More Weekends

The weekend before Easter weekend, Andrew and Janna came down to visit for the weekend. We went to the St. Patty's Churchhill festival, Hardywood brewery and Station 2 for dinner. We played some disc golf before most of the rain on Sunday too. It was a nice visit. Too short, but we had fun. Kaz's friend Leah came down for the weekend too, so we all hung out and it was good. Here's some pictures:

For Easter weekend, Kaz's brother came for a visit. We hung out at her mom's place for lots of food and games. We made some sweet potato casserole with pear on top. We walked all 5 dogs around the neighborhood in a big hairy drooling tail wagging pack. We also made some chocolate animals for the neighbor and added some flowers.

And here's some random pictures of the dogs.

 

Dogs, dirt and veggies

Here's a few pictures from this past weekend. We put a bunch of herbs in pots and gave some to the neighbor. I also went for a bike ride, went to a Caribbean drinks (Painkillers) party, and the Banff Mountain Film Festival. A busy, fun filled weekend with gorgeous weather. A little studying, and chores got done too. Fun and productive. Hope yours was enjoyable. 

Dogs sunning

Digging up the second bed

Kaz with some compost "tea"

Done beds with lettuce, kale and onions started.

Dogs right after a run. Madison is hiding in the shade of the car. 

My friends dog and new puppy playing with a rope toy

Snowshoe Mar. 2013

I went snowboarding at Snowshoe Mtn this past weekend. Friday night me and 3 other guys loaded up my car and made the night drive to Cass. I have a snowboard rack that I got for dirt cheap from a co-worker, and was excited to put it to good use. But when I tried to put it on top of my car, I realized it didn't fit. Not for any of your standard reasons; the brackets were the correct size/shape/type, but the rack is actually wider than my cross bars. Bummer. I put the roof basket back on top and we were able to store a couple gear bags and snowboards, which worked just fine. Bunjeed and tied down with some old climbing rope, we hit the road.



This was our place in Cass. Plenty of beds, big kitchen, living room and separate dining room. One bathroom. Meh. It was cheap, and I'd recommend it and stay there again.

This was our view from the front porch. I think this was one of the only times it wasn't snowing. It snowed pretty much the entire time we were there. From Friday night through Sunday afternoon, the powder just kept adding up. It was great.

Saturday we started at 9am, took a short break for lunch, and another short break for dinner and left the slopes just before 8pm. Needless to say, we were a little tired. There was talk of a "polar plunge" in the river in front of the cabin, but that didn't happen. Sleep came quickly. Sunday we had to pack up the car, so we didn't get on the slopes until closer to 9:30. With another short break for lunch, we closed the place down at 4:30pm. We grabbed another quick dinner and then headed to the car.

Unfortunately, a light was left on in the car, so the battery was dead when we tried to leave. I'm sure the fact that it was 12 degrees without the wind chill didn't help. Some helpful skiiers tried to jump the battery, but their cables were pretty poor and just weren't proving enough power. Luckily, some other helpful battery jumping folks came by with professional cables and a generator on the back of their truck and got us up and running again. We were able to hit the road by 5:30 and made the windy trip home. When the other guys post some video, I'll be sure to put in on here. It was a ton of fun and look forward to the next time.

Breaking ground

On Sunday the weather was just perfect to get out and starting digging a hole in the ground.... with the intent to make a garden bed of course. Who just digs in the dirt... jeez. Last year Kaz had 1 bed for veggies. This year we'll have two. Double the food fun. We've got tomatoes, sweet peppers and a few herbs growing inside at the moment. Those will get transplanted in a few weeks as well as sweet potato, onion, some squash and maybe parsnips and spinach.

I went for another short trail run on Sunday too. Same place, but slightly longer because the dogs didn't look the least bit tired. I think they could go for about 6 hrs straight. Too bad I'll never want to run for that long. At leat I'm running, as shocking as that is. I'll work up to about 3-4 miles and call it good. If something chases me that far, I guess it'll get me.

Flu, fun, food

Well it's been almost a month since I've posted. I had something akin to the flu for a little bit. I was down and out for a solid 3 days. I got over that, and then seemed to catch something else. Not quite so potent, but longer lasting and irritating. We had a bit of snow a couple weekends in a row. Enough to make things look pretty, but not enough to cancel much.

Riding got put on hold just because of all the precipitation we've been getting on the weekends. Snow or rain which mucks up the trails and I couldn't ride. I've been out a couple times since then though and it's nice to get back on the bike. I busted a pedal last time I was out, which is unfortunate. I actually liked the pedals, and now I have to replace them. There's always something to be done on the bike. If it's not regular cleaning and maintenance, it's replacing or fixing something.

We've had a couple game nights since I last posted too. We always play some other game, which is usually fun, and then we end with "Catch Phrase" which could be the best game in recent memory. It's fast paced, doesn't last too long, is very interactive and exciting. You should check it out. The most recent "other" game we played was Cranium, which I also find to be a ton of fun, for similar reasons. Interactive and a little nerve racking. Both are a really fun way to spend an evening. With a fun group, good food and some wine and spirits, you can have a great time.

I've been reading "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" which is about a family that moves from Arizona to Virginia to live off the land for a year. It's really good and quite inspiring. For Valentine's Day, Kaz got me a seed starting kit, and I got her a cheese making kit. And no, we didn't know what the other was getting, yet both were inspired by the book. I also made dinner of Thai shirmp, and she made a surprise pineapple upside down cake for dessert.  

I hope to have a new post up on www.simplerootstohealth.com shortly about 5 simple exercises for those of us stranded behind a computer 40 hrs a week. Now, I'll leave you with some pictures of the dogs.

Snowy weather

We finally got some snow last weekend in Richmond. It was supposed to be 3-6 inches, but it ended up being more like a really heavy 2 inches. Here's a few pictures. And then a couple photos of Maddog laying in the snow and out playing disc golf. The ground was really wet and soft, so my disc landed like that after a really high throw. We might get some more snow on Friday this week, and it might stick around a little longer if it stays as cold as it supposed to. At 16 degrees this morning, it was colder than we're used to, that's for sure.

Also, if anyone is interested in a couple Thule roof bike racks, I have some available for sale. They are used but in great condition. They have the lock and key to keep the bike secured as well. They are the Big Mouth racks, which hold the bike by the down tube and let you leave both wheels on. The mounts fit round or square roof bars, and I have adapters to fit the aero bars too if you need them. Send me an email if you're interested or tell your friends. One new one costs ~$160 and I'm willing to let the two plus the adapters go for $220. 



Chilly ride and beers

If the weatherman could be fired for being wrong... we'd never have a weatherman. With promises of sunny skies with temps in the mid-60's to 70's we were all psyched for a pretty weekend. We made the best of it anyway. We did a ~22 mile ride on Saturday afternoon, continually hoping that the sun would finally break through the clouds. We were all quite chilled when we finished. We did find a bunch of old "classic" records on the side of the road that I'll try out on my Fisher. Journey, John Mellencamp, Twisted Sister, ZZ Top and a "hits" album of various artist. Hopefully they aren't too scratched up. Here's the beautiful gray sky and damp road we road on. And then a lone cow just standing around chewing on her cud.

Kaz and Jen



Cow

After a big dinner, we met up at Hardywood Brewery with some more friends. We had high hopes, and while we're glad we went, none of the current beers were that great in my opinion. To each their own. It was a good time hanging out.

I finally saw the newest Batman movie. The Dark Knight Rises. I'm pretty easy to please with those types of movies, and I was not disappointed. I thought it was fantastic! So fun, and not the ending I was expecting. We started watching Lincoln this weekend too, but couldn't finish it, only because of time constraints. It's a long one, and sleep is important. Sunday night was dinner at Kaz's mom's house. We introduced her to a delicata squash. Filled with peppers, onions, tomatos and feta cheese, it was delicious, and we had a plesant evening.

School will swing into full motion this week, making my schedule a bit different. Working 5 days a week again will be an adjustment, but well worth it. Have a good week everyone!

Happy New Year!

I was able to spend nearly 2 weeks almost completely naked. That's right, I was in Uruguay hanging out on the beach. Swimsuit attire only. Every once in a while I'd put a shirt on to go to the grocery store or an extended family memebers house. Pictures are worth some number of words, so here's a few. If you need more, click on the link for the full set. Uruguay 2012.

I got back to Richmond on the 31st in time for a New Year's Eve party with Kaz and friends. We had a pot luck dinner, played board games and rang in the new year with our very own Auld Lang Syne on the accordion. So long 2012! It was awesome, but now it's time for 2013 and more great things!

Vacation!

I hope every one has a great holiday! I will be on vacation for a bit, sans computer, internet, or phone. I'll essentially be off the grid, and relaxing. Reading, napping, eating, and resting. I hope you can do the same, at least for a day or maybe even just an hour. I know it can be a busy, frantic, stressful time of year. Remember what's important; family, loved ones, friends, and a little peace and quite from the day to day. Enjoy yourselves and share with those you love how much you appreciate them. 

This weekend I fit in a couple more parties and some riding. A friends birthday/Christmas party was a blast. Bon fire, good drinks, and home made tree ornaments. Mine was this bike, made from picture hanging wire. As a first timer to the party, I was required to bring a hand made ornament. So his tree is covered with all kinds of funny, creative ornaments. 

We did some caroling for an old folks home and hung out with friends. Karen and I exchanged Christmas gifts before I left which was just amazing. She's so thoughtful. Useful, fun, and great taste makes them all that much more special. Happy Holidays to everyone and Happy New Year! I'll return with some pictures of the beach.

Schools out for the.... winter.

With school now done for the semester, I find I have a bit more time to myself. I did a couple of "arts and crafts" projects, changed the car oil, and read stuff I wanted to read. I have about 5 books started right now, so I need to get on those. Luckily, vacation is coming soon, and with a long plane ride, and lots of sitting around to do, I'll get some pages behind me. Between eating and hanging out with family, I'll have my nose in a book. Last time, my cousins made fun of me for never getting out of the books.

No riding this past weekend. It was a little drizzly and damp, and there was plenty of other things that needed to be done before vacation. Saturday night we went to Kaz's company Christmas party. It was cool to get some faces with the names she talks about. They had a slew of delicious food and held it in a really nice location. This coming weekend is pretty filled with appointments and parties too, but hopefully I'll squeeze some riding in before I leave.

If you haven't checked out my new blog: www.simplerootstohealth.com you should take a look. Right now it's still a baby and I'm figuring out what works best for content, working on pictures, and how to separate topics. The posts are searchable by labels, "movement, articles, and recipes" but we'll see if  I can figure out a better way to sort and find them. But it's getting better and needs your support to improve.

Again, I'm open to any questions, or topic suggestions you want to read about, so let me know. Post on Facebook, or on Google+ or the site itself.

I'll leave you with a picture from my office window of the sunset.