Up Hill

Last post I mentioned how I felt that the rain event we had a couple weeks ago seemed to mark the end of a chapter for me. Well, the next chapter was a short one. The period between the rain and this Sunday past was all about getting packed and ready to take the kid back to school. We moved her into her dorm in NYC Sunday morning, I got her TV, wireless, printer setup, the Queen did the rest, we gave her a hug and we headed out. Even though she will be back up many weekends, this time has hit me hard, I miss her terrible.

With the recent rain here in the valley everything is quickly taking on a darker shade of green compared to the dusty khaki hue that has predominated the landscape the last month or so. This welcome relief from drought comes not without a down side; The valley now echos with the hum of the lawnmower and the din of the weed eater. I went out to the shed after work and chased the mice (tiny rats) from the lawn mower. It takes me about an hour to do the lawns here at Up Hill, I hurriedly completed the trimming and got out on the bike. It was a beautiful evening and I passed many others out on the Tivoli loop. I think the rain has been like the end of one chapter in the story of this summer, now everything has a Fall feel. The days are noticeably shorter, the Fair is in full swing, the Princess will be returning to school very shortly. I am not going to complain, now starts some of the best riding weather and apples will be aplenty at the roadside stands. I am going to enjoy this brief gre...

I think we have had enough rain, by my observation of the pool out back we have recieved in excess of 3 inches. Today is day 3 of no bike riding and I am ready to get back out. At any rate the rain has caused me to spend time on the web searching for more local history. Here is the Story of Mr Robert Fulton and his connection with the lord of the Manor. To a man as full of mechanical genius as Dominie Gebhard, and to sons growing up with the same tastes, the stories of a forth-coming boat on the Hudson run by steam, could not but produce eager expectation and intelligent interest. The fact that this new venture was the combined effort of Chancellor Livingston and Robert Fulton, made it doubly attractive to the section of country which Chancellor Livingston called home. The subject was under discussion a every stage-house and tavern, and the skippers of the sloops on the Hudson, looked forward with ill-concealed disdain to the attempt to run a boat irrespective of wind or tide, and th...

If you think taxes are high here in the valley...be Glad you were not living back in the day. I wonder what "Low Dutch' sounds like. An account of a voyage taken in 1769 by the proprietor of a wide tract of land called Smith's patent, in the middle of New York State, gives some interesting facts concerning the Manors and the Manor life along the upper Hudson, form an observer's standpoint. It says: "May 8th.--We went on shore to Two Stone Farm House on Beekman Manor in the County of Dutchess, the Men were absent and the Women and children could speak no other Language then Low Dutch, our Skipper was interpreter. One of the Tenants for Life, or very long Term, or for lives (uncertain which) pays twenty Bushels of Wheat in Kind for 97 acres of cleared Land, and liberty to get Wood for necessary Uses anywhere in the Manor--12 eggs sold here for six pence, Butter 14 d per pound and 2 shad cost 6 d. One Woman was very Neat, and the Iron hoops of her pails sc...

Last night was the first time I’ve been caught in the rain on the Surly. After work chores caused me to not get out on the road till after 6:30 pm. By 7:30 the sky was getting dark and I was cranking along, still about 6 miles from home. I was thinking to myself that it is getting on to that time of year when I might want to carry the frog lights, when the first flashes of lightning drew me away from my thoughts. Moments later the first big drops of rain started stinging my eyes. I hunkered down and headed on. Up in the distance I saw Mister Potts roadside fruit stand and rolled in under the overhang. Well, “this ain’t so bad”, I thought, I did not get soaked, I have all these nice peaches and plums, the shower will pass and I will not have to spend a bunch of time drying, cleaning and oiling later. I made a call to the Queen, just to let her know that I am ok. I enjoyed a 47 cent peach, as all I had was 47 cents and there was not a “per peach” price on the hand lettered sign that was ...

Well at least we got some rain yesterday, it is so dry at Up Hill that some of the trees are starting to drop leaves. Sunday had a real fall feel to the day and I kind of enjoyed it. The rain gave me a chance to test the new VO fenders that I recently installed on the Raieigh. The fenders work really well, they are way long and do deflect about 90% of the water from the tires. I have used those little ABS plastic fenders before and they really don't do a good job as they just consentrate the spray into one steady stream up your back. So it is off to work for me..Hi Ho Hi Ho

The City was still hot and muggy in the wee hours of Wednesday morning as the Queen and I made our way east on 49th street heading for Rockefeller Plaza. Even at 4:30 am there are still folks out on the streets especially Near Times Square. When we arrived at our destination there were already 5 or 6 people in line and I could see more arriving as I looked down the street through the early dawn haze. The things I do for work, people would never believe. Before too long we were as many as 100 people all dressed in the same black tee shirts, sipping the free coffee and mushy doughnuts that NBC supplies to the daily mob that populates the fence during the broadcast of the Today show. Right around 6:30am the production assistants let us into the plaza and we took up positions around the crowd fences. On and off during the show, the camera man would make a sweep of the crowd but every time they got close to us, they went to commercial…rats. I did get to shake hands with full time weather...

August 6th 1983 is the date that we got married in the gothic church in Hudson….27 years goes by quick. We marked the anniversary with brunch in Rhinebeck. Thankfully the town has returned to normal after the media encampment for the wedding of the Clintons daughter last weekend. When we got married we had $1500.00 bucks between us and I bet the Clinton wedding spent more than that on toilet paper. I did have a good week selling bikes, with the kids going back to school; they all are looking for cheap bikes to get around campus. I sold 2 girls 3 speeds, the old Columbia single speed and a 10 speed Ross. It funny how the Bard kids love the old girls bikes, I guess it makes a statement?

I have been busy here rebuilding an old lugged Raleigh "Sportif" that I rescued from the metals bin at the town transfer station earlier this summer. I am very pleased with how this project is progressing and the bike turns out to be a very comfortable and responsive ride. When I dragged the carcass home, the bike had been the victim of a poorly done "flat bar" conversion complete with big old ugly "comfort" saddle. The wheels were egg shaped and rubbed the brakes both fore and aft. The only thing that saved the old cromoly was a protective coating of oily grease on everything. I wish I had taken a "before" picture. I completely stripped the frame and did a through cleaning, hours of truing and polishing, lots of fitting and re-fitting. New cables, a nice vintage brooks, salvaged bars, and brand new fenders from Velo Orange. I still have to decide on what color bar tape, a water bottle cage and it will be ready to roll. Oh, and yes, I have cut th...