Stoker grew up in Waterloo. Iowa. She was born at the leading edge of the Baby Boom decade, and her preteen years were the 1950’s. Her father was a postman whose duties allowed him to come home for lunch and prepare a mid-day repast for his daughters, with Stoker being the oldest of 4. Stoker’s […]
As you know, I’ve been a bit morose these last 4 months, watching our planned trips implode and our net worth fluctuate and our country come apart. Just when you thought things couldn’t get worse… I went to Sisters, Oregon last week for a 5 day cycling tour/performance camp. My first time away from Brumby […]
And at Home…And at Home…And at Home… It seems like I’m cheating, quoting poetry by a contemporary of Shakespeare to fill up a blog. But Ben Jonson’s poem “A Farewell to the World” seems so appropriate just now. The last three stanzas especially: Else I my state should much mistakeTo harbour a divided thoughtFrom all […]
Statues are coming down all over the United States. Some are being toppled in anger, and some are being removed in fear. This is not a political blog, so I’m not going to say what I think of this. Perhaps I am cheering as statues of Robert E Lee or Andrew Jackson are roped up […]
There is a different term for this in common usage, but it is semi-vulgar and this is a high class blog. So ‘brain freeze’ will have to suffice. Stoker and I went to ride with Dr. Carl on Saturday. He is a good friend who has been dealt a bad hand with a health issue […]
I only remember needing to walk my bike up a hill once. It was on the very steep Charleston Road out of Volcano. I was doing the climb for the first (and last) time with Ray R. I was behind him, and an oncoming car on the narrow road made me stop and put a […]
My knowledge of Greek Mythology is almost completely lacking, as I am frequently reminded when the category comes up on Jeopardy. But I know about Sisyphus. He was this king who was a scumbag and angered the Gods by trying to cheat death. So Zeus sentenced him to an eternal life doing the pleasant task […]
I decided to give myself a 64th birthday present of a Road Bike Skills training session. Bruce Hendler of Athleticamps in Folsom (https://www.athleticamps.com/) offers a 90 minute, one on one session covering the basics or stopping, cornering, bike control, and vision. I never felt like I was an especially good bike handler, and I’m always […]
Today’s blog is kind of a ramble, but stick with it. The title will make sense in a bit. For 20 years, I did 1 to 4 Stockton Bike Club rides every week that I wasn’t travelling. I would see perhaps 20 different people on those rides each week, sometimes more. I would chase some […]
Today’s entry on my calendar says “RF & DF fly home early”. I’m writing this at around 4 PM PDT Sunday June 7, which is almost the exact time we expected to arrive at Casa Brumby for a reunion with our dog Luke, followed by a couple of days of jet lag and adjusting to […]