Here we are in Kentucky, home of Bluegrass and Thoroughbreds. We will go looking for the Thoroughbreds tomorrow in Lexington. Today we are in Renfro Valley Kentucky. It is claimed to be the central point of Bluegrass Music. It is beautiful country all right and in this park with the Renfro Valley Bluegrass Festival in full swing the Bluegrass music permeates the air. Read More
Author Archives: Gary
Kentucky Bluegrass:
June 25, 2011
Time Warp
June 19, 2011
If you think we have a lock on wild scenic country in the west, think again. Here we are in the middle of Kentucky, a half days drive by freeway to places like Cincinnati, Louisville and Memphis . Yet we are caught in a time warp. Our campground in Mammoth Caves National Park has no electricity, no water, no cell phone coverage, no cable TV and no WiFi. Read More
Oklahoma!
June 2, 2011
I woke up this morning with the first phrase of Oklahoma spinning through my mind. I searched the net and came up with the real words. Here is a quote of the first verse.
Oklahoma, where the wind comes sweepin’ down the plain
And the wavin’ wheat can sure smell sweet
When the wind comes right behind the rain.
Oklahoma, Ev’ry night my honey lamb and I
Sit alone and talk and watch a hawk
Makin’ lazy circles in the sky.
Catch Up:
May 27, 2011
The past ten days have been both exciting and hectic: Exciting in that we are exploring a completely new part of the country: Hectic because a couple things have quit working. Read More
Look Ma, No Brakes!
May 5, 2011
We are celebrating today, Cinco de Mayo, but is has no connection to the 1862 battle of Puebla when the Mexicans defeated the French. Instead we are celebrating a milestone in the construction of the new bicycle. Read More
Sedona-Three Tales
April 17, 2011
Yesterday we chose to drive Renee’s rental car to Sedona and back, a trip of about 250 miles. Our plan was to get an early start, take the scenic route and have lunch in Sedona. Return via Interstate 17 and Montezuma Well and Montezuma Castle National Monuments. Here is the story of the trip from three different points of view. Read More
Trial Fit:
April 10, 2011
Today I reached a significant milestone in the design and construction of the new bicycle. I put the major components together this afternoon for a trial fit. There is a photograph of the new bicycle on the blog. The components are the wheels with tires, the front fork, the main frame with a small front sub frame and the rear suspension frame its Fox Vanilla Shock and one seat. Read More
Man vs. “The Machine:”
April 1, 2011
The technician led the man down the long hallway. She had a pleasant smile on her face. The man followed with stoic resolution. He had been warned that a monster machine waited at the end of the hallway. They arrived in the control room for “The Machine.” Read More
Arizona Springtime
March 28, 2011
We are in the middle portion of Arizona, about an hour northwest of Phoenix. The weather has been improving daily here in the Sonoran Desert. High temperature today was 78 degrees after a low last night of 42 degrees. It makes it up to 65 by about 11 am. That is how long I had to wait to do some painting. Each day we get in an hour of walking before the temperature gets too warm. As soon as the sun sets, however, it starts getting cool quickly. Read More
Rage Over a Lost Penny
February 11, 2011
I guess I know about how Beethoven felt when he wrote the piano rondo, (“Rondo alla ingharese quasi un capriccio in G major, Op. 129”, better known as “Rage over a Lost Penny”.) I have been making little doo-dahs for the new bicycle. I needed a dozen or so braze-on binder bosses and a dozen or so water bottle bosses. What I have been doing on the cold mornings is to get in my trailer with the electric heater. I set up the Smithy Lathe with a steel rod and start turning out bosses. Today I was finishing up some water bottle bosses. They are three eights of an inch in diameter necked down to nine thirty-seconds. They are about five sixteenths of an inch long and are drilled and tapped for a five millimeter bolt. I whack it off with the hack saw and dress it up a bit with a file. It takes me about fifteen minutes to create each one. Read More
