What Ever Happened to Zito's Ham?

The Slick 50 was a profitable ride. I spent money on beer; I rode away with a big ham. We made good use of that ham. Just you see.

In order to explain, we need to back up a bit. The Sunday morning after the Slick 50 began with a trip to the MN Children's Museum in St Paul. We loaded up and cruised over to that "other city."


Here's a family shot on the walk to the museum. Don't they look happy?


This is a shot of Aunt Hannah with Julian (Sylvia's cousin) and Sylvia. They are hard at work on art projects. For Sylvia that mostly meant squirting a lot of glue onto a piece of cardboard, but who am I to judge art?


The culmination of the day. Zito's ham went into the oven for a few hours and we worked on side dishes -- greens, carrots, sweet potatoes and biscuits. Angela and Eric came over and brought the carrots. It made a southern boy like me proud. That ham was GOOD. Thoroughly local, totally smoked. Even Angela (the "vegetarian") said, "Yum."

Zito's ham went on to feed a few more people the next day and care baggies went out to friends. The day after that more people ate from it and today it comprised the better portion of our lunch. By the time of writing it is almost depleted, but its memory will live on. We'll make soup from the bone. That ham was special. Locally processed, really tasty and many people enjoyed it. Plus, how often does one buy a ham and feed one's friends? Isn't that part of the greater meaning of food and meals in general?

Thanks, Zito!

The Weekend Came and Went

No baby yet. Now it's Sunday night (or it was when I began this post). We temporarily lost (or paid forward for the next two seasons?) an hour of our lives. But hey, it will be light for the commutes home -- yippee! Those of you with kids will understand when I say that the "red zone" is a tough time. April's technical due date is Tuesday. When you get within a week of that date everyday feels like a crap shoot. "Is today the day I might have to drop everything and rush home?" Who knows?



So, I'm gonna back up a bit. I had a visit last Thursday evening from an old friend, Chris. We used to work together at the Great Bell Canoe Making Company up in the glorious burgs of Zimmerman and Princeton. Chris lives in another central MN ivy league town, Cambridge. It's only an hour away, but we just don't get the chance to hang out much. He is a winter adventurer and a damn fine photographer who is actually making his dream (to be a professional photographer) come true.

Chris and I used to do lunch time training rides together. Princeton might be far from the Cities but it has some nice rural roads for riding. And everything is laid out in big squares, so there's little danger of getting lost. The rides were good for the body, but also the soul. Some days it seemed he and I were the only level-headed ones around the office. Getting out for an hour was vital for preserving sanity. That was so long ago it seems. Haven't we all had a job (or jobs) like that? A couple years' hindsight leaves you wondering how the hell you stuck around as long as you did?! Having a co-worker who is also a good friend helps.

Somewhere in the midst of bike conversations, Sylvia lost interest and gave in to sleep -- right at the dinner table. I carried her into bed and Chris and I tinkered with changing over a wheelset on his single speed. The hub he got from me is fixed only. Screw the freewheel -- time to grab life by the horns and ride! I hope he is exploring the joys of riding fixed and not hating every minute of it. Like clown bikes and recumbents, fixed isn't for everyone I suppose.

I found this photo by surprise on the camera. April snapped a spontaneous mommy and daughter shot. I like it.

On Sunday (gasp), we went to Southdale Mall. I had to visit ProEx for passport photos. We used the remainder of the time to walk around and observe people. Oh, and make a stop at Ben & Jerry's. Sylvia also got some excellent practice in escalator technique. When I was a kid I remember how cool escalators were. We had to go to a big city to see them. All the malls in my hometown were small and flat. That pretty much sums up life in my hometown of Clarksville TN.

Sylvia has known her alphabet for almost a full year. She also likes to type. She can read letters in words and find them on the keyboard. Here she took dictation from mommy and successfully typed the word "dad." Those are the moments that make all the two-year old meltdowns and tantrums melt away, just like my heart.

Monday morning commute started at around 8F. We had a high of 35 or so. Today it was 35 when I got on the bike and it's forecast to hit nearly 40! With full sun, the melt has begun. Happy pedaling!