Halloween Pot Luck

Some of the dishes we had at work yesterday.

 Witches hats and brooms.

 Witch ginfers.

 Shards of glass cupcakes.

 Rats.

Meat skull.

Remember How We Forgot

Just beautiful.

Brings Back Memories

During my bike commute home yesterday--yes, I'm still riding--I came up on a small line of cars being held up at a four way stop intersection. The first car appeared to be stalled and the cars behind it took their turns getting around. So I rolled up the right side to see if I could help. As I approached I saw the car lurch and stop and I instantly knew what was going on. Somebody can't drive a stick.

I got to the passenger side window and asked if they needed any help. The man on the passenger side explained he was teaching his daughter how to drive a stick. (That's a Bingo!) Frustrated with the lack of progress he got out and they switched seats. I went on and as he drove by me a strong smell of burning clutch was in his wake, which took me back in time.

I was 17 and driving my dad's 1959 Renault Dauphine. The gear shift on that car had an incredible amount of play in it. I was stopped on an incline and thought I put it in first. No, I knew I put it in first. Consequently, I tried to get going while in third and in spite of the overwhelming evidence to the contrary, I still knew I was in first gear. So, yeah, I know what a burning clutch smells like. Dad was pissed. Fortunately, he did not force me to help him replace the clutch. My mechanical skills, or lack thereof, would have just added to the tension.

But You Said...

The news cycle has moved on, but I have an observation about the story where Senator Dick Durbin alleged that an unnamed Republican House leader told the president, “I cannot even stand to look at you,” during the government shutdown negotiations back on October 10th.

Senator Harry Reid, apparently informed by a couple of other people, said it was Representative Pete Session (R-TX). Rep. Sessions issued a puzzling statement.

“I will not admit to saying anything because it would not be true. If they taped our conversations in there, and private conversations were taped, they should have advised us of that, and I’m disappointed that the White House would try and mislead people otherwise."

Here is what the White House said.

“While the quote attributed to a Republican lawmaker in the House GOP meeting with the president is not accurate, there was a miscommunication when the White House read out that meeting to Senate Democrats, and we regret the misunderstanding."

I don't understand how people are being misled. Also, everyone at the meeting is denying it happened.

What I find interesting is that Sessions mentions the possible recording of private conversations. Why would you mention the recording of private conversations unless you were concerned that what you said in private may become public?

Must be time to move along to more serious issues for Congress not to deal with.

Liberty Lake Cyclocross Video

Liberty Lake Cyclocross 2013 from hank greer on Vimeo.

Liberty Lake Cyclocross

The forecast said there was a 50 percent chance of rain and it was pouring during the entire drive to Liberty Lake. And it continued to soak the course. I had intended to do the single speed and men's masters 50+ but then I realized I did not have enough dry clothing if I was going to be out in the rain for two races and taking pictures in between and after. So I bagged the first race. The rain stopped about halfway through the race.

Liberty Lake is a challenging course, mostly because it's 90 percent uphill. Well, it seems like it. The start is a long gravel road that makes a sharp right (in gravel) into a campground where there's another sharp right (in gravel). Take that too wide and you get really close to one of those barbecue grills on a stand. Don't ask me how I know. After that we had some back-and-forth with 180-degree turns on wet grass that each race churned up and made boggier. (Is that a word?) A long straightaway followed with a turn just after the barriers and then we had some twisting and turning through the trees.

Coming out of that we made a beeline for the beach. This year the markers were set about three feet away from the water's edge so we weren't forced into the water. The sand was loose and quite a few people lost it on the first turn. The trip back is a long steady incline to the finish. The part right after the finish is steeper but the funny thing about it is that it doesn't look like it. But once you hit it you're gearing down. Okay, so I was. A little more twisting and turning and then you're climbing to get to the run up. For your reward you are treated to a long run up. After that you swoop down back onto the road and keep going until your time is up.

I was happy with my race. I stayed upright and I didn't get hurt. Two plusses right there. I reeled in a couple of racers, battled with them, and won each time. I passed the first guy on the run up. Then at the top I was greeted by Doug Newell offering a Dixie cup of beer. What the heck, you only live once, right? I grabbed it, jumped back on the bike, downed the beer, and rolled on. I had one each lap and I was surprised it didn't seem to affect me in a bad way.

The next guy I passed was on the first turn in the sand. I went way wide on the grass, got by him, and tracked a deep groove on the turn. Then I ran away from him on the climb back. I caught the third guy just after all the gravel. Coming out of the back-and-forths and onto the straightaway towards the barriers, I put it on the big chain ring and cranked it. That guy chased me the rest of the race. He didn't catch me but he did make up some time when I tried to remount after the barriers and slightly racked myself. Outside of that one mishap my barriers were smooth. I rode through the sand each lap. The run ups went great. I shouldered the bike each time. And the PBR at the top was a welcome treat. I had a good, fun race.

 Sand!

Jayne is an absolute fireball on the run up.

 This dude rode the run up every damn time.

Nigel accepts a beer from Doug on his last lap.

Boatloads of photos are posted on the INWCXS Facebook page.