Lauren’s New Bike

At 4 1/2 Lauren totally outgrew her 12″ pedal bike.

She looked like a circus clown riding that tiny thing.

Now she’s got a 16″ bike that fits – for a few years hopefully.

Even has a seat for her baby doll as you can see.

I debated getting a department store bike vs. a “real bike shop bike”. In the end the department store-like bike won. Abigail’s 16″ is a “real bike shop bike,” and there are obvious differences in quality. In the end I just couldn’t justify the extra $100 for something they’re only going to ride for a couple of years.

We upgraded their balance bikes too. They continually ride them, though they’re perfectly capable of riding pedal bikes. Now they’re balance bikes are 16″ versions as well.

– b

Currently Binge Watching

Vikings on Amazon Prime.

Go Norsemen!

– b

Missed June

Wow! That’s the first ever I’ve missed an entire month of blog posts. Ouch.

Also missed the calendar for June.

I’ll try and retro-post the calendar, then you’ll see why so little was done.

I was away 3 of the 4 weeks, then in all day meetings the week I was here.

Busy, busy, busy.

– b

ps. pictures are getting posted once again, but in a different (private) location. If you want access, leave a comment or email me and I’ll get you access.

Summer Holiday Sick

Spent the 4th of July weekend sick. All 4 of us. Lu had a fever off and on for 3 or 4 days, while the rest of us got a nasty cough.

Hopefully this is our summer spell, and we’re all good by the time we head off for vacation.

– b

First Tournament

Abigail participated in her first Jiu Jitsu tournament this weekend. She did really well. We’re all very proud of her performance.

Of her 4 matches she won two and squeaked out of third place by a smidge.

– b

Promotion

Been a tumultuous week at work.

Looked like I was finally getting the promotion I’ve been wanting for over a year, then it went away.

Had a quick talk with my boss, then it was back – sort of.

In the end I got a promotion. My new position reflects my responsibilities and achievements, but I still want more.

I still have two kids that need to get through college. It’s going to take more.

– b

ps. important thing to note is that my boss agreed with what I wanted. Corporate policy is what prevented it. With what I have now, I should be setup nicely to get there.

Dirt Bike Progress

Quick note – work has been INSANE lately. Many sleepless nights. Hopefully things will settle down soon. Though not likely to improve blog communication.

Anyway, I’ve been making some serious progress on the dirt bike front. While Craig and the rest of the gang have been heading to coal country every weekend, I’ve managed keep a local routine going. Instead of the the Wednesday night mt. bike ride, I’ve been doing the Wednesday night dirt bike ride at a local venue. It’s not much for time, but it’s a really hard place to ride. My skills are advancing quickly.

Since the kid camping got postponed this weekend, I managed to get up to coal country for a Sunday ride. Unfortunately upon arrival, we learned they were shutting down the mountain we typically ride because of over crowding on the mountain and hooligans tearing through town. Luckily we have some local connections and there are a number of mountains to ride within 20 minutes of each other. Within the hour we were suited up and headed into new terrain.

And what terrain it was!

It was so technical i.e. rocky. It was trail nirvana. Years ago I had ridden these trails on a mt. bike. Riding these same trails on a dirt bike is all I’ve imagined since owning one. Ironically our local connection couldn’t handle it and left early. On our own we found the best stuff and road it repeatedly.

I also managed to work on some timing/technique issues with things like logs and large rocks. Considering the amount of suspension these things have most of the time you can just plow into something and bowl your way over it, but that’s not ideal. You want to at least unweight the front end so it glosses over the obstacle. Ideally you can even “hop it” so that the rear does all the work. Can’t say I’m anywhere near the “hopping” action, but I was certainly unweighting and even lifting freely over some obstacles. I think I even managed to get some air a few times on purpose.

All in all a great trip. I’m making progress nicely and really enjoying the bike. To think 6 months ago I was nearly scared to death of the thing. Now I can hardly imagine riding a different bike.

– b

Ticks Everywhere 

Mild winter means active tick season. 

So far the household record holder is Abigail with 5 in one day. The neighbors kid had 8. 

It’s so bad I’m finding them randomly in the house. 

Makes me nervous for the deer ticks. They’re supposed to be at their worst in May. Will have to keep an eye out for the little black dots, or worst case the bullseye.

– b

Almost Forgot

Both girls skied black diamonds this year at our local mt. Sure that’s not the same as the bigger mts in New England, but they both also managed a very icy blue on Whiteface. 

Yeah. Lauren was 4. 

– b

2015/2016 Ski Season

Just some quick shots from this past ski season. It didn’t amount to what we expected, but we got some time on the slopes.

This is Abigail snowboarding for the first time. She did really awesome.

Abigail riding the gondola at Whiteface in Lake Placid.

Lauren skiing down Whiteface.

Lauren on a solo ski day with me.

– b