Chain Ring Cowboy

Cyclist's killer's big mouth. A woman who killed a cyclist while driving drunk laughed about it. See the story here . Today was fairly cold with the temps in the high 30's. I dressed warm enough but didn'bring a shirt to wear at work. I am using a golf windbreaker for a work shirt today. I think it would be a good idea to not wander around the builging too much, besides, I have plenty to do here. I don't think I look too bad, just not exactly right. The north wind that brought in the cool weather made for a beautifully starlit view. I have a lot to be thankful for. On my ride home yesterday I was thinking about my sweetheart. Yes, I rode, and yes it seems like a long time since I have. And as always it feels great to be back on the bike turning the crank. You've probably heard me and others talk about the different benifits of riding from the mental therapy to the physical, which makes it hard for me to pinpoint what aspect of riding a bike I like the best. So y

When I arrived in El Paso Friday at 6:00pm, the whirlwind began. Have you ever heard of a Texas Twister, or a Dust Devil? They are whirlwinds, kind of like baby tornadoes. Well, at 6:00 pm it all began with a meal ad Ardivino's, yum yum, then over to the sporting goods store to shop for the volley ball tournament April was to play in Saturday. We got up early to get April to the tournament, and from that time on I think it was a learning experience for all of us. With a break in between, the event lasted all day. All I did was watch volley ball, and I was tired by the end. April played several games, practiced, warmed up, stayed loose, and was rigorously coached. She then went home to shower for a trip to the mall with friends and have a sleep over. When we got her back Sunday she worked all day on a science experiment. The picture shows her putting her exhibit together. I got to see my parents in between all that which was terrific. I got back to Austin at midnight, and went to be

Deserved Atta Boys Almost an Atta Boy Here is an example of good vehicular cycling. That is, this young man rides the road in a legal fashion, following the rules of the road any vehicle should. He was able to move fast enough to not impede traffic even though he obeyed all the traffic signals. That doesn't happen much around the university campus because most the students aren't aware of the hazards of going against the traffic, not stopping at lights and stop signs, etc. Only one crucial thing missing in my view, a helmet! It wasn't long ago that this walkway was empty because of the break between semesters. Banking Atta Boys I believe that a fella can spend a long time building up a pile of atta boys, but one uh-oh can erase them all. Rebuilding the pile can be difficult, but a better choice.

Yesterday in my lunchtime walk about, I passed Roosevelt Leaks walking along too and I asked him if he wished he were there last Sunday playing footbal in the sub zero weather. I didn't take him more than a nano second to answer with an emphatic NO. Even though he said he played enough games in weather like that, he didn't need to. It was obvious he's had plenty of that experience. For those of you who don't know who Roosevelt is, that's OK. And for those that do, know that he is working a comfortable office job out of the weather. It's cold here in Central Texas but that's nothing in comparison to what's up north. Spartans Have Arrived I saw something new to the campus area yesterday with the appearance of four or five bike taxis. All the drivers/riders were wearing something close to a Spartan uniform. These folks work mostly down town around 6th street. I wonder what brought them up here? I notice they are advertising a theatrical production in their

As you may already know, I take walks at lunch. Sometimes I walk past the Capitol building, go down town and make a big loop, or sometimes I go around the U Texas campus. Monday was the first day back to school for the semester which I knew would be a bustle after a few weeks of being a ghost town. The one thing I saw that wasn't typical was this young lady walking her rabbit. I stopped her and asked permission to take a picture. While doing so she explained to me that this was her baby rabbit who was not leash trained so well and wouldn't mind her, not like her other two grown rabbits. She, Becky, loves rabbits. It's kind of cute, don't you think? Birthday Girl There's mom with eldest son Scot. We were celebrating Marcy's birthday at one of the favorite Chinese restaurants in El Paso. One way to communicate with April is to send her a text, her response is immediate. The fastest texter I've seen yet. Marcy's sister Steph, always smiling, and Matthew lov

I mentioned Dave Moulton's article in yesterday's post. Typically on the mornings I write something or put up some pictures, I take a quick look at a couple of blogs linked on the right hand side bar. When I saw Dave's article it got to me immediately, so that's why I encouraged you to read it. As my day went on his words sat in the back of my mind, especially on my commute ride back to the apartment. I appreciate it when I get food for my brain like I did with this particular piece. This morning on my way in I decided to leave a comment. In the comments page I found this: hey, Dave, Steve Garro here. came across your blog.....cool stuff. i hope you continue to improve from your accident! I'm a frame builder too, and on 10/5/05 i was totally crushed by a truck....spinal fusions, crushed femur, internal injuries, 6 surgeries, coma, the whole shebang. i still build frames, but in a wheel chair. i walk with crutches, and ride my off-road hand cycle and kayak/canoe and

I found this on Martino's site this morning. Soft Helmet Up Ahead In Place and Time I am partial to trailers Traffic Weather Report 51degree weather makes for a great ride in this morning. Going back in the high 60's will be nice also. Traffic is back to high volume. Staying alert is the one thing I try to remind myself to do over and over. Dave Moulton (link on the right) has a good article this morning, titled "Watchdogging follow up" . I won't even try to report on it, but just mention that if you, the driver, the walker, or the bike rider should take a look at it if you have a few extra minutes. Very good food for thought.

I sit myself most days right smack in an area called the Capital Area Complex. That means this is the hub of all the state's business. Virtually every state government agency has its headquarters here. The heartbeat of the Great State Of Texas, as it were. Anyway, the northern boundary of this complex happens to separate the southern boundary of the University of Texas campus, that has a bustle to it like a crowded downtown in a big city. That is when regular semester session is in place. This is the last week of the Christmas holidays for colleges and the little town of UT is nice and quiet. Next Monday things will change. This place will be packed full of pedestrians, cyclists, and car drivers looking for that un-obtainable place to park. I've seen this happen time and again. That is, the police show up with their big truck loaded with their cool police bikes. They then ride on the sidewalks right where there are signs saying no bicycles on the sidewalk, and cruise for people

Because I didn't ride any until last Saturday. This weekend I stayed here in Austin, the first weekend I haven't been to El Paso in quite some time. I tried to make the best of it though by getting visits with my children and their children. When I went to Shawneen's house I forgot to bring the camera in and missed a great opportunity to get a pic of Faith. She woke up from a nap before I left and she was looking so sweet.. What a pretty baby. Faith, sorry your picture isn't in here today. Jeanette, Adam, and Corbing came to visit Saturday night. In fact they brought Chinese takeout to eat. When Corbin is laying on his back, he can now roll over. It won't be long until he crawls. It's almost time for he and I to go look at bikes. I think the little man is still singing Christmas Carols He sang himself to sleep, but only for just a little while. See all the smiling bicyclists? Oh what fun it is to ride on a Saturday morning on the plains east of Austin. Well, th