A #10 Day - (almost)

It was in the upper 60s yesterday afternoon when I headed to town for a ride. Brought the hybrid for a pavement ride on the bike paths. Mostly sunny, light breeze from the south.
Stopped at the Western Historic Trails Center. From there, rode across the "Bob Bridge" to Omaha. Stopped at Lewis & Clark Landing for a break - Gatorade and Clif Bar. I have been over the bridge many times, yesterday I stopped to take a photo of my bike straddling the state line.
Back on the Iowa side of the river, I headed back. Planned to ride down the Veteran's Memorial Trail to the construction of the new bridge. That plan was scrubbed when I got a flat at the I-80 bridge.
Getting tired of the flats on this bike. Three flats in the last 4 rides. I had ridden about 300 miles on the new tires without a flat. Now 3 in 100 miles. Will be stopping at the bike shop later to do post mortem on the tubes.

With no more spare tubes with me, I canceled the part of the ride to the Veteran's Memorial Bridge construction. Got back at the bike shop and was able to mention the problems to Blaine. For now - think I will ride one of my mountain bikes for a few days. (Have not had a flat problem on them - other than the goatheads in AZ and NM).
Special Note: Xtreme Wheels is now operating under winter hours schedule. Shop opens at 11am.

Glass Blowing at Jamestown, Virginia

Here are more pics for you Pom Pom. We stayed in the glassblower's hut for a long time. We finally had to pull the kids out. You can see my two girls watching from the background in the first one. This is a beautiful cobalt blue jug.



It also felt good to be in here on a cool fall day. I wouldn't want their jobs in the summertime.

A Five-Gallon Plant in a Three-Hour Hole

The tall native Yaupon Holly at the garage side of the house gives food and shelter to the birds and delights the eye with its white bark, evergreen leaves and red berries. But it's not visible from our windows - we need another yaupon, planted where we can see it. In mid-December we bought a small, berried Ilex vomitoria at the Natural Gardener and for a couple of weeks moved the container around the yard, looking at it from the breakfast room window, from the bench near the gate and from the table on the patio. We settled on this spot with morning sun and afternoon shade. If we live long enough, the slow-growing yaupon may soften our view of the neighboring house.

Wouldn't planting a tree on New Year's Day be a good way to start ..? It should be a snap for two people to plant one 5-gallon container. We know how to plant native trees in Austin: dig the hole no deeper than the depth of the rootball but at least 2 or 3 times as wide. But knowing and doing are not the same thing when we've been here only 4 and 1/2 years while the house and garden have existed for 3 decades.
Two Cobrahead tools removed grass easily and the digging fork and spade made a small dent - time to bring out the mattock.The expected fist-sized rocks appear but what the heck is under the grass? With effort we pry out something in 3-inch thick, broad, flat chunks. This seems to be a rather broad and solid layer of ....what? Not exactly rock....it's hard but the edges crumble when smashed with a tool.... could it be compressed sand?
Philo examines grooves molded into this not-quite-sandstone substance
He thinks the grooves were made by the plastic liner of an above-ground pool or pond. Perhaps the weight of the water compressed a thick layer of sand into this rock-like layer. The chunks of compressed sand are hauled off to the no-man's land between vegetable garden and fence.
Sailing is still not smooth - mattock, breaker bar and sledge hammer are needed to crack up larger subsurface rocks so at last they can be taken out in pieces. We need all our tools. That's Philo's older Cobrahead with the yellow handle; my prize from Spring Fling is light blue. The breaker bar is heavy black iron. Philo made the bench.
The rock chunks are added to the pile under the pecan on the south end of the yard.
Three hours after beginning this project the yaupon is watered in. Grow little tree!
After all these photos of rocks and dirt you deserve something pretty. The pink climbing rose has one bloom - out of focus because I had to hold the camera way over my head.

One camellia flower shows behind the Chinese Witch Hazel/RazzleDazzle/Loropetalum chinense, which is unexpectedly in bloom now.One paperwhite has opened in translucent beauty. Lori the Gardener of Good & Evil has been tweeting her attempts to find a good-smelling paperwhite. This bulb has been in the garden a few years but it was originally potted for indoor forcing with no species listed on the gift package. When it bloomed on the windowsill its beauty was equalled by its stinkyness - I'm glad paperwhites can grow outside in Austin!

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée

Vanilla Bean Crème Brûlée, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

On a whim Friday night, I decided to make crème brûlée, as it is an easy but delicious dessert.
The recipe I used was from Anita Chu's blog Dessert First. I modified it slightly, such as adding more sugar and more vanilla flavoring. I also added Grand Marnier orange liqueur and rose water, as the recipe called for. Overall, the crème brûlée turned out great, with the smooth flavor of vanilla and the floral hint of rose water. The Grand Marnier was hard to discern, however, so I would add more than the recipe calls for. Speaking of the recipe, it's posted below:
Rosebud Crème Brûlée
makes about 6 servings in 4 1/2 ounce ramekins
2 cups heavy cream
1/8 teaspoon vanilla seeds, or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 ounces egg yolks (about 4-5 eggs)
2 ounces sugar*
1/4 teaspoon Grand Marnier**
1/2 teaspoon rose water
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.
Find a baking pan that will fit all of the ramekins you plan to use. The sides of the pan should be at least as high as the ramekins. Line the bottom of the baking pan with a towel.
Heat the cream and vanilla in a medium saucepan on medium heat until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and let sit for about 10 minutes for the vanilla to infuse.
Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl.
Slowly pour about a third of the hot cream into the eggs, whisking all the time to prevent the eggs from curdling.
Pour the tempered eggs back into the cream, whisking constantly until combined. Whisk gently to prevent bubbles from forming.
Strain the mixture into a clean bowl.
Add the Grand Marnier and rose water and let the custard cool slightly.
Arrange the ramekins in the baking pan on top of the towel. Using a ladle, carefully, pour the custard into the ramekins, filling just below the rim. Try to fill all of the ramekins to the same height so they will bake evenly.
Carefully pour hot water into the baking pan until it comes up about 2/3 of the way up the sides of the ramekins. Do not let the water get into the pan.
Carefully place the baking pan into the oven and bake for about 45 minutes to an hour until set. I checked at about half an hour and at 45 minutes, but don't open the oven door too often or you'll lose all the heat and the custards will not cook. You can check the progress of the custards by sticking a paring knife into the custard slightly away from the center. If it comes out covered in liquidy custard, it's not done yet. Also, if you lightly touch the center of the custard and your fingertip comes away covered in custard it is also not done.
When the custards are done, they should shimmy slightly when you move the pan (careful not to spill water!) but the center should not move separately. If, however, it has set like Jello and there are bubbles forming on the top it is becoming overcooked and you should remove the custards immediately. If the custards start rising at any point they have become overcooked.
After you remove the baking pan from the oven and the ramekins have cooled enough to handle, remove the ramekins, cover them, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 4 hours before serving.
When you are ready to serve the crème brûlées, take one ramekin at a time and sprinkle the top with sugar evenly over the top. Using a hand-held blowtorch, carefully caramelize the sugar. Keep the flame at least 2 inches from the sugar to prevent burning the sugar. You can also caramelize the sugar under a broiler.
Let the sugar cool for a couple of minutes before serving. Do not brûlée the custards more than 20 minutes before serving or the sugar may melt.
Recipe courtesy of Anita Chu at http://dessertfirst.typepad.com/dessert_first/2007/04/rosebud_creme_b.html.
*I used more sugar (1/2 cup total instead of about 1/4 cup total).
**You may want to use more Grand Marnier if you want a more noticeable orange flavor.

Trying to find something to express my sentiments this New Year morning. This does a pretty good job. Happy New Year to my family, friends, acquaintances, and fellow cyclists.

Going places

We're not a 'let's just get a taxi' family, but I needed to jump in one to get to the Fringe concert my daughter was performing in. As well as getting me there on time, I was pleased that it was a University of Aberdeen taxi - my alma mater. I wonder what its founder over 500 years ago, Bishop Elphinstone, would have thought of taxi advertising? At the forefront then - it was the first university in the English-speaking world to have a chair of medicine - I like to think he would approve.
The University of Aberdeen
You may recognise the palm trees in the background from a post last August. The concert was at the same venue as last year: the Columcille Centre.
Tropical Fringe
My daughter was playing the clarsach and singing with another three young clarsach players and a fiddler. Two of the performers are about to go to music conservatoire to study Scottish traditional music. The other three are still at school. It was really gratifying that there was a full house on an evening when the Fringe and Festival offered goodness knows how many shows of different sorts.
Recording was not allowed, so I stuck by the rules, but here's one of the songs my daughter sang, accompanied by clarsach and fiddle: 'Follow the Heron Home', by the Scottish singer-songwriter Karine Polwart.

Going Home To The New Country

In a previous post, I talked about going home to the 'old country'. Last Thursday I went home to visit my parents in Tennessee, the 'new country'. I have so much fun visiting with my parents when I'm by myself. We fall into a very comfortable mode of talking, eating, sleeping, walking, and anything else I feel like doing. I stayed four nights and had a grand time.
Daddy's been replacing their shingled roof with a metal one. Here are some photos of him up there. Keep in mind that he'll soon be 76 years old. Needless to say, I did a lot of praying while I was home. One night when it rained, he had to climb up there in the rainy dark to put the plastic back around the chimney to keep it from leaking.
He said they had never hired a handyman or repairman to fix anything....ever! They do it all themselves. I find that amazing.I'd love to be that self-sufficient.

Thomas Merton and Solitude

I've long been interested in the works of the Cistercian monk Thomas Merton. I've read Thoughts in Solitude and have in my library but haven't read The Seven Storey Mountain and The Secular Journal of Thomas Merton. I hope to read them both soon.Now I'm reading The Value of Solitude, The Ethics and Spirituality of Aloneness in Autobiography by John D. Barbour, and he devotes a chapter to Thomas Merton. The above image is from this book.There are an amazing number of opinions on solitude held by as many people. Some crave it and some are repulsed by it calling it the utmost in selfishness. I fall into the first camp. How about you?

20,000

This post commemorates my 20,000th km cycled this year. Actually, I recorded the milestone on Friday when running an errand to pick up some components for the bike, but I decided I wanted to celebrate the milestone with a more interesting ride. It was with this in mind that yesterday I set off toward the south, through Hogan's Rainforest, Murwillumbah, Burringbar and so on, onto Mullumbimby. After this it was the climb past the Crystal Castle, it was into the magical forests...



... the wildflowers



... and the sweeping mountain views...





The other notable feature of Northern NSW is the number of rivers and creeks that are encountered along the way.



Even the ocean on the final stretch was looking particularly enticing.



This is actually quite a gruelling ride, there were over 3,000 metres of climbing, most of it coming between Mullumbimby and Nimbin. It was made harder by the fact that the wind blew from the south early, before switching around to the north in the afternoon (i.e. a headwind both ways) . After 258km or so, that can be quite draining, and I ended up pedalling the last few km at 22km/h. That said, it won't stop me riding this evening. Actually, I seem to be having quite a few rides with less than favourable wind conditions at the moment. I'll just have to consider it training for New Zealand.

Check the Trails

Sunday it was farewell breakfast, load the car, and the boring drive home. I was able to see from I-29 some of the devastation caused by the flood. I was back home about 4:30 pm. Monday was re-supple, laundry, and recover.
Tuesday, I was ready for another bike ride on familiar bike trails. Wanted to see the conditions at Lake Manawa and behind the Trails Center. In the photo here, you can see that depth of the silt that was washed into the area. On my facebook page, there are other photos. The ground contour has changes in some areas as the silt was deposited by the water.
Behind the Trails Center, the water is SLOWLY receding, It will be a mess to clean up once the water is gone. In addition to the silt and debris, there are many trees toppled over the trail.
Great ride before the weather turned on Wednesday. Stopped at the bike shop on my way home. Had a nice chat with Zach.

Another Beauty from Zoolatry

As many of you know, my friends' mom (http://zoolatry.blogspot.com/) spends hours making art photographs (and has multiple other talents as well). Lately, she has honored me (and made me blush, which dogs aren't supposed to be able to do) by making a couple of beautiful portraits of me. I am grateful beyond words for this latest, gorgeous gift and am barking out ginormous woofs to you for putting me in such a "good light" heheh!!! Ann has also gifted me with a new header, which I will be using in a few weeks! THANK YOU SO MUCH ANN! If you haven't already checked out her work, go visit with Maggie and Zoey, the kitties of Zoolatry and Ann's studio!

Fishtail Palm Frond

Looking up from beneath a fishtail palm in Oakland, CA.

A new beginning?

Well, I made a phone call at 4.50pm yesterday afternoon, and confirmed what I was really expecting, the concert last night was cancelled. Apparently it's going to be re-scheduled for sometime in September, so it's another month or so before I'll get to hear the magical voice of Sarah Blasko in a live setting. One hopes she's feeling better soon regardless. What it meant for me was that instead of spending the night in Brisbane and probably sleeping in, I was waking early on the Gold Coast, and looking for a morning ride. I headed west, found the turn off to Little Nerang Road (which definitely does not go to Little Nerang Dam), up a steep climb, and at a T-intersection, I found a trail heading off into the bush.
Seeing a sign saying that horse riders needed a permit, but no mention of mountain bikes (I was on my hybrid anyway), I took a chance.

What followed was a very intimate experience out in the bush, with literally nobody else around. Surprisingly, most of the trail was more than manageable on the hybrid, although there were times when I wished I'd been riding the MTB. There were wildflowers, hills, eucalypt forests, and perhaps surprisingly, water views!




The big surprise was that this wasn't the trail I'd been thinking it was. I found the other side, about 100 metres higher, which had eventually wound it's way around to the far end of Little Nerang Road, meaning that the finish of the circuit was only about 2km from where it started. There were also some interesting tracks heading off, one toward Hinze Dam which looked quite manageable, if I'd had the inclination to lift my bike over the locked gate. What really excites me about this, however, is that there appear to be quite a network of trails out there to explore. This could occupy a few Saturday mornings in coming months. I really want to find a link between Hinze Dam and Neranwood, if there's a trail covering the length of that journey, it would be a truly inspiring experience.
The final word comes from the return to the start, and taking Range Road to the North. It dead-ended at this body of water, which is simply too large to be an ordinary Hinterland creek. Could this be a distant spur of Hinze Dam/Advancetown Lake? All shall be revealed... Eventually.

Aerial Afternoon

It looks like fun, but I don't think I would ever do it :-) Heights don't really bother me, but the thought of hanging in mid-air with nothing under my feet makes me kinda woozy. The hotel we were staying at in Teton Village was right at the base of the ski hill, and the cable car that goes to the top of the mountain was right behind our hotel. These guys were taking the cable car up the mountain, then sailing down and landing in a small field right across from the parking lot of our hotel. I'm guessing it was an instructional course, as some of them were doubled up.


This afternoon Stuart and I decided to take a drive to the town of Jackson (Jake opted for some nap time back at the hotel), which was only a few miles away. One of the tail lights on my car had burned out, and since I was heading for home after shooting sunset I wanted to have that fixed. So, we drove into town to look for an auto parts store and on the way back we came across this Osprey nest which was just off the road. Stuart has an eye for spotting birds and he noticed it well before I did. We pulled over to watch the nest for awhile, and were lucky enough to see an Osprey carrying a fish in its claws.