Bluegrass

Headed over to Durand this afternoon to check out the bluegrass festival. Felt weird going there by car and not bicycle. With a good chance of thunderstorms and hot sun, we decided against the 40 mile bike trek today. Good choice since the thunderstorms and heavy rain arrived after we got back home.

Of course we had to sample the local food....lots to choose from and I was pretty impressed for a small town. Bike man and I shared a BLT on garlic bread and a piece of delicious blackberry pie with ice cream! I was also impressed that this small town allowed people to drink beer/alcohol in the village park......everyone brought their own drinks since they weren't actually selling alcohol in the park. In the city near where we live, this would never be allowed and the public has to be in a designated area where the beer is sold only. Everyone looked to be drinking responsible and no out-of-control people.

Big Jim (6 ft 6 in.) had his big daddy chair!!! I've never seen such a large camping chair before. Each arm had three cup holders....that's 6 spots for your beverage of choice! I asked Jim if I could take his picture because his chair was so cool. What great way to relax and enjoy the music.

The car show was also going on near the park. I'm not really into cars, but it was interesting to see the different models.

Spent the rest of the afternoon at home since the Son and his girl decided to visit this weekend. The Son and I went over to a friends house late today and picked corn from their corn patch. You cannot get corn any fresher than that......very delicious.

Cooler weather heading our way tomorrow so looking forward to a more pleasant bicycle ride.

Visitors

It was so nice finally meeting Kris and her summer interium Dave. Kris is the water action volunteer coordinator for the State of Wisconsin. She just happened to be in our neck of the woods working on her doctorate study that involves stream flows. Bike man was able to spend 1 1/2 days working with her....so fun for him! Dave, a chemistry major was so interesting to talk with last night and is currently living in Madison, WI and attending UW-Madison.

All three of them got back to the house late last night, but I was able to spend some time getting to know Kris and Dave. It was great having them stay overnight at our house. They worked on a couple streams this morning and then headed back to southern Wisconsin.

Spent the afternoon at home just hanging out and getting caught up on chores. Sometimes the simple things in life are relaxing.....

Nice Ride Tonight

Just Kim and me tonight. Great ride with lots of lady chit chat. Saw our first big snake tonight on the trail.....yuck! Wildlife was abundant. Saw five deer hanging out on the trail. Just a perfect night. (26 miles)

Oh Manny

Silly Manny pants! He really likes to snooze on the dining room table. Don't most cats like to curl up and sleep in a soft cozy spot.....couch, bed, blankets???? Oh boy, what do ya do?

One Last Cloud

The rain storms finally ended today, but one last chance at a cumulus cloud tonight. I just can't help but run down to the dock to take sunset photos.....especially pink ones.

Busy day for Bike man collecting lake samples and analyzing the water under the microscope. Just a typical Tuesday.

Angel Candle

The angel candle growing in our garden is blooming with tall white plumes and is such a great plant for foliage....it also spreads nicely. With all the rain we are receiving this summer, our plants are thriving.

No bicycle ride tonight as the rain and storms have continued all afternoon and into the night. Looking forward to some drier weather later this week.

Sunday Ride

Rode to Durand this afternoon. Bike man started out from home and then met me at the trailhead in Menomonie around noon. The afternoon started out cloudy and hazy, then the clouds parted and the afternoon became hot and humid. Found this tree across the Chippewa River trail towards Durand. I'm thinking it came down in the storms over the last few days.

Met two women cycling to Northern WI. We chatted for 20 minutes and discovered these ladies were from Cinncinnati. The woman in the pink (Traci) just finish Ragbrai and was heading north to take another week's vacation to visit a friend. We also found out she has done lots of endurance races like the Eco Challenge ....how cool is that! The other gal, Cindy, met up with Traci after Ragbrai to ride north with her. It was great chit chatting with the ladies and giving them some advice on routes to ride.

By the time we arrived in Durand, we were hot and hungry. Did something different this time. We decided to try the local drive-in across the street from DQ. The menu looked great as far as I was concerned. BM and I shared a burger, while I gulped down a root beer and BM drank a strawberrry malt. The food was much needed as the afternoon ride back took it's toll on us. The heat increased and the humidity was heavy. BM and I were whipped from the heat. (BM - 55 miles and 43 miles for me).