Was a very lazy day today - slept in real late after an uber late night of making Quiche (recipe to follow below). Got up in the afternoon and milled around the house doing stupid domestic crap. Finally went out on a 64 mile training ride - the weather was phenominal. Came home, popped into the hot tub for a 1/2 hour and then ran a few errands. Where does the time go?

Will spend the rest of the evening catching up on bills, and preparing to visit my parents tomorrow to help fix their sick computer. Hence, what I'm gonna be doing tomorrow. Will have dinner with them afterwards at Costal Flats - a great restaurant.

So without much fanfare, I present my Quiche:

photo by d. scott gregory Quiche Me click on photo to enlarge photo by d. scott gregory Quiche Me click on photo to enlarge photo by d. scott gregory Quiche Me click on photo to enlarge

My Quiche

(you better love this simple recipe - click on images for a larger representation)

12 large eggs, beaten
2 cups chopped fresh baby spinach, packed
1 cup dehydrated shitake mushrooms (rehydrated in 1 cup Chardonnay), chopped
3 turkey sausage links, hot - pregrilled
1/2 red pepper, diced
1/2 yellow pepper, diced
1/2 red onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, roasted & minced
1 1/2 cups fat free half & half cream
1 1/2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 (9-inch) refrigerated pie crusts, placed onto baking sheet
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Combine the eggs, cream, garlic, onion, salt, and pepper in a food processor or blender - mix until smooth. Layer

the spinach, sausage, mushrooms, peppers, and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust, then pour the egg mixture on

top to saturate the lower layers.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes until the egg mixture is set. Cut each pie into 8 wedges.

(** for 2 pies - one to eat for a week..the other to deliver to your parents, or freeze)

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Thank goodness it's Friday! And before a 3 day weekend. Work was a wild frenzy of a day, but productive. The weather was quite warm - and just a gloriously pretty day.

photo by d. scott gregory crap, forgot to set the timer click on photo to enlarge

Actually managed to get off work on time to go on a rather pleasant training ride out to Purcellville and back totallyng 46 miles. I could NOT get enough of the weather, decided to go for a 2 mile spin down ride to Herndon and back. Just too pleasant to be not out there. Snapped a few pics during and after - the closeup was an accident - I was trying to manipulate my camera on the "Welcome to Leesburg" sign when the camera snapped off - giving a very candid, and sweaty closeup, complete with my crazy eyebrows which need desperate trimming. The other pic was taken in the parking lot after my ride.

photo by d. scott gregory happy friday - 3 day weekend click on photo to enlarge

During my ride, I saddled up with this woman who've I seen many times - she's probably in her late 50s - a triathelete who commutes a few days a week from Leesburg to Reston - very athletic and funny as hell. We were lamenting on how the cycling season is now just showing signs of the end - the daylight getting shorter. We joked about how we accept this like stages of mourning - we just take it like in denial. First, ya gotta break out your blinkers, then eventually your full set of lights..then it becomes cooler...so you remedy with arm warmers...then eventually leg warmers...then you need to switch gloves..then put on a light jacket....until you find yourself out there in the middle of winter in a full regalia of cycling mits, neoprene booties and tights, ear warmers and balacava cycling in the dark freezing your toes and fingers off until...shit...it's winter.

It all continues. We love it.

I'm looking forward to a (hopefully) very relaxing 3 day weekend.

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Today was a semi-glorious day. Despite the fact that gas is now over $3 bucks a gallon - I have NOTHING to complain of. Life could be worse - I could be attempting to board a bus in Katrinaville down south, after losing everything from the wrath and aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

My heart goes out to those victims. But I am completely angry at the uncivility that has reared it's fugly head, where as the looting has escalated to the point that the authorities no longer are performing search and rescue functions and only there to keep the peace. Sad. It's total mayhem and anarchy when the folks are shooting at the helicoptors that are trying to save them, idiots carjacking a bus filled with food & supplies. Then the story about the dude who shot his sister to death over a bag of ice.

I had all that on my mind all day and decided to go for a nasty challenge after work - to hammer off my anger, and emotions from all the reports form Katrinaville - I decided to join the "A"s in my cycling club on a long brutal ride. There were about 40 of us total - we hammered it out to Ashburn and burned up about 38 miles. Those boys kick my ass. I'm fuckin worn out. But felt great. Came back to my car - it was dark. I better break out the lights - especially my blinkers.

Came home and ordered some new cycling shoes that I have been waiting to go on sale (pictured), Diadora Tailwind Road Shoes Regular Price: $229.99
Sale Price: $89.99 (That's 60% Off!). They so pirty. Oh barf. I need them bad.

I'm looking forward to a nice long relaxing 3 day weekend with a lotta cooking, cycling, and will visit my parents for dinner. Yay! Tomorrow is friday.

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photo by d. scott gregory Sunset 08/31/2005 click on photo to enlarge

Where to begin....

Well, will just get the ordinary out of the way...Work was very busy, and I set out on a gruling windy training ride - Hurricane Katrina is still following through with lots of drama. Made for a very picturesque ride with the clouds, but the wind gusts were almost unbearable. I cut short the ride to only do 34 miles (biked out to Hamilton - blast of winds in my face...turned around and sailed home).

Stopped by the triathlete shop on the way home, they do work on bikes and inquired about getting my bottom crank switched to a triple crank (I need to toggle between a double and a triple chainring depending on the hilly versus flat rides I do - costs me $$ to do it, but my reg "wrench" - bike mechanic is out of town). They gave me a NEW recommendation - to get a "Compact Crank" which is a hybrid between the two. But shit, I don't wanna have to buy a new crankset - but after we talked about it, I realized it would be the best thing to do. I'll do more research about which one I want to get - and I'll get it installed a week or two before Bridge to Bridge.

Oh Katrina...katrina....Still awful tragedy. I'm glad that I was able to help in raise money last weekend for the Red Cross riding in the Reston Century. But it's never enough. I can barely bring myself to watch the images on tv or on the net. So devastating. After I finished my training ride and bike shop run - I had a huge sticker shock for gas when I went to fill up my car. It's now over 3 bucks a gallon for regular. But, I have to drive..and I had to just bite the bullet. WHat was fucked up about the situation was that when I pulled into the gas station...there was this HUGE "cigarette boat" in tow behind a large Suburban SUV occupying the entire side of 4 pumps. There were 4 guys sitting there waiting to fill up the port tanks on this huge ass boat. I thought...how odd. I went into the shop to get some gum and such and I asked...how many gallons are they getting? They were in shock... it was over 600 bucks...and only for one side of the boat. They were putting 1200 dollars worth of gas into that boat - not regular...but PREMIUM. They had asked the owners of the boat...you in a race or something (it's a $250,000 boat) - they just casually said "naw...we just taking her for a spin up and down the Potomac River. Gawd...made me sick to my stomach. Like a slap in the face to the people down in the aftermath of Katrina - who NEED boats.

Fuckers.

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photo by d. scott gregory Hurricane Katrina Moving in click on photo to enlarge

Types real fast because Hurricane Katrina is about to show her fugly head shortly. We are under a tornado warning - there are touchdowns to the north of us and will be under warning for the next number of hours. Should be just mostly heavy thunderstorms and alot of rain, maybe hail (thank goodness I have my car in a carport). I just dislike losing power - it's rather hot and i have things to do - just a mere inconvenience in comparison to what the folks are enduring down south.

I cannot imagine what they are going thru with the severe flooding - but I can relate after going thru a direct hit of Hurricane Isabelle a few years ago when I lived in Richmond - 2+ weeks without electricity wasn't funny.

Anyhoo...I'll post more later.

Meantime, all I did today was work...follow the news of Katrina...went on a very short training ride (too windy..and I'm still really sore)...a mere 24 miles. Came home and hopped in the hot tub....I tried to comfort the lifeguards who are from Poland...they have never seen a tornado before. It was almost cute...they were really frightened fo being under a tornado warning - took it very seriously (as anyone should be)....but they were thinking of calling into their other job as warehouse stockers at a local grocery store to find out if work was cancelled. I calmed them...

Welp. Time to ride it out. (shouldn't be anything)

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photo by d. scott gregory my silly cyclist tan click on photo to enlarge

OMG - I am sooo sore after yesterday's century. I cannot even begin to explain - but I got up, choked down some coffee and managed to get to the office and endure a full (relatively drama-free) day of work. Popped advil all day like candy and sucked down tons of water. I was really uncomfortable.

After work, decided to do a quick 15 mile "stretch" ride. Painful. I just did a few spin cycles and mostly coasted and stretched. My butt, shoulders, back and legs were still stiff. Stretched more and then drove home and popped in the pool - was too cold to swim, so I sat in the hot tub reading Bicycling magazine for about a 1/2 hour. That really felt relaxing and took the edge off the pain.

photo by d. scott gregory my silly cyclist tan click on photo to enlarge

Summer is now more than over, It's full fledged autumn - great cycling weather between now and October. But the days are getting shorter and I need to say farewell to my really silly cycling tan (pictured). I look like a freak when I go to the pool - I'm only tan on parts of my face and on my legs between my sock line and my cycling short line - and my arms - freakishly like a clown, lilly white hands, ultra tan arms that end at my upper bicept. It's almost hilarious.

Spent the eve cooking dinner and paying bills - a little tv then off to work on my cookbook. I'm hoping Katrina won't cause too much havoc down south - my thoughts are with the folks who are riding out the storm.

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Reston Century 2005

photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge	photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge
photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge	photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge
photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge	photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge
photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge	photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge
photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge	photo by d. scott gregory Reston Century 2005 click on photo to enlarge

Woke up super early after little sleep, but had a long ass nap last night...showered, shaved and had coffee and some breakfast before I headed out to Reston (bout a 20 minute drive) to meet my buddies with the Reston Cycling club to embark on the 23rd Reston Century. It was a foggy and a damp morning with wet roads - was glad that it wasn't raining. I prepped my bike and gear then signed in and OFF WE GO!

I was with about 12 of my cycling buddies when we started - all familiar with the route - we train 1 day a week and know all of our talents and undersights - so as a team, we paceline well at a familiar pace. It was going to be a really fast century. We opted to forego the first rest stop because it was only 10 miles out and headed out to Leesburg - on the way, we passed my apartment complex - strange in this way, not because I now live in cycling country - just too familiar.

We trudged on and it was still wet and a tad slippery - we were conservative at high speeds and kept out paceline at a good clip exchanging duities. The second rest stop was in Hamilton (mile 31) - after a grueling few ascents. Upon arrival we noticed that there was a crappy tableau of the lack of no food and barely any water. I must preface that most centuries - there is always snacks, bananas, oranges, peanutbutter, bread, gatorade. This rest stop had none of that - there were only bananas...incredibly bright green ones, like 2 weeks from being ripe. I couldn't bear the thought of crunching into one of those. I was able to top off my water bottles and visit one of the 2 porta potties (20 people in line). There were almost 3 thousand people doing this century - only 2 porta poddies. Crap. Literally.

We trudged on...heading into the hills. We pacelined hard and fast - got up into the hills and I, the "goat" managed to pull us up a few major hills until we passed Purcellville, Philomont, Round Hill and arrived at Hillsboro (mile 59) for the rest stop #3. Snarfed up more water (no food there) and I gulped down 2 100 calorie GU carb packs and we were off again. This was going to be the best/worst haul. There's a split at @ the 70 mile mark where you can take the "hilly" versus "more hilly". We all planned to do the "more hilly" - but before, we stopped at a 7-11 on the way in Lovettsville to get bananas, twas crazy...about 100 cyclists were there buying every conceivable power bar and banana we could get our hands on. We then did the hills.

There were two horrendous climbs, one - a 2 mile 13% grade (I don't have on my triple crank) so I was hurting - I managed to pull the group up both ascents, and it was a beautiful payoff. We had a good 5 mile descent that we got up to 53mph and rolled into Waterford at stop #4 (mile 78). Still...crappy food...green bananas...no other food but a handfull of oranges. I refilled my waterbottles with gatorade and we moved on. The rest was gonna be good...mostly downhill with a few tiny climbs.

We breezed through Peonian Springs and then climbed the last hill before eventually hopping back on the W&OD in Leesburg and we began to spin down - people were beginning to cramp up (mile 95). There were about 8 of us in the group - we hightailed it back to reston. Meanwhile - the sun had been out for a few hours - hot and humid as hell.

We finished up in Reston - total of 107.7 miles (I forgot to turn my cyclometer back on after Hamilton - until after a mile into it) - total saddle time: 5 hours, 5 minutes. We all grabbed some pizza and subs and sodas, hung out in a few tables - swapping stories and congratulating each other for such a great organized ride. I picked up my t-shirt, said farewell and drove towards home, stopping at the store for a few things.

Got home and watered my thirsty deck garden - parched from the heat while listening to Eddie Money singin' "She was shakin....snappin her fingers...oh oh weee oh...snap yer fingers, Ashburn!..." live from the Live at Belmont series across the street. Uh...I dislike his music, what a pathetic washed up aged rawker. Put all my cycling stuff away, made a few phone calls and just trying to settle into a relaxing eve - took 5 advil and cracked open a beer. I'm wickedly sore and still radiating heat from the day (got a little sun).

Sunday night anxiety settles in - gonna be another brutal week, least next weekend is a stress free 3 day weekend (no century rides for a few weeks)

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