The Many faces of Kantner

This guy is one photogenic dude. No two pictures are ever the same.

get your drink on...again

Tuesday the 15th, Mark and I got up early enough to ride the hills before Gera picked us up for our daily feeding at his house. The Castro family has feed us like we were at a professional football training camp and we’ve been packing it in like we’re trying to make the starting defensive line backer positions. So an adventure on a road we think leads to the flat section around to the other side of town sounded like a good idea but the Uruguayan DOT foiled our plans by laying down a coat of tar and pitch about 15 miles into the route and turned the ride into another out and back. When we returned, Gera was waiting for us.
After lunch we headed to the pool/restaurant/cottage rental/disco for some fun in the sun and a dip in the pool. Not to mention 40’s of beer and a tan line contest which Mark won hands down.

Bush says, "No Pee Pee"

If you ever find yourself in Uruguay and have to take a leak don’t go to the US Embassy and ask to use the restroom because there is a strict policy on the use of the toilet by US citizens and that would be, NO!
But instead head on over to this place, the capitol building of the country of Uruguay.
Not only will you be allowed to pee but you can take a self guided tour or look in on the Secretary of Foreign Relations,
maybe check out a book at the national library
and take some photos of the guards in the Great Hall.

Jebus update; Father, why have you forsaken me?

It would appear that after tiny Jesus did not live up to expectations by failing to grow to the size listed on the packaging in which he was delivered, he has decided to become Hindu and practice Yoga.

Getting some sun

Our next day in Uruguay was Sunday, a traditional day of training. These people love sports of all kinds; Futbol (soccer), rugby (giant men rolling on the ground together) and motor sports like dirt bikes, rally cars and Formula 1 which is so much classer than NASCAR and with hotter women chasing after drivers that have seen the world and speak mutable languages. Also most of the population seems to participate in some activity like running or league sport. Today we went cycling, after all its one reason we came.
Gera lead us on a 2.5hr flat spin; after 90 days of racing in Argentina and having great end of year results with his name and image all over the news, (everyone follows cycling), he needed to just do chill rides

Kitchen diaries

Punat del Este

After sleeping until noon then eating lunch we drove 40 minutes to Uruguay’s resort beach. Called the Riviera of South America it truly is the best beach I’ve ever been on.
It has multiple topographical features along the shore line, rock cliffs, wide white sand beach, grass covered dunes, sectioned off into different cultural atmospheres. A family beach where people play games in the sand, kick around the Futbol and fly kites. A bar beach with umbrella shaded beds, café tables, a chill out DJ setting the mood, masseuse working in a white linen draped gazebo and Fernet with ice and coke to pull it altogether.

Then for the rich and famous there is the Casino, high rise condos, marinas and restaurants with the girls dressed as though they were in a fashion show or a strip club.

jesus

Gira del Uruguay

Mark playing it cool before he boards the plane with an ounce and a half of Peruvian flake in his prison wallet.


Prolog, Richmond to DC
Wednesday Jan. 10th
Record time to Dulles Airport in 1hr 30min then on to El Salvador and after a short 2 hour layover a connection to Lima Peru for a 7hr wait for the 4 hour flight to Uruguay. The ticket was cheep and as long as I kept telling myself that I was ok but still 23hrs. door to door for 11 hours of flight time was a high price to pay. We settled into the training camp house Friday morning at 7:30 for some sleep until 1pm.
Gera came to pick us up to meet his mother and father at their home for lunch.
After a long lunch we met with Gera and Jorge to do a quick 20 miles to try and spike the energy.
Then typical evening meal at 10pm until 2am. I’m beat…

Down and out

My days as an amateur lounge chair jockey.

Today I’m traveling down to South America, Uruguay to be exact, to visit my good friend Gera and I’ll be out of touch for awhile. I met him about 4 years ago when he moved to Richmond to road race for Team Natures Path Organic Foods. He and Craig, Paul and others are like pool hustlers, they travel up and down the east coast looking for good races with decent cash prizes and try to take home the money. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don’t and sometimes a car rear ends their van doing 85 MPH. In the northern hemisphere Gera races from about April until October and in the southern hemisphere he races from about October until April. That makes me tired just thinking about it but he’ll take some time to cool down and ride with me and my traveling companion Mark.

If we’re lucky we’ll get to meet someone like this on the beach; Big Bird's hot sister, Babe Bird. I wonder if she tastes like chicken?

I don’t know much, but I know this

Stack up a saw horse load of trim and step back…it’s getting run. Since 1982 I’ve loved to design, layout, build and install interior wood work; molding, steps, box newel posts, handrails, cabinets and mantels, it’s fun and satisfying work.

I used ta coudn’t speel single speed world championship

But now I’m in and will be going to Napa for the SSWC08 in August, so it looks like I’ll be riding the hell out of my Surly 1x1 from now until then. I don’t have or am I interested in getting any ink, nor do I have a chance of winning this thing, but…

it's just a shed

With the painting almost done I think I can install this trim by Tuesday before I leave. But if I don’t… Lo haré más adelante

How to mount rollers

Keeping a padded weight bench beside the rollers helps in 2 ways, 1, to use as a stepping platform and 2, the pad helps in a drift off tumble.

Sometimes the penalty for failure is a slingshot into the bike stand to my left but I’ve found I’m usually thrown to my right no matter what side of the rollers I come off.

A trick I picked up somewhere is to run a strip of tape around the front rolling cylinder in 2 places about 3 inches each side of center. This allows me to watch TV and if I stray the bumping of hitting the tape alerts me that I’ll soon be jetting across the floor and adding another skid mark to the collection.

It also helps to hold your mouth right.

The Last Temptation of Christ.

After 2 days of no growth I decided to literally pull the plug on Grow Jebus. Although he gave it his best I can’t help but be a little disappointed in his size. I had hoped he’d come close to the size of Hula Girl so I could photograph them in compromising positions. The best I can do now is some up grass skirt shots.
The package said that once removed from water he would return to his tiny size. I wonder if Evangelicals were removed the religion would also. It’s worth a try.
I’m now going on a search for a Grow Mohamed; it would be interesting to see how big he gets.

New Years resolution? Work more.

That’s not going to be easy since I’m heading out on a South American vacation soon. So I skipped the New Years Day ride to start priming the trim material for the interior of my work shop I built this past spring. Originally built as a tool shed it has quickly become a club house of sorts and could possibly be the bike space with a couch and a TV playing cycling videos. I’m thinking “Tour” party in July. Besides, I’ve got Job Boxes for the construction tools I use and its time to get the bikes out of the house…maybe.