They Only Come Out at Night

P6290022, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

It turns out the shiny things in the grass picked up by peripheral vision are spiders, and healthy sized spiders at that. This one's tarantula sized, but I don't think it's a tarantula. Here's a picture next to my wheel to give an indication of size (I was not brave enough to put my hand down to provide scale).

In addition to the spiders, it appears the local militia is also active at night. Here's a snap next to one of their advanced assault vehicles.

The views are great - unfortunately I'm too worked by the climbs to hold the camera steady.

Night Ride

With days kept busy with the kids, the new baby, and trying to hold down the house, there's been no time to ride. That is, until I got inspired and dug out the light usually used for winter commuting, and hit the trail after sundown. An intense ride in the night was just what the doctor ordered, and despite the so-so bike light and my middle-aged eyes, I managed not to kill myself.

We Make Our Own Fun

P6260008
Originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr

Kids These Days

P6240023, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Barely home from the hospital, and look at the attire, not to mention be referred to as "the 'rents," and the f'shizzle m'dizzle.

Seriously, though, the newborn jaundice is not cool - no one is happy about having to spend a couple days in a device that looks like the trunk of a notorious 62 Chevy Malibu

Side effects can include excessive hair growth and listlessness.

Maintenance Procedure Review

P6240010, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Hmmm... haven't installed a diaper for a while.

Inspiration

Sacrifice, discipline, dogged determination, never losing sight of the goal no matter how difficult the path.

The reward.

The pride of a job well done.

Safety Knee Here...

P6240016, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

reminding everyone to ride safe this summer.

My Dinner with Belly

Belly days are winding down, so I made sure to take my belly out on the town for what may have been the last time.

Stepping out with belly...

We'll take my ride...

Buckle up, belly...

... because I drive one speed, and that's fast...

Gonna do right by my belly...

... and baby.

Later on, it was time to relax with a video.

Give and Take

Remember, for all the trail gives... .

..it can exact a price in return.

Hyperactive

hyperactive
Originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr

Unfortunately the in-utero movement doesn't translate well to a digicam to computer to web compressed video... this has been one busy kid so far.

Family Portrait

P6050191, originally uploaded by doug.smith.flickr.

Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.

More Reasons Your Commute Sucks (commute #73)

Let's face it - your commute probably sucks... trapped in an iron cage... your body atrophying... your mind forming their opinions as you listen to what they program...

Below are some samples from my commute. Don't be a hater - you made your bed, now lie in it.

I'm sorry. I'm sorry. I know -- you're right -- everyone's situation is different. I know you'd rather ride sweet single track to work than drive to work.

Before I show you the goods, though, keep in mind it's not always rosy. Here's what happens when you cut a tire that encases a slime tube. My tire a splode!

All in all, a minor hassle, especially considering the scenery.

Advances in Job Site Security

Level 1 - Bungee cord.

Sure, the bungee cord provides a high level of security. Recent advances in the field however have made possible heretofore unimaginable levels of security.

Park City Children's Fair: The Official Start of Summer

With the last day of school invariably the Friday before the Park City children's fair, we feel the summer officially starts with the fair.

Reyna was eager with anticipation on the way up.

I contemplated what sort of damage I could do if cloned.

Reyna got to ride a pony.

I got some of the local attitude, e.g. "Who you looking at?"

Conor was busy helping sell tickets, but found some time to enjoy the fair.

After the pony ride, Reyna vowed to never walk again.

Now that we've been to the fair, let the summer games begin.

Cyclocross Rumor Mill

Now that the cyclocross preseason is fully underway both on the roads and the trails, Dr. Cross is poised to release a cyclocross wheel set, as proven by the following photos divulged by someone close to the matter.

As you can see, this particular wheel is labeled "Dr.X 2000" (or is it Dr. X Z000?). Rumor has it famed venture capitalist Mitt Romney designed the flip-flop hub.

Mitt's also a local sports promoter - he brought the rodeo or a monster truck rally or something like that to Salt Lake in 2002.

Do It All Device

Got a new Blackberry at work. While the last one I had was plenty capable in terms of e-mail, mobile web-browsing, and instant messaging, the new one adds a camera and an MP3 player.

Unfortunately, due to corporate security standards, the camera has been disabled. The use of the desktop software that comes with the phone is also forbidden for security reasons, which means I need to carry three devices instead of one.

Still, it barely registers on the annoyance scale. And speaking of annoying, I captured a battle of the wills between some guys affiliated with the construction project on the lot next to my office (as evidenced by their driving pick-ups), and some guys who apparently were running an illegal valet parking operation, parking the cars in what is now the construction site. The valet's ended up moving the cars off the lot, with no blood being shed.

Another School Year in the Books, and One Less Tooth

Another school year in the books. Here's a video of Conor shaking it at the closing celebration.

Reyna graduated this year, finishing three year's worth of early childhood work in two years, just like here brother. Take a bow, Reyna.

And as if that wasn't enough excitement, Reyna lost here first tooth Saturday.

With that over, let summertime begin.