Sunshine on My Shoulders......

For the last week we've woken to 20-24˚F (-6.6 to -4.4˚C) temperatures and had highs in the mid to high 40's.  We've had brilliant sunshine everyday except for yesterday - it clouded over mid-day.

On Sunday we woke to another frosty morning, but by 11:30 it had warmed enough to venture forth for a walk.  Troubadour and I headed out through the neighborhood, cut through the tree farm at the end of the block and into the swanky neighborhood above us.  It is our short cut to the Bald Hill trail system.

While walking through the neighborhood we pass a fenced in slew of sorts and standing there waiting to catch a frog was a Great Blue Heron.  With the wetlands around here we see them quite often.

A little further into the neighborhood and just before the path over the railroad tracks to Bald Hill we met Tank.  He has a habit of roaming the neighborhood around his house and greeting everyone wanting some love.  Brad stopped to pet him and he followed us to the path where we stopped for a photo.

We continued down the path, cut across Reservoir Road and into Bald Hill.  Instead of staying on the paved multi-use path we opted to hike to the top.

The gravel and trails start just before the barn.  We climbed the back side around the hill and up the switchbacks to the top where we were rewarded with a view of the valley below.

(Looking West toward the coast, Mary's Peak in the center of the mountain range)

(Troubadour found a park bench)

(I joined him, but it was too bright to keep my eyes open without the shades on)

We checked the map of the trail system and found we'd walked about 3 miles from our house to get to the top.

A few yards up the hill we reached another park bench facing a more southerly direction.

(Looking southeast you can see the neighborhood we walked through)

(Troubadour soaking up the sun)

While relaxing on the bench, Troubadour spotted mistletoe in the tree above.

(Couldn't let that go to waste now could we?)

We decided to take a shortcut trail down the hill.  It was shorter, steeper, and a little overgrown. It's hard to tell from these pics how steep it was, but believe me the first part was a little slow going and you can't see the thawing mud under the leaves.

We made it back down to the paved path and continued home.  There was still ice and frost in the shaded areas, but that just made the sun feel warmer.  

Yesterday morning, as I was checking to see if the patio door was locked before I walked to the bus stop, I noticed a red glow in the eastern sky.  The sunrise was in full swing.  I quickly grabbed the camera, but I didn't do the brilliance justice.  I was surprised by how vivid the colors were as we don't see them like that very often.  This picture was taken at 7 am yesterday morning.

I managed to get a picture of Basil yesterday morning as well, since I already had the camera out for the sunrise.  It was still fairly dark in the house so the flash came on.  He likes sitting by the oil heater we have by the garage door.  It is drafty in that corner and the oil heater set on low keeps the chill at bay when the weather is cooler and the pellet stove doesn't come on near as often.

We are heading into a four-day holiday weekend here, so hopefully we'll have some time on the bikes.  I don't think it is supposed to get as cold at night so we'll see.

- Au Revoir

"  Keep your face always towards the sunshine - and shadows will fall behind you." - Walt Whitman
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Much Ado About Nothing

That pretty much sums up my riding of late.

Between running errands on the weekends and the weather vacillating between foggy, rainy, and cold I haven't been on the bike since riding to coffee a few weeks ago.

Troubadour is still commuting by bike, but our lows tonight are forecast to be 23˚F (-5˚C) with freezing fog come morning, so he may be taking the car tomorrow.  We'll see how the weather plays out.

We did have a few days off last week, which was nice.  My boss was on vacation in Hawaii and so I didn't have to be in the office and Troubadour took a few days off as well.

While not riding, we did manage to get a few home projects a little further along.  The cork flooring project we started last February, we finally have mostly done.  This last week we finished the hallway and spare room, which just leaves the floor in two hall closets and a walk in closet.  We also put the trim up around a few doors and ordered the last four interior doors that we need. It will be weird to have everything match.

Troubadour was out on a few dirt bike riding days at Huckleberry Flats with PolarBear, but I will let him post about those adventures.  He had a blast and the XT is still caked in mud.  Here is a teaser photo.

On one of our days off we walked downtown (about 5 miles round trip) and I remembered to take the camera with me.  Some trees still have leaves and with all our rain the grasses are a vivid green right now.

We also made a few trips to Portland and Salem and the skies were slightly dramatic to the West as we were driving home.  The setting sun trying to peek out from behind the clouds is always awe inspiring.  These two pictures were a taken a week apart.

(Looking West on I-5 heading South through Salem)

(Looking West on Independence Highway South of Salem)

I also passed the time doing a little baking.  Pumpkin squares were in order since it is that time of year.

You can find the recipe on my food blog at this -----> LINK.  They are gluten free and actually pretty healthy compared to some other recipes.

So there you have it.  Not a lot going on, but it is that time of year.  We have a short week next week with Thanksgiving on Thursday.  Last year we went on a long ride through the woods and this year, weather permitting, we are thinking of doing the same.

- Au Revoir

"  I love to talk about nothing.  It's the only thing I know anything about." - Oscar Wilde
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Ticket to Ride

Well not so much a ticket to ride, but I am now legal to ride in all of the OHV (Off Highway Vehicle) areas in Oregon.

A week or so ago Troubadour and PolarBear headed to Huckleberry Flats (a specially designed off highway vehicle area southeast of us).  I could have gone since PolarBear has a few extra dirt bikes, but I would not have been riding legally.

In order to ride at the many open to the public ATV and dirt bike areas in Oregon, a person must take an online course and pass a multiple choice test through RideATVOregon to acquire an ATV Safety Education Card.

At the beginning you give them your name, date of birth, sex, and specify whether you will be riding an ATV, side-by-side, or motorcycle, or any combination thereof.  I checked only the box for motorcycle.  I waited while it "tailored" the course for me.  

My online course was 11 chapters.  Each chapter had anywhere between 2-9 pages and a short quiz at the end.  This was followed by 50 multiple choice questions for my test.

I was disappointed with how much of the course had to do with ATVs and side-by-sides and how to handle them on the dunes and uphill, etc.  I can understand the parts about not over riding your sight distance and not drinking and riding, those should be common sense.  I was also disappointed that so much of it had to do with supervising children in these areas, something that just does not apply to me.

While reviewing part of the materials on riding dirt bikes uphill and downhill, one of my favorite Carbon Leaf songs kept echoing in my mind - A Girl and Her Horse.  I rode horses way back in the day so leaning forward uphill and shifting your weight back when going downhill is not foreign.  

I passed the test with 90%.  Yes, I got a whopping 5 questions wrong.  No worries, I needed only 80% to pass.

So, now I've printed a temporary card and my official laminated one will be mailed.  

Time to get dirty!

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And on a side note I finally got my hair chopped off and highlighted blonde and red.  A little edgier, but not drastic. It should be better under my helmet too.  No more braids flapping in the wind. Whatever shall I do?

Good timing with Halloween tomorrow.

- Au Revoir

"  Naturally curly hair is a curse and don't let anyone tell you different." - Mary Ann Shaffer in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
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A Pinlock, a Patio Cover, & a Pussy Cat

It has been a while since my last post.  There just doesn't seem to be much going on, and I haven't really felt anything was blog worthy.  Must be time to start Bloggers Anonymous.

"Hi, my name is Trobairitz, and it has been 21 days since my last blog post."

Having said that, it isn't like we've been bored.  October has brought us beautiful weather compared to the soggy September we experienced.  Low temperatures of 35-38˚F (2-3˚C).  The afternoons are sunny when the fog burns off with temperatures around 68-70˚F (20-21˚C) and the leaves are finally changing.  The Forest Pansy Tree is loaded with colorful hearts.

PINLOCKS

I haven't been out on the bike much but have been riding to coffee Saturday mornings.  Cooler foggy mornings brought with them the need for a pinlock system for the visors, not just to ride to coffee, but Troubadour commutes 23 miles each way daily, and at 5 am it is quite cool, which ups the foggy visor factor.

Last week he came home from Premier Moto Gear in Albany with a pinlock face shield and fog insert for my helmet and one on order for his, which came in a day or two later.  I used mine heading to coffee on Saturday and I can honestly say it is the only time my Shoei face shield has not fogged up on the way to coffee.  I didn't even have to raise it at stop lights.  So far I am impressed.

A PATIO COVER

With the abundance of dry October weather we decided we'd best put the roof on our patio/deck before the rains return.  The deck material has really suffered out in the weather and it would be nice to sit outside when it is raining. It is something we have planned since we installed the deck about 4 years ago.  We've always intended to put some type of pergola top on it and as such sunk posts in the ground and built the deck around them.

We headed to the home improvement store and loaded up 11 - 2"x6"x12' boards and 8 sheets of 26"x12' clear poly carbonate roofing material on the roof racks of the Subaru.  Who needs a truck when you have a Forester.  Unfortunately I did not get any pictures of it loaded down.

We started weekend before last and finished up on Friday.  We dug an old indoor/outdoor carpet out of the rafters of the garage and voila.  Covered outdoor seating for us and for kitty.  The pictures didn't turn out great as it was midday and the sun was behind the house.

If it appears that the front of the cover is higher than by the house, you are correct.  This allows for the rain to drain into the existing gutters of the house and doesn't detract from the view of the yard and tree farm behind us.

& A PUSSY CAT

Basil has been enjoying the sunshine.  So much that it seems hard for him to get up from his nap when he is snuggled amid his favorite grass.  He'll wake up, look at you, and go right back to napping.

  

MISC PICS

And while looking for the pictures of Basil I remembered a few pictures we took of a grove of changing maple trees and also a few Troubadour took of the valley on our way home from Salem. 

The lighting wasn't right to take the tree pictures so I did a little changing of the settings on the camera and these were the result.  They were taken on Buena Vista Road looking south just outside of Buena Vista.

Troubadour got some great shots of the valley looking west.  These were taken at the corner of Independence Highway and Ryals Road.

Our dry sunny weather is supposed to last all week and into the weekend so we are thinking of taking off on the bikes.  We'll see where we go when we get there.

- Au Revoir

" Life is a great big canvas, and you should throw all the paint on it you can." - Danny Kaye

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Soggy September & Amusing Spam

SOGGY SEPTEMBER

Photo from interweb

Well, we know that Mother Nature has a sense of humor.  We experienced the driest three month stretch of June, July, and August on record and wished for a few days of rain all those months.  As the old adage says - "be careful what you wish for". Those dry months were followed by the wettest September in Corvallis on record.  The old record was from 1911 and we beat it by over and inch.  

According to the local Gazette Times Corvallis received 3.6 inches (9.14 cm) of rain from 10 am Friday through 8 am yesterday for a September total of 7.06 inches (17.93 cm) of rain.  Thank you Typhoon Pabuk - the remnants of which brought that liquid sunshine to the Pacific Northwest this last weekend.

We were one of the lucky ones and didn't lose power, but our old side fence blow over.  Typhoon-1, Fence-0.

So.... we haven't been doing much riding.  The last time we rode to Saturday coffee was the last time I was on the bike.  Troubadour has still been commuting on Lucy, but after a soggy ride in the storm last week he's been prudent and taken the car to work so far this week.  As I type this it is raining once again, or is that still raining. Makes me wish I'd brought my umbrella home from work for when I wait for the bus this morning.

What a difference from the 70-80 degrees temperatures and covered bridge rides of last September.

On a side note it is supposed to be dry this coming weekend and we are hoping to get out on the bikes.  Fingers crossed.

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AMUSING SPAM

Photo from interweb

Like most bloggers I get a bit of spam.  Luckily, I think because I don't moderate each comment, I rarely see them.  Occasionally I check the spam filter and I am amused by some of what has been caught.  

Here are a few excerpts from the funny ones and the post on which they were commented.

Sambucus Black Lace:  "Independent bookstore owners often live and work in the communities where their stores are located. In the meantime, we'll just put up a big sign: 'Coming soon, a Fox Books superstore and the end of civilization as you know it. And that was when an elegant blonde from Germany crossed my path'. Feel free to visit my web site"

Evergreen Aviation Museum - Part Deux: "You really make it seem so easy with your presentation but I in finding this topic to be really something that I think I'd by no means understand. It kind of feels too complicated and extremely broad for me. I am looking ahead for your next put up, I'll try to get the dangle of it! Here is my webpage"

Bonneville T-100, 110th Anniversary Edition:  "Lovely jubbly fantastic thanks so much, stop by my website"  

A Sunny Sunday Ride:  "In these times of great propriety, public kissing was frowned upon. For an even better return on your initial investment, consider offering special deals on related merchandise to those who took part in the fun. Each color is individually fired at high temperatures to ensure no color bleeding and the longest durability.  Feel free to visit my website."

I think one of the things I find amusing is how a spam comment several sentences long contains many topics that just don't mesh together or have anything to do with the subject of the post.  It makes me wonder how the spammers stumble upon those particular posts.

So.....what is in your spam folder?  Anything amusing?

- Au Revoir

"  Into each life some rain must fall." - Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

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Taking Over

I haven't been doing much riding lately, although I did ride to work once last week when Troubadour needed the car.

The only other riding I've done is to coffee and back Saturday morning.  Last Saturday motorcycles managed to take over the entire front parking lot of Coffee Culture (all three spots).  Usually there is at least one car or large SUV that squeezes in between but not so on Saturday.

Looks like a Triumph meeting doesn't it?  Our friendly neighborhood mechanic and all around good guy Donn was working on the vintage Triumph in the center and left early to ride to Salem to meet the owner of the bike.  The hole in the line up was then replaced by a Kawasaki Ninja 650 giving us a little more diversity.

The weather has finally cooled off so it is time to start thinking of a few day trips.  We seem to do most of our riding in the fall and spring when the temperatures aren't in the 90's.  Since going vegan 2 years ago we haven't been doing the 'ride to eat' rides we used to due to lack of vegan options (they seem to be in the Portland area).  Might be time to take another look at HappyCow.net and see what we can find within a days ride.

Hope everyone else is out there riding and having fun.

- Au Revoir

"It is an undoubted truth, that the less one has to do, the less time one finds to do it."  - The Earl of Chesterfield

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