Meramec Greenway - Oh How I Love Thee

When I ride I follow the Meramec River on the bike trails.  They are all paved and in pretty good condition (unless they are covered by flood mud).  "The Powers That Be" are connecting all the individual bike trails into a web of paved trails that will become the Meramec Greenway.  You will be able to completely circle St. Louis and ride all the way around just on the Greenway.  Today Tiffany walked 1/3 of my normal bike route and I ended up biking the same route twice (4.5 miles).  It was nice exercising with the girlfriend.  On a daily basis I get to see deer, frogs, cardinals, meadowlarks, bluebirds and various other wild birds.  The worst hazard I have come across is trying NOT to inhale the floating cottonwood seeds, they tickle going up your nose.  At the moment 1/3 of my usual bike route hasn't been cleared of mud from the last flood.  Of course this section is my favorite part to bike, it reminds me of Ft. Riley, KS.  This part of the trail is maintained by the City of Kirkwood and they are failing in their duties.  Two other smaller cities they have parts of the trial within their boundaries have done a better job clearing the mud and branches off of the trail and the parking lots.  Kirkwood can kiss my shiny heiney.  Even when I'm tired or not feeling like biking, as soon as I feel the wind in my face all is forgotten and I'm loving life.  Today I averaged 7 miles per hour, not one of my better days, but it was fun.  As soon as the Meramec River is down some I hope for a nice big thunderstorm to wash the trails clean of dirt/mud/leaves and small branches.  I've decided to replace my $200 Schwinn with a $500 Worksman bicycle.  After delivery charges it'll be a six hundred bike.  I'm going with the Retro Cruiser and will supplement the factory features with a set of flashing pedals and winged reflective hubcaps.  I'm not going to trick out the new bike like my first one but it will have spoke lights and a head light and tail light of some sort.  Here is a picture of the mentioned bike...

Pretty cool huh?  I've already named the bike and I don't even own it yet.  I am going to stick to a bell instead of a horn.  Horns are funny but WAY too obnoxious for polite usage.  Zoom Zoom...

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~loves riding his bike!

(and the bike will be called RAMBLER)

Current Country Totals


Journal Visits From
10 Dec 2009 to 28 Apr 2011

United States (US) 1,456

United Kingdom (GB) 63

Canada (CA) 33

Australia (AU) 25

Germany (DE) 18

Netherlands (NL) 14

Italy (IT) 13

Spain (ES) 8

France (FR) 7

Poland (PL) 6

Brazil (BR) 6

Sweden (SE) 6

Ireland (IE) 6

Croatia (HR) 5

Japan (JP) 5

Malaysia (MY) 5

Finland (FI) 4

Norway (NO) 4

Saudi Arabia (SA) 4

Thailand (TH) 4

New Zealand (NZ) 3

Belgium (BE) 3

Denmark (DK) 3

Czech Republic (CZ) 3

Portugal (PT) 3

Greece (GR) 3

Indonesia (ID) 3

India (IN) 3

Turkey (TR) 3

Austria (AT) 2

Peru (PE) 2

Mexico (MX) 2

Lithuania (LT) 2

Philippines (PH) 2

Hungary (HU) 2

Ukraine (UA) 2

Taiwan (TW) 2

South Africa (ZA) 2

Georgia (GE) 2

Korea, Republic of (KR) 2

Jordan (JO) 2

Romania (RO) 2

Pakistan (PK) 2

Iceland (IS) 1

Chile (CL) 1

Russian Federation (RU) 1

Faroe Islands (FO) 1

Hong Kong (HK) 1

Bulgaria (BG) 1

Iran, Islamic Republic of (IR) 1

Tunisia (TN) 1

Montenegro (ME) 1

Slovenia (SI) 1

El Salvador (SV) 1

Switzerland (CH) 1

Singapore (SG) 1

BIRTHER=RACIST

I've been watching CNN a lot lately and really getting fired up as The Donald attacks the President.  Not for one second do I believe that The Donald believes anything he is saying.  He is cynically playing to the lunatic fringe (re: THE BIRTHERS) of the GOP in an attempt to gather up their support prior to his Presidential Run announcement.  But it is dangerous to ally yourself with the racist BIRTHERS (whose main chant seems to be: "Obama's middle name is Hussain so he can't be an American and Hawaii isn't a State anyway") and not be painted with the same Racist paintbrush.  The Donald has painted himself into a corner and even if he shouts down the questions of the reporters, the American Public can happily answer the questions about his behaviour that The Donald doesn't want to address.  The Donald is a bad joke who's punchline can only be: Trump/Palin in 2012.  And I'm laughing and laughing and laughing...

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~watching the GOP implode!

(My Apt. is completely clean
and ready for my Mom's visit)

TEJAS was fun...

Tiffany and I had a blast in TX.  San Antonio was beautiful (if a bit crowded on Spring Break).  Loved the Alamo, the Riverwalk, the Marketplace, the Mall.  Not so much the Zoo, it was old school with animals behind bars and in non educations enclosures.  We also spent a day in Waco and went to the Dr. Pepper Museum (everyone should go see this world class site), the Waco Zoo (wonderful boutique Zoo), and on the way home we stopped back at the Dr. Pepper Museum to dine at their Soda Foutain.  Helping Mom move from the Ranch to Town kicked my keister.  She downsized from 5 bedroom to 3 bedroom and I love her new place.  The new owners of the Ranch seem nice and I hope they appreciate the beautiful Ranch House my Father designed.  Lately I've been cleaning my apartment with help from Tiffany, I know right?  Let's all sing together from the FIDDLER ON THE ROOF songbook:  "Wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles..."!

I'm BACK! Back in the New York Groove...

flee, FLEE for your very lives...

Today is the day...

On the road again

Goin' places that I've never been

Seein' things that I may never see again

And I can't wait to get on the road again

On the road again

Like a band of gypsies we go down the highway

We're the best of friends

Insisting that the world keep turning our way and our way

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Gypsy!

Tomorrow we ride the Mother Road and brave the new gas prices...

Tif is stressed out and I'm almost done with laundry and packing.  I still have to clean the car, clean the dog kennel, clean the dog, and pack the car.  Wish me luck...

I'm going to tell a story on my little brother...

I love my brother Mark.  I don't say that enough but I do.  Today is a big day in my brother's life and I couldn't be prouder of him.  But first I want to tell a story on my little brother.  I'm not sure of the date but this conversation took place either at the end of Mark's college years or shortly there after.  Mom was driving the car, I was in the passenger seat and Mark was in the back seat.  Mark had scooted up and was sitting in the middle of the back seat so he could be in the conversation.  I have not idea what we were originally talking about, but the conversation went something like this:  ME talking to MARK, "blah blah blah I was named after Dad and you were named after Mom." MARK, "No I wasn't." ME, "What?  Dad is Jerry Austin Smith and I'm David Austin Smith, Mom is Martha Ann Smith and you're Mark Andrew Smith.  You are named after Mom." MARK, "No I wasn't." MOM, "Yes you were."  ME, "Bwhahahahahhahhahaahah."  Today is the day that my brother Mark is being promoted to Lieutenant Colonel in the U.S. Army.  So not only is Mark named after Mom but he is now officially LTC Mark Andrew Smith.  I love you Mark, and I could not be prouder!

David<~~~~~~~~Mark's older brother!

Getting ready for our TEXAS trip

Preparations for our TX trip:

1. Cleaning house
2. Wash clothes
3. Clean Snooky's kennel
4. Give Snooky a bath
5. Clean out car
6. Get oil change
7. Get tires balanced
8. Get a haircut hippy!
9. Pack clothes for trip
10. Purchase snacks
11. Pack sack lunches
12. Don't forget Tiffany!

SAN ANTONIO HERE WE COME!

I miss dancing at SHATTERED...

WEBSHOT PHOTO GALLERY

My Webshots Album almost got 1000 views this week.  Pretty nice if I do say so myself...

http://community.webshots.com/user/davidasinstl

It doesn't get better than this...

Come all you rambling boys of pleasure

And ladies of easy leisure

We must say Adios until we see

Almeria once again



More from the lads...

Check your wristwatches...

IT'S NERDTIME!

When I'm building an army in Warhammer 40K I try to make mine stand out.  My Imperial Guard Army is based on the British Colonial Army during the Zulu War, Lawrence of Arabia, & the Gurkas.  My Tyranid Army is based on HR Giger and a corrupted Inquisitor.  My Space Marine Army is based on the Mark 8 'Errant' Armor and references to my Father's military career.  When I needed Terminators of course I wanted to do something original.  I discovered the first three Terminator armor designs, picked my favorite and managed to scrounge together 5 for a small unit.  I never imagined that I'd ever be able to expand that number to a proper Terminator squad or have two Terminator squads.  Enter Ebay.  I have now acquired 7 additional original Terminators and am 3 away from a standard 10 man squad and a 5 man Terminator Assault Squad.  Here is the fist published picture of the Space Marine Terminators.  The design I picked is the top right one... 

Love you Ian...

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nerd!

New additions to my Madagascar Vivarium...

I went down to the pet shop to buy some of these:

Vampire Crab Geosesarma sp.

(but ended up with two of these)

Red Crab Geosesarma sp.

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nerd!

ha ha ha...

DEVIL INSIDE

Here comes the woman

With the look in her eye

Raised on leather

With flesh on her mind

Words as weapons sharper than knives

Makes you wonder how the other half die

Other half die

Here come the man

With the look in his eye

Fed on nothing

But full of pride

Look at them go

Look at them kick

Makes you wonder how the other half live

The devil inside

The devil inside

Every single one of us the devil inside

The devil inside

The devil inside

Every single one of us the devil inside

Here come the world

With the look in its eye

Future uncertain but certainly slight

Look at the faces

Listen to the bells

It's hard to believe we need a place called hell

My very first video on my YouTube Channel...

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~NERD!

GOOD NEWS.........BAD NEWS

• Good News!  I put Meramec Jack on the bike rack so I could go biking!
• Bad News...It snowed and the bike lock froze imprisoning my bike on the back of my car.
• Good News!  I bought some window de-icer to unfreeze my bike lock!
• Bad News...It was the wrong kind so I couldn't use it.
• Good News!  I washed the road salt and ice off of my bike daily!
• Bad News...My handle bars are rusting, do not buy a SCHWINN bicycle.
• Good News!  Some guy honked and gave my the thumbs up indicating he liked my bike!
• Bad News...It's still too cold and icy to ride my bike.
• Good News!  I just purchased a huge DING DONG bike bell for my bike!
• Bad News...I just purchased a huge DING DONG bike bell for my bike.
• Good News!  I bought lock de-icer and was able to free Meramac Jack!
• Bad News...My bike is now sitting idle in my living room.
• Good News!  Tomorrow is a new day!

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nerd!

SNOW DAY!

We received 1-2 inches of snow.  The weathermen predicted 2-6 inches.  Hmmmmm, it's almost like they have a financial incentive to overestimate bad weather...

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Nerd!

Zorses, Zedonks and lily white Camels...

Zorses come from horses

and Zedonks wear stripity socks

for a mere six thousand dollars

you can own a camel that rocks

black and white and beige and black

when will it ever end?

to purchase a lily white Camel

to Seymore you'll have to send

so come with me or travel alone

we'll ride a mysterious steed

patience love and carrots

that's all you're gonna need...

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~~~would love to own a Zoo!

WHAT TIME IS IT?

NERDTIME!

introducing the Leviation MORTIS, will make a wonderful KNIGHT TITAN for Warhammer 40K!

http://dreamforge-games.com/index.html

grinning like a fool, with my foot in the tank...

YOU CAN'T CATCH ME

by Mr. Chuck Berry
I bought a brand-new air-mobile
It custom-made, 'twas a Flight De Ville
With a pow'ful motor and some hideaway wings
Push in on the button and you will get a scene

CHORUS:
Now you can't catch me, baby you can't catch me
'Cause if you get too close, you know I'm gone like a cool breeze

New Jersey Turnpike in the wee wee hours
I was rollin' slow because of drizzlin' showers
Here come a flat-top, he was movin' up with me
Then come wavin' goodbye a little' old souped-up jitney
I put my foot in my tank and I began to roll
Moanin' siren, 'twas a state patrol
So I let out my wings and then I blew my horn
Bye bye New Jersey, I'd be come and gone

(chorus)

Flyin' with my baby last Saturday night
Not a gray cloud floatin' in sight
Big full moon shinin' up above
Cuddle up honey, be my love
Sweetest little thing I've ever seen
I'm gonna name you Maybellene
Flyin' on the beam, set on flight control
Radio tuned to rock 'n' roll
Two, three hours have passed us by
I'll be 2 dropped to 5:05
Fuel consumption way too fast
Let's get on home before we run out of gas

(chorus)


BIKE RIDING CHECKLIST:

1. Install new Cruiser Saddle on Meramec Jack - check
2. Install new dual kickstand on Meramec Jack - check
3. Throw work out clothes in washing machine - check
4. Can't wait & leave to go biking before work out clothes are done - check
5. Load Meramec Jack onto bike rack of Deerslayer - check
6. Load Public Image Limited into the 8-Track tape player - check
7. Rock out to P.I.L on the drive to the Greenway - check
8. Arrive at the Greenway and park Deerslayer - check
9. Tune Pandora Radio on the cell phone to the Chuck Berry channel - check
10. Install cell phone into bike speaker system of Meramec Jack - check
11. Unload Meramec Jack and dance in a circle like a little kid - check
12. Activate brand new Garmin to track bike ride - check
13. Take a swig of Gatorade - check
14. Tilt Shorty to a jaunty angle - check
15. Begin bike ride - check
16. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
17. Observe female Bluebird decide between two male Bluebird suitors - check
18. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
19. Slide in the mud while taking a turn way too fast - check
20. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
21. Startle a cute lady walking her dogs while I pass her on the trail - check
22. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
23. Take a swig of Gatorade - check
24. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
25. Appreciate the new mural artwork on the pumping station - check
26. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
27. Grin like a fool as I pass people on the bike trail - check
28. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
29. Finish off the last of the Gatorade - check
30. ZOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM - check
31. Climb the last little hill at the end of my ride - check
32. Load Meramec Jack back onto the bike rack on Deerslayer - check
33. Post something witty on Facebook - check 
34. Rock out to P.I.L on the drive to McDonalds - check
35. Read the paper while eating a double cheeseburger at Micky Dees - check
36. Be very very happy - check

David<~~~~~~~~~~~~Biking kind of a guy

"Shorty" (my porkpie hat)

4 inches of snow = no bike riding for David

I picked up my new Cruiser bike saddle tonight.  It's 10 inches across and feels like heaven.  I received a dual kickstand for my bike for Christmas.  When folded up it looks like pipes on a motorcycle and when down it keeps my bike from leaning.  Love it.  Tonight or tomorrow morning I will install the new equipment.  If the weather is semi-OK I may ride tomorrow and WILL ride on Friday fo show.  I shadowed the Meremac Greenway in my car today and checked out the bike trail's condition.  Quite a bit was completely clear and some of the trail is still under snow and ice.  Snow Snow Go Away, Blow On In Another Day (sing with me damnit)...

DAVID<~~~~~~~~~~~wants to ride my bike BAD!