Whoa … I can do this from my phone?! Blogging just got a lot more accessible!
Check out my "new" commuter bike.
With a bit of TLC, she will be a classic beauty. I will feel like a real Davisian (Davisite?) doing my daily work commute by bike.
It was a lovely day today for a quick ride to Winter and back. Total for the day close to 50.
Icy cold, refreshing,, and spicy!
Now, how do I rotate this pic?
Summer of 2015 isn’t quite over yet, but in some ways it feels like it was over before it even started. For various reasons, I have hardly cycled at all. Summer 2015 brought with it lots of pain, stress, and difficult decisions, but the best one I made is to move back to Davis.
Buh-bye 45+ minute morning commute and sometimes even an hour or more commute heading back to Sacramento.
Hello 10 minute commute … and that’s “rush hour” in Davis.
Once I get settled a bit I will be bike commuting. This has been a multi-phase move as I unexpectedly had to move before September 1st, which would have been a nice thing to know before I signed a September lease. Aah, this too shall pass. The upside to this is that I have been staying with a lovely family in Davis in a beautiful home, complete with a sweet cat and darling Beagle.
As Helen Keller said, “Life is either a daring adventure, or nothing at all.”
The goal is to focus on the positive.
I've been getting some nice sunrise walks in in the morning...
I’ve even been able to get a couple of pre-work rides in!
Morning ride, out on Road 29
Oh how I love to start my day with a beautiful sunrise!
And there’s always the Wednesday Night Market in Davis …
Beautiful, Mouth-Watering Heirloom Tomatoes
Here’s wishing you a deliciously beautiful day!
I’ve been able to get a few good rides and even a little hiking in lately.
Post work ride to Winters, off Putah Creek Road
Pre-work ride, along the Sacramento River
How I miss cycling these roads every morning ...
... and every evening.
I even got to hike in Auburn recently!
All this exercise makes me …
Smile!
I’m not sure if it’s allergies or I picked up a bit of a cold, but I was feeling a bit funky yesterday. I’m hoping I feel up to lots of cycling this weekend. I’m thinking it’s just allergies because Wednesday night I rode out to Winters and it was crazy windy*. Of all of the rides to forget to take The Buff … It might look a little funky, and if it’s hot out, it is a little uncomfortable, but it sure does help with allergy prevention. Oh, and keeping bugs off my face.
* The headwind on the way out was brutal, but the tailwind on the way back … oh, yes!
OK, enough blah blah blah, must get to work.
I had a lovely walk this afternoon and ran into a colleague in the Arboretum on campus. We walked and chatted together for a bit. I enjoyed the company and it was a nice break from a rather … the right word escapes me at the moment … morning in the office. It wasn’t a bad morning, it was just … different.
It was a beautiful day in Davis, lots of sunshine, a little bit breezy, and warm. Here are a few photos from just off campus to enjoy.
First Sunflower of the Season!
Roses just off the Arboretum ...
So fragrant ...
... so sweet ...
... makes for a refreshing and reinvigorating mid-day break.
Then to end the day like this …oh, so, so needed.
I keep going to the river to ...
The 2015 Napa Valley Tour de Cure is in just 3 weeks from Sunday! Where did the time go? I am still striving to reach Champion status. Won’t you help me? You can make a donation here.
I am looking forward to joining some fellow Tour de Cure cyclists on Sunday for a training ride in the beautiful Napa Valley!
So, my friend and I loaded up a truck with our bikes and gear and drove all the way to Davis. It was a bit breezy in Sacramento when we left, but … by the time we got to Davis the wind was really blowing.
I unloaded by bike, changed shoes, started gearing up to take on this wind … my friend, on the other hand, didn’t even want to take her bike out of the truck. So, we packed everything back up and headed back to Sacramento for a ride on the American River Trail.
Classic!
We got about 40 miles in on the ART.
So excited to ride in Davis today! I miss it so much!
Swordfish with Pineapple Salsa
Fall 2014 Quarter has officially started and life on campus is returning to its hectic quarter pace. I miss my morning pre-work rides, but have been able to get a few post-work rides in lately.
Thursday on my way home … dealing with commute traffic (ugh!) … I realized that what I really needed was to sort of reset things with a healthy, satisfying dinner. I stopped by my new local neighborhood store, Sprouts Farmers Market, and wandered about. Walking by the seafood counter, I saw some beautiful wild swordfish on sale. Hmm … grilled wild swordfish with pineapple salsa … why not? That was one of the very first special meals I cooked as a rookie foodie, and a soothing reminder of a simpler time long ago.
This beauty of it is that this is actually a very simple meal to prepare. Marinate the fish. Chop a few ingredients for the salsa. Make a simple salad. Grill the fish. Enjoy. If you want, serve with some roasted root veggies (pictured here – from the deli counter at my local Nugget Market), steamed rice, or a crusty hearth bread.
First, marinate the swordfish in some freshly squeezed lime juice and a little olive oil while you prepare the pineapple salsa.
Pineapple Salsa
1 1/2 cups fresh pineapple* chunks (about 1/4-inch cubes)
2 Serrano chilies, seeded and chopped
1 small red onion, cut into about 1/8-inch chunks
juice of 1-2 fresh limes
a large handful of fresh cilantro leaves
salt and pepper to taste
Fresh pineapple is best, but in a pinch you could use canned (in its own juice, not sweetened).
Prepare the cilantro. Remove the leaves from the stems, rinse well and drain on towels.
Prepare the fresh pineapple. Using a large chef’s knife, cut off both top and bottom and discard. Cut off the outer skin, being sure to cut deep enough to remove the “eyes.” If you’ve never cut a fresh pineapple, try Googling “how to cut a pineapple” and you’ll find some videos and easy to follow instructions.
Once you’ve removed all of the skin and “eyes” of the pineapple, slice off a few 1/4-inch thick slices, then stack them and cut them into 1/4-inch cubes.
Note – if you want to make this even more simple … buy some pre-cut fresh pineapple chunks or spears. Many stores carry it in the the produce section.
Rinse the peppers, then cut them length-wise. I like to remove most of the seeds from the peppers, otherwise the salsa is too hot. However, some like it hot, so this is up to you! Dice finely and add to the pineapple.
Squeeze the limes and add the juice to the pineapple and peppers.
Coarsely chop the cilantro and add. Stir to combine all ingredients well. Season to taste with a little salt and pepper.
Get your grill ready. While it is pre-heating, prepare your salad or other side dish. I’d recommend a simple salad with a light citrusy vinaigrette.
Grill the swordfish. Click here for some simple directions.
Place the grilled fish on your plate and spoon some salsa over it. Serve with side dish(es) of your choice.
Enjoy!
California Crepe
Side of Banana!
Saturday we ventured to Davis, exploring the route to the Causeway. This will be a fun commute to work someday! For a break, we stopped at Crepeville, one of my favorite breakfast stops in Davis. A crepe is a bit much for me to eat mid-ride, so I just snuck a few bites along with my side of banana.
I do miss cycling in the Davis area, but it’s good to explore new rides.
Sunday I just grabbed a quick morning ride before a family visit and trip to Napa for a little wine tasting fun!
A splash of bubbly!
Here’s hoping you had a great weekend and got to enjoy some fun outdoor activities. If you’re in an area with lots of smoke (way too many fires burning in the area right now), be careful exercising too much outdoors right now, especially if you’ve got any sort of respiratory troubles. It’s important to have a back up plan for these bad air days.
La Bicyclette … it was love at first bite.
We need you in Davis, California. We are “Bicycle City,” you know!
Review Coming Soon!
Thanks Davis Bike Club for inviting me to join your ride on Road 29 today – and I didn’t even have my DBC jersey on! I was struggling in the wind and thinking of turning around to head home. I enjoyed the company and the draft and ended up with a total of 54 miles for the day.
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