Fall is here!!...??

So, in the middle of last week, it was 74 degrees. On Sunday night, I ate dinner, comfortably, outside. While the warm weather feels nice, it doesn't make you feel good about our environment.

Family - big news here was the Annual Kator/Boyle Pumpkin Hunt. I was told about this some time back and havn't been on it in years, maybe 10 or more. Well, I thought I would get on board this train. it would be fun, right?

In a nutshell, yes. But, it has changed over the years. As I remember it, we would take a few family trips up to WI - one for fun in Burlington and a trip to A&W, maybe one to the Monastery, and one more for pumpkins. Well, they do all of them rolled into one day now. I think they get up before sunrise and get home with the rest of the FIB-WI lake house traffic late on Sunday night.

After feeling quite sick ("if yer walkin down the hall...") on Friday and Saturday AND botching a family event for Nicole on Saturday, we both decided to go down on Sunday for pumpkins (thiniking it was maybe a stop at A&W and pumpkins). She drove us down in about 10 minutes from Milwaukee. This is fast, but no problem. We hung out at A&W and waited for the Kator Karavan. Boyles arrived first and I quickly realized this was an all day event. Well, Nicole and I would have to cut it short b/c one of us had a test the next day (hint, not me).

The weather was also about 70 degrees and sunny. This made the pumpkin patch (normally a sedate affair) bustling with everyone and their uncle trying to buy pumpkins. Tom finally corralled a wheelbarrow/wheelbarrel (?) and we filled it with some orange gourds... plus a bale of hay for the Boyle's lawn. Once in line for payment, it didn't take too long and we were all off on our separate ways. All in all, not a bad way to spend an autumnal Sunday afternoon.

[Want to see pics? Go to Vic's blog linked through my page]

Friends - no ill affects from George's weekend visit except some tired eyes on Monday. I agree with George, it's nice to have one weekend day where you just relax at home. Without it, I tend to feel less than rested on Monday morning.

Work - I'd like to pretend this week's update was late b/c I was waiting for the all bike group meeting we just had today (Tu), but that's not true. While everything is moving really fast at work, I'm trying to pin down people (inside and out) to help me decide some big and small issues on a daily basis. It keeps it interesting, that's for sure...esp if they have a fear of needles.

Bike - The stable is not yet put away for the year due to the nice weather of late. So, before really deciding I was sick this past weekend, I went out for a quick city spin on the brown bike. I've got to say, the bike's great and it's been the best way to see more and more of my new city. I've found bike/ped bridges I never knew existed, cool bike paths, new neighborhoods, etc. Not to mention, I usually hit the lakefront for a bit too.

Working on a couple new bike projects - road bike is a must as everyone at work rides them at lunch. And, a 29er bike is in the works (listen up Tom). This is a MTB that has larger diameter wheels (roughly 29", but the same physical rim diameter as a road wheel). The MTB fathers say that they ride much smoother over rough terrain, handle more stable, and can fit some people alot better (e.g. tall people). We make enough parts with the brands here that I can get one going pretty easy. I'm not sure either bike is going to happen based on funds, but maybe. Also, all my bikes (even the ones I'm only thinking about) are now on a very handy Excel spreadsheet with each part, weight, cost, color, etc. it's pretty A/R... speaking of...

A/R - Kinda of a long one - So, this story begins with my "new" truck. When I got it, I put on new wiper blades and decided to try Rain-X. Thought it would be a good double-whammy on vision problems driving in WI and IL. Well, no sooner did rains hit then my driver's side wiper start to chatter like a mo-fo. I can't handle this kind of noise while driving. After a couple window washes, and wiper blade wipe downs - no getting rid of the noise or Rain-X film. This stuff sticks like Teflon. I emailed Rain-X to see what they recommmend. Turns out, SoftScrub is the tool of choice for this job. So, picture me, last night, buying lemon scented SoftScrub at SuperK, and then with the rain spitting down, prewashing, scrubbing, and rewashing my windshield at the gas station. I only wonder if the, no offense, Indian guy in the store saw me and wondered what the heck the dumb white guy was doing. However, as of the drive home last night, no more noise - hallelujah!