Happy Independence Day to all. This certainly is America's most important memorial day -- I for one am grateful for the liberties and freedoms the Founding Fathers engineered in those perilous birthing-days. It's a shame that the government they envisioned (provide for defense, deliver the mail, etc.) has turned into a colossus that they would likely equate to the British crown that they gave their lives to escape. As poor stewards as we may have been the last 230+ years, they still deserve all the credit and none of the blame for the purity of their vision and the sacrificial lives they lived. (It is not widely known how the original signers of the Declaration suffered at the hands of the British. Most of them died penniless and persecuted, considered traitors by the Crown for having affixed their names to such a seditious document.)
I celebrated this morning with a 51-mile group bike ride (about 35-40 riders) that a local guy put together. Didn't attempt to stay with the "hammers" that broke away on a 20+ mph average pace, but hung in pretty well with the second tier riders who averaged 17+ mph. There was a third group that was just out for a leisurely conversational ride (14-15 mph avg.) that did 40 miles instead of the 50. I have to keep remembering that I'm 60 years old and will never be able to keep up with the younger riders. Talking with another gray-head as we rode, he said an elderly friend of his who regularly does the (brutal North Carolina) Mt. Mitchell climb has this philosophy: "Start slow, then ease off." I love it.
The two pictures below are from my friend, Priscilla, in Santa Barbara, CA. I had inquired whether the current wildfires were getting near them -- apparently they are. These pictures show the fires in the hills overlooking Santa Barbara. (The well-known Fairview Gardens, in Goleta, are very near Santa Barbara. Let's hope they survive.) Those of us who don't live with these fires on a seasonal basis can hardly imagine what it must be like to go through this every year. Keep the buckets full, Prisc. (Beautiful pix, by the way.)
I celebrated this morning with a 51-mile group bike ride (about 35-40 riders) that a local guy put together. Didn't attempt to stay with the "hammers" that broke away on a 20+ mph average pace, but hung in pretty well with the second tier riders who averaged 17+ mph. There was a third group that was just out for a leisurely conversational ride (14-15 mph avg.) that did 40 miles instead of the 50. I have to keep remembering that I'm 60 years old and will never be able to keep up with the younger riders. Talking with another gray-head as we rode, he said an elderly friend of his who regularly does the (brutal North Carolina) Mt. Mitchell climb has this philosophy: "Start slow, then ease off." I love it.
The two pictures below are from my friend, Priscilla, in Santa Barbara, CA. I had inquired whether the current wildfires were getting near them -- apparently they are. These pictures show the fires in the hills overlooking Santa Barbara. (The well-known Fairview Gardens, in Goleta, are very near Santa Barbara. Let's hope they survive.) Those of us who don't live with these fires on a seasonal basis can hardly imagine what it must be like to go through this every year. Keep the buckets full, Prisc. (Beautiful pix, by the way.)
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