I'm no racer chick...

I have been racing for over 4 years and I really have enjoyed every stinkin' mile, training ride, and race. It was only in these last few months that I really decided to put my head down and try to get one more top ten placing or a few more upgrade points.

In 3 consecutive weeks, I was involved in crashes; either I went down or it created such a gap, that I was never able to get back on to the front. San Ardo, being the last road race of the season and a good course for me, I knew I could nail this one. Last year, I got 5th place and there was no reason I should not have been able to grab 2nd this year. It did not happen. I did not get those points and I came in 11th.

I have to wonder if this sport is for me. I train properly, following my coaches plan, eat well, do not drink alcohol and recover properly. Loose a few more pounds? Rest more? Add sprint work? Quit my bartending job?

Maybe, I'll go back into the gym and hang up my bike for awhile..........

Animal Agents

http://www.animalagents.com/index2.php?id=2

A.A. is a local pet rescue haven that currently houses 85 dogs, 5 bunnies, 10 goats and 1 sheep. Soon they will be adding a cattery to their collection. Located in the middle of the grapevineyards, is where you will find their 5-acre parcel. The pooches are housed according to size. Each pen has lots of shade, a pool, a barn and plenty of room to run.

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The senior and special needs dogs are our favorite. These teen volunteers are holding an abandon 4-month old Chihuahua and a 6-month, blind pup. Both are adorable and lovable....the teens were pretty nice, too!

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In order to raise funds, they organized a terrific event on Saturday, which Jimmy and I attended. We support the pet rescue program so much, that I passed on racing and he didn't go to work, in order to support the event.

They raised alot of money, everyone had a terrific time. It was soooo hard to leave, without one bringing home one of those lil' buggers.......

Younger feline vs older canine

I was walking around the living room with my camera in hand and asked, "who wants their picture taken?" Arridia, the camera hog, stikes a pose, first:

pondering life pose

Bo was sick of watching the cat go through her entire set of poses and decided to take a nap....this is what he does most often these days.

I know, I'm a goober...........

Timpani update

I debated whether I should post my Timpani race report, but since both of my teammates were badly injured, I felt that I should pass on posting this time.

In a nutshell, Katie, Tracy and I were lining up for the final few laps, in a break. Racer Girl X was in front and either, slowed her speed dramatically or made an erratic move, but Katie's wheel got clipped and she went down. Tracy got nipped and went down. Somehow, I managed to escape any injuries.

Katie had alot of road rash and sustained injuries to her knee and hip area. She was able to limp away and went to see a doctor.

Tracy was not so lucky. I have been getting alot of questions about her recovery, so I am posting Tim's blog address, where he talks about her injuries. Also, he added their mailing address, so we can send her a card.

http://tloper.blogspot.com/

Road trip!

Bridgit and I, (youngest sis) drove to the Timpani criterium together and then headed straight out for an unplanned excursion down Highway 1. We had 3-4 days, to do and go wherever we wanted....no kids and no husbands. We roughed it everyday at campsites, by the beach.

I brought along variety of bikes for us: road, mountain and a beach cruiser. I chose the cruiser and Bridget hopped onto the mountain bike, which she promptly fell off-providing many hours of laughter for me.

We checked out the multi-million dollar condos that were perched on the beach cliffs. I was trying to peer into the open windows (nobody closes their curtains, when living on the beach) hoping to catch a glimpse of what a millionaire lifestyle entails. I saw a hairy-backed man in a Speedo watering his plants and that was about it.....

We headed off to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk for our next adventure. http://www.beachboardwalk.com/ No rides for us, instead we shopped, ate, and people-watched. Being the older sibling, I still have this uncanny ability to make the younger siblings do what I want.....like wearing a corny hat in public. Again, this provided many more hours of laughter for me.

We watched the sunning seals, while chomping on salt water taffy.

For our next outing, we went to the Winchester Mystery House, which was really cool. Bridgit invested $7.00 in an all-you-can-drink soda cup, which she promptly slurped up her money's worth of Dr. Pepper...again, providing me with hours of laughter. http://www.winchestermysteryhouse.com/

Oddly (or eerie-ly) my camera would not work inside the mansion, so I have no pics to show you. The tour took us about 3-hours and it was worth every penny. The craftsmanship is simply amazing.

We headed back to Fresno, where I was happily greeted by Jimmy and doggie, Bo. Though we missed our families, Bridgit and I had a great time and we cannot wait to do this again.