Another Grey Day

Well, at least it is warm out!


I took advantage of the warm temperatures this morning to install the Groom Insurance Mural. With my buddy Kurt's help, we popped the topper off my truck, and wrestled the mural from my home, to its place downtown. We took down the old fence, and put up the new muralized one in no time at all. Thanks Kurt!




With that done, it was time to paint! I went right down to Market Square at high tide, and set up with the view looking out at the wharf, to the south-west. Another grey sky made for some muted light conditions. In the distance, the coast of Maine can be seen peeking out from behind Navy Island, which dominates the middle-ground of this composition.



Afterwards, I grabbed the single speed to test my fitness on Greenlaw Mountain for the first time this year. This is by far the earliest that I have ever been able to bike up the mountain, and it felt great to do some hard climbing on my favorite ride. The skiing I did this winter served me well, and I would say my fitness is up, compared to most springs. I suffered, but you always suffer on a single speed... and made it up without stepping off. Coming back down the mountain was, as always, awesome!

I hope to get out for a ride in the morning, we'll see what the weather holds in store.

Geoff

Summer?

Poof!!! Another summer gone!!
So where did July go? I can't believe how fast this summer is going. And the weather this last month has been terrible - never seen so much rain. Despite all that, there have been some high points... here it goes!
The first couple of weeks of July were split between painting at the studio, and an outdoor rec course I led at Sunbury Shores Arts & Nature Centre. The class involved full days of mountain biking, hiking, kayaking, and climbing. Everyone made it out alive, and lived to tell the tale.
Then there was the pool. We put a little pool in; and with it came a fence, deck, landscaping, planters, plants, and pretty much an entire re-design of the backyard and poof - another 2 weeks gone.

It is the best thing we've done for ourselves in a long time.

We had some nice visits from friends and family that allowed me to play tour guide a bit (I like that), and we all took a bit of time to enjoy a few meals, sunsets, and glasses of wine in good company.

I have also started a new mural in town. It depicts the 1604 landing of explorer Champlain on St Croix Island. I've made some progress, and am now waiting on paint before any more gets done.

The response so far has been favorable.


All work and no play makes Geoff a dull boy, and I've been playing lots, despite the weather (and a bad knee....that I don't want to think about). Been doing a lot of riding, and things are only this last week starting to dry out.



What a mudfest it has been on the east coast this year. One memorable ride we did with the off-kilter boys was in Fog City (Saint John). We were riding in such a downpour that by the end of the ride we almost had to stop and walk because we couldn't see anymore. You couldn't tell where the sky and ground met. Very rainforest!

My health has been great, and the rest of the family is happy and strong; my wish is the same for all...

Peace,
Slats

No Time and Off-Kilter

What a crazy month! I've been pulled in many directions this past month, and am just now starting to see some results from my efforts. Most of my time has been chewed up in three different areas: the trails; commissioned art; bikes.

Trails

I've been building trails for a number of years, but this year I've had some unexpected help. The town of St. Andrews has provided manpower, tools, and funding to put a big push on so all the trails can be linked together in the area. This gives us 20 km of trails within the town limits... pretty cool! It has eaten into my "creative" time, but it has been worth it.

Commissioned Art

Also this month I've had a number of commissions to get done. Two were "art piece signage" for some new businesses to town. Both took more time than expected because of the damp weather we have been having. (It just has taken forever for things to dry). I also have two new murals to paint in town. One is a historic piece depicting the landing of French Explorers on St Croix Island. The other will be smaller; a subtle little art piece on a fence between two buildings downtown. I'm using Hank (Andrea's Dad) as the focal point... a man leaning on a rail in an alley. I'm looking forward to better weather to start both.

Bikes

I've been riding lots, and so has everyone else. Unfortunately, the basement has been full all month of bike repairs. My "fix everyones' bike for free" policy is starting to wear a little thin. I think some are taking advantage of a good thing. I'm going to think on it a bit, but I may have to start charging something. It is really cutting into my time.
Something fun that is bike-related that happened this month... Off-Kilter. I started a MTB club that wears kilts! I've designed a mountain bike kilt that is made by a master kilt-maker right here in town. It is in the New Brunswick tartan, and is worn over bike shorts. The membership is growing already; soon everyone on a mountain bike in St Andrews will be Off-Kilter!


Fight the good fight...
Slats

Superbowl Ride On St George Island

I thought that turning out a few 'intervals' before the game might be a good idea, so I took off this morning for a ride out to the park on the end of the island.




I left the knobbies on to take in the sandy trails of the State Park; you would never get anywhere on road tires!




The first 10 km I cruised at a 3/4 effort pace to warm up; this took me to the gates of the park, where I fumbled around in my pockets to find the dollar bill that gets you in. Once that was done, the interval work began.



I do intervals on or off road, about twice a week. They drastically increase your 'horsepower' if you are honest with yourself about what is 100% effort. They give me the 'gas in the tank' on the trail to put in hard efforts when I need to, and then recover quickly. Today they went like this...




From the gates of the park to the campground trails is about 6 km. During this time, I ride 30 second intervals that alternate between 100% max effort, and half effort spinning. You start out strong, but trust me, half way through it becomes mental. This is where it is important to stay the course if you want to see improvement.




When I got to the campground, I took a break from the intervals, and cruised the sandy trails of the park.




The 10km out-and-back trail system isn't as easy as it sounds. It is all loose sand, and requires some power in spots to keep moving. It is a nice mix of tall pines with dense underbrush. A lot of 'birders' take these trails at a walk, and are usually pissed when you come up on them. They are never a very happy lot!

Back in the campground, it's a spin passed the campers to the main road, and then more intervals until the park gates. From there, it is a nice 3/4 effort spin for the last 10 km back home.


Make sure that you give the body time to recover after hard efforts like intervals. Remember that rest is an equal partner with effort, on the trail to getting stronger!


Game on...


Slats

Night Ride Tallahassee....I've seen the light!!

Last night, I took part in the weekly Tuesday night shop ride that leaves from Higher Ground.



We left at 6:30pm, just as things were getting dark. Seven of us took part, and it turned out to be a nice moderate pace, with little stopping; just as a good shop ride should be.



We were out for a couple of hours. What was special about this ride, however, was that I was the only one running a halogen light system. For the last 5 years, my Solo Logic L&M has done me just fine. I have 2 batteries, and so I can get about 4 hours of runtime at 12 watts (the high beams). I'm used to the 'yellow' colour the light emits. Everyone else on the ride was running LED light systems. LED stands for Light Emitting Diode, the latest in MTB lighting technology. Not so much a bulb, but a piece of electronic circuitry, these lights are vastly superior to any halogen system. In fact, I could follow a rider with a LED system, without even turning my light on! The white light they give off cut through all the shadows of the trail; they are more durable than a traditional bulb system; they require less power and therefore last much longer; kind of a no-brainer. The price for this level of technology is high, but if you spend alot of time riding in the dark...



I don't, so for now I'll just follow those who have seen the light.

A Ride In Tallahassee

Yesterday morning I brewed up some coffee, made some tea for Andrea, tickled the baby, and left early for a ride in Tallahassee. I seem to have fallen into this pattern... it goes something like this.

I head off the island for Tallahassee at about 6 am listening to Bob and Tom in the morning, and sipping coffee. I pass through Eastpoint, Carrabelle, Sopchoppy, and Crawfordville before arriving on the outskirts of Tallahassee at about 7:30am.

Then I hit the Capital Circle Waffle House for some breakfast. I noticed on the back of my bill this time that the busiest day for the restaraunt is Christmas Day. This is a tradition for a lot or southern families, and I think I'd like to make it mine next year!

Then it is off to Starbucks to pick up a coffee. I don't drink this coffee, I save it for after the ride.

I park at Higher Ground Bicycle Co and get myself organized for some riding. These rides are typically 2 or 3 hours (depending on the route), so I don't load myself down. An extra tube, minipump, water, and cell phone are typically it. And then I'm off.

The rides begin with a short trip through a 1960's subdivision to the Fern trail; a connector trail that takes you from the city centre to Tom Brown Park. In Tom Brown I hop on the Magnolia Trail ( the locol race loop), which spits me out after a couple of miles on the best part of the system....The Cadillac Trail. This section is a nice mix of pure speed and technical, with some ups and downs thrown in for good measure. When I've gone as far "out" as the Cadillac will take me, I rip down the "hill of death",and head across the levee to the old horse farm on the other side of the tracks. Here I do a couple of laps of the farm. It must be at least 150 acres, and was donated to the city as parkland a few years back. It is a nice mix of rolling fields and open forest paths; not technical, but scenic. Then it is back across the levee, up the hill of death, and then everything in reverse until I'm back at Higher Ground.

I then cool down, change, and head into the bikeshop to heat up my coffee and chat with the boys about everything bikes. All in all, not a bad way to spend a morning!

The Morning Ride

I put a few miles in this morning...I had to catch up after yesterday's brush with consumerism( shopping!!). I rode out to the state park on St George Island, and was feeling good, so on the way back I decided to head across the bridge for Eastpoint and then Apalachicola.



The views are great from the bridges; you can look down on the oyster fishermen working the bay and see dolphin searching for thier next meal. Pretty cool!
In Apalachicola I popped into the Cafe Con Leche for a quick coffee...then back on the road to the island.The road tires on the bike make a huge difference....the problem is that athough I'm faster, I no longer have tall enough gearing to keep up!
I don't plan on spending too much time on the road, so I'll deal with it.
It has turned into a pretty nice day; I think I'll talk the family into spending a couple of hours walking on the beach. I think there are some shells with our names on them. Painting can wait a bit.