Thanks. I mentioned that I had used it on my very brief tour. She is a seasoned bike tourist and has no qualms with stealth camping. She puts not spending money at the top of her priorities.Probobly why she is able to tour so much.

This post is all of it. I just got home from applying for the national old age pension. I was reticent to do it in Tixkokob because I wanted anonymity. Not an issue. I was the only (former) foreigner there and nobody batted an eye. I take the town bike in, to shop, and park it and walk away. Wonder of wonders. If I’m taking the bus to the city, there is a place to park it out of the weather and secure, for 40 cents. Tixkokob is a public transportation hub the likes of which I haven’t seen outside of Merida. We have services here that are normally reserved for cities with larger populations. Fiber optic internet. Two gas stations. A bank. An OXXO (a national chain of minimarts, at which you can pay various bills). I buy my phone plan there so I don’t have to deal with the app. Nor do I have to pay the commission at the bank. The cherry on top is how friendly and accommodating everybody is. When I am in town shopping at various places, I get the smiles, because it is just so pleasant.

Back in 1995 I saw Chuck Jones speak and draw at the Academy of Natural Sciences. Fabulous evening. He told an amazing story about how they came up with the voice for Daffy Duck. Well worth the $25, which at the time seemed like a lot of money for something like that. He died 7 years later.

My stepbrother was in the video entertainment industry. He got to meet Mel Blanc. Blanc made my stepbrother answering machine greetings in the voices of Bugs and Porky Pig.

Indeed! I paid $50 to see The Stones that year, in the old Cleveland stadium. And that seemed like a lot of money to spend on a concert.

Heading up to the hills soon so I will leave you with my FF submission now. Hopefully DougRNS can help fill in for the void in quality content.

This is a nice long, drawn out two-part rondo. One of my all time favorites, coincidentally for about as long as I've been a cyclist - the early college days. Good to let play in the bkg and tune in and out of. I have heard this so many times that I know all of the little fills and comp chords

Last year I bagged the Mt Hamilton ride because the weather was forecast to include rain, and I figured the LAST thing I want to do is a 4000 foot descent in the rain. Turned out the rain held off, and it was actually a great ride - or at least that's what those who DIDN'T chicken out said!

This year, they moved it to the first weekend in May, which looks to avoid any probability of rain. I decided to try again, taking the Battaglin, which is more a Resto Mod than a C&V, but it's an almost 20-year old Resto Mod, since I built it up in 2007. But it's got good climbing gears and it descends really well. So I've been riding it for the last couple weeks. Unfortunately, the last week or so I've been bothered by sporadic minor pain in my right knee. Didn't seem like a great time to do 4000 feet of climbing. So, no Mt Hamilton for Mrs. Smith's boy this year, either.

Now I'm doing that thing where you try to figure out how much riding I SHOULD do, especially since it's what keeps me as close to sane as I ever get....

My first concert was the Isley Brothers. 1977. $7.50 for second tier seats.

I think my first was Jethro Tull at HersheyPark Arena, in 1975. I have no idea what the tickets cost, because I didn't pay for mine. At the time I was a senior in high school, and some friends who were juniors needed somebody with a regular, non-restricted DL to drive, so they paid for mine..

Mothers of Invention featuring Flo and Eddie in 1971 at the Pauly Pavillion in UCLA. I didn't go to a lot of concerts but that was the standard. 3 solid hours, great musicians and Flo and Eddie vocals. Stories within the concert included Billy the Mountain and Mudshark.

I can't find the original post but when I was a very wee lad my dad was yard master for the Pennsy in Orville, Ohio. And I had a great aunt in ?? Pennsylvania..( Is there a Scottsdale?) Mom, me and my older sister and baby sister rode the train over and back including the horseshoe curve, in both directions. We had colorful pipe cleaners to occupy ourselves. 1955.

First concert: Jackson 5 at the Cow Palace. I'm pretty sure that was 1972.

No photos.

The Cow Palace is noteworthy as the site of the Beatles' first US concert, August 19, 1964.


Also their last US concert, August 31, 1965.




I stayed home for both.

I remember being excited that the Beatles were going to be on Ed Sullivan. I also remember thinking, "Why don't those girls stop screaming? I can't hear the music!!!"

Spotted flying over San Francisco today:



What the actual?

the hastily tacked-up chainlink is a nice touch

It’s soft-shell crab season.

There's a first for everything.

Where would you find it on the map?

Google Images.

First concert was at Fillmore West in SF. Canned Heat and Hot Tuna. It was LOUD. Rampant drug dealing in the men’s restroom on card tables. I didn’t partake but did inhale all the Mary Jane being roasted around me in the seating area.

Near California and Washington.

Naw, I meant the Google Maps office, probably right across the hall from the doodle bros

But maybe Google Images offices have better pastries? Then yeah hit the Images bros up.

I think this was the first "big" tour event I went to. #NotABoomer

There is a local ‘bike shop’ which is in a half-horse town that has its own wrecking yard. Rather amazing. There was even a vintage Masi in really good shape sitting out in the elements.

There is FINALLY a 3 day weekend with decent weather, so plan is ride 3 days. Easy today and Sunday, hard on Saturday. My friend from the Bay Area is visiting and will be joining in the fun.

My wife and kids are playing this geography game daily and sharing scores. It’s entertaining, possibly.

https://maptap.gg/

Got passed on my bike by the Google Street View car yesterday. I may be famous in a few days. This would be the third time in 15-20 years.