capacitor

so my very nice almost neighbor came by to check out the a/c

it was determined that i need a capacitor
mine looked like a swollen coke bottle was the description
so now that i know that this could be the issue the crazy heat doesnt seem quite as bad..
of course still no workout today and probably not tomorrow...

Code Orange Air Quality

That is the forecast for today...  It generally means the temps will be high and the heat index will make it even higher...  I am focusing on this because as of last night the my A/C just wasnt kicking in.  I wouldnt be so concerned if it was just me.  But with the pup it is concerning to leave him in this heat.  Turns out my mom will hang out a few days longer to help out.  Sounds silly maybe but I have 2 day long meetings this week and on the road for 4 days next week so I really need my 3 days of office time over the next 2 weeks so taking the time to sit around and wait for the repair guy is just difficult and out of the question.
The heat hasnt been that bad.  Shoot when I lived in BDA I rarely used A/C.  And growing up we did not have A/C.  The impact has been on my sleep - more the racing brain of what's wrong and what will that cost be.  That was more daunting than any heat.
The other aspect of the heat that has an impact...  I did not get up to run this morning.  I wasnt sure I would be able to get that body temp down enough.  PLUS I didnt want the alarm to go off too early if my mom had trouble sleeping in the heat.
I suppose a run will have to happen late this evening after the sun has gone down etc...
Now to get ready for the work week.

Cane Creek Park

I was thinking the paths would be trackable via one of the various mapping services on-line.  Instead I got 3 really nice satellite versions of the park but no real look at the trails.

View Larger Map
The web-site has a link to a map of trails.
http://co.union.nc.us/Portals/0/Parks/Documents/park_map.pdf
We walked some of the yellow trail - the part that goes along the water.
Then merged on to the red trail to get in a longer walk.
It was a much different workout than the previous workouts this week. 
The slow hiking pace and navigating the terrain and the hills requires a little different amount of concentration and agility. 
It made for a nice morning walk and something different.
I go there once every year or so.  It has been some time since I was there last.
I am glad we went.

lazy pool time

that was how we spent the rest of this holiday weekened....  floating around the pool for a little bit, lounging by the pool... and now we wait for some grilled bbq chicken, roasted veggies and cole slaw....
tomorrow it is back to the AM run!

morning run

i thought i had been sharing these and realised they were not unlocked let alone not even posted..


this morning we ended up going to Cane Creek Park and walking 3.75miles over a combination of the yellow and red trails...  it was warm and a bit muggy and a bit buggy...  We saw a dad with his daughter riding horses and anothe couple walking their dalmation puppy.  Most others were sitting by the water near picnic sites with the grills starting for the day's festivities.

NOW what to do with the rest of our day.
Laundry sounds like it wil be in the works... as does some lazy day casual pool time...

casualty

and in the rushing through the locker room....  i wasnt thinking clearly...
30+ minutes, 720 yards, sauna, and shower later...  i realised that i still had my heart rate monitor on...
now the watch is waterproof but the actual HRM strap - not too sure...
it looks to be working but it surely did NOT track any heart rate during the swim...
i am more of a take your own pulse swim person...
we'll see how it goes tomorrow...
when i replaced my watch last year i think they sent me another HRM but I dont know where i hid it...

10 miles down

the alarm went off again this morning at 530.... i knew the gym wouldnt be open until 9 so i knew i didnt really have to rush...  didnt realise however in the middle of the dreaming that i had actually turned the alarm off and had gone back to sleep...  so i got up closer to 7... and that too seemed to take longer than anticipated...  who knows why but i got to the park around 830 and i did in fact cover that 10 mile strip again...  i was nervous that i wouldnt
today the green light genies werent on my side this morning - sure i got through most of the lights without event i DID have to come to a complete stop at the last night... and THEN i sat there and had to watch that the only light turning green for my direction was the green left arrow...  i watched it twice and on the third just blew through the light once the car turning across from me was done...
the hills seemed more daunting today - could say that for sure... will have to go back to MMR this afternoon and track those elevation counts...

from there i went to the pool

when i got there 2 of the 3 lanes were occupied - that always makes for a rushed and stressed transition to swimwear... i hate walking out of the locker room ready to swim only to find i need to share a lane...  but somehow during the change time all that changed - the pool was EMPTY by the time i walked out
today i did the 720yards again.. for now that seems achievable with my focus on cycling and running...

Observations from the road...

yesterday's ride was on a longer stretch of road than i have done before - at least in training mode...
and it was a lot of fun...  once i got out on the main road - well that first left turn onto the road and the slight hill is a doosy...  there is a bend before there so you are always conscientious of the cars that will be zooming around it... and then you are on that slight incline so your own pace is a little slow...  but once you get moving it is good...
i also realised that the road that i wanted to try the most has a pretty good shoulder/almost bike lane on it... so that was nice - and of the 6 traffic lights i had to go through only one gave me a little bit of trouble by being red... 2 others were right on red situations...  2 others were better pedal faster to ensure you make it through the light... and 1 was a total non event...
i think some of noise from the cars as i cycle dont seem as dauting because of the whole scooter thing - maybe maybe not...  i was surprised that there were so many cars out at that hour on a holiday weekend
obvioulsy today I am getting a later start so that should prove interesting to day the least
i saw a man wearing a shrek cycle jersey - funny thing MGV said at work on Friday that she thinks Wayne Rooney looks like Shrek without the green skin...  that made me smile as the guy rode by
i also saw the Kohls coming soon sign on Tom Short road where that huge new building is going up
and the cicadas are no longer a distraction
now enough procrastinating... gonna finish this coffee, pack up the gym bag and be on my way...
the bike - i left that on the car from yesterday - good thinking - i know...

ride

I covered about 10 miles on the bike this morning.  Came out of the park - went from Marvin Road to Ardrey Kell around to Tom Short and back to the park.  I rode in the park for the 2 miles... for a total of 10.
I was going to run as well but it was starting to drizzle again so opted to just go to the gym to swim.
Glad I did because i had just enough time to do 9x4 before some crazy water aerobics class started...
Only 1020 - now what to do with the rest of the day...

View Larger Map

change in plans...

everyone says that it is best to get a training or a workout buddy... i have never been one for that because i am typically not as athletic as the next person and dont really rise to the challenge of someone doing better than me (at least in athletics) so i typically fall back...  i do much better when i push myself - and maybe i dont push myself as much as i could - but i do an OK job with it...
however i have consistently done a number of these races with one of my friends
we do OK training together but it is never as intense or as frequent as we anticipate when we first sign up for a race...  sadly i do have a bit more flexibility with my training when i am home - no other family members to cart around to sporting events etc...  but also i do travel alot so that flexibility isnt as great when sitting in a hotel room night after night...
so i am pretty intent on getting in lots of training this weekend and next...
the following week i will have access to a hotel gym treadmill and a pool - so that may not be sooo bad...
later in the month - i will have access to a rental car and hopefully satellite radio as i spend my free time on long drives through a state from one location to another...  there will be little training on that jaunt!
right now i am waiting for the sun to come up a wee bit more to determine if it will be a road ride today or a gym ride.. it was raining when i first let the dog out but thinking it could have been the last of the rain drops..

it is RAINING!!!

so today i was sitting in the office and noticed that dark storm clouds looked to be rolling in
but nothing ever happened... just dark clouds... so i called the gym
is the pool pH fixed and is it open?  YES
what is the storm policy?  is the pool closed when it is storming?  NO POLICY ALTHOUGH IT WOULDNT BE WISE TO SWIM IF THERE IS LIGHTENING...
of course I wont go to the gym to swim if it is storming but what if it is just raining... will someone clear the pool if it starts to storm?  that HAS happened to me a few times at the Y so i was just curious... but as always didnt feel like the guy that got stuck answering the phone felt the need to be too service oriented.. generally i am OK with that...
HAH - didnt realise that it was already storming in that part of town..
within an hour of my phone call it was in fact storming and the rain was torrential on the drive home...

SO tomorrow I am supposed to be at the pool (an outdoor pool) at 730AM to swim...
UGH that is going to be so cold!!!!
thinking I will throw the bike on top of the car as well...
ask me again tomorrow how it went
before the futbol game at 2pm

now a 3 day weekend

just a few weeks back i was whining that i wish there was a 3 day weekend...  and look now here one is...  not much on the agenda but that's OK with me...
Ideally I would like to swim/bike/run all 3 days...   just not sure it will be in line with anyone else's agenda
Cooking out may happen but again, not sure if that will make the list...
hmmmm

this morning's run went well - it was a little chilly in comparison - storms overnight chilled it down just a little bit...  the good news about the run - with consistently running the neighborhood i can more easily see areas of improvement  in the run... 
now dont laugh all you runners...  all runs were over a tenth of a mile...  which is good for me

No Yo Ho...

everyone cancelled on the movies... 
so i ate like a bird all day - OK I didnt eat like a bird - I ate like I have been all week - snacking graizing
but my highlight for the day was to be salad and popcorn at the movie
without the movie there was no popcorn
and without the drive to the movie no salad
let's do something closer to home -- so we went up the street and had nachos -- they were OK but not on the no carb healthy eating quest!!!  and neither was the beer...
or the cookies when I got home...
now contemplating - do I run again?  not too sure why - perhaps just boredom
and disappointment in the change in plans... so why not go out and run again - too dark to ride and well do I really need to address yet again my fear of swimming in the dark...
calistenics maybe
yoga maybe...

hmmmmmmm..... definitely must be boredom...

no carbs

Ahhhhh - I never think to buy chips... but others do.... and I never have any will power...
Last night was sour cream and chive pringles, cookie and cheese puffs.  Cheese puffs?  really?  I didnt know people really bought them but.... my mom does....
Need MORE will power!
Of course I will get pop corn at the movies tonight so...

Note almost observed

Well I went to bed around 10 instead of 9.  I helped friends out last evening to watch their kids while they went out to pick up a new swingset.  So besides the lifting of the 2 year old and the 4 month old there was little to be called a workout last night.  That's OK it was already lining up to be a rest day.
I didnt get home until 9 so going to bed right then just didnt fall into place.
I gave myself a little positive pep talk this morning when the alarm went off at 530AM and got out for a run. 
And I am glad I did it.... I covered longer distances in some of the runs - which is a continual improvement for me.  I hope that this continues and by race day in a little over 6 weeks it will all come together to finally do more run in the run...
Tonight is BRIXX and Pirates night.  We'll see how that goes.
Tomorrow needs to be another AM run.  And need to think about what to do with my after work workout...
Saturday KP's pool opens so we are headed out there at 730AM to hit the lanes...
The sun is up by 6AM so I am trying to convince myself to ride my bike to her house.  I am just not all that keen to ride home again...  And some of those hills...
But what a sense of accomplishment that will be if I do....

Note to self

If you are going to get up at 530 in the morning to go running you need to go to bed earlier than 11pm...  Now I know the DWTS finale was a whole different time slot than you expected.  BUT tonight - try going to bed closer to the 9pm hour so you CAN run in the morning....

And now that you havent run this morning - WHAT are you going to do for a workout?
We are doing salmon and roasted brussel sprouts for dinner so I need to be home for that.  So maybe it will be a gym outing after?  I havent done that before.  Maybe I will do a run or ride around the neighborhood?  Or to the delight of some friends - yoga? 

but first the work day...

Back in the water

So I packed up my gym bag this monring.  2 suits, 2 goggles, 2 swim caps, 1 towel, 1 flipflop, contacts, hair-tie.  And I made the bold effort to leave the office a little after 5pm.  I struggle with that one all the time.  I got a repreive from a meeting tomorrow so it feelins like I have gained an additional 8 hours tomorrow.  So I headed to the gym.
Walking up to the counter to have my membership card scanned... I look down.... POOL TEMPORARILY CLOSED...  ugh!  Well you can still stay and work out - the girl at the desk says.  Um, that would be great if I had anything else in the bag EXCEPT swimwear...  But since I did not pack for that...  I left...
Called SH - so how's YOUR pool's water temperature today since the pH balance at the gym is off.  84F.  SO I head home, switch into the new suit.  Grab the new goggles, pink swim cap, flipflops, sunglasses and head up the street....
One of my suit purchases are styled after boardshorts so why throw on shorts... well about half way on the walk I decided the lack of shorts was making me quite conscientious.  And then I started fretting over the feel in the water.  What could be worse than a huge wedgie - yes I said wedgie - while swimming?!  The whole trunks falling down - phew drawstring.  Some other variation of clumping fabric... OH JUST GET IN THE WATER ALREADY!!!!
So I did.  Given the length of the pool I did more of a timed swim than a distance swim.
3 minute breast stroke to warm up
3 minute right side breathing - hmmm, since the first time I swam in this pool, my push off the wall and subsequent stroke have improved (heck this is the 4th summer of training) and the pool seemed a bit short all of a sudden... it is a shorter pool but this is the first time it became noticeable to me.... change direction !!!  now, swimming diagnol
3 minute left side breathing - and WOW that didnt seem as difficult either - must be the new suit and goggles...
Fast swimming drills
Lengths of underwater swimming
Breast stroke cool down...
It was a nice first time out.  I was impressed with my endurance.  Even happier with my enthusiasm.
And imagine my surprise when I went back to review my Garmin to determine I was last in the pool in NOVEMBER!  It must be prior to Thanksgiving and all the other stuff that happened at the end of the year.
So I will hang up this suit and yuck out another and try it all again tomorrow.
YAY ME!

Happy Bermuda Day!

For those of you curious to know more...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bermuda_Day

So I woke up this morning at 3:30am - YUCK! - and tossed and turned for at least an hour.  Salt from dinner?  Forget to kick the A/C down?  train creash down the road?  Maybe a combination of all 3.
http://www.wsoctv.com/news/28001959/detail.html
It is a ways down but I suspect if there were whistles I sure would have heard them.

When the alarm went off at 530 there was just no way to motivate to hit the pavement. 
But that's OK - I thought I would make today the day that I DO get back in the water.
We have leftovers for dinner so there wont be that debate of what to eat and having to be home in time to eat.  And I did just buy that new suit...  So pack the bags and head on over to UA after work.
WISH ME LUCK!

and to celebrate - sadly in the no-carb quest I may have to have a goslings and coke... hmm...  may need to buy a lime

La Roux-ing

http://www.larouxonline.com/
When I ride (trails only) and run over the weekend, I usually do not have a consistent signal on my phone to listen to Pandora.  It really isnt a big deal because I do have more than enough songs downloaded on my phone and listen to those songs instead.
HOWEVER, in the morning runs I do get a signal for Pandora.  And as much as I like to think I listen to a good mix - it is only a few channels that get a into the shuffle.
This morning started with Take That but let's be honest - there arent oo many boy band songs that have the beat/tempo/message that keeps me moving forward.  From there went on to Mt. Desolation - that's just an effort to continue to get me acclimated to the band.  Still not sure about their quest for some country song mix.
So as usual found myself with La Roux.  And when the random La Roux station throws in a spare Goldfrapp - oh a good run... 
Now with house guests - how to get that evening workout into the mix....

.002453666666666666.021555555555.0217845021.9586320.0

OOoops - cleaning off the number pad of the computer and it gets recorded when the computer is on...
So much for trying to watch Criminal Minds, surf the internet, take my vitamins and contemplate my next post...  Of course when they sample The Black Keys for the season premier of The Glade you can get distracted...
Found myself in need to a new bathing suit yesterday.  I know I have rambled on this before.  Leaning up against the side of the pool between sets.  And the continual use of the suit in swims.  Has worn through more suits in the past 3 years than that lone black bathing suit that lasted me for what seemed like years. 
I spent a good amount of hours reviewing swimsuits on all sorts of web-sites last night.  Swimoutlet.com, TYR, Speedo, Dicks Sporting Goods...  Know I wasnt sure about the sizing so went to the store this aftenoon. 
Thankfully I found a suit that I liked and some new bottoms to go with the splice that I really like.  So all good on the suit front.  Now to get in the water.

 
I KNOW I said something about getting a tri suit or a tri bottoms BUT... like the bike upgrade I just havent gotten myself around to that...  so thought a new suit OH and some new goggles would be a good start.

Observations from the road...

So it was nice to wake up this morning and feel well rested and refreshed...  Slightly different feeling than yesterday's Modelo Negro morning - thanks again R+C for the entertainment on Friday...  I lay there knowing the sun was coming up and that it was still earlier than I wanted to get up - even though early was on my agenda. 
I run through thoughts of running in my head...
I could get up right now and run through the neighborhood and just be done with it... BUT the hills and I are still in training mode so I may not get the distance in that I want to get it.  AND the neighborhood run is really for workweek AM runs not Sundays.  AND then what will you do with the bike portion.
And then I think about the bike portion.  What ground do I want to cover today.
The next thing you know time has gone by.  Now not as early as I had planned.
And then coffee sounded good.  Coffee always sounds good in the morning.  It just doesnt lend itself all that well with the workout get on the road first thing agenda.  Those that dont drink coffee...  probably face the morning get on the road first agenda better than me...  I would have to ask.
So the pup and I do make some coffee AND oh fun pay some bills...
NOW it is definitely later than anticipated and I have to get my butt in gear.  So I do what I know works best - stop thinking about it, get the bike up on the car, drive away.
On the drive over I had given myself a repreive today.  I would not ride on the road.  I would stay on the greenway and practice the in and out of the saddle stuff - since out of the saddle comes as naturally to me as left side breathing.
http://www.charmeck.org/mecklenburg/county/ParkandRec/Greenways/OpenGreenways/Documents/Six_Mile_Creek_Greenway.pdf
And then somewhere after mile 2 (or the first lap) I thought - well just go out there a little bit if you can and see what you can do.  So I just went out to Ballanmoor (or at least that's what I think the sign said) and back.  It added a few miles - maybe 3 - to my ride.
Along the way I noticed, the cicadas had quieted down since the previous 2 weeks but there were a lot more dead ones on the path...  there was a dead squirrel in the road being pecked at by turkey vultures - good thing about the out and back road ride - got to witness that carnage twice...  there was a really cute pug being walked by his master - I always wonder how Bacchus didnt end up with as many rolls as other pugs...  no, that is not my bike making a squeaking noise, sadly that was someone's whining, wimpering, yelping dog in the distance...  and lastly why dont people pick up after their large dogs and their droppings? i've noticed they attract butterflies more so than regular flies and it has given me a whole new lack of appreciation for the butterfly...
Some 6.2 (according to MMR) miles and 40 minutes later I transitioned to the run.
I am trying to change my stride to do more of a toe run.  That seemed to work out OK today.
Biggest observation there - my recovery pace in the walk from the run needs to be faster because it does mess with my overall averages.
ahhhhh - 7 weeks until race one
also signed up for another 5k in august...

KP went running with the 11 year olds

I was planning on cycling and running today but breakfast at the restaurant down the road got in the way.  We DID walk there.  A little over a mile round trip.  I had this crazy serving of french toast made with challah bread that was sliced in 2inch slices...  Covered with berries, whipped cream, butter and syrup.  SO NOT on the low carb 17 day diet.  I did have a scrambled egg to get some protein. 
Then we spent a good 2 hours walking around the models at Sun City.  GOSH some of thoes homes are just huge.  It was a nice way to spend the afternoon.
Then the pool excursion.
We will be having pizza a little later so maybe I will run after the sun goes down.

SWIM

Got in the water today.  And did just that.  Walked to the end of the pool at SH's house.  Jumped in.

WHOA!!!  77F was a little chilly

Fishbone - Swim (Official Music Video). Watch more top selected videos about: Fishbone

pictures of races

someone made a comment to me recently about pics from races
i learned last year or so that they do bring a photo team to races that position themselves in almost every nook and cranny
i have had some off pics taken of me - standing around in my suit getting ready to swim...  pulling myself out of the pool from the swim...  that one is just miserable...  struggling on the bike up the hill...
i keep saying i am going to smile throughout the race and then buy a series of pics to frame but truth be told those pics never amount to anything to spend the money on
maybe this year will be the year of the good pic
we shall see

new race to the mix

signed up for another 5k yesterday
it is in august so i suppose i will need to be prepared for some heat during that race
but i knew i needed something after the july tri to keep me motivated
a road race is not as intense as a tri in training but every little bit counts

thanks for the motivation

so tuesday morning i received an email about a recent triathlon and then my friend TC posted a group of songs on FB that she was listening too...  between the 2 it motivated me to get on out of the bed and hit the pavement...  OOoooops, should have looked at the weather before i stepped outside - it was raining.  but i did cover a little over a mile as a result...  i have been thinking of adding the morning run into my mix again for a while now but just have struggled to pull myself out of bed to do it.  now i just have to remember the great sense of accomplishment with the rest of my day as a result to do it again...
OH WAIT - I did do it again.  that would be this morning... 

second loop

today was like yesterday with a few changes....  i went for the bike ride before th baseball game...  i did the same stretch of road that I did yesterday... AND i sure felt my legs a whole lot more than i did yesterday... had to get out of the saddle for that last little hill on Joe Kerr... the reward of course is the down slope on the way back to the greenway
AND i didnt get a run in at the greenway.... LTH called and as I was talking with her I realised it was already 2pm - game starts at 3pm...  no way I could get in 2 miles and a shower and be there in time... UM and the games only go for 60 minutes... so i headed home before the run
I did do a little loop around the neighborhood - short of a mile - to get that leg of the leg workout into the mix
and then off to the game - another difference - well the men lost this game and the crowd wasnt as rowdy...
one thing i had forgotten is the heat and the workouts sure can take a lot out of you
SO I am back on the bandwagon of convincing myself that I like the taste of coconut water and am buying some when it is available to hydrate after the workouts....
tomorrow starts the new work week  -- IN TOWN ALL WEEK!!!  so now to figure out what that means for the workout...  gonna go make a list and agenda to see how well i track it over the next 7 days...

a 3 day weekend would be nice...

of course that would just cater to my procrastination...  not that i havent accomplished much already today...
coffee, church, gas in the car, Lowes, breakfast, weed kill and mulched the front yard...  it's just that NOW I need to motivate and get back on the bike...  I have just had my appropriate mid-day snack to prep for the workout so I really shouldnt backout now... and I did so enjoy my ride yesterday...  just the whole concept of slathering on sunscreen is making me not all that motivated at the moment...  sunscreen is so much more enjoyable when sitting off on the beach...  the exfoliating side effect of the sand and salt water adds to the perk of the sunscreen.... this is just going to be sweat and grime
AND if I can find enough to banter about I could surely lose a half hour and continue to convince myself I dont have enough time to go for a ride before the 3pm S.O. A.V. baseball game...
Or at least get me through the Mumford & Sons song playing on Pandora that I havent heard before....
OK - getting up off the floor and gonna head out that door!

Get on that bike already!

I know I was supposed to be in that water but that is just not clicking at the moment...
So I set my alarm to get up crazy early and go for a bike ride.  Crazy early turned into - ahhh, listen the outside and feel how soft the sheets are and stretch roll over ---oops asleep again...
Then I did make plans to go to LF's baseball game.  it rained on us while we were there... PSYCHE! excuse not to go ride...  but it cleared up and was wonderful by the time the game was over...
You know that thing I talk about about not letting myself think too much on the task at hand and just acting - well that's what I did to get on the road with the bike today...  Go through the motions go through the motions...
AND it worked!  I went to the park - OH shall we talk about that caucophony of cicadas again!  And I went through the neighborhoods near by.  I rode my bike on a main road today that 4 years ago when I started this I would have never expected to ride a bike on.  Shoot 10 years ago the road didnt even connect there.  It was a great little ride.
Followed by 2 miles of running... Mostly running?  Kind of running?  OK - there was a phone call at the beginning of the run that did impede but not really...
I hope to do something similar tomorrow.

and the real world...

Well this week did not develop into a big workout training week.
I left Monday night for ATL for the day.  So that always messes up the workout agenda....  I drove back from ATL late on Tuesday... Again, messing up that day's workout...  Awoke Wednesday morning with no power....  NOW there was a storm in the middle of the night Tuesday.  I walked downstairs put the dog in his crate.  Registered that the thunder was so loud and close that it was making my stemware rattle in the cabinet.  Walked back upstairs and went to bed.  Others have told me that they were up for hours with the storm.  For once my insomnia did not kick in!  thank goodness....
So Wednesday was a late start and did not result in a workout.
Thursday I ...  what did I do Thursday?  Oh, came home to a real meal - ground chicken salad with avocado and tomota... pretty darned good - so much so I had some more this evening...  I was going to donate blood but realised I probably hadnt had enough iron with the day.  Didnt need to be turned away again and freak me out about my health.
Friday was a day trip - you know the tool time trips that start with the alarm at 5am and the car ride starting at 6pm.... 
So a banner week of non-training!!  And there is only 8 weeks until the race.  UGH!!!

Tuesday

we did some final site-seeing.... Spanish Point to see the shipwreck.... since I missed the turn for Daniels Head this is the only other one I could think of...  from there we dropped off a few things at my friend's house....  and did a turbo tour of the botanical garden... didnt really feel like we had enough time to do the whole thing, catch a burger at Ice Queen... return our bike... and catch the ride to the airport... so the micro tour it was....
overall a nice quick visit...
now back to the real world - or at least that which I settle for to be my real world

Monday

Well when you come home and hit the road again and when you are home you have crazy storms and power outages it is hard to stay on top of the story....  So MONDAY we awoke to a crazy wind coming off the harbour.  "Can you ride a scooter on such a windy day?" I was asked.  Um, of course...  Causeway may be an issue however. 
So we took our time getting ready and whatnot...
Ended up stopping at Spittal Pond first.  I always take so many pictures when I go there and I always wonder how things are changed since my previous visit and how I could document that with my pictures.  I have since tried upon returning home and really dont have a good answer.  So we spent a good amount of time there taking pictures and the such.  It turned out to be not so windy on the south side...
From there we went up by Mid Ocean and Tuckers Point and finally lunch at Swizzle Inn COMPLETE with conch fritters and rum swizzles - Mmmm YUMMMY!!!
That is when we worked up our nerve to head on across the Causeway in the wind.  The wind was fine.  BUT DAMN it sure got cold...!!!  OK - chilly... 
We walked around St. Georges for a bit.  Then came back along North Shore - hello WIND what was I thinking - and hit the Aquarium...
We took naps at a friends house... well wanted to see Greyson for a bit and then realised traffic would be too much - so napped there instead...
Finished off the evening with dinner at a friends house....  Baygon and all....

this sunday...

i managed to finish laundry, throw out a bunch more stuff in my attempts to reduce some clutter, ride my bike for 8 miles and run for 2 miles...  watched some of the Wachovia/Quail Hollow/Wells Fargo Championship and get ready for the week...  last Sunday was so much more fun!
there is something to be said for throwing a motor on a bike instead of pedalling

Sunday

our goal was to spend some time on Sunday on the water... it ended up being via ferry to Dockyard - which turned out to be a nice venture...  well first it started with breakfast with friends - unlike the Four Ways brunch over the summer that rendered us useless for the day - this homemade breakfast of french toast and sausage was just right...  and my new fave - fresh fruit and all natural peanut butter with my french toast...  the turkey sausage was pretty darned good too..
from there we scooted into town and caught the ferry over to Dockyard.  i cannot tell you the last time I took my scooter on the ferry with me - UM they changed how that works... so pretty much I carted that damned HEAVY 2 person scooter all over the place around the ferry station trying to find the on ramp - i suppose in comparison to other tourists i didnt look too silly....  and after watching the other toursists that had their bikes on the ferry with me - i can confirm that to be the case
we walked around Dockyard - looked at shops, went to the Maritime Museum...  hung out with the dolphins...  a whole bunch of facts and memories... 
we headed from there to Daniels Head to see the Vixen in her sticking out of the horizon shipwreck glory.... UM but I missed the turn...  so we ended up at Gibbs Hill instead
we walked the whole 185 steps to the top only for KP to NOT go out on the observation ledge with me... I dont know the last time I was up there.  i dont remember being unnerved by the height before - but that's probably because my companions never had that type of reaction - well except my mum but....  we had snacks at the base of the light house... mmmm yummy strawberries, meringue and cream....
from there we picked up some snacks - cheese, crackers, fruit, yogurt for the evening and then went to Elbow...  we were just going to walk the beach and then go to Astwood and Horseshoe but the siren's call of fruity cocktails at Lido got to us and we spent the rest of the afternoon sipping our ONE crazy expensive fruity drink (I never order fruity drinks so I am really not too sure what the going rate is for them these days)...  and then went back to Greenbank/Salt Kettle and had some wine and cheese and crackers with the sunset
By thatt time a colder front had started to blow in...

last saturday

So the alarm went off a little before 5. Now some get up this early on a regular basis with their tri training in mind. I must reinforce if the clock has a 4 on it we can pretty much still consider that to be yesterday. But I figured I would sleep on the flights and possibly get a nap. I was SO wrong!
On the way to the airport I get what my dear friend Tara coined years ago - travelers anxiety. It has very little to do with any outside circumstances except I am going away. It was then that I was informed that those at Friday nights dinner party (I did not attend) thought I hadn't given ourselves enough time. Nothing like the faith of friends talking behind your back to bolster the self confidence. And then the cop car with lights and sirens that thankfully blew by us didn't help either.
I don't know why I doubt myself. We made it with time to spare - time to buy really hot and really large Bojangles coffee.
Hence the adrenalin from the sirens and caffeine from the coffee impeded my typical airplane nap. When we got to Bermuda we were so excited with such a full agenda the nap didn't happen then either. Instead we rented a scooter and headed into town for lunch and some shopping. The salads at Miles were wonderful. The reference in their deli section to one of the chefs - that I just happened to go to high school with - made me smile. The hole in the ground that was Waterloo House made me sad and reminiscent. But that can pretty much be said for a major portion of things in Hamilton. But what should I expect after 20 years.
After shopping and coffee and snack at Albuoys Point we headed home to get ready for dinner. The tiresome part being I had arranged to meet friends for drinks as well. If we didn't play our cards right it would be a really long night and we could regret it later
Thankfully everyone was seen and sanity remained in tact so the objectives of the day were met. Well except for those naps.

well now that i have figured out my pictures...

i suppose i could recap the weekend as well...

try this this way...

the upload feature just wasnt cutting it
so had to upload to fb and then embed the information here...
shared out there as well and it
to be better quality out there...
if i try to flashdrive to play on my tv does that mean that i have crossed over into true geek-dom

on another note - making guacamole for this evening and the "ripe" avocados are seeming more like hockey pucks... NOT HAPPY!  think I'll go try to finish the Rob Lowe book instead

to the gym

that was my thought this morning when i got up... i will hit the road right away.... so i went to let the dog out and could barely see in front of my face, so much for getting on the bike first thing....  gotta let that fog burn off...  so a few cups of coffee, kefir, and an apple later... OH I am still sitting here in the house at my desk...  I GOT SUCKED IN!!!  it could be dangerous all the fun of 130+ pictures and 1500+ songs to edit with them...  I just lost my morning...  I hope everyone enjoys my efforts however...

thank goodness it was only a four day visit and i was just there so the volume of pics was minimal...

ok well i am struggling to get this to upload

possibly too large?

what was i thinking...

so the new computer - ok not that new anymore - has some movie video type features that i have yet to use... so 3 hours later i am still tinkering with the features in an effort to make a movie or video out of my pics from this past weekend... so far it is "OK"... i suspect a 13 year old could probably do this faster and with more pizzazz but... i deal with numbers all day - what do you expect...
now all i have to do is figure out captions and music... maybe will be able to post by the weekend... and then of course i will probably lose an hour trying to figure out how to link or embed in here...  ahhhh technology....

pictures downloaded...

how could i possibly take another 160+ pictures just some 8 months later?  how could i possibly take more pictures some 20 years worth of visits and living?  well i did ....  i think i need to climb into the closet and yuck out all the others to try to see the changes over the years...  of course the biggest changes are the changes in technology and the impact on the quality and storage of the pictures...
think i am gonna try to use the Windows Live thing and make a slide show... in my free time of course...

yesterday was supposed to be the first pool day but my body just said no...
i have meetings today at a client so i am hoping i will be inspired after that to hit the gym....
i need to get my head around the morning bike ride and swimming afterwards
which reminds me i need to remember to comment on all the bikers and runners i saw while on holiday...

flashback....

for those of you that missed out on these posts...
http://bermudafuldream.blogspot.com/
i think my latest update i will just post here instead...
of course those pics wont be downloaded for a while...  i am still trying to unwind a bit....
tonight i am going to spend some more down time with Mr. Lowe and try to get to bed early...