here on our deck tomorrow.

We are hoping it is as nice tomorrow as it is this evening.

So, anyone want to play?

Monaco Grand Prix:  Stunning qualification results, Hamilton fails to make the field.  Raikkonen captures his first pole since 2008.  I take Vettel.

Indianapolis 500:  Fastest qualifying time since the Arie Luyendyk record of 236.986 mph in 1996.  That's 1996 people, 21 years ago.  I take Scott Dixon.

World 600:  So at this point I have taken a second place qualifier on the front row and a pole sitter.  For this race I go deeper into the field and take Jimmie Johnson.

Players are invited to participate by entering your choices in the comments.  At some point I will assume that everyone who wants to play has made a choice and I will initiate a second round.

Let the fun begin.

Rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain, rain

Seven days in a row.  Not only did it rain it almost always rained during the time when I might have tried to ride and it also rained hard.

The bicycle message boards say that you miss riding for a week you will forfeit one half of your bicycle fitness.  I didn't really have much fitness to lose but I am pretty sure I lost half of it.

So out I went, unsure of how it would go.  That meant no destination in mind, it meant just riding around.

Seven days of rain is good for the corn.  I  arrived at the field at almost the exact time that the sun did.

The clouds formed back up after that and I swear I thought it was going to rain.  But it didn't.

I got the mileage I wanted without any suffering.

But right now I am really beat.

All summer to work on it.

Mother's Day

Mother's Day with the Mothers and Grandmothers.

And her hand in her mouth.  Don't worry, I got a bunch of others for the parents, many of which feature no hands in front of her face.

I got home in time for a ride and I therefore also have some bicycle content.  It was over 80 today and I recognized that a temperature featuring that number was going to require some costume adjustment.  I ended up riding in full summer costume, including no base layer and sleeveless jersey (and SPF 50).  I had to look around to find my favorite sleeveless jersey but I had a pretty good idea where it was and when I found the jersey I also found my usual gloves.

Today was also my first destination ride.  My fitness is improving rapidly and I knew I could ride far enough to get someplace instead of just riding around.

A person who reads this blog had alerted me a couple of weeks ago that there was a bloggable event occurring near the Capitol.  The alert came to my phone (zoot alors) in a text message which included a photo.

I went to take a look.

Our State Capitol Building has been the subject of a couple of years long renovation project.  And if I do say so myself, it looks great.

The morning newspaper reported that the last remaining crane will be coming down some time this week.

That's not it though.  The miracle which requires blogging is in the foreground.

I have blogged multiple times about the travesty committed on the Capitol Mall during the renovation project when the dim bulbs working inside that building decided that they didn't want to walk a couple of blocks or shuttle or ride the train or anything like that.  Instead they tore up the Mall and turned it into parking.  I feared that the rule was likely to be that once it becomes parking it will be parking forever.

I was wrong.  Thank goodness.

The parking lots are gone and golly gee that sure looks like they have prepared the area for reseeding and are getting ready to put the grass back in.

Zoot alors.

On the way home I got "nice biked" by a guy who may actually know what he was talking about.  I was near Como Park (a pretty horrible place to be on a bicycle on a big holiday with perfect weather) when a youngish fellow leaned completely out the driver's side window of his car to say to me, "I really like your bike frame."

I said, "Thank you."  That frame is plenty likeable.

We were going in opposite directions and I didn't have time to tell him that he would almost certainly also like my components and wheel set.  Given time to actually look at the whole bicycle I am sure he would have upgraded his compliment from just being of the frame to the whole thing.

23,126 miles and counting.

Mileage increase

I took an on line course today called "Legal Malpractice:  What is it and How is it Proved."  As a result I got started just a bit later than ideal but on the plus side TOPWLH was available for a photo opportunity.

That's my newest jersey, from not this past Christmas but the one before, a TwinSix orange full zip, perfect for today's conditions.  For some reason I have gone back to the oldest gloves I own, the original yellow Specialized.  That probably won't last, I think I just haven't yet located the gloves that I was wearing most of the time last season.

Right around the corner I came to something that at least I never expect to see parked on a residential street in an inner ring suburb.  It's a plow.

Admittedly at only two bottoms (displaying farmer knowledge) but even two bottoms is overkill for the suburbs where the plot size to be cultivated is such that a roto-tiller is the only reasonable choice.  With a two bottom plow and an appropriately powered tractor a person can turn over at least several acres in a work day.

Here's something new.  The last time I rode past this spot last fall that was a school bus garage (near Snelling and Como).

The school bus garage appears to have succumbed to modern economics.  It looks like that property is being prepared to generate a considerably greater return as something other than overnight parking.  I am guessing something pretty large, possibly not high but at the very least quite spread out, there's a lot of room there, at least a few acres.

It isn't much right now but kitty corner from the State Fairgrounds, whatever this ends up as is certain to become familiar to many Minnesotans.

Cycling past Lake Como on the way home.

The high school varsity girls' softball team has its home field on the other side of the school property next to our house.  They had a game today.  On game day we sometimes get people parking in the cul-de-sac on this side of the property.  Tomorrow is the State's walleye fishing opener.  At least one attendee of the softball game is planning on a quick breakaway to try to reach his (or her) fishing spot as soon as possible after the game is over.

First time I can remember a full on fishing rig parked in front of the big new tree.

So I increased the mileage today and while I was riding again it was just fine.  I can probably increase the mileage again soon.  Except that while I was fine while I was riding shortly after the ride I was pretty much totally done.  I was ready for bed well before dark.

*sigh*

GOINFS.

Yard giant

I spotted this while out riding today.

That seems pretty optimistic to me.

The last couple of miles today were pretty much tolerable.  It must be time to increase the distance.

Ocho

The approximate number of miles I rode before I came upon this deal.

Many will recognize that as Deadman's Curve, the double turn double overpass hazard on Raymond.

Two summers ago the pavement and intersection on the south side was completely redone.

Last summer they completed a major sewage project on the north side that included all new pavement (with bike lanes).

This year there isn't anything left to do but this.

The road is closed.

But actually the whole purpose of posts titled "ocho" and "cinco" is as an homage to the great Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver, Chad Johnson.

Mr. Johnson was talented and confident, brash and full of himself.  He, as many professional athletes do, began shortly after arriving in the league to refer to himself in the third person.  Then he made up a nickname for himself and began referring to himself in all interviews with his new moniker.  His number was 85 and he began to say things like "8 5 made a great play on that one."  Only he wasn't saying "eight five".  He referred to himself as "ocho cinco."

Eventually his fondness for ochocinco led him to want to use his nickname as his name on the back of his jersey.  The NFL had already been alerted to the dangers of allowing nicknames by Rod Smart of the WFL Las Vegas Outlaws.  That league allowed players to use whatever words they wished on the their jerseys and Mr. Smart debuted in the league with "HE HATE ME" on the back of his shirt.

Not wishing to travel that road the NFL disallowed Mr. Johnson's request to use "OCHOCINCO".   He was informed that he could only use his actual surname.  In a brilliant sidestep Mr. Johnson went into civil court and had his name legally changed from Johnson to Ochocinco.  He finished his career under that name and with that name on his jersey.

After finally leaving the game behind he changed his name back to Johnson.

All hail Chad Ochocinco.

Here's something you don't see very often, a detour apparently only for pedestrians and bicyclists.

Except oddly enough, when you follow that detour, as I did, you come to this.

Not only is the road closed, clearly no bicycle passage, but the sidewalk is also closed, no pedestrian passage.

However, if you hunt around enough there is a sidewalk down there on the other side of the street that is open.  That is, however, the only available passage through there and I don't ride on sidewalks.

The last couple of miles were pretty hard again today but maybe just a teensy tiny bit not quite as hard.

Lake news

Almost every year Como is the first lake featured here.

This year it was that arm of Island Lake marooned behind the Shoreview water tower.

That giant apartment building is new.  That's the development that took place on the site of the empty strip mall dominated by Anne-Marie's Pet Grooming.

I think the apartment building is a better revenue generator for all concerned with the possible exception of Anne-Marie.

The second lake of the year is Lake Owasso, from the south end.

That boater looks vaguely like he is angling.  He is positioned at the bow of the boat, a spot usually only occupied by an angler.  Recreational boaters are usually towards the stern as the stern position improves weight distribution.

I should know this but I don't for sure but I think there might be some season or another that is open.  The big walleye opening isn't until next week.

Lots happening at the VFW.

The Shoreview water tower is a pretty long distance from where I live.

The last couple of miles were pretty hard.

Cinco

Not so fast there!

Anyone thinking the post title is based on some sort of holiday just hold on.

Actually, it is the approximate number of miles I rode before I circled the parking lot like three times (in fairly heavy traffic) lining up this shot.

See, nothing at all to do with that holiday.

And that's about it for today, I believe I am fresh out of wittiness.

One more thing though, in something of an upset, I noticed as I rode out of the lot that SHE was driving.

I rode past the corn field.  My usual route for the past couple of years misses this field by a block to the west.  However, if I do that ride I end up in a road construction zone over on Larpenteur.  So I rode past the corn field.

Those tire tracks convince me that the corn has been planted, the pattern fits.

I just don't see anything green coming up yet though.

Blue sky, 75, only middling winds.  It was a good day to be out.  As is usual for early in the season the last couple of miles were pretty hard.

Hooray, hooray

*sigh*

Again, not really this year.  This is early afternoon today.

It didn't last even through the afternoon but for the time it was here it was something less than ideal May Basket weather (or any other outdoor activity).