except this time, it's not the food, but the song. Yes, the tabbouli song.
A friend sent a music video to me from YouTube with the Tabbouli song. The first verse begins-- Tabouli Tabouli makes me shake shake shake my bootie. Eat it with lots of felafel, eat it on top of a camel.
It just gets better from there. Plans are for a group of us to sing it at Balkan Camp.
But in the meantime, it has been my hill-climbing song. I have gone through many songs to keep a steady rhythm and keep my mind off what I'm doing. I've sung everything from "I'm a Hill-Climbing Bitch" to "What Have You Done Today to Make You Feel Proud," an AIDS Lifecycle standard and hit video.
But the tabbouli song seems to be working well. It's the right speed and rhythm and makes me smile. What more could anyone want?
Jerry and I ramped up our riding this week. On Friday, we started with a short 20-mile jaunt around China Camp. Then Saturday we rode Tiburon Loop to the tune of 30 miles. Yesterday we doubled that with a ride to Point Reyes Station.
At Pt. Reyes we ran into the Positive Pedalers weekend retreat ride. What a treat to see a whole bunch of friends. We sat on the curb and ate sandwiches. Lovely day.
We averaged 11 mph which is slow, and if that is our speed on the ride there's no doubt we will get swept, so we're going to work this week at getting our speed up a bit. We are becoming more confident on the downhills and Jerry is letting off the brakes a bit more. That's really where we can make up some time. I don't have very high hopes for getting our climbing much faster. But maybe a little. As Jerry says, riding the recumbent is like riding a barcolounger, and it climbs hills like a barcolounger.
I ended the day yesterday by speaking at a fundraiser in Berkeley. Alvin and Jenny are first-time riders, doing the ride as their college graduation rite of passage. It was a small group-- everyone forgot it was Mother's Day until the last minute-- but I think they were receptive. And as I told Alvin and Jenny-- if I helped them raise an extra $10, it was worth it.
Pretty zonked, I had a good night sleep. It's going to be a good week.
Monday, May 11, 2009
Monday, May 4, 2009
Wet Bikers and Chicken Marbella
This past weekend was the annual Jonathan Pon Memorial Ride. Jonathan was the founder of the Positive Pedalers, a group of HIV positive bicycle riders who are the face of the AIDS Lifecycle. Their mission is to raise awareness and funds for HIV services.
Jerry and I rode the two-day 150-mile ride two years ago, but this is the second year we have been providing dinner and breakfast for the ride. It's my opportunity to do what I love for a group of people I love. In the past, meals were barbecue and over-mayonnaised potato salad. I wanted to take it up a notch or two. Last year was good; this year I think it was even better.
And if any a group deserved a good dinner, it was this group of 125 wet riders and roadies. The rain was fairly steady on Saturday, but the riders slogged on through it all.
Jerry, Rich and Paul and I started prep Friday night in a rented kitchen. The facilities were adequate, but it was a tad funkier than I expected. Not exactly pristeen and the chaos level was a little high. But the four of us brought a bit of calm and humor to the other groups working there, and I think they appreciated it. We got quite a bit done ahead of time because the kitchen facilities at the campsite are abysmal. We completed the chicken marinade, the green bean vinaigrette and some other assorted chopping.
Earlier in the day Rich, Paul and I hit the wholesale food market, which was loads of fun. We found everything we needed so we didn't have to make any other stops, except to pick up donated coffee. Tom and Dave's Coffee, in San Rafael, didn't know me at all, but when I called them to see if I could buy wholesale and I told them what it was for, they donated the coffee. And I'm happy to say the coffee was very good.
After packing the van and Paul's car on Saturday morning, we made one stop to pick up bagels then we headed to Cassini Ranch in Duncan's Mills, just outside Occidental. Having gotten a lot of prep done the evening before we felt pretty confident about getting dinner done in time.
The first riders came in around 3 or so, drenched and cold. We got appetizers of hummus, feta-pepper dip and pita and carrots out, as well as an array of hot drinks-- coffee, tea and cocoa, for them.
Riders trickled in and we got busy in earnest. Rich was the grill man, and he grilled 50 pounds of chicken breast. Some of the pieces were thick, so we worked together to butterfly them.
I took the marinade and turned it into a sauce. It contained olive oil, vinegar, oregano, a lot of garlic, capers, olives and prunes. It was astounding. I added some alcohol-free white wine and just a little wondra flour to give it a little more body.
We made couscous and stirred in Kalamata olives and parsley into it. We had a green salad and the green beans with it.
For dessert, Robin, another rider made brownies and I had made butterscotch bars.
We got out of the kitchen around 8 pm and Jerry and I went straight to bed, which was an air mattress in the now-empty borrowed van. Wasn't the best night of sleep I've had, but not the worst, either.
We were up a little before 5 am to start breakfast. We had great volunteers with Nathan, Beau and John helping us slice bagels and canteloupe and trim strawberries. Rich again was grill man, making scrambled eggs filled with chicken sausage, cheese and mushrooms. I had baked pumpkin breads as well to go along with the eggs and bagels and cream cheese.
It had rained all night and it looked as if there was no sign of it letting up, so Beau, who works for a bus company, got on the phone and ordered up a couple of busses to take the riders back to the start. The bikes were loaded onto the gear truck and a group of riders, still soggy from sleeping on wet ground in a rain storm were happy to see the buses pull up. From the photos I've seen posted, it looked like a lot of riders slept on the bus on the way back to Sausalito.
I am so sorry it rained on this ride, but I think people still had a good time. It's the best group of folks I can imagine spending a couple of days with, so despite the weather, I think most everyone had a good time. I know I did, but then I only had to cook, not ride.
I'm still tired today, but I've already started thinking about next year's Jon Pon ride.
Jerry and I rode the two-day 150-mile ride two years ago, but this is the second year we have been providing dinner and breakfast for the ride. It's my opportunity to do what I love for a group of people I love. In the past, meals were barbecue and over-mayonnaised potato salad. I wanted to take it up a notch or two. Last year was good; this year I think it was even better.
And if any a group deserved a good dinner, it was this group of 125 wet riders and roadies. The rain was fairly steady on Saturday, but the riders slogged on through it all.
Jerry, Rich and Paul and I started prep Friday night in a rented kitchen. The facilities were adequate, but it was a tad funkier than I expected. Not exactly pristeen and the chaos level was a little high. But the four of us brought a bit of calm and humor to the other groups working there, and I think they appreciated it. We got quite a bit done ahead of time because the kitchen facilities at the campsite are abysmal. We completed the chicken marinade, the green bean vinaigrette and some other assorted chopping.
Earlier in the day Rich, Paul and I hit the wholesale food market, which was loads of fun. We found everything we needed so we didn't have to make any other stops, except to pick up donated coffee. Tom and Dave's Coffee, in San Rafael, didn't know me at all, but when I called them to see if I could buy wholesale and I told them what it was for, they donated the coffee. And I'm happy to say the coffee was very good.
After packing the van and Paul's car on Saturday morning, we made one stop to pick up bagels then we headed to Cassini Ranch in Duncan's Mills, just outside Occidental. Having gotten a lot of prep done the evening before we felt pretty confident about getting dinner done in time.
The first riders came in around 3 or so, drenched and cold. We got appetizers of hummus, feta-pepper dip and pita and carrots out, as well as an array of hot drinks-- coffee, tea and cocoa, for them.
Riders trickled in and we got busy in earnest. Rich was the grill man, and he grilled 50 pounds of chicken breast. Some of the pieces were thick, so we worked together to butterfly them.
I took the marinade and turned it into a sauce. It contained olive oil, vinegar, oregano, a lot of garlic, capers, olives and prunes. It was astounding. I added some alcohol-free white wine and just a little wondra flour to give it a little more body.
We made couscous and stirred in Kalamata olives and parsley into it. We had a green salad and the green beans with it.
For dessert, Robin, another rider made brownies and I had made butterscotch bars.
We got out of the kitchen around 8 pm and Jerry and I went straight to bed, which was an air mattress in the now-empty borrowed van. Wasn't the best night of sleep I've had, but not the worst, either.
We were up a little before 5 am to start breakfast. We had great volunteers with Nathan, Beau and John helping us slice bagels and canteloupe and trim strawberries. Rich again was grill man, making scrambled eggs filled with chicken sausage, cheese and mushrooms. I had baked pumpkin breads as well to go along with the eggs and bagels and cream cheese.
It had rained all night and it looked as if there was no sign of it letting up, so Beau, who works for a bus company, got on the phone and ordered up a couple of busses to take the riders back to the start. The bikes were loaded onto the gear truck and a group of riders, still soggy from sleeping on wet ground in a rain storm were happy to see the buses pull up. From the photos I've seen posted, it looked like a lot of riders slept on the bus on the way back to Sausalito.
I am so sorry it rained on this ride, but I think people still had a good time. It's the best group of folks I can imagine spending a couple of days with, so despite the weather, I think most everyone had a good time. I know I did, but then I only had to cook, not ride.
I'm still tired today, but I've already started thinking about next year's Jon Pon ride.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Tiburon Loop and Wet Tuna
Wet tuna sounds like something one of my cats would eat, but it was actually the name of the sandwich I had for lunch at Comfort Food Cafe. Jerry and I went to lunch there after riding around Tiburon Loop. It was a very pleasant ride. The more we ride the trike, the more we are becoming comfortable with it.
But the wet tuna sandwich. It was on a foccacia roll that was toasted and had olive oil on it. The tuna was mixed with a light vinaigrette, capers, tomatoes, olives and roasted red peppers. It was wonderful. I'm sure I could replicate it at home.
Jerry and I won't be riding this weekend because we are cooking for the Jon Pon Memorial Ride. There will be around 150 to cook for. I've rented a kitchen for eight hours prior to the ride so I can get as much prep done as possible. The kitchen at Cassini Ranch, where the campers spend the night, is a disaster. The ovens don't work properly and there are no pots and pans to use. But we make due and turn out two great meals. Looking forward to it, and looking forward to finishing up early enough on Sunday to get in a ride.
But the wet tuna sandwich. It was on a foccacia roll that was toasted and had olive oil on it. The tuna was mixed with a light vinaigrette, capers, tomatoes, olives and roasted red peppers. It was wonderful. I'm sure I could replicate it at home.
Jerry and I won't be riding this weekend because we are cooking for the Jon Pon Memorial Ride. There will be around 150 to cook for. I've rented a kitchen for eight hours prior to the ride so I can get as much prep done as possible. The kitchen at Cassini Ranch, where the campers spend the night, is a disaster. The ovens don't work properly and there are no pots and pans to use. But we make due and turn out two great meals. Looking forward to it, and looking forward to finishing up early enough on Sunday to get in a ride.
Saturday, April 25, 2009
Numb Toes and Tabouli
Today was Day On the Ride-- a day that is supposed to simulate what a day on the "real" AIDS ride is like. Except the ride was kinda short for that. And ours was even shorter.
We did not want to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, plus we were still getting used to the new trike, so we opted to start our ride in Sausalito and ride to Lagunitas. Part of our ride was with DOTR riders, which was fun.
We stopped at the first rest stop, which was staffed by the Positive Pedalers, so got to see lots of friends. Rich Prendes took a couple great pictures of us in action, which are great to have.
After we hung around the rest stop for about a half an hour, we got back on the trike and pedaled up White's Hill, our longest, steepest climb yet. Funny to say yet-- it's only our third time on the trike, but we are doing incredibly well.
White's Hill was slow, but very doable. Our biggest difficulty with climbing is having our feet fall asleep. They are up above our hearts, so the blood is leaving them and not being pumped hard enough. What we will probably do is take breaks to get our circulation back. We didn't do that today; I think we wanted to do White's Hill without a stop, which felt great.
We then pedaled down to Lagunitas and stopped at the market. They have delicious organic French roast coffee, so I had a cup, accompanied by a small cup of tabouli. I really do like their tabouli. It's mostly bulgar with a smattering of parsley and tomato, but maybe it was the ride, but it tasted great. Jerry had some chili, then we got back on the bike.
We rode back to our car and trailer, which was coincidentally where the next rest stop was. We saw Stephan Gaudreau, who, with his wife, Lilli, runs a trapeze school. This is his first year riding. He rarely can ride on Saturday because of work, so it was great to see him. He is strong and will be one of the leaders on the ride, I suspect. He's raised more than $5000 so I look forward to seeing him in his jersey.
Not so sure Jerry and I will earn jerseys this year. Neither of us have even raised our minimum. But we'll get there.
We did not want to ride across the Golden Gate Bridge, plus we were still getting used to the new trike, so we opted to start our ride in Sausalito and ride to Lagunitas. Part of our ride was with DOTR riders, which was fun.
We stopped at the first rest stop, which was staffed by the Positive Pedalers, so got to see lots of friends. Rich Prendes took a couple great pictures of us in action, which are great to have.
After we hung around the rest stop for about a half an hour, we got back on the trike and pedaled up White's Hill, our longest, steepest climb yet. Funny to say yet-- it's only our third time on the trike, but we are doing incredibly well.
White's Hill was slow, but very doable. Our biggest difficulty with climbing is having our feet fall asleep. They are up above our hearts, so the blood is leaving them and not being pumped hard enough. What we will probably do is take breaks to get our circulation back. We didn't do that today; I think we wanted to do White's Hill without a stop, which felt great.
We then pedaled down to Lagunitas and stopped at the market. They have delicious organic French roast coffee, so I had a cup, accompanied by a small cup of tabouli. I really do like their tabouli. It's mostly bulgar with a smattering of parsley and tomato, but maybe it was the ride, but it tasted great. Jerry had some chili, then we got back on the bike.
We rode back to our car and trailer, which was coincidentally where the next rest stop was. We saw Stephan Gaudreau, who, with his wife, Lilli, runs a trapeze school. This is his first year riding. He rarely can ride on Saturday because of work, so it was great to see him. He is strong and will be one of the leaders on the ride, I suspect. He's raised more than $5000 so I look forward to seeing him in his jersey.
Not so sure Jerry and I will earn jerseys this year. Neither of us have even raised our minimum. But we'll get there.
Wednesday, April 22, 2009
Not as bad as flavored coffee
But flavored iced tea ranks not far behind. Why do people insist on putting mangoes and flowers in iced tea? Okay, they can put it in BUT WARN ME. Jerry and I rode our trike up to Fairfax today. Yes, that means we rode over Camino Alto, and we stopped at the Coffee Roastery in Fairfax. Jerry does not drink coffee of any sort, so I agreed to split an iced tea with him.
I like iced tea with maybe some lemon, but nothing else. But this had flowers or mango or some other such thing in it. And there was no warning. But I drank some of it but got to eat most of the ice on the ride back to Sausalito. The beauty of the trike is that I can hold a drink and still ride. I could sit in that lounge chair of a bike seat and have a cappucino if I wanted to. Or a cocktail. It's just grand.
Well, almost just grand. I tend to slide down in the seat and have to shinny my way back up. We are going to look at the lacing in the back to see if we can adjust the seat so I don't continue to sink down toward the pedals.
Friday we are riding with a group around Tiburon Loop. That will mean Camino Alto and Sausalito Hill. We are ready.
I like iced tea with maybe some lemon, but nothing else. But this had flowers or mango or some other such thing in it. And there was no warning. But I drank some of it but got to eat most of the ice on the ride back to Sausalito. The beauty of the trike is that I can hold a drink and still ride. I could sit in that lounge chair of a bike seat and have a cappucino if I wanted to. Or a cocktail. It's just grand.
Well, almost just grand. I tend to slide down in the seat and have to shinny my way back up. We are going to look at the lacing in the back to see if we can adjust the seat so I don't continue to sink down toward the pedals.
Friday we are riding with a group around Tiburon Loop. That will mean Camino Alto and Sausalito Hill. We are ready.
Tuesday, April 21, 2009
Spinning with the Oldies
By oldies I mean the stuff that I dvr'd from TV, or maybe I just mean me, and by spinning, I mean the big ol trike on rollers in the family room.
Too bad no one took a video of Jerry and me getting that thing in the house. Jerry's using one hand, and I'm my usually klutzy self. We backed in, we backed out. Finally, we took off the headrest and wrestled the behemoth into the family room.
We figure since we won't get out every day to ride, we better at least get used to sitting in that weird position (for us) and get in some pedal time.
I took a turn in it yesterday while I watched the "ER Retrospective" on the dvr. I discovered that alone, it takes more effort to pedal from the stoker seat than the captain, but the captain is just a tad too long for me to pedal comfortably, so I geared down and went at it.
I pedaled for about an hour, and probably would have stayed on longer but it was getting so hot in the house I had to stop.
Whether it's global warming or just a short memory, I really don't remember it being this hot in April. San Francisco was really hot yesterday as well, so I can't blame Marin for this.
Jerry and I are going to take the Big Bike, or should I say Trike, on the road again tomorrow. We're contemplating attacking Camino Alto and cruising into Fairfax. No matter how strong we get, I suspect we will never be speed demons on hills. We're going to have to just live with that and as I continue to say, do the best we can, and that will have to suffice. You've got to give us an A for effort, though.
Too bad no one took a video of Jerry and me getting that thing in the house. Jerry's using one hand, and I'm my usually klutzy self. We backed in, we backed out. Finally, we took off the headrest and wrestled the behemoth into the family room.
We figure since we won't get out every day to ride, we better at least get used to sitting in that weird position (for us) and get in some pedal time.
I took a turn in it yesterday while I watched the "ER Retrospective" on the dvr. I discovered that alone, it takes more effort to pedal from the stoker seat than the captain, but the captain is just a tad too long for me to pedal comfortably, so I geared down and went at it.
I pedaled for about an hour, and probably would have stayed on longer but it was getting so hot in the house I had to stop.
Whether it's global warming or just a short memory, I really don't remember it being this hot in April. San Francisco was really hot yesterday as well, so I can't blame Marin for this.
Jerry and I are going to take the Big Bike, or should I say Trike, on the road again tomorrow. We're contemplating attacking Camino Alto and cruising into Fairfax. No matter how strong we get, I suspect we will never be speed demons on hills. We're going to have to just live with that and as I continue to say, do the best we can, and that will have to suffice. You've got to give us an A for effort, though.
Sunday, April 19, 2009
Sore Knees and Fried Kale
Jerry and I took our first real ride on the trike, and I'm feeling it now. It will take a while to get used to the new position and the use of different muscles. My replaced knee was a little sore after the ride so I iced it. I realize how ridiculous that sounds-- how can a prosthetic knee hurt? I should clarify it's all the real muscles around that prosthetic knee that are aching.
We took off from home because the trailer we plan to haul the trike around in had a flat. We headed down a pretty narrow frontage road and then turned on to 2nd to head out to China Camp. At least that was the plan. Turns out most of China Camp was closed to traffic because of a run. But we did get in some hills and they were damn hard. Perhaps I shouldn't say hard, but we were cranking away and going 2 to 4 miles per hour. And these hills were nothing like what we are going to face on the ride. So, we've got lots of training to do.
After we got home, showered and had lunch, I headed over to Berkeley to speak at a fundraiser. Lee and Cheryl are roadies. Lee will be driving a supply truck and Cheryl works gear and tent. It was a small gathering, but I think the message hit home. First I showed John Hershey's slide/video of last year's ride, then talked. I tried to keep the talk upbeat. Sometimes I think ALC is a bit too morose, dwelling too much on those we have lost. I want to celebrate the lives of those living with HIV and who are being helped by the AIDS Foundation. That was the message I tried to impart. Then I went in for the kill. I really tried to ratchet up donations. Lee seems to think I succeeded.
It's funny how easy it is to raise funds for someone else. I'm behind on my own fundraising, but I could never make that kind of presentation to my own friends. I asked these people to donate $200 or $300, larger than any donation I have received. It's hard for me to ask for ANY amount, and I know I have friends who could afford to give more.
Lee and Cheryl had quite a spread of food, but what I zeroed in on was the crisp fried kale. It wasn't oily at all. It reminded me of the little fried sage leaves that sometimes decorate dishes in Italian restaurants. The kale was salty, crunchy and addictive. I'm going to have to make some soon.
We took off from home because the trailer we plan to haul the trike around in had a flat. We headed down a pretty narrow frontage road and then turned on to 2nd to head out to China Camp. At least that was the plan. Turns out most of China Camp was closed to traffic because of a run. But we did get in some hills and they were damn hard. Perhaps I shouldn't say hard, but we were cranking away and going 2 to 4 miles per hour. And these hills were nothing like what we are going to face on the ride. So, we've got lots of training to do.
After we got home, showered and had lunch, I headed over to Berkeley to speak at a fundraiser. Lee and Cheryl are roadies. Lee will be driving a supply truck and Cheryl works gear and tent. It was a small gathering, but I think the message hit home. First I showed John Hershey's slide/video of last year's ride, then talked. I tried to keep the talk upbeat. Sometimes I think ALC is a bit too morose, dwelling too much on those we have lost. I want to celebrate the lives of those living with HIV and who are being helped by the AIDS Foundation. That was the message I tried to impart. Then I went in for the kill. I really tried to ratchet up donations. Lee seems to think I succeeded.
It's funny how easy it is to raise funds for someone else. I'm behind on my own fundraising, but I could never make that kind of presentation to my own friends. I asked these people to donate $200 or $300, larger than any donation I have received. It's hard for me to ask for ANY amount, and I know I have friends who could afford to give more.
Lee and Cheryl had quite a spread of food, but what I zeroed in on was the crisp fried kale. It wasn't oily at all. It reminded me of the little fried sage leaves that sometimes decorate dishes in Italian restaurants. The kale was salty, crunchy and addictive. I'm going to have to make some soon.
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