So it goes...

Our annual trek to fall fest was yesterday. A great event by a gracious couple who are kind enough to invite a horde of people to their property in Dodge County. This is a gathering that takes place on the last Saturday of September every year. We have been going to it for at least 10 years and have enjoyed every one. It is an event that is hard to explain, but it's basically getting a bunch of friends together to celebrate fall- ness . Carla, the hostess, always roasts a turkey on the grill, Patty Barrett always brings her fat-a$# beans, as they are so warmly termed, and Donna is in charge of the apple pies. There are lots of other dishes featured, but those three are annual staples that we do not do without. The one exception to this was the year franz , Patty and Brad's dog, got into the beans on the drive to fallfest . Not wanting to feed the dog-tainted beans to the rest of us, she fessed up and we all went beanless . I'm sure the ozone is in better shape as a result...

Here's the poem I read at the Open Mic poetry reading tonight for http://www.wastelandpoets.com/ It was a great night for a great cause. Diesel Kingdom Aisle sitters demand their space an orphan seat calls me standers are losers this is my house King of the Bus (Ruler of none) but King nonetheless Smokers, drinkers, loners, crazies all fall within these borders of glass and steel subject to its shuddering confines they eavesdrop on neighbors’ wayward drivel wishing they’d shut up People incapable of quiet fondle Alexander’s electronic Bell workers gaze looks of gloom out rain-spit windows a serf up front asks for change I’d like some change, alright the King of Change The bus stops here.

Well, I hit the 1000 mile mark today on my bike. (Picture at left shows 1005.1) That's double what I put on in a season, so is a decent accomplishment, at least for me. I expect to put on another 200 or so before it's over completely too. Some observations and statistics: I average 14 MPH, so I figure the total number of hours in the saddle is 71.4 I killed 1 chipmunk I had two bee incidents, one with a sting I saw 3 deer in two encounters I saw a mink and several cranes One fly in the mouth (Ptew) I did not get one flat tire I only got rained on 3 times, one of them hard Almost all miles were logged on the Glacial Drumlin Trail or on my work commute So, it is done. It got to be a bit of a grind by Late Aug.; more mechanical in some ways, than enjoyable. But it again proved that I can do anything I put my mind to which is due in part to my self discipline, and part due to my obsessiveness. Thanks Mom! My question now is what do I do for a follow-up next year? I'm thinking o...

Random Observations: I got to witness firsthand the annual flying ant launch last night on my bike ride. They were everywhere. A weird experience, and fairly annoying, from a biking perspective anyways. Grasshopper season was last week. Bees for a couple of weeks before that. The sumac is taking on color. This is beautiful. Beautiful, bad news. The French Bulldogs, Boston Terriers and Pugs at the dog park make the funniest noises when they get excited. Its all that nasal stuff crammed into such small spaces, I guess. The weather has been scary nice for 5 days and the forecast calls for 4 more of the same. Scary. I've dealt with Chat Support for ATT and Dell in the past two days and suffice it to say that I'm tired of over-courteous non- English speaking tech supporters. Both calls I ended up just saying "I'll figure it out myself." Who has time for that? How come all I wanted was a laptop with internet and Word on it and now I'm tempted to wipe the functio...

I hit Mile 893 today on my quest for 1000 miles this summer on my bike. The end is in sight, and frankly, I'll be glad to get there. It's been a bit mechanical these past couple hundred miles. So much so, that I sometimes forget to enjoy the ride. I get in the "just grind it out" mode and forget all the beauty that is whizzing by. Once I've finished, I'll slow down to normal pace again and hopefully renew my "live in the moment" mode. School started today, much to the delight of my wife. SHe tried to accomplish everything that's been on hold for the last 60 days in a single 8 hour stint. I told her that I wasn't sure, but that she might have tomorrow and the rest of the week to get to some of it as well. She was not amused. Sarah said she likes all of her teachers except for one who, in her words, is boring. Ben's of the the opinion that this school thing is kind of messing up his whole summer thing. He said it makes the days seem "l...