Everyday around noon, a Western Fence Lizard comes out to get some sun on the roof near the window in our upstairs master bathroom. We call him "Wiz" and Ellie likes to watch and sometimes talk to him.
(click on the thumbnails for larger images)
While daddy is slaving away at work, mommy and the kids are having a rough day of lounging. It’s clear who they love the most. Due to contractual disagreements and a feud with Gracie, Ellie was not able to participate in this group photo.
Though I hadn’t ridden outside sine June 26th, I decided to make a run at the North Cheyenne Canyon climb. I’ve previously written about this HERE, HERE and HERE.
Though I’ve lost about 100 pounds since I first tried it last year, I’m still surprised that I’ve been able to knock almost 5 minutes off my PR. Oddly, tonight’s climb felt the slowest of all my efforts though I did notice that I stayed above 7 mph on the super steep section (usually drop below 5 there). Initial attempt: 24:44. New PR: 19:39!
The conditions were ideal, about 60 degrees with no wind and I literally climbed into a cloud which cooled me off even more. When I had set out for a ride, I hadn’t even though of doing NCC but then I realized that I’m unlikely to see weather like this until November.
While working on my bike tonight in my home office in the basement, I saw something scurry by my feet. I thought it was a lizard (we’ve had a few of those which we’ve caught and released) so I went upstairs to get Amy and the lizard box (a big, clear Tupperware container). When I came back down and shined the flashlight under my server rack (yes, I’m a hardcore geek), I saw two little beedy eyes staring back at me.
To make a long story short, we waited him out and he quickly ran under a bookcase where I was able to trap him. The rest can be seen in this video. Yes, I’m a big baby and could not bear the thought of killing him or putting out one of those inhumane traps. Luckily he was saved. The whole escapade lasted about two hours.
After this video was shot, we took him out front and released him. He scurried away and will hopefully be safe.
Dad and Nancy flew in from Ohio to visit with us for two days and we drove up to the summit of Pike’s Peak immediately to avoid the storms that had been forecasted for tomorrow. The above video was shot while looking east.
The Flickr Gallery can be seen HERE.
