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5
May 13

Catching up

The weekly post with extra pictures that would otherwise just sit on my phone or in my camera and never be seen because there was no logical place for them, except for Catching Up.

The seniors give us all awards at the end of the year. This year’s seniors acknowledged my Twitter account. I try to share helpful material with them there.

For the first time in years I looked at the dates on coins. These are the ones sitting on my desk. All week I’ve been checking out dates, since taking this picture. I’ve learned it has become difficult to find a random coin that is as old as I am. Birthdays and years don’t make me feel old. Little things like that have a way of getting to you, though.

I don’t remember why I took this picture, which is a rare thing for me to say. But I did, and here it is. I was on my bike one evening, I think. I seldom forget why I took a picture. I regret taking them even less.

Our friend and baseball smart guy Kevin Ives is holding up the rebel black bear that Dr. Magical Balloons made. We were his warmup act — he just volunteered us — and this took him about 45 seconds. He’s good. Book him:

So there was John Pawlowski, an otherwise quiet, even-tempered, nice guy, watching his team struggle in this very inert fashion today. The weather was getting to everyone. And just as the sun came out Pawlowski saw something he could get animated about. So he went out to argue a strike call against one of his batters.

Only you don’t argue balls and strikes. So when Pawlowski, the likable man did it, the umpire heard him out and walked up the first base line. Pawlowski stayed by the batter’s box, like he was getting ready to dig in. He said a few more things. The fans were egging it on. And the ump came back down the line and they argued a bit more. And then the ump tossed the manager, which was his plan and what the ump was trying to avoid. This ejection, his first of the season, fired up the team. You can see the video below:

There was a C-130 flyover. He was very low. A C-130 did some historic and record-breaking landings on the USS Forrestal in the 1960s. And yet this is still strange to see knowing the only airport close by is a small municipal airport that has two runways which are … both … long enough for the Hercules. OK, never mind. Still cool to see:

The Mother’s Day gift you’ll want to leave on the shelf:

Great game at the ballpark today. This game had it all: pickoff moves, base stealers thrown out by a mile, moonshots, two home runs denied, two comebacks, ejections, arguing from both sides, sunshine and, naturally, an over-the-shoulder catch by the closer to end the game. It was a gritty performance by Auburn to take the series and the best game I’ve seen all year:

At the end of the weekend Auburn is now 11th in the SEC. The top 12 teams advance to the conference tournament in Hoover. It will come down to the last two weekend series again for the Tigers.

Auburn / baseball / memories / photo / weekend — Comments Off
4
May 13

We haven’t bested 72 in a week

OK, I’ll complain about the weather this much: “Tomorrow morning temperatures will drop into the 38-42 degree range.”

Checking my elaborately Photoshopped gag gift calendar … yes, I see that this is May.

In Albany, NY, where Maine is playing baseball today, it is sunny and 75. We haven’t seen 75 in a week. It is 57 right now. The high temperatures for Auburn on this day in this century: 80, 78, 82, 69, 71, 84, 82, 79, 77, 84, 70, 84 and 60.

I’ve seen snow in the Deep South in April. But I’m pretty sure I’ve never huddled under a blanket in May. This is a strange season.

Also, it is rainy.

The baseball game was delayed from the afternoon until the evening. So that meant even cooler still. Which wouldn’t have been so bad itself, but for the continual drizzle and threat of rain. And, also, it is May.

By the end of the night you could see your breath in the air.

But it was a quality baseball game:

The coach called it magical dust in one interview and said in another “I don’t know what works and what doesn’t work – just try to put guys in different spots.”

Whatever gets you into postseason play.

Today the high was 61. Tomorrow will be about the same, overcast, unseasonably cool and curiously devoid of any hints of spring. Mostly I just miss my friend, the sun.

photo / weekend — Comments Off
28
Apr 13

Catching up

The Sunday post of extra pictures. Look at all these neat snapshots! Marvel at the stories they tell! Forget there’s no real content here on Sundays!

Two guys coming back in from their ride yesterday. They still had a 5K to go. Check out the guy in the front. He’s already out of his shoes:

Two more racers wrapping up their ride:

Random self-portrait at the hotel elevator:

And the message on the inside of the elevator door. Why do people throw away their children?

And now a series of bicycles I found myself admiring at the race. These first three triathlon bikes were built by Felt, which is the same maker of my humble little bike:

As much as I do love love Felts, there’s just something about the Cervelo that I’m drawn to. This P2 has a nice aero setup:

Another sharp looking P2:

Clearly they are popular bikes:

This is the P2C, one of the winningest pro bikes around. This is about a 2008 model:

The current top of the line, the Cervelo P5. It wins Ironmans, the U.S. Time Trials and the Giro d’Italia. This one has electronic shifting, which is apparently the way to go:

Here’s a 2011 Kestrel Talon carbon triathlon setup.

A surprisingly sharp Trek tri bike:

Want the best in Swiss cycling? Here’s the BMC TM01. This’ll run you about $14,000:

Finally, at the massage tent they had a signing sheet. Here are the various complaints people were listing:

adventures / cycling / photo / weekend — Comments Off
27
Apr 13

Race day

Time for The Yankee’s big race. Today marked her second aquabike and the first of the season. We were up before sunrise and out at the race site hours before the sun finally appeared. It was gray and cloudy and the water was cold, but she was swimming. Better her than me.

This is the starting line. All the different color swim caps mean different race groups:

This is the first guy out of the water. He was moving very fast:

Here’s The Yankee’s heat. She’s somewhere up front:

A few minutes later came out of the lake after her 600-meter swim. It was a short run up to the transition area:

She’s off on her bike for a quick 13.8 mile ride. She’d pass these other ladies right away:

Meanwhile, here is the amateur group starting their race. This group also includes the handicapped competitors. Imagine swimming around a lake hauling a floating raft and then biking and running around the town. Those guys were awesome and their teammates were all smiles:

Remember that first guy out of the water? Here he is back from the cycling leg and getting ready to run. He isn’t even in the park yet, let alone the transition area. Look at his feet:

He’s already out of his shoes. He’ll hit the transition area and then sprint off for his 5K, which he’ll finish in about 18 minutes. It is a sprint triathlon, after all. Here’s the first woman back in from her bike leg:

Not too much later The Yankee came back in after a great ride around John Tanner Park:

And all of that earned her some bling. Here’s her silver:

After the awards we packed up, hit Chick-fil-A on our way out of town and got home in time for a nap.

Her medal is hanging over the sink which means, I think, that I’m doing the dishes for the next several days.

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21
Apr 13

Catching up

The weekly place with extra pictures, because these things are art and need to be shared. Or not art, but would otherwise be deleted with no fanfare as they’ve not found a home elsewhere on the site. On with it then.

How they dress up tables in Louisville, a little Rip Van Winkle and a fake arrangement really gussies up a place:

A piece of Civil War era grapeshot dug up from north Georgia. This one belongs to my mother. It was given to her by the owner of the property where it was found, the site of the last defensive battle before Sherman made it into Atlanta. There was a terrible storm during the two-day clash where almost 2,000 were hurt or killed in May of 1864. Another violent storm 113 years later brought my grandfather’s plane down in the same place, the worst aviation disaster in Georgia’s history. A lot has happened in that one spot.

A view from the Saturn rocket at the Ala.-Tenn. line, this time as we moved south. This view is exiting to the rest area. Just to the left as I snapped this firefighters were trying to free someone from a trapped vehicle. The medical helicopter had come to a complete rest on the interstate. Someone had died in that accident.

What a great story from cycling legend John Sinibaldi.

Highway construction, the neat part being how that future ramp just disappears …

The same roadwork from the other side:

I’d never realized this job took two trucks: