 I drove to my daughter's house and was then driven to Olive Garden so my grandson could carbo load before a weekend soccer tournament. Fun time as other families were taking their kids for carbo loading too.  Oh gee, as I always do when I visit, I marvel at the hundreds of miles of lonely country roads, stitching communities and farms together. The pavement is amazing too!!!! Cyclists with whom I talk in AZ, understandably, have no idea how good is the quality of cycling here.  The fields of corn and soybeans are being stripped as I ride towards Stone Quarry Road on a 50 mile route.  My ride takes me through historic Granville too and then....  ....I enjoy watching Anthony's team win a game!  The Monday morning, Westerville Cycling Club group ride is a favorite starting in New Albany and pausing in Granville. I'd have to say this group, collectively, is a little stronger than the Cactus Cycling group with whom I ride in AZ.. I was shocked that I hung in with the faster group but departing Granville, I faded.  Anthony and I hit balls that evening. The kid is a good athlete and could be good at golf but soccer is his future, I think. If I spend next summer in OH, I may work in more golf into his routine.  Rain, 3 of 4 days, allowed me to fix the opening I started a few days ago. Glad I had this project and it turned out pretty good. Note the washer and dryer will butt against this wall so the quality of the repair wasn't that important. But, it was fun to do the work and step back, mostly satisfied.
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 I walk the woods, looking for ash trees that are dead from the Emerald Ash Borer, a pest that arrived on pallets in MI from China. Locating several, I make plans to put the chainsaw to good use.  The neighborhoods around Tucson do a fabulous job of decorating for Halloween but this house did a nice job too. Over time, I've noticed southern AZ puts more effort into Halloween decorating than does OH but OH does a much better job at Christmas.  And so, on my first full day, I get busy, cutting two trees and stacking the pieces so family members can use this winter. For all the hundreds of hours I've used a saw, never really have come close to an accident....well, there was a time the saw sliced through my pant leg but at the time, my leg was shifted to the side and the saw encountered only fabric. Lucky was I!  This afternoon, after grandsons Ben and Chris got out of school, I visited. They love it when I visit, partly I suppose because I chase them around the yard, making monster roars while pretending I can't catch them. Unfortunately, as we both grow older, it's no longer pretending.  The next day, the stack grows. It's one of several placed strategically around the property.  The weather forecast I viewed prior to coming to OH looked great but once arrived, three days of rain arrived soon thereafter. It's as if I brought monsoon weather with me but the area needed the rain. So, I took on an indoor project, replacing the drywall that had been removed as part of a plumbing project.  Grandson Anthony, the soccer star, daughter Stephanie and I played 18 holes of putt-putt golf. I plan to spend most of next summer in Ohio, as I did last year. I'm simply far more active here, in the summer, than I am in AZ and more importantly, my 3 grandsons would benefit from having me around.  It's not just about cutting trees of course, it's also clearing brush and burning it. I was pleased to see last year's project of removing all briars and honeysuckle bushes from within the confines of the area where I planted 400 oaks, was a success. Now to address other areas.
 An early morning departure with my bike, chainsaw and stuff. 27 hours of driving...yeehaw:). My bike, I'm thinking of leaving it in Ohio and buying a new one for AZ. I've had two Treks, a Lamond, a Bianchi and this one. It's been the best by far and I hate to leave it in OH but maybe.  AZ was forecast to receive an above normal amount of monsoon rain but the rain consistently stayed east, plenty of evidence as I drove through NM.  Pausing at a rest stop outside Las Cruces.  The morning of my second day of driving provided one of the best.....  ....sunrises I've witnessed and the beauty lasted a long time. I stopped just west of St. Louis.  I find the drive through St. Louis rather onerous with so many exits, traffic, circuitous routing through the city and really hard to get a good pic of the arch.  At last, arriving in Ohio with my first stop....  ...the woods where I planted 400 red oaks. Definitely one of my happy places. The weather forecast had been good but then it wasn't, lol.
 Casa Grande, kind of a mid point between Tucson and Phoenix appears to have little going for it but within the city is DeBillons Cactus Garden & Restaurant and gosh, is it good! The owner is a former drug dealer from Phoenix, forced out by the gangs many years ago...or so he claims.  The area round Elgin is AZ's wine country and it's a nice bunch of low key tasting rooms but what's this....what's this???? Wow! what a revelation for the area.  I'm curious how the other vineyards and wineries will respond to this very upscale, unusually so for Elgin. Los Milics Vineyard is the name of the place and I highly recommend.  The lower end places are still in abundance and also fun to visit.  An enjoyable drive home with a magnificent sunset.  The next day, riding through my favorite neighborhood, I stopped for a gopher snake. The markings made some mistake it for a rattlesnake but this is harmless.   Cloudy days, although not rare, are also not common so mixing the mountain views with....  ....clouds creates stunning images.  Returning from a ride, I encountered this scene. A woman turned in front of an oncoming truck. The small car didn't stand a chance but the driver did as they effected to remove her.  I'm noticing the appearance of halloween decorations and I enjoy seeing them pop up, especially.....  ....this one within the 49er development. He's famous and cyclists have their pics taken in front of him.  Another visit to Sabino Canyon but with the approach of fall temps, I'll be hard pressed to get into and out of the canyon by 9am, the deadline for cyclists.  As always the clouds lend themselves to wonderful sunrises and sunsets.  During a ride, had to stop for this pic of a lone, lighted hill surrounded by cloudy ones.
 I took a quick hike through Sabino Canyon and there is still a trickle of water keeping some pools filled. For much of the creek, the water is now underground but maybe it will rain soon.  The early morning starts, obviously, continue although not for long.  My patio view one evening as things began getting interesting with the clouds.  The wind picked up and the setting sun made the sky a beautiful sight and then....  ....it rained. Some areas received an inch of rain and proof of that occurred the next morning....  ....when I got out for a quality ride and kept running into.....  .....this. In a few places, had to get off the bike and navigate around the mud.
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