Austintatious
Well-known
In most cities today, it is a requirement that 5/8 inch sheetrock be installed on ceilings in order to meet fire code specifications.
MrFujicaman
Well-known
MrFujicaman
Well-known
MrFujicaman
Well-known
I still think you should have bought that drywall lift!
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Austin,
Sadly Peekskill has crazy fire codes because we are an immigrant community. The amount of smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors required for the house inspection is kinda crazy. Also, the smoke detectors were replaced with ones that have ten-year lithium batteries, likely to satisfy a new code.
One of our friends bought a house that basically every door has a round scar for a deadbolt because it formally was a flophouse. Fred and Amanda are hipsters from Brooklyn that bought their house 4-5 years ago. It is a massive house of about 3,000 square feet. Their parents frowned upon them buying this project house that seemed very far gone that they bought for no money. They had to be creative in rebuilding their house.
Meanwhile, the Baby-Victorian is more of a restoration project. Thankfully much of the original detail is still there. There is a different sense of value. We are only the fourth owners. The woman who owned the house before us only replaced the roof over the front porch, had the wonderful Crown furnace installed and had wall-to-wall carpets removed and the heart pine floors sanded and finished. We were told that the original owners kept the house in the family.
This family is revealed by my "Anthropology" was a cheapster who worked for the MTA. Since I'm of Chinese descent (Cantonese) of course I have a railroad fetish because it is part of my cultural history. Being Cantonese separates me from being just Chinese in the same way that New Yorkers are a breed apart from other Americans.
Anyways, we have been told by many that we were very lucky to find a cute house with so much potential, but just over a year ago this house no one seemed to love, and it languished on the market. We put in a low bid and got met halfway.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
MFM,
I likely will. I'm still in the demo stage.
"Maggie" has a book contract so I'm like a Navy SEAL operating alone. At Brookhaven National Lab my boss on my review compare me to an army of technicians, so pretty much I know what it is like to be a one-man army.
Sadly, I grew up alone, the first thing I learned in kinder garden was how to fight, and by third grade I was good at it. I'm not a hero, but I defended the weak and beat-up bullies.
Also culturally the Cantonese were considered ungovernable when China was unified for almost 1,000 years. Partly this was caused by geography because Canton is mountainous, but the Cantonese were fierce fighters and breed for fighting because feudalism existed there for such an extended time. China tried to limit western influence to Canton, but that made things only worse.
Also know I was born in the year of the Rooster. Unlike in western culture a chicken is known to be one of the most fierce animals that will fight till death. Roosters BTW tend to be Alpha males.
I am also the grandson of a murderer who was executed in China.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
MFM,
My 200 amp service is circuit breakers, and right next to each breaker is an individual label.
I still have a telephone wire that is external running from the basement to the second floor I still have to strip out. One of the first things I did was strip out all these cable TV connections that are obsolete. There were wires everywhere. What a rat's nest.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Glad my friend Alex at MountainBikeTandems is still alive. Earlier in the pandemic I called, and called, and called, but no answer. I was afraid that Covid took him out.
Alex uses Middleburn cranks and chainrings on the custom tandems he builds. Mucho strong and durable. The chainrings are the longest lasting I have ever used, but the problem is that they are made in England and Alex is the only source I know of in the U.S.
I e-mailed him and I guess he has some leftover stock. Not inexpensive, but in my book the best. I'm trying to load up the truck while I can before things get really depleted. BTW ordering from England is mucho expensive.
The cranks are engineered for Trials abuse and Alex uses them on tandems because they don't break. Seems like downhillers like these cranks because they are bombproof.
Let's see how much stock I can vacuum up.
Cal
Alex uses Middleburn cranks and chainrings on the custom tandems he builds. Mucho strong and durable. The chainrings are the longest lasting I have ever used, but the problem is that they are made in England and Alex is the only source I know of in the U.S.
I e-mailed him and I guess he has some leftover stock. Not inexpensive, but in my book the best. I'm trying to load up the truck while I can before things get really depleted. BTW ordering from England is mucho expensive.
The cranks are engineered for Trials abuse and Alex uses them on tandems because they don't break. Seems like downhillers like these cranks because they are bombproof.
Let's see how much stock I can vacuum up.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
I was reminded by a good friend how age can catch up with you. I'm reminded to start doing at least pushups every day. Been doing at least a set of 50, but at times three sets.
Pretty easy to get too relaxed and lazy.
"Maggie" took note of how the prices of luxury goods have risen as of late, and I take measure of only buying things that are durable and have "legs" that extend into the future.
Around the pergola, we figure I will plant boxwood to create a hedge for privacy. Pretty much to create a private outdoor space. I love the idea and now developing the yard is becoming more like an exercise in sculpture, so here I am regressing back into the days of when I was in art school. Pretty much I became an art major because it was fun and the girls seemed more interesting. Anyways I'm just being honest. LOL.
Then I learned I had talent...
My 4-year art program was set up like a grad school, meaning there was little structure or requirements. Then at Grumman I kinda did what I wanted, then at the major Cancer hosp[ital where I worked I kinda just showed up and got paid a lot for doing very little. Pretty much I used the Internet to stay awake because I was bored.
It has been a pretty easy transition into retirement, but I can see how this can trip many people up.
It's too easy to just relax and have fun, but that could be a trap and a death spiral...
Anyways I have to thank my friend for the reminder.
Cal
Pretty easy to get too relaxed and lazy.
"Maggie" took note of how the prices of luxury goods have risen as of late, and I take measure of only buying things that are durable and have "legs" that extend into the future.
Around the pergola, we figure I will plant boxwood to create a hedge for privacy. Pretty much to create a private outdoor space. I love the idea and now developing the yard is becoming more like an exercise in sculpture, so here I am regressing back into the days of when I was in art school. Pretty much I became an art major because it was fun and the girls seemed more interesting. Anyways I'm just being honest. LOL.
Then I learned I had talent...
My 4-year art program was set up like a grad school, meaning there was little structure or requirements. Then at Grumman I kinda did what I wanted, then at the major Cancer hosp[ital where I worked I kinda just showed up and got paid a lot for doing very little. Pretty much I used the Internet to stay awake because I was bored.
It has been a pretty easy transition into retirement, but I can see how this can trip many people up.
It's too easy to just relax and have fun, but that could be a trap and a death spiral...
Anyways I have to thank my friend for the reminder.
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Had a bit of a scare yesterday as well as an adventure.
A friend has some health issues and this led me to check my blood pressure, and I was surprised to see that my blood pressure was elevated well into the higher levels where it would be called hypertension. So I only weigh 150 pounds, but I make these killer grilled cheese sandwiches, the "Creature-Junior" loves McDonald's, and then with the passing of "Maggie's" mom I ate lots of Pizza and Italian take out foods.
So I believed it was due to mostly a salt intake binge of sorts, but also because of lack of exercise, the two things that need to be controlled to keep and maintain a low blood pressure. Good thing that my resting pulse is kinda low at always below 60 and typically in the 52-55 BPM range. Also, I am a coffee abuser.
So I flipped the switch yesterday. Only two cups of coffee in the morning, I rowed for15 minutes, then I went for a jog that started on the street, and then became trail running in Blue Mountain Preserve.
I explored following the tracks of some mountain biker that obviously had a suspended fat tire bike with perhaps 2.5 tires. I recognized the tire tread as Schwable Hans Damphs that are rather aggressive and square-shouldered that don't have the best rolling resistance because these are also my tire choice as an all-rounder that is particularly great for rocky technical mixed terrain.
I ended up on "My Favorite Trail" which is a one-way trail for bikers that has sweeping and rolling hills with mucho switchbacks. The ground had snow and on the trail it was hard-packed snow over ice, but surprisingly traction was better than when we walked the trail in the early winter with leaf litter and after it had rained the previous day. I could see me riding this trail, but not going gonzo on even a rigid bike.
So my trail running eventually became intervals where I would jog up the climbs and recover on the flats and downhills. Then I came upon the closed service/fire road known as Montrose Station Road. I wanted to see where it ended and discovered a horse stable at the end. I talked with a local who owned a horse and found out that the exodus from NYC began after September 11th, and pretty much prices doubled since then. I learned that the preserve was donated to Westchester county, so I imagine the wealth of owning 1500 acres and the likelihood that this land was likely passed down many generations.
So pretty much spent about 2 1/2 hours pumping blood running, trail running, doing intervals, hiking, and then road running home. Today my legs are a bit dead, but not so bad that I will do something today that involves sweating and elevating my pulse for a sustained period.
So after this exercise, my blood pressure returned to the normal range. I figure that my veins and arteries still are flexible and that I have begun the process of An-GEO-genesis where the body begins vascularization and recreating new pathways for blood flow. The trick here is not to go gonzo, but long periods of sustained effort that endurance athletes call "long-slow-distance."
This morning my blood pressure returned to my old normal; which is the lower range of normal 110/60.
On my Audi which is only a 2-liter engine with a turbo I use premium gas and purposely I use Mobil Premium for it added detergents. Also, I use this octane booster once a month that my old German mechanic recommended using once a month to keep the fuel injectors clean when I had a Saab 900. Also, I know that full acceleration runs and spirited driving is actually good for a car's longevity.
So basically I'm in the process of doing the above to keep me running well. I have my friend to thank for the wake-up call because one day he was fine, and the next he was not.
Nice thing is that I think I discovered a challenging ride near my house that will be great for developing both skill and strength. So convenient and easy. I did not suffer from the cold either yesterday, even though I was wearing a biking jacket over a Patagonia sweatshirt, but I did wear a pair of Bellweather biking pants.
They call High Blood Pressure "The silent killer" for good reason.
Anyways I need my solitude...
Cal
A friend has some health issues and this led me to check my blood pressure, and I was surprised to see that my blood pressure was elevated well into the higher levels where it would be called hypertension. So I only weigh 150 pounds, but I make these killer grilled cheese sandwiches, the "Creature-Junior" loves McDonald's, and then with the passing of "Maggie's" mom I ate lots of Pizza and Italian take out foods.
So I believed it was due to mostly a salt intake binge of sorts, but also because of lack of exercise, the two things that need to be controlled to keep and maintain a low blood pressure. Good thing that my resting pulse is kinda low at always below 60 and typically in the 52-55 BPM range. Also, I am a coffee abuser.
So I flipped the switch yesterday. Only two cups of coffee in the morning, I rowed for15 minutes, then I went for a jog that started on the street, and then became trail running in Blue Mountain Preserve.
I explored following the tracks of some mountain biker that obviously had a suspended fat tire bike with perhaps 2.5 tires. I recognized the tire tread as Schwable Hans Damphs that are rather aggressive and square-shouldered that don't have the best rolling resistance because these are also my tire choice as an all-rounder that is particularly great for rocky technical mixed terrain.
I ended up on "My Favorite Trail" which is a one-way trail for bikers that has sweeping and rolling hills with mucho switchbacks. The ground had snow and on the trail it was hard-packed snow over ice, but surprisingly traction was better than when we walked the trail in the early winter with leaf litter and after it had rained the previous day. I could see me riding this trail, but not going gonzo on even a rigid bike.
So my trail running eventually became intervals where I would jog up the climbs and recover on the flats and downhills. Then I came upon the closed service/fire road known as Montrose Station Road. I wanted to see where it ended and discovered a horse stable at the end. I talked with a local who owned a horse and found out that the exodus from NYC began after September 11th, and pretty much prices doubled since then. I learned that the preserve was donated to Westchester county, so I imagine the wealth of owning 1500 acres and the likelihood that this land was likely passed down many generations.
So pretty much spent about 2 1/2 hours pumping blood running, trail running, doing intervals, hiking, and then road running home. Today my legs are a bit dead, but not so bad that I will do something today that involves sweating and elevating my pulse for a sustained period.
So after this exercise, my blood pressure returned to the normal range. I figure that my veins and arteries still are flexible and that I have begun the process of An-GEO-genesis where the body begins vascularization and recreating new pathways for blood flow. The trick here is not to go gonzo, but long periods of sustained effort that endurance athletes call "long-slow-distance."
This morning my blood pressure returned to my old normal; which is the lower range of normal 110/60.
On my Audi which is only a 2-liter engine with a turbo I use premium gas and purposely I use Mobil Premium for it added detergents. Also, I use this octane booster once a month that my old German mechanic recommended using once a month to keep the fuel injectors clean when I had a Saab 900. Also, I know that full acceleration runs and spirited driving is actually good for a car's longevity.
So basically I'm in the process of doing the above to keep me running well. I have my friend to thank for the wake-up call because one day he was fine, and the next he was not.
Nice thing is that I think I discovered a challenging ride near my house that will be great for developing both skill and strength. So convenient and easy. I did not suffer from the cold either yesterday, even though I was wearing a biking jacket over a Patagonia sweatshirt, but I did wear a pair of Bellweather biking pants.
They call High Blood Pressure "The silent killer" for good reason.
Anyways I need my solitude...
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
In today's exploration, I took out the steel IBIS for a 2-hour ride in Blue Mountain Preserve.
In trying to establish a training loop I got on the nearest trail closest to my house called "Switchback." This led me to Montrose Station Road, the closed fire/service road, I headed deeper into the preserve up and down rolling hills that meandered. This section was ice, hardpack, and pocked with shoeprints, enough that if you stopped peddling you immediately came to a stop. Kinda tough, but I need to toughen up.
My objective was to get to trail marker 25 where I could get to "My Favorite Trail" which is a series of elongated switchbacks that is a one-way trail. I presumed sloping downhill, so the tough climb would be worth it. My guess was not wrong. The long sweeping descent was mucho fun, but also a great challenge because of the mix of exposed rocks and ice. The trick was keeping the speed low to allow control. Basically, things only would get hairy if going fast, and you had to moderate speed to pick smooth lines. Some of the climbs required using lots of upper body strength, because the IBIS was set up as an unusual 3X1 with a single-speed rear wheel. Pretty much creatively I made a three-speed using a triple set of chainrings, a chain tensioner, and a front derailleur.
Realize that I only had a 50.4"-38.4"-26.4" gearing and pretty much I stayed in the lowest gear on this trail. To give you a gauge one revolution of the crank moves the bike forward 26.4 inches, so it is like in hiking where up a hill you take shorter steps, but because of the mechanics torque is required for heavier loads and this demands upper body strength to create a longer lever. Some racers use a single-speed bike to train (generally set up with a 52" or so gearing) to develop both skills and strength, but I have two higher gears for an advantage, but realize that Blue Mountain is too technical and rocky of a 50 inch-gear.
My brand new freewheel still promotes chain suck in low gear under heavy load. The chain is well oiled so that is not the problem. Eventually, this will go away when the drivetrain wears a bit and settles in and the chain stretches a little. This was still part of the field trials. It seems my obsessive thinking paid off and I kinda maximized the gearing potential that could be built out. I can see using the steel IBIS as is for Blue Mountain.
So I connected "My Favorite Trail" with "Rocky Glen which I explored on foot yesterday. In comparison, Rocky Glen is less sweeping in its meandering, more rugged, and more technical. Pretty much one leads to the other.
Now I have to figure out a cool route from the Montrose Station Road trailhead, where Rocky Glen ends, where I can get on an extension of "Switchback" that connects me to another trail called "Lower Stinger" that leads to "Middle Stinger" or diverge to the white trail to climb "The Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway" AKA "Sitting-Duck" that borders on the perimeter of a shooting range that is about 1/6th of the preserve. The white trail and Sitting Duck are double track, meaning a Jeep Road, and Switchback, Lower Stinger, and Middle Stinger as single track.
Anyways the goal is to be able to loop back to the beginning of My Favorite Trail to do that and Rocky Glen again for another loop/lap.
My experience is that the wider roads are rockier because of usage and erosion than the single track, but the single track goes up and down more still with plenty of rocks.
The idea here I how I can extend rides and workouts from short to longer and very long epics by varying routes and trails. Currently, I'm limiting my explorations to the western side of the park, but know by Middle Stinger is a twisty long circuit that curves in upon itself called "Debacle."
There are reports that there are plenty of places to ride if you want to kill yourself. A girl horse trainer told me yesterday there is a place where there is a 100-foot drop. My goal here though is to find stuff that is ridable on an old retro mountain bike with rather skinny tires. I say this because on the trail in the snow I have been tracking a fat tire bike. His tires have to be 4 inch wide tires, while mine are only 2.1 on the rear and 2.35 on the front, mucho skinny.
On his next ride he will see my skinny tracks, and perhaps he will think the guy on the bike with skinny tires must be crazy.
I feel my body tightening up. This morning my BP was 107/70 with a pulse of 52, after the ride 127/77 with a pulse of 66, and now 127/76 with a pulse of 73 still elevated.
"Maggie" also went on a half-hour jog on her own initiative from my inspiration.
So now added to my life is both exploration and adventure. I'm greatfull that I have a 1500 acre that is basically my backyard. Yesterday I saw not a person, and today I saw a woman at the Montrose Station Road trailhead getting out of her car.
The solitude is peaceful. I'm kinda stoned on endophines.
Cal
In trying to establish a training loop I got on the nearest trail closest to my house called "Switchback." This led me to Montrose Station Road, the closed fire/service road, I headed deeper into the preserve up and down rolling hills that meandered. This section was ice, hardpack, and pocked with shoeprints, enough that if you stopped peddling you immediately came to a stop. Kinda tough, but I need to toughen up.
My objective was to get to trail marker 25 where I could get to "My Favorite Trail" which is a series of elongated switchbacks that is a one-way trail. I presumed sloping downhill, so the tough climb would be worth it. My guess was not wrong. The long sweeping descent was mucho fun, but also a great challenge because of the mix of exposed rocks and ice. The trick was keeping the speed low to allow control. Basically, things only would get hairy if going fast, and you had to moderate speed to pick smooth lines. Some of the climbs required using lots of upper body strength, because the IBIS was set up as an unusual 3X1 with a single-speed rear wheel. Pretty much creatively I made a three-speed using a triple set of chainrings, a chain tensioner, and a front derailleur.
Realize that I only had a 50.4"-38.4"-26.4" gearing and pretty much I stayed in the lowest gear on this trail. To give you a gauge one revolution of the crank moves the bike forward 26.4 inches, so it is like in hiking where up a hill you take shorter steps, but because of the mechanics torque is required for heavier loads and this demands upper body strength to create a longer lever. Some racers use a single-speed bike to train (generally set up with a 52" or so gearing) to develop both skills and strength, but I have two higher gears for an advantage, but realize that Blue Mountain is too technical and rocky of a 50 inch-gear.
My brand new freewheel still promotes chain suck in low gear under heavy load. The chain is well oiled so that is not the problem. Eventually, this will go away when the drivetrain wears a bit and settles in and the chain stretches a little. This was still part of the field trials. It seems my obsessive thinking paid off and I kinda maximized the gearing potential that could be built out. I can see using the steel IBIS as is for Blue Mountain.
So I connected "My Favorite Trail" with "Rocky Glen which I explored on foot yesterday. In comparison, Rocky Glen is less sweeping in its meandering, more rugged, and more technical. Pretty much one leads to the other.
Now I have to figure out a cool route from the Montrose Station Road trailhead, where Rocky Glen ends, where I can get on an extension of "Switchback" that connects me to another trail called "Lower Stinger" that leads to "Middle Stinger" or diverge to the white trail to climb "The Briarcliff-Peekskill Trailway" AKA "Sitting-Duck" that borders on the perimeter of a shooting range that is about 1/6th of the preserve. The white trail and Sitting Duck are double track, meaning a Jeep Road, and Switchback, Lower Stinger, and Middle Stinger as single track.
Anyways the goal is to be able to loop back to the beginning of My Favorite Trail to do that and Rocky Glen again for another loop/lap.
My experience is that the wider roads are rockier because of usage and erosion than the single track, but the single track goes up and down more still with plenty of rocks.
The idea here I how I can extend rides and workouts from short to longer and very long epics by varying routes and trails. Currently, I'm limiting my explorations to the western side of the park, but know by Middle Stinger is a twisty long circuit that curves in upon itself called "Debacle."
There are reports that there are plenty of places to ride if you want to kill yourself. A girl horse trainer told me yesterday there is a place where there is a 100-foot drop. My goal here though is to find stuff that is ridable on an old retro mountain bike with rather skinny tires. I say this because on the trail in the snow I have been tracking a fat tire bike. His tires have to be 4 inch wide tires, while mine are only 2.1 on the rear and 2.35 on the front, mucho skinny.
On his next ride he will see my skinny tracks, and perhaps he will think the guy on the bike with skinny tires must be crazy.
I feel my body tightening up. This morning my BP was 107/70 with a pulse of 52, after the ride 127/77 with a pulse of 66, and now 127/76 with a pulse of 73 still elevated.
"Maggie" also went on a half-hour jog on her own initiative from my inspiration.
So now added to my life is both exploration and adventure. I'm greatfull that I have a 1500 acre that is basically my backyard. Yesterday I saw not a person, and today I saw a woman at the Montrose Station Road trailhead getting out of her car.
The solitude is peaceful. I'm kinda stoned on endophines.
Cal
Now, just strap an 8x10" camera to your back while you ride and you'll get the ultimate workout!
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
John,
No joke is I have GAS for an 8x10 to do contact printing. The light in the Lower Hudson Valley is pretty amazing. Also know the weather is kinda moody, and the storms can be fierce.
Also, the 1912 Baby-Victorian with its 40 windows allows the golden hour to enter the house. Of course, this light is fleeting, but that's the game.
Right in my back-backyard in the spring and fall is this ground fog over the frog ghetto. This extends over the Hudson River. I can see getting up early every day and shooting near dawn and dusk. I'm in love with these fugly houses that have commercial storefronts that ruin their curb appeal. Kinda ghetto, but that's my style.
Kinda weird the solitude I'm undergoing with Covid. Lots of thinking, planning, and obsessing going on. Lots of freedom.
I'm relaxing waiting for the temperatures to rise. I'm scouting out another trail today called "Debacle" that kinda curves in upon itself.
Pretty much I have my own universe and its not far from being my ver backyard. I see no one in the woods. On my first outing, it was kinda dumb not taking a map with me. I live in another world that is so different than NYC.
Fact is that I could just get by with one of my Baby-Linhof's and a tripod.
Cal
Nokton48
Veteran
The original Leitz Marchioni Tripod is good for long hiking. Not excessively heavy and steady good on a Baby Linhof. I put a cloth "hippy strap" on mine and you can really go places with it suspended from your shoulder.
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
Devil Dan,
I found one of these on Broadway very near the Leica Gallery, just before they closed down. Because I was living in my 650 square foot luxury Madhattan apartment and my studio (the bedroom) was half fashion influencer closet booby-trapped with woman's clothes, shoes, and bags, my printing studio, and all my camera gear, I gave the tripod to Sam as a prize in one of the NYC Camera Beauty Contests. Oh-well.
In today's 2 1/2 hour run-hike-jog I somehow got on a trail that lead to Mount Spitzenberg (elevation 540 feet). Not sure how close I was to the summit. The thing with Blue Mountain is that the trails are not so well marked and pretty much it is wilderness. Every spring a bear is sighted in my neighborhood, and there is a Bobcat feeding on deer in my hood. "Maggie saw the Bobcat in our back-backyard.
I broke off before I got too deep into trouble. Walking around in pretty much wilderness alone in the winter is kinda dumb if anything bad happens. I was on an approach yet already I could see the Majestic Hudson River. This trail skirts a shooting range and I could hear gunshots.
I ended up walking "Lower Stinger" and somehow lost the trail partially on "Middle Stringer" Never found the trailhead for "Debacle."
So on one trail map, they call what is labeled "Rocky Glen" a different name. I found out that a "Glen" is a narrow valley. So I think Rocky Glen is what connects to My Favorite Trail.
So I spent 2 1/2 hours in the woods and did not come upon or see another person. Pretty much I was alone in my 1500 acre backyard.
I have to investigate the Washington Street Trail The rest of "Sitting Duck" and complete fully the Spitzenberg Climb. I'm pretty sure I was on the summit (accidentally) because I was looking down on everything. The trail headed downward steeply is a series of long twisty switchbacks. that had banked turns. Looked to be a good downhill course for a full-suspension mountain bike. From the summit, the trail leads eventually to a street and a parking lot for the shooting range. It seems the shooting range is positioned in between two mountains. Blue Mountian is the taller peak with an elevation of 680 feet.
Tomorrow I will take a day off. My legs are kinda shot. Adventure and exploration are tiring. The hard-pack has turned into ice in a lot of places. Running and jogging took a lot of agility to prevent slipping.
All this exploration and I only know the western side of the park. How cool is it to be in a suburb, yet so close to wilderness that I can call it my backyard? The streets are a maze of short dead ends so this wilderness is about two city blocks away. Most of the park is undeveloped, and I hope it stays that way.
Blood pressure was 107/67 this morning. My bout of hypertension over 150-180 was due to a salt binge of eating Pizza, cold cuts, and prepared Italian food during the wake and funeral of Maggie's mom. Glad I caught the "Silent Killer."
Cal
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
My Steel IBIS is 35 years old and has a rear U-brake. This is O.K. because during that time some bikes had their U-brakes attached to the rear chainstays by the bottom bracket. At least my brake studs are on the seat stays. Right now I have a BMX brake back there, and a new CNC brake just got delivered while I was running-jogging-hiking.
The replacement brake looks like it will have clearance so that I can use this old discontinued 24 inch BMX tire that has a squared-off shoulder that will have a wider footprint that will be an asset in the rocky terrain of Blue Mountain Preserve.
The tire is aggressive but is not the best as far as rolling resistance, but these wide side knobs surely will provide more positive traction required for the more technical riding ahead.
Looks like a big snowstorm could be happening this weekend. Generally the wind and cold tend to moderate, and it will be really great to ride in fresh snow over hardpack. The only difficulty will be finding the trails. Like I said above the trails are not marked very well and it is kinda wilderness.
Pretty much I could have a bit of an ideal bike for Blue Mountain. The steel IBIS is a fluorescent orange powder coat with spots where blistering took place that is now exposed rust, but the finish along with an OEM IBIS decal looks period correct because IBIS did these custom paint jobs they called a "spatter coat." The reason why I went with a very loud refinish was that I basically wore off a lot of the original paint, and because we rode on deer trails in the pine barrens I did not want to get shot by a deer hunter.
Very cool to have a mucho retro original mountain bike. Kinda like still owning your first car.
Cal
The replacement brake looks like it will have clearance so that I can use this old discontinued 24 inch BMX tire that has a squared-off shoulder that will have a wider footprint that will be an asset in the rocky terrain of Blue Mountain Preserve.
The tire is aggressive but is not the best as far as rolling resistance, but these wide side knobs surely will provide more positive traction required for the more technical riding ahead.
Looks like a big snowstorm could be happening this weekend. Generally the wind and cold tend to moderate, and it will be really great to ride in fresh snow over hardpack. The only difficulty will be finding the trails. Like I said above the trails are not marked very well and it is kinda wilderness.
Pretty much I could have a bit of an ideal bike for Blue Mountain. The steel IBIS is a fluorescent orange powder coat with spots where blistering took place that is now exposed rust, but the finish along with an OEM IBIS decal looks period correct because IBIS did these custom paint jobs they called a "spatter coat." The reason why I went with a very loud refinish was that I basically wore off a lot of the original paint, and because we rode on deer trails in the pine barrens I did not want to get shot by a deer hunter.
Very cool to have a mucho retro original mountain bike. Kinda like still owning your first car.
Cal
Sounds like a plan to me...
Calzone
Gear Whore #1
"I was just minding my own business..." when "Maggie" was talking for about an hour with her old agent.
Now that Maggie has a book contract she is jumping off the Instagram carousel which is a trap that just goes round and round. Being a "Digital Influencer" is an exhausting exercise that never ends until you burn out from fatigue.
So in conversation, her old agent wants her back. Vanessa got the squeeze at Elite Models in London, and Maggie was collateral damage. After the squeeze, Vasnessa ventured out on her own and set up her own international agency. Back many years ago I met Vanessa when she came for a visit to NYC. We all had lunch together.
So evidently Vanessa back them mentioned modeling to me and venturing into her world. Evidently, she was taken back by my possibly weird look or lack of style that makes me kinda stand out. Perhaps because I am rather odd-looking, or something like that, but I do know I kinda stand out of a crowd that is my appeal.
The dust has not settled yet, but Maggie's search for new or old representation is kinda making it hard to be a wallflower. It seems like Maggie and I will initially be marketed as a couple, and Vanessa does not do the online treadmill. Know that her reach is international and Europe-centric.
Just what I need when I retire. LOL.
You should know that the last time I got a haircut pretty much my hair reached my waist, and I cut it myself because we were undergoing a lockdown due to Covid. I had gotten some spray foam insulation in my hair working on trying to seal a crawl space. Anyways now it grew back and is somewhere in between my nipples and my belly button. I definitely look a bit hill-billy and feral.
So it looks like somehow I might be getting an agent and doing some traveling. Financially I don't need the gig, but I guess being a somewhat fit 64-year-old guy who looks a little strange and unusual like he is out of place is a strong commodity that is valuable.
This is so weird. You can't make this stuff up.
Cal
Now that Maggie has a book contract she is jumping off the Instagram carousel which is a trap that just goes round and round. Being a "Digital Influencer" is an exhausting exercise that never ends until you burn out from fatigue.
So in conversation, her old agent wants her back. Vanessa got the squeeze at Elite Models in London, and Maggie was collateral damage. After the squeeze, Vasnessa ventured out on her own and set up her own international agency. Back many years ago I met Vanessa when she came for a visit to NYC. We all had lunch together.
So evidently Vanessa back them mentioned modeling to me and venturing into her world. Evidently, she was taken back by my possibly weird look or lack of style that makes me kinda stand out. Perhaps because I am rather odd-looking, or something like that, but I do know I kinda stand out of a crowd that is my appeal.
The dust has not settled yet, but Maggie's search for new or old representation is kinda making it hard to be a wallflower. It seems like Maggie and I will initially be marketed as a couple, and Vanessa does not do the online treadmill. Know that her reach is international and Europe-centric.
Just what I need when I retire. LOL.
You should know that the last time I got a haircut pretty much my hair reached my waist, and I cut it myself because we were undergoing a lockdown due to Covid. I had gotten some spray foam insulation in my hair working on trying to seal a crawl space. Anyways now it grew back and is somewhere in between my nipples and my belly button. I definitely look a bit hill-billy and feral.
So it looks like somehow I might be getting an agent and doing some traveling. Financially I don't need the gig, but I guess being a somewhat fit 64-year-old guy who looks a little strange and unusual like he is out of place is a strong commodity that is valuable.
This is so weird. You can't make this stuff up.
Cal
Austintatious
Well-known
"I was a free man in Paris. I felt unfettered and alive. Nobody was calling me up for favors, and no ones future to decide."
Spin some Joni Mitchell on vinyl.
Spin some Joni Mitchell on vinyl.
MrFujicaman
Well-known
Calzone Klein???