Bought a bag of Kicking Horse Coffee beans that were on sale. Apparently my tastes have changed as this coffee tastes burnt. Bit of a mistake to branch out from my normal bean purchases.
I’m beginning to really hate banks. They seem so hostile and will nickel and dime me to death.
I knew today was going to be a wet ride. After I got up I could hear the rain pounding on the roof. I grabbed most of my wet weather gear and headed out any way. I was meeting some people over at Partridge and I decided to do some trails at the dump first.
As I started out, I wasn’t entirely sure where I was going to ride before getting to Partridge, so I headed out Shock Treatment. Puddles everywhere. I meandered a bit, thinking I had lots of time. With 20 minutes until I was supposed to meet up, I realized I was waaay behind. I just don’t have the same fitness I had in the summer. Imagine that.
I took a couple shortcuts before hitting Trillium, then down to Partridge. I arrived thoroughly wet and muddy.
We roamed around Partridge hitting a fun loop, but avoiding some of the larger lakes that dot the area. My hands were cold and wet, but not too bad off. My feet were aching though. Normally they warm up and are fine but I couldn’t keep moving enough to get the blood flowing to keep them warm. The descents were fun and messy. There were more than a few two wheel drifts through the sloppy mud.
Exiting Partridge, one of my riding buddies gave me a ride back to Hartland where we all got changed.
Mud everywhere. Caked onto my knee pads, shorts and shoes. Anything that wasn’t muddy, was soaked. Getting into dry clothes was nice, but without a towel, I also transferred a bunch of mud. We stopped for coffee and a bite to eat. Felt great to get something warm on the inside. Back home I filled up on some soup and tea.
Then it was off for a shower to clean myself up.
Rides like that remind me of when I first got into mountain biking. We’d ride in any weather, get messy, and have a blast.
Using this mug always reminds me of the great family time we had at Disneyland.
2017 is done and it was quite a year. Some big events for me and my family.
The first big one to happen was getting my first tattoo. I’d been wanting a tattoo for a very long time, and it was a good friend of mine that started a conversation about tattoos that lead me down the path of finally getting it done. We researched shops together, did the consult together, and when the big day came, she sat in on part of the process. I love this change to my body as it represents a big part of who I am. Mountain biking, and cycling in general, is a core part of me and has truly changed my life. Signifying this on my body is a constant reminder of this.
Another big event was the BC Bike Race. I still think about the race regularly. The first half of the year involved a lot of training. I’d like to say I enjoyed it all, but there were a lot of wet miserable rides that really weren’t a lot of fun. I did enjoy the changes to my riding, and to how strong I felt though. I was in the best shape of my life and felt great. I’d like to hold onto some of that fitness through 2018 and beyond.
After the race was done I shifted gears quite a bit. Life slowed down, and I was able to spend more time with family and friends. Camping trips, supper clubs, whisky tastings, some riding, and more. Life feels full with all of this.
Christmas time Canadian Blood Services is always in need of extra blood donations. This year my schedule worked out such that I donated yesterday. Lots of festive decorations up this time of year.
Donation 82 all done. Still aiming for my 100th donation. Approximately another three years for that though.
Heart the dog is now 11! Happy Birthday girl. You still love walks, runs, curling up in a sun beam, sneaking food, eating garbage, and avoiding rain. You sure enjoyed your treats on your special day.
Recently I was challenged on Instagram to do the Black and White photography challenge. The rules were simple
Seven days.
Seven black and white photos.
No people.
No pets.
No explanations.
Invite someone new each day.
I didn’t end up inviting anyone, but I was inspired to take pictures again. Years ago (wow, just looked it up and it was 10 years ago) I did a 365 project where I took a picture every day. It was a lot of work, and I got burned out pretty quick. Part of the problem was that cell phones weren’t in common use, so I had to take the picture, offload it from my camera to my computer, do any editing, then upload to my site.
This challenge was a little different. I was able to do all the editing in phone, and posting was super simple. In fact, I think I could even automate the posting a little more to make that step even easier.
This has got me considering doing another 365 Project, but keeping it super simple, and not getting down on myself if I miss a day here or there. Something to consider for the new year.
We roamed around Partridge hitting a fun loop, but avoiding some of the larger lakes that dot the area. My hands were cold and wet, but not too bad off. My feet were aching though. Normally they warm up and are fine but I couldn’t keep moving enough to get the blood flowing to keep them warm. The descents were fun and messy. There were more than a few two wheel drifts through the sloppy mud.
Mud everywhere. Caked onto my knee pads, shorts and shoes. Anything that wasn’t muddy, was soaked. Getting into dry clothes was nice, but without a towel, I also transferred a bunch of mud. We stopped for coffee and a bite to eat. Felt great to get something warm on the inside. Back home I filled up on some soup and tea.
