The Shed

I finished up my book on John Kane.  I discovered him on my last visit to Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museum of Art, I liked his paintings looked him up, order an out of print book.    Its a fantastic read/story.

He worked a lot as a house painter, among many tough, dirty jobs, that he loved.  It got me thinking, along with other come along ideas; seeing a photo of Dylan Thomas's writing shed, and Kelly Cline's, comments on a ride, about the sheds about his town.   and The shed was just in need of paint.

 

 

 

I finished painting the shed today,  dark green, barn red, and a vain accent of white, up on the cupola.


John Kane carried some supplies with him, and in his journeys, if he came across a beautiful picture, he'd try to capture it.  I don't ride a lot of different places, where I do ride, over the years it soaks in,  that a spot or two, the time of day, that there are some real nice views.

      The end of Stony Lane.   Got out early, and it was quite, a bit chilly,  real nice.



I sat out back looking at the shed, thinking about the colors,  figuring it out.  The green was easy, that is what it was, and it blends in with the plants.   The red,  I thought back to some comments on the Golden Gate Bridge, and how its color, was a primer, and it complimented its place in nature.  That is what lead me to the barn red.
The white accent, a bit cocky, vain, and sticks out a bit, but hey, I like it.

cross is still a long way off, soon I'll be pulling out all the stuff and going through it.  New tires, cables, cogs, bearings,  ....   I can't wait!

Cheers, dlowe.

The Robot

 

 

 

 the drizzle today was not good for working on painting the shed, but it was fabulous chill weather for some Cyclocross riding.  There is one trail around here like no other, the North West Passage,  few people I know have ridden it.  Its not a nice trail being often overgrown, stinging nettles, flooded out and skewed with spider webs.  Drainage ditches, auto parts, and highway noise. 

I took a break here, about the half way point.  Nice of someone to carry in some chairs.
  Answered a few emails,  posted a picture on Facebook:

                                                 me and the robot

the trail was so overgrown and dense with quick growth, that I'd have to just lower my head and push through on foot. Covered at time in so many webs I felt like a Christmas tree covered in tinsel.  Not much I could do about it, just plod on.

in the end almost 50 miles, Belmont, Wiss, Gladwyne, more Wiss, and home, to a big lunch, almost 5hrs out, alone, just me the bike and the visit with the robot.


roll on,
dlowe.

Flat

I sauntered into the Wilmington Grand Prix.   The toughest crit to do.  With spurs, chaps, low slung belt, calm nerves of steel, my steed, and pistols.    No one cared, the gap opened a hair, it soon got away from me and the field was up the road.   No place for a bloke riding like me today, no place at all.   I never should of acted like it was a gun fight.   Thinking all I had to do, was wait to pull the trigger at the right time.

                           a later race in the day, another dropped rider.

                            Betzwood CX

This week I've sat back and let the bike take me where ever it wanted to go,  just easy.
out to Valley forge, to spin on sunny green days.   The cx bike was happy,  I was happy.
Belmont, the Wiss, down Nature Boy.   No sprints,  no Drives, and not at Great Valley 30.

I think I am becoming a huge liberal biker,  like as in college,  as in a liberal artist.
biking; short, race, woods, errands, pavement, it makes me happy, simple.
Music, art, work, movies, historic things in Philly,  ...happy too.
Painting the shed,  with a smile.

In the woods is good.
I'll stop in the winter,  on the just riding easy days, and listen to the wind.
Not often during the summer I pause to listen while riding,  I did.
It didn't sound like winter, with the leaves, and birds.



I was flat mentally not going 100 percent in the hardest crit there is around here. Today,
I let a gap go,



Cheers, dlowe.

jazzed

Smoketown, 45+

the last few years I've been blown, off the back of this race.  This year, at times I was scrounging, the last wheel, but sat as much as I could out of the wind.   Took a nice tight 180 and was at the tail of the sprint.  Happy with an 11th.  woo hoo!

but no matter on how I do there, it is always a big bowl on noodles to follow.   I hit up the small Rice and Noodles before the drive home.  so good, so real good.

and my wife will be jazzed, as I got an order+ I'm bring home for her.

Cheers!

I'm not much of a jazz guy,  but this long player rocks,  

right from the art:  Kamasi Washington's  "The Epic"  

my music embedder service clammed up,  I use spotify to stream, it works, so if you want to check it out: https://play.spotify.com/album/4zL37mRrfNJHdKmA3viwQ9

The Good Wheel

some people are good wheels,
In a crit its one you want to sit on,  they just ride strong, smooth, safe, smart, solid.
there are good wheels in life,
I've got some good wheels, that I'm lucky enough to work with.
Talented, hard working, they do good stuff.
and in our cycling community, you know, there are, lucky enough,
a bunch of good wheels
A good thing about being on a cycling team is email, emails to ride,
emails that jab, swat and hit below the belt in jest.
the ones that tell the race reports,  and the ones calling: "show up dudes 100%, its our time to host a race, and our race is gonna be well hosted!"

....I got a what's up for riding this weekend email,
and ended up on a mountain bike ride,
I did a bit with the group,
then rode with a mate, a bit,
then just ended on my own

got 40 miles in, in the end, nothing hard paced, not training, just riding.  I am an addict of the bike.

The best part was chatting it up with Derek,
waiting at the meet up point, for the start of the ride.

He is a good wheel.

      following Derek's wheel photo: Matt Spohn



whatever your talent, smile, treat people right, be the best at what you do,
and, be a good wheel.

cheers, dlowe.

                             I just wanted to ride on