Midwinter Beach Break

Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow this year which means an early spring. Now the little rodent isn't really that accurate but if you believe him then we are probably half way through the winter riding season. So far this season the weather has been on the warmer side with almost no snow. I have only been on the mountain bike once so far this year and the rest of the time I have been able to be on the road.

After a couple of weeks doing Jim's ride from Blackwells Mill I opted for a solo ride to the shore. We had to put a new furnace in our place in Avon a couple of months ago and wanted to head back there to make sure it was all still working.

It was good to do a solo no pressure ride where I could go at my own pace and stop where I wanted. It was a cold day and just warm enough for me to do a road ride. It was sunny though and I had a good west wind to blow me to the shore so once I got a few miles in I was warm enough and it was an easy ride. Since I have done the route to Avon many times there is not much thinking involved so I can relax and enjoy winter scenery such as it was. Although I usually like doing long rides with a group I don't mind occasionally doing a long solo rides where I can into a meditative state and de-stress a little.

Of course it was still a Tom ride because there was an unexpected bridge out. On Ocean Ave about a quarter mile from the finish the drawbridge that goes across the Shark River inlet was being repaired which means the bridge was up with no way to get across and swimming across the inlet with its fast moving current was not an option. This mean a two mile detour at the end of the ride.

After a little maintenance work at the condo it was off to Hoffman's for a well deserved dish of ice cream before heading home by car. If the weather for second half of the winter season is anything like it has been so far it means my mountain bike won't get much use and I may get good base of miles in before spring time arrives.

Family and Friends

Its been a tough few weeks. My 88 year old mother went into the hospital at the beginning of January to cure an infection but because of some recent problems with her kidneys there were complications. Unfortunately after a couple of weeks of treatment there was nothing more the doctors could do and my mother passed away. I am sad, of course, but grateful that she was herself and pain free until the last few days.

In times like these it is good to have people to support you. My family is not one of those that get together a lot but we get along with each other well enough. My parents live with my younger sister (the one on my mothers lap in the picture) so she was the one who really took charge and had to deal with the day to day problems. I did what I could to support her and my father and think it was good that we could help each other through this crisis.

I also had a couple of friends reach out and offered their support. It was a simple email that just asked if I was okay and told me to hang in there. The content of the message wasn't important the fact that there was some one out there that cared was.

This past week I had to stay in New York city for a set of meetings for work. I was thankful for the distraction. It also gave me the chance to get together with a lot the people who I only see on web conferences. I enjoy working with most of my colleagues and it was good to see their physical persons instead of a head bobbing on a computer screen. We had some fun happy hours and dinners.They had heard about my mother and expressed their support which was comforting.  

I did manage to get a ride in before heading to New York, this past week. I did Jim's Sunday ride from Blackwell mills. I wasn't in the best shape for the ride and cramped at the beginning but it was good to be around my friends and share what happened with my mother.  It felt like group therapy and helped relieve some of the tension I was feeling.

I am definitely emotionally bankrupt and physically tired after the last couple of weeks but am thankful for the family and friends that help make getting through these crises a little easier.