Hiatus

A peaceful park image - especially when the water is running! I've pawed my secretary for a while about putting "Monday Captions" on hiatus for a couple of months. By the fall, we can stockpile some great pix! I want to apologize that I haven't been around to your blogs - my mom has had a busy weekend and barely got this post in before work! Have a peaceful Monday.

My Brother and Toby Too

My older brother, Steven, and his wife had come to stay for a few days. This was the first night of their visit and his condition had rapidly deteriorated, he was struggling with the mechanics of breathing and was going into crisis.

It was 4am and it felt like a cast of millions were bustling about. Someone was ringing for an ambulance, giving clear directions on how to locate us, decisions were made about who should go to hospital with him, mobile phones found up, loose change located.

George took himself off to wait by the roadside, armed with a large torch, determined that the ambulance should not miss our turning. Others were hurriedly pulling on clothes, preparing to go in the ambulance to be with Steve - ready to explain his condition, for speech was beyond him.

As everyone bustled about Steve sat on a bench out on the patio, struggling to hang on. His desperate need for air had driven him out there to sit under the moonlit sky. The coolness helped, a little.

How he kept as calm as he did, I shall never know.

I sat beside him and I knew the end was very close and there was absolutely nothing which I could do for him. I can honestly say that I sensed Mr De'ath was waiting nearby. I silently shrieked at him to keep away from my big brother.

I held Steven's hand and told him that it was important that he knew how much I love him, then I lost the use of my voice. I found myself tracing a pattern of small circles on his knee - each being one and a quarter turns - unconsciously using the technique which is so soothing and calming for dogs. I was completely powerless to help, useless.

Rapidly progressing Myasthenia Gravis (bulbar) is a cruel disease.

Luckily, Steve did make it and has received wonderful treatment, for which I thank the NHS. It won't cure him, but it helps to bring a semblance of 'normality'. He lives to tell the tale, and I am happy that he has more time. Our younger brother, Owl, has been there for him all this time. Visiting, entertaining, keeping his spirits up, driving, fetching, carrying, giving support and showing his love in the most practical of ways.

I have two wonderful brothers...we don't always see eye to eye, we have vastly different opinions and perspectives for we are three very different people, but there is an extremely strong bond of love.

Talking of love - I found this photograph, taken on the preceding afternoon.

Steve had just met Toby Too for the first time...



Toby Too likes to take his time to get to know people and yet here he is snuggling up to Steven, after just ten minutes, as though he has known him forever. Poor Steve looks dreadfully ill in this photograph.

Do dogs show empathy? I think so.

Moving on, my next post will be somewhat cheerier.

Ming Ming very kindly gave me lots of photographs before she and Jonny returned to China, I hope to share some of these with you. I may even get around to showing you some of the wonderful meals which she cooked for us - thanks, Ming Ming! x

Flat and Walk

It was a pretty nice day for a bike ride yesterday. Just a little windy (10-20mph from the WNW). I needed to get out and ride - been off the bike for a week! Loaded up the road bike and headed for the Wabash Trace Trailhead Park. The parking lot was almost full. Must be lots on the Trace (though I had heard about trees over the trail). My destination was the Trails Center.

Lots of folks out on the trails. Stopped at the river boat ramp parking lot. Check the river level and visited with a couple mountain bikers.

Head-wind slowed me down a bit. Worst was the last mile from Penny's to the Trails Center. Ready for my rest, drink, and granola bar when I got there. Knew the Trail Center would not be open (Holiday), but it was a good place to turn around.

Great to have the tail wind most of the way back. Coasting much of the way. Having a great ride when I flatted. I heard it, not sharp crack, more of a whimper. Must have been some glass on the trail into the dirt there at the pumping station (E. Manawa Rd just off Rt 92).

Knew it was about 3 miles to the car. Debated and decided to change the tube. Got everything torn apart and ready to apply the new tube. I could not my CO2 inflater to work. It would not put any air into the tube. Emptied on inflater. Of course, there was no one on the trail that stopped with a pump. I ended walking the bike 3 miles back to the trailhead and my car.

As I was walking along the trail, I noticed LOTS of glass shards on the trail. Think there have been may idiots pitching glass (beer bottles?) from the car, at the trail and/or bike riders.

Will be at the bike shop to get the tire repaired and the inflater checked out (or I will have to bring a pump on the road bike).

Back in the saddle

Eight days without a ride - ouch. Now 2 rides within 24 hours. I am exhausted.
Over the last week, the weather was just not with me. Lots of rain and wind. Last weekend the weather was good, I had gotten busy with other stuff.
Yesterday was NOT turning into a good day. After breakfast, I had car problems. The ignition switch is locked up - has happened 2 time before, 2 years apart. Means had to have the car towed. Stopped by at Xtreme Wheels. It was that day I needed to decide to order a new trail bike. Well, they had already ordered one - Trek Fuel EX7. Hope the bike is the ride for me.
I needed the Tuesday Evening Ride - any bike ride. Dennis rode with me. Headed out towards Manawa. Not sure why I was not riding well. Heart rate was high during the ride - and I was not riding that fast. Maybe I ate to much in the day, perhaps it was the 8 days off the bike. Rode the hybrid. Still was a good ride - how can you complain when it is 73 deg, sunny, very light wind, and you are on your bicycle!
Today was the first Wednesday Morning Ride (mountain/trail bikes). Now, I had problems sleeping - probably from the ride last night. But I wanted to get out to ride since the morning dawned clear and calm. Little cool but forecast for warm day. Wonders of wonders even Zach made it - isn't great to ride in the early morning?.
Blaine, Randy, Zach and I headed out from the bike shop. We rode the paved trail to the Lake Manawa mountain bike trail. Started on the West side, moved over to the East side. I was riding pretty good - heart rate was much lower than last evening. Layers started coming off as the temperature climbed.
Zach headed back, Randy, Blaine and I rode the West side again, then rode to the shop. Great morning ride. (Thanks for starting the ride, Randy).
If you want to join us for the weekly ride - show up at Xtreme Wheels ready to ride at 7am.

Welcome visitor

This is not so much a pond these days, as a grassy mud hole. (This is actually more water than it held a month ago.)

But not everybody thinks this is a bad thing. Look who popped in - a Wilson's Snipe (Gallinago delicata).¹

If the previous picture is the heads-down position, this must be half-mast. And the following is...

Up periscope! Almost looks like a different bird.

I love the way the stripes continue from the head all the way down the back.

He tends to sink in the mud a bit, so you're not always aware...

of the big feet.
He was quite content to have us stare from an open position across the pond. He wasn't shy or wary at all. We didn't try getting any closer though - we're hoping he'll stick around a while.
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¹ I didn't realize until I went to look up the latin name just now, that this bird's name had been changed. The species formerly called the Common Snipe (Gallinago gallinago) has been split, and the one here in the Americas got a new name.

This Is A Bike Rack???

During my preparations for attending the American Trails Symposium,I contacted the group to inquire about a secure bicycle rack during the symposium. I am visiting friends in Little Rock and planned to bike the 2 miles from their home to the convention center.
The first response was: "No one has ever asked for that - we'll get back with you". A week or so later they told me they will have bike racks.
Today, a day before registration starts, I rode over to the State House Convention Center to check out the bike rack. What they showed me was not a bike rack, but crowd control fence sections - see photo. The person with the Convention and Visitor's Bureau told me that's their bike racks (or what the use as bike racks).
Now, I can understand the real bike rack may not important for many conventions like the VFW, or garden show, or an auto show but this is the American Trail Symposium. There are bicycle rides during the function.

Pink Poppy

Here we are, almost halfway through September already, but our flower gardens around the house still have a beautiful variety of blooms! Here is a recent shot of one of our pink poppies in the front yard. I used the macro mode on my Canon G11 camera to make this close-up, abstract image of the flower.