Hi guys -

Anyone got any exciting holiday plans for the summer? (except for Cairn, who we know is headed for London!  ;D)

I myself will be mostly at home, playing golf, maybe a weekend trip to an amusement park on the west coast (of Sweden). We're taking the majority of our vacation in October.

/Kate

I'm going to London too! I'm leaving on July 1 and am staying there for about a month or so. I have a lot of my family there plus an apartment so we go there every summer. I can't wait to go and shop and see all my family!  ;D

I'll also have a rather quiet holiday-my daughter will go on a horse-camp vacation for a week,my son is going to visit my in- laws and my husband will be away on business for some time  :P So,I'll be on my own and will have some time for gardening (garden is a bit neglected at the moment),reading and some leftovers from work ;D

I have a week for the 4th of July where hubby and I will be camping and biking around Illinois and Wisconsin.  The first week of August we will be doing our annual road bike trip in Wisconsin.  440 miles in 6 days!  

Can anyone guess what I'll be doing?  :P

Gee I wonder... ;)

leia, looks like we will be in London at the same time!

wrote on Jun 17^th, 2004 at 5:53pm:

Can anyone guess what I'll be doing?  :P

Sitting on your new porch drinking a glass of wine?  Or playing with the puppy you will be getting?  Or, maybe making a hairstick or 2??

wrote on Jun 17^th, 2004 at 11:29pm:

Sitting on your new porch drinking a glass of wine?  Or playing with the puppy you will be getting?  Or, maybe making a hairstick or 2??

Ooh, are you getting a puppy? You have to share pics! This is my baby (got him on January 1st!)

http://mediaservice.photoisland.com/auction/Jun/2004658805751232479548.jpg

Ahem, getting back on topic... I *think* you *might* just happen to make a COUPLE of hairsticks  :P

Working!  I guess I shouldn't complain, I do love my work, there is just *so* much of it, LOL!

Yes Leia, we're getting a bull terrier puppy that isn't even born yet.  I hope we'll be getting one from a litter that is due to be born July 3.  I've wanted a bull terrirer as long as I can remember, but kind of got sidetracked when I adopted my first greyhound.  Now that we have so much space, I figured a third pupper was a good idea.

Obviously I don't have any pictures yet, but here's one of a BT puppy that will have to do in the meantime:

http://www.longlocks.com/bullterrierpuppy.jpg

Rapunzel: Wow, look at the claws on him! Bull terriers are cute, I guess you'd better start stocking up on newspaper for house training your puppy!  ::) What are you going to call him/her? Don't let him chew on your hairsticks now!

Leia, it must be so nice to have an apartment in London so you don't have to worry about accomodations. It makes everything so much easier if you can eat some meals at home.

Anne-Marie: that sounds so relaxing to take it easy and potter about in the garden. I hope you get lots of sunshine so you can really enjoy it!

Bikerbraid: 440 miles in 6 days, my bum hurts just reading that! :o The most I can manage is about 10 miles, then I'm pooped! Do you really have one of those recumbent bikes? What are they like?

It's been so cold here this spring that we won't be able to go swimming (my favorite summer pasttime, especially the picnic which accompanies it) until well into July. I can't stand cold water!

/Kate

wrote on Jun 18^th, 2004 at 7:20am:

What are you going to call him/her? Don't let him chew on your hairsticks now!

I dunno!  Have any suggestions?

I learned a lonnnng time ago to keep the sticks away from the dogs.  They are made of bone, ya know!  LOL!

wrote on Jun 18^th, 2004 at 7:20am:

Bikerbraid: 440 miles in 6 days, my bum hurts just reading that! :o The most I can manage is about 10 miles, then I'm pooped! Do you really have one of those recumbent bikes? What are they like? /Kate

Yes, I ride a recumbent - no sore rear ends!!!  They are also good if you have trouble with sore neck, sore back or sore hands/wrists from biking.  You ride until your legs give out!!  I've been riding a recumbent for 5 years.  I've done the 6 day trips for 4 (this will be my 5th year in a row).  There are several different types of 'bents, and each rides a bit differently.  I have a short wheel-base bike (the front wheel is behind the crank).  Here's a pic from a couple of years ago (this was taken on the LAST day of the 6 day ride - notice I can still smile).

http://www.tarsk.com/Sagbraw2002/8_10/aug1003.JPG

Great pic :-)
You must get nicely tanned legs while riding like that! How much do recumbent bikes cost? It would be fun to try one out!

/Kate

Oh,that's a great pic,bikerbraid! :o
Wow, six-day-trips,you must be in terrific shape!

wrote on Jun 18^th, 2004 at 12:21pm:

Great pic :-) You must get nicely tanned legs while riding like that! How much do recumbent bikes cost? It would be fun to try one out! /Kate

Bents are not the cheapest bikes out there, but they are starting to come down in price as more people buy them and they are more mass produced.  An entry level bike can cost $500 - $600.  The bike in the pic was $1000.  I wore that one out, so I upgraded a bit with my current bike which cost about $1500.  I know it sounds like a lot of money, but I'd rather spend $1500 on a bike I will ride over 2000 miles in a year, than spending $300 on bike I will never ride.

Wow, that looks much more comfortable than a regular bike. It looks like it would be easier to tip over, though. Is it hard to keep your balance?

wrote on Jun 18^th, 2004 at 5:30pm:

Wow, that looks much more comfortable than a regular bike. It looks like it would be easier to tip over, though. Is it hard to keep your balance?

It is more comfortable.  You only worry about tipping over when you are starting from a stop, after that it is "just like riding a bike"!!

Rapunzel - What a cutie!!!!! They are so much more cute when they're your own babies, though  ;D.

Bikerbraid - that looks like one comfortable bike!! I never did learn how to ride a bike  :-[

[quote author=leia link=1087479919/15#17 date=1087669573]I never did learn how to ride a bike  :-[/quote]

:o :o :o  I cannot imagine not knowing how to ride a bike.  Are bikes not prevalent in Bangladesh?

Well, people *do* ride bikes here, but cars are more common. And I did try to learn, but I was just never able to do it!  :(

Yup,me too!
I only learned to ride a bike as an adult-and I still don't feel very comfortable :P
Growing up in Kenya riding a bike on the streets was one thing you tried to avoid if possible.Driving is quite chaotic and a person on a bike is considered fair game by everyone in a car :P
That's one thing my husband really has problems with-he comes from a family where everyone's a biking enthusiast and he would like to go on round trips with me-but I really start feeling very uncomfortable when I'm on a bike and I just see a car approaching ;D ;D ;D