Family and Friends

Here's me looking uber cool....what do you think of my sunglasses....actually borrowed from Alanea....I think they look pretty good on me.  It's getting very hot here....a straw hat might be next....I would look good in that too....but I draw the line at a bathing suit...I go "au naturel" on the beach.

Here are also some other family pics....Aggie and Kenzie...who is Artie's little sister....as you can see Artie is a Yorkie and almost as cute as me....the girls are cute too! And finally a picture of my dear friend Oscaroo from his boating trip....he is quite a sailor and takes his parents Brad and James with him for company.  I am looking forward to seeing them all in November when we visit.  Must go relax on the lounger now after all this typing.
PS Oscar is on a boat.  The picture must have been taken when a big wave hit or Dave does not know how to alter a pic taken with an iPhone.

Gran Fondo Mont Ventoux

David did a big race on Saturday so Alanea and I went with him to the race.  We stayed in a nice hotel in Orange but the race started in Beaume de Venise.  The race went over Mont Ventoux which is called the Giant of Provence and is 1907 metres.  Dave's time was 5:10.  Check out the photos.

Roses are Red

Hi everybody Dave did it he figured out the problem with adding photos.  Today is a great sunny day.  Dave and Alanea took me walking to The Ski Nautique which is beside Chateau Vaudois.  The roses are at the end of each row of vines.  I posted a similar photo last year.

Alanea and Dave are taking me on a road trip tomorrow.  We are going to Beaumes de Venise which is close to Avignon and Orange.  Dave is doing a big bike race and is looking forward to it very much as there will be lots of people and the race goes over Mount Ventoux.  He will get another jersey and eat lots of good food.  When the race is finished Dave and Alanea will relax.  I of course cannot relax because it is a big job to watch those 2.

Chateau Vaudois May 31, 2012

May 20, 2012 a very dismall day

Today is a great day for blogging, in fact it is not good for much except blogging.  It is raining and very windy outside.  Dave took my picture too show everyone how rainy it is.  Dave put a big piece of wood in front of the olive tree to stop it from blowing over.  All of the planted trees have support and now that the olive tree has grown so much it will need support too.  Alanea is going to Greece next week so Dave and I will be home and making our own lunch.  When Alanea gets back we are going for a car trip so stay tuned.

Georg's Danish beer

Quack-Quack

Every time George and Birgit come to Les Rives they bring Danish beer.  Alanea drank this one when she was on the wagon.  It is Easter beer from Denmark.  I like it because it has a funny chicken on the front that is saying Kylle-Kylle which I think is the Danish equivalent of quack-quack and possibly a clue to why Michael Blomquist in "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" was niknamed Kylle Blomquist but that requires more depth than Dave can muster apre Le Rose.  The weather is warming up and the pool is open.  Dave was cycling today because it is a holiday in France.  Alanea went to a Brocante (big garage sale) in the village today and bought nice things including goodies from the bakery which Dave ate.  I don't know about Dave, he burns 2500 calories in 3 hard hours of cycling in the Esterel and then eats 2 pasteries.  No wonder he looks like the chicken.

Alanea's 33d Anniversay to old Dave

Who'da thunk it? 33 years married to Dave, Alanea is very strong to put up with Dave. When Dave takes me walking he is nice but when he gives me a big bath he is a pain. I don't like having a bath. Alanea is my very best friend but they played golf on their anniversary so I stayed home. We have made some very nice friends in France. Alanea has become the best gardener in the south of France and Dave is riding his bike strongly again at the back of the pack. The garden is my favorite place so I have posted a before and now photo, todays photo is nice because it is raining and Alanea is home with me. I did not take anniversary photos but I did post a pic of Dave with his bike and one of Alanea on a boat to St. Tropez. I will post more pics when the sun comes out because when it does everything including George's grass is going to grow like crazy.  Sorry I am having trouble with uploading pictures.  Stay tuned.

Dave's big Velo race

I was very upset on Sunday because Alanea was in Paris and Dave went to St. Tropez to do a bike race. Anne came over and let me out before returning to the UK for a few days but I was home alone for most of the day which is a bad thing for me. Dave said he was sorry and gave me 2 cookies so I wrote the following for Dave.

Mes Amis that was the most difficult race that Dave has ever done. Dave took the camera never took it out of his pocket. OK so he has had had a few bumps and set backs in the past few years but holy moly, he has a new lease on life, a new bike, good friends, a nice wife that likes us (I think, occassionally) and me Tiff.

136 km of nothing but Cols (darn big hills), 4 doozies on the map plus other significant climbs. Dave's friend was correct when she told him that the 12 X 25, 39X 52 may present challenges, it did but it is still OK. It took Dave 6 hours to do 136 km, that does not make him happy but it puts him back in the race and puts him in the Silver, not Gold, by 23 minutes category.

The start was so fast that he just sat there watching them go, he thought that they would roll out for at least 5 km and organize but no such luck. He was sure that they would blow up and he would pass dozens on the hills when they were exhausted but I did not pass very many at all and by the time that I got to Collobrieres (75 km) he was simply riding my own ride albeit with other equally challenged, but colourful dudes. Damn it we look good don't we (he wore BCC shorts).

Side Note: It is astounding how Dave rides through a small villages and realizes that we have been there in the past. You just do not get the same perspective or appreciation or memories in a car and the view of the Med from 600 metres is breathtaking, good for romance not for Velo.

Do these guys not feel pain or what. If there are drugs involved Dave wants some, LOL. On the 10 km climb up Notre Dame des Anges (680 mtrs) He actually got off of my bike to allow my muscles to catch up to my brain, which is challenged at the best of times. The only other time that Dave got off my bike on a climb was Ventoux and he was in shape then and a few years younger, excuses excuses (for those who missed it Dave was 62 on Monday the 9th). There was some emotional relief when a few others dismounted for a few minutes.

Note: the race web site claims that the course has 2100 metres of climbing.

Overall it was very well organized, safe, well marked for directions etc. The post race meal was extraordinary, paella, bagette of course etc etc. The awards looked great but as he was out of the money he picked up my toys, hiked his sorry ass back on the bike, after eating, rode to the car 2 km at Casino (a big grocery store) and got home just in time for Happy Hour.

Would he do it again, YES but not without more hill training and less Rose. He is seriously considering advertising for a "Time Machine" on Anglo - Info as the old bugger learned a thing or 2 today.

The race organizer is www.sportscommunication.com

A Bientot