Daddy's Bicycle

Seamus really likes bikes!

Christmas in September...

Well, preparations for Christmas anyway. Seamus loves my bicycles, I have been looking for a tricycle that had lots of design cues from traditional bicycles. I think I found it. I can't wait for him to see this in a couple of months.

Smart investing...

It would appear, that at least in the short term, petroleum is still a good investment.

"Last quarter, Exxon Mobil posted the highest profits of any corporation in U.S. history - $11.68 billion"

No gouging and no gas...

(Maybe this 3:30 pm traffic jam I took a picture of in Las Vegas a few years ago is a thing of the past)

Well the problem is back. The gas stations in town are all out of fuel, as are the stations in Asheville. Prices did not skyrocket this time (there were allegations of price gouging last time), the result is however the same. Everyone is in a mild panic ...and so we should be. We live in a community that has no sidewalks and mile after mile of narrow country roads.

The one fun thing for me. I am sort of an oddball novelty on campus. I am one of three bicycle commuters on the whole campus. The jeers have now turned to honest questioning. I can imagine the day when there might be as many of six of us commuting by bicycle :-)

Of course once the supply routes reopen and fuel arrives, the F250's used as commuter vehicles will be back in full force.

If Seamus made a video....

I take Seamus on a walk around the neighborhood almost every night. The donkey's are a must see!

Fuel before food...

So, I am not sure if many of you are experiencing this in your hometown or not. Here in Western North Carolina, due to our location, fuel delivery routes, the hurricane (nowhere near us), or some unknown combination of these and social factors, there is a gas panic.

When I returned from Raleigh on Tuesday I filled up the Civic and regular unleaded was $3.69 per gallon. On Friday when I rode my bicycle into work the neighborhood gas station was selling regular unleaded for $3.89. By 6 pm that evening the price was $4.19 as I pedaled home. Today ....it is $4.89. That is $1.20 more than Tuesday!

It doesn't appear folks are worried about food, but the thought of walking, cycling, carpooling, or heaven forbid public transportation is leading to a purchasing frenzy...apparently unaffected by price.

Bike Powered Bar!

My father-in-law sent me this link. Many of you know I like bicycles. I also like adult beverages. What a great combination!

and then came the rain...

It took me a while to get to this post, but after installing this baby in late July it was over a month until it rained at our house. It worked, well after some minor adjustments.

The math is easy enough to do. You can figure out how much rain you are going to collect, but after a few hours when you have 85 gallons it is still pretty amazing and that is only from about 1/8 of our roof. It makes me seriously consider getting a modern cistern installed.

Pumpkinsynthesis...

I purchased this bike in 2000, just after moving to Vermont. It has been a very trusty steed for a mail order bike. It is more or less relegated to commuting now. Due to the color I affectionately named it "The Pumpkin".

Photosynthesis

Photosynth is a Microsoft Live Labs product that could be fun. This first attempt isn't much (due to the user), but I think this could have useful teaching applications.

The Cat....

Seamus has been fascinated by cats for sometime now, but we have one dog (Bear) who would probably eat a cat. Thus, we will not be getting a real one anytime soon. However, a couple of weeks ago I found this neat cat puppet on Amazon.com and ordered it for him. His response to it has been overwhelming. He carries it around, hugs it, lies down on it, meows to it, etc. The picture and video were tough in indoor light today (Christine took these), but you get the idea.

Proximity

Traveled to Greensboro for a meeting at a trendy hotel that was very sustainable. Solar assisted hot water and much more. Most interesting to me, all the hotel shuttle vehicles out front were unusual antique or foreign taxis.

The big hike and cool breeze ....

Well, I had to work again today, but Seamus, Christine, Grammy, and Grandpa went for a Hike up to Max Patch. For an 18-month-old he gets around really well. I was told he did almost the entire hike without being carried.

Here is Joe cool! He would be even cooler if he could drink from a cup without spilling it down the front of his shirt :-)

Seamus and the impossible 40...

First, a picture I took of Seamus a few weeks ago (pre-haircut). We bought this recliner and he loves to sit in it and watch movies. His current favorite, almost an obsession is Milo and Otis. I don't know what it is about this movie, but he can't get enough. He definitely looks All-American in front of the tube. Archie Bunker would be proud.

I have a meeting in Greensboro tomorrow and had to drive down today. I decided to see if I could break 40 mpg in Christine's 2002 Honda Civic Sedan. I heard of folks getting 42-44 mpg in this model. The trip is almost entirely Interstate with a couple of big hills and then rolling to flat terrain. I did run the AC, but all the windows were up. I also did not exceed 65 mph during the entire trip and kept the cruise on for 80% of the way. I also tried to accelerate very modestly.

The best I could do? 39.527 mpg for the 212 mile trip. I bet if I went 55 mph I could get 42, but I might also wind up stuck to the grill of an 18-wheeler! Cost of fuel for the one-way trip $19.49

Busy busy...

One of Seamus' more mild daily destruction projects.

The waterbowl incident....

Haircut and a movie...

Well the crazy big blond hair finally had to go. Despite all the warnings about how he would not tolerate a haircut, I got out the clippers, demonstrated on myself and then called him over. He didn't mind the buzz a bit.

Then an even more noteworthy event occurred. Seamus at 18-months-old watched his first full length feature with me. I had put The Water Horse in the Netflix Que thinking he might like the creature and watch 15 minutes of it. Instead he watched about half of it from his pint size recliner and the other half from my lap. We also shared several bowls of popcorn together. I think the plot was probably lost on him, but he kept watching for the water horse to pop out. This movie was about 90-minutes. I am still amazed he sat through the whole thing.

Goats and a sheep...

We had a quick visit to John Mark and Susan's farm tonight to check on some Giant Pumpkins (really) and of course Seamus had to go. He loves the animals.

Hilton Head....

Greetings from Folley Beach in Hilton Head. On family vacation with the sisters and their families. More pictures soon. Seamus is a huge fan of the ocean. I was wondering whether he would like it or not, but he loves it especially being out in the waves.

Here Seamus checks out the pool at the Beach House.

Old News...

I know there has been video on Flickr for sometime, but I finally took a look around and there is some neat stuff.