U.S.P.S. delivers...

Yup, United States Pedaling Service headed out the door today with five Ebay packages crammed into the backpack. My lovely assistant joined me on the gas saving trip. Once we completed the dump (postal language), we pedaled over to Lake Arbor to circle it once then headed back home. It was Teri's personal record at just under 12 miles and finished off my month of riding with my best personal month at 211 miles logged!

Got to go check and Teri to make sure she hasn't consumed too many painkillers...

Til next time...

Not since 1901....

The National Weather Service has reported a temperature of 91 degrees in Denver as of today, moving us one day closer to smashing a heat wave record that dates to the 19th century. In 1874 and again in 1901, Denver experienced 18 consecutive days in which temperatures reached or surpassed 90 degrees. Unfortunately for relief-seekers - the week's forecast is flush with 90-plus degree temps. If the heat lasts through Thursday, the record will be broken.

In addition to roasting, we are dry--call us dry roast. Now on pace for the 3rd driest Summer EVER. For us specifically in Arvada, we have not add any measurable rainfall since early June.

Call us Texans in training.....

Up on the Rooftop......

and it wasn't St Nick....our new roof is done, courtesy of Nationwide Insurance :)

Product arrival.....

Product mess...

included the shed.....

WHERE are my nine laborers? During lunch, one was taking a siesta in Teris' hammock..

The old roof prepares for a dump run...

Nearing completion...David dreaming of stealing the turnip truck in the driveway....

Nine 'laborers' got the job done in just a bit over one day of work, pretty amazing. Looking at the crew, I thought about placing a "U.S. Border Patrol-K9" cap on the dog, but thought against it thinking that would set back the project a few days...anyway, glad it's done--where else can you get a $7,000 home improvement for $250!

Crave-cation, Week 2

Enjoyed another very short work week, this week only Thur-Sat. In the interim, we have been a feasting.

After learning for the 18th consecutive year Colorado has maintained its status as the nation's skinniest state, Teri and I decided we would work on letting someone else have the title for next year. After all, we don't want heads to turn when we enter Texas, the nation's 9th most obese state, with our trim, sveldt bodies. So, on Saturday, we went to Costco, shopping central for the "let's get fat quick" crowd. Just a few of the tidbits we packed home below.

Sunday night we headed for some more caloric intake by heading up the hills about 25 minutes from the house. 91 degrees when we left 5300 feet elevation, 79 degrees when we arrived at our destination at 8,888 feet at the Wundervu Cafe. Dining outside under the pines on a perfect Summer evening! Photos from the view about 5 minutes from our house as well as Teri's gut bomb! Like I said, we only have about 12 months to fit into our new Texan stature, so we are stepping up the pace.

Monday was spent lounging around, another good way to make sure we don't burn off calories. Teri and I did our usual Monday morning Ebay shipping and inventory run--well, we didn't really 'run' cause that would be exercise. After lunch, I went to the pool where I did NOT swim, just took in the sun, read "Jesus for President", ate chips and drank Kool-Aid. Trying to stay focused!

......oh, a Jenny Craig smiling moment was the invention of the 20 minute ice cream maker--talk about their stock soaring! A batch of mint chip ice cream was whipped up Monday night to keep us on a (fat) roll!

We had Cameron and Amie over for dinner Tuesday night for a rare find in Colorado--fajitas! Woah, and they actually were legit and tasted like the real Texas beef skirt. Clearly, no shortage of calories in this BBQ feast.

A fun time Wednesday at the ROX game vs the Dodgers today as they win 5-3. Weather cooperated as temps predicted to be in the 90s were only around 80 with clouds and mist, perfect for a day game!

Our view!

Our ballgame hot dogs' view!

Thinking about our Rio Grande Valley folks facing Hurricane Dolly--winds were so high they ended up bringing down the flags in the 5th inning!

So, feast-week is over with. I believe we are off to a great start to remove Colorado from the #1 position amongst skinniest states. We went down to the local "morph" shop where, if you give them your diet, they can forecast your looks in the next one year. It appears that we will be fitting in just fine with the #9 fattest state. Here is a photo of Teri projected out as well as myself !

Til next time......

Stay-cation

I am in the middle of two very shortened work weeks! Working Thurs and Fri only for the next 2 weeks, mixed in with some overtime slots for easy payola. We did hope for a Summer trip, but between finding "Shelly-care", Austin having a new job and Cameron wanting to venture with us (hence no Shelly-care), we are postponing the adventure. We still may do both a HS reunion trip to the Valley in October and perhaps an early December trip.

On Sunday, Teri and I enjoyed our first movie out in about a year viewing "Get Smart"--pretty hilarious stuff! Probably a better flick for us older crowd who had a grasp about about the Agent 99 and Maxwell Smart era.

On Monday morning, for the 1st time in 18 months, Cam took me flying for about an hour. Arrived at the airport at 9am and wanted to snap a quick photo and wolah, dead 'fresh' batteries--bummed! Flight was fun, but oh so darn hazy, looked like mini-L.A. from 7,500 feet. It was interesting as his 1976 Cessna had the basic instrument panel, which in the long run will probably make him a better navigator. The ones I flew with him in the past had the latest avionics package which were much more sophisticated, but his plane that he currently trains with is $75 versus his previous rate of $124 in the new ones, so something had to give.

After the flight, Teri and I then ventured out for our 1st visit to Lodos. Great food and elevated, outdoor seating--fun stuff. As you can see from the background in the photo, mountains are 'zeroed' out by the smog!

(For you fashion officianados, it is VERY important to bring together the hat, sunglasses, polo and facial hair--black and gray rock!)

On Tuesday, I aimed to go out and do a 10 mile bike ride, but my adventure took me 25 miles instead. I hopped on a trail I had never ridden and my curiosity kept me going. So, in light of burning 2,000 calories (I gave Teri 1,000 calorie credit), we easily justified heading to downtown Denver's 16th Street Mall to pay the Cheesecake Factory a visit. The absolute best thing on their menu is the grilled shrimp and bacon club sandwich followed by the coconut/vanilla/chocolate crusted cheesecake. Our bodies were quickly restored of their calorie depletion and we headed back home to stay cool for the rest of the day. Essentially, it appears we are taking a simple 'no cook' vacation.

Wednesday, the last day of my first Stay-cation time period was a day of chilling. Teri had a mid-afternoon Dr's appointment, so couldn't make any huge plans. We continued our pattern of eating lunch out thus eliminating the need for home-prepped dinners. We both had a rare craving for Chinese, so we ventured out to the authentic Panda Express, waited on by Juanita and Maria, of course. Ya gotta luv it--but for the price and taste, it is a decent value. I went down memory lane after lunch and went for a swim at our old subdivision pool . This is where both boys had their swimming lessons, many a sunburn, Cam's bike got stolen, great free July 4th picnics, etc. BUT, we don't miss the subdivision at all.

Back to the grind tomorrow...all be it, only 2 days...

Surrender....

We have flown the white flag on inside temperature heat! When the thermostat was approaching quickly INSIDE to 85, we had to put a stop to it. But, there was value in our effort. We just got our utility bill yesterday and although average temperature for past 30 days was up 20%, our kilowatt use was DOWN 40%. So, with the cost savings incurred, we have put a compromise strategy in place---thermostat will be set at 79 degrees.

Who needs Central Air.........we do :)

The Wimpys

Ebay Biz Report

One of our New Year's resolutions was to have Ebay gross annual sales of at least $10,000. Half way through the year, we should be at $5,000 (probably don't need a college degree to figure that one out), with an average monthly volume of $833. Here is where we stand:

January- $1297
February- $1238
March- $1513
April- $ 961
May- $1011
June- $ 513 (took one week off for Las Vegas trip)
TOTAL: $6533 !

Although we have been selling for 4 consecutive years, this is our first to try 'year round', which includes Summer sales. Now that is where the difficulty has been. While we have done OK at a 75% rate of selling all listed items (Ebay average around 40% for clothiers), it is no where near our 95% Fall and Winter rate. The enlightening strategy has been we are buying cold weather gear (jeans, athletic pants, ski apparel,etc) throughout the Summer at discounted prices. We literally have 2 shelves full of items in waiting to be launched in October. The other added benefit of buying ahead is you buy with an 'accumulation' mentality, not the 'urgent to sell' one, which often leads you to buying items that are not very fruitful.

Two more difficult months, then into our stretch run! And for you lurkers, we do send in our IRS quarterly estimates for tax purposes :).

The Heat is On...

6pm Outside Temp

Interior main level temp

Master bedroom temp

Central air is for wimps............

Man Toy

You know, there is a small list of mens' "must haves"-- not a question of why they need something, just a matter of when they will acquire it. It falls along the lines of tools, some kinds of sporting gear, techie-gadgets, electric razors, radar detectors, etc. My acquisition was last week--a stinking air compressor! There are just a few items that are on the "I will never regret that purchase" list, and a Craftsman air compressor is one of those items.

For the life of me, I can't find bike tubes that stay fully aired in between rides. So, here I was with my 12 volt, car compressor having to air before each ride, and that was a pain. The best thing that happened was Teri shorting it out a couple weeks ago and, although I could have fixed it, it immediately found the trash can. Of course, when you have no air source, you know what is going to happen next--yup, blew my cycle tire on a ride about 10 days ago. The time was NOW to purchase this intro-compressor! Not only was their bike issues, but it seems like one of our car tires is always low. My truck alone has been to Discount Tires 3x this year for bead leaks.

I initially did have my regrets though when it took me 4 minutes to add 2 lbs. of air to one of Teri's tires. Heck, if I would have had the right connection, I could have farted faster. So, in disgust I went down to Sears with the presumption that my dual tire chuck
had failed me. So, they handed me a traditional helmet-styled air chuck and I arrived home. WOLAH, that sucker works great now. It also has a blower accessory, so we have now blown out my truck air filter, the vacuum cleaner (now that was a mess!), the garage floor and the cars' carpets!

There was one hesitation--a New Year's resolution "not to buy anything new, unless it was replacing an item". While I would have saved a lot more by getting another 12V car compressor, I had the desire to beef up the purchase and can still, in my mind, justifying it not violating the New Year commitment.

Oh, and for the "I must find the best deal" bone in me...ordered on line, shipped to store, included 17 piece accessory kit and, of course, taxes--TOTAL: $97.00, about 33% off usual store price. YES!

No regrets....

Accomplished!

Photo from the 1,000th mile!

Well, yet another 2008 resolution can be checked off the To Accomplish list. My goal to complete the "Rubber 1,609K" (translated: via bike, run and walk, total 1,000 miles) by December 31st this year was surpassed today at 2pm MST, exactly 1/2 way through the year. What I thought would equate to a trip from Denver to Austin, Tx., actually turned out to be a bit further south of the Texas capitol. If you scroll down to the bottom of this route, it shows a map indicating I would have ended up in Pleasanton, Texas.

So, with the year half way done, do I want to challenge my self to return back? Humm, after splattering on the concrete 3 weeks ago (one wrist 80% healed, the other still hurting at 60%), I am not too sure. To top it off today, at the 997th mile, my front tire went kapooey and my transport shuttle (Teri) had to come pick me up as I didn't have a spare on me. Came home, fixed it, and finished the ride.

Officially, 1001.7 miles on the bike-o-meter. On the weight-o-meter, FIVE POUNDS gained since the start of the year. Of course, all muscle-- of course...

Touring Tuesdays....

Last week the hills above, this Tuesday 'downtown' along the Pearl Street mall, one of the 'must sees' when touring Boulder, CO.

We met Austin at the Intense Debate International Headquarters :). As with any smart startup company, they are wisely keeping their overhead low. Austin has indicated they are moving to a newer office in a matter of weeks. Enjoyed meeting the I.D. team before heading out to the Rio Grande for lunch.

Housed in an old, historic garage, scrumptious Mexican food at the Rio Grande. They actually have several locations across the U.S., including Austin, TX!

Clearly, by the camera angle, the wife boozed it up at the cafe. Off to the far left, is our '1/2' son Austin :). I have great benefits where I work, but what I wouldn't give to be in shorts and a T-shirt like Austin enjoys. Yes, I fit in well with my Crocs, a local Boulder mega-company.

Like with seemingly everything else in life, 'old school' is now 'new school' in the world of bicycles--a nice minty green ride.

Boulder is dominated by bicyclists. Clearly, they have less concern about rising gas prices than our Denver metro friends.

About four long blocks and stores lining both sides, Pearl Street Mall is well known for all kind of human and 'wild' life. It was a pretty sedate day being there on a Tuesday afternoon.

Trying to make a living and doing the best he can.....

Build a gelato stand and the misses will find it...a nice heaving scoop of Jamaican Coconut...

Weekend Royalty...

Swimming at Cam's pool, his complex in the background....

Brynn and her flower cannister--it travels with her...

Future lifeguard....

As close as she wanted to come to getting in, she stayed perimeter for all 2 hrs....



Brynn insisting on getting a hair strand wet--her definition of adventurous....

Teri's craftwork---a pillow case dress for the princess...

Hawkin'

Teri and I had a nice , quiet afternoon hike above Boulder at this trail. The weather I thought would be cooler at 9000 feet, but still fairly warm, muggy and no breeze-- all a bit unusual for mid-June. We hope to do this kind of thing more often this summer.

At the parking area, lo and behold, dad talking on his cell phone to his 19 yr old pilot son who flew to Moab, but then had no transportation back and forth to the camping areas. At the time of this photo, he was at the Grand Co. Utah Sheriffs Dept in Moab hoping for a ride (without handcuffs) back to the airport 17 miles away. He was declined, so him and his friend split taxi fare of $50 to get there.

Husband walking ahead of wifey to eradicate the dragons, dinosaurs and bears....

Simple beauty......

"Go Green".....before the dead of summer arrives...

Not a bad view looking back toward metro area....



Back to the west where snow still rests atop the 14,000 foot peaks....

The Happs

Two weeks into his new job, Austin is having a great time. From
checking his company blog at Intense Debate, it appears that he
is a welcome addition (see June 12, 13 posts) as he has received
some nice pub. He looks forward to his Lebron James-like bank
roll in the future :). His first paycheck is Monday, just in time
for his cell phone and insurance bills-welcome to the REAL WORLD!
He took a second ACT test on Saturday, one more focused on
writing skills, and required by some institutions.

Cameron is pursuing his new passion--high country backpacking.
He leaves for a 3 day trip Monday morning hoping to hike about
20 miles or so. As for his flight training, he has started to
work on his 'commercial' flight rating getting his biggest
challenge out of the way a couple weeks ago when he flew to
Price, Utah and back in a Cessna 172. As part of the
requirement, he had to fly total round trip of at least
600 miles and land at two different airports. He is taking
a crash-course, on-line economics Summer class in July and
is holding a 3.0 GPA as he nears his Junior year, not bad
for having a full time job and full time girlfriend, not
to mention flying, backpacking, etc.

We have challenged ourselves to GO GREEN in a miniscule way
by trying to avoid using our central air this Summer. With
only Teri at home most days, she can tighten up the house
at the coolest point of the day and try to 'store' the cool
morning temp. It hit 90 yesterday, so day one of the challenge
has been met. The beauty of Teri being anemic is she is
constantly chilled---just wish she could pass it along to me.
Unfortunately, the furry lab-mix dog is not impressed with
our decision.

Speaking of, Teri awaiting more info on test results from her
doctor--but looks like she will have the 'female surgery'
thingy-ma-jig some time this Summer. So, it looks like Austin
and I will have to maintain the house for a bit, so we are
investigating Molly Maids, but I do not believe they have
an overnight option nor a cooking division.

My bum wrists continue to heal--right one at about 70%, left
one at 90%--felt good enough to hop on the mountain bike
yesterday for a very short ride of 8 miles or so. Teri is relieved
and has tossed the "Wiping Your Hubby's Hiney" survival guide.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY to all. Teri is grilling steaks later today
to celebrate. I am enjoying new a new pair of comfy, cocoa
colored Crocks. Cameron is working, so will be missing out on
the feast. Shelly probably thinking she could eat Cam's portions.
Speaking of the canine, her gimpy leg is back to 100%, so she is
back on squirrel patrol in the backyard.

Send gas money......

Later....

PAW-fect

Went to the vet today to get the paws checked out. Now what is that LAST thing you want to see when the Dr. walks into the exam room----uhhhhh, that would be the Dr. is wearing a cast! I thought for a moment it was a practical joke, but she had just had surgery from a tennis injury. Anyway, praise God, xrays revealed nothing broken in either hand--just a right hand wrist sprain and a strained right tendon. So, got me set up in a splint for 2-4 weeks which INSTANTANEOUSLY helped as it provided immediate support! Off to work tomorrow, still driving with my left hand and then shifting as well with the lefty--glad my wheels are well aligned. Hope to be eating right-handed again by the end of the week. In the mean time, Austin enjoying another lefty in the house...

SpectaculAIR Show!

A simply, glorious day for an air show out at Rocky Mountain Metro Air Show. Just to think 4 years ago Cameron was volunteering at one, today he worked it. Great weather day, blue skies, slight breeze and about 75 degrees. Enjoy the photos and the videos!

Air Force mascot falcon dawning his own helmet. For some reason, I do not believe the ones out in the wild wear one......

A B-17 all chromo-fied....

News media estimated 10,000-15,000 on hand....

World renown Patty Wagstaff on hand, has to be the greatest air show, female pilot ever to come to be...unreal at 56 years young!

Our lil friends Chris and his son, Adam, getting Patty's autograph...

A MIG 17, locally based, so we get to see him practice regularly...

Patty, inverted, picks up a ribbon with her tail that is being held by her staff center runway..

Patty tumbles across the runway before pulling straight up and returning back for another pass...

Air Force F18 buzzes down the runway before pulling straight up with both afterburners roaring..

Navy F16 circles back right at us and then banks to the South, no doubt directly over our house...guess Shelly got to enjoy the noise as well......