Vince had never heard of City Mouse and Country Mouse. (Actually it turned out to be Town mouse). But City mouse is better.

So we headed to NYC to see his daughter in Damn Yankees and enjoy what the city has to offer.

Meaning food , great beer bars, and night life. The drive down was easy. Now I hate traffic,but somehow we didn't hit any. Parked and unpacked and took a walking tour of the neighborhood.

Stopped at a bar called "Tap a keg." Walked in looked like quite an array of taps. Blue Moon and Brooklyn Lager turned out to be the best choices amongst the AB products. As we a approached our seat a woman gave me the elbow for a stool and put her purse on it and walked away. OK, Welcome to NYC. The bar maven had a thick NY accent and told us. "Honey,If you can find a beer here. You must be pretty picky!" How did she know? Then a couple that seemed to have met on the street or a Craigslist Rendezvous sat next to us moving this woman's bag. She came back and went nuts on them. They seemed oblivious as they were now making out at the bar. We went up the street for sushi. Is there a better food on the earth than raw tuna? Here we had a couple variations on this. The spicy rolls with Tuna roe were incredible. We took a tour of the Korean markets en route home. Back at the apartment a night cap of Ithaca 10 was the order of the night. This beer has to be one of the 10 best beers in the world.

Day two took us to Canal St. My ex and I had bought rings there and I'd decided that the thing to do was go back where I'd bought the ring and throw it down the street. I think it would make a good read about if someone picked it up and wondered how it got there and now it was part of their journey. Down the street it rolled. Coming to rest under a truck. It's new life awaits. I turned and started a brand new day. Done. I love Canal St. The buzz, the knock offs, all crazy stuff for sale. We stopped for a street vendors mango. Her secret to peeling a mango. A screwdriver! Better get one of those in the kitchen. Tasty too. The knock off watches and Obama shirts seemed to dominate this week. So Vince haggled with a vendor and scored two "Swatches". Mine in orange. There's a surprise. Self winding. I like analog watches. How about you? We then headed to the village in search of the Blind Tiger Pub for the first of our beer adventures. This place turned out to be the highlight of the weekend beer wise. The Ginger man may have had more beers, but not the vibe, The East Village Tavern was fun but noisy, knowledgeable staff. But the Blind Tiger was best. The food was superb. Deviled eggs and and a chipotle quesadilla. As were were enjoying a fine Belgian beer we met a young Latino couple ,Jessica and Steve,from LA. They were so "LA" . Suffice to say our beer drinking stayed at the Blind Tiger as we shared beers and laughs with our new found friends.

The nest day was Megan's show. Headlining was Sean Hayes, Jack from Will and Grace. Vince's friend Corey met us at the theater. Vince's grand kids and the Mid Westerners were there with Mid western values. We had great seats and the show was fun. Been a long time since country mouse had been to the theater. Another circle opened and closed there. My first LTR had a fear of the number one in a sequence. 11:11, 111 etc. Odd things did happen that way. He got the call I'd been in accident at 11:11.He was admitted to the hospital for his final days on 11/11 only to be put in room 111. What was my seat for the show? You guessed it. 111. But that was cool, be cause he was involved in theater and loved it. Maybe all the planets were aligning for me. We came back to the apartment for drinks and then had a "fabulous" Italian dinner. Corey headed home we headed off to the Ginger Man. More subway time. The Ginger Man was what I would consider a NY bar. 20 foot ceilings ,dark wood, library lights. Open spacious. They had 70 taps with an incredible bottle list and prices to match. So we had a beer and headed to Alphabet City for another beer. I need to write down the beers as I go. As I said the Blind Tiger was the winner. Will be fun to go back. A cab ride home capped off the night. Thanks.

We'd met one of Vince's neighbors on the street walking the dog. He had sciatica and was in obvious pain,but was very pleasant and said we should get together for a drink. Plans were made and then Oliver couldn't make it but Larry could. Vince figured maybe he'd stay for an hour. A trip to market for appetizers and we opened some nice Belgian Ales as Larry held court for THREE HOURS! God was he droll. Country mouse was getting hungry. So Vince suggested we get dinner. He offered for Larry to go with us. He accepted. Court continued. Thai food was the choice. Turns out Thai Thai's green curry was better. Food was very good. A long night. but probably a "NY night".

Sunday we had brunch with Clair. What a great person. Lots of fun. It was a Bloody Mary Morning. More tasty food and laughs. It was time to head home.

Enjoy life. More tales to come. A return to cycling stories.

OGQ

Vince made the (30,36,48 -172 hour) flight in from Austria for some time in the Crippled cities.

A familiar pattern formed. We went to Danny's for breakfast for "local color". The next morning it was the Clinton St Cafe to meet Bobber and Tish and revel in stuffed french toast. The Broadway aka "Stacy's Ass" was next, where the size of the omelet was even bigger than the last. Wrapped up the breakfast tour with Fontanas. For a break I cooked on Sunday morning.

A trip to Mythaca was in order. We hit the Ithaca beverage center and spent way too much money on beer. My beer cellar is starting to look like Cliff's wine cellar. Had lunch at the Mexican place on the corner. Enjoyed a nice chorizo quesadilla and Cascazilla Red Ale. People watched. The magnet for the weird turned on and we dealt with crazy homeless guy. He made a bee line for me. Harmless. but they find me. Then back to Bingo.

A shopping trip to Sallys' netted Vince a souvenir from Binghamton in time for the dinner group. It was off to Franks and start cooking. I think our groups culinary skills and choices rival any restaurant in the area. As usual Cliff paired the wines. Vince and I stuck with summer ales and Belgian beers. The menu, fresh corn(best this summer), deviled egg with crab meat.Southwestern grilled vegetable potato salad, orzo salad and dill marinated grilled shrimp. Dessert was a lemon cake.

Cooking began in earnest. The grill was lit to grill the veggies. But,it didn't work. So Plan B was put into progress. The rest of the crew arrived. Introductions were made. Appetizers were put on the table. Mills had prepared the deviled eggs and was asking if we picked up on the "secret ingredient"? No one had, so he told us and Bob H. was merciless in his accusations that the ingredient couldn't possibly be in there. Come on, he cooked. He didn't just go to the bakery.

Sauvigon Blanc from New Zealand was the wine of choice. Grapefruit on steroids was description. Five bottles made the rounds each with own distinctive taste. Now Bob H. can consume alcohol with seemingly little effect versus his rate of consumption. Sometimes we watch in horror,sometimes in amazement! Well, tonight he was in rare form. A raucous evening followed. Thanks Frank for hosting.

We had breakfast at Franks'. Fresh blueberry muffins, eggs, and cottage bacon. I love breakfast.

Back in Bingo it was time to race. Yes, I'm still riding. Not sure when. But I still love my bike.

This was the first time Vince had seen a bike race. With he viewed with his cell phone glued to his ear. Just kidding. The race turned into a typical one 29 people and maybe 8 of us working. When the big motors went up the road. I said" There goes the race" I'd just pulled hard up the hill and they'd countered. So of course the "Yellow anchor" dug in even harder. The usuals tried to bridge but the Yellow anchor would have none of that and wouldn't contribute. So the race went up the road and we had our own little race. I gave Mike the lead out,except he wasn't there, so I tried to fend off the peleton on my own. A few came around. Nice to know I can still do a good lead out.

Dinner at Thai Thai followed. Our little hidden treasure here in Bingo. I took Vince to our "trendy hip new slice of NY Bistro". Many laughs ensued. His review was not good.

Friday was a R&R day. Vince hadn't ridden on a motorcycle yet. So today would be a good day for acclimation. We headed in to Pa then back into NY. A mango ice was on tap and it sure hit the spot. Dinner was Moxie. This place is another diamond here. A fine meal was had and we headed to the Belmar for the start of the local music scene. Dr J and the Rudimentary Sound Machine. Pretty good. Then we headed to McGirks to hear the Parlor cats,but they were on break. So it called an evening.

Saturday had us back on the MC for MC weekend at camp. This proved to be an eye opener for Vince. Some sights may not have been necessary. This event is kind of like the casting call for the Road Warrior movie. We shied away from the free beer and mystery punch being served.

The sky was giving signs of doom. So we headed out a novice doesn't need to ride in the rain. After all these years of riding,neither do I. Didn't matter. We got rained on a few miles from home. Beats the whole way. Back at the ranch caught up on the Tour de France. Vince commented I have two channels on my TV bike racing and motorcycles. I pointed out the Food channel does work. We'd decided to have dinner at McGirks to get a table for Dirt Farm. Now I'd been hyping them all week. Could be a tough sell to a musician. They lived up to their rep and played a great show.

What a week. Where did it go?

Enjoy life. I sure have been.

I'd better go ride my bike. OGQ

Barber poles represent bloodletting from when that practice was common. Now,safe to say not so common. So I've decided to remain clean shaven for awhile.

This is where the First Adopters and Exclusives part fits from last time. First Adopters are people who stay on the bleeding edge of the latest and greatest. They are willing to endure incredible levels of sacrifice to be the first to own the next New Thing. Be it a phone,TV or gasp, bike parts. Then there are Exclusives,the well heeled fans,who strive to have the Special Thing. Think MV Agusta 4. Being a member of either of these clubs means parting with large sums of money. Me I'm a luddite sometimes and other times . I think somethings are great ideas.

But after the straight razor shave Vince gives me a Gillette Fusion Power razor. OH, OH goes the red light in my head.( We all know how I love traditions.) I've just crossed the line from not three,or four blades in my razor, but jumped right into the world of FIVE blade and it vibrates! Kind of like a sex toy for your face. This little puppy upped the ante. Would I now be a First Adopter? Would it really bring nirvana to my face? After all 3 then 4 were nice effective tools. In the razor wars Gillette rules. Schick sucks. So I slid on some Art of Shaving pre-oil then some shave cream. Hit the switch a mild buzzing in my hand. Razor to face stroke one,rinse,lather repeat. It flat out works. Of course I was relearning how to shave. Verdict. Great product with a buzz. Second blatant plug,buy yourself some Alba Shave cream. My favorite Mango Vanilla.

The other pic is a steak bone from last nights grilling at Cliffs. We did coffee and peppercorn rubbed steaks. So the plate is served up and I'm eyeing the bone,instinct kicking in. I want to gnaw on that bone. Look at that red flesh so close to the bone,untainted. Think cheek meat,facial cheek. I lean over to Mills and say "I haven't had a bone since I was a kid." We laugh. Cliff returns and says "You're welcome to the bone,if either of you would like it?" Again we laugh.

Mills says take it. Now for a small meat eater like me it was a treat. The meat so warm and tender. The tearing away from the bone. Primordal feelings sliding away. Transported back to childhood all guilt of being a First Adopter washed away.

Vince, thanks for the razor. Cliff ,thanks for the bone.

Enjoy life. OGQ

So I was harassed yesterday about not keeping the blog up to date. I try.

My summer vacation started in a frenzy. I had the V-Strom loaded up and ready to roll to Pittsburgh for a date,beer and food tour. Not to mention a straight razor shave. All arranged by my date,Vince. What a itinerary he had planned for us. Not to mention a rendezvous with Mom and my sister.

With the Strom pointed west and typical July weather on the horizon. Away I went on an adventure. Just west of Corning it started to rain. A warm soft rain. I had the "armadillo suit" on so I was comfortable. But, no one wants to ride in the rain all day. After an hour it quit. I'd settled into a pattern of 80-90 mph and some would still pass me. A quick pit on the edge of Salamanca for gas and fluids. I should try a camelbak on the rides. Back on the road. RT 79 seemed endless. Then the trip through Butler where every red light was 500 feet apart and not synchronized at all I arrived at Vince's' none the worse for wear a little thirsty. He'd procured a case of Ommegang Witte for the weekend.

We headed into "Picksburgh" to go the Church Brew works. Beer snobs mark this as a must do.

Iron City was right across the street. Good and Evil, Black and white?

A huge old church we're if you had a Catholic upbringing you have a moment of guilt and wonder? "Should I be drinking in a church?". This quickly passes as you read the beer menu. We went with the sampler and the very cute beer maven gave us the other two tap samples with it. For eight 6oz samples. A chorizo quesadilla and hummus for appetizers. Some tasty brews. Odd, I liked the lager best. Hefe next. The coconut stout was a bit odd. This was followed by a trip to Sushi Too for may favorite,tuna, octopus , eel, eel roe and some hot tuna rolls. A East Brewing beer to pair with it. More bliss. We went up above Pitts for the scenic view. There was a Smart car there. 21K for a car that runs on premium? Not too smart. Ride your bike.

Day two had us headed to The Stone House Barber shop for a haircut and a straight razor shave.

Now I've had a beard or some sort of facial hair for 27 years. Clean shaven is not my M.O. But I've always appreciated rituals and a straight razor shave is one I wanted to experience. Nothing like a little pampering. Nervous? No way. He nicked me a few times and I broke out in a few places for the revealing of a baby face. Vince told me I looked less "Severe". I'm not sure that's a compliment or not,then another friend said the same thing. Hmmm, maybe i use that teacher look too often. So I'll keep it off for awhile. Shaving is a pain in the ass. At least razors have progressed. But that's another posting about first adopters and exclusives.

So with a new look we headed back to Picksburgh to visit the Sharp Edge and attend the Belgian Brewfest. Arriving early as per my norm. We opted for a bit of lunch and a beer. I had an ostrich burger and frites. Vince had a Belgian burger and frites. Both were excellent as was my Hefe. The frites were so so. But the spicy aolli was superb.

Time for the tastings they had a hundred beers to sample. My Omme shirt drew in conversation as many patrons ahd heard of it but never had it. I represented and told them to have their local distributor get it for them. Had a great time talking with the other patrons. Near Mid-west friendliness. The best of show was Piraat,the worst was Kasteel Rouge. That was evil on tap. I won one of the raffles scoring a beer bucket and glasses from a Russian Brewery. We ended up trading shirts and he gave me some product. As we left the festival and were maybe 200 ft from the fest. We were accosted by the police and someone from the brewpub.

"Where did you get that beer?" Me. inside,he gave it to me. Them. " You stole it!" Me, excuse me? Vince is now worried there maybe an altercation. I said it's not open I can be here. Back and forth it went. The cop was cool. The other guy was adamant. So I gave him back a few bottles as I slid one in the trunk. ODD. No arrest,our reputations intact, we went back in a for a bite to eat as food was extra at the fest. Had some laughs with Todd and Gabriella, Vince's friends. After sobering up a bit we headed home. Enjoyed a night cap of a Witte in the "Tuscan room".

The Tour of Pa was in town. But never made it . Weather was tough for them. Today was Rendezvous with the family. Weird, I go to Pitt to see my Mom from Florida. Shopping for groceries and cooking are the order of the day. Coffee rubbed tenderloins,black bean soup, corn. A variety of cheeses for appetizers. Wine and beers were poured. Vince started with beer and switched to wine. Dropped this little nugget. My Mom always said " Never mix the grain and the grape" I had to agree. A nice evening in the Tuscan room despite the storm.

Monday we took Mom to airport after a filling breakfast at Pamelas' diner. A fifties style diner. Where they're known for lyonaised home fries. Tasty. Our waitress had the hot rod 50's chick thing going with some cool old school sailor ink on her arms. After getting Om on the plain we headed back to the food district. The markets were very cool and I could do that if I lived in the city. Ditch the car. Be urban,slow the pace.

We then stopped in Tarentum to hit the Bicycle/Motorcycle shop. Gattos. Now this palce took and old YMCA and made a MC/bike shop along with a diner and a pre-requisite HD shop. The Gattos own the town business. Never seen anything like it. The bike shop was so so. The MC was well stocked and even old bikes to look at. The HD part who cares? No bro huggin' for me.

Back at the house more fun cooking and eating a few beers sampled.

Tomorrow would me an suiting up an heading home from five days of adventure. What a trip.

It was overwhelming all that was packed into that short time frame. Thanks, Vince

Where will all this take me?

For the return ride home I chose a more two lane itinerary. Worked out well a couple detours. But about the same time,time wise. The Strom and I enjoyed the hills and turns.

How do Smoke on the Water and Joy to the World get stuck in your head?

Whats on the Ipod now? James McMurtry and Keb Mo.

On the bike side the Dillinger got upgraded to the carbon fork. Light stiff precise. But not the cush of steel. More riding today.

Enjoy life. I am more than ever. A klean shaven. OGQ

The old man was recruited back to a 12 hour team, again with the "don't expect to win" invitation. A tough one for me. But my friends wanted to do it and that's what friends are for.

Besides if you read this stuff,look what they've done for me.

So Venus says" You're doing a better job of keeping the competitive thing in check. Just go and have fun. OK,cool. I'll try. I'm just the hired gun. They'll take care of the details.

Race day comes and it's raining. RAINING HARD. I'm not relishing 12 hrs of rain. So I go to Bobbers' to carpool and fall asleep on the couch. A prime example of how to motivate your team.

Bobber and Dawn are psyched for this. Me, I'm barely moving. Elliot will meet us a for a pre-ride.

We drive down in the rain. I tune in some old Chicago on the Ipod. The rain lessens. I'm into the tunes. Park,set up camp. Suit up. Thirty feet out on the bike and it washes over me. I love riding my bike. I'm checking lines on the single track. Figuring where to kill it and where to back off a little. Final determination. Nail the hills. Work the sections that don't flow and rip the double.

With the advent of no Le Mans start,I'm drafted into the start. They decided my aggression would be a good thing on the opener. Good to see Jeff and Katina there. It's a road start. Wouldn't you know it. The single speed 29'ers are setting the pace. One guy passes us and takes the lead. I'm not worried. I rock two laps and have the third fastest lap of the day. Each team mate takes their turn and back out I go. I'm letting the bike run and BAM. The GD Stan's stuff fails me again. I air it up. Phhht Phhht it goes trying to seal up. It won't do it. Stop. Tear it apart and put a tube in. Back in the team sees grumpy old man. The rotation continues. I had a bad spell and actually took a nap. Back out. Hammering the hill on the half way point. SNAP goes the chain. OK I can fix it. No go. The chain tool breaks too. Bad things happen in threes,right?

( Me I'm seeing ths as losing our lead and letting the team down)I run back to the start. Yell to Bob get the other bike. I'm and frantic ball of energy. They bring the bike up and the officials decide I can start where I left off. Cool. Now I'm on the Hooligan 26 in wheels. I adapt fast. and come in. Venus is saying take a break,she'll go out. OK I relent. Elliot is ready to do the rain lap.

The Ommegangsters are rallying. I head back out for a rain lap too. Bobber suits up in case I'm to whipped to do the double. Turns out I don't have too. Their last rider went on course at 7:07. We're done we won. So both Elliot and Bobber won their first mountain bike race. Very cool. Our awards were a carved stone. The promoters ahd a lot of food. We had a lot of beer. The band was rocking. We started with a Witte. Then Elliot brought out the West Vlanderen gold. This is rated the best beer in the world. We poured and let it breath while having a Trappist Rouqefort. The had quite a raisin caramel taste. After a few more. Elliot and I headed up to hear the band. Everyone was rocking we passed out some Omme to the band members. The passed out percussion instruments and got the crowd involved. Very cool. Then we came back and dragged Bobber out for more drinking. Finally we crawled into Chez Bresee and called it a night.\

In the end a great weekend. Thanks. Enjoyed it. OGQ