23 December 2008

'let go of me Uncle Dave'

After refusing to allow me let go of the bike, only an hour before, Liam turned to Dave, who was now pushing him and said, "let go of me Uncle Dave."

And off he rode. My boy is a two-wheeler now, and he's not looking back.

It's the best day-before-my-birthday present ever!!!

Thanks Uncle Dave!

08 December 2008

December ride


clouds
Originally uploaded by Ben McLeod
So far, December has been pretty tame, with sunny days and mild temperatures. Certainly not the driving rain we've been told to expect! [I'm sure that will come...]

I took advantage of the weather on Saturday and went for a road ride (I guess, at some point, I may need to face facts and admit that I haven't been on my mountain bike in two seasons, but not now).

It was hovering around 50 degrees under mostly sunny skies so I took the Masi out on the Hillsboro Hills ride. It's become my standard, go-to ride. It's 22ish miles, depending upon how many warm-up and cool-down laps I ride around my neighborhood (each is 1-mile).


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The first 10 miles are mostly big-ring spinning by berry farms and nurseries, then a pretty decent climb to the top of SW Iowa Hill Road (it's a great view from the top, looking over the valley, straight at Mt. Hood). The drop off the top is steep and straight drop (with the exception of a crazy-weird, but fun "s-curve" in the middle of the downhill - in an earlier post, I referred to it as the Unger Drop and Twist...) into the valley and another 10-or-so miles back to Hillsboro.

It was an incredible day for a ride. I had just watched Obama's weekly radio address (I love saying that... watched a radio address... who woulda thunk?! ... oh and Obama. President. Let me say that again. President Obama). In it, he spelled out his plan for economic recovery; a new New Deal, if you will. I've been doing some work for a GIS firm in Portland, and one thing that pretty much every single one of these programs that the President-elect is proposing will need some form of GIS.

The warm sun and green fields (seriously - green fields in December!) combined with the words of a thoughtful (intelligent!) president(-elect) got my brain all roiling with good thoughts of change.

Yes we can.

My Unemployed in Oregon line may be changing soon, but the geek riding his bike part won't stop.

Shortly after arriving home, I was awed by this sunset.