2010 Shore Fire

One of White Clay Bicycle Club's better rides is their Shore Fire Century. I think this was the 12th running of it. I don't ride it every year, but there's only a few years I've missed. This year saw a record crowd - over 850 people!

I rode with a great group yesterday that included a few of the regulars on the Saturday ride as well as a few I normally don't see but once a year and a few we picked up along the way (I really hate that...). We had a group of 13: Wim, Sen. Dave, DC Dave, Rich, Jamie, Jeff, Tom, Deep Blue Brad, UD Ben, Deep Blue Jay, recumbent guy, yellow jersey Fred, me. Wim was a work horse for the first 38 miles with sitting on the front in a very Wise-like fashion. He got us to Hartley in 1:45. Wim had a plane to catch so he couldn't stay for the full century. But he set the tone for the rest of the ride. In my usual Queen B style, I cracked the whip and kept the stops to a minimum 5 minutes. We kept the pace moderate and steady with everyone contributing to the effort (yes, even I took a few pulls!). In the end we manage a 5-1/2 hr century and that included 3 very short stops AND a flat tire! Awesome ride, outstanding group.

St. Georges Bridge Celebration

When in moved to Delaware in 1970, I remember driving to Rehoboth and crossing the St. Georges Brige. It was a narrow two-lane, 60+ mph, bumper to bumper, white knuckled crossing. In the early-90s they built the Roth Bridge which decreased the traffic on the St. Georges Bridge to basically those who were too cheap to pay the toll or those who lived in the immediate area of the bridge. I would use it on weekends to cross the canal. Traffic was lighter, less tractor-trailers but still a somewhat scary crossing due to the narrow lanes and no shoulder. This year they decided to close one of the lanes and dedicate it to bicycle traffic!

On Thursday August 26 Governor Jack Markell as well as a few other political people and many cyclists in the area joined in a celebration crossing of the bridge.

This really happened because some key people were involved including quite a few people from White Clay Bicycle Club. I think there's a lot of cyclists who don't realize how much WCBC does for them. It also helps that the Governor is a cyclist!

PEFA

I really like watching the birds in my backyard. I have 4 feeders going year round, plus a birdbath that's heated during the winter. I have lots of flowers that attract hummingbirds. And despite having no trees, several birds will nest in the bigger bushes I have. In the winter, it's not unusual to have the resident sharp-shinned hawk visit the "buffet" in my back yard.

Back in April I got hooked watching the webcam of the peregrine falcons (aka PEFA to the seasoned birder) that were in the nestbox on top of the Brandywine Building. I would checked on them several times a day. It was so exciting see 1-2-3-4 eggs. Sitting on the nest became a 24-7 routine shared by both the male and female. Then one day I noticed she seemed to be away from the eggs quite a bit. I learned from an inquiry that the male had disappeared, most likely he was killed. So, many of us watched and waited...and eventually the eggs were removed. It was so sad. The good news was she found a potential new mate so there's some optimism for 2011.

Then in early June I was out riding my bike one very early Sunday morning. I headed down Rt. 9, then worked my way back over to the St. Georges Bridge to use the newly striped bike lanes. The bike lanes are great, especially since this bridge is less than a mile from my house. When I was approaching the top, I heard the sound of a couple of birds overhead. They seemed rather panicked. I stopped at the top and there they were - 2 birds circling and squawking at me. Now, for whatever strange reason, I had decided to bring my camera along with me. Maybe because it was brand new and I wanted to try it out? So, I got out the camera and took a couple of shots. The birds continued to circle and squawk, then finally landed on top of the bridge...still squawking. They "escorted" me halfway down.

When I got home I downloaded the photos, and hmmm, they looked an awful lot like the PEFA's I had been watching in the nest box. So, I contacted the guy involved with the web cam...and sure enough, it was a pair! There are PEFA's currently nesting on both Reedy and Summit but they weren't aware of any nests on St. Georges!! Really exciting news!! The sad news was when DNREC went out to observe...they found a dead falcon, most likely hit by a car. The "good" news in that was it was an unbanded bird, so again, a bird they were unaware of which led back to some optimism despite the loss of the bird.

Fast forward to yesterday. I got an e-mail from the US Fish and Wildlife - wow, this really went pretty far!! Turns out the USFW biologist studied the dead falcon and it turns out it was a juvenile! So that more or less confirms there was a nest on the bridge and the squawking parents were protecting their young from the big bad cyclist!

Queen of Draft

Most people who know me, know I am the queen of draft. It is a skill I work on every chance I get. Don't get me wrong, I want to come away from a ride feeling like I've ridden, but given the opportunity I'm going to find a smooth steady wheel to sit behind. So, for the second Sunday in a row, I've had the pleasure and opportunity to ride with Mark and Amy Wise. Last Sunday (Aug 15), there were 5 of us for 75 miles, with Jamie on Amy's wheel, Sen. Dave on Mark's, and me tucked smartly in the "sweet spot". Yesterday (Aug 22) it was Mark, Amy and me, and Fergie for about 10 miles. They planned to do 100, but I think between the looming t-storms/rain, and the small turnout, they dropped it back to 85. I dug pretty deep to hang on to the two of them. First half of the ride was dry and into a headwind; second half was a wet tailwind. At least the temps were around 80. In the end I begged them to leave me at the bottom of Reedy and let me die a slow death by myself. But no, they tortured me by slowing down to my speed. I've never had kids but I described the ride as giving birth. Incredibly painful during the event, but once it's over, you've forgotten all about the pain. As Billy V would say, another one in the bank.

Our Cats

We have the most beautiful cats, but then I think all cats are beautiful.

Domino, our only male cat, will greet John at the door when he comes home from work. He'll jump around and meow loudly until John walks through the door. He is an ocicat of a rare color (ebony). Ocicats are a beautiful spotted breed, friendly and very athletic.

Abby and Katie are sisters and are also ocicats. They were devoted to each other when we first got them, but now they ignore each other, sparking an occasional hiss. Abby is the friendly, sweet one. Katie is distant.

Molly, the oldest of the bunch, doesn't play nice with the others so we keep her secluded when we not home. Domino torments her. She keeps her distance from Abby. But Katie, she attacks Katie. They're nasty, messy attacks that always require massive clean-up afterwards. I think Katie reminds Molly of our beloved Phoebe who used to attack her viciously. Molly was a stray we found in the bushes near where we live. She is very affectionate when she doesn't have to share.

I can't imagine life without a couple of cats running around the house.

2010 Garden

My garden has been very successful this year despite the drought conditions. I've had a bumper crop of tomatoes, potatoes and cucumbers. I'm waiting until the fall to pick my sweet potatoes, but I'm optimistic they will do well. I also had some early season lettuce and my onions were successful, too.