bike ride

for father's day, my dad and i pushed ourselves to our physical limits.  we went on what is by our standards, an epic bike ride.  riding close to, if not more than 40 kilometers with only a couple short breaks. 

our first destination was downtown hamilton.  we were going to stop for coffee but since i'd already had two that morning i decided to pass and we continued on to hess village for a beer . . . unfortunately we were ahead of schedule and none of my dad's favourite spots were open yet. 

our next stop was a to visit the statue of queen victoria, located on the western part of gore park.  click the links to read about a bit of hamilton history ... although a better option would be to talk to my dad who is a fountain of knowledge. 

we rode through nicer neighbourhoods and rougher ones. . .  we saw expensive and well kept houses and some that were completely run down.  the city is diverse and spread out.  there was interesting architecture and old buildings that were beautiful to look at.   hamilton has a lot more history than i had imagined.  if i wasn't delirious from exhaustion i could tell you all about it.

happy father's day dad, thanks for a great day!

photos of the weekend to follow . . .

safety first

check out the sweet new helmet my mom got for me - safety first!  the salesperson helped us out by suggesting the champagne colour when we couldn't decide.  tonight i added this octopus sticker designed by my best friend angie - click here to see her page stuck on the west coast. 

extra long weekend

 i came home tonight after a long weekend away from work, city and stress and found this in the mail:

 i had emailed the city and they sent me one in the mail.  here is a link to the electronic version.  i'm looking forward to exploring the city and finding some alternative routes.  i'm still not entirely at ease when drivers speed past me... sparing only an inch or two between the vehicle and myself.  the downtown streets are packed with parked cars and angry drivers and i'm not entirely comfortable with it.  i think over time it will get easier.



over the weekend mike and i went for a bike ride on the caledon railway path.  the ride was approximately 25 kilometers round trip.  we stopped in caledon east for a beer.  i felt great afterward.  i'm glad biking season is back.

the ride was pretty flat which was nice and not too challenging.  whenever we stopped for a break the most noticeable thing was the silence.  all you could hear was the wind blowing and birds chirping and cawing.  it was peaceful.  we passed different landscapes, streams, trees and farms.  and at one of the farms we stopped and made friends with these two horses.  we named them both fabio.

first ride

i should have mentioned in yesterday's post - i listened to the leader's debate.  i don't have too much insight that you haven't already heard but here is an entertaining summary from the national post entitled leader's debate: he said, he said. 

before the debate, was my first bike ride of the season: 

to give some background: i had always wanted a road bike... i thought (and still think) they looked so cool and fast... mainly cool.  my first time riding one, i had borrowed my friend alice's forest green giant and her clip in shoes.  i couldn't believe the speed i achieved from being clipped in.. with my shoulders and arms tucked in i felt so aerodynamic... i felt like an athlete.  and to quote my father, who tells me you're not an athlete, but you are athletic... it was a new and exhilarating feeling to me... until at one point i came to a stop and couldn't unclip my shoe.  i promptly toppled over with the bike, laughing hysterically...  at the time i had a mountain bike, and two cruiser bikes that i wasn't willing to part with.  that left me with no room and no money for a road bike.  and then i came into some luck.  i was given a beautiful, shiny, blue norco road bike (circa 1980s) with freshly taped red handle bars.  it was so light i could pick it up effortlessly with one hand.  this bike was the epitome of cool.  i could boot around town in lightening speeds... the only problem was it was a size or two big for me and created discomfort when i stepped forward off the seat.  sadly i left that bike on vancouver island but i know it's in good hands.

yesterday's bicycle of choice was a vintage (matte-grey and gold) fuji road bike.  it is also a bit big for me but i manage.  my dad found it on the curb one garbage day and fixed it up.  it rides pretty smoothly.  it breaks very poorly.  but after about 15 minutes on the bike i felt strain in my arms and shoulders from the awkward forward position of a road bike.  and the location of the breaks does not inspire confidence.  nonetheless, i had a good ride and was happy to be out enjoying some fresh air... and to my surprise, i'm not at all sore today. 

my memory is currently flooded with bikes i have loved. bikes i have ridden. bikes i still have and ones that got away. each of them with their own story and special place in my heart. but i'll save those for another day.

this blog looks like carole king's tapestry

but i'm okay with that.

it is kind of funny. i only just realized that. and i started this blog one hundred years ago, (wow even before tapestry came out?!)... but seriously. i've been staring at this thing for over a year and... here we are. i don't know where i'm going with it, so please bear with me.

unrelated, but sort of related, my dad used to tell me that tv would rot my brain and i think he was right... my brain feels like a composte heap but i can't stop watching tv. especially now that you can watch it online. oh that reminds me, i only just got home internet... which is the main reason for the delay in said blog... but the point about tv is that it sucks up valuable time and space in my brain. so i'm trying to get back into writing! and reading! other hobbies include knitting, drawing and cooking. while that may seem overzealous, there is more on that list i'm not sharing with you... sigh. i wish i had more time in the day. more energy. and i know i'm not alone.

look at this pretty strawberry shaped like a heart:




this picture was taken after a bike ride to hanlan's point in the summer.