Getting lost.

Out and about checking out the new neighborhood on the trusty cross bike.

Why snowbording will always be cooler than skiing.

Gotta be the waddle.

Big Moon

Anyone catch the moon last night? I ran out to check my mail and it caught my eye through the clouds. Something seemed different about the sky but I couldn't put my finger on it.

I heard this on the way in to work this morning. I Guess tonight it will be at it's largest.


http://www.sltrib.com/news/ci_11199195

"Those looking up tonight will see the biggest full moon the Earth has seen since 1993.

To best view the effect, look at the moon while it's on the horizon line, when "illusion will mix with reality to produce a truly stunning view," according to Tony Phillips, Science@NASA's production editor.

"For reasons not fully understood by astronomers or psychologists, low-hanging moons look unnaturally large when they beam through trees, buildings and other foreground objects. The swollen orb rising in the east at sunset may seem so nearby, you can almost reach out and touch it," he writes on the Science@NASA Web site.

The moon's proximity to Earth also will affect tides, pulling the tide higher than normal by between about

an inch and 6 inches.

Every month, the oblong lunar orbit brings the moon closer to Earth, but this month the moon is full just four hours after hitting perigee. That means it will be 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter than any other full moon this year. The full moon at perigee won't occur again until 2016."

Seems like a lot of stuff is going on lately with the Venus/Jupiter/Moon thing just the other day as well. http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2008/12/081201-jupiter-venus.html Though I wouldn't mind looking up and seeing nothing but storm clouds right about now.

Wheeler Cross - Series #10

Another Saturday another Race.

I didn't get off to the best start with this race. It's a lesson I can't seem to keep in my head. I was there plenty early enough but was practicing a few sections of the course. It seems like the more racers there are the earlier everyone lines up for the start. Back of a pack of 52 or so because I showed up to the line late. I made up a few quick spots on the first off camber taking the lower line but I was still way back in the pack and it was slow city the whole first lap going through the woods.

Even though I didn't get to move up much this was a much different race than I have had in the past. From lap 2 to the end I had a group of 6 people following behind me the whole way. They all stayed pretty close together and I would gap them pretty good through the woods then they would catch me at the end of the longer straight aways. On a flatter less technical course there's no way I would have been able to hold the front as long as I did.

As a group we slowly passed up a few guys along the way but mostly it was a little race within the race. I held on till the last minute or so of the race and got passed by about 3 of them on the final straight away before the finish. I had a pretty good lead on the rest of them when I looked back last and let up more than I should have. At the last turn before the finish another racer tore past me before I even knew he was coming. I jumped out of the saddle and hammered it on the lower line of the off camber and was able to take the spot back before the finish. It's not like we were contending for some great position but I take the small victories where I can get em.

I probably could stand to learn a large bit about riding in groups. Right now as it stands I'm pretty much a solo racer just doing my thing and having fun.

Too busy for the Monies.

OK, I'm ready for my monies now..

Intermission: Payton playing in the leaves.

Back to serious business.

Maybe not. Time for father-son portrait while the handi-capable guy runs up the hill.

Thanks for the pics Marcus/Megan

I've been trying to be more careful putting down the bike post runup after knocking my chain off numerous times. Looks like I'm being way too careful after seeing this vid.

Intermission

I was going to do a write up of last weeks race, but by the time I do that the next one will be done with. So here are some pictures instead.

Thanks for the pics Jennie

Brief:
A few tumbles. Lost some skin. Chain fell off. My favorite course layout thus far. I love run ups. Thought I did well. Turned out to be so so. Good times were had anyway.

Butternut Squash Soup

Saw Alton Brown make this soup a few times and it's the season, so what the heck. Something new. Linkage

Squash after roasting.

Everything but the Heavy whipping cream.

Yum?

Pretty easy stuff only time consuming part is waiting for the squash to finish roasting. If I were to do it again I would probably peel the squash ahead of time and maybe quarter it before roasting. Scooping the squash out of it's skin while it was hot was kind of a pain. I go back and fourth with heavy cream in recipes I probably would have been fine with normal whipping cream or maybe even just milk.

Also I haven't made many soups of this consistency before and you really have to watch the temperature while it's cooking. Not so much because it will burn more because it will turn into a erupting volcano shooting 4 1/2 feet into the air. It really caught me by surprise because the stove was almost as low as it could go when things started going Pompeii in the kitchen.

Seems like I may be cleaning the walls/ceiling a little more than I should be after cooking. It's possible I may be doing something wrong...

Late Night Snacking

Penne with Homemade Vodka Sauce

Common ingredients and simple to make. Both winners in my book.

The recipe calls for a cup of Vodka which is probably way too much for most people. I usually cut it back to 3/4 to 1/2 a cup.

Also I finally picked up an immersion blender today. After nearly painting the walls with scorching hot tomato sauce the last go round in the food processor I figured it was time. Definitely makes life much simpler without all the transferring back and forth and just being able to blend in the pot.

Recipe Link Do it!