bikes shoorams

This morning Marlene came over to drive Cathie to the car place so she could pick up her car. Cathie then went on to work, and Marlene and I went to breakfast in Rockingham. I had waffles. They were delicious! We had stopped along the way at a beach. There is a lot of industrial stuff on the way to Rockingham. This is a grain elevator. Beware the waves! Beach pano After breakfast we did a tour of the coast as far south as Safety Bay. We stopped at Cape Peron and did a little hike. From the high point of our walk One of the old military bunkers Marlene “getting fit” I commented that Marlene had two different shoelaces. In reality, she had two different shoes! We went back to Marlene’s place so she could get dinner in the slow cooker. While she went to an appointment, I took Spud for a walk. Wouldn’t you know, we get to the other side of the park, and Spuddy takes a dump. I don’t have any poop bags. So, I take the Spudster back because I see Marlene is home. I go to open the screen door,...

The weather was beautiful today, so I thought a nice long(ish) ride was in order. My goal was King’s Park in Perth. I was on familiar territory until I got to the other side of the Canning Bridge. Then, from a biking perspective, I was on new ground. Just before going under the Canning Bridge, I saw this pelican. Pelly on the Swan As I came under the bridge, I noticed how close to the water the bike path went. I think it’s possible some cyclists have inadvertently gone swimming! I continued following the Swan River, seeing lots of the river’s namesake enjoying the sunny day. Black Swan Yoga moves I came across the Narrows Bridge and followed the path over to where Cathie, Jared, and I had been on Saturday. This time Tilmann and Flat Will got in the photos. Flat Will AND Tilmann Tilmann enjoying the aboriginal sculpture called “First Contact” I headed toward King’s Park. The park sits up on the cliff above the city, and above the bridge I had come across. There was a bike path along the...

Today was another sunny winter day in Western Australia! Cathie headed off to church with her dad and her sister, Jennifer. I headed off on the church of Tilmann. I’d seen a sign to a Bibra Lake off the freeway path, and decided to check it out. The bike path popped out to a road. I rode the road down a hill, and came to an intersection. There were no signs as to where the lake was, so I just chose a direction. After a bit, I saw a path across the road. That path went around the lake (a 6km loop). Bibra Lake It was a nice ride around the lake. I even managed to figure out where I needed to get off to go back. So, it was a short ride, but it was nice. I arrived back at the house just as Cathie arrived with her dad and Jennifer. First thing I said to Jennifer was how much she looked like Marlene. At first, I almost thought it was Marlene, but then Cathie quickly introduced her as her sister Jennifer. Shortly after, two more siblings, Jim and Helen, arrived. So, now I had met 4 of Cathie’...

A couple of days ago when we did our Tour d’ Freo, we went to the Round House (where we could see the art instillation). They shoot off the cannon everyday at 1:00 sharp. We had missed it, but Cathie spoke to the guide, and he said they allowed honorary gunners. Cathie emailed the right people, and they said I could do it. The email. So, today was the day! We got to the roundhouse, and there was this sign that had my name on it! They even spelled my name right! We went around to the cannon, and checked in with Shirley, the Head Gunner. She gave me the lowdown on what I would be doing. About ten minutes to 1:00, Shirley gave a talk about the history of the Timeball and the Gun. Briefly, the Timeball and Gun provided a method for the ships to obtain an accurate time to make sure their Chronometers were accurate. The gun was the sound signal, and the Timeball gave a visual signal. Learning the drill Shirley introduced me as the Honorary Gunner. When it was time, we all counted down from 1...

I was feeling the need to get on the bike for a little ride. Similar to what I’ve done in Minneapolis, I had a look at Google Maps, and planned a route solely on bike paths.  I went back to the path that runs along the freeway, and rode that to the Swan River. At the Esplanade, I turned left and rode along the river to the Canning Bridge, crossed the bridge, rode back along the other bank of the river, back to the Mt. Henry Bridge, across the bridge, and back to the freeway path.  Little art work on the Esplanade path. Perth from the Canning Bridge Path along the south die of the river. Trail maintenance  Riding across the Mt. Henry Bridge On the way back, I needed to find a Post box to mail another postcard to My Sweet Baboo. I figured there must be one at the shopping center, so I got off the path there. I was also getting hungry, and had been thinking of finding a Subway. Lo and behold, right next to the Post Office was a Subway! Perfect! It was a good ride today. Next...