Small Victories

It's the end of the month again, and thus the end of another measurement period, for those of us who choose to use this length of time to measure things. (That would be me, of course.) It was a pretty good month for biking, as March's go.

I passed that 1,000 mile mark twice. Once in total miles ridden in Florida, and again today in 'year to date' miles ridden. My real goal is to be fit, of course. Chasing numbers is how I get there. Along the way I enjoyed some views, some of palms and some of pines. Both were good.

I rode fewer times in March than I did in either January or February, but my rides were longer, on average.  There was nasty wind and weather, both down south and up north.  Some days were too hot and some just too cold. Some travel days interfered, as well as higher priority family time.  There was a Twins ball game in there somewhere, too.   Today I rode over to the golf course, visiting Quincy Park briefly -- the outdoor public water looks like it's on, but it's not -- and managed to keep from freezing to death along the way.  I didn't win the lottery, but then I didn't buy a ticket.  Good enough.

Country Roads

The West Olive One Stop, also known as the PPS, looked to one recent commenter as though it had been spruced up a bit.  I was inclined to agree, and searched the archives for a previous photo of it.  Here's one from July 19, 2010.  It looks like it had fresh paint and awnings in that photo -- and cheaper gas.

Today's winds were substantial, steady at 17, gusting to 30.  I rode, but it was a disappointingly slow ride.  I'm going to blame the wind for that.  The flag at the Port Sheldon Fire Station was standing straight out when I went past it. 

I'm loving being back in Michigan and riding my country roads again.  My Florida ride is nice, but this is more my style.  Note the forsythia bush in bloom next to the Road Ends sign. 

The turn around spot was here, at the old bridge across the Pigeon River.  I still haven't figured out how to dress for biking here -- I was seriously overdressed today.

Ruby's First Ride of the Year

I wasn't sure I was going to ride today. It was chilly -- barely 40 by noon, but I decided to go for it. The woods along the Pigeon River were flooded, as they are every spring.

It's unusual to get to Hemlock Crossing Park before I get to the PSPS.  It has probably never happened, in fact.  Until today.

The Nature Education Center is closed on Monday, so I didn't ride into the park, opting instead to visit the icon below.  'Visit' meaning stand outside and take a photo.  Not 'visit' as in going inside.  Too sketchy.

From there I rode back to the lake shore along the path on the north side of the Pigeon River.  Very woodsy, very cool. 

The PSPS was the last place on my list for the day.  Hitting all three destinations in one loop was a nice way to spend the afternoon.  It was nice to be back on my 'good' bike again.

Home Turf

Okay, make that home surf.  Some lessons have to be re-learned every year.  Here's one.  "Cooler near the lake."  Still, the girl's body language pretty accurately shows how we felt to be walking on the beach in March in sweat jackets.  Note that her feet are bare.

She said the sand was warm. Maybe. The water is still in the low 40's, and thus so was any wind blowing across it.

We made the round trip to Tunnel Park, as you might expect.  Just the three of us.  It is really good to be home.

The Green, Green Grass of Home

It was a touch foggy and a little grayer than I'm used to outside my window this morning.

There's the usual fog of travel to contend with, as well.  My new theory is that airlines pressurize their cabins to about 8,000 feet of elevation, and after living at about 9 feet above sea level for the last three months, there's some altitude sickness going on here.  I have no facts to back this up, of course.

I was startled by how green the grass is here.  There are daffodils blooming, and the forsythia bushes on our neighbor's bank provide a nice splash of yellow.  In other (sort of) news, for those of you who keep track of these things, our internet provider has changed here.  So if you see repeated visits to your blog by a Charter user, it's likely me.

late edit:   Traditions are strong around here.  Captain Sundae is open, therefore it must be visited.

 Old people, recently returned from Florida:  winter coats.  Young Michiganders:  shorts.

Sea Food

Taken after eating supper at the Fish Mart in Punta Gorda on one of our last nights in Florida.

Roadie's Last Ride

"Roadie" is what I call my Florida road bike.  Today was the last time I plan to ride it here, this trip.  It was a little after 9:00 am when I left for my ride, not quite 70 degrees but on its way to 83 by the time I returned. I did the full route for one last time, stopping now and then to admire the views that have become commonplace over the last three months. I rode over all three of the waterways that drain into the Myakka River. This is the last one, photo taken from the bridge over the Como Waterway.

From there the route turns north and runs along the Como Waterway for a couple of miles to another bridge, on Wintergarden, that leads into the neighborhoods surrounding Ollie's Pond.  The pond itself is beginning to look rather pond-ish at this point, with a layer of green scum beginning to form on its surface.  It's still home to several varieties of our feathered friends.

There's a blue heron in this photo -- undeterred by the pond scum -- or maybe pond scum is a good thing to a blue heron.  Boy, there is a lot I don't know.  (I'm not curious enough to Google this one.)

It was a nice ride, at least the first 17 miles.  I made a real effort to appreciate the long shady stretches and the frequent glimpses of water.  For a place that is as unfriendly to bicycles as this one is, I feel lucky to have found a ride that I like as much as this one.  The last four miles -- well, you've heard my rant on headwinds and such before.  It's March, it's windy, it's painful.  No snakes appeared on this ride -- a nice way to wrap it up.

All Things Being Equal

When I was a kid the equinox and solstice dates always seemed to fall on the 21st of the month. I suppose it has something to do with leap year and leap days that the first day of spring this year is on the 20th. There are odder things than that today, though. For example, it was warmer in Holland than it was in Port Charlotte for several hours of the day today. It got too hot here today to ride by the time I had time to do so, but we did get in a nice walk to Sunrise Park this morning.  A few local spots hit 90 yesterday, and will likely do so again today.  It is definitely time to go.  Past time.

I had some odds and ends I wanted to mail back to Michigan, since we're winding things up here, getting ready to make the effort to get back home. I took the photo (above) of our local post office when TT and PW were here. Today I went to the one pictured below -- this may be the start of a new theme.  There's a pretend windmill outside of the Holland Post Office -- though it's probably shown up on the blog at some point already. 

Murdock is where the mall is, for those of you who have been here.  This post office is across the street from Books-A-Million.  There may be one or two more rides here, or maybe not.  Yesterday's ride was a two snake ride, so I'm ready for a change of scenery.  And a visit from OSLO and the COTU. 

St. Patrick's Day

I've been riding past these lions for a couple of weeks, and never stopped to take a photo.  I did talk to the guy who owns the house once, though.  He says he isn't Irish, just a little bit Scotch.  Having (briefly) attended an institution with Scottish roots, I'm unclear if he meant the nationality or the beverage.  Anyway, today was a walk day with no plans to ride.  So I strapped on my trusty pedometer and walked over and got the photo. 

Our time here is winding down, and I'm beginning to think about biking back home. Mostly I'm curious about how my current Florida level of bicycling fitness will translate when colder temperatures and a few hills are involved.  In previous years I considered Florida miles to be totally recreational, just meant to hold the line on a minimum level of biking fitness.  This year my approach has been a little different -- the weather's been nice, I feel good, and I've pushed the miles a little more than usual.  As a result, I've accumulated just over 1,000 miles since we arrived here on December 16.  While I totally reject any attempt to project that number over a longer period of time, I'm looking forward to getting home and seeing how it goes.  Stay tuned.

A Pretty Nice Pi(e) Day

It was a 'walk' day today, but we were back from our stroll around Sunrise Park by about 10:00 am.  There is no rule against biking on a 'walk' day,  and it was a pretty nice day, trending towards too warm by late afternoon, but I was back well before the hottest part of the day.  It was my longest ride so far this year (or last year, as a matter of fact).  Far enough that, if I had been in Michigan, I could have ridden to Kirk Park and back.   With only a few more bike rides likely here before we head for home, it felt good to put a longish ride in the books.

Around 4 pm JB suggested a trip to Gasparilla Island and an early supper.  Our original idea was to eat at a place called The Loose Caboose in Boca Grande.  Turns out they don't serve dinner on Wednesdays.  Our back up plan was to head out towards the lighthouse and stop in at The South Beach.  This is the same restaurant where GZ, Mrs. Smith, Opal and I had lunch one day a few years ago. 

We ate on the patio, enjoying the cool breeze off the Gulf of Mexico.  I had fish, JB had crab.  Both were good.  The view was fantastic.

Because it was pi(e) day -- 3.14 -- March 14th -- we ordered pie for dessert.  Key Lime, of course.  It was excellent -- smooth, creamy and not too tart.  The way it should be, but rarely is.  It's probably a good thing that pi(e) day doesn't come around more often.

Mrs. Smith's Story

Mrs. Smith left the following comment on my previous post.  "Hmm, I thought buzzards only ate dead things. If that were so, then turkey buzzards would probably only eat dead turkeys (not tired bicyclists). However, according to Wikipedia, they eat lots of live things and "they have incredible strength and are therefore able to pick up food of all weights." You better keep moving."

Frightening, right?  Eat lots of live things?  Have incredible strength?   Able to pick up food of all weights?  (I was with her right up to that last one.  Hook, line and sinker.)

Here's what  Wikipedia really says.  "The Turkey Vulture is a scavenger and feeds almost exclusively on carrion.   It finds its food using its keen eyes and sense of smell, flying low enough to detect the gasses produced by the beginnings of the process of decay in dead animals."

I love Mrs. Smith's story.  It's creative, funny and totally tongue in cheek.  Definitely "A" work.   Here's the thing -- the real Wikipedia entry cracked me up, too.  Read that last sentence a time or two, and then ponder it for a little bit.

I wanted to share her creativity with my little blogosphere.  Good job, Mrs. Smith.  Firmly in the camp of "never spoil a good story just for the sake of the truth."  Well played.

And, since all blog posts seem to require photos, here are a few random photos from the last couple of days. 

The Florida equivalent of "Road Ends" is apparently two red diamonds.

The implication of the sign is that the Kiwanis Park parking lot is alligator habitat.

Santilli Street is only about 3 blocks long.  It is a connector street for my rides south of Edgewater and those north of Edgewater.  I ride it almost every time I ride, and the name always amuses me.  Not as much as Mrs. Smith does, though.

Things I Won't Miss

Most of my winter posts have been about the things I like about being in Florida during this time of year. Sunshine, Ollie's Pond, Sunrise Park, colorful benches with a view, outdoor flowers, outside water in its liquid form, the Myakka River backwater neighborhoods, baseball, sunsets over palm trees, the Peace River, guests from the north country, Tijuana Flats tacos and taco sauces, Spanish moss on the trees, Florida pines, dolphins swimming behind the house, Fisherman's Village, banyan trees, Ponce de Leon Park, the Wildlife Center, sea grapes, Kiwanis Park, Gasparilla Island and warmth.  December miles.  January miles.  February miles.   

Some things I don't like, and won't miss when we leave.  Edgewater bridge crossings are high on that list.  Every ride has at least a couple of them.  As unavoidable as they are unpleasant.

And the dreaded turkey buzzards.  The bridge photo is from a few days ago when I was considering doing a post on bridges.  It was a blue sky day.  The turkey buzzard photo is from today.  Nothing adds to a ride on a cool and cloudy, gloomy day like having turkey buzzards watch your every move.  When that happens I feel it is important to just keep on moving.

Summer Rules

We Skyped with OSLO and the COTU last night, just after they had returned from Totally Jammin's school conferences. His grades are stellar, once again, and he'll be able to take algebra a year early if he wants to. (He says he wants to.) There was also a student art show scheduled to coincide with conferences, in which two of his art works were shown. He had a great day, and we are just amazed at what a great, hard working, talented kid he is. Not to be outdone, his sister is also getting excellent grades (including an A in Chemistry!), and was a little tired out from two days of tests in school. She spent most of one day this week taking the ACT's -- the pre-college test used by most Michigan colleges for admission. Yes, that means we're talking about college. How did that happen -- it seems like only yesterday she was just 2! So all seems to be going well on the northern front.

As a follow up to yesterday's post, I thought I'd add a photo of the 'during' stage of the tile repair, to go along with the before and after photos that I posted yesterday. I think this one gives a better idea of the scope of the problem we had.

According to OSLO, it was 65 degrees in Michigan yesterday.  As spring rolls into Holland, it seems like summer has settled in here.  It was 85 or so yesterday, and that's the temperature that is being forecast for as far as the eye can see.  The second week that TT and PW were here was warm and humid, and I expected a cooler spell of weather would follow it.  Nope.  I'm a little bit of a delicate flower -- I don't know if you knew that -- but I do wilt in the heat.  Low 80's is about my limit.  Mid 80's tops.  And the sun, as you probably know, is moving north, radiating more heat as it gets more directly overhead.  I'm not asking for sympathy, of course, nor do I mean for this to sound like a fine Dutch Whine.  This is just by way of explaining that I have had to make the adjustment to exercising outside that I usually make sometime in July at home.  Morning rides.  Early morning rides.  Follow the school bus down the street early morning rides.  Summer rules.

Once I got out there, it was fun.  (Though a trifle breezy -- again.)  The light is better for photos -- I found a new bench sitting next to a retention pond to add to the collection.  There seemed to be more people out and about on foot than I usually see on my mid day rides, too.  It felt like a friendlier time of day.  JB and I have been walking in the mornings, so now we need to figure out how to work that into our busy schedule.  It feels like we're practicing for summer.

Watching Other People Work

You're spared today's weather report because I've spent the day inside the house, watching two guys fix the broken tile that spontaneously buckled up in our living room a few weeks ago.

This is the third go-round with buckling tile since we've owned this house. This time it happened about a week before guests were due to arrive, so we put it off until after they left. Which meant that TT and PW had to tiptoe around broken tile. Sigh. I do apologize for that.

 I have an inventory of bloggable Florida photos, though -- so here are a couple of them from yesterday morning's walk with JB over to Sunrise Park.

The hibiscus photo (below) is from yesterday afternoon, just after I returned from my ride. 

We're counting down the days until we return to the tundra.  The floor tile repair is -- I hope -- the last of the projects for this house, this trip.

 The workmen have gone, there is nothing left to do but let the grout and adhesive set up before we move the furniture back into this space.  Another day or so, and we should be done with this one.

Some Strategy Required

The first time I watched the Tour de France with any seriousness, it came as a surprise to me that there was more to racing bicycles than using maximum effort to turn the pedals.  Those guys had a plan.  A big one.  Eventually I figured out that I could use this piece of knowledge and apply it to my own biking experiences.  Ah, maturity. It's such a gift.

My point? I took a bike ride today -- though less experienced bikers might have judged it to be too windy to ride. ENE at 21, gusting to 27, I believe.  I spent some time on Map My Ride this morning, plotting out a ride that would take advantage of a tail wind on long straightaways, and minimize as much as possible the effects of the inevitable headwind.  Every bridge crossing is a commitment on any ride around here, and this particular ride had 9 of them.  This one is at the southernmost part of the ride, and the water looks deceptively calm. 

As usual, Ollie's Pond was part of the ride.  The eastern legs involved a lot of zigzags through residential areas, taking advantage of houses and vegetation to shield me from the wind. 

At one point I looked down at my bicycle's computer and I was riding between 7 and 8 mph.  That's 2 to 3 times faster than I can walk, so I figured the mechanical advantage still went to the bike. (Part of the strategy is to tell myself stories of this sort.)  On the last turn into the wind my speed dropped to around 6 mph.  Much slower, and I'd fall over.  So I pulled my last arrow out of my quiver of tricks.  Yep --- I finally shifted gears.  I love it when a plan works.  Now I'm going to go lie down for a while.  I'm a little bit knackered.

House Guests and more

That whole 'electricity' theme for this month was a dud, in my opinion.  I did find an electric box of some sort sitting in the middle of the linear park when TT, PW and I took a walk this morning.  It's framed between two benches.  Personally, I prefer the bench theme.

We walked along the Peace River, through the linear park, taking photos of all the hand painted benches as we went.  Just after I took this photo, a small lizard -- a Gecko, I believe -- ran past TT.  Without interrupting his photography for even a second, he exclaimed,  "I don't want any of your G___ D____ insurance."

For some reason, this cracked up PW.  In the photo below she is doubled over with laughter.  (She seems to find him to be quite entertaining.)

According to my pedometer we walked about 1.5 miles before heading over to browse through Jo-Ann's Fabric Store and picking up a few groceries at Publix. 

It was too hot to venture outside for long this afternoon -- yes, really.  The phrase "it must be time to get out of this hell hole" is getting a lot of play this week.  I think our Minnesota guests will appreciate the cool, crisp northern air when they return home.  In the meantime, we're eating well and having fun.