The connection

I was looking for the connection in my religious life , and I think I found it. Memphis was nearly wiped out in a yellow fever epidemic in the 1870's. Several folks who had taken holy orders stayed behind to take care of the ill, and lost their own lives, most notably Constance and Her Companions. Constance was a member of the Community of St. Mary, which was located in Peeksill, NY. They are now located on the ground of the Episcopal Diocese of Albany's Spiritual Life Center - the connection between the Cathedral of All Saints and St. Mary's Episcopal Cathedral, if you excuse this blurry picture:

First ride

I finally got the new bike out a for quick spin. Why?

Not all jurisdictions plowe their path. Still, I had some one to watch over me:

You couldn't ride everywhere:

and the bike did get dirty:

and you have to throw the Lycra out in this weather:

My Birthday sucked!

Well, probably not in the sense you're thinking of, although I probably tried to do too much. First, I went to church, and them to Cracker Barrel:

and then, I rode my bike. I've been looking for rack that fits my Fiat, and the internet lead me to the Seasucker Talon. I saw where several folks who have 500 Abarths have been using them with great success, and since I have the same rear wing(Part of Mr. Marchionne's edict to make it get 40 mpg or else), I ordered one:


And yes, I was a bit weary of trusting my prized steeds to suction cups. Only they're vacuum cups, and each one is rated at two hundred fifty pounds, which means I have a half-ton of suck (there's that word again) holding the bike on the car. It took a bit of fiddling to find the right spot, particularly the rear bumper, which is different in the Pop than the Abarth. The only hard part was the quick release, which may because it does not have the self centering springs. I did transport it across the Frozen Hudson:

And who needs a kickstand when you have a snowbank?

I ended the day with a hockey, but I need to some more writing, so the day isn't really over. I'll report back on the seasucker when I have some experience with it.

Hey buddy, want to buy a recumbent bike?

Well, it's been six month since Spumoni the Fiat came into my life:

and I really like it. What grown less fond of is my recumbent bike. It doesn't work all that well for an urban area with lots of tight spaces and hills. So, I took my tax refund money and ordered a 2013 Trek Lexa SL:

image from trekbikes.com
and since I have a now have a tiny apartment to go along with a tiny car, I've decided to pass it on to a new owner.

Do I regret it? No, It was necessary to have some long term to get an idea of its strength. I'd also like to add that the Strada was the bike I've had for the second longest period of time after the Cannondale that I randonneured with (seven years versus five), and maybe one day when life changes again(you know it will, you just don't know when or how), I'll be laid and loving it once again. Its looks sad without pedals:

and you can't I've pampered it by the looks of the crank. A brief look at bikejournal says I've logged 10,000 miles. The really cool recumbent stuff comes with it, too - the Bent up Cycles bag, Adem headrest, Ventisit pad, 'bent specfic hydration pack.

Miss Pansy's doll has found a new home, so you can't have it. Now, I've got find those recumbent forums and see if I'm still banned for saying that they all seem to have tinfoil helmet liners. And yes, I've started another journey.

Expanded borders

Many of you know, that I volunteer to sit at a prayer table. Well, we expanded our locations. The new one is at the Old Chruch I went to last week:

As you can see, it was not a good morning to be out on the streets. I dropped the Albany shaker Cemetery (where Ann Lee is buried):


Before heading over. This is Salih and Candy setting up. And yes, Salih spent the night on the streets:

And here are the Streets:

I would have taken some more photos, but really didn't want to take photos of folks down on their luck - it reminded me of riding along the River trails in SoCal and going past the Homeless encampments. Here's a shot of when the doors opened:
And I've committed to do some more, which might lead some of you to comment that I need to be committed.

The best kind of nieghbors

That's what my mom used of us living next door to a cemetery. So I went over to Albany Rural cemetery:


Its most famous 'resident' is Chester Arthur



After that, I need to warm up:
and got in a traffic jam:

Recycle this post

Well, Saturday was a bit too cold for cycling, so I did some indoor hiking:

And took in a hockey game. We lost again.

Sunday was little bit better. I went over to the Port of Albany. I had seen something in the Times union:
Somewhat Ironically, across the street is this:

more details of Mr. Curtiss' flight are here. Dome of the more fun details are: It took him two hours (What the Amtrak takes, A flight from ALB to EWR(no flights anymore to JFK or LGA) takes an hour), and he had stop in Poughkeepsie for gas. And the plane is close by a scrapyard, too,in case it becomes a can of Bud. I used to have a Neon, so this car spoke to me:

you eventually come to the end of the road:

But the road goes on, your old car becomes your soda can, holey socks turn into rags, you find a new job, the list goes on. Here's a nice view of Rensselaer:
Speaking of recycling, I heard a pop when I turned into the apartments. Another items to be recycled, as I broke a spoke:

George Eastman Vs Carl Ziess

My new phone has an 8mp Cal Ziess Camera, versus the 9mp on Kodak. Kodak: versus Ziess: Pretty close, eh? The only drawback to the Ziess is that is the largest exposure, but the phone automatically syncs with SkyDrive (Microsoft's Cloud Storage) The Half Moon is back in town: Leaves are falling: The Falls are still there: It's time for Pumpkin pie Donuts? Dissing a Medal of Honor winner: and the skyline

Tug that boat

I went over to the towboat festival, first under the Patroon island bridge: Then across the drawbridge: This uncle sam hasn't lost his head: and finally to Waterford. This is the old arrow shirt factory: and the festival: stopped for a break: before taking a detour through Albany Rural cemetery on the way home:

same old, same old

Not much here, The Hudson:

From 2013-08-24

Cohoes:

From 2013-08-24

and Cohoes Falls:

From 2013-08-24

and I had my first flat in over a year.

A Fiat built in Mexico By Chrysler?

Well after pouring a bunch of money into my Kia, I finally gave up. I quite literally stopped by Armory Fiat on a whim , and after doing some number crunching , came home with: And yes, Spumoni is a Fiat built in Mexico by Chrysler. Although like a lot of stuff, it's very hard to classify it as an Italian, Mexican, or American. Italian design yes. 49% Mexican, 20% American and Canadian content, yes. Italian Transmission, yes. Spanish Bank financing my car, Yes. Welcome to the future. One of the more fun videos I ran across was this one. He's driving it in Albany, on the Corining preserve trail: Probably show what he thought of the car. speaking of which: let's stop by the Troy Dam. This was actually built by Henry Ford to power a factory. The town of Green island still uses the powerhouse, but the plant is gone: Cohoes falls is not as crazy: and It's been a year since we lost Don: and it fits (almost) Have yet to try the bent: And here's a more fun review of the 500 to close I like her advice to love what you drive. Obiviously,since I followed it.