cottage comings and goings
The dogs up and down the dock:
Arwen with her mad diving skilz:
Hummingbirds!
Reflections of a hummingbird hunter:
Dog tired:
Dog paddle
First, Soleil:
Then Arwen:
What are the odds for this kind of outcome?
Special thanks to Alison Burton for her awesome dog-wrangling skills, and Dan Burton for wielding the big telephoto with great results.
Century
Yesterday, brother-in-law Dan and I set out on a 100 mile ride around the big lakes of Muskoka. It was a challenging ride; I wanted to die at least twice. But we did it.
Dan was incredibly patient; he can ride circles around me, but he let me set the pace and put up with all my foibles, such as refusing to use clip pedals, and only changing gears on the right side gear shift.
Random thoughts from along the way:
- Always wear sunscreen, even with overcast skies.
- Don't forget to put chamois cream on the nether regions.
- Don't leave your iphone on in your back pocket unless you want extensive video of a protein bar.
- There are more drivers that are idiots about cyclists than there are who are not idiots about cyclists. If I can feel your slipstream as you go past, you're too close. And I had a lovely dialogue of expletives and gestures with a woman in an SUV who laid on the horn because apparently single file cyclists at the edge of the road are offensive.
- You can get a second wind, a third wind, a fourth wind, and anon and anon.
- Chocolate milk is manna.
- I need a better hydration/fuelling strategy. I'm too used to running, where eating has to be done precisely and carefully, at the risk of upsetting the stomach. Cycling is all about eating and drinking all the things.
- Chewing gum makes you even thirstier.
- It's good to know where all the public washrooms are along the route.
- There is no such thing as a tailwind.
- Muskoka is beautiful.
- There is no better way to see the landscape, smell it, taste it, hear it, than on a bike.
Here is how happy we looked before the ride:
And here's my pretty chain tattoo after the ride:
And here are the fun stats (thanks to Dan and his Garmin):
After the ride, we took the dogs to the cottage. This video is what they sound like after we turn off the main road to the cottage road:
cottage time
It's that time of the year again; the annual week at the cottage.
The dogs have already reacquainted themselves with the dock and the corresponding acrobatics.
Soleil says ''sore leg? What sore leg?''
