CYSIN: The Traumatic PART II of Tuesday (4/26)

Which of the above "pics" is highlighted in Traumatic Part II Tuesday?



When the sun is shining and skies are blue it is hard to imagine categorizing such a day as "traumatic".  However, that is exactly what this Tuesday gets classified as.

Two of the six pictures above relate to Traumatic Tuesday.  One is highlighted in "Tuesday - PART II" of this post,  The other will be highlighted in "Tuesday - Part III" in the next post.

You will just have to select "more" to "see" a part of the full story!

Flash Back to Tuesday Part I:  I had a fun ride coasting down Portage Trail and biking quick on Akron Peninsula Road.  Why I even chased down a "Red Rabbit" while making a new "positive connection" on the trail.  My destination goal was to hook up with the ROMEOs.

"Winking Lizards" at the Winking Lizard in Peninsula

If you have seen one ROMEO picture...you may not have seen them all.
But for sure there is a common theme...Good Food!
(Duh!  ROMEO = Retired Old Men Eating Out!)

The reason the ROMEOs are getting "near top billing", in Part II of this Traumatic Tuesday post, is that they are a bunch of "instigators".  And without doubt, that feisty one, Dr. Tom is the lead instigator. (So you how do you like bashing the COW blogger now?)

BTW, for those that don't know,  Dr. Tom's is the balding guy with a yellow shirt on! (Oh sorry...it seems like there are a few who fit that description!)

Putting some portion of ribbing aside, the ROMEOs got a favorable review in "Part I" of this day's story that is referenced below.  However, there is a "certain weather prediction" that connects Part I of the story with Part II.

Instigator Dr. Tom, along with his many other talents, thinks he is a prolific weather forecaster. Based upon the next set of pictures below, I think you will agree with me...his meteorology skills are more than questionable.

For context, I think Dr. Tom needs to study this definition further:

Meteorology (from Greek: μετέωρον, meteoron, "high in the sky"; and λόγος, logos, "knowledge") is the interdisciplinary scientific study of the atmosphere that focuses on weather processes and forecasting.

 Looking to the sky...what "color" do you see?

Do you see any "rain" in these pictures?

GREEN BOX:  No rain.  Nothing but blue skies.

RED BOX:  No rain. Just blue skies.  But the walkway seems more inviting in this picture!

If you have been following my posts, you will recognize one of these two pictures which I took last Tuesday (4/26) after just leaving the ROMEOs behind at their "drive in" lunch at the Winking Lizard.  I had visited with them there to capture, on video, Dr. Tom's explanation for why he cancelled Team Romeo's scheduled Tuesday lunch ride to Bucci's in Berea. 

Did he say the ride was cancelled due to rain? 

You can read all about the "questionable cancellation" at Doppler Doo Doo .

As indicated in Part I of the "Triple D" post, there was a bunch more to share...in Part II and Part III.

Here are some question marks in Part II of Traumatic Tuesday:

• What did that voice say? 
• Where was I suppose to look? 
• What do you want me to do about it?

You also may have read (see  Going "shoeless"...  ) that I am in need of a new pair of glasses.  Unfortunately, this will require my submission to a "game" that I don't like to play. 

You know the one, "Which of these is better? [click] This one? [click] Or,that one? Again, this? Or, that?"

Beside having both blurry vision and blurry blog thoughts, I had to find a way to wrap up my blog activities for the month of April.  I thought an "eye examination" would be helpful (okay peanut gallery...I'll say it for you...not eye...but head examination!)


PART TWO - WHAT DID I FORGOT TO DO?

Church Sign with "Tricky" Reflection!

Which sign is easier to read?  Does anything look "odd"?
To me there was something simple and attractive about this blue painted wood sign

GREEN BOX:  This was my second shot at capturing the "church sign"...with less reflection (then the red box photo).  That's odd!  Are some letters missing in the name of the church?  Should someone call Fr. Terzano...and let him know "the R is missing?"

RED BOX:  Looks like this pic has a "bad biker" reflection!  Could that be COW himself?  Holy COW!  Plus, the sign seems to have been altered in some way.  Should some one call the Peninsula Police about photo vandalism? (BTW...I fancy the image of the blue door at the top of the steps behind the sign!)



I am thankful that I heard the voice say, "Stop here and check your mileage and speed" before I proceeded south on Akron-Peninsula Road to head home to make my "cross my heart and hope to die" commitment to my son Andrew of being back home by 2:30 pm.

As I stood quietly over my bike near the curb and walk way to take these still shots, I could smell the aroma of the blossoms that were "bursting in air". Unlike the Star Spangle Banner, with "bombs bursting in air", there were certainly no rain clouds bursting anywhere!  Some forecast Dr. Tom!

As I got ready to pedal on south, I remembered what else the voice said, "Look up". 

With my reply, "Got it!.", I rolled away from Mother of Sorrows Catholic Church

...thinking about that blue sign with three crosses     

...thinking about some unfinished business     

...and, thinking about Tom's rain prediction     

If we get more rain...could there be a flood?

GREEN BOX: Cuyahoga River looks swift and high.  Could it be cresting soon?

RED BOX:  With all these pretruding barren tree limbs, I seemed to be missing a desired shot of  the "flowing waters".  Figured it was better to "shoot" what I could see since in a few days fresh leaves, from popping buds ,would nearly block all sight of this Lake Erie tributary. 

Dr. Tom had said, "If it does not start raining by 2:00 pm today, I will be very surprised!" 

As I paused to contemplate the flow of the river, pondering the rain's impact if Tom's prediction would hold true, I was also thinking about the reason I stopped at this particular bend while riding south on Akron Peninsula Road. 

I had thought the "thing" I was looking for was just beyond the Truxell Road intersect with AP Road.  Having passed all the intersects of Truxel Rd, Quick Rd, Wetmore Rd, Northampton Rd, on my left, I began to worry and wonder. Did I miss it?

Maybe someone got there before me and already did the needed job.  I'll bet that's why I missed it!

Certainly, I would have seen it before passing Bolzman Rd on my right.

When I went back to my bike, after gazing over the river's edge, I saw a "clue" captured in the next frames. 

"Thanks again voice!".

Maybe that "thing" was beyond the hidden drive.

 

Which warning sign looks less fuzzy?

GREEN BOX:  Nope.  This view of the sign is not very clear.

RED BOX:  Now that I was a little bit closer, "Hidden Drive" seems clearer. To myself, I called out, "Car up!" 

I rode through this section of AP Road many times without seeing this warning sign.  I was probably too occupied with peeking over at the river.

Looking towards the "warning sign", for the first time, tweaked my imagination with a new reflective thought.

How might I describe my "hidden drives" to you?  Maybe in a biking blog?

Just around the bend, after the warning sign, I realize that I did not miss...what I was looking for.

Sorry...its not a possum...but a masked bandit.

GREEN BOX:  Never did spot the "actual" hidden drive when I biked south past the sign.

RED BOX:  Pulling off the road...taking this picture...I contemplated my next move.

The voice had told me to take care of this "potentially unsafe condition" when I passed by earlier today from the opposite direction.  I was hurrying to meet up with those lunching ROMEOs while heading north on the east side of the road.

At least I now had the opportunity to redeem my defiant self. 

With camera in hand, as I was straddling my bike in the loose gravel well beyond the white line road edge, I focused on developing a "safe" removal plan. 

Positioned perpendicular to this dead raccoon, my worst fears were immediately realized.

Three cars cars, speeding south, nearly clipped me as they dodged around the silent road kill. That's great...avoid the raccoon, but hit the biker!

I figured it would be safer to move further down steam.  I parked my bike and paced off a safe distance south of my original observation point.

The next passing car did not disappoint.

 Are we really safe riding to the right of the white line?

GREEN BOX:  Okay.  The raccoon has not moved yet.  But, I hear another car approaching.

RED BOX:  Yup.  Just like the prior three cars, this one also dodges through the white line.

It made me want to scream, "Hey! Did you see the COW over here on side of the road?"

Getting more irate, I did scream after the car drove past, "Hey!  Do you want some of this???""

Okay...I did not scream after the passing car.
But...If I was still on my bike...I would have rang my bell at all of those cars!

Last summer, while working as a "SAG" wagon volunteer for the Akron Bike Club's (ABC) Absolutely Beautiful Country Ride (ABC Ride), I faced a similar road rescue challenge.

I knew I had the "courage" to pull this off again. (check out ABCs web site for ABC info: Don't miss the July 10, 2011 ABC Ride!)

My goal was to make the road safe for both cars and bikers.  I just needed to "remove the dead animal".

By the way, "SAG" stands for...

A location along the course of a long mass-participation recreational ride providing mechanical and/or medical assistance to riders in need. Volunteers at the SAG station may also dispatch SAG wagons to assist riders stranded along the course. A SAG station may also function as a food stop.

"SAG" (most commonly written in all uppercase) may derive from a rider "sagging" off the back of the group, or it may be an acronym (or a backronym) for "Support And Gear" or "Support Aid Group."

While SAG-ing at the 2010 ABC, about a month after my June 7th "bus accident" where I broke a few things, I had a pair of disposable rubber gloves in my car.  After gloving up, I grabbed a "dead beaver" by the tail, with my good right arm, and chucked him into an adjacent ditch...between the road and a Medina farm field.

Dang!  I am not carrying disposable gloves today.

Eeny meeny, miny, moe...catch a tiger by the toe!

I suppose the same applies to Raccoons and Beavers!
If he hollers let him go!
Eeny meeny, miny, moe...out goes Y...O...U!!!

GREEN BOX:  There is something creepy about those toes.

RED BOX:  Once again, I am going for the tail..and not a toe!

In case you were wondering...this guy did not stink.  And, when I grabbed him by the tail (no gloves this time), I could not tell if he was still warm or very cold.

Knowing that bikers would now be safe, from dodging cars...that might clip a biker to avoid a dead animal in the road, I only had one more step to execute. 

Where to deposit this 30 lbs critter?

Thanks voice, "I got it!"

The Gospel of Luke 23:53... provides some guidance

These stones...directly perpedicular to the accident site...
seem to provide for an appropriate burial spot.

GREEN BOX:  Behind this rock, Mr. Raccoon will no longer be seem from the road.

RED BOX:  Where did these rocks come from anyway?  Can you help me out here voice?

Guarding the tomb...

My used 1990 vintage 684 Schwinn...acquired for $350  
on April 2, 2010 from "Car Gear" (next to Luigi's) at 110 North Main St., Akron

If you were to check your church calendar for 2010, you will discover that April 2, 2010 was the date occupied by "Good Friday".  I have enjoyed my first year of riding on this bike I call "Red".

It seems appropriate, that of the handful of pictures I have taken of "Red", that above photograph has a "Good Friday" landscaped look.  I think this will be the one photo of my bike that I cherish the most.

If you cannot fully see it, Mr. Raccoon is tucked away just behind the spokes of my front wheel.  He is hard to detect, but we know that he is there.
 

Speaking of the front wheel, it is "biking news" that your looking at the first wheel I built myself this April.  Thanks for letting me use your new truing stand...Mike B! 

Let me close this up with a few comments about the "blue painted wood sign" from above:

I have never visited the inside of Mother of Sorrow Catholic Church.  I hope to be able to do so soon. When I do, I hope no one will be upset that I placed my "Red" on their sign to wrap up this post. 

Since I knew I would be tracking down the "Bandit Raccon" after seeing this sign for the first time ever, it occurred to me that the "racoon" and this "sign" are related.

Without any specific information about the "church sign", I am speculating that the three "cross circles" represent a "Good Friday" scene.

Interesting enough, as I captured in my "Easter"  CYSIN: Sunday's Simple Message , two criminals were crucified along side Jesus.  One on his right and one on his left.  

Hence, the two outer "circle crosses" represent the symbols for some bad guys...maybe "bandits". 

Speaking of bad guys, just to let you know...I am one of those!  And, I hope you realize that you are too!

All of us can find salvation in the "center circle cross".

Remember: Ride SAFE....even if that means removing debris from the cycling pathways we travel.

Any guesses now?