Christmas 2012

Dear Friends,

It’s Christmas Eve and again this procrastinator is just now getting around to writing the Christmas letter. So I’m not late, yet. Here’s this year’s update.

My health has been good this year. All of my cancer follow-up screenings have yielded good results. I never tire of those good reports. My ankle has healed well after 2011’s little oopsie that resulted in screws and plates.  The only health SNAFU is that due to some complications, I had to have surgery in October to convert my ostomy from temporary to permanent, which though not unexpected, was earlier than I had planned. Surgery went very well but it has taken a good six to eight weeks to recover and I’m still not 100%. The upside is that I’ve lost almost 15 pounds. It’s not the recommended weight loss method but hey, I’ll take it.

The kittens—Eeyore, Tigger, and Roo—have grown up into cats. They’re still skittish and won’t dare show their faces whenever anyone comes to visit, but they are quite cute when it’s just us. I’m enjoying having little buddies at home to greet me and keep me company. And I sometimes see little glimpses of Kelly and WOC in their behavior.

Roo

Eeyore

Tigger

I continued to volunteer and fundraise this year with the Fuller Center. I decided to try again and rode as part of the Fuller Center Bike Adventure and cycled from Daytona Beach to Key West during the last week in June. This ride was certainly flatter than last year’s ride from Columbus to DC but we were pummeled by Tropical Storm Debby for the first three days. But the ride through the Keys was really a lot of fun and I spent a couple of days after the ride was over to explore Key West. The money I raised through the ride was used in this year’s Legacy Build in La Florida, Peru. I spent a week in Peru in September building masonry houses. I was able to sponsor two of the ten homes built and one of those two was made possible through the Bike Adventure funds. It was a wonderful week spent with great friends, old and new, and at the end, ten very deserving families had new, simple, safe, decent, affordable homes to call their own. And I got to make friends with my little buddy, Difreth. If I could have taken him home with me, I would have, but luckily he has a wonderful, loving family in Peru.

Hope all of you are doing well. Best wishes for Christmas, Hanukkah, and the New Year.

Karen, Eeyore, Tigger, and Roo

NOVA-CBG Purcellville Fall Foliage Ride

Post on yesterday's group ride:
Cool, crisp morning. Had a chill in the air all day. Had a good ride out to Purcellville but my left knee starting hurting like a big dog on the ride back, so much so that I couldn't pedal under power with my left leg, so I unclipped and pedaled with just one leg for as long as I could. Stopped at Carolina Brothers on the way back but couldn't go on beyond that. Didn't get the "complete" W&OD completed but did log a fair number of miles even so. And thanks to Sam for giving me a ride home since I couldn't bike home. And those Mojitos at Clyde's and then the Carlyle certainly helped to ease the pain.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/233109538

2012 Seagull Century (Assateague Course)

Post on yesterday's Seagull Century.
Absolutely fabulous ride on the Assateague Course at the Seagull Century. Weather was perfect: 60+ at the start and got into the 70s, maybe 80, during the day. I was spinning like a big dog all day and felt great throughout. Averaged 15.5 mph for the first 60+ to Assateague Island and 14.5 mph over the entire course. Caught some headwind between Assateague and the VFW rest stop in Powellville at Mile 84. Got ensconced in a big paceline during that leg that pulled me along for a good 5 or 6 miles. Caught some horizontal rain and wind between miles 93 and 95.5, which seemed fitting since that is what the Seagull is known for. And I did a lot of drafting wherever I could off of whatever was available, including comfort bikes, tandems, and recumbents. I wasn't picky: if it was moving at about my speed or faster, I hooked myself on for a while until I either slingshot past or fell off. It was unreal. Probably my best day on the bike, EVER! And it was great riding with Sharon and Andrea. First century for both of them and they did a great job. We all rode across the finish line together. What a great day! Can't wait for next year.

http://connect.garmin.com/activity/231092977

NOVA-CBG Super Oxford Loop by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Great day for the newly revamped and expanded Oxford Loop. Started with a nice breakfast at the Robert Morris Inn and lunch was fabulous at the Crab Claw in St. Michaels. Caught a few of the pacelines and did my share of pulling for some while also riding my own ride for portions. Fabulous time, great group to ride with and a nice single-malt whisky to end the day. Nuff said. Don't get no better then dat.
NOVA-CBG Super Oxford Loop by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

NOVA-CBG Boot Camp Ride to Ft Hunt by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Drill Sergeant Claudine hosted yet another fabulous boot camp ride this morning. Weather was perfect and we got down to Ft Hunt, did some laps, and then the boot camp exercises began: push-ups, sit-ups, and planks. Claudine may look so petite and nice, but she's an animal when it comes to the rides and workouts. She's quite the motivator. She missed her calling. She definitely should've been a Marine drill instructor down at Parris Island. Ooorah!!
NOVA-CBG Boot Camp Ride to Ft Hunt by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

NOVA-CBG Arlington Triangle Fishy Edition by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Great day for a ride. A little brisk first thing this morning but turned into a perfect day: sunny, comfortable temperature, no humidity. I started off pretty sluggishly since I haven't ridden in a few weeks and due to my mostly liquid diet over the past weeks. Plus the fact that I had a medical procedure yesterday. Started to get some oomph after about 4 miles or so and then started to kick into gear. Veered off from the group for a side trip to the office to pick up my paycheck, then met up with them again at the fish market. You can't beat some nice steamed, spiced shrimp and Maryland crab soup. After lunch we set off to the Jefferson Memorial for some group pictures, then back to Shirlington to end the ride. And then of course there was the ride after the ride festivities at Guapo's. Overall, a pretty good day.
NOVA-CBG Arlington Triangle Fishy Edition by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Millard Fuller Legacy Build 2012: La Florida, Peru

So it's the end of Day 5 and this is my first post on the Peru build here in La Florida. To say that the time passed in an instant is an understatement. It's been a whirlwind week and we managed to finish all 10 houses. We did have a good start as all the exterior block walls were already in place when we got here. However, that still left the roof, pouring the concrete floor, installing windows and doors, building interior partition walls, and some landscaping. We were blessed to have great homeowners on both the house I sponsored myself and the one that was funded by my Bike Adventure fundraising. And the crews on both houses were top notch (of course I did handpick them but still, they are fabulous). It was great to have Lael and Mark Butler act as the house leaders for each house and to have Mary Lou Bowman and Russ Cubbin on House 7, where I was working, and Holly Eaton and Tommy O'Brien on House 6 with Mark. We also worked with local Peruvian "Maestros" who provided guidance on local building practices. The fact that none of us spoke Spanish fluently didn't seem to cause many problems as we had some young translators who assisted us and we made great use of the point and gesture technique.

The homeowner family at house 7 was phenomenal. They worked so hard and were so welcoming and appreciative. And young Difreth and I became fast friends. I wish I could bring him home with me, he's just so cute. The simple bamboo hut they've been living in was yet a home and they worked very hard to keep it up. But they were so excited when we finished everything up, and they dressed up the house with balloons and ribbon and painted the front to make it their own. The family plans to move into the new home tomorrow, which is such a wonderful ending for this week's efforts. Seeing the smiles and the tears at the house dedication makes everything worth it. I'm so happy I was able to play some small part in helping La Florida establish simple, decent, affordable homes. Now we get two days to play tourist and then it's back to Los Estados Unidos. I think I'm going to need a vacation to recover from my vacation.

2012 Reston Century - Half Metric Plus by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Started off on the wrong foot - literally - when I arrived for the ride sans bike shoes. But the good folks at The Bike Lane in Reston opened the store just for me and got me a new pair of shoes and cleats. So off we went on the ride. Weather forecast was right on the money with the promised scattered showers indeed populating our ride on and off, with some of them real gully washers. But we persevered and made the most of it. After completing the first leg and the Ashburn loop, I decided we hadn't gone far enough so we should do another half-loop for some extra mileage. And the weather looked pretty good at this point. Of course, I rode us right back into the rain with some nice dark clouds and even some thunder claps when we got back to the Ashburn trail crossing. So we beat feat back to Reston, getting absolutely drenched for a while through to almost Sterling, and then it pretty much cleared the rest of the way. Logged around 40.5 miles so more than a metric century but not quite an English century. Still pretty good considering the circumstances.
2012 Reston Century - Half Metric Plus by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

NOVA-CBG Hains Point and Fish Market by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

Nice little ride from Washington Sailing Marina to the DC Fish Market by way of Hains Point. Felt good in spite of the fact that I haven't eaten solid food in a week. And the rain held off so we didn't have to deal with that until the after-ride back from Cold Stone Creamery. Not too bad. Now we'll see how I do at the Reston Century tomorrow.
NOVA-CBG Hains Point and Fish Market by kwarkentien at Garmin Connect - Details

2012 LIVESTRONG Challenge Philly

I was able to salvage the trip by bailing on the 100 and doing the 20 mile course. Gut has been in knots--literally--for the past day and a half and second time in a week so haven't been able to eat and been just miserable. Felt a little better this AM so I said "what the hell?" and set off on the ride. Did pretty well considering.

http://app.strava.com/rides/19078632

Oregon Road Loop

Took Candy out on a nice ride around Mattituck and Cutchogue on the Oregon Road Loop. A bit hot and humid with some brief spritzes but still a good little workout. Gotta love having a bike up here to ride.

http://app.strava.com/rides/17895009

NOVA-CBG Udvar-Hazy Air & Space Museum Recon Ride

Day started out hot, humid, and sunny. Didn't get to ride to Vienna because I was running late due to the ice-maker leaking all over the freezer (gotta figure that one out). Found a few issues with the route out but basically a nice medium level ride. Enjoyed our brief visit to the museum while watching the nasty weather, with horizontal rain and wind, roll through. Waited around long enough for most of it to pass and then set off for the return trip. And Ruby and I kicked ass on the W&OD false flat back into Vienna, with a good cadence and speed. Got a couple of PRs today. Sweet!

http://app.strava.com/rides/16796975

2012 NOVA-CBG Summer Picnic

Nice ride over to the picnic, easy after lunch picnic ride, and ride home via the reverse Zoo Review route with a side trip out the westbound Custis Trail. And a nice ride after the ride in Shirlington topped it all off.

http://app.strava.com/rides/16588099