Why didn't I do this sooner?

Can you guess what my little payday purchase was from this photograph?


Here's a second clue.


Do you have stars coming out of your face?

Annals of Caution: Ice

My Week #10

My Week #10 (June 22-28) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

In which it rains, it is hot, Girl Bike Night Goes Aloha, some members of Rumbletime meet for breakfast at Platte River State Park, and most importantly, I have to say goodbye to the beloved family cat, Mikesch.

The World Is Full Of Signs

time to say goodbye

The Feeling of the Place

After being in Red Cloud (Willa Cather's hometown) while on BRAN, I decided I needed to re-read My Ántonia.*


In just the introduction, I'm compelled to stop reading in order to transpose a few choice sentences.


As Cather & Jim are on the train, as adults, returning to "Black Hawk":

We were talking about what it is like to spend one's childhood in little towns like these, buried in wheat and corn, under stimulation extremes of climate: burning summers when the world lies green and billowy beneath a brilliant sky, when one is fairly stifled in vegetation, in the color and smell of strong weeds and heavy harvests; blustery winters with little snow, when the whole country is stripped bare and gray as sheet-iron. We agreed that no one who had not grown up in a little prairie town could know anything about it.

Jim, the novel's narrator, describes his arrival in Nebraska:

There was nothing but land: not a country at all, but the material out of which countries are made. No, there was nothing but land -- slightly undulating, I knew, because often our wheels ground against the brake as we went down into a hollow and lurched up again on the other side. I had the feeling that the world was left behind, that we had got over the edge of it, and were outside man's jurisdiction. I had never before looked up at the sky when there was not a familiar mountain ridge against it. But this was the complete dome of heaven, all there was of it.
...
If we never arrived anywhere, it did not matter. Between that earth and that sky, I felt erased, blotted out.

It's a good thing I'm re-reading this. I didn't appreciate it as much before as I do now. That ground definitely undulated; twas evident on a bicycle. There were some tough climbs going into Red Cloud, with a relentless headwind to boot.

A house from one of the families in My Ántonia.

*Oh, go get the paper-printed version. That way, you can take it with you.

Downpour

Fast-moving thunderstorms are not uncommon in Nebraska. I thought I could beat the one that blew through this morning. I packed my toast & peanut butter breakfast, left my coffee unfinished, and headed out the door as the weirdly-golden sky changed to sprinkles.

Then utter downpour, with 50 mph wind gusts and pea-sized hail to boot. The streets were washed out, I saw a few branches fall, but I kept on going, fearing worse -- possibly larger hail.

Arriving at the NSOB

Helmets are good for more than protection from falls. The worst hailstone hit was in the pit of my elbow. That stung.


It's not so easy to see, but I poured a nice lake out of my shoes. I also wrung my pants out of their dripping wetness. Good thing my trusty Re-Load kept my change of clothes (and I brought a change of everything, mind you) and my camera high & dry.

By the time I'd changed, the sun was out again.

Now, at 8:30 PM, it's still 88 degrees, and the heat index has finally dropped from 103 an hour ago to 99. Allegedly, we're rocking a dew point second only to Miami.

My Week #9 (June 15-21)

My Week #9 (June 15-21) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Trying to readjust post-BRAN, work on the doc, and help Mom on the farm.

Smart Horse

My parents' neighbors have 3 horses. One is black. This black horse is quite intelligent, or totally off its rocker. It gets all the way into the pond and hangs out there all day, blowing bubbles. I'm not even kidding.

Eagle FAC

Evening plans shifted around a few times tonight, but Felice called at just the right time for an FAC ride out to Eagle. We were lucky to have the shack on the MoPac to ourselves for a nice long session with some PBR before continuing on to the One-Eyed Dog. Cheers to best friends!

My Week #8 (June 6-14)

Here's a more appropriately long cut for the series.

My Week #8 (June 6-14) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Rapha Lincoln

Beautifully shot, though I find it somewhat clichéd & anachronistic to use a leader flare effect on what is clearly video. Read the Rapha journal here.

My Week #8 (June 6-14) Extended Edition

My Week #8 (June 6-14) -- Extended Edition from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

The Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska, with overnights in Trenton, Cambridge, Alma, Superior, Wymore, Humboldt, and Syracuse, and visits to many towns in between.

My Week #7 (June 1-5)

This one's older; expect another by the end of the day.

My Week #7 (June 1-5) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

It rains, the greens are plentiful, Aki has a birthday, and I get ready to leave town. Abbreviated, because I start BRAN (the Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska) today. Expect a Biketacular Week 8.

Rumbletime on the Platte

Good work, team.

Freestyle 50

Check out the Freestyle 50 tonight at Screen Ink (press coverage here). After tonight's First Friday, I'm heading out on the road for 7 days of Bicycle Riding Across Nebraska. Peace, be safe, and get out and enjoy the weather.

Macro Food

I've been eating well recently...

Le Quartier pizza crust with a sautéed portabella & caramelized onions, fresh tomato, Parmesan & pecorino romano.


Strawberry from Princeton Produce, consumed with Le Quartier bread, Branched Oak Farm Quark, and Shadowbrook Farm pea shoots while watching the Capital City Criterium.


"Cheesecake" made with shortbread, sweetened quark, and fresh strawberries.


Roasted beet, arugula & chèvre sandwich with a cup of Cultiva coffee at thé Cup.

A Keith Jacobshagen Kind of Evening

The entirety of Reinkordts went up to Omaha last night to celebrate the birthday of the youngest. On the way home, Old Low to the Ground noted that it was a real Keith Jacobshagen kind of evening. Sadly, a camera is unable to capture this while driving down the interstate.

Helmet Hair

Yesterday, as she was cutting my hair, Ooh La Liz noticed that I had been spending a lot of time riding my bike. How could she tell? The long hair below the helmet line was almost blond, while the hair that's under the helmet is its standard dark brown.

My Week #6 (May 25-31)

My Week #6 (May 25-31) from nocoastfilms on Vimeo.

Closing out May with Memorial Day in Malmo, office time, Girl Bike Night, the Capital City Criterium, baseball, and a distant storm.