Thrush

Today was another work day. Drat. And another hour or two tonight. But it felt like a Spring day and there were tons of Robins in the back and front yards. They come in and chow on these crab apples in the front. And hang out in the back too. And amongst them was a Varied Thrush with very orange throat.

The male Varied Thrush is a striking bird, and is virtually unmistakable. It is smaller than an American Robin and dark blue-gray above. It has bright orange wing bars, throat, lateral head stripe and underparts. There is a black breast band and facemask. The song is eerie and melancholic.

Oddly enough when I was traveling back in 2006 (on more than one occasion) I would see this bird singing from the tops of trees - Minnesota and Montana come to mind. I kept watching this bird through binoculars and wondering what it was. It perched and sang like a Baltimore Oriole (now called the Northen Oriole). But it had different markings than any orioles in the bird book, and confused me as to what it was.

I saw one at Leavenworth, but only after seeing its vivid orange throat today did I confirm what I'd seen. I am not an avid birder, although I do take my bird book and binos with me on most trips. The fast life I lead.

Everett

This was a picture taken a few weeks back on Bainbridge Island.

Tonight was a night of working at the food bank and coming home to a bit more work. Things should mellow out next week, although I've been saying that for the past few weeks. This week a woman that I've known for years and years is coming out to Everett with her family. I was going to rent a car to go down and see her, but it is generally a bland ride down the I-5 alone, so I might take the bus. Besides, it'll be more convenient to not have to drive, and I can look at the beautiful surroundings when I am not driving.

Other than that, not anything happening. Maggie is out on the run in the back yard, so I should go check on her. I am still amazed how well trained she is. It is quite windy and rainy tonight and around four degree outside (or forty Fahrenheit). I keep my computer thermometer on Celsius, as the radio stations I listen to are Canadian. It would also make sense to learn the metric system better that the rest of the world uses.

Walk

This picture was taken a few days back. It is the path I take most mornings taking the bike from the garage out through the gate and to the street. Today it was covered with snow. The weather didn't turn crappy, but instead mushy. Just as well.

Work from home and cafe for much of the day. And it will be a long night.

But I must have said the wrong word and Maggie appeared at my side with longing eyes. Or maybe it was her way of saying she had to go out. Either way, sucker that I am, I took here for a walk. There is nothing in the world that matches the enthusiasm of a dog that knows she's going to be walked. Now she is crashed in front of the fire. And I am listening to On The Beach. Again.

Snow

This picture was not taken today. Definitely not. But I was working with one of my very conservative friends (Fox News in the background like the nuisance phantom) and learned a wealth of information on his side of things. Stimulating conversation is invigorating as well as gaining insight into such potentially touchy things as our inept president (and the ability to make that statement on a public web log), oil, Iraq, development, wildlife, fishing, the economy, etc., many of which we share similar views.

Then to the coffee shop, and home on the slick winter ice with snow on top. I envision this will be a pretty bad storm and shut Bellingham down for a few days. Three inches or so cripples this city. And we have no snow plows - we sold them to Seattle. No kidding. Oh well, Bellingham still has a very small town feel and it will be no problem to work inside for a few days, or walk into town. Or just cancel appointments. But tomorrow the temp is predicted at forty or so (four or so Celsius).

Busy as crap, but having a high time.

"Nothing's for certain
It could always go wrong
Come in when it's raining
Go on out when it's gone
We could have us a high time
Living the good life
Well I know."
-Robert Hunter

Dawg

So today the dog came by and visited and I think she took a liking to the place. We need to work on the 'no furniture' part of the living arrangement, but my efforts to enforce this rule are may have already proven futile. It will be good to have some other activity about the house in the form of a roommate and dog.

Maggie is a boxer/pit bull mix, and is quite sweet in spite of the bad rap that pit bulls get. I also had a negative bias towards them after working with the fighting dogs (mostly pits) that were rescued from Katrina in New Orleans. Poor dogs. Poor people. Poor city.

Today was big snow flakes in the morning, but later the sun appeared and things dried up. To the coffee shop and store, and I really do not think too much more, other than working around the house. And taking Maggie for a walk. I realized today that I really miss my ex-dog, Sam. I think that I may seek visitation rights, as I would really like to see him again and rub his belly.

Bowl

Tonight I did something I haven't done in years: went bowling. It was a friend's birthday and I thought I missed it, but didn't. Bowling was fun, as was the eighties music that permeated the very crowded bowling lanes. And I scored a 134 on the second game - possibly a lifetime record for me.

A day of meeting people, coffee and reading The Economist, working a bit, moving some furniture and hoping that tomorrow is a productive work day. And a mental to do list of what needs to be done on the house. The windward side (from the bay) takes quite a beating versus the lee side, so the former trim will need to be painted this summer.

This picture is on bike path taken of Reid Boiler Works, a living relic on the water when Bellingham used to be full of places like this and was more of a working bayfront. Soon this will get sucked up by developers and replaced with bland, generic condos full of cheap Chinese-made maritime-styled crap purchased at Pier One. Time for sleep.

Radio

Today I finally had plenty of people over from work and was able to play this neat old radio that fortunately picks up a Canadian station (600AM) that plays songs like Moon River. A friend from back east gave it to me (well us at the time) as a Christmas gift. I still keep in touch with Wilbur as he occasionally sends me abusive e-mails. He a five-year (I believe) Mardi Grad veteran.

Speaking of Carnival, here is the parade schedule for New Orleans, my beloved and befallen city that care forgot:
Friday Jan 25
Oshun Uptown 6:00 pm
Atlas Metairie 7:30 pm
Cleopatra Westbank 6:30 pm
Excalibur Metairie 7:00 pm
Gladiators St. Bernard 7:00 pm
Pygmalion Uptown 6:45 pm

Saturday Jan 26
Choctaw West Bank 11:30 am
Adonis West Bank 12:00 N
Pontchartrain Uptown 1:00 pm
Shangri-La Uptown 2:00 pm
Sparta Uptown 6:00 pm
Pegasus Uptown 6:45 pm
Caesar Metairie 6:00 pm

Sunday Jan 27
Alla West Bank 11:30 am
Carrollton Uptown 12:00 N
King Arthur & Merlin Uptown 1:15 pm
Barkus French Quarter 2:00 pm
Nemesis Chalmette 2:00 pm
Rhea Metairie 2:00 pm
Centurions Metairie 5:30 pm

Check out the Krewe of Barkus above.

Mardi Gras is February fifth - a cold one, I would gamble.

For the first time in I-don't-know-when, I forewent the chocolate ice cream in favor of something else: Oregon Strawberry. I wonder where the berries are really grown?

Blue

This picture was taken yesterday of the back of my little Craftsman home in which I live. The tree (I keep forgetting what kind it is) was almost killed by the ornamental rocks and ground cloth they put down on the ground, so I removed it this summer and the tree miraculously came back. It is still distressed, but should recover fully next year. I like it because it keeps its leaves all winter. And it is pretty.

Another day of deep blue skies and chilly weather. Not a whole lot happened today. Actually it was mostly work related, so not something you'd care to read about here. And I am trying to do a bit of cleaning, as we all work in a virtual office and my place was chosen to hold a meeting tomorrow morning, as it is closest to town and the bus station. Not that it is ever that dirty, but a few papers become strewn about and need to be organized. But next week there will once again be a dog in the house, so it will need to stay tidy. I am sure you will see picture of the four-legged inhabitant.

Ice cream and forgetting to turn on the heat makes for a cold evening. I am finally warming up. Need to get some sleep. Not a tremendously exciting day in Bellingham.

Highway

This picture was taken today en route from work. This is part of the bike trail that runs all through Bellingham and past the house. In the background is the Canadian Coast Range. Straight ahead is Squalicum Harbour and one o'clock is is downtown and my home (about two miles away).

It was quite cold on the way in but nice on the way home. It is days like these that I thank a god for how lucky I am not to be wrapped in a cage of steel and plastic bitching about how bad traffic is getting and the price of gas.

I feel it is colder than it actually is as I have turned the heat down for a few days to the low-50's, which I am on the verge of deeming just too cold for comfort. I've also also set my computer's thermometer to Celsius, so it shows -2*C, which is actually around 29*F. Living on the edge in Bellingham, I tell ya'.

I plugged the heat strip in last night, as these houses were built rather thinly (for a coalminer in 1928) and never seems to get warm. (Some of the pipes underneath the crawlspace are heat tape wrapped.) Or I am just too cheap to turn some heat on. But the seasons will soon be turning.

Brrr

This picture is of a telephone pole in the York neighborhood looking towards town, at an elevation of about 100 feet above see level, or 74 feet higher than where I live. But it was majestic and beautiful to see Mount Baker prominent in the clear distance on the crisp (and yes, friggin' cold) day. Again, clear means cold. I haven't taken my thermals off for two days. I should've spent more time outside in the sun.

Today was a higher productivity day. But it is funny walking through downtown Bellingham and seeing numerous familiar people. And that means stopping for a bit to chat.

But I think I am taking on a roommate and a dawg in the next week or so, as 1,100 square feet is a bit big for one person. Living alone is fun for a bit, but I look forward to having another person (and dog) about.

Surrey

So tonight we took the Community Car Share to SFU Surrey to see James Howard Kunstler, an author that writes extensively on the reliance of automobiles in our culture and how appallingly ugly the landscape has become through sprawl and paving over everything at the expense of traditional architecture, community and farmland. He was a great speaker and it was fun to go into Canada again, as I thoroughly enjoy visiting our northern neighbors.

And gaining exposure to the energy industry does not paint a pretty picture regarding the supply of crude within the next decade. I used to figure that we could pass this problem off to our children (well not mine - I have none) but it seems that our lives will be impacted much sooner than that. Considering that the price of oil has climbed 50% in the past year (not to mention the collapsing dollar loosing 50% of its value against the Euro since 2000), things are afoot in the global markets. But ignoring the problem is easier, and let's concentrate on real issues in our next election like the candidates' views on abortion or guns.

Time for some ice cream.

Northerlies

Here is a picture from another time along Boulevard Park. Today was cold and the north wind blew, and the temperature lingered just above freezing. It was a day of some working and and some not.

I always seem to bring the northerlies home with me from Canada. So I had meetings yesterday and went to some cool random places in Vancouver. It was sad to see all the downed trees in Stanley Park, where I parked for a bit looking over the Fraser River (I believe) and dozed. Port Moody was also neat, and I stopped in a mall to compare the Canadian consumerism to that of the U.S. But I cannot recall the last time I was in U.S. shopping mall, so the endeavor was somewhat silly. Actually I think I just wanted to kill some time and look for an ATM machine for some Canadian money out of the rain. It would've been far better to stay downtown, but my meetings took me elsewhere to the east.

My concentration is elsewhere, as it is midnight and I need to get to bed after probably another hour or so of work.

Sleep

Got home around seven last night from Vancouver and ended up falling asleep until nine this morning. Sleep is good.

More later.

Tea

On a totally spontaneous decision, I found myself in a tea shop today and purchased this funky tea pot. I find I drink a lot of tea. And that keeps me quite warm. (Oh, and also to never take your fleece off.) So I a drinking some green tea from my olive tea pot. And sitting briefly on my front porch tonight, I realized that everything is quite green for January.

But I did some work and had to drive tonight. I really find I would rather not be in a car. Miles spent behind the wheel are like minutes of my life swirling down the drain. I'll be the first person to jump in a car a drive cross country, and can tell boundless stories about driving through the Atchafalaya or the Adirondacks. But driving this same stretch of I-5 is sheer tedium. (Someone is cranky tonight.)

Off to Vancouver tomorrow. Listening to Neil Young tonight:
"Well, all those headlines,
they just bore me now
I'm deep inside myself,
but I'll get out somehow,
And I'll stand before you,
and I'll bring
a smile to your eyes. "

Tahoma

Click on the picture to see me in my heinously out-of-style red ski pants - c.1985. This picture was taken in Tahoma, California at Homewood. They were fun times, but the snow was relentless and I had enough after two winters. Clearing 110 steps after five foot snow storms in Lake Tahoe was overwhelming at times.

But one day I had a skier follow these red pants down the Stagecoach run at heavenly (and thanked me for having bright red pants) when the mountain was fogged in and visibility was less than ten feet at an elevation band of about 8,000' down to 7,500.' And eventually these pants will come back in style. You just wait and see.

But back in the clouds of Bellingham in what was a day that I cannot really recall what happened. I think they might be labeled as uneventful. But I cannot complain. The buds of plants are beginning to fatten, and I was told that once February rolls around there are signs of Spring. I do not recall Spring this soon, but maybe I hadn't looked hard enough.

And I am really tired tonight, so I am going to sign off. Long day and I am fading.

Tacoma

Today was an afternoon in Tacoma for a meeting. Tacoma is a burly city with a soft Pacific Northwest underbelly. And we lucked out in traffic. In what can easily turn into a trip from hell, I-5 had virtually no congestion. In either direction. Total luck.

What a price those people in Seattle pay for shiny new Land Rovers. I would live on a pittance and have a $224 Trek Cruiser as my main source of transport before I would go back to that lifestyle. Oh wait, I do. I guess it will take a bit more, um, less.

Not much more here. The eagles are out on the Nooksack, so maybe I will take a bus or hitchhike out there this weekend. But I haven't really hitched since 1992 or so, so I will probably bus it. Or take the motorbike. So many choices in life.

Sun & Ice

Today was one of those cold but sunny days that I rode over hill and dale to get to a client's place. Just below freezing, sunny and wonderful. I seriously think I could ride this one-speed cruiser across the country. I am back down to my 15-minute writing limit, as my thoughts have been far too flighty as of late. So at 10:18PT tonight I am going to say g'night.

A long day, and tomorrow back to the mayhem of Seattle and Tacoma. Time to don the suit and tie and shave. And the music in my life has been bouncing back and forth between a Kean College JGB bootleg from 2-28-80. and the Charlie Parker Rockland Palace 9-26-52.

Off to Vancouver this weekend for fun. G'night.

Biodiesel

So I am working with a biodiesel company and it is funny how people will generally bring out the few negative aspects of it. It is also unfortunate that many people base their opinions on either half truths or misinformation. I guess this is a lesson in life, as I am one to go off half-cocked based upon a biased article that I read. But like it or not, biofuels are one of the viable choices we will have in this world as the demand for oil steadily increases while the days of cheap oil are forever behind us. It will be amazing to see what the second and third generation feedstocks offer.

But I really hadn't intended on discussing biodiesel tonight, it's just that I am going to Seattle and Tacoma on Wednesday with our dog and pony show to meet with prospective partners.

And Sherman the house mouse got into one of my cookies and this is not good. It was a big sugar cookie with M&M's on it. I thought there was an implied agreement between us about not eating my food, so things may need to change. But I have had far worse roommates. Gotta run. This web log has taken much more of my time than I'd initially anticipated and I need to start getting to bed earlier. I still need to get some e-mails out. Drat.

Sunnyham

Another picture from Bainbridge. Beautiful.

So today was a day sitting and lamenting that it is not summer when I realized it was mostly sunny and not very cold and I should get off my sorry butt and go for a bike ride. So I did. And took my kite to fly at the park. Like many days, I met someone on the bike path and talked with them for a bit. Then on to the park. Unfortunately, there was virtually no wind, but that was okay by me.

Upon arriving home, my neighbor and I decided that we liked the openness of where the fence had blown over (and has since been removed). Maybe we will keep the fence down and can plant a garden together this spring.

There has been interest in using my yard as a permaculture project this summer. I wounder if I will put my words to action? We would use my yard as a pilot and then do a bi-weekly project on someone else's property in Bellingham. And of course there would be food and drink involved with a dinner after each of these work parties. And a chance to meet new people. As crude oil continues its incessant climb, it would be prudent to relearn how to grow my own food. And fortunately I am in the right place to learn this.

Ferry

Another picture from the Islandwood center on Bainbridge Island. The weekend wound down to a departure of many hugs and warm feelings. I left there with a more positive worldview than I've felt in a long, long time. Sure, being pissy and negative only puts us in the same fear-driven anger felt by many, if not most, of the population in this country.

Yes, I haver come to the fact that I am a tree hugger and proud to be part of a growing murmur that is an element of change occurring throughout the world regarding the unsustainable path down which we careen. The more I read in the scientific community, the more I realize that things are occurring at a much higher rate than anyone ever anticipated - whether water depletion, species extinction, GMO contamination, CO2 emissions or global climate change. Enough pissing and moaning about the sad state of affairs, it is time for action. I am suddenly realizing that I am exactly where I always dreamed of being.

You will hear more I am sure, but right now it is very late and I am off to bed. Met a friend out after arriving home, and late to bed. Oh. I love ferry rides and the skyline of Seattle from the Bainbridge ferry is second to none.

Moss

What an invigorating day. And yesterday too. We attended a weekend MBA program on Bainbridge Isalnd as the entrepreneur in residence. So we are staying on a beautiful 255-acre campus with hiking trails and progressive people working towards an intense sustainable MBA program. This gives me an opportunity of hope, as my otherwise jaded worldview is somewhat squelched by the positivity pervading these rooms. There is a buzz afoot, and (although I am frequently surrounded by people of this like-minded ilk) there is growing consensus that the current path of our economy (based upon the base model of infinite resources) is an impending global catastrophe and required change - one way or another - will soon be imminent.

Hopefully it will not be too little, too late. But it really won't impact me, as our children are the ones that will undoubtedly be screwed as far at things we take for granted: oil, water, and other resources. Fortunately for selfish me, I have no children so in actuality this really doesn't impact.

At any rate, enough of a rant. There is some great energy here. And being amongst the moss covered trees just across the sound from Seattle is refreshing.

Island

This is a funny sign we saw at a rest area down near the southern part of the Arizona-New Mexico border west of Silver City taken back in 2006. Click on the picture and it will enlarge to a readable size.

Today was a very busy day and I spent most of it in front of a computer or on the phone. Very productive, but I am very tired. And tomorrow I need to go to a weekend conference, which is a tremendous opportunity for me and the president to gain exposure and meet interesting like-minded people. Besides, it's on a 255-acre campus in the San Juans. So I am indeed looking forward to getting away, although it will be socially intense at times in an invigorating environment. But exercising the mind, like the body, is always stimulating.

But either my eyes are playing tricks on me, or Sherman, the house mouse is darting about. It's been a long day and my eyes are getting buggy.

Cannot guarantee my posts the next few days, as web access may not be...

Chocolate

The one treat in which I indulge myself is chocolate. Dagoba chocolate. Every other night on the way home I stop by the Public Market and pick up two bars of this. Tonight I ate the brasilia, tomorrow it will be lavender. And I splurged and bought clover honey made down the road at Bill's Bees in Bow. It is crystalline and eating from the jar is yummy. I like sweets.

Tonight I welcomed the seasonal rain back. Forty degrees and it was comforting to bike in the heavy drizzle. I also found the old layer trick keeps wet pants from the body. So refreshing that I forgot to put on my rain gear and arrived home a bit moist around nine. Fortunately I have a dry home to go to. And the benefits of keeping the house cool have paid off. The gas bill this month was a whopping forty-three dollars. Tonight I celebrated and turned the thermostat up to sixty-five degrees. Life is good.

But we have not had the nor'easters blow in from the Fraser Valley where the temp dips into the teens. We had two cold snaps last year. This year none. I hope I do not jinx Bellingham. Those frigid nights you find yourself drinking a lot of tea. That way you get up a few times during the night to use the bathroom and run the water to prevent the pipes from freezing, and flakes of ice still fall into the sink when you turn on the cold water. Brrr.

I'll take forty-three and drizzle over that arctic blast any day.

Creek

So this is a picture of probably the ugliest part of Whatcom Creek, two blocks from my house close to downtown. Today, the bike path bridge over the creek it was icy, but fortunately I was forewarned by someone walking the other way. This stream is beautiful to walk along, and salmon run up it. In October, you can see people are fishing at its mouth. Unfortunately, the native salmon population is in steady decline on pretty much all of Washington's creeks and rivers due to sedimentation and pollution from development and irresponsible logging. But empty-nesters need their five thousand square-foot trophy homes with views, so something's gotta give. So sad.

But in spite of my min-rant above, it was a good day. Leaving town this weekend for a conference. Vague details will probably follow. Meetings and a day of good things happening. And going out tonight for a bit and then running into friends that I thought might be at poetry night at a coffee shop (and were), then briefly over to Boundary Bay.

I needed too to move the Community Car from the street cleaning zone and then move it again tomorrow morning at 8:30am. Driving feels sort of odd and I do not miss it. But on a similar note, I do miss the BMW R60/6. In a few months I can go for a weekend ride. But it does not appear too difficult to change the gear oil (in three places, mind you - the gear box, main shaft, and rear something) and I will do that the next nice day I have to take it out to warm the oil up.

Blue

This is certainly not Bellingham, but Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe, a few minutes from where we used to live off Kingsbury Grade. I friend that I skied and mountain biked with sent this to me. Tahoe got a five foot dump over the past few days. And this is what is referred to as a 'bluebird' day - where the weather system blows through and the next day is blue and sunny. I've never seen such deep blues as the water, sky, and even snow of Lake Tahoe. Unfortunately, being a resort destination in the Sierras, it was usually overrun by tourists, and the older I get, the more I seek solitude. For this reason I hope to pursue camping this summer.

To the right is a more realistic view of the weather in The City of Subdued Excitement taken today looking towards town. It is from the York neighborhood, adjoining Sunnyland, a bit to the south and a bit more hilly. The sun was out for about ninety seconds around noon, then drizzle and clouds. Went to a friend's to visit, to the coffee shop to work, and then watched a movie on the (only) channel: The Verdict.

Wow, lots of links tonight. Sherman the house mouse is still about, but we seem to have different schedules and don't cross each others' paths too much. A good day for a Sunday and looking forward to a week of ever-increasing daylight.

Tool

Today I putzed around the house. The wind blew over the fence in the back yard, and needs a new post poured. But I actually like the more openness in the back yard after I removed two sections for a future warmer weather project.

Then tinkering around with the cruiser. The bike takes a beating as I ride it every day. Total was a day of taking apart and cleaning the bottom bracket. (In case you're wondering what the bottom bracket is, see the picture below.) So over to the bike store (five blocks away) for a tool, then to the motorcycle shop (six blocks away) for some tire irons and grease. Taking apart this bottom bracket is is the second bike project that I've completed where there are no leftover parts. That could be a good trend. And I thoroughly cleaned months of accumulated bike path muck from it - it was really filthy. And trued the wheel and changed a tube (and inserted a Mr. Tuffy tire guard).

Then the reward of the day's effort was to go for a ride. Fortunately the rain and wind stopped, and it was a chilly, but beautiful night to ride through Bellingham. And it's reassuring to know your bike is operating in tip top shape. Yep, it is getting scratched and banged up, but still in solid mechanical shape after using it almost every day for the past sixteen months or so.

I am glad that I can bike as much as I do.

Wind Redux

A friend who's a photographer took this cool picture. (Click the link and you can see where I stole it from.)

It is late and I've been going all day and I am dreadfully tired.

And it is windy as shit right now. 52kph from the SSE. I am going to go bury my head under the blankets.

Compost

My compost pile if faring better in the past weeks. When it is healthy, it has a nice earthy smell to it and worms are happy to to make it their home. It needs to be kept wet, but not too wet. This will turn into some fabulous black soil for the garden next spring.

And that was the problem before I covered it - it was all slimy and smelled like rotting garbage. You see, the mixture needs to be turned every few days, which I've since been doing. And I need to add more leaves to the mixture. Anywhere else, my neighbors would consider me quite strange seeing me crouched over with a handful of this dirt smelling it and picking it apart to see how the soil is evolving. But in Bellingham, pretty much anything goes in the older neighborhoods. And that is good.

Today a day where I came up to breathe for a bit with regard to work. Good things are happening. And I closed out my books for the year. Wow, I might actually have a free weekend. Life is pretty cool.

DB Cooper

So almost forty years ago DB Cooper skyjacks a plane out of PDX and forces it to land at Sea-Tac, lets some passengers go, takes on two hundred grand ransom and a parachute, and jumps off the plane somewhere over the Cascades near the Columbia River.

He is a local hero (sort of) up here in the PacNW, as neither his body was ever found, nor was the money. (Although a kid did find around six grand of the recorded serial numbered bills buried in the sand while playing on the beach on the Columbia River.) So what is the big deal with this? I dunno, but I heard last night on Coast to Coast AM that the FBI recently reopened the case. Why? It is a bit of local folklore and interesting that no remnants of this person, parachute, etc., were ever found. In the land of Bigfoot, he too has become myth.

Today started off crummy but got much better. And I was given an orchid tonight, so that ended the day on a nice note (although it seemed like a Monday). I have had many plants in my life, but never an orchid. I hope it isn't too cold for it in the day time, as the suggested minimum temperature is seventy degrees. Time will tell.

2008

I need to take some new pictures. This was a brief shot taken yesterday looking towards town out my front window. It was sunny all day yesterday, which was quite nice. I do not think that will necessarily be the case for the foreseeable future though. Drizzle will return.

The most exciting thing I did today was walk out to the garage to tinker on the BMW R60/6. I need to learn to do things like replacing inner tubes and sundry other repairs if I expect to take the motorbike any distance from home. It is quite simple to work on this bike, so learning its components and temperaments should be fun. The 600+ page manual is a bit intimidating though. The airheads of this era are known for their simplicity and reliability.

I am looking forward to a less tumultuous 2008. Although I was told by a friend that does numerology that the many seeds I've sown in 2007 will evolve this year. We'll see.