Somebody's got to do it !!!!!

Thursday I got off early in the afternoon and went out for a sail on a beautiful day, I let the jib out on the roller and off I went. I had read about a new bridge being built near my marina so I sailed over for a closer look

A large project is under way and several cranes are working. Large white buoys have been set up marking the proposed location of the bridge and I promise the landowners on the East shore are not happy, this bridge will run traffic right through this area of nice older lake homes and it looks like some will be lost.

Over the weekend I painted the steel to hold the bunks and mounted the bunks to the trailer, they are made so I can adjust them to fit the boat once loaded for the first time. The trailer is getting closer one hour at a time.

Saturday was our 18Th anniversary and we celebrated by going for a nice bicycle ride early in the day before the 50 plus mph winds hit and a dust storm blew in. Later we went out for a nice dinner in celebration.

Sunday We went to a viewing for one of my Aunts that passed away and saw some family I had not seen in a long. We topped this day off with a ride to a new coffee shop late in the afternoon, this was a fun productive weekend for us and our thoughts and prayers go out to The Starkey family in Grapevine.

Have more than you show

Speak less than you know

Dennis

Spring Time is here

Sunday, Michele and I traveled to our Family farm near Rising Star Texas and spent the day hiking the woods and cleaning the place up a little. While in town we visited my Aunt in a Nursing home in Rising Star. This is a picture of one of the farm houses we took last fall.

The weather this week has been great and The night bicycle ride on Tuesday was in shorts and short sleeves. We did the Usual 23 miles or so in the Dark with all our lights on. This was a good ride with a lot of fun speed work, speed work is hard on a mountain bike and I felt a little sore the next day.

Wildlife scouting and trailer bunks

This week the weather did not allow much in the way of bike rides so I was able to get the wood for the trailer bunks and covered them with carpet. I have made plans for the adjustable legs that will support the bunks and allow them to be adjusted to fit the O'day 272, the trailer is getting closer.

On Friday afternoon I went to the Marshall Creek Wildlife Management Area to hike and scout the area, It was a cold and windy afternoon and I saw a lot of birds and the Robins are plentiful. While I saw no large game I did see lots of deer tracks and wallows where wild hogs had been rooting around. I also saw several of the rubs shown in the last picture, these are made in the fall by buck deer marking an area and rubbing the velvet off of their horns. This was a nice hike and its hard to believe a good deer population is within 20 miles or so of my house in the Dallas area.

On Saturday Michele and I went to a bicycle swap meet at REI and went on a group ride after the meet, it was a good ride going downwind but the return trip into a 30mph North wind was hard and cold but we have learned to take what you get. It's easy to complain and stay at home but if you put forth the effort to make the best of each Day it pays off big.

Speak less than you know

Have more than you show

Dennis

Who let the dogs out

This weekend I rode with my bike club http://www.gdbclub.com/ and we explored the 60 mile route for the Rally we host in April. This rally is called the Lancaster country ride and goes through bluebonnet country in the spring time and it is beautiful. We encountered a a variety of loose dogs and got chased by several of them, this let us work on our sprinting. While no one got bitten we were aggressively chased with jaws snapping around our ankles. I'm the second guy with the parrot on his bike. (Yes I am a parrot head)

Michele and I also had a nice cruise around our neighborhood Sunday and looked at a house a guy she works with is buying in the Brook haven Country Club addition and logged 15 miles before it got dark. This morning (Monday) rain has settled in and It is cold meaning no rides for a while, so if I get time I will work on the Trailer for the O'day 272.

We are fans of the Survivor show and it has started off strangely this season with only one tribe and then a surprise split up and vote. I think it will take on a more familiar feel on the next show.

Dennis
Things you love are not really things.

Sailing takes me away

Sprocket and I went sailing Tuesday afternoon and the weatherman was good to us. It was sunny with a high of 72 and gusty winds from the SW. Sprocket is fearless about the water and wanders all over the boat scaring me, having only had him 2 months I'm not even sure he can swim. We sailed under full main only because it was really gusty and its easier that way when single handling,

Tuesday night met with the bike club for the night ride and about 25 showed up for a spirited 23 miles with some bonus hill climbs.

Dennis

Play more than you work, when you are gone no one can play for you but someone can always do the work.

Great Week

This week I was able to make more progress on my trailer for the sailboat, I mounted the fenders and welded in the supports and installed the 2x12 for the keel to rest on. The trailer is slowly taking shape and I am now trying to decide on whether to use bunks, adjustable pads or a combination of both to support and balance the boat while on the trailer.

On the riding front I did some work on the trainer but on Saturday I had an epic ride out of a small cycle shop in Irving Tx. named Trinity bicycles . I rode a 65 mile ride with close to 4000 ft. of climbing and I rode with a cat 1 and a cat 2 rider. This was a real treat for me and I endured a lot of pain in my attempt to keep up and even then they took it easy so I could stay with them. There is no way I can ride at this level and this was a tempo ride for them while it was like a 65 mile time trial for me.

The weather outlook for this week is great and I sure hope I can get some sailing in on Tuesday with a high of 65, great for February.

Sunday we gave a reception celebrating the 50Th wedding aniverisary of my parents and it was s special day for us and them.

Remember less is really more so try and spend nothing and be an anti-consumer, and have fun doing it.