Apple Music published a cool end-of-year stats breakdown.

Top artists?

Top songs?

Whew, it is an intense morning wake-up in Europe.

I like this quote today…

“I wish it need not have happened in my time,” said Frodo.

“So do I,” said Gandalf, “and so do all who live to see such times. But that is not for them to decide. All we have to decide is what to do with the time that is given us.”

― J.R.R. Tolkien, The Fellowship of the Ring

I’ve been listening to a little “Hello, darkness, my old friend” this morning…

The magic of democracy at work. 

The people of the USA are about to get what they think they voted for 🤣.

Nobody wants to wake up in 1920s Italy or Germany, but now we get to see where this goes and how bad it gets (hopefully not as bad as either of those). If he does what he says he will do (and everyone around him says they will do), it is going to be bad. We shall see…

It is a sad day, but it is also darkly hilarious. I will be laughing as these poor people start realizing that “the leopard ate my face” in the coming years. So many people are easily swayed by the easy message of fear, hate, and easy fixes to complex problems.

Europe has a lot to process this morning.

I would like to say they have adequately prepared for this, but I don’t think they have.

France is in a bad political state, Germany is in utter chaos, and Russia is at the door. What will they do?

• Will the USA leave NATO?
• Will the USA cut off all Ukraine aid? How much aid can Biden push through before January?
• Will the EU send troops to Ukraine to stop Russia?
• Will Poland unilaterally enter the war with Ukraine without the EU? Will other members of the Eastern Block rally without the EU?
• Will Russia invade Georgia? Latvia? Estonia?

Interesting times. Hopefully this pushes them to make some deep improvements to the EU and get their shit together.

As a peasant, I continue to watch this terrible movie.

Calico gets two weeks off in the Fall, and we drove up to the Pyrenees mountains for a week of rest.

We love the French school tempo, as you get two weeks off in the Fall, early Winter, and Spring. With half the day off on Wednesday, it is amazing to see the change in Calico’s mood (plus, the school is very good, and he likes it).

We found this amazing home nestled in the mountains. It had an amazing view, fireplace, hammock, and boules (Pétanque) court. We went on two stunning hikes, and I managed one big bike ride before my seatpost broke (I’m working to fix it). We made smores, grilled, and made lots of fires to keep us warm. The only downside was I had a weird allergy to something in the house, probably dust mites, but after a few days, it lessened.

And Calico read a ton, he finished Harry Potter 3!

It was a short 6-day tour, but I saw some really beautiful parts of France. The first two days were especially beautiful as the gorge and mountains were stunning.

I didn’t get enough training, but somehow, I managed to throw up some great numbers, and my body felt great! The only mishap I had was a fall yesterday. I took a wooden rail a little fast, and at an angle that was too narrow, so I slid my back wheel out. Me and the bike are ok; I was impressed that the tailfin bag system wasn’t even phased.

Totals?

• 483km
• ~24 hours of riding
• 3,326m of altitude gain
• 6 days of riding (1 rest day)
• Average km/h of 20
• The average daily ride distance was 81km
• The average daily ride length was 4 hours and 1 minute
• Two big climbing days with 1,059m and 990m in elevation gain.

The new bike is so much faster than my other bike!

My average speed on this trip was 20km an hour, whereas, in previous tours, it was 17.9, 18.5, 17.4, and 14.9. Part of that is the bike is much lighter, tires much faster, and I was carrying a little less weight in the panniers.

Ditto on ride time, as I pushed a little harder since it was a short trip. On my last tour, I averaged 3.5-hour riding days versus 4 hours this trip.

My notes for my next bike tour:

• I might need to mount my water bottles on the outside of the front tire or buy two 5L mounts to put extra gear there, as the new 22L bags are much smaller than the last ones.
• I had to dump my lightweight shoes, and I can’t do that on the next trip. They are crucial as walking around in wet biking shoes sucks.
• I need to pack lights as when it is stormy and gray, I would benefit from some flashers.
• Add my new pedals to my old bike as I like them so much better, and the grip is much improved.

116km / 5 hours 29 min / 645m gain

And a very long ride for my last day to Bordeaux. The last few hours were tough, but it was good to get home. It is my second-longest ride in Strava, which is cool.

Beautiful scenery, and it is a lot wetter in this half of France. I noticed a real change about two days ago as I crossed more and more to the wetter side of France (as opposed to the Med / Perpignan area).

86km / 3 hours 55 min / 175m gain

Today was a longish ride but pretty.

It started off chilly, and then the sun came out. I was glad to avoid more rain. The canal route got a lot more “foresty,” which was nice to look at. I just hummed along and split the time between silence and an audiobook called The Comfort Crisis By Michael Easter (which has been very interesting so far).

According to Strava, I set my second fastest 50-mile/80-km time today (3 hours 50 minutes).

I barely made lunch at a restaurant near my B&B. It was delicious! I am staying away from stuff, so I’ll eat pretty basic for dinner (a can of peas and some trail mix). Tomorrow I’ve got a very long ride to home and I’ll need to find some food along the way.

70km / 3 hours 24 min / 90m gain

It started off gray with a light rain for the first 20km. Then, it rained cats and dogs in the middle. I threw on my rain jacket, and I was golden (but soaked).

I was very glad to have my waterproof gloves this time. There are no pictures from the ride due to the rain. But when I got into town, the sun came out, and I visited a famous church and monastery (and wearing my fashionable waterproof socks since my shoes are soacked)!

What was for dinner? One can of chickpeas, some bread, and some steamed carrots that were going bad. I didn’t make it to the grocery store in time (Sunday), so I just had my emergency stock. I ate my sardines, rice crackers, and banana chips under a bridge. Fun times!!!

80km / 3 hours 42 min / 367m gain

It was crazy windy today!

My weather app says 60km gusts. Luckily, they are mostly going in the same direction I am. I would head to be pedaling into this headwind…

After a few km, I made it to the Canal du Midi! From here on out, I’ll be on the canal route all the way to Bordeaux (pretty much). I like it as it is beautiful and green (although I miss the stunning mountains and climbs I was doing).

I biked a bit farther today to make it to Toulouse. I haven’t been here before, and I’ve wanted to visit for a long time. It is a beautiful city, and I visited a church and museum with a Cather exhibit and wandered the city for a while. I am staying in the “literature room” at a cool hotel focused on art. As I was pulling up, so was one of the employees at the hotel, and he ended up riding his bike with me to the parking garage and locking up my bike. Super nice dude!

There was some rain in the late afternoon as I was grabbing some groceries and walking back to my hotel. Tomorrow might be a wet ride, though… :)

68km / 3 hours 48 min / 990m gain

Today was the last big climbing day. The rest of the trip will be very flat.

I slept wonderfully after reading a ton. In the evening, a ferocious cold wind arrived. Luckily, it is going in the same direction as me (as gusts hit 60km today). I am glad I am not fighting headwinds all day.

I also saw a fox today! I look for them on every tour, and so far, I haven’t been disappointed. It took a good look at me, and then it rambled off as if I was the last thing on its mind.

I stopped at a little history point and hiked down to a Roman bridge. It led to a beautiful mini-gorge and it would be fun to visit in the summer to swim and hike around.

63km / 3 hours 51 min / 1,059m gain

Today’s ride was stunning. The Pyrenees in the background, winefields around every turn, and an insane gorge that I hope to visit again one day. The ride wrapped around a huge drop-off. I want to return and hike down to the church built into the side of it. The new bike handled it all perfectly and so much easier to climb with!

I stopped in Maruey for lunch and tried the local wine (it was good).

I had a bit of trouble finding my rural gite. There was no cell phone signal, and even my GPS coordinates were off. Eventually, I found it, and I spent a night with no electricity, internet, or Wi-Fi. It was glorious, and I want to go back. The only shower was outside (I love it!), and they had a dry toilet, which brings me back to my Arkansas days at Nancy’s.

There were some decent climbs today, and somehow, I managed to get sunburned in a few spots. I don’t usually start so late, but I had to go to the post office to mail some things home that wouldn’t fit in the new bike bags (way smaller, even though I thought I bought a similar size…). So I am without my non-biking shoes and pants.

I am in the small French town of Ille-sur-Têt to pick up my new bike from Caminade!

I rode the new bike for an hour and it is AMAZE⚽🏀🏈⚾🎾🏐🏉🏓!!!!!

I took it down some singletrack and it can go so fast and soak up so much. If I was in Germany the police would have pulled me over for smiling too much.

The titanium frame is custom built for me and the geometry feels superb. My Tout Terrain bike feels like a tank, it can go anywhere and do anything. The Camiade bike is insanely light, built to go fast, and the responsiveness makes you feel like you are driving a Ferrari. I can’t wait to spend more time on it!  I am always surprised by how much geometry changes how a bike feels.

I am riding it back to Bordeaux over the next 7 days. 

The first few days will be random routes Northwest, and then I will follow the Canal Midi and Canal Garrone the entire way back home. I am hoping for no headwind and rain, but prepared for both 😀.

Flamingos!

On the train ride down you go by a beautiful estuary off the Mediterranean. I saw hundreds of flamingos just chilling. It makes me so happy to see them. I think they are a beautiful weird bird and I never imagined living in the same place as them.

I visited the Tulsa zoo when I was growing up in Arkansas and the flamingos always mesmerized me. They seemed so exotic. I never considered that I might one day live where they live. I don’t think I could even have thought such a thought, it just wasn’t possible in my head at the time.

Fun fact… the collective noun to describe a gathering of flamingos is “flamboyance”, so you would describe what I saw as a flamboyance of flamingos. I pray to Allah that there is a fantastically gay Miami night club with the same name…

(And peacocks as well, where do they live Wikipedia?)

What was for dinner?

6 eggs, a can of Garbonzo eggs, an onion, and some butter as I don’t have olive oil. Plus, an apple, cheese, and small chunk of a baugette as an appetizer. I bought 6 local eggs and couldn’t bring myself to not eat them… what does that say about me? I’m not sure, but they were delicious.

Note to self…

• You forgot 1 pair of socks…
• The new 22l bags feel much smaller then what I have at home… double check those numbers.

In Portugal, Calico went to a Catholic school attached to a convent (I think the nuns used to also teach at the school in the old days). Lindsey was picking up Calico from school, and there was an ambulance there, wheeling a nun out to it. Lindsey asked Calico what happened, and he said, “My plan is working,” with a totally straight face. That kid.

This week, Lindsey walked by Calico’s room. He was playing with a Lego knight. One of the knights had a missing arm, and Lindsey heard him making up a backstory. At some point, he said, “He’s been through some stuff.” LOL!

We are back home in France after a LONG trip to the USA!

We spent 10 days in Colorado and 16 days in Arkansas. It was fantastic to be in Colorado and see all our friends whom we haven’t seen in 5+ years. Colorado is so beautiful! We remembered why we liked living there so much.

We also had to clean out a storage container in Colorado. It had all our stuff from our time there, and it feels good to get rid of that cost. It was painful to see all the stuff we had accumulated during that period of our life. I think it is motivating both of us not to buy as much stuff going forward.

I had a great time hanging out with family in Arkansas as well. Among many other things, we went to the fair and Silver Dollar City, which was super fun to do with Calico. It was good to get some longer chats with family.

On the frustrating side, I hurt my back while I was there but managed to do a lot of rehab to get it back to almost normal. I also am very behind on work due to the trip not having a great place for me to work from, and if I do this trip in the future, I am going to have to figure out a better desk setup there. Working from dining room tables is not great on my back.

Some random pictures from our travels…

Wow, what a month.

108 days to election day in the USA…

Are you feeling a sense of doom? Unease? Disbelief? Stupefication?

Me too! Weeeeeeee…

In moments like this, I remind myself that I am a peasant.

I have very little power as a peasant.

I vote. I try to be kind to the other monkeys. And I try to make my little area of the world better. But beyond that, I am just watching this crazy show.

I feel sad for the voters who want Orange Dumbo back in office. I understand why they are falling prey to his cult, as the USA has failed large swaths of its people in so many ways. And it is easy to be seduced by fear, anger, and a “strong man” figure. History is full of these stories. I look forward to seeing how the dice roll…

We flew to Belgrade, Serbia, this week and had a wonderful time meeting my brother, his wife, Isadora, and my new nephew Viktor (~10 months old!). My mom and Tony also flew into town, and it was great to have almost everyone in the same rooms (Jasmine & Vin, we will see very soon in Arkansas). We also got to meet Isadora’s family, who were wonderful and hosted us the entire week.

Viktor is adorable, and I am so glad I got to hang out with him and play with him at this age. It was amazing to see Calico with the baby, and he did so well.

The only bummer was the heatwave Belgrade and the region were experiencing. That limited what we could do outside. Hopefully, next year, it will be cooler, or we can plan a big rental up in the mountains/forest outside of the city.