Thursday, November 30, 2017

Movie at Sarah Bee's

Veteran's Day weekend initially shaped up to be a pretty bad one. I had been planning to go on the Chesapeake Paddler's Association Chickahominy trip but, truth be told, I had a mixture of eager anticipation and dread about the trip. Anticipation becuase it's always a big crowd and therefore a good time; dread because it's always cold, and I don't like cold. This year was promising an extra-freezing experience, with lows in the 20's. I had reserved an electric site and so I figured I could tough out the nights with the aid of an electric blanket, but I really wasn't looking forward to being cold all weekend. The forecast was unpleasant enough that a hardier camper than I had arranged to stay at Cat's vacant apartment in Richmond on Friday to avoid the coldest night and had gotten a few others, including me, invited as well. As an aside, Cat's condo is in a building that was originally built as a synagogue, and so I had my jokes at the ready. "Well, this isn't the first time I'll be sleeping in synagogue - but usually it's during the sermon."

Anyway, I woke up Friday feeling like I was coming down with something. I'm more than a little paranoid about getting sick. I haven't been sick since my surgery, and the fact that they gave me a pneumonia shot (normally recommended only for those 65 and older) makes me feel that getting sick is a bad idea. Truth be told, I wasn't really feeling very social either - which I recognize as being part of the persistent poor mental state I've been keeping myself in lately (based on my non-stop obsessing over my health). So, I cancelled out of the trip. Missing trips is also not good for my mental state - when I miss a trip I usually spend the whole time grousing about how I should be on the trip. Still, it was for the best.

Unfortunately, all of my friend's other paddling partners for Friday cancelled on her too (Cat slept in, Rob was late getting down that way) and she wound up frsutrated at not being able to paddle. She emailed that I should have given her more notice because she left early in the morning expecting to paddle with me. Like I wasn't already feeling bad for missing out on a long-planned trip and needed guilt from her. In case I hadn't gotten the message, she emailed me again later in the day to once again chide me for not having given her enough notice when I cancelled.

By Saturday I had decided that whatever I was feeling wasn't anything serious and decided to join in a party/movie showing at Sarah Bee's house (note: "Sarah Bee" is her forum name, not her real name. Though the "bee" thing must be something she uses consistently, since her house has any number of bee-themed accents. Now, when you go to a cycling event you pretty much have to arrive by bicycle. However, Sarah lives near College Park, which is a healthy ride from home: about 16 miles each way. Now, I would have had no problem riding that kind of distance on the way there, but I was a little worried about riding it again going home in the dark after the event. Some folks were convoying from Gravelly Point (closer in in Arlington) but I knew they'd be traveling too fast for me - and that if I did ride with them the ride home would take me back to Gravelly Point, leaving me wit the problem of getting home from there at the end of the night. So, I cheated a little bit. I took Metro to Federal Center and biked from there. Instead of taking the most direct route I detoured to match the route the convoy would be taking and timed it so that (according to my best estimate) I would intersect with them around the Navy Yard Metro stop. This was a chancy approach since if I didn't meet them I would have to find my way to Sarah's solo, which I had a good but not perfect idea of how to do.

I got to Navy Yard and joined the path I expected the convoy to be taking - marveling at the fact that I was biking solo through Southeast DC, which at one time would have been a suicide mission. The convoy must have gotten a later start than I expected, since I was about 3 1/2 miles past Navy Yard when they finally caught me. They caught up with me at a perfect time: the bulk of the ride is on the Anacostia River Trail, which is pretty easy to follow. There's only one part that's a little confusing as there's a discontinuity in the trail and you have to ride through the streets for a few blocks. I was stopped on the street puzzling about whether I had gone the right way or not when suddenly they came into view. I started pedaling and joined the group as it flew by.

And "flew by" it did. If you look at a plot of speed vs. time for the trip you'll see my speed suddenly jump up almost 5 MPH from my meandering solo speed to the bullet train convoy speed. I had to really work to keep up - but the thing is, I did it, which helped me realize that my typically slow riding is at least in part me just not being motivated to push myself. I rode about 12 miles.

At Sarah's
Anyway, Sarah has a cute little house. She had all of us bring our bikes inside, filling both the room normally devoted to bike stuff and another bedroom with bikes. She had worked with SteveO on preparation and had quite a lovely spread, including homemade gingerbread (baked in bee-shaped molds) which smelled delicious, but which which i didn't eat, since I'm trying to stay away from desserts.

Guest and hostess (Sarah is on the right)

The main feature of the evening was watching the cycling movie "Slaying the Badger" about Greg LeMond's entry into the Tour de France and the help (and putative double cross) he received from team captain Bernard Hinault. I enjoyed the movie, though I sensed I would have enjoyed it even more if I had the slightest idea of how bike racing works.

At the end of the party we all stumbled over each other getting our bikes out of the two little bedrooms and then went on our way. I certainly didn't want to try to keep up with the convoy in the dark on twisty, wet leaf covered trails, so I didn't join them. Fortunately, I knew that some people were planning to Metro home so I biked with a few people over to the College Park Metro stop (only a mile and change from Sarah's house). We all rode the Green line together. Jeanne and Bettina continued on Green, while Karen W and I switched to the Orange line. Eventually it was just me left, and I made it home to EFC and did the short ride from the Metro to home without incident.

Waiting for the Metro heading home

Quite an adventure - my first ride on the (relatively new) Anacostia River trail!


Sunday, November 19, 2017

Coffeeneuring 2017 Rides 5-7

Coffeeneuring Ride #5: FCC on Veterans' Day

  • Where: Java Shack 2507 Franklin Rd, Arlington, VA and Northside Social 3211 Wilson Blvd, Arlington, VA
  • Date: Friday 11/11/17
  • Beverage: Decaf skim latte from Northside, maple muffin from Java Shack. 
  • Total mileage: 9.5 Miles
  • Details: Regular readers know that there are morning coffee meetups around DC pretty much every weekday. I decided to stop by the Friday Coffee Club at Java Shack in the Courthouse neighborhood of Arlington. It being a holiday, they apparently decided to open later than usual. Another cyclist regular and I got there at 7 to find the door locked. A few minutes later the pastry delivery guy arrived and we followed him inside, where we discovered that they hadn't even started brewing coffee yet - it was going to be a while before we would be served there. The shop owner, feeling bad, gave us each a muffin gratis. We hopped back on our bikes and rode over to Northside Social, which was open as usual. Some of the "cool kids", as my compatriot refers to them, have their own coffee gathering at Northside (these are the elite riders - the folks who pump out 50 miles of hill riding before their 7 AM coffee). There's some sort of bad blood between the guy I was with and someone in the "cool kids", and it was interesting to watch the two of them assiduously ignore each other - not even a "hello" exchanged. Anyway, we were joined by reji, who was heading to Upstate New York for the weekend (not by bicycle). My friend, who was not off from work, went off to his office and I headed home. 
  • Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1269255427

Coffeeneuring Ride #6A: Bonus ride (the same day as ride 6 so it doesn't count)

  • Where: Buzz Coffee 818 N. Quincy St., Arlington, VA
  • Date: Friday 11/17/17
  • Beverage: Three shot Americano - two decaf shots, one regular
  • Details: Kayak friend Jim had provided great moral support to me in the period following my surgery, but then sort of disappeared. It turns out he's been dealing with complicated eldercare issues. It was nice to finally have a chance to sit and catch up.
  • Total mileage: 5.7 Miles
  • Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1279021515


Coffeeneuring Ride #6: Accordioneuring/Coffeenuring/CoffeeOutside





Coffeeneuring Ride #7: Sleaze Ride to The Italian Store 
  • Where: The Italian Store, 5837 Washington Blvd, Arlington, VA
  • Date: Sunday 11/19/17
  • Beverage: Decaf skim latte
  • Details: Dang. It's the afternoon of the last day of Coffeeneuring and I'm one ride short. And it's a yucky kind of windy. Time for a ride to the closest place to get a decent cup of coffee - The Italian Store at Westover. They actually brew a decent cup there. I averted my eyes to avoid being tempted by the pastries. Cannoli are one of my favorite foods in the whole world, but they're definitely a "no no" these days.
  • Total mileage: 2.3 Miles
  • Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1282636125

Friday, November 17, 2017

Coffeeneuring/Accordioneuring

Someone who saw my Accordioneur patch in a photo in the FB Coffeeneuring group asked whether biking with an accordion was even possible and so I decided to document a combined accordioneuring / coffeeneuring ride.



Here is my full rig. The accordion is in the backback, the french press is in a water bottle cage, and the stove is in the trunk bag. Fingerless gloves are recommended for maximum playing dexterity, though lightweight glove liners can be worn it needed. Many accordionists advise against high visibility clothing since it makes you an easier target, but since there is only infrequently vehicular traffic on the W&OD I figured it was safe to wear the yellow jacket.



Having arrived at my "Coffee Outdoors" location (no coffee shop would allow me in with an accordion), I proceed to heat the water. As an accordionist it is important to handle the flame yourself since your "friends" will tend to light the wrong thing on fire.



Accordionati Rule #8: Bars and accordions shall be carefully matched.



What shall I do while the water is heating? How about a polka?!



Brewing.



What should I do while the coffee is brewing? How about another polka?!



Ahhh, the perfect cup.



Only the best get to wear this patch.



Heading home



Back home and ready for a second cup.

Sunday, November 5, 2017

Coffeeneuring 2017 Rides 1-4

Last year I explained that the cycling world has a lot of fun (or gimmicky, depending on your mindset) little challenges, one of which is Coffeeneuring. Promoted by the Chasing Mailboxes cycling blog, is a "relaxed cycling endeavor" requiring you to take seven rides to seven different places to get coffee over the course of about seven weeks. I got jazzed about it last year. Not so much this year. In fact, I thought it was over November 7th, but when I realized the deadline was November 19th, I got a little more motivated and may yet make the seven rides. Here's what I've done so far:

Coffeeneuring Ride #1: Rare Bird, Falls Church
  • Where: Rare Bird Coffee Roasters, 230 W. Broad St., Falls Church, VA
  • Date: Saturday 10/14/17
  • Beverage: Decaf skim latte
  • Details: While the cat is away, the mice will bike rather than drive to the farmers' market. Valerie had things to do so we skipped our usual Saturday morning "date" at the Falls Church Farmer's Market. I was pretty exhausted, having been out late the night before performing with Magnolia Blue at a fund-raiser (I also sat in with the Flying Eyez). It was only when I hopped on my bike to go for a ride I realized how really, really tired I was. Instead of the long ride I had envisioned, I just headed to the farmers' market, then rode the couple of blocks over to Rare Bird. I really could have used some cafffeine, but since my surgery I'm trying to stay clear of that particular demon drug.
  • Total mileage: 3.8 Miles
  • Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1230025760

Latte at Rare Bird

Coffeeneuring Ride #2: Hump Day Coffee Club 
  • Where: Best Buns, 4010 Campbell Avenue, Arlington, VA
  • Date: Wednesday 10/18/17
  • Beverage: Mostly decaf with a little regular, bran muffin
  • Details: Is it crazy to take a job based on being able to make it to coffee club? I don't think any of my coffee club friends would think so. For readers who don't know, coffee club is a rotating set of early morning cyclist gatherings - mostly bike commuters on their way to work. I started attending them when I was working in Arlington in 2015 and really missed the camaraderie once my job moved to Frederick. Well, I'm back working in Arlington and I'm back going to coffee club! This was day 3 of my new job and was my first day bike commuting to the job. Wednesday is my favorite coffee club because it's at Best Buns, which has awesome baked goods. I can easily skip the food at the other coffee clubs.
  • Total mileage: 10.3 Miles
  • Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1235969877
Coffee and a muffin at Best Buns

Coffeeneuring Ride #3: Cafe Kindred 
  • Where: Cafe Kindred, 450 N. Washington St., Falls Church, VA
  • Date: Friday 11/3/17
  • Beverage: Decaf skim latte
  • Details: So, this was a productive outing. I biked over to Cassatt's Cafe to meet my friend Larry for lunch. Now that I'm back to being a sleazy contractor I need to look for inroads into new business and I pumped him for leads. Oh, and it was nice to see him, too :) From there I went down to Ballston to pick up an EZPass for my wife (props to her for not being overly car-dependent - she's lived without an EZPass for four years now), scouted some locations for a geocache, then went to Kindred for a latte. Actually, I don't really like the vibe at Kindred - it's one of those places where they seem put upon when they have to rouse themselves to fulfill your order. I was going to head for Rare Bird but then realized I needed to avoid duplicates for Coffeeneuring. So, Kindred it was. This was a fortuitous choice as I ran into a local Realtor who has hired one of my bands for events before. I struck up a conversation with her which almost lead to a gig this coming Tuesday, got her to think about hiring us again for her St. Patrick's Day and certainly refreshed her memory of us. Very productive business development :)
  • Total mileage: 11.9 Miles
  • Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1259679585
Note the Coffeeneuring and Accordioneuring patches on my bike bag


Coffeeneuring Ride #4: The Green Lizard 
  • Where: The Green Lizard Cycling, Coffee and Beer, 718 Lynn St., Herndon, VA 
  • Date: Saturday 11/5/17
  • Beverage: Decaf skim latte
  • Details: An early start to the day. I met my friend Denis and Katie's Cars and Coffee in Great Falls at 7:30 AM. He and I strolled and looked at all the exotic and fancy cars. After we parted ways at around 9, I drove down to the W&OD at Reston and went for a 20 mile ride. As I passed the Gren Lizard on my way back I thought, "I should make a coffeeneuring stop." I was a mile and a half from the end of my ride and to tell you the truth, I could have lived without another cup of coffee. But "Cycling, Coffee, and Beer" with a lizard theme is a hard combo to resist. As I rode up another cyclist asked me about my bike - apparently the Lynskey is something of a cult machine, and he was really digging the titanium frame. Anyway, I sat outside and it turned out to be a very pleasant way to wind down from a fast-paced start to the day.
  • Total mileage: 20.8 Miles
  • Strava: https://www.strava.com/activities/1261073863
Outside The Green Lizard



A Tale of Four Jess's

 Jesse is not all that common a name, and so unlike the Toms, Davids, and Bobs of the world I don't run into much name confusion. So it ...