Saturday, June 24, 2006

Saturday . . . A Hot One!

Today Joe, Jackie, and I went on our Flaming Geyer ride. 18 miles out and back! We started our ride around 10 AM and by the time we finished it was hot. We had a good ride! Tomorrow we are going out even earlier as the temperatures for tomorrow are supposed to be even hotter than today!

Later in the afternoon Joe and I went to Pier One and then IKEA looking for a new lamp to go with my new family room furniture. I am also searching for a trunk of some sort to place the blankets and pillows that I keep in the family room for those cold nights into. No luck there either. I will go and look again tomorrow after our ride.

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Busy First Week Off!

I have been off for one entire week and what a week it has been! Saturday my husband and I bought new furniture for our family room. Sunday was Father's Day and a wonderful day spent with Joe and the kids. Monday was clean the house day. Tuesday I had my stitches removed from my foot. Two weeks ago I had surgery to remove the hardware from my foot. I am finally at the end of this long six month foot ordeal and the entire summer lies ahead of me! Wednesday I had a 9:00 AM dental appointment and then hurried home to meet the carpet cleaner. I had my entire house's carpets steamed cleaned. I have been going to the gym, I went Tuesday and Wednesday and had quite the workouts! And this weekend it is going to be an absolutely picture perfect one. Both Saturday and Sunday the temps will be in the 80s! And both Saturday and Sunday Joe, Jackie, and I are going on nice long bike rides! Life is good.

Friday, June 16, 2006

First Day Off for Summer!

Today is my first day off for summer break! The kids finished on Wednesday, they were dismissed at 10:35 and staff's last day was yesterday! Now I have my summer days ahead of me! Hopefully I will get a lot of mountain and road biking in the next couple of months. And of course today, my first day off, it's pouring down rain! As my husband always says, "Like a cow peeing on a rock!" That's how hard it's raining this very minute. So much for a bike ride today! I guess I can get started on my annual "summer house cleaning" . . . but I just don't feel like it! Sigh.

Besides biking all summer long my good friend and I read about a dozen books together during the summer months. She also works in a school back east. In fact she and I worked in the same school in the early nineties before my husband was transferred to the Seattle area. Every summer we would read a half dozen or so books and then discuss them. Even after I moved we continued our summer book ritual. We still pick a book, read a few chapters, and then share our thoughts on the book via email instead of meeting at her house or mine like in the past. This will be our ninth summer of "summer reading" together.

And another big event this summer; my parents and sister are coming on July 20th for a week long visit. That means the visitor "tours" . . . Seattle, Pikes Place Market, Mount Rainier, a ferry ride the usual site seeing ventures. When they return to Pittsburgh my daughter and I will be going back with them for a four day visit returning back home on August first. Then on August 12th we go on our family vacation. Joe, the kids, and me. This year we are headed to Glacier National Park for some hiking, white water rafting, and some great mountain biking down Big Mountain near White Fish. While we are in Montana we will stop and visit my husband's mom, sister, and brother in Havre and also a quick stop to see his brother in Billings.

By the time we return it will be a little over a week before the new school year begins and I have to return to work.

I feel this summer will be my fastest. It's my first day off and I already feel it's half over! They seemed much much longer when I was kid. Sign of aging? Perhaps, or our hectic culture. Whatever I hope this will be a great summer!

Sunday, June 04, 2006

Hard Ride

Yesterday I did a hard ride. I did the hill valley ride. Left my house and did a nice rolling 5 miles, at 5 miles cruised down 2 1/2 mile long steep hill into the valley. Cruised in the valley enjoying the scenery; Beautiful flowers with Mount Rainier backdrop. Finally time to climb the hill out of the valley and head home. Did pretty good for not really riding since my surgery. Did not stop but made it all the way to the top. Not my usual fast climb but a descent climb.

I wanted to get this ride in because today it's raining and this Tuesday I go in for surgery to have the last two screws removed from my foot. I will probably be out again for 2-4 weeks. Until swelling goes down and stitches removed. But this is the end! I see the light at the end of the tunnel. This surgery started in December and had me off my bike for 5 months! So happy it's almost over! I will have end of June and the rest of the summer to bike to my hearts content! Hooray!