A World Cup Embarrassment

There Is No Political Solution    To Our Troubled Evolution    Have No Faith In Constitution   There Is No Bloody Revolution     We Are Spirits In The Material World   Are Spirits In The Material World   We Are Spirits In The Material World    Are Spirits In The Material World    Our So Called Leaders Speak   With Words They Try To Jail You    They Subjugate The Meek   But It's The Rhetoric Of Failure 

The Police 

Spirits in the Material World 1981 

BIKE NIGHT:

The theme for this particular Friday before the 4th was International Culture Ride. Odd? But hey , we went for it and so stoked that we did. Roll On 

The Blue Z even made a rare appearance and hung out afterwards at the Old Lowell School House. Super entertaining catching up with folks and what nots. Plus , it is rather special ringing bicycle bells and shouting out HAPPY FRIDAY to everyone along Main Street. Yahoooo00000

I paid homage to the International Ride by supporting my 2000 Sydney Olympic shirt and The Dude went full on Aussie 101. We never plan our outfits but we tend to land in the same lane. Twins 

There was a mini car club over at Enstrom Candies earlier in the evening. I pealed off from the group to grab a couple of quick snaps for Robert. He loves them thar old vehicles. CLICK 

ORTHO:

In the office a lot and some weeks , just the right amount. All sessions have been completely normal and those random curve balls have subsided. Finally. Working on a client that registered for the LEAD Challenge series. Amazing 

Leadville offers up a number events all season long as that town relies on tourist dollars. If you have never heard of this miners town , Leadville sits at 10,000 feet plus and is the home of the famous Leadville 100. The LEAD Challenge consists of a marathon running , a 50 mile MTB , 50 mile trail run ,  the 100 mile MTB race with racers from all over the world , the very next day a 10K run , and then the monstrous 100 mile trail run one weekend later. Jaw Dropping

You're a flipping stud if you finish anyone of these races throughout the summer but to tackle them all in the same season is flat out awesome. And yes , I am using that word correctly here because there is an element of fear and loads of unknowns. As a side rant here - I hear the word Awesome all the flipping time and its used improperly under most cases. The word awesome has an attachment of fear involved. Want an example?? Landing on the moon was AWESOME. Anyway , the client is a great person , has an incredibly built frame , and knows just about everything about musicians and touring bands. Commonalities

THE 4th LESS:

July 4th was just plan A$$ eerie. The Friday before the fourth was a ghost town around GJ. After working , I rode every side street without stopping between streets. The Mighty Colorado Stream was empty and that was weird. Not a single paddle board to mention. The Main City Fireworks at Stoker Stadium were canceled and there was this untoned edginess afloat. The humans that stuck around projected an almost zombie like vibe to them. I guess we deserve it because we have a pumpkin leading our nation without any real leadership skills. Reassuring 

But seriously , this Fourth of July will stick with me forever and I wish that The Boy Dog was alive to witness the absence of fireworks. As in no neighborhood poppers. No gun shot to be heard. Very Strange 

Was planning to ride today and snap off a few photos of the river to update you all but the smokey valley is toxic. GJ is currently leading the state of Colorado in poor air quality at the moment. Even with my mask , riding doesn't sound appealing right now. Yuck 

Now , as for these randomly inserted photos here. A certain someone turned 8 and we made our way down to the Gelato shop. My first taste of Gelato by the way. But this story really isn't about a birthday or the scoops. This entry here covers this eclectic parlor. Like WoW

This place was nothing at all like I imagined. Imagined??? Hell , wasn't expecting much at all. I was just along for the ride as I am the Grand Uncle and Graat Uncles are the coolest. Right 

And yes the smoke sucks. Yes , the fires suck. Yes , aging sucks. Yes to all of it. But it is just another day now isn't it. One step at at time. Or , like Madness , One Step Beyond 

Not sure when I will be adding to this blog as July is full. Like full speed ahead. I know that I am going to wake up and it will be Thanksgiving. Think of it this way , Halloween is only three flipping months away. Yes , the NFL starts next month. Yes , my oldest Grand Nephew is 10 now. Sh&t Fire 

And to add a little salt crystal into the wound , laceration in this case , busted out the black light. For the poster , maybe yes. Maybe No

When the girls were around 12 , 13 , or 14 ish , we talked about dates but none of us fossils could remember. For the girl's X-Mas gift , I painted this foosball table with black light paints , the late night set up was a hoot as well. I meticulously pimped out the players with opposite patterns , trimmed out each goal , added symbols to each surface corner of the table , highlighted the scoring numbers , and wrote out all four family members names on the legs of the table as well. The Dude , Suzzanne , Kalinderrrrrrs , and Hailey  

After dinner , we obviously set world records in the living room. You know it , hoop jumping records were set. Oh Baby 

Have Yourself A Marvelous Month ,

Cheers 

June , July , And Moving Forward

Got A Call From An Old Friend , We Used To Be Real Close    Said He Couldn't Go On The American Way     Closed His Shop , Sold The House , Bought A Ticket To The West Coast     Now He Gives Them A Stand Up Routine In Smelly A    

I Don't Need You To Worry For Me Cause I'm Alright 

I Don't Want You To Tell Me It's Time To Come Home 

I Don't Care What You Say Anymore , This Is My Life

Go Ahead With Your Own Life , Leave Me Alone  

I Never Said You Had To Offer Me A Second Chance   I Never Said You Had To   I Never Said I Was A Victim Of Circumstance   I Never Said   I Still Belong  Don't Get Me Wrong    And You Can Speak Your Mind    But Not On My Time 

Billy Joel

My Life 1978 

MARBLE:

Split the scene quickly as the Utah-Colorado State Line Fireball was swiftly moving into the valley. Dreadful 

Yes , it is critically dry. Yes , dead trees dot the landscape. Yes , the few residents are Trumpers. And Yes , The tourist ( Texas Plates ) are totally clueless and chalk full of me Me ME attitudes. I fully understand that jingoistic morons run rapid in all cities , towns, and neighborhoods. Just wish they would listen and show just a little sympathy for the earth. Feel free to be dickheads and rage war on each other but please stop the douche bag polluting. Merica 

But I simply do my thing , wave to everyone , and fully embrace my own tinnitus. The evenings were so still and peaceful. The bugs all but disappear and a healthy calmness flows over my tired body. Aging Blows 

A plane flew in and I will always remember The Boy Dog when I hear planes coming in on approach. Not in a bad or poor me sad way , but I will always recall the first time I ever encountered the runway in Marble Colorado. Heart Is Smiling 

The Boy Dog and I were on a trail run early in the AM. We were catching quick glimpses of deer , a few foxes , loads of squirrels , all while the bird serenaded our passing. Him and I popped out onto the main road about a mile or so west of the runway. At that time , I was unaware of the runway. Duh

As we were moving long the meandering two lane black top road towards the town of Marble , from behind us , you know the sound , that sound of a propeller plane sputtering for fuel. This plane above us was damn near bouncing its wheels off the evergreen tree tops and you could actually read STEP HERE on the underbelly of the fixed wing. I could see the pilot as he danced the plane's wing and I recognized that he faced terrible trouble ahead as the motor barked for fuel. The scene I am painting all took place in a matter of seconds. Burned Into My Third Eye 

I picked up the pace with The Boy Dog as I really thought it would be a first responders moment in time. I knew the plane was going down and I fully expected a Hollywood explosion after tree limbs cracked over by the dyeing plane. But that moment never came !! As The Boy Dog and I rounded the last corner were the wreckage should be , an orange wind sock causally made fun of me. A Phuc N Airstrip 

That's right !! Marble created a grassy field runway and that sucker measures just over 1,000 feet long. Obviously longer that a majority of our regional runways. And this airstrip is very well used throughout the summer months. I Love Planes 

DRIVING:

These kids this Summer are wholly fantastic to say the least. Totally blown away by their demeanor , their lack of foul language , and how in-tune with their surroundings they are. There is a real sense of satisfaction for me as I coach these new drivers along. I definitely have my own style in comparison to the other instructors. I cover a number of miscellaneous signage , school zone theories , and I way over teach roundabouts. My own projection is this , I am not saying these drivers around us are bad drivers. I am explaining that these are real world experiences. I point out out-of-state license plates and I always mentioned the disclaimer that they are not labeled a bad driver because of their "state" but the fact is they may not use a turn indicator where they come from. They just might brake and THEN make their lane change. Obviously I do not label other drivers , I only educate these students to identify , anticipate , and react in a safe manner. That is exactly why I demand that they check the mirror after we safely navigator every intersection. It is all about planting the seed to train them to be subconsciously checking their mirrors. Surprised 

Last Winter , that wave of students were completely useless. Checked out would be an understatement for sure. A number of students were engaging and the drives went well. But a majority of them were as blanco as it gets. And mathematical equations , for get it. Impracticable 

And then there is the return to the desert floor after all. Hot , Arid , And Smokey. Sure hope the Monsoon Rains arrive just as early as the heat dome did this year. This smoke hangs on ya like a coat that you just can't take off. Pipe Dream 

Rain Dance Anyone?

Cheers