tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-51499851176281527722024-01-26T09:43:58.148-06:00Fair Weather Kenny's Cycling and Misc.Cycling, food, beer, and the meandering mind...Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.comBlogger163125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-34204348028685506062011-06-02T20:13:00.001-05:002011-06-02T20:18:17.168-05:00Hemi's Sunday Adventure<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A varying group of us have been riding on Sundays for a few years. We generally meet at the Coon Rapids dam along the Mississippi and follow West River Road to downtown Minneapolis. We meet up with other riders at the historic Stone Arch Bridge. This past Sunday was the inaugeral 2011 Sunday ride, for me anyway. However, we couldn't take our usual West River Road route, due to the tornado damage of two weeks ago. These Sunday rides are usually led by Hemi, (also known as Dave). Hemi had spoke to Berger, another Sunday disciple, who meets us at the Stone Arch. An alternative route was formulated. We would cross the Coon Rapids dam to the East side of the river, and make our way to downtown Minneapolis. We got across the dam with no problems. We could see and hear the roar of the swollen river going through the dam locks. All that water flooding parts South. The other side of the dam is a regional park. The entire road system is tore up. All dirt. Not exactly road bike friendly. But, there is the paved bike trail that runs alongside the river. </div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UT6HDn-mDwI/TeT3sUG9JwI/AAAAAAAABB8/8czseE6TNzs/s1600/IMG_0001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-UT6HDn-mDwI/TeT3sUG9JwI/AAAAAAAABB8/8czseE6TNzs/s320/IMG_0001.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">We went about a mile at most, and came upon this. The Mississippi had overflowed the banks. Now what?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zDutdSPUkTc/TeT6xMX-D0I/AAAAAAAABCE/9GyRn2E1Saw/s1600/IMG_0006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-zDutdSPUkTc/TeT6xMX-D0I/AAAAAAAABCE/9GyRn2E1Saw/s320/IMG_0006.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Hemi is thinking real hard. He is trying to envision new a route in his mind.<br />
He said he knows where to go...</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nwB1ae5FGj8/TeWWDzenvJI/AAAAAAAABCg/IIkacuuvhgw/s1600/IMG_0002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-nwB1ae5FGj8/TeWWDzenvJI/AAAAAAAABCg/IIkacuuvhgw/s320/IMG_0002.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Off we went, on a muddy trail that turned vertical. Would have been perfect if we had mountain bikes! Oh well, it's all part of the adventure, right?</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MQUqsQR6XFk/TeT7IIYTQJI/AAAAAAAABCI/WWIhBfBF6hU/s1600/IMG_0004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-MQUqsQR6XFk/TeT7IIYTQJI/AAAAAAAABCI/WWIhBfBF6hU/s320/IMG_0004.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We finally made it to the Stone Arch, where we picked up Berger. Berg is great to ride with, because he loves to talk about food! He also is the only rider I know that can eat a Holiday egg muffin in the middle of a ride and keep going strong. He also has several mansions scattered about the Twin Cities. It's always fun to ride past one of them. Not that we ever get invited in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-er5_8a0wfGQ/TeT8gULgItI/AAAAAAAABCM/JVPd5FBuuwo/s1600/IMG_0005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-er5_8a0wfGQ/TeT8gULgItI/AAAAAAAABCM/JVPd5FBuuwo/s320/IMG_0005.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This is CJ. Mountain biker extrordinaire. He has been one of the hardest working people that I know of helping to build the new mtb course in Elm Creek. I think he's planning on putting in a 50 foot jump ramp, but, only if JT will give him the elevation necessary. CJ's nickname is Griz. That story is for another day.</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We take off from the Stone Arch, heading to St. Paul, taking in the sites (read: pretty female runners around St Kate's). We get to the state capitol and head to the Gateway Trail. After a few miles we run into this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_-wSJjTpmeM/TeT8yOU7m5I/AAAAAAAABCQ/j6AVtuwJUMc/s1600/IMG_0009.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-_-wSJjTpmeM/TeT8yOU7m5I/AAAAAAAABCQ/j6AVtuwJUMc/s320/IMG_0009.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Berger is up front. There are multiple trunks of the tree to negotiate.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWpDzvBbPQI/TeT9ClBBpjI/AAAAAAAABCU/i8vOHudCe14/s1600/IMG_0010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-uWpDzvBbPQI/TeT9ClBBpjI/AAAAAAAABCU/i8vOHudCe14/s320/IMG_0010.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">CJ finds that maybe it is easier to go underneath, rather then up and over!</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">We finally get going again and hit the Holiday Service Station in White Bear Lake. Sure enough, Berger gets his egg muffin sandwich! We head on up the trail till we get to MN Hwy 96, and head back to White Bear.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3rPA9ugcEY/TeT9OSrsfRI/AAAAAAAABCY/zHDlt9b1vkM/s1600/IMG_0011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-G3rPA9ugcEY/TeT9OSrsfRI/AAAAAAAABCY/zHDlt9b1vkM/s320/IMG_0011.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; text-align: center;">You don't ride this route without stopping at the Cup and Cone! Hemi and Berger split a sub. CJ and I split a "kiddie sub."</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGbCZILxrWg/TeT9bf4T7cI/AAAAAAAABCc/0wt13nqsPiA/s1600/IMG_0012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-EGbCZILxrWg/TeT9bf4T7cI/AAAAAAAABCc/0wt13nqsPiA/s320/IMG_0012.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Berg on the left, Hemi on the right. Remember, it wasn't 45 minutes ago that Berg ate an egg muffin!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This route is officially called the "Chile Dog", because of the availability of chile dogs at the Cup and Cone. I think Amy is the only person to eat one and continue riding! We're still about 20 miles from home.</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The rest of the ride was so-so. A little rain, I had a flat, and then we couldn't find our way back across the Mississippi. Other then that, it was great!</div><div align="center" class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_I2X2_Ofp8A/TebZXd4xIHI/AAAAAAAABCk/AD-WtRtlV6s/s1600/IMG_0013.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-_I2X2_Ofp8A/TebZXd4xIHI/AAAAAAAABCk/AD-WtRtlV6s/s320/IMG_0013.JPG" t8="true" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Final tally was 83 miles. Didn't break any speed records, but, who cares when you have an adventure? </div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;">If you want to see the GPS route, click on the link:</div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89218138">http://connect.garmin.com/activity/89218138</a></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-67640837672684802562011-04-17T18:28:00.001-05:002011-04-17T18:30:04.797-05:00Geez, been a while. Four months is a long time not to post anything. Part of it is facebook. It's just so simple and quick to let out your opinions or post a photo. I'm also disappointed with how the blog operates. Some changes happen and I don't understand why. What happened last time was that no one can post comments. I have no idea why. I've never changed my settings and I've checked them at least a half dozen times. There is no place to get help, except through forums, which have never been a good source for me. You either get someone talking in geek-speak or some one asking a question who's even dumber then I am. So much for my ranting. Here are some food photos. I still haven't done my Anguilla post, and people have been asking about that. I appreciate your comments! Even though you have to email me or tell me is person....<br />
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See, it just happened again! I tried to preview the blog, something I've done dozens of times. I hit the preview button, a new window opened up, and the window is blank! That's part of the reason I quit writing on this. Things you've done for 3 years all of a sudden quit working for no effing reason.<br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SKpF_isQ_lQ/Taty3q316VI/AAAAAAAABBE/dj5Ry_oyPlM/s1600/DSCN0403.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-SKpF_isQ_lQ/Taty3q316VI/AAAAAAAABBE/dj5Ry_oyPlM/s320/DSCN0403.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Ron and his wife Sue came over to celebrate Ron and my birthdays. I promptly put Ron out on the deck to fry up some sunfish that I had left from last summer. I was in the kitchen cooking risotto.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tAmONLTjIp4/Tatyt7OlbyI/AAAAAAAABBA/nrE69Lszhpc/s1600/DSCN0406.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-tAmONLTjIp4/Tatyt7OlbyI/AAAAAAAABBA/nrE69Lszhpc/s320/DSCN0406.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The meal: fried sunfish, risotto, and a 7 layer salad! Awesome!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S2IAz8D6qBE/TatzTlzjpiI/AAAAAAAABBM/LVBfKHYPwiw/s1600/DSCN0412.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-S2IAz8D6qBE/TatzTlzjpiI/AAAAAAAABBM/LVBfKHYPwiw/s320/DSCN0412.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Last night I fried up some scallops in olive oil and butter. Get the oil pretty hot and then sear the scallops about 3 minutes on each side.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGLrrIsNo8E/TatzeYaJWjI/AAAAAAAABBQ/2-vxMOy5VnY/s1600/DSCN0414.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-aGLrrIsNo8E/TatzeYaJWjI/AAAAAAAABBQ/2-vxMOy5VnY/s320/DSCN0414.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Finish with some sea salt and ground pepper, and you have a delightful side dish.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWL3qnuY2J4/TatzowlfyhI/AAAAAAAABBU/Dii2gm0NIYo/s1600/DSCN0419.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" r6="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-sWL3qnuY2J4/TatzowlfyhI/AAAAAAAABBU/Dii2gm0NIYo/s320/DSCN0419.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I don't know if I've posted any pictures of Henry on the blog. After Charlie died, we spent a lot of time looking for a replacement. Through sheer luck, we discovered the lady that bred Charlie's mom. So, our Henry has about 7% of Charlie's blood line in him!</div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-61907204699157479312010-12-12T18:44:00.000-06:002010-12-12T18:44:00.386-06:00Blizzards, blow jobs, beer, and chicken tikka masalaI knew the blow jobs would grab your attention, those of you with your mind in the gutter. I mean <em>snow blow</em> <em>jobs</em>! We all survived (we being everyone besides the Metrodome) a pretty decent blizzard. Haven't seen that much snow in ages. My deck is officially out of commission, fully loaded with about 3 feet of snow drifted on it. This includes my grill, which I use year round. It will be sometime before I get all that snow removed! It will have to be chopped, lifted, carried, and thrown over the side of the rails. A good workout, for sure. Anyway, back to the snow blow jobs. Three of us neighbors got together several years ago and bought a snow blower. Neighbor Norm finished up his driveway around 4:30 Saturday, I donned my snowmobile suit and headed over to get the machine and take care of our driveway. I was done by 6:00, and had worked up a powerful thirst! I also had plans on making an Indian dinner, chicken tikka masala, for the first time. I didn't take pictures of the dinner process. I was having too much fun swilling, cooking, and listening to the Beatles. <br />
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Here is the recipe:<br />
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Chicken Tikka:<br />
1/2 tsp ground cumin<br />
1/2 tsp ground coriander<br />
1/4 tsp cayenne<br />
1 tsp salt<br />
2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts<br />
1 cup plain whole yogurt (low fat yogurt will work, but whole is best)<br />
2 Tbl veg oil<br />
2 med garlic cloves, minced<br />
1 Tbl grated fresh ginger<br />
<br />
Masala Sauce<br />
3 Tbl veg oil<br />
1 1/4 cups diced onion<br />
2 med garlic cloves, minced<br />
2 tsp fresh grated ginger<br />
1 serrano chile, minced (heat will vary, if you keep the seeds and membrane, it will be hotter)<br />
1 Tbl tomato paste<br />
1 Tbl garam masala (a fragrant spice blend found in some stores or specialty shops)<br />
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes<br />
2 tsp sugar<br />
1/2 tsp salt<br />
3/4 cup cream<br />
1/4 cup chopped cilantro<br />
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1. FOR THE CHICKEN: Combine cumin, coriander, cayenne, and salt in small bowl. Sprinkle both sides of chicken with spice mixture, pressing gently so mixture adheres. Place chicken on plate, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes. In large bowl, whisk together yogurt, oil, garlic, and ginger; set aside.<br />
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2. FOR THE SAUCE: Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook, stirring frequently, until light golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, chile, tomato paste, and garam masala; cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, sugar, and salt; bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cream and return to simmer. Remove pan from heat and cover to keep warm.<br />
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3. While sauce simmers, adjust oven rack to upper-middle position (about 6 inches from heating element) and heat broiler. Using tongs, dip chicken into yogurt mixture (chicken should be coated with thick layer of yogurt) and arrange on wire rack set in foil-lined rimmed baking sheet or broiler pan. Discard excess yogurt mixture. Broil chicken until thickest parts register 160 degrees on instant-read thermometer and exterior is lightly charred in spots, 10 to 18 minutes, flipping chicken halfway through cooking.<br />
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4. Let chicken rest 5 minutes, then cut into 1-inch chunks and stir into warm sauce (do not simmer chicken in sauce). Stir in cilantro, adjust seasoning with salt, and serve.<br />
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And, as a salute to the blizzard and to my amigo Bob, I purchased some special beer for the evening:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TQVrhkoFISI/AAAAAAAABAo/dvNRZrPBemY/s1600/stella.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" n4="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TQVrhkoFISI/AAAAAAAABAo/dvNRZrPBemY/s320/stella.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br />
All in all, not a bad evening!Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-74779609535994184452010-12-06T19:26:00.000-06:002010-12-06T19:26:59.730-06:00Pork Stew with Fennel and Butternut SquashI've made lots of stews, and particulary love this type of dish on a winter Sunday. And as we all know, it's always better the next day! So, when I saw this recipe in Lunds & Byerly's Real Foods, (my employer), I had to give it a try. Now, I love fennel, the dry spice. I use it in just about every pasta dish I make. Whether it's tomato or olive oil based, fennel is in there. I don't use a lot, just enough to know it's there. However, I've never used fresh fennel, which kinda looks like celery dressed as a hooker. Now, when I cook a recipe for the first time, one of my rules is to follow the directions and don't change the ingredients! (my wife doesn't agree) However, when I took my list of ingredients to Byerly's to shop, I came across a couple things that caused me to change course a bit. The recipe calls for 4 oz of pancetta, which is Italian bacon. Well, that 4 oz was going to cost nearly $8. Hmm, I thought regular bacon would be just fine, plus I had some at home already. Then I got to the fresh fennel, located in the produce aisle. The recipe called for "4 large bulbs." I'm still not sure what a bulb is, but, one stalk was almost $3. Since I hadn't used it before, I didn't know how strong it was, and I sure as hell didn't want to spend $12 on it. I bought one stalk or bulb. The recipe called for a 4 lb butt pork roast. No butt roast in the meat case, but, boneless pork chops were buy one get one free. Good enough for the girls we go with! So, with all this said I will print the recipe as written in the book, and will tell you what changes I made. Oh, I suppose I should tell you, it is a wonderfull dish! I've made it twice now. It goes into the rotation at our house. It definitely feeds the bear!<br />
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Spice Rub:<br />
3 tsp salt<br />
2 tsp black pepper<br />
1/2 tsp cayenne<br />
1/2 tsp ground ginger<br />
2 tsp rubbed sage<br />
1/4 tsp nutmeg<br />
2 tsp fennel pollen or ground fennel (never heard of the pollen, I used a spice mill on whole fennel)<br />
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4 lb pork shoulder (Boston butt) roast, trimmed and cut into 3" chunks<br />
1/4 lb pancetta, diced<br />
3 cups chopped onion<br />
2 Tbl chopped garlic<br />
3 cups pork or chicken stock<br />
1 1/2 cups red wine<br />
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes<br />
4 large fennel bulbs, leafy part trimmed and chopped, bulb cut into chunks<br />
5 cups butter nut squash<br />
salt and pepper to taste<br />
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Combine rub spices.<br />
Cut meat into 1" chunks (this is where I used the boneless chops). Toss the cubed meat pieces with rub. The original instructions didn't specify. I left them season for a couple hours.<br />
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Fry the diced pancetta (or bacon) in a dutch oven. Brown for 10-15 minutes. Remove from pan, add 1/2 of the rubbed pork pieces. Brown for 10 minutes, stirring a couple times. Remove browned meat and repeat with other 1/2 of pork. <br />
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Add onions and garlic to the pan, cook for 10 minutes. Add stock, wine, and tomatoes. Add pork and pancetta to pan. Turn oven to 325. When the pot starts to boil, take it off. Put a cover on the pan and bake for 90 minutes.<br />
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After you've placed the pan in the oven, now it's time to peel and cut the squash into chunks. When you finish that, chop the fennel as directed. After 90 minutes, take the pan out of the oven. Add the squash and the fennel to the pot, stir into liquid. Put the cover back on and bake for 30-45 minutes. All you want to do is cook the squash so it's done, but not mush. The original directions say to remove everything from the pot, skim off the fat, and cook the liquid down if too thin. The boneless chops are very lean, and not much grease was on top. I thought the liquid was just fine, so I haven't done that either time I've made it.<br />
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So here is what I used:<br />
2 1/2 lbs of pork, and only 1/2 the rub seasonings.<br />
Bacon instead of pancetta<br />
1 bulb of fennel<br />
Home canned tomatoes, which 1 jar weighed 17 oz.<br />
All the wine, stock, and garlic.<br />
2 cups of onion.<br />
I just bought a squash and used it all. What the hell you going to do with a partial squash?<br />
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This stew has a great flavor, very different from anything else of this type of baked dish. I think 4 bulbs of fennel would be too much. The one head plus the dry fennel are perfect. This made enough for 2 meals for the two of us.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2F6ooXuBI/AAAAAAAABAI/pLeMLf8N24Q/s1600/IMG_1889.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2F6ooXuBI/AAAAAAAABAI/pLeMLf8N24Q/s320/IMG_1889.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Boneless pork chops.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GEAiwouI/AAAAAAAABAM/MtHZBwEJJ1Y/s1600/IMG_1890.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GEAiwouI/AAAAAAAABAM/MtHZBwEJJ1Y/s320/IMG_1890.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Seasoned pork.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GbL8e41I/AAAAAAAABAU/WKnFDvlsXik/s1600/IMG_1894.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GbL8e41I/AAAAAAAABAU/WKnFDvlsXik/s320/IMG_1894.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Fennel, onion, bacon, porn squash, fresh canned tomatoes from my neighbor, Karla, and red wine.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GjFfSGoI/AAAAAAAABAY/1f-bPRMWvUg/s1600/IMG_1897.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GjFfSGoI/AAAAAAAABAY/1f-bPRMWvUg/s320/IMG_1897.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Browned pork and bacon. Chopped garlic, fennel, and chicken stock.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GsdCGllI/AAAAAAAABAc/Uo7kBTTvlEs/s1600/IMG_1898.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2GsdCGllI/AAAAAAAABAc/Uo7kBTTvlEs/s320/IMG_1898.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Peeled and cubed squash, with the fennel.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2G0c4-fAI/AAAAAAAABAg/Vrov5mNMvqE/s1600/IMG_1900.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2G0c4-fAI/AAAAAAAABAg/Vrov5mNMvqE/s320/IMG_1900.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">After the meat bakes for 90 minutes, stir in the squash and fennel. Bake, covered, for 30-45 minutes.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2G8nXh2GI/AAAAAAAABAk/emt0f-0cIxY/s1600/IMG_1901.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TP2G8nXh2GI/AAAAAAAABAk/emt0f-0cIxY/s320/IMG_1901.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Mmmmm good!</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-3810368806415776982010-10-20T20:04:00.000-05:002010-10-20T20:04:01.836-05:00Landmarks in Elm CreekThe new trails in Elm Creek are coming along quite nicely. There are some sections that are ridable, although, I'm not sure how much we should be in there. The fact that it's been extremely dry has been good for the trail. I've seen other tire tracks on the trail, but, no damage because of use. Bob and I spoke with the contractor today, he didn't have any problems with us being in there. Some of the stuff I rode last week that was fresh has been tamped down and is great for riding. The 2-3 miles that are hard packed already have some distinct land marks. I took a camera in on Sunday and took a few shots.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGA01jWvI/AAAAAAAAA_0/MKm56Pl3iSs/s1600/IMG_1808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGA01jWvI/AAAAAAAAA_0/MKm56Pl3iSs/s400/IMG_1808.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What else can you call this, but the bucket in a tree?</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGMWuUwjI/AAAAAAAAA_4/L5tUyLI2qDo/s1600/IMG_1810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="400" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGMWuUwjI/AAAAAAAAA_4/L5tUyLI2qDo/s400/IMG_1810.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Big ass tree.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGY0dRKcI/AAAAAAAAA_8/Ha7CAmy7kkA/s1600/IMG_1809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGY0dRKcI/AAAAAAAAA_8/Ha7CAmy7kkA/s400/IMG_1809.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are several rocks on the trail, this is just one of them. None stand out, yet. I'm sure that eventually some rider will nail one with a tire or pedal!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGzh3lqYI/AAAAAAAABAE/3mnDgw4pJLU/s1600/IMG_1812.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="300" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzGzh3lqYI/AAAAAAAABAE/3mnDgw4pJLU/s400/IMG_1812.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The Narrows. A short stretch of trail with trees close together. Anyone flying through better be paying attention!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzF1k60PSI/AAAAAAAAA_w/AJZhYXalRN0/s1600/IMG_1806.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ex="true" height="400" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TLzF1k60PSI/AAAAAAAAA_w/AJZhYXalRN0/s400/IMG_1806.jpg" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Elm Creek Roundabout. 3 trees angled outward with a big dead one in the middle. You have to go around the big tree to follow the trail. So far, it's my favorite landmark.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It will be fun to see and ride the trail as more work is complete. I've been waiting for this for 17 years!</div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-70985101430159226532010-09-27T13:16:00.000-05:002010-09-27T13:16:04.390-05:00Chequamegon 2010: Cramping my style....I've done the Chequamegon 40 mile mountain bike race 6 times now. I love all there is about it. My friends that race it. My friends that come to watch. The hundreds of people that watch all along the way. The feeling that you get when you come down that last hill and make the big "U" turn and climb back up the hill and cross the finish line. Even though I finish way in the back, I still can hear my buddies hollering my name as I pedal that last 50 yards or so to the finish. That is a simple joy that always makes me smile. Competition for some, but the joy of pedaling for most everyone else, myself included. So what drives me crazy is cramps. It doesn't matter how good or how bad I feel, I always get cramps around mile 32.<br />
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This year, my heart rate was too high the first 15 miles, but then it settled down and I felt great. My bike was performing fabulously. My full suspension bike loved the rocky, rutted out fire roads, and I found myself passing people on these rougher stretches. The week in Breckenride, CO was paying off in that respect. But, in the back of my mind I kept thinking, when are the cramps going to hit? As usual, after Firetower Hill, at about the 32 mi mark, I had my first spasm in my left quad. I stayed on the bike and massaged it out. Rode for another mile and they hit again. I got off the bike for a few minutes and rubbed it out. This seemed to be the pattern. Ride a mile, get cramps, massage, ride another mile, get cramps. I started walking up hills that I would have no problem pedaling, trying to keep them at bay. I finally thought I had it made, but, they hit again so bad I was off the bike about 2 mi from the finish. After they subsided, I pedaled until 1/2 mi left, all I had to do was ride down the hill and back up to the finish. They hit hard, again my left quad and then my left hamstring at the same time. I had thrown the bike down on the ground, and a spectator was holding my bike, encouraging to me "just throw your leg over and hop on, you'll be fine, only 1/2 mile left!" The guy obviously never had cramps before. Finally, I got on and made it the last 1/2 mi. I was so disappointed to see the time, 3:45. My slowest race ever, and 15 minutes slower then last year. At one point during the race, I felt so good, I was hoping for a personal best. Effing cramps. They have taken the joy out of the race for me. Part of me wants to quit doing the race, because the pain and frustration are so great, year after year. <br />
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But, then I think of all the things I love about the race, the things I listed earlier. I decided that I'm not going to let 15-20 minutes of cramps change my love of the race. Bastards! I'll just keep researching cramps and trying to find the right concoction of electrolytes or witch's brew that works. Here's something I found that I may try. Even though the company is in New Zealand, they have a distributor in Canada and the US. Maybe it'll be the Kiwi solution for 2011. <a href="http://www.hchformulas.com/crampstop.html">http://www.hchformulas.com/crampstop.html</a> <br />
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Anyway, here is a short pictorial of Chequamegon 2010. Leading off is Dave...<br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqR5OH5YKI/AAAAAAAAA-E/em4xzKOi4oU/s1600/dave+h.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqR5OH5YKI/AAAAAAAAA-E/em4xzKOi4oU/s320/dave+h.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Dave finished 92nd overall, 82nd in his age group. GREAT RIDE!!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">You made us all proud.</div><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSGazEVbI/AAAAAAAAA-M/Zke_h96fy6w/s1600/IMG_1725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSGazEVbI/AAAAAAAAA-M/Zke_h96fy6w/s320/IMG_1725.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Loading up Friday.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSQ082qdI/AAAAAAAAA-U/G5xBerg50N8/s1600/IMG_1726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSQ082qdI/AAAAAAAAA-U/G5xBerg50N8/s320/IMG_1726.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This cabin beat the hell out of the one we stayed in last year!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSYv8j9LI/AAAAAAAAA-c/3ludDw68CrQ/s1600/IMG_1731.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSYv8j9LI/AAAAAAAAA-c/3ludDw68CrQ/s320/IMG_1731.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">John and Bob trying to figure out where all of our crap is going to go.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSkPamaXI/AAAAAAAAA-k/TUgD7yx1BaA/s1600/IMG_1732.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSkPamaXI/AAAAAAAAA-k/TUgD7yx1BaA/s320/IMG_1732.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Dave is contemplating 2:30, Bill is contemplating his "own personal hell."</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSsoqr8hI/AAAAAAAAA-s/VpRL5n2BSHE/s1600/IMG_1733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqSsoqr8hI/AAAAAAAAA-s/VpRL5n2BSHE/s320/IMG_1733.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Matt making salad.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqS0I5HSyI/AAAAAAAAA-0/sht1vgHIkvw/s1600/IMG_1738.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqS0I5HSyI/AAAAAAAAA-0/sht1vgHIkvw/s320/IMG_1738.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The group. Thanks to Madonna, Berger, Larry, and CJ for taking the time to ride up and support us!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Photo taken by Luke.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqS7618beI/AAAAAAAAA-8/0l4r-9hyJSY/s1600/IMG_1740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqS7618beI/AAAAAAAAA-8/0l4r-9hyJSY/s320/IMG_1740.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">My email buddy, Scott. We finally got to meet face to face!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqTEt9mSXI/AAAAAAAAA_E/W6fKJF1MjJo/s1600/IMG_1745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqTEt9mSXI/AAAAAAAAA_E/W6fKJF1MjJo/s320/IMG_1745.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A little bit muddy.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqTOKE70BI/AAAAAAAAA_M/F19TQYYG-a4/s1600/IMG_1752-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqTOKE70BI/AAAAAAAAA_M/F19TQYYG-a4/s320/IMG_1752-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Loading up Sunday morning. Four bikes and gear.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqUpV6nCKI/AAAAAAAAA_c/DGYIR6Tyrc4/s1600/IMG_1728.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqUpV6nCKI/AAAAAAAAA_c/DGYIR6Tyrc4/s320/IMG_1728.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Sunday morning, just before we left.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqTS_SmFoI/AAAAAAAAA_U/ClfVCojTAwQ/s1600/IMG_1755-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TJqTS_SmFoI/AAAAAAAAA_U/ClfVCojTAwQ/s320/IMG_1755-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The weekend was dedicated to our good friend, Larry Cain. One thing we always said about Larry, <em>that guy could ride!</em></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-85492695837057524972010-09-20T09:42:00.000-05:002010-09-20T09:42:36.182-05:00Breck 2010 or, picking up guys in a bar is a good thing...<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Well, the bride and I arrived in Breckenridge on Sunday afternoon Aug 29. Got into our condo and headed off to the Breckenridge Brewery. This has been a tradition of sorts for several years, to go there on the first night. We've gotten to know a couple of the bartenders and we've had good conversations sitting at the bar meeting new people as well. This year was no different. I was speaking to a young couple on their honeymoon from Wisconsin. A few snippets of our conversation: "We got married in the spring, but, we're farmers and couldn't get away till now." "I was never in a plane before until last week." "Driving in the mountains is pretty scary." "It sucks that you have Brett Favre, ha, ha, ha!" Actually, they were very nice, and the fact that they made their own organic ice cream was interesting to me, since we were once in that business. I even managed to steer the conversation to mountain biking. Imagine that. Diane was engaged in a conversation with a couple on her side of the barstools. The husband came over to me and said he heard me talking bikes, and asked if we could ride together the next day. I said sure. Turned out he was from New Jersey, and had been out there a few days celebrating his wife's 50th birthday. Chris and I decided to meet the next morning and rent bikes. I knew where I wanted to go, and that was up the Burro trail, to a place called Crystal Lake. The elevation is over 12,000 feet. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1uE-qysrI/AAAAAAAAA8k/bgSuAuFHdGQ/s1600/IMG_1669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1uE-qysrI/AAAAAAAAA8k/bgSuAuFHdGQ/s320/IMG_1669.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Here's Chris and I after the ride. We never made it to Crystal Lake. It was drizzling and cold, with patchy fog. Neither of us were dressed for that type of weather. We decided it would be much smarter to head back down. We still managed to get well over 11,000 feet. Riding with Chris was fun. He's similar to me, more of a roadie then mtb, but likes both sports. He's also a veteren of the Mt. Washington Road Race in New Hampshire. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_Auto_Road_Bicycle_Hillclimb">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mount_Washington_Auto_Road_Bicycle_Hillclimb</a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Chris had great legs for the climbs on the Burro trail, but the altitude was getting to him as well! After the ride, we went to Rasta Pasta with our wives and had the <em>Natural Mystic, </em>a curry pasta dish with chicken and pineapple. They had bananas added to it was well. Chris, it was great to ride with you, let's do it again next year!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1t6-c70XI/AAAAAAAAA8c/wOBNizrFi8g/s1600/dave+the+bartender.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1t6-c70XI/AAAAAAAAA8c/wOBNizrFi8g/s320/dave+the+bartender.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The 2nd night, we went back to the Breckenridge Brewery, because I knew Dave was bartending. The picture above is from last year. He offered to take me out last year and I chickened out. This year, he asked me again, and I decided I better take him up on his offer. He took me on trails I hadn't ridden before, which was a welcome change. I don't have any pictures of our ride, because I was chasing him the whole time. He runs a single speed 32x18 gear, and he climbed every hill without a problem. He's a very strong rider (and patient as well). We ended up with about 20 miles. It was a lot of fun to have someone to ride with and to see new trails. A big thanks to Dave for taking me out.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1vcdxjl2I/AAAAAAAAA9U/Xl7G3yVs1mY/s1600/IMG_1714.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1vcdxjl2I/AAAAAAAAA9U/Xl7G3yVs1mY/s320/IMG_1714.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">On Friday, I decided to re-ride some of the trails that Dave took me out on. I wanted to get some photos of the trails. There are 3 Flume trails, Upper, Middle, and Lower. We rode all 3. We also went on the Colorado, and Blair Witch Trails. The photos below are all Flume trails.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1vpR17mjI/AAAAAAAAA9c/CV57q7EIykc/s1600/IMG_1715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1vpR17mjI/AAAAAAAAA9c/CV57q7EIykc/s320/IMG_1715.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1v9TGMObI/AAAAAAAAA9k/SgMK2sxFB8U/s1600/IMG_1716-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1v9TGMObI/AAAAAAAAA9k/SgMK2sxFB8U/s320/IMG_1716-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1wLQjphXI/AAAAAAAAA9s/eGZ2RqjnMuI/s1600/IMG_1718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1wLQjphXI/AAAAAAAAA9s/eGZ2RqjnMuI/s320/IMG_1718.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1wZ0nwIMI/AAAAAAAAA90/Ialx--IG_cE/s1600/IMG_1719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1wZ0nwIMI/AAAAAAAAA90/Ialx--IG_cE/s320/IMG_1719.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1vNvi3o4I/AAAAAAAAA9M/R3AJE4fi1iY/s1600/IMG_1713-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1vNvi3o4I/AAAAAAAAA9M/R3AJE4fi1iY/s320/IMG_1713-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Dave kept telling me I needed to rent a Santa Cruz "Tall Boy". It's a full carbon, full suspension, 29" bike.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">It was comfortable and rode great. I'm not sure I like the 29r style bike for short, steep switch backs. It would be great here in the mid-west. I'll have to try it again next year.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1uZ62EE-I/AAAAAAAAA80/0Zlc9QCVwmQ/s1600/IMG_1709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1uZ62EE-I/AAAAAAAAA80/0Zlc9QCVwmQ/s320/IMG_1709.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">On Thursday, I decided to try and climb to Crystal Lake again. As you can see by the photo above, it was a glorious day! I rented a Yeti ASR 5 full carbon, full suspension 26" bike. This bike was incredible! I rode it for two days and loved it. It would be my next bike.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1uQX1stcI/AAAAAAAAA8s/E5qGWj-whLo/s1600/IMG_1702.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1uQX1stcI/AAAAAAAAA8s/E5qGWj-whLo/s320/IMG_1702.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This is part of the "road" to Crystal Lake. The lake is about 1/2 mile from this point. I was only able to ride about 1/3 that distance.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1up57iX9I/AAAAAAAAA88/-CFrRZ95XHs/s1600/IMG_1708.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1up57iX9I/AAAAAAAAA88/-CFrRZ95XHs/s320/IMG_1708.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">You can read the elevation, 12,015 feet. I started out at 9,608. It took me 2h 7m to go 6.3 miles! Now, I did stop and take many pictures and videos along the way, but, that probably accounted for 15 minutes. I have videos posted below this posting.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1u4Xfq1iI/AAAAAAAAA9E/CqxZfziV90A/s1600/IMG_1695-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1u4Xfq1iI/AAAAAAAAA9E/CqxZfziV90A/s320/IMG_1695-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I love this spot! This is part of the Baker's Tank trail. It's interesting because the trail turns red after being gray, and it's only red for a short distance. That's the Yeti leaning on the rock, Beely style!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1wjsYnP5I/AAAAAAAAA98/n2YD5zuVl_E/s1600/IMG_1680.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ox="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TI1wjsYnP5I/AAAAAAAAA98/n2YD5zuVl_E/s320/IMG_1680.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I took this shot on the Sallie Barber mine road. I missed the turn and had to double back. This is a valley and there are a few nice house back in there. I have no idea how they access their homes in the winter. The road isn't too bad, but, I can't imagine how much snow they must get.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">It was a great trip again this year. I was able to ride a bike all 5 days we were there. Thanks to my wife for being so understanding! I also want to thank John, Rich, and Mark at Avalanche Sports. The kept me in bikes and gave me a fabulous deal on the rentals. Thanks guys!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.av-sports.com/Home.aspx">http://www.av-sports.com/Home.aspx</a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">I have several videos posted below, please check them out!</div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-83122850644703650512010-09-12T19:13:00.002-05:002010-09-12T19:13:27.750-05:00Sallie Barber Mine Rd 1<object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i1.ytimg.com/vi/Plh_jsY12Wg/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/Plh_jsY12Wg?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/Plh_jsY12Wg?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-40106476059485967822010-09-12T19:13:00.000-05:002010-09-12T19:13:12.107-05:00Red Baker's Tank Trail<object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/G0jytpmcDZE/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/G0jytpmcDZE?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/G0jytpmcDZE?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-36283690085314855842010-09-12T19:12:00.002-05:002010-09-12T19:12:54.168-05:00Crystal Lake 2010<object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/E1ffW5bzaDg/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/E1ffW5bzaDg?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/E1ffW5bzaDg?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-33745840070432027382010-09-12T19:12:00.001-05:002010-09-12T19:12:40.373-05:00Road to Crystal Lake, cont.<object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/jgvb93cB8oQ/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jgvb93cB8oQ?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jgvb93cB8oQ?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-91830584388954227682010-09-12T19:12:00.000-05:002010-09-12T19:12:22.814-05:00The road to Crystal Lake<object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i4.ytimg.com/vi/36hba0lo16M/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/36hba0lo16M?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/36hba0lo16M?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-47857884731661117642010-09-12T19:11:00.000-05:002010-09-12T19:11:04.948-05:00Spruce Creek Road<object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i3.ytimg.com/vi/jMuC1d1fwvc/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/jMuC1d1fwvc?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/jMuC1d1fwvc?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-21280925799924009102010-09-12T19:10:00.000-05:002010-09-12T19:10:23.970-05:00Burro Trail, Jeep road<object height="344" style="background-image: url(http://i2.ytimg.com/vi/e4NnK6jSBgE/hqdefault.jpg);" width="425"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/e4NnK6jSBgE?fs=1&hl=en_US"><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/e4NnK6jSBgE?fs=1&hl=en_US" width="425" height="344" allowscriptaccess="never" allowfullscreen="true" wmode="transparent" type="application/x-shockwave-flash"></embed></object>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-19214519502997574802010-08-23T07:42:00.000-05:002010-08-23T07:42:20.240-05:00How I spend SundaysSince I am too busy to write in the blog lately, I have copied the blog from Neil, a friend and fellow cyclist! This is video of what we do on Sundays. Carol was great leading us at the end. We were all getting tired as the heat and humidity started climbing. She even got some road rash as some of the group were "sprinting" towards a town sign!<br />
<br />
Great ride!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://nerdybike.blogspot.com/">http://nerdybike.blogspot.com/</a><br />
<br />
I'm off to Colorado next Sat, look for lots of photos and video after I return.Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-39897529692791344652010-06-28T07:58:00.000-05:002010-06-28T07:58:06.549-05:00New frame!<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCiW9KTIHMI/AAAAAAAAA7s/71oJX92hOSg/s1600/IMG_1629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCiW9KTIHMI/AAAAAAAAA7s/71oJX92hOSg/s320/IMG_1629.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I finally got my new frame!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bianchi stood behind their warranty. Too bad they had so many problems with the 928 series of carbon frames. This is my 3rd replacement frame in 6 years! I will miss my LUNA, it was a very unique frame, with the white carbon and irridiscent colors in bright sunlight. I always got compliments on it. However, I've very happy with this frame, the "Born for Performance" series of road frames. I took it for a 53 mi test ride on Sunday. It road beautifully! I will need to make a few tweaks on the saddle and I adjusted the handle bars while on the road. The biggest thing I have to get used to is that this bike has a double compact crank. The Talladega that I've been riding all along has a triple crank, which I've really learned to love as I've gotten older and slower. I ride that middle ring the majority of the time, a higher cadence seems to suit me better then bigger gears. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also, I have give a big thanks to Pam Saylor! She noticed that the gray cages that suited the LUNA so well did not match the new frame. She offered to swap her black cages for my gray ones. Even after it was discovered that one of mine was broken. I love you Pam!!!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCiaY37TKJI/AAAAAAAAA70/fCJj4cBG80U/s1600/P5060135.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCiaY37TKJI/AAAAAAAAA70/fCJj4cBG80U/s320/P5060135.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The LUNA in front, and the Talladega behind.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCia9fjougI/AAAAAAAAA78/97yq6URlwvk/s1600/IMG_1624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCia9fjougI/AAAAAAAAA78/97yq6URlwvk/s320/IMG_1624.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Amigo Bill a couple weeks ago.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCibDmh56xI/AAAAAAAAA8E/3jSkxBl9pVE/s1600/IMG_1623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TCibDmh56xI/AAAAAAAAA8E/3jSkxBl9pVE/s320/IMG_1623.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And Matt, prior to being sunburned.</div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-5913895029756949602010-06-14T05:49:00.026-05:002010-10-24T09:02:14.862-05:00"He was such a good boy!!" Charlie, 1998-2010<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTM4nKH60I/AAAAAAAAA5M/YB009iQie9c/s320/Image1-22.jpg" /></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">13 years ago, we had a dog named Maggie. We had her 16 years, in 4 different houses and 3 different areas of MN. Towards the end of her life, we met a great veterinarian named Dr<span style="color: black;">. Kivisto</span>, (more on her later). As tough as it was to put Maggie down, after a few months we started our search for a new puppy. Diane had looked at lots of different dog books, and we were pretty set on getting a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier, or "Wheatie." We found a reputable breeder that was having pups soon. She told us we could come and see the pups when they were 4 weeks old. We could then pick one out. The time came, and off we went. But, just before we left, Karen, the breeder, called us. She said, "I just want to tell you to be careful when you come in. Wheatens have a characteristic trait of jumping up on you when they greet you. Don't be alarmed, that's just how they are." Sure enough, Maggie, the mother of the pups, jumped up on me when we came in their house. Not a problem! Some of the pups were already spoken for. The puppies were all wearing different colored ribbons to identify them. I sat down on the floor, and this one with a green ribbon came running towards me, faster then the others. I looked at Diane and said that this has to be the one, after all, he came running for me! The little guy with the green ribbon would become Charlie. Several months after we had Charlie home with us, Diane was reading another dog book, and there was a section on picking out puppies. It said to "never pick out the pup that runs up to you first, because they will be the most active and have the highest energy." Well, they were right about that energy part!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNM6ITcRI/AAAAAAAAA5k/l-csDxAWDP8/s1600/Image1-25.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNM6ITcRI/AAAAAAAAA5k/l-csDxAWDP8/s320/Image1-25.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Charlie is being held by Karen, sitting on the couch on the left. Maggie, Charlie's mom, is next to her. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBYEDUpjpxI/AAAAAAAAA7c/DGTti_6tQcw/s1600/Image1-30-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBYEDUpjpxI/AAAAAAAAA7c/DGTti_6tQcw/s320/Image1-30-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Wheatens change color as they age, especially during puppy hood. They start out very dark and get lighter as they age. Charlie's black mask disappeared completely after a couple years! </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNk9Y8tYI/AAAAAAAAA58/16soQca98h8/s1600/Charlie+grad.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNk9Y8tYI/AAAAAAAAA58/16soQca98h8/s320/Charlie+grad.JPG" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">We wanted to be sure Charlie was trained, and took him to two levels of obedience classes. The instructor kept dried liver treats in his pocket. It didn't take Charlie long to know right where to go when we got to class every week. He would jump right up on the instructors leg to the pocket where the treats were! Those of you that have been to our house knew that he loved to jump up on you when you first came in. The men learned to cover their privates like they were soccer players! The picture above is graduation day. Those of you with sharp eyes will notice the Fat Tire hat I'm wearing.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Charlie learned to sit, lay down, heel, and stay. He would sit or lay down for at least 5 seconds or so, on a good day! What he learned (or we did), was that for a treat he would be very patient. Our instructor taught everyone to use the term "release." I could tell Charlie to either sit or lay down, and put a treat on the floor in front of him. He wouldn't move for the treat until we said the word "release", then he'd scarf it down. He also learned to play fetch this way.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBYEKUIJ9CI/AAAAAAAAA7k/Ss4119y2smQ/s1600/Image2-6.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBYEKUIJ9CI/AAAAAAAAA7k/Ss4119y2smQ/s320/Image2-6.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTN3mxp8PI/AAAAAAAAA6M/22cyw0DBPGw/s320/P6190010.jpg" /> </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Wheatens are known for their little quirks. One of Charlie's was to pull a cushion off the couch, then grab one of his plush balls. He would move and manipulate the pillow so it was just right. Then, grab the ball and sit like he is in the picture. He would move his mouth up and down while holding the ball in his teeth. This seemed to us to be what he needed to do to mellow out. Hence, we called it "nukking', after a baby's pacifier nuk</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTOAslYRHI/AAAAAAAAA6c/plL24nU7LIU/s1600/P3190153.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTOAslYRHI/AAAAAAAAA6c/plL24nU7LIU/s320/P3190153.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Charlie liked his plush toys, especially for fetch. What that dog wouldn't do for one little piece of dog food! When he wanted to play fetch, he would grab a ball and come and ram you in the leg with it. Kinda like, don't you get the hint yet?</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBVqqYCE2KI/AAAAAAAAA60/-pN_sH0VJFc/s1600/P2110001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBVqqYCE2KI/AAAAAAAAA60/-pN_sH0VJFc/s320/P2110001.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">One of Charlie's favorite sleeping spots was between the wall and a dresser. He would occasionally sleep in an unconventional position, as this picture shows.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTOO0gpDAI/AAAAAAAAA6s/xiJ2kWZkE6s/s1600/P6040006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTOO0gpDAI/AAAAAAAAA6s/xiJ2kWZkE6s/s320/P6040006.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Me and my boy on the couch.</div><br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTMuc6qhuI/AAAAAAAAA5E/-3z4g0q4hcs/s1600/Image1-21.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTMuc6qhuI/AAAAAAAAA5E/-3z4g0q4hcs/s320/Image1-21.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This picture shows why Wheatens are called soft coated. He had the most luxurious fur coat. So soft you couldn't believe it. Unfortunately, he developed a skin disease called panniculitis. He had raw, open sores along his back. This was where Dr. Kivisto became more then just his vet. She researched the condition and finally had us go to the U of MN vet school for treatment. He was given steroids which helped, but never cured the breakouts. His gorgeous fur coat was never the same. The areas where the fur fell out came back, but they were different colored. It was during all these visits to doctors that we learned something about Charlie. He could be a handful at home at times, but, whenever he was in a clinic or hospital he behaved perfectly! Everyone remarked how well behaved he was, and he walked so well on a lead. He was an absolute chick magnet. I couldn't believe how the coeds at the U would stop and pet him! He loved it! The skin breakouts continued off and on for a few years. We finally visited a holistic doctor at the U. Her name was Dr. Choi. She was a Korean woman about 4'10" tall. Her whole approach was different. She looked at him and his sores and said; "He's too hot inside! We need to cool him down!" She prescribed these little round herbal pills with names we could never hope to pronounce. They worked! It was unbelievable. He would go on these pills once a year or so. He never had a breakout again.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNEI4Jv-I/AAAAAAAAA5U/jaLn0B2QVPA/s1600/Image1-23.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: left; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNEI4Jv-I/AAAAAAAAA5U/jaLn0B2QVPA/s320/Image1-23.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">He was such a sucker for pictures after a haircut, or maybe we were.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNIffAGOI/AAAAAAAAA5c/-_fUJtzXHgE/s1600/Image1-24.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNIffAGOI/AAAAAAAAA5c/-_fUJtzXHgE/s320/Image1-24.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A happy boy.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNX4mYuzI/AAAAAAAAA5s/h2XKTV7IoN0/s1600/IMG_1066.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNX4mYuzI/AAAAAAAAA5s/h2XKTV7IoN0/s320/IMG_1066.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">He could look so sad when no one would play with him. He would gather all his toys around him (and a kong, just in case we were to put cheese or peanut butter in it).</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNfWdf0hI/AAAAAAAAA50/tDe6w1rfw_E/s1600/IMG_0002.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNfWdf0hI/AAAAAAAAA50/tDe6w1rfw_E/s320/IMG_0002.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">He had a grumpy side. We spent about a year remodeling the upstairs. He wasn't happy that he didn't have carpeting to lay down on. I finally bought him a rug. He also used to stare at us from the top of the stairs when we were leaving. We found out from the neighbors that he would howl after we left! But, whenever we came home he was at the top of those same stairs, wagging his tail, happy we were home again.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNvxD_ASI/AAAAAAAAA6E/AyNqrKnqCWs/s1600/P9250004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="cssfloat: right; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTNvxD_ASI/AAAAAAAAA6E/AyNqrKnqCWs/s320/P9250004.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">As easy going as Charlie was, there were a few things he didn't like. Baths, for example. Riding in cars was another thing that got him riled up. I knew he was really sick last week when I took him to the U of M vet school and he never whined once the whole trip.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A couple other things he didn't like were cats and rabbits. When he was young, our neighbors had a Rottweiler named Jasmine. You wouldn't think a 90 lb Rottweiler and and a 35 lb Wheaten could get along. But, they got along famously. They loved to play with each other and run around the yards together. Jasmine was very protective of Charlie. If Charlie was doing something he shouldn't outside and I hollered at him, Jasmine would bark at me! Anyway, our neighbors also had a cat that was kept indoors. Once, when Charlie was in their yard playing, the cat was sitting on a couch in front of a window at ground level. Charlie broke the window with his head trying to get at the cat.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And then there were rabbits. If one got in our fenced yard, Charlie was uncontrollable. The terrier in him took over and he ran after them like a bat out of hell. He officially was an ace. His total kills were 6 for his career. The first time he caught one we didn't know it and he ate most of it. He learned the hard way that killing rabbits is one thing, but eating them is not good for the digestive system! I only witnessed this once, I couldn't believe how fast he could snap their necks. I was at the rabbit a few seconds after Charlie snapped it's neck, it was as dead as a doornail.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTOH9GzfwI/AAAAAAAAA6k/4N__EXZP9YI/s1600/outside-2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTOH9GzfwI/AAAAAAAAA6k/4N__EXZP9YI/s320/outside-2.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Charlie's favorite kennel was the Rin<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>Tin Inn in Elk River. This picture used to be on their website. That's Charlie on the right.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBV2m3TZHvI/AAAAAAAAA68/ACwl7Y0o4kk/s1600/Image1-27.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBV2m3TZHvI/AAAAAAAAA68/ACwl7Y0o4kk/s320/Image1-27.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Diane and our little boy. He was always so happy!</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBV2qCYy_GI/AAAAAAAAA7E/nPnnvfFnqUc/s1600/Image1-28.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBV2qCYy_GI/AAAAAAAAA7E/nPnnvfFnqUc/s320/Image1-28.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">And he could be a snuggler<span style="background-color: white;">,</span> too.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">A little over a week ago, on a weekend, Charlie quit eating and drinking. Now, you have to know Charlie. When we had Maggie, we could put a big bowl of food out in the morning and she would eat when she felt like it. Not Charlie. We fed him 4 times per day, 1/2 cup food each time. Trust me, he could count to 4. Eating for him was a pleasurable experience, although it only lasted 45 seconds. We thought maybe he had eaten part of a dead bird or something, like he'd done before. But something seemed different. We got into the U of M vet school for an appointment. After initial tests and then an x-ray, the vet told me he had a mass in his chest, and for a dog his age it was most likely cancer. She asked if I wanted to do an ultra sound, the only way to really find out which organs were affected. It was expensive, and I had over an hour till the next opening. I called Diane and we decided we owed him that much. Well, they stopped the ultra sound part way through and didn't do biopsies as planned. He had cancer cells all over internally. This was on Monday. As I was walking him out, he was still walking proud, and all the people that saw him were smiling at him. I could barely walk. The drive home was a blur. After we got home, we called Dr. Kivisto. She had left to work in St. Cloud about 4 years ago, but, she had recently opened her own clinic 45 minutes North of us in Princeton. She was shocked by the news. We told her we wanted to put him down on Wednesday. She said she would be honored to be with us. Charlie didn't eat or drink Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday. The last meal he had eaten was Sunday afternoon, and it took him an hour to eat it. Wednesday was so emotional for Diane and I, bringing him up there was just too much. It was so hard. We got to the clinic and the first thing Charlie does is start drinking water out of a dish in the waiting room. Then, we get in the exam room. The vet tech, out of habit, offers him a treat. He ate at least a dozen! We were told that adrenalin can do this to a dog. Well, he must have been charged. Dr. Kivisto came in, sat on the floor with him like she always did, and Charlie gave her kisses! She looked at us and told us she didn't think this was the day to put him down. She gave us some different dog food to try and all the treats that she had of the kind he had eaten. We got home, and he ate about 1/2 dish of the new food. He never ate again. The only water he would drink was out of a plant plate on the deck. He got weaker and weaker, and by Friday we knew we had to go through with it. Dr Kivisto was closed on Saturday, but she said she'd come in for us whenever we needed to. We got there Saturday afternoon. The four of us sat on the floor, talked about the past, looked at some of these same pictures I have in this blog. Finally, our good doctor said it was time. I held Charlie's head with one hand and petted him with the other. Diane petted his back. Then he was gone. We all stayed on the floor for another 1/2 hour, petting him the whole time, and talking about everything. We finally got up to leave, and looking at him on the blanket on the floor was hard. He was sleeping, and we wanted to wake him up and take him home. But we knew better. He was chasing rabbits. And there weren't any fences.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBYD8VKJYJI/AAAAAAAAA7U/yHTutMQbWR0/s1600/Image1-32-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBYD8VKJYJI/AAAAAAAAA7U/yHTutMQbWR0/s320/Image1-32-1.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTMiWai4tI/AAAAAAAAA48/LAwRDS48K2U/s1600/Image1-20.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" qu="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/TBTMiWai4tI/AAAAAAAAA48/LAwRDS48K2U/s320/Image1-20.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">This is my favorite picture. </div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Both of these photos are a little deceiving, he wasn't that big, but he was furry! I think he was about a year old at the time. We used to play this game: I would bend over and put my left arm down, palm up. Then I would put my right arm out, so my arms were in a circle. I would say "come on buddy!" He would jump into my open arms and then I would close them around him and pick him up. We only did this for a couple years, he got too big, but it was a lot of fun. It was our first trick.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The University of Minnesota Veterinary School is the best. What I like about going there is that you always leave with an answer. You have a student see you initially, and the student goes to a professor with their findings and conclusions. The student and the professor come back together and go over everything with you. A couple days later, you get a letter in the mail documenting everything that was done. What I like the best, is the doctors always make personal comments at the end. It's a nice personal touch. A year ago, Charlie had a bunch of bumps under his skin. I again took him to the U for diagnosis. Turned out they were benign. Dr. Lisa<span style="background-color: white;"> </span>was the specialist that did the diagnosis. When we received the follow up letter in the mail a couple days later, it was all very scientific and thorough, as usual. But, at the very end she wrote: <em>"Thank you for bringing Charlie to the VMC. He was such a good boy!!"</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Yes, he was a very good boy. Rest in peace buddy. Your mom and dad loved you very much.</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-77247677303481907582010-05-03T07:14:00.000-05:002010-05-03T07:14:20.896-05:00Sunday downtown ride...The Hemi was in Utah this Sunday, so it was up to the other Dave H to plan the route. He led us to the Stone Arch bridge, which is normal, but from there took us on some trails that I hadn't ridden for a couple years. I'd never been on the new Greenway trail, which cuts through downtown. We also went around Lakes Calhoun and Harriet. From there it was on to Kenwood, and we climbed Mt. Curve Blvd twice. Very steep and nasty. We picked up another trail and went by Target Field. The Twins weren't playing, but we were!<br />
It was a great day for a ride and lots of fun!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fBbfvlgI/AAAAAAAAA4M/0OCErP1FuYc/s1600/IMG_1544.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fBbfvlgI/AAAAAAAAA4M/0OCErP1FuYc/s320/IMG_1544.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Bob, Danny, Dave, CJ, Ross, FWK (photo by Jorge)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fLcKibQI/AAAAAAAAA4U/W-PQgRfWAiU/s1600/IMG_1545.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fLcKibQI/AAAAAAAAA4U/W-PQgRfWAiU/s320/IMG_1545.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jorge, Bob, Danny, Dave, CJ, Ross (photo by FWK)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fcgE7ocI/AAAAAAAAA4k/RITsNjZJTB4/s1600/IMG_1537.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fcgE7ocI/AAAAAAAAA4k/RITsNjZJTB4/s320/IMG_1537.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Dave and Bob in their new Peace Coffee kits.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fhYWlDnI/AAAAAAAAA4s/NZ4ew0qyagc/s1600/IMG_1538.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S94fhYWlDnI/AAAAAAAAA4s/NZ4ew0qyagc/s320/IMG_1538.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Jorge, the cameraman.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S969kSVNn8I/AAAAAAAAA40/z28FfhHrypo/s1600/IMG_1548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S969kSVNn8I/AAAAAAAAA40/z28FfhHrypo/s320/IMG_1548.jpg" tt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The bikes and Bob at Dunn's on Washington Ave.</div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-2691016458933522612010-04-19T07:56:00.001-05:002010-04-19T07:57:59.107-05:00Two Sunday ridesFWK has been remiss in his writing about cycling due to recovering from hernia surgery. I've been getting out for about 3 weeks and taking it easy. The past two Sundays I've pushed it up a little bit, as it's time to get into longer distances. Last week, I rode with my amigo, Bill, and a new friend, Sophia. Sophia started cycling last year, as she wants to do triathlons. This was her first long ride of the season. We went 52 miles at an easy pace, everything was good! <br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S8xH2BaA_AI/AAAAAAAAA4E/nEoEbF_bx3g/s1600/IMG_1532.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S8xH2BaA_AI/AAAAAAAAA4E/nEoEbF_bx3g/s320/IMG_1532.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sophia and Bill near the end of the ride, on Territorial Rd. Bill looks like he has his teaching game face on!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S8xHf59T-GI/AAAAAAAAA30/m1ZPRNm5Amw/s1600/IMG_1533-copy.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S8xHf59T-GI/AAAAAAAAA30/m1ZPRNm5Amw/s320/IMG_1533-copy.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">On the photo above, I was trying to catch the riders with the capitol in the background, including the gold team of horses that were shining in the morning sun. I was doing all this while pedaling and going through a yellow light at an intersection. I got the shot off and as I looked at it for the second or two that you have afterwards, I saw that it was shot in sepia. I needed color! I adjusted the camera and clicked again. The screen said "low battery!" So much for that!</span></em></div><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">Yesterday, I decided to ratchet it up quite a bit and do a longer ride. The "Chile dog" ride is a spin off of the usual Sunday Stone Arch ride. The Chile Dog goes to St. Paul, but, doesn't include the big hills. We ride toward the capitol and around it, eventually entering the Gateway trail and head up to White Bear Lake. The Sunday rides are usually 70-80 miles. They aren't hammerfests, but, they definitely are uptempo rides. I figured it would be a good measure of how out of shape my legs are in.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I met Dave (Hemi) and CJ at the Coon Rapids Dam. We picked up Larry S and Melinda along W. River Road. Once we got to the Stone Arch bridge downtown, we were met by Charlie.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">It was an absolutely gorgeous day! I enjoyed getting caught up with Dave, Larry, and Melinda. I had met CJ once before and knew he was a good mtb rider. I found out he had been riding his mtb with the group and had just got a road bike less then 2 weeks ago! He rode very strong. Charlie told me he spent a few years growing up in the MG area, and knew some mutual rider friends. He kicked my butt too!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">I felt good for about 30 miles. At that point, I could feel the legs tiring. There are very few hills on this route, mostly bridges, but I lost ground on every one. The group was great in waiting for me when I got too far behind, and Dave came and got me another time. To be able to ride with a considerate group is what it's all about! I knew I was going to be humbled on this ride, but having such good people to ride with made it a great day! Thanks to everyone, especially the Hemi, for keeping me close. I was encouraged that I could keep pedaling, even though not very fast. My legs felt the same as they did after the Horrible Hillies ride. I had 70 miles on as I turned into the driveway. Still got a long way to go to catch up, but it sure was great to be able to get out and push it again. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S8xHw8Eky9I/AAAAAAAAA38/VzLKSbL-Xhs/s1600/IMG_1533.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S8xHw8Eky9I/AAAAAAAAA38/VzLKSbL-Xhs/s320/IMG_1533.jpg" wt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em><span style="font-size: x-small;">This is the same photo as above, but I tried to bring color in it using Photoshop. All I could do was get the blue sky.</span></em></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-34439790653382750282010-03-24T19:00:00.001-05:002010-03-24T19:03:41.393-05:00Asparagus with brown butter and balsamic<div></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S6qiV7sX6SI/AAAAAAAAA3k/-ZZ5QE56eGk/s1600/IMG_1526.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S6qiV7sX6SI/AAAAAAAAA3k/-ZZ5QE56eGk/s320/IMG_1526.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>My good friend at work, Jae, was gushing (literally) to me last week about her love for Brussels sprouts with balsamic vinegar. I've tried Brussels sprouts in the past, and to be quite honest, they just didn't trip old FWK's trigger. But, I decided to give them another try using the balsamic. They were OK, but, what I really liked was the balsamic and butter sauce. I do, however, like asparagus, and thought they would be good with something similar. Following the recipe below, I was pretty happy with the results. But, first off, olive oil, salt, and pepper and then grilling the asparagus is pretty awesome in itself! Very simple and quick, just plain wonderful. I would change a couple things on the balsamic recipe below. You don't need to salt the asparagus, there is plenty in the soy sauce. I used 1/2 unsalted butter and 1/2 salted (it's all I had), so that may have contributed to the saltiness, too. If you don't have unsalted butter, be sure you don't add any more salt, and, maybe cut the soy sauce in half as well. The balsamic gives a very nice flavor!<br />
<br />
<em>1-2 lbs asparagus spears (trim or peel any stalks that seem tough) </em><br />
<em>1 tablespoon olive oil </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/4 teaspoon salt (I use kosher salt) </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/8 teaspoon black pepper </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>2 tablespoons unsalted butter </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>2 teaspoons soy sauce </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar </em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Directions:</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1-Arrange asparagus in a single layer on baking sheet; toss to coat with olive oil. </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>2-Sprinkle with salt and pepper. </em><br />
<div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>3-Grill for about 10 minutes, or, bake at 400 for 10 minutes. Don't over cook.</em></div><div style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none;"><em>4-Just before asparagus is done, melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat; cook for 3 minutes or until lightly browned, shaking pan occasionally. </em><em><br />
</em></div><em>5-Do not burn the butter or let it get too brown, should be golden brown. </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>6-Remove from heat; stir in soy sauce, and vinegar. </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>7-Drizzle over asparagus, tossing well to coat. </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>8-Serve immediately.</em><br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S6qiMcZACtI/AAAAAAAAA3c/oXOsJ0EqhtQ/s1600/IMG_1527.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S6qiMcZACtI/AAAAAAAAA3c/oXOsJ0EqhtQ/s320/IMG_1527.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Tasty!</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S6qidw0A-hI/AAAAAAAAA3s/nI_xy2kWw7Q/s1600/IMG_1528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nt="true" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S6qidw0A-hI/AAAAAAAAA3s/nI_xy2kWw7Q/s320/IMG_1528.jpg" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">Main course was cajun meatloaf, made with ground turkey, beef, veal, and pork...</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;">The recipe is from Paul Prudomme, I use a 20 oz package of ground turkey and a package of meat loaf mix I buy at Lunds/Byerlys, which is usually about a pound or so.</div><br />
<em>Seasoning mix: (or, you can buy Paul Prudomme's meat seasoning)</em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>2 Whole bay leaves </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 teaspoon Salt </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 teaspoon Ground cayenne pepper </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 teaspoon Black pepper </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 teaspoon White pepper </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 teaspoon Ground cumin </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 teaspoon Ground nutmeg</em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>-----MAIN INGREDIENTS----- </em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>4 tablespoons Unsalted butter </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>3/4 cup Finely chopped onions </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 cup Green bell peppers -- chopped </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 cup Celery - chopped </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/4 cup Green onions -- finely chopped</em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>2 teaspoons Minced garlic </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 tablespoon Tabasco sauce </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 cup Evaporated milk </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 cup Catsup</em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 1/2 pounds Ground beef </em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1/2 pound Ground pork</em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>2 Eggs -- lightly beaten</em><em><br />
</em><br />
<em>1 cup Very fine bread crumbs </em><br />
<em> </em><em>Combine the seasoning mix ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Melt the butter in a 1-quart saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, bell peppers, green onions, garlic, tabasco, Worcestershire and seasoning mix. Saute until mixture starts sticking excessively, about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally and scraping the pan bottom well. Stir in the milk and catsup. Continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and allow mixture to cool to room temperature.</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Place the ground beef and pork in an ungreased 13x9-inch baking pan. Add the eggs, the cooked vegetable mixture and the bread crumbs, remove the bay leaves. Mix by hand until thoroughly combined. In the center of the pan, shape the mixture into a loaf that is about 1-1/2 inches high, 6 inches wide and 12 inches long. Bake uncovered at 350F for 25 minutes, then raise heat to 400F and continue cooking until done, about 35 minutes longer.</em><br />
<em><br />
</em><br />
<em>Serve immediately as is or with Very Hot Cajun Sauce for Beef. This is best using both ground pork and ground beef, as the pork gives more flavor diversity. However, you can make it with ground beef only. From Paul Prudhomme's "Louisiana Kitchen" </em>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-13305288202623772142010-03-16T11:24:00.000-05:002010-03-16T11:24:10.782-05:00Anguilla 2010This was our 13th visit in a row to Anguilla! There were several things different about the trip we took this year. The biggest change is that we stayed in two entirely different areas of the island. In the past, we've always stayed in the East end of the island, so we could be near Shoal Bay, our favorite beach on the island. We did that the first week, then we moved to a newly built 20 unit complex in the center of the island. We discovered the place last year when construction was almost completed. We got an introductory rate and decided to try it out. It is a modest B&B called "La Vue." <a href="http://www.lavueanguilla.com/">http://www.lavueanguilla.com/</a><br />
If you click on the website, you'll see a photo of the front of the building. Our unit is the one above the main entrance. The view of Road Bay is beautiful! There is a video below this posting showing the harbor and our view. We liked it very much, and, since we do tend to go out at night, the location is very close to our favorite night time hangouts! We booked it again for both weeks next year. It is a much further drive to Shoal Bay. However, it is very close to several other beaches and restaurants on the West end of the island. <br />
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-WLu8IBTI/AAAAAAAAA0U/4xhb7j9cXPo/s1600-h/IMG_1447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-WLu8IBTI/AAAAAAAAA0U/4xhb7j9cXPo/s320/IMG_1447.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>This is Road Bay, we stayed in the yellow building at the top center of the picture.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-Wto8rTLI/AAAAAAAAA0c/3fpma6CDFRk/s1600-h/IMG_1448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-Wto8rTLI/AAAAAAAAA0c/3fpma6CDFRk/s320/IMG_1448.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>A ship being unloaded in the harbor. I believe it was full of sand used in construction. The bags were taken out of the hold by a crane, 4 at a time, and placed on a flatbed trailler. The trailers could hold 16 bags. It took about 24 hours to unload the ship.</em></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div>Other changes, a couple close friends, Mike and Mary Ann, from Maryland, were not there while we were on the island, due to the death of Mary Ann's mother. They are on the island now, we missed them very much! We were happy to see Matt and Vicki, from PA, who hadn't been to Anguilla for the past two years. They liked La Vue so much they booked it for 2011 too. Angie and Debbie, two friends of ours that we met in Anguilla but are from the Twin Cities were also there the same two weeks as us this year. They had a pretty good time, as you'll see by some of the pictures! One of our most fun days was when our neighbors across the street from where we live in Maple Grove came over to visit. Pam and John were staying in St. Maarten the same week we were in Anguilla. They came over by ferry and we entertained them for about 6 hours. We had lots of fun showing them a little bit of the island and introducing them to our island friends! We might have even had a drink or two.<br />
<div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="border-bottom: medium none; border-left: medium none; border-right: medium none; border-top: medium none; clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-XYEwSNdI/AAAAAAAAA0k/sHpsaODx2_g/s1600-h/IMG_1466.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-XYEwSNdI/AAAAAAAAA0k/sHpsaODx2_g/s320/IMG_1466.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Pam and John, our neighbors from home, enjoying lunch at Madeariman's.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-Xy3maalI/AAAAAAAAA0s/9hyf8NZKvSI/s1600-h/IMG_1324.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-Xy3maalI/AAAAAAAAA0s/9hyf8NZKvSI/s320/IMG_1324.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>A rum punch and Heineken at the Pumphouse, a perfect combination!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-YNkyxngI/AAAAAAAAA00/F0ZL0fjxXgM/s1600-h/IMG_1370.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-YNkyxngI/AAAAAAAAA00/F0ZL0fjxXgM/s320/IMG_1370.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Laurie, owner of the Pumphouse, doing some work for a change!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-Yl9EcOYI/AAAAAAAAA08/wq7zK-1fsk4/s1600-h/IMG_1500.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-Yl9EcOYI/AAAAAAAAA08/wq7zK-1fsk4/s320/IMG_1500.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Myself, Debbie, Shari, Diane, and Gabi (co-owner of the Pumphouse).</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-ZzCO-R9I/AAAAAAAAA1E/PDgdR10Vey8/s1600-h/IMG_1498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-ZzCO-R9I/AAAAAAAAA1E/PDgdR10Vey8/s320/IMG_1498.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Debbie is now the manager of the Pumphouse. We've known her for 10 years or so. She's my secret girlfriend! Just don't tell Diane...</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-aWhl8EoI/AAAAAAAAA1M/Y-zGkN1d7LU/s1600-h/IMG_1474.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-aWhl8EoI/AAAAAAAAA1M/Y-zGkN1d7LU/s320/IMG_1474.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Angie and Debbie are training for the WI Ironman Triathlon next September. They took 2 weeks off from their diligent training to have a little bit of fun while in Anguilla! This is Angie.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-a7yUgmeI/AAAAAAAAA1U/w5D0tF4I870/s1600-h/IMG_1473.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-a7yUgmeI/AAAAAAAAA1U/w5D0tF4I870/s320/IMG_1473.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Debbie feels that shots and beer will contribute positively to her training!</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-bUp74d3I/AAAAAAAAA1c/mXe0WmU5psw/s1600-h/IMG_1385.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-bUp74d3I/AAAAAAAAA1c/mXe0WmU5psw/s320/IMG_1385.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Angie, Nature Boy, and Debbie having fun at the Pumphouse!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nature Boy operates a charter fishing boat service on the island.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-byQkBMzI/AAAAAAAAA1k/mlqlwT0SZF8/s1600-h/IMG_1497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-byQkBMzI/AAAAAAAAA1k/mlqlwT0SZF8/s320/IMG_1497.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Pumphouse</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is Bob and Jill, who are from Canada. Bob is a retired physician and has been building a house on Anguilla the past 3 years. We met Bob last year and Jill this year. They are both great people and it's been fun getting to know them. It's kind of a lousy picture of Bob, but that's normal for him!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In the background are Matt and Vicki.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-nEj8dDmI/AAAAAAAAA2s/ZDuc8ZOv3pM/s1600-h/IMG_1402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-nEj8dDmI/AAAAAAAAA2s/ZDuc8ZOv3pM/s320/IMG_1402.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Elvis' Beach Bar</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I have a video in one of the postings below this one.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.elvisbeachbar.net/">http://www.elvisbeachbar.net/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-c--JJKZI/AAAAAAAAA1s/mmOZJd5h4B8/s1600-h/IMG_1400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-c--JJKZI/AAAAAAAAA1s/mmOZJd5h4B8/s320/IMG_1400.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Elvis</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-dhlIr6pI/AAAAAAAAA10/S7v_T3asoU4/s1600-h/IMG_1493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-dhlIr6pI/AAAAAAAAA10/S7v_T3asoU4/s320/IMG_1493.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>The Sand Dollar Restaurant</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We ran into these characters our last night on the island! Charlie (in sunglasses), and Trudy (center of photo), are also from MN, and have been going to Anguilla for about 20 years. Other people in the picture are Dick and Nancy (seated below me), Vicki and Matt (next to Diane), and Connie is the woman I have my arm around.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-e1G7ghkI/AAAAAAAAA18/tlltx0dE8yI/s1600-h/IMG_1440.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-e1G7ghkI/AAAAAAAAA18/tlltx0dE8yI/s320/IMG_1440.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Gwen's Reggae Grill</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gwen's is the place to be on Sunday afternoons! The Scratch Band plays and everybody is in party mode.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's Deb in the white top, Myra dancing with her, and Angie in the deer hunting bikini top!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em></em><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-gyTB6F6I/AAAAAAAAA2E/CRf_b_83RbM/s1600-h/IMG_1346.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-gyTB6F6I/AAAAAAAAA2E/CRf_b_83RbM/s320/IMG_1346.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Gwen's</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Diane, Charlie, and Deb</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-hF8bsmHI/AAAAAAAAA2M/CtYw7MLN9K8/s1600-h/IMG_1433.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-hF8bsmHI/AAAAAAAAA2M/CtYw7MLN9K8/s320/IMG_1433.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Angie was very proud of her hunting bikini. You could see her from 200 yards away!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-oz9LnwUI/AAAAAAAAA3M/tMk24NFz_Aw/s1600-h/IMG_1372.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-oz9LnwUI/AAAAAAAAA3M/tMk24NFz_Aw/s320/IMG_1372.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is the beach in front of Gwen's. Unfortunatley, it is eroding away due to weather changes and man made reasons.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-rG0-FkeI/AAAAAAAAA3U/qtenEBDe5bM/s1600-h/Anguilla+2008243.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-rG0-FkeI/AAAAAAAAA3U/qtenEBDe5bM/s320/Anguilla+2008243.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This picture, taken in 2008 of Charlie, is the same beach area. The shot is taken from the opposite side as the one above. The building in the background is for massages on the beach. This year, they had to put steps in place to access the building. The beach that Charlie is walking on no longer exists.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-hf_ZaliI/AAAAAAAAA2U/Zsjm8ehBpjU/s1600-h/IMG_1502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-hf_ZaliI/AAAAAAAAA2U/Zsjm8ehBpjU/s320/IMG_1502.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>"A"</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This Russian yacht was in Road Bay for several days. It is owned by Russian gazillionaire. If you want more info, you can click on this link: <a href="http://www.superyachttimes.com/yachts/details/76">http://www.superyachttimes.com/yachts/details/76</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-jCTpIbkI/AAAAAAAAA2c/JaSo5oljubg/s1600-h/IMG_1458.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-jCTpIbkI/AAAAAAAAA2c/JaSo5oljubg/s320/IMG_1458.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Viceroy</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Marianne, Jimmy, Diane, Kenny, Matt, and Vicki.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We went to Viceroy, because several people told us it had to be seen to be believed. It is a hotel, bar, and restaurant. The restaurant was closed, because the designers didn't take into consideration that a winter storm with big waves just might crash through the windows and wreck the place! OOPS! </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The cheapest rooms are $895 a night. But wait! They are having a special now; book for 2 nights and get the 3rd night free! Not a cheap place to drink, either. A Heineken was $5 and Diane broke her personal record for a glass of sauvignon blanc: $17 (and it was a short pour to boot)</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-mfZnjtXI/AAAAAAAAA2k/DrFtUoK2IL4/s1600-h/IMG_1456.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-mfZnjtXI/AAAAAAAAA2k/DrFtUoK2IL4/s320/IMG_1456.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Viceroy pool, next to the bar area.</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">If you want to look at their website: <a href="http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla/">http://www.viceroyhotelsandresorts.com/anguilla/</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
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</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-n2NNXGPI/AAAAAAAAA20/IKNTTh61J5g/s1600-h/IMG_1483-copy-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-n2NNXGPI/AAAAAAAAA20/IKNTTh61J5g/s320/IMG_1483-copy-1.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Rastamplation</em></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-ocGyCFBI/AAAAAAAAA3E/PqPZ_c9nVsc/s1600-h/IMG_1489-1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_p0EtbqQIn1E/S5-ocGyCFBI/AAAAAAAAA3E/PqPZ_c9nVsc/s320/IMG_1489-1.jpg" vt="true" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><em>Sunset at Elvis' Beach Bar</em></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-40814365165818305682010-03-14T11:53:00.001-05:002010-03-14T11:53:24.781-05:00Rendezvous Bay, Anguilla<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/f36gGfwwQyo' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/f36gGfwwQyo'/></object></p></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-51692283710972479282010-03-14T11:52:00.003-05:002010-03-14T11:52:59.673-05:00Cove Bay, Anguilla<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/_D7B8ZRdKPE' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/_D7B8ZRdKPE'/></object></p></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-61535110229961312832010-03-14T11:52:00.001-05:002010-03-14T11:52:44.742-05:00Mead's Bay, Anguilla<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/HfWs8HJQr2s' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/HfWs8HJQr2s'/></object></p></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5149985117628152772.post-63178785389738713602010-03-14T09:51:00.003-05:002010-03-14T09:51:33.465-05:00Smoothie with the Scratch Band at Gwen's Reggae Grill<div xmlns='http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml'><p><object height='350' width='425'><param value='http://youtube.com/v/BZm8Pey_haA' name='movie'/><embed height='350' width='425' type='application/x-shockwave-flash' src='http://youtube.com/v/BZm8Pey_haA'/></object></p></div>Kennyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11550359145874833840noreply@blogger.com1