The Masi Speciale Randonneur, with a Tubus Cargo Classic rack, up against the Wall of Science.
Herself buggered off for a long weekend starting last Thursday, this time to the American Heartland for a pal’s wedding, so I was at liberty for a few days.
Well, not exactly.
I had to do battle with the dishwasher (!), make my own coffee (!!) and feed and water the cats (!!!).
Also, I noticed that the litter boxes still refuse to empty themselves. When might I expect delivery of my Turd-B-Gon 9000®? Never? Does never work for me?
No, it does not.
But still, yeah, freedom, amirite?
I got to sleep in until 6 a.m. most days, did little cooking and less shaving, and the riding of the bikes continued unabated. The Masi Speciale Randonneur remains under review for Adventure Cyclist, and in honor of Bruce Gordon and framebuilders everywhere I rode my Nobilette and a Steelman as palate cleansers.
Herself got back yesterday afternoon, after a short delay caused by evil weather. Storms beat the snot out of Dallas, where she was changing planes, and ever since she touched down the wind has been flogging us here in the Duke City. Up north, my man Hal Walter reports ice on the vehicles, the canceling of the Hardrock 100 due to historic snowfall and avalanches, and the rerouting of the Leadville marathon.
All in all, it looks like a fine day to stay indoors and push pixels around.
Tags: Brent Steelman, Bruce Gordon, Dallas, Herself, Mark Nobilette, Masi Speciale Randonneur, wind
Mad Blog Media 
June 10, 2019 at 9:42 am |
war is peace
freedom is slavery
ignorance is strength
burma shave
June 10, 2019 at 12:28 pm |
If your country
You would save
Tell the House
“Impeach that knave!”
Burma Shave.
June 10, 2019 at 12:42 pm |
Everyone knows
That Don the Con
Has been in the house
Way too long
Burma Shave
June 10, 2019 at 12:47 pm |
If only people
would surmise
that corrupt government
is quite unwise
Burma Shave
June 10, 2019 at 12:49 pm |
If Congress chose
To do its job
We’d show the door
to that fat slob.
Burma Shave.
June 10, 2019 at 1:03 pm |
bolton is a bit revoltin’
nasty since he was in school
maduro duly spanked him
made him look just like a fool
Burma Shave
June 10, 2019 at 2:47 pm |
The NRA
And preachers too
Chose fat Donny
To be our fool
Burma Shave
June 10, 2019 at 3:20 pm |
the nra is not the way
to keep our country strong
we have a constitution
that has served us for so long
Burma Shave
they self deal deal and bitch and moan
and fight rightly ‘monsn’t themselves
they deserve it all and more
and should put be on the shelves (of history)
Burma Shave
June 10, 2019 at 3:04 pm |
Stormy saw Spanky
In the shower
She swore off sex
For at least an hour
Burma Shave
June 11, 2019 at 6:30 am |
All but one statehouse
deep red or blue
voters must be
believers true
we get our choice
of extremist blather
knowing good sense
hardly will matter
Burma Shave
June 11, 2019 at 10:10 am |
Classy! How about this one?
Donny and Kim have dainty digits
Their hands look like they belong on midgets
Perhaps we should hire a checker
To see if they have little peckers
Burma Shave
June 11, 2019 at 10:34 am |
Donny wishes to be emperor
He needs to buy some new clothes
Then when he goes out in public
The lack of credibility shows
Burma Shave
June 11, 2019 at 11:54 am |
The Green New Deal
they say is our salvation
but driving in style to work
is our motivation
Ocasio-Cortez may have a dazzling smile
but the price at the pump keeps us mesmerized for a while
Burma Shave
June 10, 2019 at 10:03 am |
Sorry, no complaints here. Sent off some very happy clients at the end of a private tour this AM and then jumped on my own damn bike for a ride. While I get paid rather handsomely to run these, spending all day in the seat of the car’s not much fun so I couldn’t wait to take a short ride, not wanting to overdo it after a full week of high quality dining/drinking and zero exercise.
The wife’s down in Sicily running her academic conference so I too am an “uomo solo” though not “al comando” of much.
I get to boil up my own pasta tonight and try out some jarred “Ragu di carne chianina” on my pappardelle. After a week + of Piedmontese and Ligurian cooking it’s time for some Tuscan flavors!
June 10, 2019 at 12:35 pm |
Happy customers are the best kind. I like to make a few unhappy, but this generally makes the others happy, so it works out in the end. Or so it is to be hoped.
June 10, 2019 at 12:41 pm |
Same here, but none of these were that type. I enjoy telling stories about the, uh, well, “interesting” ones, but as they said on the old Dragnet TV series, “the names have been changed to protect the innocent.”
June 10, 2019 at 10:10 am |
I too will be alone starting Wednesday as the smarter half buzzes back to Kentucky to help an ailing Mother. Walking Duffy, riding bikes, playing guitar, and watching movies will probably be the way most days are spent. Not bad for an older guy, heh? I don’t like it much really. But, life gets in the way sometimes.
The Nobilette looked good at the Santa Fe ride. Put an extra coat of wax on it for me.
June 10, 2019 at 12:38 pm |
These better, smarter halves know better than to stay put 24/7 with the worser, dumberer halves. Absence makes the heart grow fonder, don’t you know.
June 10, 2019 at 2:58 pm |
Word.
June 10, 2019 at 10:20 am |
Another vet appointment today. Have mostly been failing to get cat cooperation when it comes to pulling one of them. Oh and my landline phone has been spoofed which is causing headaches. That actually pales to the kitty problems and issues.
June 10, 2019 at 10:21 am |
Pilling
June 10, 2019 at 12:43 pm |
I’m sorry to hear it, Libby. Ailing critters are a heartbreak. To people you can say, “Aw, suck it up, you’ve still got nine fingers. What? OK, so you’ve still got eight fingers.”
Speaking of missing fingers, I’m not looking forward to the day when I have to pill the Turk. Even the vets are scared of him.
“No, really, he’ll be fine. Just get him the hell out of here. No, no charge. I don’t suppose he’ll let me have that finger back? Well, never hurts to ask.”
As regards phones, I feel your pain. No landline here, but I get a half dozen jive calls a day on the iPhone, plus two or three texts. I’m giving serious consideration to croaking my service. Get a CB radio for the Furster and use the old iPhone as a sort of iPod Touch. Breaker breaker good buddy gotcher ears on? Whatcher twenny?
June 10, 2019 at 12:08 pm |
Saw 25° in Leadville and Steamboat. Winter is fun when you’re expecting it, not so much when you just got done planting annuals and fixing sprinkler lines.
June 10, 2019 at 12:47 pm |
Those surprise hailstorms are the bits I don’t like. We got more than a few of those in May and June. The Fearsome Furster still sports a few dents from the bad old days when it had to live outdoors.
June 10, 2019 at 1:22 pm |
Geesh, PO’G: You’re indoors pushing pixels; cyclists are indoors doing Peloton and Zwift et al; the Fearsome Furster is indoors; etc. What’s a womanly woman/manly man to do nowadays?
I took a 1 1/2 hour hike with our grand-daughters OUTSIDE. Covered a highly aerobic/anaerobic and maniacal 1 1/4 miles .. forgot to mention they’re 3 and 2 years old … discovered lots of grasses, mud, butterflies, birds, geese, pebbles, ponds, etc. Windy as the dickens — 41 F; but some real troopers. Also got my “carry the little ones” workout in too as a bonus! 🙂
Libby: Best wishes on the cat pilling and landline.
June 10, 2019 at 11:36 pm |
Dude! You Rock!!
June 10, 2019 at 1:30 pm |
Man, I can’t deal with the wind in pollen season. The air was getting positively chewy yesterday. Thus I decided to take a break in place today and let the wind blow itself out.
I did manage 135 miles last week, so I figure a day off won’t kill me.
Well done on hiking with the squirts. I love watching the neighbor kids tear around on their scooters and striders. Absolutely fearless, and they don’t holler much when they fall over.
June 10, 2019 at 1:12 pm |
Since the weather here in SoWisc had finally dried up a bit, I’m catching up on miles. I’ve been getting lots of chuckles telling folks I joined an imaginary racing team when I roll up in my OGWGFIW (v2) jersey.
June 10, 2019 at 1:28 pm |
Imaginary friends are the best kind. They never ask to borrow your truck.
June 10, 2019 at 2:54 pm |
I need to get the v2 jersey for my nephew. I guess he qualifies for an honorary spot on the old guys imaginary team. What say you, Patrick? I mean you are the head old guy sorta kinda. Should we let him in?
June 10, 2019 at 5:24 pm |
You may pipe him aboard. I was under 40 when I sent this little pirate fleet to sea. You know what they say about getting old: You gotta start young.
June 10, 2019 at 11:38 pm |
My Imaginary friend won’t talk to me anymore…
June 12, 2019 at 8:13 am |
But I need to borrow HIS truck!
June 13, 2019 at 3:34 pm |
I got caught walking in the open during the worst of that storm in Dallas and I have the cuts and bruises to prove it. Walking from the bus stop to where the D&D group I play with was meeting, barely sprinkling when I got off the bus, but before I could get the walk signal to cross the street it was a deluge, then the traffic signal went out and we had 70 MPH winds and white-out rain, mixed with nickle to quarter sized hail and tree debris. Flash flooding up to my calves and I could have sworn there was an F0 tornado passed over me because I was getting hit in the back and face at the same time.
But I’m getting better.