An Inspiration To Us All!

This woman was moving right along with her walker. 

 Not sure why she needed it!  

I was thinking the wheels might start smoking!

She is a real inspiration to us all!

Tuesday with Mom

Since we had the Clothesline show this weekend, Mom and Dad and I did the Saturday shopping thing on Tuesday. As usual, Dad did his grocery shopping, and Mom and I drove around. I decided to head for Fairport - our family home during most of my childhood. Dad told a story this weekend about a temporary holiday job he had for a few weeks back in the late 50's, early 60's. There was a greeting card company in Fairport that shipped so many cards to stores around the country, that the local post office actually set up a branch in their building to sort the packages being shipped. I thought I'd go and see if I could find the old greeting card place? Failed at that, but Mom and I went "parking" along the canal. Thus the pictures above and below.



Thanks again Mom! I love our rides and all the out of the way places we manage to find and enjoy. It is really quite amazing the places we find within one half hour's drive from Wegmans!

11 mile bicycle ride

I made it to my favorite bench last week. 90 days after my hip replacement - not bragging - just sayin! This bench is along the Genesee River, just about exactly five and a half miles from my house. I stopped to rest a while, took the below picture of my bike, read some on my Kindle, and then completed the 11 mile round trip, including a fairly high curved bridge over the Erie Canal at the junction with the Genesee River.Below is the view downhill on the final serious arched bridge on the way home. I was able to ride over it both ways without walking, but on the way home I do stop for my last rest!

New Father's Day Camera

My new Father's Day camera does panorama shots which I would have thought was pretty much impossible in a hand held camera, but they actually look pretty good! I'm back on my bike only 10 weeks after getting my new hip. These shots were taken on today's 7.5 mile ride. Both shots are in parts of Genesee Valley Park. That's the Genesee River below, near the intersection with the Erie Canal! Click on each picture to embiggen!

Spring bike riding

Click to Embiggen --- wonderful blue flowers along the bike path by the Genesee River

Bide ride friends

Met this friend sunning in the warmth of the bike path the other day.  She was so happy that I was able to get really close for these pictures.  I moved her off the path before riding on because I know not all folks would just leave her to live her life.  Click pics to embiggen!

Spring bike riding

Pictures from a couple of days ago!  Looks like video posting is gone??? Sorry!  You won't hear the wonderful spring peepers going wild with the urge to mate and pass on those genes!

Bike Ride

The above picture is just to share a little bit of why I love to ride my bike. With that view ahead, how can you go wrong? Below is my favorite destination point --- a good long ride, with a very nice place to rest, and this year somebody has planted some flowers! A big thank you to whoever put in the effort to add some more beauty! This was an 18.5 mile ride!

Land, air, and water transportation

It is bike riding season again, and my bad hip seems to be allowing me the chance to ride nicely. It is always a bit of a struggle to get going - mostly the problem is limiting my early season rides to shorter distances. I always want to push myself around the next bend, go see that special spot along the canal, make it all the way to Henpeck Park, or just chalk up more miles than I did last April on my distance spreadsheet, but after a winter of lethargy, my body does not appreciate doing too much in the beginning. I have put in over 30 miles so far, in 5 rides. The hardest was the first day - 3 miles on very soft tires, trying to find an air compressor! If you think proper inflation of your tires doesn't save gas, try riding a bike on soft tires! The next hardest was 8.6 miles on the second day when I should have stuck to about 5!

That's me above with my trusty steed - a Biria "Easy Boarding" bicycle that allows me to get on and off without swinging that bad hip over the back. That move used to fairly often put me on the ground in unceremonious fashion!

Below, two views from a bridge over the Genesee River. An airplane heading for the nearby airport, and some University of Rochester women's crew gals getting in some practice below.

Me, my bike, and my camera, makes for a very peaceful hour or three.

Climbing Snails?

Last spring it was snails climbing the thistle in our yard, and this spring these snails have climbed higher, but did not have to figure their way around hundreds of thorns!

Nature in the back yard along the canal!

Lots of snails were heading somewhere today. I had to ride carefully on part of my ride to avoid crushing them. They were all heading in the same direction. Crossing hot dry ashpalt to get there. I took their picture, and now a couple of them are on the world wide web. They probably planned on just going to whatever place that is, and now a couple of beautiful but annonymous snails have their pictures viewable by people in Germany, or Nigeria, or Texas? I can do that, but I have no idea where they were going!

How many points was that?

This buck seemed very unconcerned about me. He did go back off the trail a bit after I met him on the bike path, but looked as intently at me as I did at him. Without my bike rides I sure would miss a lot...... Animal Planet on TV isn't quite the same!

If the deer wasn't so central, those two verticals with the crossing horizontal line would be downright fascinating! I didn't even notice them till now. (_)]

Friends?

What an opportunity! Either of these creatures alone would be a great picture. Both in the same frame is wonderful. Add that to them both on a thistle - in blossom this late in the season, and you've got heaven! (and just for the record, I'm not good enough at Photoshop to make this up!)

Kaleidoscope older than Wyatt

Before Wyatt was born, The Toycrafter (my old toy company) built this 6 foot long motorized kaleidoscope. The kaleidoscope is still around - on exhibit at the Rochester Museum and Science center, and Wyatt got to see it yesterday!


Along the canal, we also got to see 10 ducks - Mom and 9 babies - very unconcerned about us, but very concerned about finding some lunch!

Things that make you go "mmmmmmm"

Just one of those things I love- sign next door to a used car lot. Click on picture to read the sign more clearly. Oddly enough just off to the right behind the R&R Sales building, is a church!

Lazy days of summer

Wyatt is joining me on my bike rides this week - Uncle time again!

On the nature in the back yard front, below is a good sized poke weed growing along the sidewalk on South Ave. It should get a lot taller unless someone decides it is just a weed. Dad and I have a big poke weed growing every summer behind our garage. I think Dad would cut it down ---- I know Mom would ---- but it is such a cool looking and huge plant that I intervene on behalf of the poke weed. That one will end up taller that the garage!

And on the sidewalk theme - major construction is underway on Caroline St. , with spray painted directions, warnings, pipe locations, etc. pretty much everywhere. The one below is my personal favorite!

Back on the path

After too long with trips, shows, etc. I got back on the canal path last nite and tonight.

Not sure what the fruits above are, but I didn't eat them.

The cherries below however, were delicious and plentiful!

Carolina Duck

Several years ago, my brother Dave found a rubber duck on the path to the campsite while at Merlefest. He kept the duck, called it Carolina Duck - the americana music festival is in North Carolina - and rubber ducks became a part of family history ever since. Carolina Duck went to every Merlefest after that, and was joined by quite a few close relatives. Dave is gone now, but rubber ducks remain, along with memories! I found several "hippie ducks" at an anti-war store front, and added them to my van dash, and also thought why not take one along on on my bike rides. I definitely do not want to become one of those old guys with flags, pinwheels, and even bumper stickers on their bikes, but thought this was a nice touch. Someday I may need to move him to my future walker or wheel chair, but for yesterday at least Carolina Duck's hippie friend and I went for a 22.8 mile bike ride. Dave would have enjoyed the ride!

Riveting

A canal image I never would have imagined in advance, but here it is...... a tiny detail of one of those huge bridges built to carry trains, or cars, or whatever across the canal! The sun was just right..... looks like something on Mars? Below is a slightly bigger section of the same bridge. Click on the one above for a really cool larger version!

A weekend with Wyatt!

A few weeks ago Wyatt invited me to see Spider-man 3. In our world, that is code for wonderful time together, and we proved it again this weekend! Spider-man was indeed part of the formula, but this abandoned bridge over the Erie Canal was probably the highlight! We rode our bikes along the canal path that I ride several times a week, and I got to show him things I see regularly, and tell him stories about my rides. But something made us venture off the path, over a little hill, and right to a bridge to nowhere! Notice that there is nothing but flowering bushes at the other end ...... same thing on this end. Not sure what went over this bridge. There is a railroad bridge right next to it..... tracks not in use any more, but at least they are there. The picture below indicates the future of that bridge too, but this one has no deck, nothing but the frame. Nothing but an adventure for a couple of guys out for a ride. 50 years apart in age, but both ready for the joy of discovery, the vertigo of stepping out over the water, however briefly, and the pleasure of someone to share the story with!
We also saw Spider-man 3, cooked Mother's Day bruch for Aunt Cheryl, Grandma Peg, Cousin Deanna, Cousin-in-law Linda, etc.

It all ended too soon, but but being an uncle is just about the best there is. The only thing better might be in a few weeks when I get both the neice and the nephew for a weekend! Uncle x 2??