I was thinking how much my sister would have loved this when she was a kid. [I did not use the "old home movie" filter on these. Something's wrong with my camera.]

After a year of planning and training, the big event is less than 2 days away.

As it turns out, when I line up for the start on Saturday I will be the same age my father was when he died of heart disease. Though that was not why I decided to do the race this year, in memory of my dad, I’m helping raise money for Challenged Athletes Foundation. The reason I chose CAF is because my dad was an exceptional athlete who enjoyed sports all his life. He was always supportive and encouraging of any athletic endeavors in which my sister or I participated. He was also an avid fan of many sports from local to professional. I’m sure he would have been enthusiastic about CAF’s mission to give more athletic opportunities to persons with physical disabilities.

As a part of CAF’s mission they help disabled veterans who want to participate in sports. My father was a Major in the Army Reserve so I know that would have been important to him as well. When I rode the Pikes Peak Ascent in August there were several veterans who participated as CAF athletes.

Please consider making a donation in honor of my father or someone close to you who has been affected by heard disease.

• flies kites
• sails boats
• makes music
• pumps water
• provides energy
• sows seeds
• pollinates plants
• blows away houseflies and other pests
• the #1 good thing — Wind dries out mud!

On that day Bonnie got pretty close, but fortunately came when I called her. Another dog wandering the neighborhood was not so lucky. It was interesting to watch. The skunk did not spray right away. The dog, a puppy, taunted it for about a minute before the skunk got fed up with the game.

If I was braver I probably could’ve gotten better photos. I hope it doesn’t take up residence under the deck. I guess I’ll pick up some moth balls next time I’m in town.

When you hear the voice, you know the woman.

I recognized the voice as soon as the NPR piece began. My sister and I must have been around 7 and 8 years old … 1972-ish. Soon after the fancy new stereo with turntable and 8-track was set up, my dad brought home our first 8-track; Mahalia Jackson.

Mahalia Jackson: Voice Of The Civil Rights Movement

#3) When in doubt, wait: If you can’t allow the bike 3 feet of space, wait to pass until you can — just as you would for any other slow-moving vehicle.

From the Los Angeles Times, How to minimize accidents between autos and bicycles, by Christie Aschwanden. Six simple tips; short and sweet. #2 would have prevented my collision with a car, except that the 87 year-old driver apparently never saw me. I wish this information was more widely understood by drivers. Hmmm….maybe a few questions on state drivers’ tests?!

I would add -
Understand that when the wind is gusting 30mph (or even 10mph) a cyclist may have a hard time holding their line. In other words, a cyclist may be dealing with weather and road conditions that drivers are unaware of….thus the 3 foot MINIMUM.

I also have to wonder about the dog owner who went along with tying their dog to a post. I can’t imagine allowing something like that to happen to my pet without first being shot myself, but I don’t have any dependents other than my dog, and who knows how my bravery would hold up unarmed, against an angry man’s rifle.

The crime was committed in Felt, Idaho, in late 2007, by a Teton County Sheriff’s deputy. After pleading guilty last week, the deputy, Joseph Guitierrez, was sentenced to 30 days in jail. Seems like a light sentence given the brutality of his actions. But wait, 25 days of his sentence were suspended, and he has been assigned to a sheriff’s inmate labor detail for the other five. Sounds like he will spend a total of zero days in jail. He does have to pay a whopping $100 fine and serve a six-month UNSUPERVISED probation. If he completes probation successfully the crime may be removed from his record. Is it possible to unsuccessfully complete an unsupervised probation?

Is this justice? Apparently it is … in Teton Valley, Idaho, and not just in the mind of Judge Colin Luke. There is a poll on the home page of the local paper asking people if they are satisfied with the outcome of this case. It appears that this is not an important issue to Teton Valley News readers because there are only a few votes, but shockingly 71% have voted “Yes,” they are satisfied with the outcome of the case. They believe that $100 and 40 hours of work is fair punishment for this barbarity.