For the first 50 years of my life, my perfectionist self mistakenly believed it was all about knowing more, getting it right, planning, attempting to prevent bad things from happening, and keeping all of my chicks in a row. It took me this long to discover that the JOURNEY is all that matters. This quote from Gilda Radner sums it all up:

"I wanted a perfect ending. Now I've learned, the hard way, that some poems don't rhyme, and some stories don't have a clear beginning, middle, and end. Life is about not knowing, having to change, taking the moment and making the best of it, without knowing what's going to happen next.
"


Tuesday, May 9, 2017

5,4,3,2,1,0

 5 Boros, 4 Hours, 3 Friends, 2 Wheels, 1 Ferry, 0 Cars


In January,  we signed up online for the Five Boro Bike Tour in New York City.
Gayle, Vance and Cindy entered as a team named "Le Tour de Vance".
Within only a few days 31,997 other riders also registered to 
participate in the event to take place on Sunday, May 7.


We arrived in the city on Saturday afternoon with our bikes,
checked into our hotel, and headed to the Bike Expo to pick up our
participation packets containing our bib numbers and helmet covers.




We ate pasta and gelato in Little Italy before walking back to the hotel
to get a good night's sleep in preparation for tomorrow's 4o mile ride.


By 7:30 AM, 
we were in line on Church Street in lower Manhattan, 
joining all of the other riders in our starting wave.


Among those in our starting wave were friends
 from back home - Lisa and Daryll!


Everyone in the crowd was excited for the start of the "tour".
Note: this was not a "race".


The route we were about to begin would take us through
the five Boros of New York:
 Manhattan, the Bronx, Queens, Brooklyn, and Staten Island.


We headed up 6th Avenue and through Central Park.




We stopped at the first official "rest stop"
 after about 10 miles 
where our son, Adam, was waiting to see us.

There were also lots of snacks - bagels, bananas, raisins,
 juice, etc along with about 25 porta-potties.  
This was our only stop of the day
(although there were many other rest stops).


We headed down the FDR.  The highway was closed to traffic on one side.


The tunnels were a lot of fun, especially when the riders all made
noises which echoed loudly off the walls.


There were quite a few biking accidents along the way, and at one point
we had to stop and wait for an emergency vehicle to come for the injured rider.


Next, we crossed the Queensboro Bridge into Queens. 
The whole course was pretty flat except for the bridges 
which consisted of an ascent and descent.


This was my favorite bridge of the day!





I was very impressed with how this huge event was run.
With so many people, it could have been crazy.   


They took great care to prepare the roads.
Not only were all 40 miles of road swept clean 
of debris, glass, and loose stone,  
but all potholes appearedto be freshly filled.


They also took the time to spray paint inspiring
messages on the road at key points on the course.




And the people of New York also provided entertainment along the way!



After riding through neighborhoods of Queens resembling
that of Archie Bunker in "All in the Family",
we headed into Brooklyn.


The final stretch to the Verrazano Bridge seemed to be the most
challenging with long gradual inclines.



The Verrazano Bridge was the toughest climb of the day. 
It wasn't steep,  but it was long and it was at the end
of a 40 mile ride.


The downhill on the 2nd half of the bridge to the finish line was a great way to 
end the ride!


Special 40th Anniversary finishing medals were given out at the finish.


In order to get back to Manhattan,  it was necessary to get back on
our bikes and ride 3 miles to the Staten Island Ferry.  We didn't realize
that this was actually part of the 40 miles until we passed the
40 mile marker.


As we waited for the next ferry to arrive, it began to drizzle and
we were getting cold - probably because we weren't moving anymore.


We were glad to get on the ferry where it was warm and dry.




The view out the window was nice too.



This day was truly fun, from start to finish.  Vance and I had never ridden
40 miles in one day before, but it was an easy ride with lots of things
to see and surrounded by 32,000 happy people who were having
just as much fun as we were.

We will be back.

(Some of the photos are mine, 
but photo credits must be given to the participants 
who posted many of their pictures on
Instagram under the hashtag #fiveborobiketour!)

Thursday, April 27, 2017

Spring Sex



This is just a quick little blog about a fascinating topic
 I always wondered about but never really 
made the effort to understand. 
Sex and the Oak Tree.


When I went outside yesterday,  I noticed
 a lot of gold "pollen" tassels hanging from 
my oak trees.  I know this is where all of that
disgusting yellow pollen dust comes from
every spring.  It covers the whole world for a few weeks
and makes many of us sneeze.

But what is it's purpose? 
I googled it and this is what I found.


They are called "catkins" (from the Dutch for kitten tail).
They are actually the male sex apparatus of the oak tree.
The female sex apparatus are small inconspicuous
flowers mainly found toward the top of the tree.


The catkins release their pollen over a 4 day period each spring.
The spent catkins then fall to the ground.


The yellow pollen released into the air gets blown 
to the female flowers to fertilize them.


The babies are the much dreaded acorns which
carpet our lawns in the fall, embedding themselves
in the soil and sprouting the following spring
in an attempt to produce more oak trees.

Heavy spring rains may affect the release of the pollen 
and its ability to pollinate the female flower,
which in turn affects the acorn crop in the fall.
(We can only hope)

Also,  acorns on the White Oak mature in 1 season,
while it takes 2 seasons for acorns to mature 
on the Red Oak.

That's all for now!
Have a great day!



Saturday, April 22, 2017

My Baby Boy Turns 26!


We all understand that there are different seasons
 in every personal relationship we have in our lives.
Friends, boyfriends, girlfriends, husbands, wives...
We are constantly changing and evolving.

I believe the one relationship that evolves and changes
most dramatically is that between parents and their children.


Adam and I have gone through many changes
in our 26 year relationship. 


All of these pictures might show you a close
mother/son relationship.


And these pictures don't lie.  
I always felt a special bond with Adam.

 
We are so very much alike in so many ways.


But we have had our times when I have stayed awake
trying to figure out how to best be a mother to this 
complicated boy (high school).



And I'm sure there were times when Adam wanted to 
distance himself from me.  


Can I possibly admit that it was a little bit of a relief
when Adam went off to college?


I feel guilty even thinking about it now.


But I know now that those times were necessary
for Adam to grow as his own person 
and for me to learn how to mother an adult.


It has been such a pleasure to watch Adam mature since high school.


He had become a strong, kind man
who also knows how to be vulnerable.


This past year has been a season of change in
our relationship again.


Adam makes me proud every day.


I am so excited for his present and for his future.


So on this day,  I applaud my baby boy.


I celebrate his 26 years with us.


I am thankful for all that he does to make
my life better.



I couldn't ask for a kinder, sweeter, more loving son.


Happy Birthday, Adam!


With love from your biggest fan.