Palo Alto Bicycles

(Jamie Watson * Jon Mara - Palo Alto Bicycles Campagnolo Evening 2009---photo courtesy of Jay Watson)

Now this is an interesting title (a.k.a. A blast from my past!) for an email. This bike shop has such a profound meaning for me. Obviously, it's a very nice place to buy some very nice "bike-stuff". I loved being a customer there, then becoming part of the team/staff that works there and meeting some very special customers and friends. But it goes deeper than that. I fell in love there! So of course---Palo Alto Bicycles will always be "that" place for me. And it is always one of the top 10 "lists of important things" I have when I am working on the "other side of the industry"---I always hope to be able to work with this shop and the people that make this shop what it is.

Last Thursday night, Palo Alto Bicycles hosted a Campagnolo evening and so many people who are near and dear to my heart showed and made the evening so much fun you can hardly call it work! And to make things even better, the weather was as good as it gets.

Thursday morning, Mike and I woke up to one of the "perfect" days in San Francisco. You could see Mt. Diablo clear as a bell to the East, Mt. Tamapais beyond Alcatraz and Angel Island to the North, and the Farallones out in the Pacific to the West. We went out for a dozen fresh baked bagels and fruit and yogurt and headed to the top of Twin peaks to enjoy the magnificent morning sun in my favorite city. What a place. There wasn't even a breathe of wind, and the infamous fog was nowhere to be found! Splendid! The Golden Gate Bridge was so clear it looked like a postcard!

So--now we are getting ready to head to Belgium early Thursday morning for 11 days of Belgian Bike racing classics, and some vacation! Lots to get done before we go, but I am really getting excited to actually be traveling somewhere for fun for a change!

Here's a photo of my friend (and model) Jamie from the event at Palo Alto. She used to work upstairs from the shop---My lovely surfer girl! Happy Sunday!

Running in the wind!

Mike and I have been enjoying a lovely early spring in Reno. In a world of "worrisome news", it's amazing to have such glorious days. We've had some beyond belief, absolutely fabulous ones weather-wise. And anyone who has been reading me for any amount of time, knows that I talk about the weather more than I should. So really beautiful days, day after day after day, have given me a lot less to write about in the complaint department!

And after a week of staying put at home, catching up on bills and sleep, and getting back in my groove, I am refreshed enough to hit the road and the friendly skies again tomorrow. I leave for a week in Seattle and Portland. Ah, the glorious Pacific Northwest! And true to form, rain and cloudy weather prevail. It looks like a storm is brewing in the Pacific just in time for my trip! It'll give me something to complain about. The fact is, both of the cities are beautiful ones. And if you time it right, and you get to glimpse Mt. Ranier, Mt. St. Helen's, Hood and Baker, they will for sure take your breath away. Now that I live in the high desert, a little bit of rain on the random road trip hardly bothers me anymore.

And the reason? Running. I can run in the snow, the rain, the cold and the desert wind. I can run on business trips and I only have to bring my Newton running shoes!!! This may sound like a dumb thing to use exclamation points with, but I have to say that my rekindled running-love has changed my life. Business trips would really stress me out when I would miss so many days off the bike. But now, I find myself opting out of bike rides to go for a long run. I still love the bike. It doesn't beat me up so much. But when you can't sneak out for 2+ hours, gearing up in all the cold weather gear, versus throwing on some sweats and a hoodie and some running shoes sure is a nice option!

So---I may not run like the wind (it's blowing at about 25mph right now---that Pacific NW storm thing), but I am running in the wind and it doesn't matter if it's a head wind or at my back for a change! How about that?

Happy Saturday!

A whole weekend at home!

What a treat it is to not have anywhere to be, or have to load up, pack up and drive somewhere for two whole days. Oddly, I found myself putting in about 8 hours of "homework", but the beauty of it, if you can call it that is that it was home--home sweet home, work! I really love being home! Mike and I spent the last 2 weeks driving, riding, and talking bikes and fancy Italian bicycle clothing all up and down the California borders. We experienced rain, snow, record heat (as in 90 degrees in San Diego)and unexplored, unfamilar roads to ride---along with the familiar ones. I have written and erased about 4 sentences as each time I write about the trip, it sounds too fun. And it was work.

As much as I LOVE having Mike along for the trips, it is always a bit stressful trying to figure out when and where MT is going to get a few hours off to go for a ride. Heaven's knows, he deserves it. So do I. And we always ride every day at home. So why not on these trips? But I have learned that if I can see a few more shops and forego a ride, I will appreciate the effort later. So a few times, he gets to ride from one location or another---or he will go and ride 100 miles while I slave away at the Campagnolo booth at the Gran Fondo in San Diego. The gist, is that while these trips sound like all fun and no work---they really are work. And the beauty is that I still love my work. But it's work. (did you get that? in my wordy sentences?) And Mike has decided that he likes staying home when I leave on the trips for the most part.

The Scrapper of course, enjoyed some R&R with her Grandparents in California. She had such a good time, that after one day, she decided she would rather stay home and be spoiled with Gramma & Papa then join her crazy parents traveling to bike shops.

I am home for a whole week! (Next week is the Pacific Northwest) And it is beautiful here in the mountains. One of the best things of not being home and not being able to ride everyday, was that my leg has finally healed enough to RUN! Forced downtown is not always a bad thing! I ran outside in the hills all weekend. The mountains are all dusted in snow (they were brown when we left), and the thinner mountain air is so clean and crisp. I love where I live.

So, finally rested, I can prepare for the next trip to Seattle and Portland, before the big events in Oakland and Palo Alto at the end of March. And you want to hear some amazing news---it is almost 5 years ago that my Mom had her surgery. She will have to go back on chemo in May---but her spirits are up, her energy is strong, and she has enough courage to face whatever they've thrown her way thus far. Thanks for asking how she is. And for all the extra prayers.

Happy Sunday!