Riding towards Christmas

Sunset from Fernwood Park...
Hi all,
Happy December to one and all. Of course it doesn’t look like December around here. The Christmas decorations are all up, and the outdoor nativity scene is gracing the front yard, and the lights are up the tower. But, some thing is missing. Snow! That’s right, snow. Today I rode 23 miles on my Barcroft Virgnia GT, and it was just chilly enough for light gloves and a thin wooly under my helmet. I even rode past two golf courses that were open for business. It was about 45 degrees; a far cry from the 26 degrees when I rode the Redline to work on Friday morning! For your enjoyment, I have uploaded a gripping 43 seconds of video from the driver’s seat of today’s ride.

Enjoy the view I see while riding recumbent. You may (really, you should) turn the audio off while playing the video. At 18 mph the microphone makes the wind sound like the camera is outside a 737!

I wonder when we'll get it? (Jan. 08)
Where is the snow? I think its northwest of Chicago at Paul’s house this week. After all, I did see lovely snow video on Paul’s’ Blog this past week. But, soon the snow will be here. At least I hope it will. We need the water, and my skis need something to ski on!

The Christmas season is still out of focus...
But, back to Christmas. Yes, it is the Christmas season. It’s the season of Advent; not the season of Advertisement. And sometimes amidst all the happy shopping and planning, I find myself looking for Christmas. Usually, it arrives at the most unexpected time. It comes in the form of a hug from a visiting family member, an unexpected gift, or just some peace and understanding that despite what the newsies tell us, the world is not going completely to heck in a hand basket.

Getting closer to focused...
For now, I am very much looking forward to the whole family being here for Christmas. I have the whole week off, and am looking forward to really enjoying every moment I can get with family.
Oh, and one last thing. Take a look at a new listing in my tabs to the right. I found this blog while perusing the Lazy Randonneur. Meet Russ Roca; cyclist, professional photographer, and car free in LA. He does beautiful work, and his cyclist photos of just regular folks are amazing.
More news and pictures next week.
Jim