Halloween

In a departure from the norm I got crafty this year. Crafty to the point I visited Joann Fabrics, two hardware stores and made two trips to Fancy Tiger. It started with an announcement by Aleka  that not only would she host a Halloween party, but she would also recreate the swan gown worn by Bjork at the Emmy’s.

With the bar set high I put my sights on Beaker, of Muppet fame. And 10 hours of work and $100 later I was happy with the results, but surprised by the total effort.

Completed Beaker outfit with ominous lighting

Beaker and Bjork (the gown turned out great)

Beaker transport

Now I have a Beaker costume sitting in my living room, if anyone has a need…

Start ‘em Young

Saw this kid’s bike outside the grocery store.

The parents walked and the son was learning to ride his bike. This bike rack is always full, but I am glad to see some crowding caused by a younger generation learning the ease of getting about bike.

Mount Bross

Alan has a goal of standing a top a 14er in every month. Perfectly reasonable, until you realize how cold tall mountains are in the winter. With a few months of summer climbing behind us, the trail running shoes and wildflower filled cirques were exchanged for insulating layers and wind driven snow.

The temperatures were a shade below freezing and complemented by a wind that only grew stronger with elevation. We took the tortoise approach, just slow and steady, with no breaks between the valley floor and Bross’s upper reaches.

Alan with wind driven snow streaming off the summit ridge

 

Me ruing cold toes

The summit of this mountain is closed to public access. We may or may not have reached the summit. The descent was fast, but into a headwind. The wind was such that you could feel it hold you back against gravity’s command.

Scream Scram

A 5K? Alright. Benefitting the Boys and Girls Club? You bet. Wear a costume? Holy shit, show me the start line!

We, that being Nadine, Ted, Mike, Aleka and I, ran the Scream Scram 5K. A charitable race around Washington Park in which participants are encouraged to dress in costume. I went as a gorilla in an American flag speedo, meaning I went as myself. Aleka wore a dress she picked up for a bridesmaid dress party. It is an aggressively tacky dress, but another runner, as she passed us by, said she had the same dress for her 8th grade dance!

Minus the accentuated pecs, that is what I look like naked

See those hands in the air. That is Ted.

There was a group of people dressed as serious runners near the front. Super short shorts, no body fat, synthetic tanks tops. They looked the part and when the starting gun sounded they went at a pace that would turn the head of a pronghorn. My mistake, those were real runners, who would be enjoying finish line festivities the same time I hit the halfway mark.

As for our time...at 2 miles I had sweated out 3 liters of water and was having heat induced hallucinations, convincing myself that I was going to medal at the Hirsute Olympics. I began walking to cool down, crossing the finish line 37 minutes. My overall pace was a shade above walking. Luckily, it being a birthday celebration for Ted, I attacked my bruised ego on two fronts, beers and a burger. It was no contest.

Snow

When riding a bike with a front basket piled with snow beware bumps. I took, with laughter, a large poorly consolidated snowball to the chest when bouncing through the park.

Pickling

I met Tracy at the Farmer’s Market, which allows us to combine a bike ride and food talk, which when coupled with a cup of a coffee makes for an excellent start to the day. A discussion of making pickles led to inspiration, and the desire to meet my ancestors halfway and store food for the winter, set me on a path of a vinegar infused afternoon.

The end result, 6 jars of refrigerator pickles, 5 jars of pickled carrots and 1 jar of pickled garlic. If that was not excessive enough, I doubled a batch of black bean soup, and could now feed a small village.

Carrots, which need 48 hours in brine before they are ready

Garlic, which I cannot crack into for 30 days

3 hours later…

Doing what I can for America