Mountain, Cross and Shuffleboard Nats

[pooriggy]

What's with the rusty bike, new lawn ornament? That would make a cool weather vane. North and South on the front and rear, East and west coming out either side of the bottom bracket.
Don't freeze your tangerines.
I hope Art continues to heal and get strong.

 

[pixychick]

I spotted that rusty bike in the woods nearby to my NY house last year. I thought it might make a cool AZ yard ornament. More than a year past and the bike was still there in the woods. We have a full load this year, so not sure if it will fit in the truck trip 2016.

 

[pixychick]

I have been in Arizona for almost 2 weeks now. The drive out was more stressful than previous years. A snowstorm in Texas sent us north off the interstate, which turned out to be a really nice drive until it got dark and we went back into the storm to cross the mountains to get into New Mexico. Things worked out but it was long day in the car. Once back home in AZ, we had a few days of events to attend. Normally I would blow them off in favor of a ride, but with Art not on a bike yet, the social events seemed a bit more important for us. A group ride, brew night and trail built day had me up early and out late often. It took me a week to get the cobwebs out of the house, and get things back to where we left them. Keep in mind that the spiders and cobwebs out here are 10 times bigger than a nightmare.

After a mellow week back, Art is already into his first project: replacing a vanity in our guest bath. We brought the parts out with us and he has already put them together and ripped out the existing vanity. I have already planned out and ordered tile for the stairs, so we have a few weeks of work on tap. It got cold ( 60's day and 40's night) a few days ago. Yesterday we had over and inch of rain and we got shut in with water in the wash. The wash opened this morning but more rain on tap for tomorrow night, maybe even snow for Christmas. Arizona snow is usually gone in a few hours.

Even with some rain, I am loving the weather and being able to comfortably be outside most days. It certainly feels odd in a good way to be warm during the Christmas holiday. Wishing all my MTBNJ friends a Merry Christmas! It looks like it will be white Christmas in NJ.

 

[pixychick]

Art had his first ride back on a bike. He went to ride the bike path with his cross bike, and it did not go real well. His neck is quite uncomfortable on a bike. He made some major adjustments with his stem and he still struggled. He lasted 27 minutes. Although discouraged and frustrated, he has not given up yet. On a different subject, the bike paths out here are awesome. ...an incredible 2000 miles of bike paths in town. I should have brought a road bike as well as a mountain bike.

I have been feeling much better on a bike this year, although I have little to compare to as I have been riding by myself most days. I did a long ride one day with friends at Honeybee Canyon, but mostly falling into the the short, local solo rides because of current circumstances. Art and I share 1 car, and I feel guilty taking the car and going riding all day, every day, when Art is not able to go.

Projects: Art ripped out the vanity in the guest bath and installed the new vanity. We are waiting on a countertop. In the mean time, Art decided to clean up a corner of the bath that did not have full walls. It had 1x6 rough panels that were pickled to look like wood. It was a perfect place for critters to hang out, so he stucco'd and built a niche. The stucco needs a week to dry before paint, so we moved on to the next project: Mexican tile for the staircase. See picture. We tile together well. Art cuts and I place tiles. the stairs are tight, so it worked out well having a smaller person working on the stairs.

We have been getting slammed with an usual amount of rain. The rainfall over the fall was a bit low, so the recent rains have been welcomed. The wash has been running and it has been great to get the needed rain that brings the desert to life in spring. The trails don't really get muddy, and I could ride if I wanted, but why? I just wait a few days and ride when the sun comes out. I follow the retirement lifestyle.

I am hoping for a few good rides this week!

 

[pixychick]

The rain stopped on New Years Day night and today it was close to 80 degrees. We finished the tile on the stairs and they look fantastic. Last year they were covered with dirty, crunchy shag carpet, construction grade material underneath, sagging from leaks, gaps that mice and spiders traveled through each night, no hand rail and only 27 inches wide on top. Art repaired the sagging, then we reworked the wall to widen the top 3 inches, added a custom hand rail and wood treads. Last weekend we tiled the risers, grouted. Art did touch up paint yesterday.

Art let his first ride sit for awhile and made a new plan. He took out his hard tail mountain bike on the bike path and decided he was ready for some mellow trails. I took him to Honeybee the next day and he rode for 1 hour 4 minutes. It was awesome! So good that he went out again on our home trails the next day, which happened to be his birthday. He made it an 1 hour and a half ... hooray! Today he rode Baby Jesus. It was a 2.5 hour ride with some techy downhilling, and no problem. It feels great to have hime back out riding.

Sunset is pressing so I will cut it off for now. Stay warm everyone, and if any of you should want to visit, I would be glad to show you some trails.

 

[Santapez]

It looks fantastically warm.

I may take you guys up on your office if you're down there in March!

 

[Dominos]

Those stairs look gorgeous! Someday I hope to come out your way for a full tour of the house and trails!

 

[huffster]

Stairs look great and Art looks pretty happy! 2 thumbs up.

 

[pixychick]

If anyone would be interested in riding this area, my friends down the street rent rooms. Please consider their B&B. They make fantastic breakfast. They do bike guiding for casual riders, and have a wealth of wildlife and natural habitat information.
https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/3064495?s=t-wVBRAl

Now finally for BATHROOM REMODELING!! Our tiny guest bath: Art brought the parts for this vanity out with us and stained, finished and installed it on site. The countertop was purchased out here as well as the clavos. The copper sink was from the old vanity and we reused it. We had to get a new faucet and toilet as the old ones were in bad shape and not working well. The backsplash is river stone. The stones were a bit stressful to install, but now that I have done it once, I will not stress it next time. When it come time to do the shower, we have a plan to make things easier. More pictures when we get to the next stage.

The weather has been great the last week, but we have rain again tonight. It is raining a bit more this year than in the past. There was a dry fall, so I am hoping this brings more flower buds for the cactus. I guess I will take a few more days off the bike and work inside. It is nice to have the option, however, I only go so long until I feel like I really need a ride.

Art soaking it up on his first ride up to midgate.

 

[pixychick]

I know I have been a bit lame keeping up with this blog. I am the kind of person that does not like to post too much negative stuff, so in short, I have been in a negative place and avoiding posting. I suppose being true to myself, I should post negative stuff now and then, if it is real. I just feel as if I let it pass, I will find a positive place eventually and not heap any unnecessary negativity on others. Life is full of ups and downs. I just feel like I am hung up on a rut, and never quite get out of it.

Not to dive in too deep on the subject, but we have have had some major back stepping with our house. Leaks and termite damage are just a few. We have had to pull out some of the new windows and rip off stucco, and things are uncertain right now on how we will manage it all. I really don't want to think about it now, but a few things got done before it all went to shit.

Art was able to hang the last two doors that he made. They are barn door style. He was not sure he could manage the install with his lack of arm strength, but did pretty good. He was able to swing a sledge over his head, which was something he thought he could never do again. Although slow, his arm strength is coming back.

We have been doing trail maintenance on our local trails with a new group. That has been going well, but I still struggle some with my neck. The day after I work, I feel like crap and it hurts to ride my bike. So while I have not been able to do much heavy work, I am stoked to have some people out working on the trails I ride each week. Plus this is great to see a group supporting the sport and not just their own interests. While making an eroded section more family friendly for kids and beginners, a gap jump was also built. Great to see variety, and not be dragged down by the "us and them's".

Today, in an effort to get our mind off the house, we went to Gold Canyon for a ride with some NJ friends up at Phoenix. This area has a bunch of g-outs that are super fun! Art rode like a pro. It does not take much for him to toss it in those situations with the lack of left tricep strength. Riding his Niner has been a big help with the relaxed geometry and extra travel. It was also warm today (70's) which was a big help for both our necks.

The weather forecast is looking good for this week. Trying to soak up some sun and stay positive!

 

[pooriggy]

Be well Ellen.
The problem with your house is that Art knows what the fuck he is looking at...most people live in a fucked up house and don't even know it...ignorance is bliss?
We all get down at times and for no reason. You can do all the right things to stay positive but it doesn't always change how you feel, I guess it comes down to putting things in perspective.
Have you tried yoga? I've found it to be good for the mind and body.

 

[UtahJoe]

House looks amazing Ellen, those doors are beautiful! That said, im very sorry to hear that you guys are having some issues. Awesome to gear that Art is back out on the trail!

 

[mattybfat]

Yeah Art is back!

 

[pixychick]

This weekend is the 24 hour race, which I am not doing. Weather has been predicted to rain all weekend. Weekend rain seems to be the usual weather this winter. However, it is a dry rain, if you know what I mean . Actually, it has not really rained that much at my house to this point, so I am not really sure what is happening 30 miles north at 24 hour town. I am just glad to not be racing right now. I feel like I have a good connection with weather, as Art has installed a weather station on our roof. Log in at weatherundergound. We are Samaniego Foothills.

My mom visited the last few weeks, hence no posts. Just been busy doing non bike stuff for a bit. Now that she is gone, we started projects again. Today Art tore down a wall just for the hell of it. Well, not really. The tear down had a purpose: making room for a larger door in our master bath which is next on the "gut" list. I do not think we will dive completely into the bath demolition in full right now, just setting things up for the big demo in a few weeks. I am hoping to do some riding when the rain stops.

The whole rain thing is weird. I have noticed that only outdoor people wear rain coats out here. If you wear a raincoat, it is out of the ordinary. I guess rain is a big deal and not a normal thing. I feel awkward in how I deal with it as a easterner, but it s all I know.

Temps have been amazing! Warm nights and comfortable days have made for some great outdoor activities. My garden is starting to bloom full of color. It is really nice to be outside and enjoying the season. I have 4 variety of hummingbirds that are full time residents, and all the plants that looked ill from the hot dry summer are looking lush and ready to pop flowers. The desert is truly amazing!

 

[Dominos]

Hey Ellen -
Glad to see all your updates, and that you snapped out of the funk you were in earlier in the year. From years of doing renovations on our house, sometimes the setbacks can really get you down. We have spent months wondering if we would eternally be living in a construction zone. I've seen it take a toll on my sanity and relationships!
Glad to see you guys are doing better!
Allison

 

[pixychick]

So yesterday was a busy day at 6020. Our stucco guy came back and finished all the stucco around the windows that were re-installed after Art's repaired framing. They also stuccoed around the new door in our bike room. The old door was rotten and was getting difficult to stay shut because it was so rotten. So I think we are ahead of where we were 3 weeks ago. Yay!

Also our custom gate arrived and was installed. Our 1 acre property was pretty much closed in by neighbors bobbed wire. However, the cattle seemed to walk up our driveway now and then and enter our yard. Besides eating cholla, they liked seeking the greenest stuff on the hillside and eroding them. ... and of course they would leave us nice big piles. So now, we have a gate, and we went all the way with a custom design, solar operated gate with a manual man/bike gate on the side. It looks awesome and our neighbor approves, which is good because it is on his property. We just have access on the power easement.

Monday was our 35th wedding anniversary which I suppose is a milestone. I actually forgot and Art reminded me in the morning. 35 years and this was the first time that I forgot. I guess I have been distracted. We went for a ride together. It was nice. The weather has been ideal. We also went out to dinner. I drank a lot of wine! ... Life is good.

Existing bathroom soon to be gutted.

We actually have a door for our bathroom now.

My christmas cactus is blooming for the 3rd time. I think it likes Arizona.

The famous girls ride that had over 50 women. The leader was ticketed by the county for not taking a permit.

 

[Magic]

I'm so jealous every time I see your photos. The riding looks amazing out there, if only for the views. I also love the doors in your house.

 

[pixychick]

I have visitors this week, so good rides and only pictures today. Words to follow.

 

[pixychick]

 

[UtahJoe]

35 years! Awesome, happy anniversary!....So 1982...where did you and Art go on your Honeymoon? I feel like you told me a story about this once...something about Art taking you skiing and then leaving you as he skied off a cliff...something like that..