The Circle of Life Rambles On

Things in life come and go.  Lately my big left toenail has done more going than coming.  It got ripped off a year and a half ago while moving a couch from our rental house into our new home.  It was nearly all the way back in, looked almost normal, when it got torn off again a few days ago.  On a whim, I was moving a chair in the living room when it got bumped.  It must not have been as normal as it looked because one scrape with the wooden foot of the chair and it popped up like the trunk of a car.  The first thing I did was find Veep and ask for her help.  The first thing she did was let out an obligatory howl of disgust, "eeeewwwww."  And then, without even blinking, "Do you want me to get the kids so they can see too?"

After about fifteen minutes of kind of dabbing the thing, trying to get it to lay back down properly, I accepted the fact that I was going to have to debride it.  With only a little hesitation, I grabbed the sucker and quickly yanked it clean.  A very strange feeling.

Below is a picture I snapped after cleaning it up.  It is small so you don't have to see it if you don't want to.  Click on the toenail to see the full size version (pun intended, sorry).

Fortunately it's not too painful and doesn't interfere with biking whatsoever.  Which got me thinking, what are toenails or fingernails for?  I assume they're some sort of vestigial claws, but I don't know that for sure.  In fact, after about 10 years of medical training, I don't remember a single lecture or article that stated "finger and toenails are important because..."  Anatomy was mentioned, how to treat a subungual hematoma or toenail fungus was mentioned, but an essential function or purpose was never alluded to.  I'm sure a quick Google (or Yahoo) search could clear it up but I'll leave that to the gods of the internet.

In keeping with my theme in the title, I was out in the garden the other evening, harvesting some sweet homegrown organic tomatoes when I saw this:

Those are several wasps attacking a grub.  I've never seen anything like it before.  I usually despise wasps and have spent several hours this spring and summer knocking countless nests down from under our eaves and deck.  As a result we've had fewer stings this year (excluding a friend's 7 year old son who, unfortunately, was the first to sit at the table on our deck after we had been out of town for 4 weeks where the wasps had built a large nest with many young larvae they were aggressively "protecting" and stung him no less than 8 times).  

I've always questioned the value of wasps, since I don't think they do much to pollinate flowers the way bees do, and only seem to annoy and possibly sting.  So the above photo was singular in that I now see their value in pest control.  I honestly had never thought about why these particular hymenoptera are a necessary part of life, but apparently they are.  I will, however,  continue to destroy their nests near the house, but will revere their homes on the edge of the yard.

I've mentioned frogs before on this blog.  We have a lot of frogs around our house.  And now that we actually have irrigation in the yard, we have many more.  Last summer I befriended a single frog in our garage.  This year we've found countless frogs bounding around the garage at night.  When the light is flipped on, several small and medium sized frogs can be seem making punctuated getaways to the fringes of the storage area. 

 However, we recently got a furry little black kitten to keep our poor neglected children company.

As reluctant pet owners, Veep and I have insisted the cat's digs are in the garage where his smell will be less noticeable.  True to his species, this as yet nameless cat is a hunter.  I initially thought it cute to see it chase a few hopping frogs around before bedtime.  This, unfortunately, has been to the dismay of the now threatened garage frog populace.  At least twice now we've chased down funky garage smells only to discover disemboweled amphibian corpses.  I'm not sure there is an answer to this problem and have so far let the order of things alone.

 

Finally, my latest little home project is building some bird houses for the back yard.  We've put up several bird feeders and have attracted a whole host of hummingbirds, robins, and finches.  Unfortunately, the seed has also fortified our burgeoning population of chipmunks that live in the apartment-like rockwork we had installed last fall.  So far they haven't been too bad of pests, but I'm concerned they may overwhelm our garden some day.  But how to control chipmunks?  Apparently it is illegal to kill them in Washington state, so I haven't invested in a nail gun or poison.  The other night, however, the answer became clear. 

 

Around bedtime Monday we heard an animal shrieking outside our bedroom window, a new animal sound we hadn't heard before.  I went out on the back deck to investigate, only to see a dark winged flash at the edge of the back yard lights.  Squinting, we cold make out a large screech owl on a tree branch.  He continued to scream, perhaps a mating call or hunting call, I don't know.  But it became clear that he could prove to be a big help with the chipmunks--if he hadn't already been snacking on them.  In fact he returned a few nights later when the kids spotted him from the basement windows.  Ironically, their screeches of excitement drowned out the owl's calls and it didn't stick around long.

 

 

Don't get me wrong, I don't mind having a few chipmunks in the yard.  But with lots of rocks to hide in and free bird seed to eat, their life is much easier than nature intended.  And thus nature's answer--the screech owl.  So along with several small cedar birdhouses, I'm planning on building a larger one, sized to accomodate a friendly neighborhood owl.  It may hoot or screech in the middle of the night, but we've already been conditioned to loud bird calls by the roosters at each of our neighbors' houses throughout the summer.

 

And thus the circle of life continues uninterrupted.

Preemptive Nostalgia

I'm glad that all my kids like the occasional cheap Greek food meal.  The girls won't eat Thai and Sal always acts like he doesn't like Mexican (even though he always eats it).  So Greek is one thing we can all agree on.

Veep took the night off on Friday and we hit up Santorini's.  Their hummus and gyros are in league with D'Lish's double cheese burgers and Linnie's Massamun curry.

And even though they don't ride their bikes much, I'm glad my kids are still sort of willing to humor us and go on a few family rides a year.

Even in overwhelming heat.

This was last weekend on our yearly tour of the "Route of the Hiawatha."  The girls were better about riding through the tunnels this time.  Veep was there too--she was the one taking all the pictures.  I love my powerful Tri-Newt light in the tunnels--you can actually see the walls.

I've got to admit that over the past few months I've developed a midlife crisis of sorts.  No, there's no new sports car or hair plugs, just the realization that my kids are growing and time is passing.  I came across this picture of our two girls the other day.  It was buried at the end of a powerpoint presentation I was re-using at work, which I had made about 8 years ago--a nice reprieve at the end of a boring lecture.

It kind of snuck up and slapped me in the face.  This is how they looked when we moved to Spokane.  At that age their world consisted almost entirely of fairies and playgrounds.  And they interacted with us all the time--too much if you had asked me back then.  Now they have their friends, books, and computers and they only need us to provide food and shelter--at least it seems that way in relative terms.  They require more than that, but it is so much less than before that it feels like too little.  I guess I'm just realizing that I should enjoy them now because who knows what will happen in a couple years when they're teenagers.  I'm pretty sure they'll be just fine, but I still wonder.  Still, if I could "Benjamin Button" them back to the above photo I would.

It's good to know that they can still be tempted by balloons.  This was at a Mexican restaurant in McCall, ID in July (Sal lost the fight for where to eat).  I didn't think they'd take our waiter up on his offer of balloons, but they did without hesitation.

Then they sucked the helium out of one and let the other free on the lake.

I suppose that's better than being too old for balloons entirely.

Slack Line Zombie

My mug while slacklining isn't too much different from these promising youngsters playing video games.

I set up our new slack line in the yard this evening after dinner, before the thunder started rolling in.  It is challenging.  I wore rock climbing shoes because the ground underneath is rocky and hard and hurts in bare feet--I couldn't find a good place to put the line that was over nice soft grass.  Perhaps I'll collect pine needles to make a soft landing pad while I learn the basics.  During the short time I was out there I looked most like the third photo.  It was fun though.  I could easily burn a few hours everyday trying to figure it out.  I'm positive it's been said before, but the time required to master this sport is probably what puts the "slack" in slack line.

A video for your enjoyment:

Summer is moving along quickly.  We've had a lot of heat here in the Northwest--some real "dog days."  We are going to escape in a few weeks to Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast.  With our luck it will be cold by then.  Also, Veep and I now have tickets to Venice, Italy for the first part of October.  This will be her first trip across the Atlantic and only my second.  We are excited and reading up in some signature "Rick Steve's" travel guides--seeing as how he knows what he's doing and he's not at all nerdy now that he's come out in support of the decriminalization of marijuana.  Of course he still sort of reminds me of the Tim Calhoun character on SNL.  In any case, he can still write a mean guide to tourism, it just might take a little longer to write.

This Blog Has Been Called Due to Weather

It has been terrible weather for blogging lately, so I haven't.

Ate lunch at De Leon's yesterday--tasty tacos and tamales--and noticed an interesting sandwich board outside.  Pedicab in Spokane.  We're big time now.

I rode my new Seven down to Boise a couple weeks ago--fun and generally satisfying trip though I have some saddle issues I need to work out.  When the weather turns perhaps I'll give a report.  Facebook is really killing my blogging.

It's a . . .

I've found that there are two things that I never regret:

1.  Spending time with my kids.

2.  Riding my bike to work.

I've laid awake trying to figure out a third thing that I categorically would never regret but haven't come up with one.  

Today, however, I opted to drive to work because of my bicycle, or more specifically, because of the arrival of my new bicycle frame.  The bike shop closes at 6 pm and since I wanted to get downtown from the valley after work so I could see the frame being pulled out of the box, I decided to drive in this morning.  I made it out of work a few minutes early and to Two Wheel Transit a few minutes after 5 pm.  I nervously watched as the box cutters trimmed the packing tape and anxiously helped pull the top off the unusually large frame carton.  

It's a beautiful, precise, shiny, sleek, and silvery masterwork of welding and bent metal.  Here's a peek:

I felt like a new parent, awkwardly holding it, setting it down before I was really ready to let go of it.  I lingered awkwardly in the shop, but realized there wasn't much to do with it until it's built.  So, like a proud pop, I snapped a few quick pictures and headed home.

All I really heard was a suggestion that it could be ready by the weekend.  I'll have a hard time not holding them to that as a promise.

Raging rivers, Sasquatch, Seeds, and War

I seem only to be able to post about a week after I come up with an idea.  And by idea I mean any weak notion of something even remotely blog worthy.

Last Friday I enjoyed a nice ride to work up north.  I don't get to make this trip very often so it was a privilege to ride through downtown and cross the river.

Looking east, upriver in the morning.

Looking west, down the falls in the evening.

I like the drama of the Spring runoff but rarely get a chance to just sit and watch the river.

Saturday I took in some music at the Gorge.  The Sasquatch festival has become a Memorial Day tradition and I've managed to make it there for one day of the weekend for 5 out of the past 6 years.  This year we had a babysitter all set up so Veep and I could go but Sal came down with a monster fever the night before and morning o,f so she decided to stay home (which was a good idea because he only got worse--ended up being strep which we got him antibiotics for Sunday morning).  My brother in law pinch hit and made a good concert going partner instead.

While there are many large music festivals around the country each Summer, I believe that Sasquatch consistently has the most interesting and extensive line up of bands (at least for my tastes) and is solidly placed on my list of reasons I love Spokane (even though one could effectively argue that the festival has nothing to do with Spokane and is probably located at the Gorge more for its proximity to Seattle.  To that argument I would say that while that may be true I still have easy access to a great music event and don't have to live in the crowded, unruly metropolis that is Seattle).  Each year that I have gone I've seen a band I already know and enjoy, I've discovered at least one band that I didn't know and end up really enjoying, and I've had some sort of strange experience.  For example, I've seen Wilco, Arcade Fire, Sufjan Stevens, the Flaming Lips, and M. Ward.  I've discovered the New Pornographers, Architecture in Helsinki, and Mt. St. Helens Vietnam Band.  There have been hail storms for Neko Case, a streaker for The Shins, and a distraction that proved the Decemberists are seasoned professionals (JD knows what I'm talking about).  Anyway, Saturday I got to see some great music.  And at the end of the day, Bon Iver got the gold star for best performance with artistic depth and soul.  I was blown away by how loud they were with such a quiet album.  If you live within 300 miles of a place where they will be playing, you would be well advised to drive (or ride) that distance without a second thought and take in the show.  Even with "technical difficulties" on Saturday, they delivered.  I even captured a song with a new little flipHD camera I got last week:

Bon Iver, For Emma, Sasquatch 2009 from Corey Judd on Vimeo.

So then Sunday was plant day.  We had a family seed planting party and transferred tomato and cucumber plants to our new garden (more on that in another post--maybe in a week).  Feeling inspired we went up to Manito park (another reason I love Spokane--a classic city park with colorful, mature, well-tended gardens of all kinds) and perused the perrenial garden.  Veep took pictures and I took notes on different plants we may want to incorporate into our yard.  The kids rolled down the hill at the north end of the Duncan garden, something we haven't done in a while.  Not five minutes later there were literally 20 kids rolling down the hill, a great moment (I count myself as one of the kids).

 Then we strolled through the lilac garden which was bursting with blossoms and sweet smells (as usual, Veep led the way).  May in Spokane makes one rescind all the bad things you said about the weather in late March and early April.  It is all worth it if you end up with amazing weather like we've been having.

Monday we celebrated the holiday by watching the Civil War re-enactment out at Riverside state park.  It was the first time I had seen a reenactment.  It was a great way to remember those who have fought and died and a reminder of the many grave complexities of war (and a good way to see black powder rifles).  I was moved by their memorial service at the end of the battle.  Sal just wanted more cannon.

We capped the weekend with a fire on the back patio with roasted marshmallows and s'mores.  A satisfying and full 3 day weekend.  Until next year.

Patience, Karma, and Head Tubes

Over the last 4 weeks I've been putting out some major karmic waves of patience waiting for my first custom bike frame to arrive.  During this struggle I've had plenty of time to daydream about what this bike will look like, feel like, ride like, smell like.  

Now, while I'm taller than average rider (probably in the 99th percentile of the bell curve of height), I give up 4 inches to the NBA legend Bill Walton pictured above (lengthy side note--Bill Walton, the big redhead, is not only an avid cyclist but a lover of the grateful dead.  A member of the Hall of Fame, and now a well known broadcaster, I'm struck by how, in so many ways, he is the antithesis of the present  day tattood-on-parole NBA).  Some of you may have seen this photo floating aroung bike blogs last fall.  While I anticipate an unusually long head tube (most definitely in the 99th percentile of the head tube height bell curve), I don't think it will be as long as that pictured above.  Given my concern about head tube length, it is interesting that the bike I've ordered is a Seven, given recent lampooning of Seven frames by BSNYC for just this tendency.  Of course I don't really care what the bike looks like so long as it performs the way I'm hoping, but having spent my life with a conspicuity of height, it would be nice to have the bike "blend in" with the norm a little more.

So yes, for those at all interested in bicycles, it is a Seven.  A Seven Muse made with straight-gauge Ti tubing.  The idea behind this particular bike is to build something I can use for touring and commuting.  The Ti is lighter so it will be a little faster and "zippy" for long commutes, while still being strong enough to handle loaded touring.  

Going custom made sense because of my size (plus I felt it my duty as a citizen/comrade to stimulate the economy while I still can.  Yet another lengthy side note--I've been getting interesting email from various companies asking for me to buy stuff simply because they've fallen on hard economic times--Xtracycle being one of them.  One company went so far as to ask for a donation.  This is a troubling new trend in marketing).  While my inseam allows me to fit a stock rear triangle, my torso length has never fit any bicycle.  In fact, my current road bike top tube length is 62 cm (an XXL Specialized Allez with a 14 cm stem) compared to 67 cm on the new frame (with a 13 cm stem).  That's a pretty big difference.  It will hopefully relieve the low back pain and hand neuropathy I get after 40 miles.

So this is sort of what it will look like (at lease this is the picture Seven provides on their site, which is pretty thin on photos).  I opted for no paint (to save weight, haha).  I did want the option for disc brakes though I initially plan on running canti brakes.  I've really come to appreciate the power of the discs on my Stumpjumper and the Big Dummy, and figure they'd be great on a loaded tourer as well.  I spent about 4 hours with Steve down at Two Wheel Transit discussing all these things and, with his insistence, got Seven to put the braze ons for the rear disc on the chainstay rather than the seat stay in order to allow the rack to set lower.  

The fork was also a bit of an issue.  Initially Steve recommended a Waterford steel fork that would have the right trail and rake with adequate clearance for fenders and a variety of tire sizes.  Weight was a factor here and he eventually tracked down a Vicious carbon fork with similar dimensions but no braze ons for a front rack.  I picture using the carbon fork for day to day commuting and riding, swapping it out for the Waterford for loaded touring (which, unfortunately, probably won't occur as often as I'd like).

The other new thing for me will be 180 mm cranks--longer for my long legs (all my other bikes have 175 mm cranks).  Again, finding a triple with the right chainring sizes and 180 mm cranks was an issue.  Steve again came through with a solution, recommending using a Surly "Mr. Whirly" crankset, which is kind of the swedish modular furniture of cranksets (plus you can't buy direct from Surly, so if they hit hard times I probably won't see an email asking for a contribution).

I'll be interested to see how the longer length affects leverage and power as well as cadence.  I wonder how much difference 5 mm can really make.

So I was excited to receive an email from Seven earlier this week saying they anticipated delivery next week, as soon as the fork arrives.  I'm feeling a little giddy, fingers crossed hoping those karmic waves float back to me in the form of a perfect ride.