Bicycle Rides by Newt and Susan

We've started a new Blog to document our bicycle rides. Yesterday we created our first post, the Shoreline West bicycle tour in Michigan. There is a link on the right of this page to follow the blog or just click on this link:

Bicycle Rides by Susan and Newt

Congratulations to Derek and Christy Newton

Mr. and Mrs. Derek Newton

July 20, 2012

Derek and Christy pose across the street from their home after the wedding

Susan and I had no idea what to expect when we gathered with my son, Derek Newton, and his fiance, Christy Kidder, and close family members at the Newaygo County Courthouse in White Cloud, Michigan. Would Derek and Christy just go in and sign a couple of papers and, "presto", be married? 

But all was well. Magistrate David J. Cherin, a very friendly and humorous person, met us all in the hallway and first asked why we were here. "Any burglars? Any murderers?  "Then it must be a wedding," he continued.

Say What?

It turned out to be a very intimate, traditional ceremony. Magistrate Cherin came out from behind the bench and stood in front of Derek and Christy to have them exchange secular vows and then rings. 

Earlier he asked, "If anyone has good reason why these two should not be married....", Derek and Christy suddenly jerked their heads around. (No, I'm just kidding. That really didn't happen but I wanted to use this picture)

After the ceremony Mr. and Mrs. Newton posed with Derek's son, Alex Newton. Susan and I, as well as Derek's mother and step-father, Susie and Phil Becker, were thrilled to have gained a new daughter. Welcome to the family, Christy!









Photos of the wedding party and others were taken along the scenic Muskegon River at the City of Newaygo's Riverside Park, followed by a light lunch at the new couple's home. 

Christy and her sister, Nellie

Derek with brothers, Dennis and Dana

Newt and Susan, Christy and Derek, Susie and Phil Becker

David Zoppa, Nellie Savage, Derek and Christy, Wendy and Dan Zoppa

Later in the day Susan and I took (l-r) Derek, Christy, Paula, Nellie, and Dana to Grand Haven for a walk on the pier and dinner in Spring Lake.









The following day, Saturday, was the annual Phathaphak reunion hosted by Dennis and Kathy Newton at their cottage on Canadian Lakes. This gathering of Derek's many cousins, aunts and uncles served as the wedding reception and Kathy presented the couple with a wedding cake.











The first bites, as you can see, created a traditional smash-mouth experience. 

Later in the day Derek and Christy were fooled into posing for another picture only to find themselves quickly tangled with silly string spray.

Congratulations to the newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Derek K. Newton!

California Cycling

Bicycling in California's Wine County

For the past few years Susan and I have contemplated a trip to France or Italy to bicycle through wine country. After checking prices and total costs we figured it would be smarter to cycle around the wine country north of San Francisco. Vineyards are vineyards, right? Plus, we keep our money the good old USA.

We flew into San Francisco on Sunday, May 20th, and picked up our rented Chrysler Town and Country 7-person passenger van. Seven people? Wait! We folded down all the rear seats and now it was built for two people, two bikes, and lots of luggage. After a short visit with TC, Leo's fiance, in Berkeley we headed an hour north to Sabastopol and checked into the very comfortable Fairfield Inn. This was to be home for the next few days. The following morning we drove a short distance to Santa Rosa and picked up our rented Specialized road bikes at NorCal bicycle shop. Very nice equipment, indeed!

The Santa Rosa Cycling Club have posted online their favorite rides with links to maps, cue sheets and a description of the rides. Thanks SRCC, what a great service. Monday's ride was the nice and easy Windsor Plain route which started only a few miles from the bike shop and took us through picturesque areas of the Russian River wine country. Many wineries went to extremes to provide a pleasant view of their vineyards from the roads. Halfway through the ride was the town of Windsor where we stopped for lunch and watched a Western Bluebird fly to our table for a snack. The weather provided us with plenty of sun and temps in the upper-70's, however it was a bit gusty. The wind stayed with us and even strengthened as the week progressed, which made even short rides a bit tiring. After the ride we dined with Bill and Betty Bowles, two of Newt's Air Force friends, at Bodega Bay on the Ocean.

Organic gardening in wine country

Day two we opted for the Dry Creek/Alexander Valley ride that included an 8-mile cruise up West Dry Creek Road, often cited as one of the best wine country rides in California. This scenic route started in Healdsburg with relatively flat roads but included a nice optional climb. At the far end of West Dry Creek Road we missed a turn and soon passed by a nice organic garden in front of a small winery. 

Bella Winery

This mistake fortunately took us to the Bella Winery where we stopped for a short break and took in the beautiful scenery. After back tracking a few miles we continued through the Russian River valley before taking the optional "out-and-back" to Sonoma Lake. We passed the closed visitor's center and then turned the "suggested" easy option into an invigorating 2-mile/500' foot climb to the bridge overlooking the lake.

Overlooking Sonoma Lake

At rides end in Healdsburg we ate a late lunch at the Oakville Grocery on the village square before visiting with a couple who were friends of friends. They own 20 acres atop a knoll next to the Alexander Winery where they maintain a four-acre vineyard of Syrah grapes, along with a few olive trees. Susan and I were quite envious of their awesome view and lifestyle but not envious about the amount of work it takes to produce a few cases of wine.

Windswept plains of Northern Marin County

Day three was our most challenging ride due to both the climbs and the wind. Fortunately the Sebastopol/Valley Ford ride didn't require a drive to the starting point. We just jumped on our bikes and pedaled out of the hotel parking lot. A wrong turn almost doubled the long ascent from Sebastopol to Occidental but that just made the Latte and Mocha at Howard's Cafe in Occidental that much tastier. After a short break in this little Bohemian village we started a long descent southeast towards Marin County where numerous left over hippies from the 60's still call home. This was not a winery ride but a hilly ride through redwoods and other trees before entering the open plains of dairy and sheep farms. The grasslands of Marin County gave us many rollers but it was the wind that almost wore us out. Nearby Petaluma, California reported sustained winds of up to 26mph and gusts as high as 37mph. Fortunately there was little traffic as we struggled to keep upright in the crosswinds. Finally, we returned to the friendly confines of Sabastopol, cleaned up, and ended the day with a delicious dinner with Newt's high school classmate, Carol Killian, in downtown Petaluma.

Benziger Winery. Glen Ellen, CA

Our final ride of the week was to be the Valley of the Moon ride out of Glen Ellen. This looked like a nice wrap-up ride but after driving over part of the bike route on our way to Glen Ellen we found that many of the roads were narrow and full of potholes and drop-offs. Instead of biking the entire route we did a few shorter loops out of Glen Ellen and one took us up a nice grade to Jack London State Park. On the way we passed the Benziger winery which friends had suggested we tour. Later in the day we drove back to this winery and experienced an excellent tour followed by wine tasting. The Benziger family practices both organic and biodiversity practices to grow their grapes. We would suggest this tour to anyone who has the opportunity to visit the area.

That wrapped up our four days of riding in wine country. On Friday Susan and I hiked about six miles in the Armstrong Woods State Nature Preserve. We passed large redwoods and saw wild turkeys, ducks, a rattlesnake, one busy Pileated Woodpecker tearing up a dead log, and a tick that became overly enamored with Susan's wrist. Afterwards we drove south to Berkeley for the rest of our stay. Saturday was spent hiking and just enjoying Leo and Tracy and their eclectic neighborhood of groceries, shops and coffee houses. Late Sunday morning we were off to the San Francisco airport for the flight back to Atlanta.

Alive and Well On The Fringes.......

First let me answer some questions. No, I didn't die. No, I didn't forget my password. No, I didn't have any interesting items to post about. Yes, I am lazy. That's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Now, on with our latest adventure. Susan's keen eye felt that changing the back porch trim to white would be a big visual improvement, both inside and out. Last weekend she decided to tackle the project and I was her able assistant.

First I removed all the screens and the screen door. Susan followed behind me sanding all the posts and trim. Without my help she wouldn't have been able to finish this part of the project.... I bought the sandpaper.

Here we are about finished with two coats of stain. Again, I was an instrumental in completing this phase since I picked up the stain at he hardware store.

Finally, the last act was to put the screens back up. Hey, I think it looks pretty good.

Now it's time to relax....

I mean REALLY relax.

Someone has to make sure the Bluebird doesn't drown.

Kitchen Remodeling

Over the the years Susan and I have become accustomed to remodeling with the "do-it-yourself" concept. When we moved into our present home we knew there would be a few changes to be made. We loved the layout, hardwoods, etc of our home, so our main emphasis was on painting all the rooms. But the kitchen was another story. This project was to be hands-off so and we completely contracted it out. This is how it looked when the previous owners lived here. Way to many too many dust collectors on top of the cabinets for us but then it wasn't our house yet.

The ultimate "before" photo. This was how it looked when the previous owners had the house

The kitchen is seemed huge to us, which was fine, but the small island needed to be put on steroids, so we had a larger one installed with a new sheet of granite on top.

Fortunately the hardwoods went completely under the old island

The new island but it sticks out like a sore thumb

It quickly became the focal point of the room and the gathering spot when friends and family visited. But now this one bright spot out-shined the rest of the kitchen. Even though the cabinets were of top-grade oak it was decided to have them painted. I had a tough time with covering up all that beautiful natural hardwood but finally warmed to the thought. While we were at it we'd have the counters, backsplash, and sink upgraded. This was definitively one job for the professionals.

First the old counter tops came out and the new tiled backsplash installed.

The new granite counters are covered up as the tile new backsplash is installed

Next came the big project - painting the cabinet and drawers. This was a three-day event and very smelly since lacquer primer and paint was used. 

Spray painting - I'm glad I didn't have to do this

Of course it wasn't pleasant, or neat, living without the use of a kitchen

And here is the finished product. We are thrilled.

Next will be new hanging lights for the over the island, but that is a do-it-yourself project.