In Training

Schwarzbeere's kids have been with us often this summer.  His oldest is already proficient on a bike.  He also has a bike but it's not here with us so when he's here he's unable to ride it.  But Blaubeere took care of that for us.  Her kids had outgrown their bikes and they had already replaced them, a while ago.  Then their old bikes sat around taking up space at her house until it occurred to her that Schwarzbeere's kids might be interested in them.  So we brought them over here.  The biggest one was already in good working order and of a size that is well suited for him, so we suggested to Schwarzbeere's oldest that he might be able to ride it.  He liked that idea.   

And so we let him try it out.  He was sold.  Now he just needed someone to ride with him.  That brings us to the Schwarzbeere's other two kids.  Blaubeere had offered a total of three bikes, two of which had been sitting around longer.  They were smaller and needed a bit of work before they would be rideable. Plus, although Schwarzbeere's two youngest had already expressed interest in riding them, they also both felt they needed training wheels to be able to ride them. Alas, they did not have training wheels attached.  I looked at the local stores that carried bike supplies but nobody had them.  So I ended up ordering them online.

And, at last, they came.  It was a while before I had time to work on them but finally the day came.  First step, assemble the training wheels.

That was a relatively simple process, despite poor instructions.  Again, just pictures, no explanations.  What you going to do?  

But it didn't take long before I had the first set done and ready to go on the bike.  I picked the bike the youngest would use because that bike didn't have any flat tires.  

Once the training wheels were on I adjusted the seat to fit her and it was ready to go.

She had been monitoring the whole process pretty closely up to this point so she was only too happy to give it a try.

Riding a bike with training wheels is pretty basic but there are still some basics to learn. But she picked it up pretty quick and pretty soon she was riding around the driveway like an old pro.  She was pretty happy.

The last bike was a different matter.  It was also smaller so I had to adjust the seat as high as it would go.  But that was enough.  It also had a flat.  So that needed to be fixed.  Fortunately, fixing it only required pumping it up.  It held air over night so we were good to go.  But then the front tire. . .   

Try as I might, I couldn't even get air to go into it.  You could hear the air escaping as fast as you pumped. Very frustrating.  I finally stopped and took the tire off.

I took the tube out and inspected it closely.  I also had Schwarzbeere check real close.  He found a hole right by the stem.  Guess that explained it.  So we got a new tube.  I got the new tube in and pumped it up.  I thought I had been careful getting it back together but I must not have been careful enough.  I had it pumped and set it by the bike, ready to go back on, when the tube exploded.  This must be getting to be old stuff, Brombeere didn't come out to see what the noise was this time.  So I had to get another tube.  While I was waiting, I put the training wheels together and got them on.

With the new tube in, it pumped up much better.  With the training wheels on it was ready to go.

The young man sat upon it and was happy.  The bike was generally a bit small but, still, it worked. And it was what we had so I was happy.  

So, after trying it out in the driveway, he was all set, ready to go.  A happy kid. Now we just needed a time when they were all here and the weather was cooperating enough for all of us to go on a ride.  We also need to get helmets for the youngest two.

A few days later we finally had everything, helmets, good weather, and time to take everyone on a ride!

Everyone was out and ready! This was the first ride for the two littlest and, unfortunately, it didn't go as envisioned.  But it was good, very good for a first ride. Instead of a short ride around the block we ended up in a near by parking lot, where it went much better. They got in some good practice. And we hope they will get better and be able to have longer, more fun rides!

A Learning Experience

Recently Erdbeere and her boys came for a visit. And, while they were here, they wanted to learn a little about the fine art of fishing.  So we had arranged for two of their uncles (Schwarzbeere & Himbeere), who are both accomplished fishermen, to come teach them the finer points of fishing.  Or at least give them an introduction to the sport. Schwarzbeere's kids were also with us at the time so we all went to a good spot for kids to fish and got to it.

Because none of the kids had any fishing gear, Schwarzbeere had gotten up early on the appointed day and run to the store to get some.  Then, once we got to the fishing spot, they had to spend some time getting the poles and stuff all ready.  

That was a hard part, some of the kids were impatient. And it does take a few minutes to get five poles set up with bobbers, sinkers, and hooks.

But finally it was done and we all walked the short distance to the water, which we all hoped held lots of little fishies for the kids to catch.

Most of the kids lined themselves up along the bank, spaced far enough apart that we hope they wouldn't snag each other as they learned how to cast their lines.

Some wanted to try fishing from the little pier out over the water.

During the time we were there, they all got pretty good at casting their lines.  Some actually got good at it. As they fished there were a couple of times, actually quite a few times, that lines got tangled around the ends of the pole.  It took them a while to learn how to keep their line from getting wrapped around the end of their own pole.  

We had a couple of chairs along which some took advantage of.

Even though there weren't a lot of weeds, there were several times that lines got tangled in the weeds and had to be untangled and then straightened back out.

In the process, there were a couple of times that bobbers got snapped off the ends of the line.  Sometimes they flipped away and landed on the ground.  Once one landed in the water and took a little teamwork to be retrieved.

And once there was a monster tangle.  In the end, that line got cut and restrung with bobber and sinker before they were back in business.

The kids lasted not quite two hours before they'd had enough.  And unfortunately, nobody caught any fish.  Schwarzbeere was the only one that even got a nibble, although Himbeere expressed some doubt about whether or not that had actually happened.  Both the uncles have seen people pull respectable fish out of this pond so we knew it could be done. But there was a culvert that connects this little pond with a nearby river so the fish can come and go as they please.  Apparently today they were out and about, and not in the pond. It turned out okay, though, because that saved us having to figure out what to do if anyone had wanted to keep what they caught; both the uncles are "catch and release" fishermen. The kids all said they had a good time, despite not catching anything. Yet, despite saying they all had fun, nobody expressed any interest in hurrying back for another round. Fancy that.

Before the Storm

The other day Schwarzbeere's kids were over and the morning had been a bit rough.  So Brombeere took two of them shopping and I took the oldest one for a  bike ride.  

I wanted to "stretch" him (read: wear him out a little) by taking him on one of the longer rides he'd ever gone on while with us.  But there was a rain storm coming.  

So I planned a ride that would be longer, but that would get us back before the rain got here.

As we were out and about, you could see the big thunder clouds building out to the west, growing bigger and darker as we rode along.  There were times when I thought we might get caught, especially since he specifically requested some places he wanted to go, because he thought they were fun places to ride.

As we were riding the last half mile we felt the rain drops begin to fall, big drops hitting us as we rode along.  But we got home and into the garage before the heavy stuff hit.  Of course, in his case it didn't do much good.  As I put my bike away he ran in and out of the garage, gradually getting wetter and wetter until he was wet enough that he had to change clothes when we went inside.  But he was tired and happy.  Mission accomplished.  The rest of the afternoon was better.

We Should Go Somewhere

The other day Brombeere said, "We should go somewhere." So I suggested an attraction that's been on my list of things to go see for quite some time.  A little inland lighthouse.  So we piled in the car and, trusting the GPS, took off across the state on roads we'd never been on before.

When we got there it turned out it was a whole little park that a company had put together, miles from any body of water, which is the normal place for a lighthouse.  

There were several nice little things there, in addition to the lighthouse.  There were the usual playground equipment and picnic area but also several other things not normal to parks as well.

The park was on a river, but that normally doesn't necessitate a lighthouse.

We got there and discovered the lighthouse was not functional size, it was actually build as a memorial to some people we had never heard of before.  It also didn't put out any light.  It just looked light a little lighthouse.  But an interesting attraction nonetheless.

It was tall, but not as tall as lighthouses normally are.  It was a nice, cute size.

In addition to the lighthouse, there was a bridge over the river, too.  Just below the bridge was a water fall, Little Falls.  Interesting, although it looked more like a short stretch of rapids to me.

There was also a small "zoo", some pens that held several animals, including a peacock, a couple of pheasants, and a bunny.  Across the river was a fenced in area that held deer but they were hiding the day we were there so we didn't see them.

A little father down the river was another bridge.  A swinging bridge.  And it sure did swing.  Every step you took on it set it to bouncing and swaying enough that we decided to cross one at a time and hold onto the rails the whole way.  I actually didn't go all the way across.  Brombeere did because she wanted to see if she could see the deer.

It was a fun trip and a nice little park.  And it enabled me to cross another place off my list.  It was fun.

Again a Little Progress

Our garage is a mess.  I've written about that before.  A couple of times.  Every time we make a significant dent in the mess, life happens and it turns into a mess again.  One of the things that is a significant contributor to the mess is all the stuff we have accumulated to take care of the yard and garden.  We have thought for a long time that getting a little shed for the yard and then moving all that stuff for the yard and garden out into the shed would go a long way to clearing up space in the garage.  Now, recently, we've finally been able to do just that.

We knew where in the yard we wanted to put the shed, we'd measured the trees behind the fence and made sure the space was free from limbs, rocks, and other things that might interfere, and were ready to go.  We'd actually been talking to a friend who had volunteered to build it for us a couple of years ago but he is the kind of guy who likes to keep real busy so convincing him we were serious and getting him to schedule it in took a while.  A couple of times I had brought the subject up with him, intending to let him out of doing it and getting someone else.  But each time he said, no, we'll get it done.  And finally he committed to a time and the time arrived.  

I began ordering parts.  He had said to have them delivered to his place because he had space to hold them until everything was there and he was ready to actually begin. I had ordered a shed kit of precut materials so that it just needed to be assembled. And the day finally arrived, he brought everything over that I had ordered and they got started.  

We positioned the shed at the fence and took a section of fence out so we could open the shed into the yard.  The first day they brought stuff over and did the ground work that would be under the shed.  The next day they got started on assembling the shed.  

Over the next few days they worked putting it together, sometimes into the night.  Fortunately we had some good lights so they were able to work as late as they wanted.  

Gradually, the shed began to take shape and came together.  It was looking pretty good.

The kit didn't include roofing materials, there were several options.  We went with metal roofing he had left over from a project he had done at his place.  I bought it from him and it went on for a very nice fit.

And finally, working between rain storms during this rainy month we had, it was all done.  He cleaned up the left overs and hauled it all off and our shed was ready to move into.

The day he declared it done it rained.  And it rained for the next couple of days.  Because of the work and the rain, I hadn't been able to mow the lawn for almost two weeks.  So as soon as the rain stopped I mowed the lawn. When I was done I parked the mowers in the new shed.  The move in had begun!

The plan was to move all the yard care and gardening stuff into the shed. But even with just the two lawnmowers gone there is a lot more room in the garage.    

And a nice trail to the back door, wider than it's been for a while.

We still haven't moved everything that is going to the shed, we're not sure at this point if the snowblower is going or not. We'll see how much room the other stuff takes and what room is left.  I'll be the first to admit there is still a mess in the garage.  As in the past, much of what's left belongs to a couple of our kids and we're hoping that it eventually finds its way to their places and out of our garage. Schwartzbeere still has two little motorcycles, lots of new and old parts, a big tool box, a few pieces of miscellaneous furniture, and kids bikes.  Himbeere also has a bunch of old parts and two big tool boxes out there.  I fantasize about replacing our SUV with a pickup truck.  That would enable us to get rid of the trailer.  We might even be able to get a car in. Yeah, there's still a ways to go before Brombeere would consider the garage clean again.  But for now, it's again more on the clean side than the messy side.  I count that as a win!

An Agricultural Hazard

One thing I like to do is ride on state recreational trails.  These are sometimes called "rails-to-trails" paths; they are old, abandoned railroad beds that have been converted into recreational trails and are usually maintained by local enthusiast, usually a snowmobile club, since they are used by walkers, hikers, joggers, bikers, and folks on ATVs and snowmobiles.  It sometimes strikes me as odd to be riding along on my bike and pass a speed limit sign that says "55 mph".  Yeah, that's not me on my bike. Anyway, often these trails have old train tunnels on them, really cool. Tunnels are fun whenever you find them, which is pretty common on state recreational trails. But I digress. Because they are converted train tacks these trails typically are long and run through the countryside, between towns. That means through agricultural land: farmland. And farmland means it needs water.

Where I live it rains a lot but sometimes farmland still needs more water than what naturally falls from the sky.  That means the farmers have to irrigate.  Now days, big fields are watered with pivot irrigation systems.  

The "pivot" part comes from the fact that one end is stationary, usually connected to a well from which the system pumps water.  Then it is pumped out the length of the pipe, which is several feet in the air (so it will always be above whatever might be growing in the field), and out onto the crop. So the whole system is on wheels and rotates round the field, watering a big circle.

If you're flying somewhere and look down and see a patchwork of green circles, those are fields being watered by pivot irrigation systems.

Along the length of the pipes are sprinkler heads that spray water out onto the crop.

At the end opposite of the stationary end is a big rain-bird type sprinkler head that sprays water way out beyond the end of the pipe.  A way to extend the area that is being watered.  Then, as the sprinkler works through its cycle, it rotates around the field, watering whatever is planted.

Most of the time, when I have been riding these state trails, the sprinkler system, if it's on and working at all, is in some distant part of the field, well away from the trail. Sometimes it's not.  That's when you have to be careful. That rain-bird on the end sometimes will spray out onto the trial and you have to time your passing so it doesn't get you wet. Yeah, a rain-bird sprinkler covers a circle out on the end of the pipe so even if the length of pipe is near the trial the rain-bird will be doing a circle and only once in the circle will spray onto the trial.  That's when you have to hurry by.  You may have to stop and wait a minute as the rain-bird does its circle and moves off the trail but that doesn't usually take very long.

Then there was the day the sprinkler system was just through the trees from the trail and the rain-bird at the end was pumping out tons of water, directly onto the trial.

Because the rain-bird was just off the trail, almost half the circle it made was hitting the trail.  I had to stop and wait.  For almost half the circle.  That took a little longer.

It was pumping so much water it was like a heavy rain.  And because it was just through the trees and hidden by the trees, it was hard to tell exactly where the rain-bird itself was or where on the trail it was reaching, how long a stretch of the trail it was covering.  It was actually reaching clear across the trail, well into the field on the other side. That made it hard to know where to stop so I could stay dry while I waited.  And, yes, I miscalculated and stopped to wait too close.  Pretty soon water was pouring through the trees and getting me thoroughly soaked. Before I could get backed up I was totally soaked and wet. Not entirely a pleasant experience.  But before I realized I had miscalculated it was too late.  It got me.  Yeah, that happened.  But, otherwise it was a very fine ride along a beautiful trial on a wonderful day.