I'M STILL MRS. BRIGHTSIDE

The last time I posted I was getting back into the swing of things after getting 2 new knees.  For the record, that has continued to be a great improvement in my life.  My husband Tom and I increased our mileage on our bikes and though I never managed to become a great hill climber - with the addition of an electric wheel on one of my bikes, we joined a biking group and took many wonderful rides.

So what brings me back to writing here? I always thought I'd get back to writing when I  stopped working full time - but my life has taken a wholly unexpected turn. I was trying to figure out how to update my profile with my new information. (Still can't figure out how.)  I considered starting a whole new blog.  Anyway...

We had just moved into a different house, both of us were exhausted from the effort. That Tom was tired and sore was a surprise because he's in such great shape, but not too worrisome - after all we are in our mid-sixties.

A couple of weeks later, on the last day of my job, my husband called an ambulance and got himself to the ER.  I left my retirement party and by the time I got to the hospital, the blood draw they had done was already conclusive that he had leukemia - so acute that they were pretty stunned he'd been upright for the past few days.

 Long story short - he was transferred to a hospital in Oakland where they specialized in treating AML. He started chemo a couple of days later.   It was 22 days from the diagnosis to the day we let him go due to multiple organ failure.  The chemo had worked, but his body was not up to the side effects.

I will save many of the stories and information I learned for future posts. Pretty much living in the hospital for 3 weeks, gathering, dispersing and then gathering the family again,  working with the doctors, nurses and Palliative Care team was all consuming in addition to his needs and demands and frustrations.  In many ways I shut down my emotions and here I am three months later and only now just starting to get my feelings back.  And I will tell you - they are a real mixed bag.

I will be writing with some frequency to express my feelings, thoughts and experience on this most unexpected turn in my life.

ON THE BIKE AGAIN

We have not been out on the bikes much this month.  I managed to hurt my back and spent a week or so babying the spasms, hunched over crab-like during the work days and alternately on heat and ice in the off hours. It's better now, but heat, visitors and life have also filled the weekends this month.

We finally ventured out on a new path this Saturday morning.  We left very early so we could be safely tucked into our air conditioning before the predicted 95 degrees descended.

We parked in Niles and hopped onto the
Alameda Creek Trail heading for the Hayward coast.  The trail is mostly flat and well paved.  We were heading for the coast, so there was a headwind, but at least it was cool.  Others on the path were sparse, friendly and well behaved, which made it a real pleasure.

A hazy view over the preserve toward San Mateo.

The paved trail ends at the Eden Landing Ecological Preserve, a large marsh land which occupies space between the San Mateo and Dumbarton Bridges.  We looked over the bay toward the path we have frequently biked between San Mateo and the SF airport!  It was a bit hazy, but it was fun to be on the other side of the bay, looking over to the side where we have spent so much time.

We finished the 25 mile round trip more slowly than we have in the past - we are out of conditioning!  Hope to be back our on the bikes next week and get those legs back in shape...

STILL HERE #2

The top pf Coyote Point, overlooking SFO - we rode the
shore line trail and up the hill last weekend.

Working, working, working - many hours of overtime each week,  along with the raise  I got (yea!) makes my paychecks  much more satisfying.  Two of the 3 projects I took on are winding down so I may get some breathing room and the opportunity to take a bit of time off.  Or at least stop going in at 7 am!!

Then again - I have been called for jury duty in US District Court for a trial lasting from June 23- August 31!!  I won't know until June 20th or 23rd if I am selected...

Weekends have been nice - lots of bike rides, some outlet shopping, going out for meals and cocktails. Some organizing, donating and packing of stuff for our move in September. Visits with the kids and family.  Reading a lot in the evenings.

Got my mosaic area out from under the tarps and found 3 projects I had forgotten were waiting for grout!
I have ideas for posts I'd like to write - hope to have the time and energy to get back to all the things I enjoy and have been neglecting.

How are you gearing up for summer fun?

WET & WILD RIDE

View from the Double Barrel - sunshine!

 It was so windy on Saturday and the forecast for Sunday was for no wind with  0% chance of rain.  When we set out for Livermore the skies were ominously dark, but it wasn't very cold and, after all, a zero percent chance of rain...

We did some errands.  I got a cool jersey at the bike shop - short sleeves, so it will be a while before I actually wear it - and hung out waiting for brunch to start at the Double Barrel. It was getting windy and cooler - but we had a leisurely breakfast and as we left the restaurant the sun broke through.

Rain ahead....

When we reached the path back to Pleasanton, the skies turned dark again, the wind came up and we could see we were riding directly into rain coming down a couple of miles ahead.

We just laughed and peddled on.  What else could we do?

Luckily, the rain didn't come down in buckets, but we were plenty wet when we finally got home.  A hot shower and a cup of tea  took care of the chill.

Hey Maggie!!  The poppies are blooming!

NEW BIKING SPOT

Crystal Springs water level is very low - but still lovely.

Last weekend we finally got some rain and the weekend before that we just didn't go for a ride for some reason so we made a special effort this weekend to get out on our bikes.  We  wanted to use the new bike rack so we hit the road for a new biking spot -  the Crystal Springs Reservoir near San Francisco.

The day was another warmish, sunny one, the air fresh because we had a small rain storm move through last night. The reservoir is low due to our drought, but the crowds were out hiking and biking.

The Pulgas Water Temple

We finally found a safe place to park and get on the
road.  We lucked out because we ended up in an area that had closed the road to cars for several miles.


We had great views of the reservoir, beautiful scenery and after a few more miles, to some spectacular homes and horse properties.

We rode about 15 miles along that area then put the bikes back on the car and drove over to the San Mateo coastline and got on the bikes again and rode down toward the SF airport.  We stopped for a snack and watched the planes coming and going for a while, then rode back to the car and went home.  I did a few chores and then realized how tired I was and collapsed on the couch for a while!

RIDING MY TURBO BIKE

Tom's holiday gift to me was a turbo kit for my bike.

It's not really called that - it's an E Bike conversion.  Tom calls it an assist.  There is a battery and a little button to push which activates the motor and zooom, off I go.  It is a bit of an old lady gift - but with my knees, I'll take it!

It also allows us to expand our ride locales and terrains.  And I admit I have gotten a bit bored with our usual routes. It is especially useful for hill climbing, but was also put to use at the end of the day when I was getting tired and my knees were hurting.  We were able to use a route which had 10% grades as opposed to our usual 1-3% grade rides on the trails.  It is a little bizarre to use the assist.  When I start to bog down I hit the button and the motor just takes off as if am on a moped rather than a bike!

I knew exactly where Tom would take me on our first "assisted ride" and I was right.  He loves going up Dougherty Road through Dublin, San Ramon and into Danville.  The Iron Horse Trail we usually take goes around the hills - we went up and over.  Our 35 + mile ride lasted about 5 hours (with a stop at the Farmer's Market and a couple of drink and snack breaks.)

My gift to him was getting a hitch on my car and a new, smaller bike rack for our 2 bikes so we can travel light when we want to go ride out of the area.  He already has a whole list of new adventures for 2014 lined up!