Renewed Enthusiasm

Sometimes I come up with a blog post title before I start typing and then veer off in a totally different direction than I intended and the title makes absolutely no sense.  At that point, the title gets changed or because I’ve veered so far afield I save the draft and restart.  Over the years, I’ve written about a half-dozen blog posts that are now saved as drafts that got so far off course, I couldn’t even find a new direction for them.  I look at them and shake my head, hit save again, and then move on to something new.  This post started like that, but, this time, I selected all, hit delete and regrouped.  Take 2.

First, I’m back in the shop after a few days at the NAHBS show.  I didn’t take a bunch of photos.  Kind of forgot to because it was nice to catch up with old friends I hadn’t seen for maybe a dozen years and see new friends.  It was extra special seeing some of those friends walk away with awards at the show:  Steve Rex for Best Fillet-Brazed Frame, John Caletti for Best Finish, and Todd Ingermanson for Best In Show.  There’s plenty of great photo galleries on the interwebs if you search out NAHBS photos.

One of the main things I came back from the show with was a renewed desire to get out on the bike more frequently than I have.  There are some events I want to do this year that will require a better level of fitness than I have now and more time on the bike is crucial for having a better time riding in those events.  The first one coming up is the Eroica California in early April.  For that, I’m finishing a 62cm 1980 Masi Gran Criterium that I’ve had for a bout 10 years and building a new to me 1985 65cm Eddy Merckx.  I want to ride the Merckx because it will fit better, but being that I used to do the product development for Masi and Masi is the celebrated marque this year, I may find myself riding that one.

Other rides I want to try to get to are the Grinduro again and the Lost and Found, both up in the Sierra Nevada Mountains of California.  Others?  Perhaps.

And I got a new camera – a Sony RX100 M3.  Looking forward to using this more as the detail it brings out is much improved over my current 7 and 13 year old cameras.

(What’s playing:  R.E.M. First We Take Manhattan)