Mmm...beer, etc.

I just got back from a nice few laps at the regional park. Singlespeed, natch. I figured I'd better make use of today's clear skies and relatively warm temps, as a pair of winter storms are going to hit over the next coupla' days. We, as Tucsonans, welcome the winters rains but I, as a cabin fever-prone individual, need my sunshine. It's a conundrum.

I finally popped the top on one of those pints of Dutch lager I've been threatening to drink for weeks. I think I deserve it, considering that the Doohickey replacement job on my KLR went pretty badly. I effed it up almost a week ago but writing about it still makes me angry (at myself). All I can say is that I hope, when I once again crack open the left side of the crankcase, I don't find a whole new meaning for the term "exploded view".

BeanSS spent a few days with family in Phoenix and came back loaded up with home baked goods - it doesn't get any better than that. And just so it's clear that there's equal consideration, I baked BeanSS a cake before she left. Never mind that her stuff was all from scratch and my stuff came from a box. After all, I needed all the time I could spare to bollocks up my motorcycle.

OK, pint number two is now in play and with it, another change of subject. Or maybe just a rehashing of the bicycling topic. Veelz dropped by the other day to collect me for a mountain bike ride at Sweetwater. I apparently left my legs at home (I felt strong but was totally averse to climbing), so we didn't even manage five miles. It's a good thing I'm not training for the 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo like he is.

Well, how about that? I do believe I have a nice little background-level buzz going. Coincident with my subtle yet enjoyable level of impairment is the arrival, in our house, of a nice holiday ham baked by my mother-in-law. Along with bicycling, birding, and a host of other hobbies, I have a strong interest in cured pork products.

And with that, I'm closing this post and heading for the kitchen.

A perfect storm

I started the day with a nice, brisk dog walk, after which I decided to put in a long session behind the binoculars. The skies were clear and the wind was calm. I recorded the bluebird weather in my field notes, even writing that it could be a productive day for hawkwatching.

The first raptor sighting was of a red-tailed hawk, a distinctive and strikingly-marked individual that I don't recall seeing earlier this year - probably a wintering bird. Later, a frantically dispersing flock of rock pigeons gave away the presence of a cruising peregrine falcon. I've been seeing peregrines in my neighborhood fairly regularly for a week or two, but each new sighting is still a big thrill for me. Not five minutes later, a prairie falcon circled over the house, its dark axillars obvious in the bright sky. An American kestrel, another red-tail or two, and a hatch-year Cooper's hawk all made appearances just before midday.

By the time I saw a lone Harris's hawk flying in the distance, the vanguards of a winter storm had started to move across the Old Pueblo. The wind kicked up and the temperature dropped noticeably. I traded my shorts for jeans and threw on a fleece jacket. The wind grew stronger yet, eventually filling the skies with so much airborne dust that I abandoned my idea of taking an afternoon road bike ride. I birded a while longer, finally giving up when the visibility deteriorated to the point that seeing distant raptors became difficult.

I went inside and after horsing around on the web for a while, I decided to take Clayton and Dora for a second walk. I'm glad I did because on the way back, a Merlin flew over the little patch of desert we were hiking across and landed on a utility pole, a freshly caught passerine in its talons. I was without my binocs, but it looked to be a Taiga-race bird. I suspect it's the same individual I've seen, photographed, and blogged (here and here) during both of the past two winters.

One day, seven species of birds of prey, including all four North American falcons one could reasonably expect to see in Tucson - not too shabby. I have to say that despite everything that's been going on, this was an absolutely perfect day.

Finally

I've finally managed to stagger into my winter vacation. This has been a long and rather difficult year and I'm hoping that BeanSS and I can recharge our batteries over the next few weeks. To that end, I threw down a quick couple of laps at Sweetwater this evening.

My father's memorial was held earlier this week, and it was nice. The solemnity of the Veterans' service was especially moving. The rare, simultaneous presence of all of my brothers and sisters seemed to make it as much a reunion as it was a goodbye. I picked up an urban fishing license so I can make good on my commitment to go fishing, a pastime to which my dad introduced me but for which I've found less and less time over the years. The license is only good until the end of the year but maybe I'll make a resolution about angling more next year.

I also have some wrenching to do on my motorcycle. Yeah, I was recently overtaken by events but back in mid-November, I finally found the used bike for which I'd been searching for six months. It's a 10-year old Kawasaki KLR650 - my very own low-buck, single-cylinder adventure bike. It runs pretty well and I've been riding it here and there, but it needs a little bit of work before I'm willing to ride it past the city limits sign. If you know this model, you'll understand when I say that it needs the Doohickey done. I also have to replace the shift-shaft and countershaft seals to stop the bike from marking its territory with little dime blots of engine oil. And here I thought that keeping up with bicycle maintenance was difficult.

The much-delayed arrival of the motorcycle allowed (or at times, required) me to keep commuting to work via bicycle. I ended up with a bit over 150 round trips for 2008 and also reached another milestone - my 10,000th mile of commuting since starting in earnest in January of 2000. I doubt I'll continue heaping on the miles now that I have a motorcycle, but I still hope to maintain a decent bicycle mileage base and be able to ride harder on weekends. We'll just have to see.