Well Country mouse and Jaunty mouse made the trek to Pixburg. City had gotten he and I tickets for the Jimmy Buffett concert. So we rolled into town in time for me to do the wed night crit series. The legs felt good despite the race the night before. Recognized a few faces to ride with. 40 laps tonight. It was fast from the gun but then settled down. There was a guy on Serotta that was riding really smooth. I tucked in behind him for most of the race. My plan was actually go for a finish tonight. With two to go there were three off the front I slotted into around fifth coming out of turn four the bell started ringing. WTF? Game on. Well as I've said before. I'm not a sprinter but I gave it my all. A top third finish.
 We went to Beer Nutz to check it out. Good place. Odd no bar,lots of taps and good bar food. Friendly atmosphere. Now that the six and save has changed hands and has a different clientele.

Thursday was to be the concert. We made Jaunty some food for dinner and headed out to show. There was a accident on the highway and our one hour drive turned into three. The parking was just what you'd think. Full. So we were slotted into row ZZZZZZ and beyond. Parrot heads do know how to tailgate. We set up some chairs,had some food from Whole Paycheck a couple good beers and headed for our seats. En route a guy with a complete bar says "You old timers look like you could use  a shot." He had a wash tub full of margarita shots. We indulged.The beach balls were flying. Jimmy played all the hits. He did my current fave. Southern Cross, also covered Brown Eyed Girl. Rocked an encore with Fins. City mouse was thrilled. A good time and a great show. As Jimmy says "He has the best job on earth". He does.

Next up was the Carnegie Museum. We did all three floors. But the dinosaurs were the coolest part. They even had a T-Rex. Not sure how these critters didn't trample everything in sight when they were alive.

Add caption

The design section had some cool chairs and furniture.The next day found us on the road to see the Frank Lloyd Wright house Falling water.I'd seen it 30 years ago when it was "Falling Down". Impressive but depressing. Now it was all restored. Very very cool. If you get a chance go see it. It must be spectacular in the fall. Just the idea it was built in the 30's is amazing. We went to the House of a 1000 beers today too.

We hit another G2hg4 in Pix. Three hundred of us in one place the lawyer breeders beat feet from this place after they realized we were taking over in large numbers. Run home little boys. Lots of laughs.

Saturday was a more casual day. Hang by the pool. Get a ride in. Get prepped for the third Bo ol Mo Happening at City mouses.Somehow we cooked up a storm made a ton of appetizers. The beer and wine flowed freely. Tales of our youth were told. Laughter flowed as freely as the spirits.

Monday was the drive back. We decided to check out the Zippo museum in Bradford. Construction slowed our travel way down. But the Zippo was fun.The rest of the trip home was in the land of nod for sure. Tired tired mice.

Then we had the Big Ol Mo happening at Franks. This has become an annual overnight. So people don't have to drive. The menu was grilled tuna, a corn blueberry salad, fresh corn, grilled pizza apps, other apps included tapenade, hummus and baba ganoush. We never lack for food in this group. Cliff brought the almond pear tart from NYC form dessert. It is so tasty and  a great way to finish off the meal.

We made a nice breakfast and rolled back to Bingo.

Kross is just around the corner and I've had the Ti rig out a few times. Also getting crazy with sponsors and race sites.

Hanging there.

.

Wedding updates to come. Haven't been to one in 30 years and this year it will be three.

Eat good food,drink good beer,love the one you're with.

OGQ

The  new "Enemy of Fun" debuted this weekend. Since there is so much going on in the summer this weekend was it. Sorry that the "horses" couldn't be here due to prior commitments.
But two Ommegangsters headed out in the dark clouds.
Alexander (the first lollipop on the map) was the first to be tackled. Basically it stays the same grade all the way up. Luckily you have ten miles in your legs.

Then comes Beartown which would be classified as the easiest of the climbs ,fairly long but stair stepped and has a good rhythm to it.
This leads us to the appropriately named Walling road. There is a 17% grade pitch in there near the top. Short and painful.
Over the top and down Belden Hill to Dilly,which is basically like going back up Belden but turns back into dirt for part of it.

A quick pit stop at the Mini Mart for water and to get chilled by the AC while we were wet. Then it was back in to the rain. Drop down Walling (the second lollipop on the map) it was back Mead to Tunnel and on to Vincent. Instead of Mead to Beartown to Monkey Run.
Ahhh, Vincent one of those hills that just looks at you and points to the sky. Some new pavement helped.
I almost made it seated. Almost.
Onwards to Palmer. This one is steep in the front,then a grinder with a fast descent.
A few hundred yards up the road and Path of Life appears. Now this one catches you totally by surprise.
The bottom looks innocuous enough, then you realize you're in your 23 already. Then it kicks up, there goes the 25. It kicks again,then one more time. Ouch. Maybe you should Yield to it.?

Now it's downhill and rollers to Nowlan, just get over it and it's all new pavement and a fun run back to the house.

A little over 5000 feet of climbing in a little over 50 miles.

Here's a link to it.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/41834811

Was tired but not wasted by it.

So went to see Inception. A good flick. We had to sit in the second row. WTF? Must have been the rainy day. Many layers to follow in this movie, so pay attention.

So drink good beer, eat good food and love the one your with.

OGQ

I always like musical references for my life. Odd I'm not a musician,but music is an important part of my daily life.
Changes in Attitude. I decided to the Six summits and a six pack mountain bike ride, also know as Drunken Sunday instead of the Whitney Point road race. Let's see WPRR I've done probably 17 time DS zero,even though they've had it 9 years.
On my way there I'm listening to Outlaw Country and a song comes on "A good day to be a bad husband" by the band "I can kick any sonofabitch". Great lyrics.  How can you go wrong with. "I gave you whiskey cigarettes and porn". Good guitar work and that local talent band sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y1UMckwZGFg  I don't know how to embed a video so here's the link.

Up bright and early for breakfast and the first beer at the shop. I chose a Bruxelles de Blanche. One of my favorites. Start the day with a little spice and fruit. I sat down with my fresh off the grill sandwich and there was a pack of Marbs. Nice.

So all twenty of us fueled up and headed for Ely Park. Of course it started to rain. It was warm and all was good. Up.Up we went. lots of thick grass. Single speeds to the front. Then we descended to our second beer of the day. MMM fig newtons and beer. I had a Sam Adams Blackberry wheat. Not bad. The bikes were pointed towards the Brick Yard. I hadn't ridden there in probably 10 years. Never a favorite. but the trails were fun and down we went to Jim's house for  a  Lowenbrau and donuts. Fuel of Champions.

Next was Millers farm. The last time I was up here, I was dropped and got lost. Ended up in some angry homeowners backyard and rode back to Bingo n the road. Today's plan was hang with Todd. up and Up we went. Too bad the fog clouded the view. It's truly a 360 view up there. On the descent the group split with one group taking a wrong turn and ending up in  a dog pen. We think this may have been some sort of X-Files pen to capture humans and harvest organs. But they escaped unscathed. On to Dick's house for more beer and food. Here I had a Southern Tier Pale Ale. MMMMM. Very tasty.  We had bagels,peanut butter,cream cheese and watermelon. Dick's yard had some interesting yard ornaments.

On wards and upwards. again SS to the fore. we were headed to Mills St and the bowls. I'm amazed at how all theses trails link around little Bingo. Todd Josh and I did a little extra loop. Todd was flying on the cambers. I hit a stump and lost my rhythm a bit but still kept Josh in sight. Apparently we were behind schedule for the day. So we dropped down to Matt's house for Old Milwaukee and Matt's secret dip. Tasty.
One summit to go. Storm clouds loomed. Todd said it would be a TT to the top of South Mountain. SS to the front. The three of us were up first and then the group changed. Todd said this is the X-19 group. Off we went. X-19 is a great trail. Nice way to finish the day. Then it was a split back to the shop or climb back to South mountain for the descent? The thermometer in the back of my head popped up. Done cooked ready to eat. I think Todd was disappointed I didn't go. Then one of the Rachacha gets a double flat. lots of flats today. With that fixed we rolled back to the shop for more beer and lots of good food. Cyclists sure can cook. Big Thanks to the guys at the shop for hosting this event. See you next year.
In the end my hands and feet had called it quits. The brain wasn't far behind.

Also this weekend Saturday. We headed up to Ommegang for some product and to see the old time vintage baseball game.

We took a picnic and had a "ballpark delicacies" there. Then the rain started. seems to always rain there. Good time to fill the cars with product and get out of there.
Jake became a Hobbit in the rain.

His Dad Needed to get aero for the ESG's.

 Mucho bucks later we were on the road headed home in a crazy storm. We drove out of it and all was good.

Enjoy life,ride your bike,drink good beer and love your friends. OGQ. Here's one of me for all of you who asked.

This blog started out as kind of a race diary. I'm still alive type thing. Like anything , it has taken a new form now and then.

Take for instance my music habits. Basically XM sits on Outlaw Country, Margaritaville or Classic rock. Then I found Backspin. Old school hip hop. It's just too funny. Dre,NWA and Snoop Dawg. It's amazing how much money these guys have made rapping about sex,drugs, guns and violence. Just remember boys,black aren't the only ones with a penchant for writing about poverty and bad living. The WT does a fine job with meth,guns and traler parks.

I've ventured into food,beers and relationships. Wait a minute. Sounds like I could write a rap or country song from that and have all bases covered. Don't hold your breath.

There's been some gore. My hospital pics. Maybe Bob feels better now.

So part of the "Binghamton Syndicate" headed to Cuse for a recon ride of next weeks race course. What we didn't know was we were going racing. The Gangsters showed along with few other Cuse powerhouses. Jeffina was there. Good to see them.
So we rolled up Song and down the other side and into the wind. The attacks started and continued,over and over. Long story short it was a helluva work out. But needed. Even SoPro, can we call him that? Was wasted by it.

On Jeffina's suggestion we hit Sweet Basil and had a bruschetta pie with a good beer.
Yummy.
Then home to rest up for the surprise Kracken Bday party.
His Mom and sister pulled it off.  You'd think the Syndicate hadn't eaten before hand. Jones and I made a beeline for the tables so we'd have a chair to sit in. More food. Sure and beer and diet soda. Yes please.

Dave was surprised and pleased we all made it for him. His Mom was a great host.
Josh was throwing down that west coast style.  Good times by all.
Even I made into the pics. Rare but true, another request from a reader. "We never see you." So here's the OF and AJ.

I'm off for another night of Belgian racing tonight.

How about you? What's life hold for you?
Thanks for reading. OGQ

So I have a few vices. Like, Bicycles, food and beer. Or are, What once were vices are now habits? I'm a pretty simple guy. None of these vices affect my ability to function daily.

So the mice took advanced soapmaking. I combined  a vice into class and Made an Ommegang Witte soap. City mouse made a goats milk Chai tea soap. You trade bars with other classmates. One lady called my beer soap weird. Good for her. Stay in your Ivory world.
I got a nice gardening soap and City got a almond bar. Shower anyone?

On the food side tried a nice pineapple polenta with a pineapple salsa. The curry for City's "Men who cook" turned out to be a big hit in Pa. Rocked that one.

Riding has been scientific to say the least. Cory and I have been true the program and I can feel it working. We did one of his famed road rides saturday. Now he posted it for all to come. Only 4 "ommegangsters" showed. Some view us as crazy riding our good bikes on dirt and seasonal roads. Way more fun than grinding out hours in the wind on the road.

Your fancy bike can do it.

Blogger is having a mind of its own again here.

City mouse did a nice concert. Jaunty and I made it down for it. Good to see the Tom and Mary again too. Ran into some old friends at dinner. Didn't even recognize them.

Looking forward to racing starting. How are the legs? Where's the fitness? It's all money in the bank towards that goal of a Kross Championship. Haven't even rode the new rig yet.  Right now the Merlin still continues to shine. Single Speed Palooza is only weeks away. Then the genetic freaks will be out in force.

Enjoy Life, Drink good beer, love the one your with.

Listen to Ray Wylie Hubbard , Elizabeth Cook, Robert Earl Keen, The Allman Brothers, Neil Young and Jimmy Buffett. The list could go on and on.  Add in the Band of heathens and The lost Immigrants or even the Bonzo Dog Band.

Now get out and ride.

Seems as though the world revolves around facebook,twitter, and texting. If you're not doing it you don't have a clue. Then there's the blog. It starts out fun. Constant updates. You read others. You get ideas. The camera is always with you. Followers come and go. Maybe you get linked to others. Then you after a few years it slows. Not because of passion. More who really wants to know? So looked here and sure enough it's been awhile.

So in no particular I present to the update.

The mice took a soapmaking class. This is my second time. City mouse's first. Gee, we were the only two men there. Who have guessed? Now the presenter is full of passion for her product. I view it a basic chemistry lesson. Get the ingredients right at the right temps and you have product. Healthy product.
So City decided on cinnamon oatmeal and I went for the mix. Mango,lemongrass with calendula.
Let the mess begin.  All the seesentials oiled were opened and I was starting to feel it. Those scents sre powerful. One ounce to thirty bars of soap. Three hours later and were poured and ready to take it home.

We could start using it this week. My tv room smells like never before.

While we were butching it up we had the opportunity to get out snowmobiling. That was fun. Snow was barely there in some section. Firts time I've done rock gardens on a sled. We headed down to Choconut and had breakfast. Then took the long way home. Fun, plain and simple.

As always we've continued to cook eat and drink. Here you have a tequila lime shrimp pizza with sundried tomatoes on a whole wheat crust and some tasty beers.

Next Pops had his sixtieth birthday bash. Turns out he quite the Civil War re-enactor now. In his spare time he's building a cannon.

• The party was fun, the food was good and the alcohol flowed liberally.
• I did a little painting for him in his quest for speed..

Heres to many more for him.

Now the mice have been going back and forth to Mansfield and Bingo. In our travels City has a good friend that showed us something he wasn't supposed to have. It was kind of eerie seeing it.

A signed copy of Mein Kampf.

Kross is months away. But really it's my focus of cycling. Already my dates are being screwed with. Drama. No respect for the King.

But on a brighter note. my new Titanium Pride frame made it here after some difficulties. It's just needs to be dialed in and it's ready to rock. I hope it rides as good as the Merlin. It's a full custom built to my spec.

Nothing stupid light or pricey just a good parts pick.

Now the big news is. Jaunty mouse totally redid the living room dining area. New furniture and paint. Window treatment on the way. Theater red on three walls,molasses on one. Hunter green doors. Sweet leather couch and chair.  Just a few of the stage one pics. Looks great.

No Dirt Farm lately. Ray Wylie Hubbard has caught my ear along with Bands of Heathens

Maybe I should ride my bike to Pixburg?

But that's another story.

Remember,it costs you nothing to be nice.

Enjoy life, OGQ