Here we go…

I just heard at the 9 PM weather prompt for the 10 news…

“How much snow we can expect, where and when, tonight at 10!”

Oh how I hope the weather poets/techs(?) are wrong as usual!

My new header graphic, pretty cool eh? The image of the fall colors should change when you visit a different post, depending on it’s level structure.  Look at the different months in my archive then click a prticular post title to go in deeper to the left.  I will put some seasonal images in and the season changes.

I will try and get more active Blogging again now the air is cooling off.

Last night while attending my almost 6 YO’s Kindergarten Soccer Practice for a new neighborhood team it dawned on me as I looked around the other fields.

All the faces were the same since we started only a little older! Not just the kids who are growing up in a nonstop fashion, but the faces watching the practices were the same moms and dads, which is understandable!

No matter the sport, the faces are the same and we are among them!

My 5YO is on the right in the photo and check out the diva on the left playing in knee high boots!  The dude in the middle is our daily competition at school to be first in line.

And yes, we are the green no.7, team name to be determined…

So there this At Home Dad (me) was, at the elementary school dropping my son off at Kindergarten after riding our bikes to school as we always do. I was standing near the flagpole which I lock his bike to school which is near the closest in bike rack that is always full by the time we get there; it is not like we need to lock his bike up as most of the other bikes are just sitting there unlocked with helmets hanging, I am just teaching him responsibility and how to care for things he truly cherishes.

Anyway, I was standing there checking the compression on my front shocks and thinking what a great day for a ride and where to go on my ride seeing how I just broke my RD mountain bike out for the snow season and let my K2 Dad cruiser bike have the winter off and I heard it, pssssst. Strange I thought, that sounds just like air escaping I thought as I looked around for the culprit thinking somebody is going to be bummed after school when they find a flat tire and then I smelled it!

You know the rubber like smell air has after it has spent time inside an inner tube? My shocks just got squishier when I noticed the my front tire was squishy; only it did not take me till after school to be bummed as I just got bummed in the here and now, that flat was mine! I now had to walk and push my bike home, all .62 miles, oh well it was a beautiful morning for a walk and I was going to do a ride anyway so off I went. I had a few minutes to plan my strategy for the day and how to get to Target to get not 1 but two inner tubes, yes I will pack a spare from now on while thinking I was oh so luckily to be within .75 miles of home when the dreaded pssssst happened and I knew it was only a matter of time before it happened.

I log near a thousand miles most summers and never had a pssssst till last summer when my rear tire decided rebel on the way home from the pool a ¼ mile from the house!

I learned my lesson this time as I won’t be so lucky next time it happens, 2 summers, 2 flast and both were within .75 miles of home!

Sarah Palin and John McCain, is this a winning ticket?  Mrs. Palin yes, Mr. McCain I am not so sure.

I am very impressed to date with Sarah Palin. A mom with a pregnant daughter and a challenged infant son and who will be married to an At Home Dad; I know these points will not hold up with the G8 but this lady has been the supreme diplomat going to “war”, and that should be worth something.

Not a day goes by that I do not see more and more “Senior Moment” expressions from John McCain when he is publicly speaking.    I am more than aware that they said public speaking is not one of his strengths, but isn’t that 75% of the job?  Projecting an image of strength and determination?  How would our war heroes when going off to the battle, react to a veteran who has been there, done that and more but does not project an image of confidence at the microphone?  I know if I were one of them I would sure question the man’s ability!

These “Senior Moment” expressions come when he is speaking and says something that could be termed a “sharp witted” or thought provoking. He makes a statement that he knows is good and then stops and poses with a not too flattering smirk on his face as if he is waiting to say “huh, huh, aren’t I smart” or “how about them apples” to follow up with. What are the other world leaders going to say and laugh about, behind his back after our possible geriatric leader has left the room at world conferences?

And what is up with the guy’s arms? In all the photographs I have seen of him embracing another public figure, it is as if his arms do not want to work as intended; I mean in the photo below, GW does not have a girth but it appears as if Mr. McCain is straining to reach his side. Is he indeed truly healthy? Has he ever used Botox;and the more I have to endure video of McCain the more I question this man’s physical and mental faculties.  Now do not get me wrong, I respect and admire this man and his past to no end; it is just that he is trying to do something he should have been trying 20 or 30 years ago when he was in his prime and not now when the sun should be setting on his illustrious career.

I think this ticket should be reversed, Palin for President and ask her if he has the faculty to be our no. 2. After she got over all the formalities and politeness you know what her answer would be.  The more and more I see and listen to Sarah Palin, the more impressed I am. 

Who would she get as a runningmate?  Mrs. Palin for President!

I’m here and happily posting, most of its been to my 365 on a daily basis.  Why type out what can be projected in a picture?   Like they say, a picture is worth a thousand words.

 As I rode my bike south through Founders Village and into Castlewood Estates under the massive set of twin power lines, the climb gently got steeper, then at the pinnacle of the steepness I glanced to the right. What was that, no, it couldn’t be, did the town put that there, if not who did? Right there in the rock outcroppings and scrub oak bushes there was a Disk Golf basket/target! I finished my climb at the crest so I stopped and resurveyed the landscape and found more targets. No it couldn’t be, not that I play disk golf or anything but why hasn’t this been publicized I thought as I investigated more. Sure enough, I found a sign and a map at the top of the hill telling of the Matney Disk Golf Course across Matney Circle on Lantern Circle which is owned and operated by the town of Castle Rock. Check it out sometime, but you will not be walking lush fairways, you will be hiking in outcroppings and Scrub Oak.

Disk Golf is a free alternative activity you should consider sometime.

I know, I know, but I was told this by my Kindergartner tonight while lying down with him.

2 weeks of elementary school for my son, two bike crashes for yours truly enroute to school. Not high speed skids and roadrash epic crashes you see, but those slow humiliating, I see those coming thuds; worst thing is my first one was right in front of the 1^st grade teacher lady. AKA the humiliating, you didn’t really see that did you, kind of crash.

At least I am teaching the kids the value of a bike helmet, which I’ve been struggling with lately with my 5 YO. Ya, that’s it!

I was getting off my bike because of the young, growing crowd, you know being responsible and trying to show proper etiquette but I had my Bob attached and my foot got caught on my rear pack making me fall when she came over and tried to pick me up from under the arms causing her to strain in her attempt. I got up myself and thanked her. Parked my bike and commenced in our morning ritual of finding a place to park his bike, stow his helmet in the Bob and then locking his bike; I deposit him in line to get his name badge teacher cheat with little Miss Brooke, then I can punch-out for 5 hours and leave for a Dad Ride ending at the KS mini Starbucks a mile away.

Then there was this morning, we hung at the playground for 5 minutes longer than we should have before riding the rest of the way to Rock Ridge, mistake! Foot traffic of moms and kids were everywhere and within 50 feet of the bike park zone I made a wide birth through the grass to catch up with my son around the last group of three foot passengers. I tried to merge back onto the sidewalk over a three inch sidewalk curb edge from some dirt when my front tire hit the edge and just skidded left sending me into a slow roll to the right where I could either try and take on a 4 foot brick wall fence, or try and melt the best I could before I impacted the wall; I opted for the later. Let me explain before I get too far along, I run semi bald mountain bike tires I inherited from my wife when she decided for real mtn. bike slicks for Ride the Rockiestwo years ago and they had no gripchion to climb the small step and just skidded forward sending me down.

Anyway, as I lie there in a hump with my Bob folded around me, this mom comes running up saying “this makes my epic morning” and tried to pick me up under the arms like the teacher did, baby like. As she grunted and groaned she asked me if I could walk, I said yes I can walk I’m not even bleeding but my ego is another matter. I thanked her untangled my mechanical mess and walked to carry our morning drop off ritual out.
That must have been a good looking crash and burn I just performed, Miss Brooke’s mom asked our mom tonight at pickup if I was OK because she saw the whole thing but didn’t want to rush over me like the rest, giving me some needed space.

We “knuckled” our have a good day departing ritual, and I set out for the biggest bike hill I could find to punish me. This hill I have been a little scared to ride up, but not today.

That hill was nothing and will be on my “daily” till the snow flies. I got home did another 15,000 aerobic steps to give me 21,000 aerobics for the day and was happy and tired; my bike does not count steps so that bike spin is added aerobic value.
I had lunch and caught a 30 minute power nap before my dishes duty in the kitchen. Got the kitchen back in order and had time to post yesterdays 365 photo before heading to Denver for a fitness program meeting that we are designing, all without training wheels!

Today’s 365 made me feel better and it was so worth the humiliation!

On the homefront, but stopped by the CR firestation headquarters during some errands and got a 365 photo.  Thanks Engineer Mike for the tour!