Creepy pics

I downloaded this picture of a dog/man morph a year or two ago. It's always given me the creeps. Just recently someone posted it on my Kawasaki forum. And another person posted this second picture of a cat/man morph. This one is even freakier!

Alan's bike in transition

Alan has his new bike apart so he can put on all the after-market mods. He's taken over the entire garage. Last night I snapped this picture of him proudly holding his fork.

Good report from eye doctor

I had my three-week post op checkup this morning with the eye doctor. He was worried last time (two weeks ago) because I had some epithelial cell ingrowth under one of my corneal flaps (he prescribed some eye drops that burn like heck). I was a bit worried today, going in, because if the cell growth had continued it would have been a possibly very bad complication. But he was very happy. There's no change, and that's good news. I go back in three weeks for another check.

I'm happy to report, too, that my eyes seem to be settling down. My left eye, which is corrected for my distance vision, had been really blurry, and it was a little overcorrected at my last checkup. But now it's much, much better. I can see pretty well in the distance with it, and my right eye's distance vision is getting worse and its near vision improving. This is what we want, since I was corrected for monovision. I have to admit I was disappointed after my surgery because I wasn't sure my eyes would settle back to where they needed to be, but they're doing fine. The doctor told me today that they should be even better when I'm able to stop my anti-inflammatory drops, which will be in about two weeks.

I'm very happy with the results and am SO glad I had it done!

In other news, I was asked to be a moderator on my Kawasaki forum. It's quite an honor. I just hope I can live up to their expectations!

Great weekend for riding

We went on a really wonderful ride Saturday. It was a perfect day: temperatures that were just right and a clear sky. We took off with Pat, a friend of Alan's from work, at 9:30. We headed up the Poudre River Canyon and over Cameron Pass, stopping in Walden for lunch. From Walden, we rode on to Granby, home of the beautiful Lake Granby and, next to it, Grand Lake. From there, we headed north into Rocky Mountain National Park and over Trail Ridge Road to Estes Park, where we stopped for dinner. Then we came home via the Big Thompson River Canyon, Masonville, and Horsetooth. We got home just a little before 7:00. A long day, but some wonderful riding and fabulous scenery.

The traffic from Fort Collins to Granby was very light. There were long stretches where we never saw another vehicle. But it was a different story after we left Granby. It's tourist season, and some of the people who drive over Trail Ridge Road should stay on the flatlands from which they come. We followed five cars over Trail Ridge; four of them had no concept of how to drive up a hill, let along a mountain. The guy in the lead, driving a massive SUV, rode his brakes, not just going back down the mountain, but on the way UP the mountain. Unbelievable. Where the speed limit was 40mph, he was a brisk 15-20mph. And three of the cars behind him drove exactly the same way. It made the ride very tense for me because you never know what that kind of idiot is going to do--slam on the brakes for no reason, slow down to a crawl for no reason, stop... Alan was in the lead, and I left a LOT of room between us. I don't feel comfortable following that type of driver (in the cars, not Alan) very closely. By the time we got down to the other entrance to the park, I was sore and cranky. Fortunately, stopping in Estes Park for an early dinner relaxed me and improved my mood significantly. We happened to be there for the first of the summer outdoor concerts. We sat on the restaurant's patio--directly in front of the singer. He was quite good.

Yesterday, some friends from Greeley came to visit and for a short ride. She is a new passenger and is still a bit leery of riding on the back. (Can't say I blame her, even if her boyfriend is a very experienced rider.) So we just took a short trip over the Horsetooth hogback, through Bellview, and back home. It's so pretty up there at the reservoir. Lots of boats on the lake yesterday.

All in all a very nice weekend, although we got absolutely nothing done around the house. We still have a pile of bark in the driveway waiting to be put on the flower beds. I'm going to make Alan work on that tonight. :D

I love this tree

OK, well, it might not be exciting to those of you who have a ton of mature trees. But we live in a new neighborhood, and we had to plant all our landscaping from scratch. So all our trees are still very young.

We planted this catalpa directly behind the house to shade the sunroom from the direct sun it gets in the afternoon. When the tree matures, it will provide a lot of shade. Right now it's still just a baby. But it's so pretty, especially when it's flowering like it is right now. I wonder how long it will take for the tree to mature...

The new bike is here

Alan's out in the garage right now getting the old bike ready for the insurance company to pick it up tomorrow. It's really strange having two of the same bikes in the garage. Let's just hope he doesn't crash this one!

He took all the aftermarket parts that weren't damaged off the old bike, so now he's putting them on the new one. He had to order replacements for the damaged parts, and they're not all here yet. So he has some work to do in the next few weeks before we go to Montana.

He made it to Pueblo, at least

Alan's bus ride to Amarillo was uneventful, and he arrived in Amarillo none the worse for it. Picked up his new bike, which he says is exactly as the owner described--nearly new condition (only 1500 miles). He called me from Raton, New Mexico, at about 1:30 and said he was having a good time and that the bike was performing perfectly. He's at mom and dad's now, so he just needs to get home from Pueblo tomorrow. That ride up I-25 isn't much fun.

His aftermarket parts are starting to show up now, so I'm sure this weekend he'll be busy putting all his mods on the new bike.

He sounded happy. I know he's been missing having a bike. Now if he can just avoid crashing this one... :D

Alan's going to get his new bike

In a few hours I'll be driving Alan down to Denver, where he's catching the bus (yes, the bus!) to Amarillo to pick up his bike. He found a nice one--the same year ('05), but with only 1500 miles on it. He packed up a big old duffle bag with tons of stuff, including all his gear, for the ride back. He should arrive in Amarillo tomorrow morning about 9:30. The owner is meeting him at the bus station with the bike, and once they finish their transaction Alan will head out toward Pueblo. He's spending the night with mom and dad before tackling the nasty ride up I-25 to Fort Collins.

I'm making him take my cell phone, just in case. He should be fine, though. I'm sure he'll be extra cautious after his last riding experience!

I'll post some pictures of the new bike when it gets here. Should look exactly like his old one, though, except for all the broken stuff. :D

I just found this site

Pretty good stuff.

http://www.crooksandliars.com

Finally finished

I finished making the last of the 80 cool ties I'm making for next month's get-together. But now I'm going to try to make some vests that use the same principle. They'll be made out of a really light mesh material and will have strips (like the cool ties--filled with water-absorbing granules) on them (about six inches apart). It's been so hot that I'm really worried about overheating on our summer rides. I found a web site that gave instructions for making the vests, so I thought it was worth a try. The fabric didn't cost much, so if they don't come out right or don't work, it will basically just waste my time but not much money. I had the mesh out on the dining room table the other night, and Brian asked me if I was making a wedding dress. :D I *did* buy the fabric in the bridal department. LOL

In other news, Alan found another FJR on eBay. It's also an '05, but it only has 1500 miles on it. He's been taking the aftermarket parts off his bike so that the insurance agency can pick it up. He's going to call the other bike's owner tonight to make arrangements for us to go get it. The bike's in Dallas, but the owner has been working in Amarillo during the week, so he said he would bring it to Amarillo for us. That really cuts our travel time down. I'm going to drive him down, and he'll ride the bike home. We might be going this weekend. Not really how I want to spend a valuable weekend, but what can you do?

My eyes are doing really well. My left eye is still a bit blurry, but I think it's getting better. Tomorrow I have my one-week post op appointment. It'll be interesting to see what my vision is now. I think my biggest problem is that I'm readjusting to the monovision. I didn't wear my contacts for a month, and I think that's long enough for my eyes to adapt to the change. Close vision is still not so good with the eye that's corrected for distance vision (the left). I had to change the resolution on my monitor, which helps. And I need reading glasses for close work (like all the sewing I've been doing), but I can see that it's gradually getting better. It's supposed to keep improving over the next few months. Despite these minor problems, I'm really amazed at how well I can see. It still hasn't really gotten through to me because it just seems like I'm wearing my contacts. But in the morning, when I first wake up and can see, I start to think that I slept in my contacts again and am expecting my eyes to be dried out and trashed. And they aren't! Amazing!

Our trip to Montana is coming up in less than a month. I'm really ready for a vacation. And I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones from the Kawasaki forum. It's going to be a great time. Can't wait to ride Beartooth Pass. It's supposed to be one of the most beautiful roadways in the US.

Nothing else to report...

20/20!!

The lasik procesure was fast and painless. Right afterward, even though I was seeing through a kind of fog, I could still see fairly well. I was sitting in a recliner immediately afterward, and I could see the time on a clock hanging on a wall about 15 feet away. That in itself was amazing.

I kept my eyes closed all the way home in the car, and when we got home I did as they suggested and took a nap. When I woke up, a lot of the fogginess was gone, although I still had quite a bit of blurring. Last night I watched a little TV and had no trouble seeing the numbers on the cable box and reading text on the TV. My up-close vision is still fairly blurry. I had to reset the resolution on my computer monitor, but I can see.

The best news is that I had my post-op exam this morning. With both eyes open, I could read the last line on the chart, which equates to 20/20. I could see about the same with my right eye, and my left eye is still kind of blurry. This is only one day post-op, and it should improve significantly over the next week and then more gradually over the next few months. I'm also readjusting to monovision. I had it with my contacts, but then I haven't worn them in a month.

I've had very little discomfort. My right eye has burned a little bit (nothing at all with my left eye). The burning is better now, so I think that has passed. It's really amazing that it doesn't hurt more considering that they cut flaps over my corneas and burned tissue away. I've been using a lot of drops to keep my eyes hydrated, and I'm actually pretty comfortable. It's amazing how well I can see. I'm psyched! I'm so glad I had this done.

This morning I threw out my last pair of disposable contacts. :D