So, I was at the Winnipeg library yesterday picking up a couple of books that I’d requested and while I was there I thought I’d pick up a couple of magazines for some casual reading. I picked up a copy of Popular Mechanics, a magazine I had a subscription to thanks to my grandparents for most of my childhood. As I took it off the rack I noticed this sign.
I knew that many library materials were available digitally and I’ve used Overdrive’sLibby to read and/or listen to these digital resources. I found that these apps on my iPhone or even the largest screen iPad Pro was a little difficult. There is typically a lot of scrolling and zooming to make the text readable so I generally gave up on reading library materials on the iPhone/iPad and stuck with the Kindle for reading digital materials.
Enter PressReader! the app is amazing and there is a very good chance you can use your local library card to sign into this app and read a huge number of magazines and newspapers for free!
The best part is the interface. Read in the original published format or tap an article and it pops up in a window where you can focus on just that article in a scalable font that you can adjust to your liking and even have the article read to you! Super cool! And even better it’s a Canadian company, how good is that!
Tap on an article…
… and get it in a nice scrollable window with scalable text
Check it out on you iPhone and or iPad. If you’re a newspaper or magazine reader you won’t be disappointed.
I took a paddle down to the bay at the bottom of our point to be with the wildlife and nature as the sun rose. With a coffee on board it was a leisurely paddle with fog rolling across the water in the coolish 3°.
Two days of fishing just around the corner of our point yielded 15 bass in short order, lots of action! The three boys kept me busy getting fish off the hook and into a bucket.
/im
Day #1 08/20 in Red, Day #2 08/21 in Green 7.52 NMi or 13.9 kmParkerArytonDane
Funny how we still say “mileage” when things are typically measured in kilometres. Kilometerage certainly sounds funny and I don’t think it’s even a word.
Anyway, this week my mileage was about twice the typical week at 425km thanks to a FROG (77km), FOG (95km), solo ride (82km) and my Ride to Conquer cancer (160km) ride.
This is the biggest milage week in quite some time.
2022 is the 15th anniversary of Enbridge Ride to Conquer Cancer to raise funds for Princess Margaret Cancer Centre research and my 2nd ride. Not being in Toronto it’s a bit of a solo event as opposed to the fully supported ride from Toronto to Hamilton on Day 1 and then on to Niagara Falls on Day 2 with pit stops, lunch, dinner accommodations etc.
At the Legion, ready to go
Last year I was at the lake riding but this year I find myself in the city. The “official” ride is on the weekend, June 11 & 12 but the Saturday forecast here in Winnipeg is a bit iffy so I opted to ride on Thursday which was a perfect day, sunny, mid-twenties and very light winds.
The FOG casual ride group had planned a ride on Thursday as well which meant that I could hook up with them and have company for the first 100km, perhaps more and then finish up the remaining distance on my own to get to the 160km goal. 160km or 100 miles is a bit of a cyclists achievement referred to as a Century ride.
I load up the jersey pockets with provisions for the anticipated 5+ hours of riding and I leave the house at 8 am to meet the group at the Legion near Henderson Highway and the Perimeter. I’ve ridden from home to the Legion before but always on a Saturday morning. The rush hour traffic is crazy, especially with the one lane closure on Archibald right at the Tim Horton which causes it’s own traffic jam thanks to the drive-thru.
I meet up with the group and there are eight of us with another rider joining en route. The ride is the usual lively pace holding between 30-35km/hr with some faster bits thanks to a slight tail wind from time to time.
All is going well and I’m on target to reach 100 km by the time we get back into the city. As we’re proceeding south on Hwy 59 coming back from Birds Hill Park, I hit something, likely a rock, and get a pinch flat. Everyone stops and helps me repair the flat and we’re back underway, for about 100 feet and then there is a gunshot loud “explosion” as the same front tire gets another flat!
Upon closer inspection, which I should have done the first time, there is a sizeable cut in the sidewall of the tire and sort of like a hernia the tube which is at 100psi squeezes out the cut and explodes. Again, everyone stops and assists with this “discovery”.
The fix this time, in addition to my last new tube, is duct tape to the rescue! Dave somehow comes up with a small piece and places it over the cut on the inside of the tire. The new tube is then inflated to about 50-60 psi so as not to put too much pressure on the duct tape fix. It’s rideable but a little squishy feeling in the front. Now the goal is to get back home for some more serious repairs. Dave sticks with me as we ride to Windsor Park and the tire holds up all the way home.
Part 1
So much for 160km all in one go. But wait, there is more!?
I knew I’d need new tires sometime this year so last fall I caught a sale and had ordered a pair of Continental 5000s which were ready and waiting. Into the basement shop for a full tire change and I’m good to go again. Since I’m at home anyway I take the time to have a bit of lunch and refresh the water bottles before heading out for the last 60km.
Heading south to Ile de Chene will take me to 30+ and a good place to turn around and head home. Tires were great and no further incidents happened. Listening to a few podcasts helps the time solo riding pass.
Part 2
Some additional Strava info for the cycling geeks. Part 2 was a fair bit slower as I was more tired at this point and it’s easy to slack off when you’re not pacing with other riders.
Fundraising turned out well! A big thanks to all who supported this worthy cause.
So, in the end it all turns out well and my goal of 100 miles was achieved, just not the way I anticipated, like so much of life.
The Official Socks of the 2022 R2CC
UPDATE: The Ride raised $16.37 million for breakthrough research at The Princess Margaret, and it rained on them going from Hamilton to Niagara Falls ?
The counter is ready and the installers are here. Inside of two hours the counter is installed and the new sink is in place.
For me this meant that last night I removed all the now old counter tops for the last time. Disconnected the kitchen sink and the dishwasher and move the stove out of the way.
Everything, everywhereWe’re topless!Behind the stove where no man goesDishwasher removedFirst piece is inThis section is doneHalf the main L section in place
Unfortunately, I didn’t get a picture of the process they used to join the two pieces right in the middle of the sink. Two suction devices where placed on either side of the sink cutout and a vacuum pump attached. Each suction device had a bar on one side that allowed the installer to attach a nylon web strap with a ratchet device to each suction device. The epoxy joint compound was then mixed and applied, the two sides were pulled together by the ratcheting strap while multiple clams ensured that both the back and front edges of the joint were flush and smooth on top. The joint is almost invisible in the end.
Of course once the counter installers are done, the other trades (me) are on tap to put all the appliances back and reconnect the dishwasher and re-locate the electrical switch for the garburator . The sink connections have to wait 24 hours to allow all the silicone and epoxy to set properly.
The new deeper sink requires a small adjust meant to the drain, which turns out to be a full re-build of the connections from the garbage disposal to the drain line.
Plumber’s delight
Once we’re all reconnected it’s put back all the stuff that lives on the counter and start thinking about the next step which is is to finish repairing the wall behind where the old counter top was and prime it in preparation for backsplash tiling.
So, along with loosing some weight I’ve been focused on another cycling fitness goal, that of improving my Functional Threshold Power or FTP.
Once upon time I hit a record high in my FTP of 311 way back in January 2014 and that was the last time it’s been anywhere near that good.
Over the last 4 1/2 years various health issues have put a dint in my cycling abilities and correspondingly the FTP has been on a bit of a roller coaster. But after some steady workouts over the winter things are once again looking up. Today, I hit 230, the highest it’s been in a while.
I’ve been using the Wahoo X (formerly known as Wahoo Systm before they acquired RGT) for measuring FTP for the last little while and TrainerRoad before that all the way back to March 2012.
Wahoo Systm has two tests that they use to measure FTP the Half Monty and the Full Frontal. My last few testing results are below.
Pretty excited to be back to the cycling fitness level prior to starting on The Journey
Surprised that I’ve not done a post about my F1 addiction.
After watching a lot of Drive to Survive while in Toronto hospital last year I find F1 fascinating. Probably the most interest in any sporting event in my life so far. I’ve never followed a sport his closely before.
For whatever reason I was a big Mercedes/Hamilton fan last year but this year it’s hard to stand by the team when things are going so badly for them. It’s quite a shockingly bad start to the season with no signs of improving so far. But, never count them out, there is a lot of racing left.
This year my interest is even higher as I’ve joined an F1 Fantasy league. I’m currently sitting 10/19 and of course hoping to move up this weekend.
I have to admit that I’ve been banking on Ferrari for the Fantasy league but still hoping Mercedes/Russel can get back in the game and score some big points for my team.
