Chain Ring Cowboy

The first time I heard Little Feat's song "Willin" I knew it was going to be a tune I would like for a long long time. It wasn't until I was a big truck driver and crossed the the Louisiana/Texas line way up in the piney woods that I understood the line "driven the back roads so I wouldn't get weighed". You see back then, carrying used railroad ties was a short margin business, so loading on more weight than was legal was one of the only ways in which to make a profit. But in the long run, it wasn't worth it because wear and tear on the truck and trailer caught up with any extra dollars made. About three weeks ago I reserved a Penske truck to move all my stuff to El Paso. I started doing some math and figured out that I can move my belongings in boxes shipped by UPS at about a third the cost of renting that truck and paying for the gasoline. Besides, I have a car here, and the cost of towing it behind the truck is outrageously expensive in my mind. S...

I woke up Last Saturday morning early, before the alarm which is set to public radio. I woke up in Austin which has been unusual for me this last year and a half. My weekend commutes to El Paso took me away from an established routine, then started another routine which will change again in the very near future. Change is good, they say, and if anyone has gone through several changes, well I guess I have. Waking up in Austin on a Saturday morning caused me to feel like I was back in old times so I did that day what I did in old times. I made some coffee, piddled around for awhile, then got on my bicycle and rode into the downtown area. Previously,I packed up some books that I decided I can live without and dropped them off at Half Price Books. I then went to Whole Foods Market, to hang around, browse, drink coffee, and shop a little. When I left there I went by the Farmers Market and came upon a festival of sorts at the adgacent park. At that point I remembered why I liked to get up ea...

I was away from the computer for 10 days in El Paso doing things like putting a floor in the attic, minding the children, riding in the high desert, spending time with family, and generally acclimating to my soon to be new home. Once out of town on rides, the views are very nice. I managed to get in a couple of 40 milers and was working on a 3rd but that was derailed by me cutting a tire and having to walk about 10 miles before being rescued by my wife. I still had about 10 miles to go before getting home. My cleats were totaled but the shoes are OK. My parents put on a pizza feed one afternoon for the family with a couple of long lost cousins in attendance. We had hamburgers and hot dogs on Memorial day with a little swimming too. Views Mateo Reflections The Ballooners My Marcy Cool Corbin

The State Capitol building was the target of a tornado last night. Some ancient Pecan and Live Oak trees were whittled down to the ground in a short few minutes. I am sure this park like area, the South Grounds to the Capitol will still be very pretty when it gets cleaned up. But for many of us, who've spent lunch times and reading times will notice the injury that nature put on the place. I hope that those one time visitors that come through in droves each day won't notice the absence of trunks, branches, leaves and shade. I ride by there twice a day, coming and going to work. This morning the scattered debris gave an ominous feeling. Last night, I had the television on when the blaringly loud weather warning overtook the the screen and speakers to announce the tornado warning. I raised one of my windows so that I could keep an ear on what was going on outside. My area just got high swirly winds and some rain. The ride in today was a little bit wet with challenging winds. As I...

I wasn't in the mood to go to the gym last night (again) because I felt like riding my bike some more. 20 miles for the day wasn't enough, I wanted more time turning the crank, enjoying the weather, and rolling around a few things in the vast empty space in my head. For many years, there has been a training ride for the elite cyclists in Austin, and the not so elite join in too. It's called the Tuesday Nighter. Lance Armstrong has been in quite a few of those, he even mentioned it in one of his books. So, not wanting to go to the gym, but wanting to get more saddle time, I decided to go to a place along the Tuesday Nighter route and station myself at a turn so I could get some pictures. This Austin Bikes rider was in about third place, easily 2 minutes ahead of te Peleton. Maybe Sol or Eric can tell me who this is when I see them today at lunch Can't tell if this guy is waving or not, but he was way out in front. Rain, Tornados, Weather, Fun This morning I woke to the c...

This week I hooked up the Bob Yak trailer and removed the panniers to take to work. Looks like someone (me) may be getting ready for some hauling. The new look does draw some attention, but when asked I just say that I am doing some Spring Cleaning. The truth is that I may be on my way out of this nest that I call a work place, so I want to start taking some of my personal belongings out of here a little bit at a time. Even if I were to stay here I need to get some of this clutter out of here, hence the Spring Cleaning is truly in effect. Way before Marcy and I got married I've known that one day I would be leaving this place. Then since our marriage, I definitely knew that in order for us to live together, I would have to make the plans to move. Move out of Austin, Texas and move into El Paso. Well folks, that time is very near, or at least the shot for it is. I am waiting for some information from a prospective employer so that I can make the decision. I have been reticent about...

You see that young lady over there jogging at 6:30 in the morning, already put in some miles, already worked up a sweat. Of course you can't see her because she is out of sight. But I'll tell you she is wearing makeup. There's only one reason why she would be wearing makeup even before the sun comes up. She's looking and hoping someone else is looking too. The late Townes Van Zandt wrote my song a long while back. "Still Lookin For You". Lucky for me I lived long enough to find you. The culture of Austin makes it easy to be physically active, and if you are looking it's always best to look your best. I still like the song, I like all of Townes' songs, but it's not my song anymore. Thanks, Townes for giving me eternal hope. It looks like some last minute assignments are being done on the drag in the film class with this spontaneous interview. The drag is empty, no bustling babbling students worrying about exams and grades for a while. So as I go ...