Biking at the Veloway

Posted on January 28, 2012 by treshabarger

Thank goodness Austin has the Veloway, a 3-mile loop for riding bikes and roller skating. I stop there after work, with my mountain bike.

For my first time, I remember to bring everything I need: bike, helmet, fanny pack, water, sunglasses, and off I go. Not bad, not bad; it’s certainly cooler to ride than it is to jog, so that’s a plus. I experiment with changing the gears; much easier than on my 10-speed from 30 years ago.

One sign on the loop really gets my attention: “Caution: Snake Crossing“. I don’t see any, but I make sure not to slow down in that area. I saw a roadrunner a bit farther down and wondered if he hung around the sign, taking care of any snakes that tried to cross.

I see the sign for the incline. I look behind me to see if anyone is around that can see me. It’s all clear, so I make my run for it. I manage to reach the top without stopping and getting off my bike, but it wasn’t easy. The second time around, I wasn’t as successful. I was using different gears, still trying to figure them out and couldn’t adjust them properly in time. I had to walk up part of the small incline.

Other bikers are starting to pass me. One man rides past, without using his hands. And he’s not the only one experienced enough to do that. One woman rides by, and I swear she’s knitting, or maybe crocheting. I consider increasing my speed to try to catch up to her, maybe reach out for her yarn to unravel it, but it turns out I am already at my top speed and she is out of sight even as I think this.

Two laps is enough for me on my first visit. I check my time and notice that my biking speed is slower than the top runners for 5-Ks and the like. Oh well, we can’t all be Lance.

——

This is a rerun, originally posted May 30, 2008 on my old It’s a long story blog.

Puppies at the Pond

Posted on January 27, 2012 by treshabarger

Tuesday the puppies got their first shots and now they can go out in public. Here they are at the pond yesterday, watching Mom (Abby) swim around. The puppies decided not to venture out into the water.

Two yellow Labrador Retriever puppies watching their mom by a pond

Tuco (on the left) and Blondie waiting for Mom (Abby)

Which way did she go?

Two yellow Labrador Retriever puppies watching their mom swim in a pond

Yellow Labrador Retriever puppies and mud. A winning combination.

Where You’d End Up

Posted on January 26, 2012 by treshabarger

Ever wonder where you’d end up if you took your dog for a walk and never once pulled back on the leash? ~ Robert Brault

Closing Time

Posted on January 25, 2012 by treshabarger

I can’t remember ever going out and then “closing down the house” even in my former life, when I could stay up late.

But that all changed. On Monday I was out and about meeting some friends and we were the last patrons to leave an establishment at closing time.

I could say it was late Monday night, but that’s not true. To imply it was Monday evening would be wrong, as well. Alas, it was Monday afternoon. It was at The Omelettry, a restaurant in Austin. I was meeting my two friends there for an early supper.

As I parked, I noticed that there were no cars in the parking lot. None. Maybe they are between rushes, I thought. It’s early for the dinner crowd, anyway.

Chairs on top of tables, ready to close the restaurant

Almost time to mop

I walked in. I noticed there were no customers and all the chairs were stacked on top of the tables. The cook peeked out of the kitchen. I asked if they were open and he said yes. Then I noticed their hours. They close at 5:00 p.m.

Our meeting time was 4:30 p.m. I had arrived a little early (as usual), about 4:15. I was hoping that my friends would arrive early and really hoping they would not be late. They were on time. We took advantage of the time we had available to us, sat in a booth, ate and paid our bill without dilly-dallying. They locked the door right behind us.

I finally managed to close down the house somewhere! All it took was (accidentally) finding a place that closed early. And I was home before sunset. Brilliant!!