New Additions

A couple of weeks ago I decided to try riding a bike for exercise again.  I had tried back in 2003 but found the mountain bike I had bought was just too uncomfortable for me to ride.  This time after a little more research I settled on a hybrid comfort bike and following a little shopping, ending up buying a Fuji Crosstown.

I had never realized before that bicycles came in frame sizes as well as wheel sizes.  Of course I never gave it a lot of thought either.  I had just basically bought an adult bike from a major retailer.  Though the mountain bike was from a bike shop.  I guess I just didn't ask enough questions. 

So this one is aluminum and has the front shocks as well as shock on seat and for lack of a better term, push button shifting.  After riding it for a few weeks it didn't give the problems the other bike had and Pam and I seemed to enjoy the ride.  We are putting in about 3 or 4 miles most evenings.  

So we decided to upgrade Pam's bicycle.  Actually I decided.  She was riding a Huffy cruiser with 7 speeds but it needed some attention.  I had bought hers at a local sporting goods store about 7 years ago and it had been ridden off and on during that time sporadically.  I probably could a puttered about and gotten it fixed but decided the better part of valor was just replacing it with a better bike.  Especially since a tune up at any of the shops would have cost me almost as much as I spent on the bike originally.  Since we could not get another bike like mine. (It seems the really good price I got was that it was a closeout)  We shopped around and found a Motobecane she liked in a correctly sized frame for her.

Shopping is not her favorite thing and the last bike my son and I picked out for her and just brought home (that's how she likes buying cars as well).  However,  I was able to convince her that I needed her along so they could fit the bike to her and adjust it at the shop.  Hopefully these will last for several years and they both came with lifetime adjustments so if the gears get out of whack I can take them back to the shop instead of me fiddling with them.

Doing the research and shopping the bikes was interesting and I am shocked at how many of these shops have bikes in them that cost as much as a small car.  These, while quite a bit more than the bikes you see in Target were low end bikes for these bike shops.  A simple bike computer to keep track of our rides is on order, there will however be no spandex for either of us.

And yes if you are real observant there are two of the same model of car in the garage.  Hers is ice blue and mine is blue green.  Would have bought her the same model bike if I could have found it.  Just makes it easier.

More later

Bruce

Travis' Wedding

Saturday August 14th

Pam and I traveled to Bryan College Station for our nephew Travis'  wedding.  The weather was hot as it has been for several weeks.  They were getting married at 2:00PM at the First Methodist Church in Bryan.  We would then spend the night at a hotel in old downtown Bryan.

We packed up and left Saturday morning and made it to Bryan a little after noon.  Bryan College Station is the home to Texas A&M University.  Both the bride and groom are graduates and that is where they met about 17 years ago.  Carol (Travis' new wife) currently teaches there.  So they had an Aggie-land wedding. 

The wedding went off with out a hitch and the reception was held there at the church. 

Grooms Cake

Brides Cake

Cake filling was Poteet Strawberries from Travis' Dad's Farm

There was also a Sundae Bar from Cold Stone Creamery.  Which was a great choice given the hot afternoon.  About 110 people were in attendance and the Church Gym turned out to be a cool and comfortable place for the reception.  There was a DJ and the video below is of Pam and her family dancing to "We Are family".  I had to stay behind and take the video. What can I say it was dirty job but someone had to do it.

This was taken on my Blackberry and you may or may not be able to hear the song. 

After the reception we went to the hotel for what would turn out to be an unforgettable night.  After a truly great dinner at a restaurant near the hotel and quick trip over to see Carol's house we returned to the hotel to find that they had live music on Saturday nights.  We did not think much more about it until we got to our room on the second floor and realized our room was right above the stage in the bar.  The music (I prefer to call it wailing) went on until two in the morning.  Apparently the couple above us could also hear it and could not sleep so they decided to add their own wailing to the mix.  Top that off with the fact the hotel was one block from the train tracks and a major train ran through every hour with horn blaring and it made for a less than restful night.  The hotel it self was nice but a little seedy around the edges (read old smelling) and was built in the twenties.  So I guess you are supposed to stay there for the ambiance not relaxation. 

The hotel has no parking you have to park on the city streets around the hotel.

Definitely a 1920s Hotel.  This is one of the bronzes that you see around Downtown.

So we were awake and up early.  Went downstairs for a breakfast with some of the family and then got in our car and headed back to Dallas.  The cats were glad to see us and Dallas was still just as hot.

Till next time.

Just Starting Out

Welcome:

Pam and I are a bit new to this but we will try to post with some regularity. While I am now retired she still has one more year of teaching.

Our plan is to post updates and pictures of our projects around the house and updates on our ramblings. Pam likes to ramble about a bit more than I do so most of the travels will probably be hers.

August 2010
Bruce and Pam