WFH: Week Nine

How about some local fauna to go with the local flora? Anna's hummingbirds enjoy my feeders as well as my garden.

One bonus of spending all this time at home is catching sight of some less common visitors. I've spotted a single Bewick's wren and Nuttall's woodpecker this spring. California scrub jays are common, including one that briefly perched with a stem or twig that looked to be a good 15 inches long; they must be nesting nearby. The crows can be quite pesky. I wondered what set them off yesterday at 6 a.m., when I woke to the most raucous ruckus I've heard to date.

The house finches have been flitting about; they had been nesting in the attic (!) but disappeared after I moved into the house, many years ago. (And after a determined squirrel took up residence, counter-measures were taken to screen off all favored points of entry.)

Most days, I take a break to enjoy my lunch outside. Western fence lizards quickly scurry for cover in the bushes when startled. Honey bees busy themselves with the lavender in my garden, while the bumbling black carpenter bees have better luck with the red salvia. (They're too heavy for the pliable lavender stems; I wonder how they manage to fly, at all.)

Ten years ago this week I conquered Fremont Peak, a climb I have rarely repeated.

One year ago I celebrated Bike to Work Day with like-minded colleagues; this year, the event has been pushed out to September ... but we may still be working at home.

This week, I ventured out on my first bike ride in ten weeks.

My victory for the week was upgrading my Internet service. Over the past two weeks, it had degraded to the point of being unusable (upstream, 600 kbps). To head off an expected disagreement with my service provider, I invested in a new modem, first. So far, so good ... 10 Mbps upstream. [Yes, that sounds pathetic to those of you who live in places with modern infrastructure.]

This week's entertainment included the rarely-seen By Jeeves. Sure, it wasn't a critical success; but, you know what? It was goofy. It made me laugh. And I haven't laughed in a while.

The week opened with a confirmed 2231 cases of COVID-19 in our county, and closed with 2339 (a 4.8% increase).

Bike (Not) to Work Day

The morning started with a poignant reminder from Google Photos that on this date in 2013, it was Bike to Work Day.

It was time. Time to go outside and ride my bicycle.

“Why aren't you riding?” friends had asked. I was being conservative, however unlikely an accident might be. So many families had dusted off their bikes, pumped up the tires, and headed out. I've watched them cruise past ... without helmets ... on the wrong side of the road ... and wondered why I was worried that I might crash.

The lupine is still blooming.

My chief ride buddy and I agreed to ride together, not together. To ride within sight and often within earshot, but to stay apart. There is comfort in not being alone on the road.

We rode up and over a hill to visit the Guadalupe Reservoir. Much to my surprise, given that I have not been out for a ride since February 29, my time up that climb was a new personal best. (Thanks to my workouts and weight loss.) I also set a new personal record on one of the descents—despite having to slow and come to a full stop for a turkey that decided to cross in front of me. Lucky bird, because the car that had been politely tailing me also stopped.

I scripted a route to explore a nice neighborhood on our way to New Almaden. Although I'd expected to return the same way, we scrapped that in favor of a flatter option. My legs were feeling it (different muscles), but my main concern was having enough water. (Should have brought two bottles.) The day was warming up, and when we reached the parking lot for Almaden Quicksilver Park we found the water fountain shrouded in plastic and thoroughly taped up. I can't say I understand the calculus of risk, there.

The patriotic New Almaden community was decked out with American flags and many signs thanking our essential workers. I've been here many times before, but never noticed the historic plaque (California State Historic landmark 339-1) across from the park commemorating the nearby site of the state's first mine (cinnabar). Signs warn people not to eat any fish they catch in the local waters (contaminated with mercury).

Neither of us had noticed a tall red tower on the hillside before, either. The parking lot was full; this park is best hiked when the weather is cool. Although I had planned to ride as far as the Almaden Reservoir, we agreed it was prudent to turn back.

By the time we were done we had covered 34 miles and climbed 1,685 feet; not bad for my first outing in 10 weeks!