It's a bit early to wrap up 2012, so here are this winter's most compelling events thus far.
I'm presently in my annual month away from work. It's the same thing every year - I never take any time off and then I have to use my accumulated vacation time or forfeit it. Unfortunately, it hasn't exactly been a rejuvenating vacation.
Whatever plans BeanSS and I had for our time off together, they changed radically in late November when our wonderful dog Clayton got hurt. Without getting into the details, he underwent some fairly intense surgery and is now beginning a lengthy recovery at home. Clay can't be left alone and needs help getting around, so we spend most of our time hanging out with him. In this regard, not having to deal with being away at work during the week has been great. I've also got to watch many hours of
MeTV.
There are hall passes for this or that, so I've been able to tinker around with my bikes and actually ride them a little bit. I even dragged out my full-suss 29er trail bike and installed the upgrades (new shifters, wider bars) that I've had sitting around for months. I'd spent so much time on my rigid singlespeed and geared hardtail that I'd forgotten what a plush bike feels like. Vroom!
Clayton's recovery is the most important thing right now, so the rides have been short and close to home. Also, I'll have to wait and see what this week's winter storms do to the riding conditions. It's been so dry that the rain that does fall will likely soak right in, keeping the trails rideable. The cold temperatures, however, will probably trigger me to wuss out.
More later.
