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Lazy sleep-in until 8:00 am. Must be that the decadent habits of the ultra-laid back Sun City Folk are having a deleterious effect on our otherwise up and at 'em approach to life. And we thought that The Okanagan was a relaxed place to live, Dear Reader! Not so when first two things you see almost as soon as you manage to leave your bed are a swimming pool and a golf course!
Henryk and I drove over to the same estate sale we visited yesterday as he wanted to see if a table they were interested in had been reduced in price. It had but I suggested he wait until tomorrow as if it hadn't sold, by then, it would be cut by 50%. Next on to Fry's to fill up tank and buy some yogurt and Prosciutto, former for breakfast, latter to wrap asparagus with to have as appetizers this evening. Once back I sliced up some of Henryk's wonderful tomatoes, topped them with cheese and grilled them. Delicioso! We chatted around table for a bit, assigning everyone a specific task for dinner: Lady Dar will prepare appetizers, Henryk will bbq chicken, I will make the Greek salad and Louise will pour drinks and supervise!
Hello Famiglia! Trust all goes well in The Frozen North! After breakfast we chatted around table for a bit, assigning everyone a specific task for dinner: Lady Dar will prepare appetizers, Henryk will bbq chicken, I will make the Greek salad and Louise will pour drinks and supervise! She and Lady Dar just left for Power Shopping at Target, Henryk is working on a small project in the garden and I'm about to suit up for another ride. Plan/hope to finally log my basic distance, 51 km! Fondestos, Love and Cheers, Dad/Patrizzio!
Once I'd made myself a spot of lunch, (Louise's delicious baked beans, topped with pickled red peppers and grated cheese), I put on sunscreen and suited up. Was ready to roll just after 2:00 pm so I waved goodbye to Henryk, working away on a new metal fence he was erecting along the side of the house. Hadn't really decided exactly where I was going to ride but once I was on N Country Club Drive I decided I'd work the streets running off it before turning my attention to the smaller grid bounded by Lindgren Ave, Granada and Wrangler Drives. Having ridden over most, if not all, of these streets on my last two outings here, I had become reasonably familiar with how they intersected with one another and this allowed me to "blanket" a given section before moving on to a neighbouring grid.
Again, exceptionally enjoyable as there is virtually no traffic and the riding surface couldn't be better, smooth, smooth tarmac, completely free of grit or any other debris, for that matter. The odd time I'd have to ride around a pile of palm branches waiting to be hauled away or some old shingles next to a re-roofing project but other than those few occurrences the road belonged to me. Did encounter a few other cyclists, from time to time, but most people were not wearing helmets, only two out of perhaps ten cyclists I saw.
Anyway, by the time I'd logged about two thirds of the distance, (34 km), I planned to ride I knew that I wouldn't even have to cross over Union Hills Drive. Pleased that The Dreaded Burning Ground would not be an issue should the traffic lights there not be in my favour, I was happy to stay in "my home sector" and ticked off the remaining distance on a number of the longer runs which the "main" streets such as Foothills, Palmeras and Lindgren allow. Pleased as punch I was back home by about 4:30 pm. Map and Stats for ride:
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/2488512113#.Wn8A0tGj7CQ.email
Found the gang at the patio table by the pool, Henryk enjoying a much deserved beer, The Power Shoppers still high from their many purchases. I wanted to snap a few pictures of the large wooden support "crates" built around a given cactus when a landscape company removes it from someone's yard. I had noticed such a one across from the estate sale yesterday and wanted to capture it. Louise mentioned that when one of their neighbours had a giant Saguaro removed they, and other neighbours, took their lawn chairs across the street to watch the already crated cactus being loaded onto a flat-bed.
The frame provides the support structure and the various "arms" have protective carpeting wrapped against and around them to prevent the wire or rope fastenings from damaging the surface or cutting through the limb entirely. Quite a process given the size of these magnificent plants. Henryk very kindly offered to drive me over so we piled into his golf cart and I snapped a few pictures. Then on to Cottonwood Drive as I wanted to take a few snapolas of a 1947 Ford pick-up, sporting a For Sale sign, I'd noticed earlier on my ride. Not that I was interested in buying it but it was quite a striking example of a weathered vehicle still in reasonable condition.
Main reason for wanting to photograph it had to do with seeing the striking couches, made from used car parts, at the ArtWalk. I wanted to show good friend, Al Waldron, back home, what he might consider doing. He has such a creative talent, melded with welding and fabrication expertise that I thought he might be interested in seeing both the finished "product" and the raw material, so to speak. Of course, if he was interested, I'm sure he could find any parts he might wish to use in an auto-wreckers yard.
Anyway, once I took the photos I wanted, back home to make the Greek salad I was responsible for sipping on Tequila! Henryk offered me two, the first a Costco Kirkland Añejo, and the second, a Casamigos Blanco, apparently a George Clooney venture, along with two other partners, I believe. Must say that the "house" Tequila took my fancy as it was far more pleasingly aromatic and spicier, to my untutored Tequila palette. Will certainly look for it when next in Costco here in the US, especially since it is only about $12! Delicious appetizers and dinner and then watched Jackie Chan and Pierce Brosnan in The Foreigner. Absolutley delighted as I'm only seen the beginning on the flight from Alajeula to LA! Fell into bed what with ride and not inconsiderable amount of Tequila!
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