Reel Rock Tour

Don't miss this.The Aussie opening was in Brisbane last night, so many climbers, so much fun.Climbers, I'll make it simple for you, here's what to do:A: click on the poster below for dates in your neighbourhood.B: Get a ticket and get inside.



Or maybe get a ticket at the door.Catch up with the cream of Brizzies climbing crew.



Get yourself some Pizza.



Keep eating Damien, almost show time.

Thanks Brad and TimGet your look happening.

Get in line.

Get inside.

And be amazed. Easy.

jj

More Changes in

We just found out yesterday that Tyler, child #3, will be going to Russia this fall.  It's always been a dream of his, and now it looks like it's coming true.
He applied to some Christian agency (I can never remember the name of it) to do short term mission work.  He'll be there for at least six months. I know it'll be a great learning experience for him, but I sure will miss him. 
That's three big changes for our family this year that we know about.  Laurel's new baby boy in August, Garrett getting married in August, and Tyler leaving in October.  Oh, and Garrett thinks he may be deployed with the Army in October.  Right now I feel overwhelmed by all these things. 
One thing I know is that when the time comes, God will give us all the grace we need to get through each thing.  I have to remember to focus on Him and His plans and not mourn the fact that our family will never be as it once was.  I wouldn't want for them to be little again.  I just liked the fact that I always knew where they were and was the one teaching them everything.
Now they're out there in the cold, cruel world, and all I can do is pray for them to have wisdom and for God to protect them from harm. It's much harder now.

Mite Damage on Camellias

Southern Red Mites love the southern garden evergreen staples: Japanese Camellia, Japanese Holly, Magnolia and Azlaea. It seems to be attracted to the Japanese Camellia (Camellia japonica) more than the others, causing the leaves to become dull and silvery.
When I get called into a garden that is infested with the Southern Red Mites, it is most commonly confused with Sunscald.
This tiny pest (you need a hand lens to see them) is dormant right now, but once the temperatures cool down a bit, it will be back. All of the damage you see now actually occurred last winter and spring- it's frustrating.
If you had this pest in your garden or nursery last year, they will be back. The best product to use is Horticultural-Grade Oil (sometimes sold as "Ultrafine Oil"). Spray the leaves and stems with oil a few times in the fall and winter to essentially smother them.
*Southern Red Mites do not affect Sasanqua Camellias, only the Japanese Camellias

Hambleton peninsula - Rutland Water

We drove out to Hambleton and parked by the road out of the village - ok on a quiet rainy Thursday in April - probably impossible on a sunny Sunday in July or August! Just over six and a half miles, with Maureen, Barry and Gordon. Fine, with one brief shower.

As well as the scenery we were treated to some great birdsong - I think the most tuneful was a great tit, but the chaffinch was a close second.

A fine specimen - stone cockerel - in welly boots?

We walked back through the village and turned right along a muddy footpath downhill between fences, and then across a field (wet on this occasion) joining the main cycle track at a corner.

Waterside woodland carvings

Then we followed the path through some woodland until we met the road. We decided to go down to the spot where it disappears under water, and there is now a convenient bench.

After this we returned to the main route, which took us through more bluebell woods, not yet quite at their peak and round to the road to Hambledon Old Hall.

Not a bad spot to live?

At this point the first real rain of the morning started, so we donned waterproofs, and continued on the track across the road. The wind was strong enough to blow the shower away rapidly.

Be prepared!

A stone figure in need of some waterproofs?

When we reached the main road we decided against a walk to Egleton - too much walking at the side of the road. So back to the car, following the cycle track until we met the path we'd come down earlier.

Back to the car . . . and a slice of birthday cake - thank you, Maureen, and I agree, birthdays should be extended over at least three weeks. Happy Birthday to Maureen as well!

The rain held off, and the drive home was dry and clear.

Now, as I write this I can hear the rain hammering on nearby conservatory roofs.

map and details

For more fanciful accounts see this postand the preceding one on my alithoughts blog.

Aspirations

While the big people are out working with the real thing, the small people dream of the day when their turn will come.
I've got used to taking photos in the city and in the country, but here, in my home village, I felt extremely self-conscious. I didn't dare position myself right in front of the house where I might be seen from the window - or even worse if the door opened suddenly.

Cross-country encounter on a small-town ride

For cycling-obsessed people like myself, the only thing better than a good bike ride is a good bike ride with company.

The social context of a group ride is one that almost always lends itself to good conversation. Even if it's a group of complete strangers, the common ground of biking and the shared appreciation for exercise helps immensely in breaking down the social walls that may have existed otherwise.

I've always enjoyed the conversations I have with other cyclists on the road. Some were casual riders just looking to get out of the house for awhile; others were serious racers working on a specific training ride. Whatever the case, all of them were interesting in their own way.

Or, in the case of Delicia Jernigan, they were just plain interesting.

Delicia Jernigan biked all the way from
Portland, Or. to ride in the Tour de Nick
Saturday in Northfield.

I came across Jernigan yesterday at the Tour de Nick ride in Northfield.The Hawthorne, Nev. native was passing through Southern Minnesota in the midst of cross-country bike trip from Portland, Or. to Portland, MA to raise money for Suicide Awareness Voices of Education (SAVE), a nonprofit organization based in Minneapolis that the Tour de Nick raises money for as well.

Both Jernigan and the Tour de Nick's philanthropic efforts come as a result of personal tragedy. The annual Northfield ride started in 2003 to honor Nick Sansome, a local cyclist who took his own life earlier that year. Jernigan likewise lost her younger brother Anthony to a similar fate in .

Ride organizer Bill Metz pointed Jernigan out to me early on, but I didn't really get a chance to talk with her before the ride, mostly due to the photos and video I attempted to take of the event for the Northfield News. However, I caught up with her on the road and spent thelast several miles of the ride conversing with"D" -- as she likes to be called --about her trip.

Admittedly, it was a pretty cool experience for me. Given the troubles I've had with simple day trips on a bike, the people who are brave enough to try cross-country travel have my respect and admiration. It takes a lot of ambition to do something like that. With Jernigan, the loss of her brother helped spark that ambition.

"I always wanted to bike across the U.S., but I never really thought I could do it," Jernigan said. "After my brother died though, everything changed for me. I started asking myself, 'Why am I not doing this?'"

Eventually, Jernigan resolved to make the bike trip a ride of remembrance, both for her brother and the lives of others that have been lost to suicide. In addition to taking donations and writing about her trip, Jernigan's ridewebsite includes a memorial wall where people can submit the name of a loved one who has taken their own life.

"I'm not just doing this for me," Jernigan said. "I'm doing this for everyone who's ever had their life affected by suicide. It's about raising awareness of the problem and understanding what we can do to help."

Jernigan heard about the Tour de Nick through the SAVE organization and though the rest of her trip has followed a relatively relaxed schedule, the Northfield group ride was always at the top of her list of priorities.

"I had this date circled on my calendar from the very beginning," Jernigan said of Tour de Nick. "It's going toward a great cause and it seemed like it'd be a cool event to be a part of."

The trip for Jernigan hasn't been without the occasional struggles. She estimates having encountered roughly 20 flat tires on the road and since this is her first time doing multi-day bike traveling of any kind, the contents of her gear has been a work in progress.

"I started off with way too much stuff on my bike," Jernigan said. "It's a constant process to figure out what you need and what you can do without. I've gotten rid of a lot of stuff since the start of the trip."

Still, Jernigan is more than happy with how her trip has gone thus far, particularly with the interactions she's had with others.

"I've yet to have a bad encounter with anyone," Jernigan said. "Everyone has been so supportive and helpful on the road. Some of the people have been absolutely amazing to talk to."

After spending spent Saturday night with the Metz family following the Tour de Nick, Jernigan departed from Northfield earlier today and is hoping to get to Portland, Ma. by mid-to-late September. Although she is looking forward to reaching her destination, Jernigan is equally excited for the journey it will take to get there.

"It's been awesome so far, so we'll just see where it goes from here," Jernigan said.

And though I won't be joining Jernigan for the rest of her trip -- pretty sure I don't have enough vacation time built up for that -- it was fun getting to know her for that brief stretch of road and I look forward to reading more about her journey in the future.

Godspeed D, and ride safe.

New Mileage Record

While I may have not blogged recently, I have been riding my bikes. Last night was the Xtreme Wheels Full Moon Ride.
Andrew, Blaine, Brandon, and I took off from the shop, heading to Lake Manawa. We had a little head wind on the way (the wind was biting with the temperature being near freezing). Great ride in the woods. Made a full lap at Manawa and headed back to the shop.
The 16.8 mile ride took me over the top on my record annual mileage. My log now shows 2167.85 miles. Still a couple weeks for riding. Will I end up with over 2200 miles?

Holcot - Pitsford - Moulton - Holcot

Barry, Maureen, Gordon. just over 9 miles. Dry, some sun, windy.





Barry led this walk. We started from Holcot just after 9 am.





Across the fields from Holcot, with the morning sun casting shadows on the ploughed earth. Luckily the ground was dry.





We made for the gap in the hedge.









Our first 'surprise treat' of the day - the view of Pitsford reservoir as we climbed the stile.


















































On we walked with the reservoir below us on the right - the southern part which we've walked round a few times, close to the shore. We passed a house some way off, on our left, surrounded by trees, but certain to have a great view of the water.









Then pretty high up, was 'surprise' number two, a cupola memorial just by the local cricket ground. It commemorates local businessman Lynn Anthony Wilson, who died in a car crash in .


We followed the path coming closer to the water where we saw a large colony of coots.





The we continued into Pitsford, turning left and walking a short distance along the Moulton Road, before taking a footpath to the left. The path turns right then left across three or four fields and turns right again just before a stud farm.

























We crossed the Pitsford - Moulton Road into Spectacle Lane. An unusual name, sure to whet the appetite.

















































So, to the first 'spectacle' - I should have taken the picture when we first spotted this 'ruined castle'. Life is just a bowl of should've's.

It is known as The Spectacle, and was built by William Wentworth in 1770, and was designed to be visible in silhouette from Boughton Hall.

I gleaned this information from the painted pixels website























We left Spectacle Lane and on the other side of the road from Boughton to Moulton is Holly Lodge, built between 1857 and 1861 for the Jeyes family, of Fluid fame. I seem to be stalking the Jeyes family - I had lunch in their Apothocoffee Shop in Earls Barton last Friday.

Holly Lodge echoes the style of the Spectacle, and boasts a pair of gates representing a dozen farm implements.





















Philadelphus Jeyes designed the gates, which were erected in 1861.













They include replicas of 2 hay forks, 2 sickles, a scythe, a rake, a shepherd's crook, a ditch cutter, a stable fork, a flail, a spade and a woodman's axe.













From Holly Lodge we walked for a short distance along the road to Moulton before taking a footpath to the right, over a few higher than the average stiles. Some of the path includes horse riding trails from Moulton College.









We climbed up hill, and turned to the left, following the path into Moulton. This is a lively village centre with local shop, pub and stocks - locked to prevent fun-loving teens and walkers from playing silly games.





Instead, we sat staidly and devoured Maureen's scones on a bench in the square.













We walked out of Moulton on the road towards Billing and the A43, taking a footpath to the left. This involved crossing several fields of wheat, and a couple of recently ploughed fields. We walked alongside Marsh Spinney, where notices informed us that cycling was forbidden by local by-laws. It would have been a brave and slightly mad cyclist who climbed the stiles and tackled the uneven ground.

So far unidentified plant growing at the edge of a field of maize

Could it be the hallucinogenic and sometimes lethal Jimson Weed?

No fields of beans today, but we had to negotiate maize above head height with a narrow path through. Past Overstone Grange, we turned left Rectory farm, and followed the path back into Holcot.





Plenty of interest on this walk.

Should have known better

"Look! Something caught a rabbit!"

While I was bent trying to focus on the fur (proud of myself for spotting something so well-camouflaged and so small), my husband got the bigger picture.
"The rest of him's over here."

OK, ew.
"Did he escape, but get mortally wounded? Did he just crawl over there to die?" (Latent detective tendencies in high gear!)
"Well, probably not. His head is missing."
Had we blundered up and scared a predator away in mid-snack? Hubby moved the carcass a little, and it was stiff. So, no.
Jasmine discovered some strewn rabbit guts, and happily gobbled up several bits before we noticed and tugged her away. Yuck, Jasmine.
On down the path, I had an idea. "Hey, let's get the game cam and put it there, to see if any critter comes back later to finish his dinner." (Latent detective tendencies on fire!)
I'd been moaning about moving the camera for some time now. We were not getting anything interesting where it had been stationed for the past several months.
While hubby was setting up the camera, I found more evidence.

"Maybe if I put this on the blog, a bird expert could tell me what type of bird this feather came from..."
OK, so a raptor (owl? buteo? accipiter?) was probably not going to come back to finish off the rabbit, but surely we'd get some cool wildlife shot of hungry scavengers.
But I really should have known better.
The only one who came back to finish anything was Jasmine.

Bad dog!
Oh, well.
-----
If you want to see the Cottontail in full headless gory glory, you can click here. He's missing a portion of his side too. It's bloody. It's not for everybody.
-----
On the feather, I was thinking "owl" but I really have no idea. (So if you do, please post a comment.) It seems similar to the photo on this page titled "Great Horned Owl feather". That would be cool, since we've never seen one here before.

Cedar Rapids Trails

This morning I met a friend for breakfast. From there, dropped off the Fuel EX7 at his Apartment in Iowa City. Drove up to Cedar Rapids, picked up his bike, and headed to the C St. Trailhead.
We rode South from the trailhead on the Cedar River Trail. It was a beautiful day for a bike ride. Another mostly sunny afternoon, temperature about 70. Lots of folks on the trail. Not sure how far the trail was open (maps show "proposed" on the South end). There were a couple places where the trail fooled us. Thought the trail was ending, only to find a sharp turn and the trail continues.
After about 5 miles, we were at Wright Brothers Blvd. The trail still continues, but we decided it was time to head back North. Wanted to check out the trail toward downtown. We found that the South end of the trail is called the Hoover Trail.
Stopped at the car to get another bottle of G2 and the tire pump (forgot to pack that on the ride) Heading north we only got under a mile when the trail was closed. Doing some tree removal along the creek.

Plan B - load the bikes and head downtown CR, picking up the Cedar River Trail there. It a very urban trail. There are detours downtown due to the floods. Followed the trail and detours to Cedar Lake.
The photo above was of the Cedar River Trail at Cedar Lake. At the lake, we turned back to the car, which was parking in Czech Village. It was time for some food. Found The Red Frog. Had a great burger and fries.
Dropped my friend's bike in Cedar Rapids and headed back to Iowa City. Time to relax after our 17+ mile ride. Logging the ride, I learned that the ride took me over 500 miles for the year.