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).

Found on Facebook

A clown singing the Who classic "Pinball Wizard" to the tune of the Johnny Cash classic "Folsom Prison Blues".

Merci and chapeau to the guitar guy on whose Facebook page I discovered this wonderful gem.

Something you never forget

How to ride a bike, or so they say.

I appear to have forgotten, but I began relearning yesterday, actually.  Yesterday was OOTNDITHOD and I was pretty sure I was going to ride my bicycle.  I knew that it wasn't quite ready so I headed out early enough to get it ready and still get in a shortish ride.  Turns out the bicycle was a bit more not quite ready than I anticipated.  Quite a bit more.

I spent most of the afternoon hanging out at my open garage door wrestling with tires and tubes.

But today I WAS ready.

The nearby tulip yard was in nearly full bloom.

That woman in the picture was not just randomly walking in the street (with a sidewalk on the other side of the street).  She was the model for a photographer with a tripod and a real camera shooting a tulip portrait.  I asked the photographer if she would mind if I used her model and she said OK.

Here is the final result of the often last season photographed blue tarp house.  The repair and substantial upstairs remodel were completed over the winter.

That's not when I would have done it.

They got new vinyl siding and a big towards the rear of the house expansion as part of the deal.

As for the bicycling I rode a little bit farther than I expected.  And it was hard.  Especially early in the season, it is supposed to be hard.

I finished last season with 22,998 miles on FirstLOOK.  I know, so close.

And yet so far.

Today I stretched that mileage far enough beyond 23,000 to reduce the possibility of measurement error.  I have officially ridden that bicycle more thatn 23,000 miles.  A lot.

Perhaps 25,000 should be my goal for this season, that would round out to about once around the Earth, that seems like it would be pretty nice.

I got home and was making macaroni and cheese.  Regulars will know that my macaroni and cheese is really macaroni and eggs with some cheese melted into it.  And dill, lots of dill.

I was cracking some eggs.  I always purchase jumbo eggs, the largest size.  I think this is because I once read somewhere that the lowest price per ounce is jumbo eggs.

Anyway with jumbo eggs you get some double yolks.  I always exclaim "twins" to anyone else in the house and continue on.  This is the result after the fifth egg was cracked.  I had already had "twins", the smaller double on the lower right.

That's number five on the top left which I am going to label "triplets", a first for me.

And here's a couple of new things at my house.

And my lens cap, of course.

Everyone is invited to guess the significance of those two things.

Opal and Norah

The photo data file indicates this picture was taken October 23, 2016.

The passage of time is always going to increase the value of this photograph.