Strawberry fields...

...for MILES!


For Shannon's birthday last week, we went to Santa Cruz to see his step mom and go for a long training ride thru a new area.
We decided we'd go thru Watsonville and discovered that our route took us straight thru the ripe strawberry fields. OMG - YUM! It smelled amazing.

We took a break at a roadside stand to hydrate and have a snack - the snack was a quart of organic strawberries that were probably only a few days from the field. YaUm!



The ride was 61 miles total and even tho I cried for about a mile near the end, I made it. I wasn't in a lot of pain - just some strain that was gone the next morning.

Next step is getting a proper bike fitting so I can eliminate that strain on my wrists and left leg. Will let you know how that one goes.

I still need a bit of help with my fundraising - I'd LOVE to get to $5k so I can ride around in a special jersey that shows that I inspired people to donate $5k to help eliminate HIV/AIDS in our lifetime.

Training Trouble

I know, I know - I haven't posted much about my training lately.
The fact is, I've been having some trouble. My left leg was really bothering me for a few weeks and I couldn't go very far.
And the weather decided to be worst on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday - repeatedly.
And I don't like using the rollers inside - sorry Shanny.

Regarding the leg - I had an amazing session with my massage school teacher Marty. He's a rolfer, massage therapist and cranial sacral therapist. Oh, and, he also helps people with money. He's a super mellow city guy who rides a fixie (with a front break) and totally understands my biking needs.
A week after my 90 minute session, my pain has been reduced to about 90% of what it was.

So, that's the leg thing.

I've also been focusing a lot on our fundraiser that's TOMORROW NIGHT! It's taken a lot of planning, organizing and hitting the pavement putting up posters and giving out flyers. It's been a great time. I'm so excited to put on my special cowgirl costume - complete with red cowgirl boots and a red, pigtail wig.

We need to raise $3012 to get everyone to their minimum needed to do the ride - I'm really hoping we can get to that number - think good thoughts for us, huh?

The event will have raffles and a silent auction. Those of you not coming to the event will have to dream wistfully of gigantic feather pillows with amazing fabric, cases of wine, a bed and breakfast stay, shopping, dining and spa-ing gift cards, home-made leather tote bags as big as paper shopping bags, jewelry, photos, and the list goes on.

Did I mention wine? We have three cases and a magnum to raise money with...

I'm hoping to get up early enough to ride to work tomorrow morning - as if I don't have enough to do already! I'll keep you posted!

Dream Journal - Entry 01

I was at a cafe.
It was bright and sunny.
I was working there.
Took customer order and gave it to the person responsible.
Discovered two beautiful butterflies - one purples and one pinks - as big as my hand. Followed them for some time, happily trying to get a photo of them on my hand but they would not land on it. Then I discovered we had a fence covered in a flowering plant that butterflies like and I relaxed knowing that they'd be around for me to look at so I didn't need a photo to remember them.
Then Kyle Thompson came out asking me where the iced tea for the customers was - he was a little harried energetically. I worried about it and when I got to the iced tea area, the person responsible was just taking the tray to the customers and I relaxed, knowing that I'd done it right.

SFMoMA, free first tuesday, April 09

Went to the SFMoMA free first tuesday yesterday for a quick visit from 4 to 5:45.

Was pretty unimpressed until we got to the SECA Art Awards Exhibit and the Face of Our Time | Four Shows exhibits.
The former is up until May 10th, the latter, April 26th. Go see them.
Here are some samples (it's still so strange to be allowed to take photos in museums - I feel like I'm breaking a rule...)

Tauba Auerbach - the whole alphabet, from the center out, digital VI

Leo Rubinfien - Wounded Cities - Casablanca, 2004, in the Casbah El-Habous

Judith Joy Ross - Nancy Tate, protesting the US war in Iraq, Bethelehem, PA

The next two are in the permanent photo collection...

Harold Eugene Edgerton - Jackie Jumps the Bench

Terry Evans, Field Museum, Spartina, 1857

Next month, I hope to spend more time there... I think the permanent photo collection needs a bit more perusing.