Not the Salt Mines

 Did I mention that I am working again? Four days a week of this.

Looking for turtles

Riding around with the trailer
(seventh kid to use it)

Our mobile toy chest

Checking out the neighborhood hens

Always something to see at the neighborhood construction site

Not shown - lizards, low walls to walk on, trash/recycling/green waste trucks, puzzles, books, and records. I am so lucky!

Weekend Vacation

From Google Maps

The camp where A. spent many summer and winter sessions has a large campus a little over an hour away. In addition to large cabins for campers they have many smaller cabins that are used for other events. We received an email saying the campus was hosting families for holidays in September and October and explained all the benefits. Meals were provided and could be picked up and enjoyed as a picnic or in the eating area in the cabin. 

From the campus webpage

Activities available included archery, horseback riding, swimming, outdoor art, hiking, and more, which made it sound like nice change of pace. On the other hand, the price was a little high and we had no idea where the fires or smoke would be when we planned to be there. We talked it over and decided to change our weekend vacation to a morning outing to Oak Glen.

There had been two fires in that area and there was significant damage. In these pictures you can see that close to the road everything is fine but those hills in the background are gray with ash.

It was nice to see that some things were the same, like teenagers making apple cider donuts 

and the chestnut tree survived.

We did not pick raspberries but did bring home a 35+ pound box of B apples (seconds) and have been making a lot of applesauce. Last year I wrote about different cooking methods, but this year I have decided that the pressure cooker is the obvious winner, much to my surprise.

A. cycled home 50+ miles and D. and I drove home, helping the car celebrate its 52,000 mile birthday. It was not a weekend vacation, but it was a fine second choice.

Offbeat Tour Entertainment

I could hear the announcers talking about Landart - a cyclist from Louisiana? probably not. Or maybe it was some sort of cycling term, like crit or big ringing. D. pointed out they were talking about land art, the art in the fields that I had been taking pictures of. I have only a small sampling because I don't usually get to see a whole stage and for some reason when they show the highlights they show only the actually cycling portion of the event.

The announcers were told by fans that this was the way to score the art.

• Scale - 2
• Color - 2
• Movement - 2
• Originality - 4
• 
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

Which would get your highest score?

A bonus photo - not land art but I loved that this person was on international television. The commentator pointed out that they had a fabulous view of the race from their rooftop patio, which was true. I loved that having their laundry out was a normal part of life.

Yet More Flags

 I do like flags and the Tour de France has introduced me to some I had not seen before!

It was not surprising to see the Catalonian independence flag
since the stage took place in the French Pyrenees, not far from Catalonia.

New to me was ikurrina, the Basque flag.

Occitania flag (also sometimes with a star in the corner)

The Occitània, or more rarely Pays d'Oc, is the area of Europe that includes much of southern France, part of Catalonia and Piedmont, but even in Calabria there are Occitan communities. The flag shows the cross of Toulouse accompanied by a seven-pointed star, representing the historic regions of Occitania.

Even though the stage was not so close to Brittany we saw
quite a few of their flags (traditional on left, modern on right).

Here you see a summary by region and you can read a lot more here.

I can't find the flag shown between the two cyclists.

Former Tradition

 

photo credit - Danny Summerhill
It was traditional for winners of a race stage to be kissed by
tour hostesses, more commonly known as podium girls.
This was also tradition for darts and Formula 1 car
racing, which let go of this tradition before cycling did.

You can find articles about podium boys, facts about podium girls, and an American perspective.

I loved seeing the ceremonies after the eighth stage.
No kisses but matching masks and a variety of outfits for men and women.

The Tour

Sometimes it is a struggle to find blog material so I am grateful for a long, hot weekend and time to watch a couple stages of the Tour de France. Watching an entire stage allows me to enjoy the parts of the race that don't make it to the highlights, like helicopter views of people's backyard farms and ruins of 12th century churches. I heard the story of one racer missing the birth of his child because originally the race would have been over weeks and weeks ago.

I am amazed by the riders that can ride in a pack.
This shows only a small portion of the peleton, or group of cyclists.

Do the cyclists read what is written on the road?
I appreciate that there are fences here and the fans are wearing masks.

It raises my blood pressure to see the people who enter the
course and shout at the riders (and occasionally touch them).
I understand that it is tradition, but I have never liked it.

More about traditions to follow.

August leftovers

A long time ago A. asked if we could get the trash,
recycling, and green waste barrels power washed. I finally did
it myself and it turned out to be worth the effort.

Pretty morning riding around reservoir 

A generous gift from a friend

Another nice view on a morning ride

Back to work

Our old ice cream maker
- it was good to try it and good to give it away.