A friends passing....

I received this email today, and I must say that it brought a tear to my eye. I have a fond place in my heart for animals, especially dogs, they are after all man's best friend. They are the most loyal and loving friends that we have.

"I just thought I would let you all know as I’m over here enjoying myself, I am also losing one of my dearest friends I have ever had today. Lewis is being laid to rest tonight for a list of conditions and terms that are too long to list here. Just thought I would let you know."

kevin

Attached was this photo, it was taken at least a few years ago and surely must have been a great day on Galbraith. Lewis you are in our thoughts tonight.... On a side note I took Tanner(one of my dogs) to the woods today and we had a blast in the muck and mud....as I am sure Lewis had done more than once....

I know I keep saying this....

I'm busy...I can't seem to find time to post regularly....or have much to say on the bike front these days...I seem to spend more time at work or in front of this computer trying to keep up with all the projects that I have going...Seattle Beer Week is a job in unto itself...I try to ride and put that as a priority over updating this here blog...

I also keep saying that I need to take more pics...the old digital camera is just bulky and also seems to have been injured one to many time and doesn't seem to be taking the best clear pics....I got a nice new 2009 squishy fork for my bike...it is sitting in the living room leaning against the wall, looks nice there too.

So on the riding front I have been keeping them under the 3 hour mark as of late, the weather has been great if a little cold and today it decided to rain a bit and give us a more Northwest feeling in our bones than the snow, or cold and sunny weather that has been fairly prevalent this winter. I did get in to the whole facebook thing and that certain is a major time waster...fun at times but man does it just eat up time.....

Brouwer's, the bar I work at, will soon have some very nice bike courtesy of one of my favorite people, although he does pick road rides over mountain bike rides and I don't really understand that... I plan on making mine a totally hipped out with white rims and all...it is my tribute to the hipsters here in Seattle cause I am so unhip....

So hopefully sooner than later i will update with pics of the rides and all or at least a few more words on a regular basis, but as the saying goes " a picture is worth a thousand words" so two pics would take care of a few weeks worth or these drawn out words....

I missed the Old Pueblo race...I need to get away to the warm temps....

yes its been awhile...and I have a special talent

That title says all you need to know about the last month or so of my life or maybe it is just an illustration of things that have been going on for much, much longer than that. I received a phone call from my good friend Kevin the other day. He said and I think I quote,"Looking your bike over, it needs a bit of TLC, it seems like the deeper I dive in to this the more I am struck with the idea that you should buy a new bike at the first of the year and at the end of the year throw that bike in the trash and buy an new one....." That is my special talent, it appears that in his brief or not so brief look at my bike he uncovered many, many issues and things that I am not sure many people have seen. We had already taken the bent rigid fork off, he found a cracked king headset, the bottom cup was instead of one piece, two, the Phil Wood Ti square taper bottom bracket was toast, the chain ring was toast, the White Industry cranks had pushed all the way on, so I went back to my old XT's...the list goes on. It appears that I have a special talent for putting parts to the test. Anyone need a tester. On that note I am testing for Boa Technologies ...and I love the lacing system. I really should have photos of all the things I go through, or maybe I could just put up a side bar with all the items used throughout the year. Last winter I must have gone through 4 outboard bearing bottom brackets, and once had a friend that works for an unsaid bearing manufactur say that he had never seen such distruction...he is one of my favorite riding partners and has been along on a lot of said rides, although his ride always seems to be running fine....There that is my special talent, I will find the breaking point of a product or my own body and and mind...which if you have followed this blog you know I have done in the past. What have I learned from all this, not so sure....I have learned that the northwest is not kind to a rider who gets out in it....the grime has a way of getting in to everything, including a chamois but then again that is a whole other story and I will save it for another day....I did get a tax return and plan to buy a camera and take more pics of life in general.....Oh and in all of this, work and play, I decided that I needed and wanted to be part of the founding Members of Seattle Beer Week....mark your calenders cause it is going to be one hell of a week, or should I say 10 days....