The Big Picture...

An actual section of the Berlin Wall..

Hi All,
As you have probably noticed, most of our weekend routine is spent in the yard, moving dirt, rocks, walls, and creating landscaping. But, when we lose the motivation to work in the yard, we head out in the car, or on foot, and explore our new area. We have enjoyed several lovely hikes and car outings over the past few weeks.

An exact replica of the Oval Office. Even the 18 ft. ceiling!
A Saturday or two ago, we ventured out to Simi Valley. As the locals describe the highways, we took the 14, to the 405, to the 118. When we were in Utah, no one ever described I-15 as “the 15”. But here, it is the norm. Also, up here in Palmdale, the LA Basin is described as: “down below.” It’s interesting how different areas of the country have different vernacular.

The Boss's chair; aboard Air Force One.
Anyhow, we went to Simi Valley to visit the Ronald Reagan Museum and Library. Kathy and I have a goal of someday checking out all the presidential libraries in the country. It will be a great way to visit new parts of our country, and also we might learn something in our travels!

What a view!
The Ronald Reagan Museum and Library is a vast and magnificent structure. The highlight is the VC-137 inside, facing outwards to a magnificent view. You might ask; VC-137? Why yes, otherwise known as Air Force One. Ronald Reagan had the retired ‘137 installed inside the museum. It’s really a sight to see. We think the aircraft came first, and the building was built around it!

In other local news, the traveling Vietnam War Memorial just completed an exhibit here in Palmdale. Actually, the exhibit was at the Heritage Airpark, right across from where I work. I took a few moments early one morning to visit, take a few pictures, and reflect on really how thankful I am this Thanksgiving.

Visiting both of these sights brought into focus what it must be like to be the one "Who's in Charge". I can't begin to imagine the reponsibility saddled upon any president in our history. Just looking at the replica of the Oval Office made me think about what it must feel like to be in charge of this whole operation.

Want your name on the bottom line?

Even more telling in black and white...

Visiting the exhibit sort of re-aligned my view of the world. I would go on from here, writing an editorial about Afghanistan, or Iraq, or the pointless loss of life in Vietnam, but this blog is normally not the venue for that. Instead; perhaps you can take a few moments and reflect on your own; no stern editorial will be necessary.
See you next week.
Jim

Dirt and Bikes...

Sunset on the Aqueduct, My contest entry (see the last paragraph)

Hi All,
It has been a busy few weeks since my last post, and it is time to bring you up to date on the on-going adventures here in our new home. I have been working on several projects that relate well to conditioning and physical fitness; working on the back yard landscaping project, and actually spending some time repairing and riding my bikes.

Shovels anyone? Kathy, our neighbor Leena, and I moved this 6 cubic yards to the backyard in a little more than 4 hours!

Mmmmmmmm, Sprinklers, topsoil, and fresh sod!
The main thing I have learned is that I am getting much stronger from all the physical labor of landscaping our yard! Kathy and I have spent many Saturdays looking at the world from the working end of a shovel and wheelbarrow. And I have to admit a great sense of satisfaction every time we finish another part of the project. We work on the project together, enjoy the fruits of our labors, and get wonderfully dusty and dirty in the process!

Before...

After.... Come visit and sit on the patio!

I worked on all 3 bikes!
And, speaking of bike maintenance let me mention right here that adding a cycle-computer to the Surly LHT was a bad idea. Yes, it tracks the miles I have ridden, however it also shamelessly indicates the woeful average speed I am riding these days. This is the penalty I pay for basically being off the bike since last spring.

Brian's very own dump truck....
The fact that I am in poor cycling shape needs to stay in perspective; yes, I am not riding a lot of miles, but in the great scheme of things it has been a great few months. Amy and Jon keep us smiling from their adventures with Andy K, and Paul and Christina’s son, Brian calls often to tell of his view of the world. Just ask him about dump trucks and he will tell you all about it! So, my miles will come eventually. One day at a time. I just keep plugging along.

The naughty hill I climb to get to the Aqueduct...
Speaking of riding; tonight I am heading out on a group ride sponsored by a local bike shop. I happened across this shop in search of new tubes for the Surly. Block Bikes of Lancaster; from the outside not the fanciest shop around. But, once I went inside I found a vast inventory of all classes of bikes, and friendly knowledgeable folks who RIDE. Their emphasis is getting people on bikes! A nice place. I found out that Block sponsors a group ride every Wednesday evening. It’s a local fun ride, not a race, and not a “Critical Mass” type of ride. More a family outing geared (pun?) towards people spending time on their bikes. We’ll see how things shake out. I am taking the Virginia GT for the ride – 20-25 miles at a leisurely pace. Look for a report in a few days.

Moonrise over the desert...

And lastly, my friend Alan Barnard, web genius of EcoVelo.info, is sponsoring an Endless Summer photo contest. Check out this link; Here, and enjoy some wonderful cycling photography. I will be submitting my entry today. Who knows, maybe I’ll win a doorprize!
See down the road…
Jim

An Unexpected Surprise...

Sunset along the aqueduct...
Hi all,
Once again, a planned route turns into an unexpected pleasure. This evening, as Kathy was headed off shopping with a neighbor, I was inspired to take a quick evening spin. It was a lovely outside, not too warm, not chilly, and the usually ever-present Antelope Valley wind machine was taking a break. So, off I went for what was supposedly a quick neighborhood spin.

My Surly Long Haul Trucker...
The Barcroft Virginia GT is non-op, awaiting a new rear tire, so I took the Surly LHT. I have the bike configured with lights, so if it got past twilight I would be reasonably safe riding home. I headed west towards Highland High School to revisit some of the roads we had walked last Sunday up towards the Joshua Ranch Trailhead. While we had been hiking last Sunday, I noticed a short, VERY steep little hill off to the north. As I rode near this hill, I was inspired to try and ride up it, and see what was up there.

The road follows the aqueduct for miles! I started my ride in the lower-right corner, near the High School...
Well, after 200 yards of gasping, wheezing, down- shifting, and minor swearing, I discovered a lovely surprise; The California Aqueduct. Now, I am sure that some of you are pondering why I would be so overjoyed at a man-made river, lined with concrete. It wasn’t the Aqueduct, it was the beautiful smooth road that followed it, disappearing into the distance! So, for 200 yards of gasping, I was rewarded with miles upon miles of perfectly smooth, unpopulated, quiet, peaceful riding.

Just look at that beautiful road to ride...
Suffice to say, I rode home in the dark! What a pleasant surprise, going out for a routine spin, and discovering new road, and a safe place to ride. One never knows what to expect from the seat of one’s bike!
More news later this weekend,
Jim

A Hike and Bike Weekend

Looking north, towards Lancaster with Mojave in the distance...

Hi all,

Yesterday, I took the Surly LHT out for a spin. I had intended to test ride my route to work, double-checking the shoulders and other assorted safety issues. But, as I got to Palmdale Blvd, I stopped to take a picture, looking west towards Leona Valley. As I got back on the bike, I had to wait for another cyclist who was coming up the bridge. As he passed, we chatted briefly, and after a short discussion about not having any particular direction to go, we decided to head west together, towards Leona Valley, not east as I had planned.

Looking west, and Elizabeth Lake Road and miles of gentle climbing...

This turned out to be one of those good news/bad news situations. The good news was that the ride towards Leona Valley was lovely; a nice sunny day, not too much traffic, and nice country cruising. The bad news was that I am woefully out of shape and as I climbed west up Elizabeth Lake road, I was wheezing and shifting to easier gears. I guess due to moving, and all the work travel, there hasn’t been a riding season for me, and it feels like I have wiped the slate clean, and am starting over again.

Joshua trees and Juniper trees, just west of our house...

In the long run, it was a lovely ride. I met a new friend; Dave, a contractor/engineer who lives close and works up north in Mojave. He likes to ride brevets and enjoyed not being in a particular hurry as we rode. The scenery was lovely; the company pleasant, and that’s all you can ask for on a bike. I will test ride the commute to work route later this week. Who knows, I might just ride in and see how it works!

Today, Kathy, our neighbor, Leena, the pup-dogs, and I went for an early morning hike into the foothills near the house. We hiked the Joshua Ranch trail, and climbed about 400 ft. above the valley.

Looking east, towards Palmdale Airport and Plant 42. Our house is down in the lower right corner...

A nice hike! great views of the valley, and a nice mix of Joshua trees, Yucca trees, California Junipers, and pleasant friendship. Now that the weather is tolerable outside, it was great to get out and enjoy some more of the local area. Nice to be outside when it's not 110 degrees!

A hot husky!

More news and pictures next week.

Jim

Random Collections...

Fall Leaf, Cactoctin Mountain Park...

Hi all.
Fall is here in the desert. I never expected it, but it’s here. Mild days, breezy cool evenings. The air conditioner is finally taking a break from the usual heat wave that we have enjoyed since moving here.

Louis XVI (Perhaps), The National Gallery of Art
I was spending some time this evening looking through my 2009 picture folders. It occurred to me to publish a set of pictures that have never gotten the chance to be seen by anyone. I have had a lot of travels this year, and as I have always taken pictures along the way, I find I sometimes never edit, publish or even share them with anyone. They tend to end up in random folders labeled; “May09” or “DC2009” etc.

Thomas Jefferson
So, for your enjoyment, here are a few of my favorite, but yet, unpublished pictures from the year. No, I do not have any new pictures of Brian or Andrea. You will just have to be patient, and wait until I travel to see everybody this winter. For now, enjoy my humble efforts.
Jim

The Air and Space Museum; Washington, DC

Renoir's Signature...

My impression of the Wall...

One of my favorite RAAM portraits; Larry Cleveland...

A color we don't see often here in Palmdale...

Ok, what's a blog without a random frog portait, too...

Sunrise over the Missouri river, RAAM, 2009

Giant Things, Small Things

Teeny Tiny Feet!

Hi All,
It’s been a busy week or two as usual here in the desert. Kathy and I are both back home from Tucson, and together in the same house! We had a great time in Arizona, both with Andrea K. arriving in the world, and also getting to help Jon and Amy move to their new house.

I promise, these colors are raw, right off the camera!

Along the way, I got to spend some time with Jon and a great telescope; A Celestron 5; that had been languishing at my sister Sue’s house without use for many years. Sue, wanting the telescope to have some use, sent it along with me to Tucson for Jon to further his enjoyment of astronomy.

Jon, getting to know his new friend...
I only wish I had the capability to have photographs for you of Jupiter and its 4 major moons. It’s been a long time since I saw Jupiter, and it reopened my eyes to the immensity of the solar system. I did, however, piggy-back my Nikon digital SLR on the Celestron, and using the telescope’s tracking motor, took some 4-5 minute exposures of the stars. The results are here, and you may ask why the foreground is fuzzy. Well, the telescope was moving with the stars! I wasn’t sure what results I would get, but I was pleasantly pleased.

3 minute exposure , the Pleadides in the lower/center
Along with the immensity of the universe, I was quickly brought back to the amazing little things, like Andrea’s tiny hands and feet. It’s amazing to me that something so small could be so gigantic in our little world.

Teeny Tiny Fingers!
Oh yes, and I am now on Facebook. I signed up so that I could stay in better touch with all my friends back in Utah. So, if you are interested, you can find me there!
See you down the road.
Jim

News from the Garage

Sunrise over a Joshua tree, just east of Palmdale...

Hi all,
No, I don’t have any new Andrea pictures. You’ll just have to wait one more week when I go back to Tucson to help Amy, Jon, and Andy move to their new place. For what its worth, I am getting to know Interstate 10 quite well this month!

Ok, I know my audience! Here she is; "squeaking at grandma."
In other news, I have succeeded in shuffling through a lot of stuff in the garage, and I am proud to say I have parking spots for both cars, and all three bikes. The Redline Single-Speed has been relegated to hooks on the ceiling, as there is no real purpose for that bike right now. I just couldn’t part with such a nice little bike.

The new-look Barcroft...
My Barcroft Virginia GT is back from Dana’s shop in Van Nuys. Bent-Up Cycles is the premier ‘bent store in southern California, and with all the fun stuff and carbon frames in that place, probably to close for my wallet’s comfort!

The ‘Ginny now sports U-shaped handlebars, and is now configured with an open cockpit. I originally had what are called “hamster bars” on the bike, with my hands fairly close together. After 4,000 miles I finally came to the notion that there was a better, more comfortable way for me to ride. So, we’ll see. It’s a much different feel, but when I rode open cockpit bikes in Maryland this past July, I noticed that I was in a more relaxed position to ride. Time will tell.

My mood from not getting my Andrea/Brian fix these days!
My new Surly LHT touring bike is up and running, too. I finally got to the carton in the garage and managed to put things together without dinging up the frame or losing my temper. The bike rides wonderfully. It is not a speed bike; it is a bike for commuting, designed for heavy loads, bad roads, and many, many miles. Also, I noticed that at slow speeds the bike is docile, and not twitchy in the slightest. I still have some configuring to do to ready the bike for commuting. A headlight, and bags for the rack are the next order of business.

"General Rommel;" note the not-so-skinny tires...
I leave you now, with a trivia question. The Joshua trees in the headline photo are only found in two places in the world; here in California, and ….. (where?)

Drop me a note with your answer and I’ll work out some sort of prize, or tacky recognition.
See you down the road.
Jim

Welcome Andrea!

Andrea Kathleen! Look at those eyes...
Hi All,
Well, the dawn of a new day is upon us! Welcome to the world, Andrea Kathleen! She is our second grandchild, and Amy and John are the proud parents! She is 6 lbs. 12 Oz, born on September 4^th at 3:59 PM. ten fingers, ten toes, everything in its proper place.

Two of the proud grandparents...

You can see even cooler pictures on Jon’s blog. ( On the tab list to the right!) I won’t put many here on my site, as John and Amy can send along more for you to enjoy. Baby is fine; Mom is fine; Dad is fine; the grandparents (all four of them!) are all excited and proud.

The proud Mommy...

The proud doting new Dad...

I am sure there are lots of other details I could give you, but I figure you are looking at the pictures, and I could just about write anything I want from here on!

Enjoy all the pictures; there really is some more cycling and house information to come, but it can all wait until later in the week.

Jim