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Archive for September, 2011
Six Gap Century Ride Report
Here is the detailed ride report from Six Gap … looking for power/heartrate or quick summary … look no further than this previous post!
Saturday – Analise's morning soccer game got cancelled so I spent a leisurely morning working on a Nintendo balance board research project. My friend Brad Mabry picked me up around 11:30 and we headed out on the three and half hour drive from Birmingham to Dahlonega to pick up our six gap stuff and race the crit at 8:30PM. Checking in for the century and for the race took less than 20 minutes, so we still had nearly 3 hours to kill before I was ready to start warming up for the crit. We hit up the Starbucks and saw that the Clemson – FSU game was on the big screen and proceeded to watch nearly the entire game at the Starbucks in the student center. Clemson won (go tigers!) The hour long race was hard and fast, and I ended up winning three cash primes. Goofed up the finish, but still really enjoyed the race and atmosphere. Read the race report here.
Sunday – We were staying at Brad's family lake house on the north side of Lake Lanier so we had a short 30 minute drive in the morning to get to the start of the Six Gap Century at the high school in Dahlonega. After finishing the crit at 9:30PM, 5:30AM Sunday morning came awfully early. We left at that time so that we could make it into the high school parking lot before it filled up. I'm glad we did because it was amazing how fast that lot filled up with cars after we arrived. At about 7:15 we rolled down to the start line and there was already hundreds of riders lined up. Thankfully, there was a section cordoned off at the front for people who expected to finish in under 6 hours. I headed to this area and waited the last few minutes as the Lieutenant Governor got us on our way promptly at 7:30.
I was at the back of the cordoned off area with easily 100 riders in front and close to three thousand behind. Many of those riders joined into our lead group of probably 300 or more riders? I was happy that I was so far forward in this group, but it was still very tricky during the first few miles of the ride with the natural surges in the group over the rolling hills. By the time we made it to the GA 60 climb, the group had started to thin out. By the top of the GA 60 climb, the group was really trimmed down to maybe less than 100 riders. This group stayed together until the bottom of the Neels Gap climb when we turned onto US129.
Alexey Schmidt (Team Type I) was at the front drilling it up the bottom of Neels Gap. I had moved up into maybe the top 50 or so by this point so was still getting a nice draft at 21-22 mph up the flatter lower slopes of the climb. As the climb steepened, people from the front started to fall off the pace. Eventually, I found myself only a few riders back from the very front by the top of the first part of the Neels Gap climb. We went down the descent pretty hard, and immediately into the second part of the climb Alexey picked up the pace again. Starting from this fast pace, Mike Stone (Hincapie Devo) surged hard. I came around a couple riders to get on Mike's wheel. After Mike pulled off, I gave a hard pull and looked back to find only one other rider with us – Jimmy Schurman (Chemstar). We traded pace all the way up the rest of the climb and settled down into a hard 325+ watt effort.
Once we made it to the top, we flew down the other side, rotating all the way down to the turn onto 180, where we continued a good hard rotation all the way up Jack's Gap and down the other side. We finally started talking to each other a bit towards the top of the Unicoi Gap climb, and we all decided it would be a good idea to stop at the top to refuel. We made it a pretty short stop and began the descent. I was leading the way and really enjoying the descent with Mike behind me when I came into one of the decreasing radius turns a bit too hot. After the next two switchbacks, I looked back and noticed that there was nobody behind me. My first thought was "oh no, Mike has gone off the cliff", so I stopped and started to head back up the climb back to find Mike. Jimmy appeared a couple seconds later and hollered that Mike had flatted. I turned around again to catch onto Jimmy and we continued on down the descent.
As we made our way to bottom of the Hogpen Gap climb, Alexey Schmidt, Jan Kolar (Birmingham Bicycle Company), Donald Davis (Subaru), and maybe one other rider caught up to us. It took Jimmy and I both completely by surprise because we thought that the next riders were minutes behind. They were really pushing the pace hard with Alexey taking us into the bottom of Hogpen at a really fast pace. At the timing strip, Jimmy and I picked up the pace again and were on our own. Jimmy was pushing it really hard and pretty soon I found myself hanging onto his wheel trying not to let any gap open. I made it to the 3.1 miles to go sign where the road is really steep before coming off Jimmy's wheel. Once I was off, I settled back into a slower, wiped out rhythm about 25-50 watts below threshold. I could see Jimmy almost all the way to the top, but had lost sight of him completely with 1k to go. So I'm thinking he ended up doing the climb 1-2 minutes faster than me.
I went straight across the top, and caught Jimmy by the bottom of Hogpen hitting 56.5mph along the way and railing the corners at 45+mph. The Hogpen descent is relatively straight though without the major switchbacks of some of the other descents. From this point on, we were pretty much committed to finishing together. We pushed it hard back to 180 and then the initial climb towards Wolfpen. When we made it to Wolfpen, we started to pass the 3 Gap – 50 mile riders. We had to negotiate our way through them since we were going maybe 5-10mph faster up the climb. It was really fun though to see all the different people challenging themselves on the ride.
By the top of Wolfpen, I was down to just a plastic 1/2 liter bottle of water in my back pocket so I figured I would make a quick stop at the rest stop. Unfortunately, it was jammed packed with people so I opted to stretch out that 1/2 liter for the last 25 miles or so figuring that we had a lot of downhill left in the ride and not much uphill. This worked out well because I ended up finishing without cramping and with a couple sips of water left. We chatted a lot about races between Wolfpen and Woody Gap, and it was nice to reflect on a long racing season. Jimmy still has more racing to go this year heading to New Zealand for Tour of the Southland. I expect with the climbing form he has now that he will be doing very well in that race!
After the Woody descent, we picked the pace back up again and pushed it hard through the time trial course that was used in the Dahlonega Omnium a couple years ago. We continued passing 3-gappers along the way, and the finish at the high school came much quicker than I expected. Jimmy and I crossed the line together just shy of the course record by a minute or so. It was an amazing event, and I am looking forward to next year!
Six Gap Criterium Race Report
Race summary
Excellent course in downtown Dahlonega. Excellent way to end the season winning three primes, although I repeated my Pepper Crit mistake from 2008 of confusing the last lap of the race with the suicide prime. I thought we still had one lap to go and was going to forego the suicide prime in favor of an attack on the hill to try to win the field sprint. Unfortunately, it was actually the last lap! Oh well, that mistake lit a fire under me for the 2009 season so I am hoping this bodes well for a really good 2012 season!
2011-09-24 Six Gap Criterium power map
Power/heatrate data
While the course in downtown Dahlonega was an excellent technical course, it made for some goofy Strava lap times as the laps overlapped each other. I tried my best to pick out the lap splits, but I think there may be a couple missing laps. I goofed up the final sprint thinking that the bell lap was for the suicide prime when it was actually the final lap. I was all ready to attack on the hill for the last lap but realized that the race was over … what a sinking feeling. Also, my heartrate monitor has been acting up and it took a few laps before it started picking up the correct heartrate.
NAME DIST SPEED POWER HR TIME NOTE Lap 1 0.5 mi 23.3 mph 364 watts 115 bpm 0:01:23 Bad HR Lap 2 0.5 mi 26.2 mph 269 watts 115 bpm 0:01:14 Bad HR Lap 3 0.5 mi 25.5 mph 301 watts 114 bpm 0:01:16 Bad HR Lap 4 0.5 mi 26.9 mph 268 watts 112 bpm 0:01:12 Bad HR Lap 5 0.5 mi 24.5 mph 259 watts 125 bpm 0:01:19 Bad HR Lap 6 0.5 mi 27.7 mph 310 watts 182 bpm 0:01:10 Bad HR Lap 7 0.5 mi 24.5 mph 169 watts 166 bpm 0:01:19 HR OK Lap 8 0.5 mi 24.2 mph 265 watts 164 bpm 0:01:20 Lap 9 0.5 mi 27.3 mph 414 watts 172 bpm 0:01:11 Lap 10 0.5 mi 25.5 mph 250 watts 180 bpm 0:01:16 Lap 11 0.5 mi 24.5 mph 269 watts 170 bpm 0:01:19 Lap 12 0.5 mi 28.1 mph 349 watts 180 bpm 0:01:09 Lap 13 0.5 mi 27.7 mph 444 watts 183 bpm 0:01:10 $100 Prime Lap 14 0.5 mi 26.9 mph 305 watts 189 bpm 0:01:12 Chasing Lap 15 0.5 mi 25.8 mph 317 watts 186 bpm 0:01:15 Chasing Lap 16 0.5 mi 23.9 mph 268 watts 178 bpm 0:01:21 Chasing Lap 17 0.5 mi 25.1 mph 220 watts 174 bpm 0:01:17 Caught Lap 18 0.5 mi 24.5 mph 240 watts 168 bpm 0:01:19 Lap 19 0.5 mi 25.8 mph 230 watts 167 bpm 0:01:15 Lap 20 0.5 mi 21.5 mph 153 watts 161 bpm 0:01:30 Lap 21 0.5 mi 25.8 mph 294 watts 165 bpm 0:01:15 Lap 22 0.5 mi 25.8 mph 251 watts 184 bpm 0:01:15 Lap 23 0.5 mi 25.5 mph 329 watts 180 bpm 0:01:16 Lap 24 0.6 mi 24.5 mph 236 watts 173 bpm 0:01:19 Lap 25 0.5 mi 25.8 mph 203 watts 169 bpm 0:01:15 Lap 26 0.5 mi 26.2 mph 266 watts 165 bpm 0:01:14 Lap 27 0.5 mi 25.1 mph 291 watts 176 bpm 0:01:17 Lap 28 0.5 mi 27.3 mph 404 watts 181 bpm 0:01:11 $50 Prime Lap 29 0.5 mi 22.0 mph 177 watts 179 bpm 0:01:28 Lap 30 0.5 mi 24.8 mph 266 watts 169 bpm 0:01:18 Lap 31 0.5 mi 28.5 mph 261 watts 170 bpm 0:01:08 Lap 32 0.5 mi 26.9 mph 246 watts 171 bpm 0:01:12 Lap 33 0.5 mi 26.2 mph 216 watts 167 bpm 0:01:14 Lap 34 0.5 mi 27.7 mph 285 watts 171 bpm 0:01:10 Lap 35 0.5 mi 25.1 mph 225 watts 171 bpm 0:01:17 Lap 36 0.5 mi 28.5 mph 386 watts 180 bpm 0:01:08 $50 Prime Lap 37 0.5 mi 25.1 mph 217 watts 181 bpm 0:01:17 Lap 38 0.5 mi 22.5 mph 235 watts 175 bpm 0:01:26 Lap 39 0.5 mi 25.5 mph 243 watts 166 bpm 0:01:16 Lap 40 0.5 mi 26.9 mph 245 watts 168 bpm 0:01:12 Lap 41 0.5 mi 28.5 mph 282 watts 167 bpm 0:01:08 Lap 42 0.5 mi 31.7 mph 525 watts 182 bpm 0:01:01 Missed $150 More laps???
2011-09-24 Six Gap Criterium power plot
2011-09-24 Six Gap Criterium pedal force
2011 Six Gap Century
What a fun experience to ride the Six Gap Century 15 years after I first rode it in 1996. Fifteen years ago, there were about 200 riders assembled at the North Georgia College campus gymnasium to head out of town to tackle six mountains. On the very first climb, we rode from a sunny valley up into the fog and I still remember thinking maybe this is what it feels like to climb L'Alpe du Huez. Fifteen years later, yesterday, thousands of riders assembled at the North Lumpkin Co High School parking lot to tackle the same climbs. I'll write up more about how the ride went yesterday and post a race report from the crit Saturday night later, but I wanted to go ahead and post all the data from the ride. As a quick summary, I ended up crossing the line together with Jimmy Schurman (Chemstar) in a few minutes over 5 hours after Mike Stone (Hincapie Devo) flatted on the Unicoi Gap descent taking him out of our three-man group established halfway up the first climb (Neels Gap). Click on each image below for a zoomed in view, all graphs are smoothed at 30 seconds from Golden Cheetah:
2011-09-25 Six Gap heart/rate power data
2011-09-25 Six Gap interval summary
2011-09-25 Annotated Six Gap power map
2011-09-25 Neels Gap power/heartrate data
2011-09-25 Jacks Gap power/heartrate data
2011-09-25 Unicoi Gap power/heartrate data
2011-09-25 Hogpen Gap power/heartrate data
2011-09-25 Wolfpen Gap power/heartrate data
2011-09-25 Woody Gap power/heartrate data
Pensacola Stage Race Day 2 – Criterium and Overall
Criterium Summary
What a great day for Tria Cycling! My teammate Pat Allison took the win from a 2-man break hopefully moving up into the top 10 on the GC based on the time differential and time bonuses on offer for the stage. Another teammate, Sammy Flores, took the field sprint for 3rd place in the race. I was just two spots behind him for 5th place in the crit wrapping up a 5th place overall in the GC. I also won a prime for a Park Tool Bike Stand with about 8 laps to go.
The Details
The race started out interestingly as the rider to my left slipped off his pedal trying to clip in and plowed into my foot with his foot and then into my rear wheel with his front wheel. This is why it is so important to make sure your rear skewer is pointed correctly up the seat stay so that another riders wheel and/or spoke doesn't get caught in the skewer and pull you down. Fortunately, I don't believe there was any damage to my wheel, but I went from the third row near the front to near the back of the pack by the first turn. The course was really wide, however, and I had moved back up to the front by near the end of the second lap.
By the start of the fourth lap, I was in a good position to attack to try to bridge across to a small break that had gone up the road on the second or third lap. I attacked hard through the start/finish going into the first turn. I nearly lost it over the bricks but recovered to find myself with three chase group companions – Tim Reagan (Herring Gas), Michael McBrien (Subaru), John Hart (Friends of the Great Smokies). We were joined half a lap later by another rider who had bridged across. We worked well together and stayed away for almost 4 laps averaging 27.5mph along the way. Kristine got this video of a couple of the laps of that early break:
Behind us, there was a hard chase by the GC contenders who didn't want to see me get up the road to get time back that I had lost in the time trial the day before. Once we were caught, my teammate Pat Allison launched a strong attack that was perfectly timed, but there was still too many people fresh and the field brought it back each time. The next few laps saw a few attacks being brought back. Then Pat launched a nice solo move through the start/finish. Another rider from Velobrew was either already up the road or saw the move and bridged across to Pat. It was a bit confusing because some riders were already being lapped and weren't being pulled from the course. So it was hard to tell who was up the road from the field and who was being lapped. In any case, Pat eventually merged with the Velobrew rider and the two of them worked to establish a 47 second lead. With lap times of just over 1'30″, they were halfway around the course to lapping the field before our pace picked up in the field.
John Hart (FGS) attacked several times to try to get away and chase, but each move was brought back by GC contenders intent on conserving their lead. The field pace was slow because of the short attacks and catches. But then there were a few attacks from GC contenders that saw our pace ramp way up as I and others chased them down. Shortly after these attacks, the promoters rang the bell for the park bike stand as a field prime. Nobody attacked throughout the course so coming down the straightaway before the last turn, I attacked hard (1088watts) up the inside. I thought for sure somebody in the field would have grabbed my wheel to go for the prime so as I sprinted full speed to the finish line I was crossing the gap to my teammate up the road. By the time I made it to the finish line, I already had nearly a 10 second gap with the field just making the turn around the final corner.
At this point, I debated for a second that maybe I should try to finish the bridge to my teammate. I quickly realized, though, that the field would chase hard until I was caught possibly leading it all to come back together before the end. I didn't want to spoil a nearly certain win given our strongest sprinter in a two-man break so I sat up to let the field catch me as quickly as possible. This worked perfectly because our pace dropped in the field and the break's gap grew again. Only a couple laps later, the officials announced 5 laps to go, and our pace jumped up again. Jake Brewer (Herring Gas) got away with one other rider ahead of the field. It wasn't until coming out of the final corner going into the final sprint that we caught them. I made sure to stay as close to the front as possible, which turned out to be really good because there were two crashes on the final lap. Kristine got this awesome video of the finish of the race with Pat taking a clear win, my teammate Sammy winning the field sprint, and me taking 5th.
Here is the lap data from Strava -
NAME DIST SPEED POWER TIME COMMENT Lap 1 0.7 mi 24.4 mph 224 watts 0:01:45 Lap 2 0.7 mi 25.1 mph 199 watts 0:01:42 Lap 3 0.7 mi 25.8 mph 244 watts 0:01:39 Lap 4 0.7 mi 28.4 mph 371 watts 0:01:30 EARLY BREAK Lap 5 0.7 mi 27.8 mph 305 watts 0:01:32 Lap 6 0.7 mi 26.9 mph 277 watts 0:01:35 Lap 7 0.7 mi 26.1 mph 259 watts 0:01:38 Lap 8 0.7 mi 24.8 mph 195 watts 0:01:43 Lap 9 0.7 mi 28.4 mph 302 watts 0:01:30 Lap 10 0.7 mi 27.2 mph 341 watts 0:01:34 Lap 11 0.7 mi 27.2 mph 283 watts 0:01:34 Lap 12 0.7 mi 23.5 mph 171 watts 0:01:49 Lap 13 0.7 mi 24.1 mph 178 watts 0:01:46 Lap 14 0.7 mi 25.8 mph 261 watts 0:01:39 Lap 15 0.7 mi 24.8 mph 212 watts 0:01:43 Lap 16 0.7 mi 22.4 mph 157 watts 0:01:54 Lap 17 0.7 mi 25.1 mph 217 watts 0:01:42 Lap 18 0.7 mi 24.6 mph 216 watts 0:01:44 Lap 19 0.7 mi 23.0 mph 135 watts 0:01:51 Lap 20 0.7 mi 25.6 mph 243 watts 0:01:40 Lap 21 0.7 mi 25.1 mph 211 watts 0:01:42 Lap 22 0.7 mi 25.1 mph 230 watts 0:01:42 Lap 23 0.7 mi 26.6 mph 277 watts 0:01:36 Lap 24 0.7 mi 29.4 mph 387 watts 0:01:27 BIKESTAND PRIME Lap 25 0.7 mi 26.1 mph 356 watts 0:01:38 Lap 26 0.7 mi 21.9 mph 200 watts 0:01:57 Lap 27 0.7 mi 25.3 mph 208 watts 0:01:41 Lap 28 0.7 mi 23.2 mph 160 watts 0:01:50 Lap 29 0.7 mi 23.9 mph 183 watts 0:01:47 Lap 30 0.7 mi 26.6 mph 249 watts 0:01:36 Lap 31 0.7 mi 27.5 mph 285 watts 0:01:33 Lap 32 0.7 mi 26.6 mph 247 watts 0:01:36 Lap 33 0.7 mi 29.7 mph 385 watts 0:01:26
Pensacola Criterium annotated power map
Pensacola Criterium power/speed/cadence plot
Pensacola Stage Race Day 1 – Road Race and Time Trial
Road Race Summary
I've got a 4th place streak going on here with two races in a row missing the podium by one spot. The race went well until the final sprint where I came in a disappointing 4th from a 5-man break after losing the wheel of the winner Grant Potter (Z-Motion). Phil Gaimon (Kenda) for sure deserves most aggressive rider since he realized that Grant would win the sprint from our breakaway group and repeatedly tried to dislodge him with attack after attack in the last 10 miles. But it was altogether for the finish with Grant taking the win, Jonathan Atwell (The Hub) 2nd, Serghei Tvetkov (Aerocat) 3rd, me 4th, and Phil 5th. Our break had a sizeable margin of 3-4 minutes over the field by the end.
Time Trial Summary
The time trial was amazingly fun and also went pretty well. I surpassed my predicted 6 minute power threshold by a few watts (see annotated CP curve towards bottom of this post). My goal at the beginning of the time trial was to focus on maintaining a lap average of 375 watts. After the first couple minutes, I was still well into the 400s, so I began to be really motivated that maybe I could maintain 400 watts for the entire TT. But then my legs started to fade and my power started to drop. I still had a lot of upper body strength left, though, so I stood up and cranked it back up to 400 watts a couple times. Normally, this would be a big time trial aero "no-no", but with a massive tailwind, I'm pretty sure that it was OK since I was able to get my speed back up both times. In the end, my average speed was just over 29mph, and my average power was 395 watts. Checking the results today, it looks like I was somewhere in the top 15 maybe around 13th, but I was last place of the five of us in the break from the road race, which put me in 5th place on the GC going into Sunday's criterium (next post). Time trial data posted at the bottom of this post. Also – kudos to John Hart for absolutely smoking the time trial with a time of 5'35″ for an average speed of 33mph!!!
Road Race Details and Data
Here is how the road race played out:
1st lap – there were lots of attacks/chasing in the first few miles with one group of 3 eventually getting away and another group of 3 chasing. When we made it to the longest hill on the course, Phil Gaimon (Kenda) attacked hard. A few of us were able to hold his wheel as we caught the break by the top of the hill. They latched onto our group essentially turning the race into a field split. There wasn't enough cooperation in the large front group, so after a few miles the rest of the field caught back up to us. I believe there were a few more attacks to finish off the lap, but it was basically all together by the start of the second lap.
2nd lap – Towards the beginning of the second lap, a small group of maybe 3 or 4 riders including Jake Brewer (Herring Gas) rolled up the road. I attacked repeatedly to try to bridge across, but every time field would string out and chase. John Hart (Friends of the Great Smokies) was able to escape, though, and set out in pursuit. A few more riders were able to get away solo and chase. Eventually, there were at least 8 guys up the road including Serghei Tvetcov (Aerocat). This group all came together into one lead group. I tried a couple more times to get away or form a second chase group before the long gradual downhill section, but I was reeled back in each time. So on the downhill, I decided to rest in anticipation of the downhill. I was near the front when I saw a rider getting ready to attack at the base of the hill. I grabbed his wheel and followed him knowing that the real attack would come a little bit later. Sure enough, Phil came flying around a few seconds later. I drilled it hard and was able to close the gap back up to him by the top with only one rider in tow – Jonathan. My teammate Pat Allison was caught in the middle behind us. I could hear him yelling across the top that he was coming so I stopped working so that he could finish the bridge to our chase group. Unfortunately, Phil and Jonathan were drilling it super hard through a heavy crosswind section so Pat was unable to make the bridge. I was struggling just to hang onto their wheel, so I can't imagine crossing the gap alone. By the end of the crosswind section, Pat was swallowed by the field and we were getting close to finishing the bridge to the lead group. This was about 3/4 of the way through the second lap. As a large group, we rotated well for the rest of the lap and kept a pretty good speed.
3rd lap – A couple miles into the start of the third lap, we could see that the field was not too far behind us. At this point, the commitment level in the group really dropped. People were still pulling, but not very hard. At one point, after John Hart and Phil pulled I noticed a gap behind Phil. So I attacked hoping that the two of them would come with me to form another group. They didn't, though, and so I ended up riding off the front solo for a couple minutes. When the group came back together, we continued rotating but the impetus was definitely gone from the group. This was right when we reached the rolling section on the front side of the course. I noticed another gap opening up behind Serghei as he was getting ready to pull so I attacked again and this time there were three of us together. Phil and Grant bridged up to us a couple minutes later to form the final break of five. At this point in the race, we worked together really well with everybody pulling hard because the rest of the break behind us was chasing hard. Eventually, though, we started to pull away and get a sizeable gap. Our group was an interesting one with one strong sprinter and four all-rounders (i.e., not sprinters). For the last 10 miles, starting with the long hill on the course, it was attack after attack. Phil attacked the most with Serghei counter attacking several times with me on his wheel. Jonathan attacked a few times, and I attacked once or twice. Grant was able to chase back each move and still take the sprint at the end!
Going into the final sprint, I was sitting on Grant's wheel after Phil had attacked and strung out the group. Serghei countered to start the sprint in the final few hundred meters. As Grant surged for the sprint with 200 meters to go, I lost his wheel for a second but was closing it back up to him when Jonathan realized that Grant was the better wheel than Serghei. So Jonathan pulled over to grab the wheel in the space that I had opened up. It was my fault for letting the gap open up in the first place, but Grant's surge was probably several hundred watts more powerful than mine and it took time for me to get his draft and move back up. In the end, the two of them were able to squeeze by Serghei for the finish and I only made it halfway around him – so the final finish order was Grant, Jonathan, Serghei, me, and Phil.
All-in-all, it was a good race with a somewhat disappointing finish. There were lots of tactical sections as well as flat-out sections as well as strategic battles. Fun, hard racing. Lots of data below …
Road race data
Pensacola Road Race (Milton, FL) – annotated power map
Pensacola Road Race – Annotated critical power curve from Golden Cheetah
Quadrant analysis (pedal force / cadence) – road race
Time Trial data
Pensacola Beach Time Trial – annotated power map
Pensacola Beach Time Trial – annotated critical power curve
Quadrant analysis (pedal force / cadence) – time trial
Tropical Storm Lee flooding photos
Yesterday, the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee blew right through Birmingham transitioning into what our local forecaster, James Spann, called "the perfect storm" as it turned into an extratropical storm when it collided with a low pressure system just north of us. We ended up with almost 8 inches of rain and some pretty amazing winds last night. Some of the gusts were easily in the 40-50mph range given how much the wind was howling. We almost got the kids out of bed twice to take them down to the basement, but in the end decided not to since they were both sick and needed rest. This morning on my commute into Samford, I did a damage survey around the Cahaba Heights / Mountain Brook area all the way down to the Cahaba River. These are the pictures I took on my way into school. Once I got to school, however, I found the campus pretty much deserted. I found a couple people to ask what was going on, and it turns out the campus still didn't have power (at 10:30AM) so they went ahead and cancelled classes for the rest of the day. Somewhat disappointed because I was looking forward to what I was going to cover today, I turned around to head home and took a few more pictures of the hardest hit area up on top of the mountain in Vestavia Hills where the winds must have been the strongest. Here are all the pictures from my ride into and then back home from work –
8:16AM Janebo Ln – tree down across half the road.
8:19AM Little Shades Creek – high, but not as high or fast as yesterday during the afternoon deluge.
8:23AM Rocky Ridge Rd – Power crews working to clear lines on Rocky Ridge Rd – one of several reasons why most of Vestavia Hills was without power.
8:37AM Caldwell Mill Rd – Tree across the road in a blind curve on Caldwell Mill Road – glad the wet, slippery pine straw kept me slow heading into the curve.
8:42AM Caldwell Mill Rd – This stretch of Caldwell Mill was hit by the April 27th tornado and now there are two more trees down on the same stretch of road from the remnants of a tropical storm.
8:45AM Caldwell Mill Rd – This is one of my favorite roads to ride in heavy rain – with the 15% gradient, you feel like you are riding up the waterfall alongside the road.
8:54AM US Hwy 280 – A key traffic light was out about a mile or two closer into town from where this picture was taken, and look at the impact on traffic at nearly 9AM! This is a sequence of pictures showing an ambulance trying to make it through the mess.
9:03AM Dolly Ridge Rd – In an effort to bypass the 280 mess, the parallel local road (Cahaba River Rd) was bumper to bumper all the way down to the intersection with Acton Rd near the Colonnade. These two pictures show the mess:
I was heading to the Cahaba River (the lowest point in our part of Birmingham) to see the impact of the flooding, and it was quite dramatic.
Normally there are two channels that bypass the tree that has been growing on a tiny island in the middle of the river just below the dam. Today might mark the end of the tree as it was bending quite heavily from the force of the water. The tire you see floating here is one of the two tires that you will see in some of the following pictures although I missed seeing it go over the edge.
9:13AM Cahaba River Rd – Lots of debris including the really large tree shown getting closer in these three pictures could not escape the backflow of the water going over the dam. In fact, it was incredible the force of the backflow. As I was trying to take pictures, smaller logs would literally jump out of the water and go flying directly into the waterfall! Then they would be forced down below the water and reappear slightly downstream before getting pushed again back towards the waterfall. It was amazing to watch – I probably stood there on the cement overlook for more than 5 minutes watching.
9:19AM Cahaba River Rd – The flow of the water above the dam was deceptively slow considering the force with which it was rushing over the dam.
Check out the video we took with the kids when we were out driving around on Monday. Also, here is a picture of what the spillway looked on Monday during the heavy rains:
MONDAY 5:45PM – Altadena spillway during the heavy rains on Monday
TUESDAY 9:36AM Altadena Valley Golf Course – This spillway was quite a bit lower than yesterday.
9:37AM Altadena Valley Golf Course – The pond that the spillway empties into was dug out, expanded, and deepened quite a bit from the natural pond that was there years ago to accommodate these flood conditions. It has worked quite well because the rest of the golf course was relatively unflooded compared to previous years.
10:16AM Vestavia Falls – Vestavia Falls had also quieted down quiet a bit by the time I rode by there to take this picture.
10:18AM – It appears the higher parts of Vestavia took the brunt of the really strong winds with numerous large oak trees down. This one fell right in the middle of the three-way intersection! The second picture shows the same tree from a different angle. You can see how with all the rain, the saturated soil couldn't hold down the heavy trees in the strong wind.
11:07AM Smyer Rd – Here is the intersection of Smyer and Shades Crest – no KOM setting on Strava today!
11:08AM Shades Crest Rd – Here is the same tree showing where it knocked out the power lines and fell across the sidewalk
11:10AM Shades Crest Rd – This was the only tree that I saw that fell on a house. It was crazy windy last night around 8PM. Twice we thought of getting the kids up and taking them to the basement even without any tornado sirens going off.
11:18AM – Lots of large trees like these two fell in yards at the top of the mountain.
11:18AM – Lots of large trees like these two fell in yards at the top of the mountain.
11:22AM – Here is a smaller tree that fell in a yard on the descent off the mountain. This picture also shows the flying pig that is positioned in various places in this yard. It is directly across the street from a huge house/huge yard that has four mountain goat statues that are positioned throughout the yard doing different things. Once, they were playing badmitton. Another time, they were hiking with backpacks on the sidewalk. Another time they were pulling an old stage coach. I finally had my camera with me to take a picture of the statues, and they were nowhere to be seen! At least the flying pig was still there.
11:25AM – Vesclub – Here is a tree down halfway across Vesclub coming out of the steep 20% curve at the bottom of one of the "steps" of the Vesclub climb.
11:50AM – Tyrol Rd – This tree was the closest large tree to our house that was down about a half mile from our house. This is just on the other side of Rocky Ridge in the South Cove Dr / Panorama neighborhood. Maybe we should have gone to the basement after all!
Labor Day Omnium Day 3 – Circuit Race
I took 4th place today in the final race of the labor day omnium, my highest placing ever in an NRC event, and I fell just one lap short of taking a solo win. It was an amazing experience even though it was a bit disappointing to miss the podium by one spot. Still very happy though! Here is how the race played out:
The course was the same course as the long first lap of the time trial on Friday – technical 2.6 mile course closed to traffic but wide open for a fast tactical race. With 25 laps and nearly 70 miles of racing ahead of us, I figured that we would average 25mph. As soon as the race began, however, I realized that 25mph was definitely underestimating the speed of the group as we continued to average well over 27mph lap after lap. Once the race blew up into several small groups, the average speed dropped to a final average of 26.1mph … here are the lap splits annotated -
NAME DIST SPEED POWER TIME Comment Lap 1 2.7 mi 25.7 mph 220 watts 0:06:25 Lap 2 2.7 mi 27.6 mph 284 watts 0:05:57 Fast Lap 3 2.7 mi 27.7 mph 256 watts 0:05:55 Fast Lap 4 2.7 mi 27.5 mph 283 watts 0:06:00 Fast Lap 5 2.7 mi 27.5 mph 284 watts 0:05:58 Fast Lap 6 2.7 mi 27.9 mph 245 watts 0:05:53 Fast Lap 7 2.7 mi 26.8 mph 227 watts 0:06:07 Lap 8 2.7 mi 25.3 mph 257 watts 0:06:31 Points prime (1pt) Lap 9 2.7 mi 24.8 mph 244 watts 0:06:36 Lap 10 2.7 mi 26.8 mph 246 watts 0:06:06 Lap 11 2.7 mi 26.6 mph 256 watts 0:06:10 Lap 12 2.7 mi 22.9 mph 188 watts 0:07:09 Slow Lap 13 2.7 mi 27.3 mph 238 watts 0:05:59 Lap 14 2.7 mi 26.4 mph 207 watts 0:06:13 Lap 15 2.7 mi 27.3 mph 222 watts 0:06:01 Lap 16 2.7 mi 27.6 mph 271 watts 0:05:57 Points prime (1pt) Lap 17 2.7 mi 26.6 mph 290 watts 0:06:09 Lap 18 2.7 mi 26.5 mph 271 watts 0:06:13 Lap 19 2.7 mi 27.3 mph 272 watts 0:06:00 Lap 20 2.7 mi 25.1 mph 254 watts 0:06:32 Lap 21 2.7 mi 24.7 mph 267 watts 0:06:39 Points prime (3pts) Lap 22 2.7 mi 26.1 mph 306 watts 0:06:16 Solo Lap 23 2.7 mi 25.6 mph 283 watts 0:06:25 Solo Lap 24 2.7 mi 24.6 mph 263 watts 0:06:39 Solo Lap 25 2.7 mi 24.6 mph 244 watts 0:06:40 Caught finished 4th
The first few laps were really fast with splits in the field and large groups rolling off the front. I made it into one of these splits with about 15 riders, but there wasn't enough cohesion in the group to stay off the front. At this point, it's hard to remember exactly how the final break materialized. I was riding aggressively on the points prime laps to try to get omnium points and managed to snag 3rd place on two of them good for 1 point each.
On lap 16, I was already in a break of about 12 riders when I led out the sprint for the omnium points hoping to get a jump on the faster guys. I managed to hold on for third but the sprint itself had shelled a few riders. At this point we were down to 8 riders. About midway through the next lap, a group of three including Alexey Schmidt (Team Type I), Serghei Tvetcov (Aerocat), and Demis Aleman (Jamis) rolled off the front of our break. For the next three laps, the five of us that were left – me, Oscar Clark (Realcyclist), Shane Braley (Chemstar), a Mountain Khakis rider, and Team Cocos rider worked to chase back up to the three off the front. When we finally caught them, it was back to a break of 8, but one that lacked any cohesion at all as everyone was tired and everyone had strong riders in the field and chase behind us. I didn't want to get caught so I kept trying to push the pace and would roll off the front either by myself or once with Alexey and once with Shane. The rest of the group would always get itself organized again and work its way back up to us.
With 5 laps to go, they rang the bell for a points prime. Without any cohesion in the group, I rolled off the front again this time getting a pretty good lead. Realizing that there were three omnium points on the line, I drilled it hard to try to stay away for the points. I looked back and was shocked at the gap I had opened up. So that helped me to keep pushing harder hoping to have enough of a lead so that when the group started to chase I would be able to hold on for the points. About 3/4 of the way through the lap, I realized that I was going to get the points and that I had a big enough lead that there was a realistic chance I could win the race! I settled into as hard a rhythm as I could maintain and stayed away for the next three laps. I couldn't even sustain 300 watts by this point in the race even with the extra motivation of a chance at winning an NRC race. So by the start of the last lap (2.6 miles from the finish), a group of 3 that had split off from the rest of the break caught up to me.
At this point, I no longer had any thoughts of winning the race, and I was still concerned about the remnants of the break or even the 1st chase group from the field catching up to us by the end so I went to the front one more time to try to keep the pace up into the rolling section. There was an attack at the bottom of the climb, then a counter-attack by Serghei at the top that saw him get away solo. A couple seconds later, Demis attacked hard up the right-hand side with Oscar and I on the far left. He immediately got the gap and closed the distance to Serghei. Oscar and I were left behind to fight it out for 3rd. In the final sprint, I tried to go early attacking on the feedzone hill but Oscar was able to hold my wheel and come around to take third with me getting 4th. Ahead of us, Demis took the win just ahead of Serghei.
Gene and the Swagger crew put on a great VIP tent with food/drinks for the riders, and the podium ceremony was in front of thousands of people gathered for an annual concert. With the 5 omnium points that I got during the race, plus the 14 points for finishing third, that was enough to move me up to 11th overall for the weekend. At the beginning of the weekend I was hoping for a top 20 in the omnium, so I was able to almost get a top 10. Great way to wrap up the NRC racing calendar. I'm excited for two more races to end the season – Pensacola in two weeks and then the Six Gap criterium and century the week after that.
Here is my power data (no heartrate this weekend, left my heartrate monitor in my office on Friday) -
Annotated power / speed / elevation graph


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Olivia Wilde Brings Sexy Backless to 'In Time' Premiere (PHOTOS)
Perhaps she was inspired by Justin Timberlake's catchy tune "SexyBack," because Olivia Wilde certainly flaunted hers when she hit the red carpet of her and JT's new movie In Time.
From the front, Wilde's dress seemed to be a fairly standard black get-up, but once she started spinning around, it was clear this was a stunner. With cutouts on the hips leading into an almost-entirely backless number. As photographers snapped away, Olivia was happy to do the much-repeated over-the-shoulder pose to show off her sexy dress choice.
Wilde stars opposite Timberlake and Amanda Seyfried in In Time, which is set in a time where people stop aging at the age of 25 and have to go to extremes to buy themselves more -- yep, time.

subset: commoncrawl


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Food to bring back from Burgundy
I have my list for Paris (fleur de sel, polaine bread, Christine Ferber jams) any suggestions on what to bring back from Burgundy?
crème de cassis
pain d'épices (gingerbread) and nonnettes (small muffin-like pain-d'épice balls stuffed with fruit jam like orange or apricot)
mustard (from Dijon or Beaune)
some cheeses (not necessarily époisses which is everywhere now)
Flavigny anis candy drops
jambon persillé (if you find a sous-vide or terrine version)
l bring back Burgundy wines, usually white from producers not available in the states as Earl Gautheron a chablis maker l have liked for some time.
re: Cookingthebooks
You can get Abbaye des Citeaux at Alléosse in rue Poncelet near the place des Ternes. They are also one of the few places you can get the Cabri Ariègois on a somewhat regular basis, depending on the season. It is a chèvre with the look and almost liquid texture of a Mont d'Or.
Just an hour ago in my Seattle kitchen we spooned into a Cabri Ariègois I brought back from Paris yesterday. Wonderful.
As for Christine Ferber jams, are you buying them because you really like them or because you've heard they're good. If the latter, I suggest you try some first. Personally, I don't think they are worth the price. But I have only tried a few varieties.
re: DaisyM
I much prefer Edmond Fallot, in Beaune. I never understood that craze about "fresh" Maille mustard. Mustard is a preserve anyway.
Burgundy wines not available (or hard to find) in US; Fallot mustard; Burgundy truffles; mustard pots, cassis, framboise, mure from Domaine Lucien Jacob.
Fallot mustard is made in Beaune, and imho, is the best there is. :)
I wouldn't bring back Pain d'Epices as it will be dreadfully stale by the time you carry it home. Better to secure a great recipe so you can make it fresh.
re: ChefJune
Dijon pain d'épices keeps for a long time, if it does not get eaten first you can keep it for months.
FruiRouge jams are outstanding. Also Burgundian truffle products (oils, salts, etc.). Ditto the casis. Best I've found is at Ange Gardien in Beane.
re: Delucacheesemonger
Yes, They grace our table.
Not only a conversation piece, but a very good candle holder.
I guess with over 1000 year of development they've got it right.
re: Vinnie Vidimangi
I'm taking a larger suitcase!
re: Vinnie Vidimangi
Vinnie, I can tell you're not into wine. There are Burgundies ONLY available at their wineries that some of us would leave our clothing behind to bring home...
re: ChefJune
Enlighten us on those you wouldn't leave Burgundy without sacrificing some clothing for?
Candy from Beaune, especially from Bouché on place Carnot -- Burgondines, Cassissine.
Cheese from La Fouchale in Saulieu -- well, maybe not to bring back, but eat it.
If you like Ferber's jam, and go to Saulieu, try the ones labelled Bernard Loiseau at the Loiseau shop next to the restaurant in Saulieu.
Visit the Les Halles market in Dijon -- you'll find stuff you wanna take home with you.
Overall, I'm less and less sure that Burgundy really is a food destination -- for me, it's all about the lifestyle and the breathtaking landscapes.
re: souphie
Totally agree with the last paragraph.
Several years ago our hostess told us that the secret to her vinaigrette was Fallot's Pain d'Epice mustard "which you must buy here because it is not available anywhere else". So loaded up, we arrived home to find it in our carriage trade supermarket a block from our house.


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Beacon Roofing Supply announced Friday that it has acquired Contractors Roofing & Supply Co., a distributor of residential roofing products and related accessories with one location in the St. Louis suburb of O'Fallon, Mo., and annual sales of approximately $14 million.
GAF, one of North America's largest roofing manufacturers, has announced plans to open a new asphalt roofing shingle manufacturing facility in eastern Missouri or southern Illinois, with an anticipated start-up in 2015.
Beacon Roofing Supply, one of the nation's largest distributors of roofing and other exterior building products, has acquired Structural Materials, Co., a distributor of residential and commercial roofing products. Headquartered in Santa Ana, Calif., Structural has six locations in Los Angeles and Orange counties. The 64-year-old company had total annual sales of approximately $81 million in 2011.
Owens Corning Roofing & Asphalt has introduced its next generation of shingles designed to offer maximum durability. The new TruDefinition Duration Series Shingles are engineered with patented SureNail Technology to withstand the elements.
Roofing manufacturer GAF has announced Timberline American Harvest Lifetime Shingles, featuring a stunning color palette, "inspired by the colors of the American Heartland."
Wayne, N.J.-based GAF announced an expansion of its limited Lifetime warranty that goes beyond shingles. It's called the Lifetime Roofing System program.
GAF's Royal Sovereign Shingles are celebrating a 50th anniversary.
First introduced as "Sovereign" in December of 1961, the shingle that has now evolved into GAF's popular Royal Sovereign is celebrating its 50th anniversary. Initially launched as an organic shingle, Sovereign became one of the first glass mat shingles in 1972, and is one of the longest-running asphalt shingle brands on the market, according to the Wayne, N.J.-based GAF.
ABC Supply, one of the country's largest distributors of roofing and exterior building products, has hired Tom Walker as its executive director of commercial roofing, a newly created position.
In his new role, Walker will work with the company's national business development team to grow and develop ABC Supply's low-slope roofing business -- particularly its share of large, top-tier customers and national roofers.
Valley Forge, Pa.-based CertainTeed Corp. is introducing the Apollo Solar Roofing System, featuring highly integrated photovoltaic (PV) panels into the roofing system.
Kent, Ohio-based pro dealer Carter Lumber is promoting a new, online custom roofing pricing tool.
The tool is essentially a Web page that allows customers to enter the variables in their roofing projects. The tool calculates a rough estimate for the project, based on materials used, roof pitch and overall area. As the information page explains, "we'll give you a free roofing estimate. Online. Right now."
Valley Forge, Pa.-based CertainTeed Corp. introduced a new version of CertaSpec, designed to make proposal generation and spec writing easier for roofing contractors and specifiers.
The new web-based version of CertaSpec, its roofing spec writing software, includes updated LEED information as well as the ability to create customizable accounts, which provide more efficient project tracking and more readily accessible technical product information.
Wayne, N.J.-based GAF announced a significant expansion of its efforts to support post-consumer shingle recycling. Building on its Certified Green Roofer program, which has more than 100 members, GAF has made a multiyear commitment to sponsor the Find-A-Recycler section of ShingleRecycling.org.
ShingleRecycling.org is the leading resource for information about recycling asphalt shingles.
SPEC Building Materials Corp., a distributor of residential roofing materials based in Kansas City, Mo., has agreed to acquire the assets of Knoxville, Tenn.-based Exterior Materials. No purchase price was disclosed.
Allied Building Products, one of the industry's leading distributors of exterior building products, is adding solar panels and accessories to its lineup in a special pro-oriented display. Solar products will have a dedicated area within Allied's Contractor Tool Center, which the company opened on May 12 at its East Rutherford, N.J., headquarters.
Decra Roofing Systems and Lakewood, Colo.-based HomeSphere entered a joint agreement to offer Decra stone coated steel roofing products to builders using the HomeSphere network.
Decra joins more than 75 manufacturing brands currently using HomeSphere's BRI lead generation and marketing program to produce new builder leads and strengthen existing business.
Wayne, N.J.-based GAF Materials Corp, the roofing and ventilation giant, is announcing improvements to its laminated shingle warranties.
Effective January 1, 2011, every GAF laminated shingle, including all Timberline shingles will be covered by a lifetime limited warranty when installed on single family residences. GAF will no longer offer any laminated shingles with just a 30-year or 40-year warranty, a first for any roofing manufacturer.
GAF pointed to its Advanced Protection technology as the basis for its lifetime warranties.
Peter Barrego, a PrimeSource director of specialty products, was told to "rethink the black color"...
GAF Materials Corp. plans to reopen its state-of-the-art Gainesville, Texas, thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) manufacturing facility...
Cedar Crest features blended, consistent colors for a cohesive appearance that blends with the colors...
Homeowners are pulling back from discretionary remodeling projects, and retailers are feeling the pinch in...


text: 000 WOXX01 KWNP 161751 ALTXMF Space Weather Message Code: ALTXMF Serial Number: 243 Issue Time: 2014 Nov 16 1748 UTC ALERT: X-Ray Flux exceeded M5 Threshold Reached: 2014 Nov 16 1747 UTC NOAA Scale: R2 - Moderate Potential Impacts: Area of impact centered on sub-solar point on the sunlit side of Earth. Extent of blackout of HF (high frequency) radio communication dependent upon current X-ray Flux intensity. For real-time information on affected area and expected duration please see http://www.swpc.noaa.gov/drap. # Issued by the US Dept. of Commerce, NOAA, Space Weather Prediction Center # Recent messages, data, and help at http://swpc.noaa.gov/alerts/ # Send questions to firstname.lastname@example.com


text:
Play the pretender part 2 puzzle game and guide the magician through each ghostly realm to free all the imprisoned souls. To play pretender part 2 use the arrow keys to move around and spacebar to perform an action.
Sponsored by 0, 728 x 482 pixels.Addicting or lame? Rate this from rubbish to excellent
Add a link to this game by copying the following HTML embed code to your blog, forum or website
the pretender is so tricky!if you try the game pretender part 1 you should know what to do.seriously i did it.
This game is so awesome!!! Where can I find part three?? :D
cool game
sooooooooooooooo tricky but fun >this game rocks!!!1
don't think part three is out yet
cool game... real fun
i almost had finished part three but...........
We try to add cool new addicting flash games from around the web for you to play and enjoy every day, so try your best to visit us often for the latest free online releases. Don't forget to check out our puzzle section for more quality titles to play similar to this one.
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text:
Photos and Description of this 5 bedroom holiday villa in Vale de Parra - Casa Barreto
5 bedrooms, 3 bathrooms, sleeps 10 + 2
The property is a traditional Algarve house, divided into 3 self contained apartments, ideal for two or three families or groups wishing to holiday together. All three apartments lead out onto a very pleasant south facing pool area. The pool is 9m by 6m (approx.). There is a totally enclosed lawn garden area with BBQ and also a roof terrace with sea views. Accommodation: The accommodation is of a pleasant and simple nature consisting of the following:
Apartment A (Renewed in 2014)
One bedroom with 2 twin beds , bathroom with shower and Kitchen
Apartment B:
Two bedroom unit: double bedroom, twin bedroom, bathroom, (this is off the lounge) kitchenette/lounge.
Apartment C:
Two bedroom unit: double bedroom, twin bedroom, bathroom, kitchen with washing machine, lounge/dining room with digital satellite TV. All bedrooms are fully air conditioned.
Ping pong & tabletop football
Service: Our property management office is 2km from the villa. They offer friendly advice, help and assistance to all our guests including a welcome visit to introduce you to the villa and surrounding area. They also sell tickets to water parks, zoo marine, golf, boat trips and excursions at discount prices. There is also an emergency telephone Nº provided.
Activities: *Zoomarine Park (sea life): 10min drive *Two Waterslide Parks: 10min & 20 min. drive *Horse riding over the sand dunes: 5min drive *Water sports & jet ski on Galé Beach *Big game & Reef fishing from Albufeira marina just 5min drive *Krazy World (zoo & mini golf): 20min drive *River trips, Jeep Safaris, Sea day trips with barbecue on a secluded beach. *Excursions to local markets and other places of interest in the Algarve, to Seville and Lisbon. You can buy tickets to most of the above plus much more with a 10% discount from our local Management Office.
Golf: The beautiful Golf course Salgados is just 5 minutes drive away.
- Suitability:
- children welcome
- non smoking only
- pets not allowed
- suitable for elderly or infirm
- wheelchair accessible


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Shortly after celebrating the first anniversary of its original Maplewood store, Strange Donuts (2709 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-932-5851) debuted the second location of its growing empire. Strange Donuts' (107 1/2 East Argonne Drive) Kirkwood outpost opened on October 22, with two more unique ... More >>
When Lassaad Jeliti opened Spare No Rib last November, the former Washington University mathematician appeared to have cornered the market on academic-turned-restaurant owner backstories. That was until A Pizza Story (7278 Manchester Road; 314-899-0011), the Neapolitan style pizzeria that opened t ... More >>
In June A Pizza Story (7278 Manchester Avenue; 314-899-0011) opened in Maplewood serving Neapolitan wood-fired pizzas alongside a full bar. With each pie, former Washington University professors Muhammad Alhawagri and Sherif Nasser aim to serve up crisp, charred crust and a supple interior, topped w ... More >>
According to Brian Pelletier and Cindy Higgerson, Maplewood is missing just one thing: a specialty food shop. Pelletier, who owns Kakao Chocolate, is opening Cupboard and Larder this fall on the corner of Manchester and Marshall Avenues in downtown Maplewood. See also: Kakao Chocolate Sets Up Shop ... More >>
Regina Davis wants to bring made-from-scratch savory dishes and tasty desserts to Maplewood. She's already leased a space, and has written the menu. There's one problem: 7310 Manchester Road doesn't have a kitchen. It was previously an interior design firm, and renovations are costly, so Davis turne ... More >>
Mike McLaughlin has opened his second restaurant in Maplewood: Blind Tiger Pizza, Whiskey and Ribs (7376 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-646-8822). After a weekend of family and friends events and parties, plus dinner service on Sunday night, the artisanal pizza restaurant and whiskey bar will be op ... More >>
Will the Book House find a new home? Developers recently submitted plans to the city of Rock Hill for approval to demolish the historic site where the shop has been located for decades -- and owner Michelle Barron is now hoping to sign a lease on a new property in Maplewood. "We are still in limb ... More >>
"Wanted dead, all the maplewood city police officers, paying one million per head." Those words posted on Craigslist by William Lawrence, a 33-year-old Maplewood resident, have officially earned the man a six-year prison sentence, a judge ruled yesterday in the bizarre death-threat case that repor ... More >>
Strange Donuts, the eagerly anticipated and social-media-savvy doughnut shop, had hoped to open its doors at 2709 Sutton Boulevard in Maplewood on Friday, June 7 -- not coincidentally, National Doughnut Day. Alas, the best laid plans... See Also: - Strange Donuts Hits Kickstarter Goal Early, Anno ... More >>
Strange Donuts, the independent doughnut shop slated to open at 2709 Sutton Boulevard in Maplewood this spring, turned to crowdfunding site Kickstarter to raise $10,000 toward the purchase of its kitchen equipment. The restaurant reached its goal this week -- and, as of today, still has 12 days bef ... More >>
The Wood (2733 Sutton Boulevard, Maplewood; 314-781-4146) The Hours: Monday and Wednesday and through Saturdays 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., Tuesdays 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. and Monday through Friday 3 to 6 p.m. The Deal:Half-off appetizers and select domestic beers.
For the first half of 2012, Genis Helm was a customer service agent at the Sam's Club in Maplewood. The 26-year-old's job was to accept returned merchandise from dissatisfied customers and issue cash refunds and gift cards to those customers. All fine and good. But what she started doing was issuing ... More >>
As things stand, the City of Maplewood cannot deny somebody a job, or housing, on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or disability. Duh. Tuesday night, the City Council took another step toward adding "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to that list of reasons for ... More >>
Early last year, RFT Music featured a story on local punk rock entrepreneur, Mike Jones, and his record label I Hate Punk Rock Records. The end of the article alluded to a huge project Jones had in the works. After numerous visits from building inspectors, countless trips to hardware stores and lumb ... More >>
Catching up on some more restaurant news from when I was out of town the past week: - Ligaya Figueras of Sauce spotted a new venture right in the back yard of Gut Check International Headquarters: An awning outside of 6227 Delmar Boulevard advertises a restaurant serving burgers, wings and frozen c ... More >>
Shut up and listen because you're about to learn history -- usable history. As reported Monday by KTVI Fox2Now, a band of ne'er-do-wells paid visits to Kakao Chocolate in Maplewood and other area businesses a couple of weeks ago. They posed as delivery people and claimed they needed to give yonder c ... More >>
March followed the trend of the past year or so, with openings (including new food trucks) far outpacing closings. That said, it's difficult not to focus on one particular closure as the month's big news: Monarch, which ended its nine-year run. (Still no word on what will happen to its Maplewood s ... More >>
Bryan PetersWhen Nosh Bistro (1135 South Big Bend Boulevard, Richmond Heights; 314-781-4734) closed a few months ago, we sank into a brief, but profound, funk. We'd grown terribly fond of their hummus and balela salad platter, and we didn't want to know a world without it. So you can imagine ... More >>
Hear ye, hear ye: A coyote makes a statement in Maplewood.The City of Maplewood is warning its residents of a recent coyote sighting. Rachelle L'Ecuyer, community development director for the mid-county suburb, put out a media alert on the critter this afternoon. L'Ecuyer tells Daily RFT that the ... More >>
When's the last time you sent a letter...or mailed anything at all besides a rent check? It's probably been a while; you probably do most of your correspondence online.The United States Post Office is taking notice. Today, the USPS released a list of 3,653 post offices nationwide to be studied fo ... More >>
Bryan Haynes St. Alban's Village, from Our Great Waterways: The Mississippi, Missouri and Illinois Rivers at Kodner Gallery.Let Them Eat Art: This evening, Maplewood becomes an egalitarian paradise of live music, open-air art, street dancing and even a costume contest (bonus points if you com ... More >>
City of Maplewood Friday (July 8): Let Them Eat Art @ Historic Downtown Maplewood Maplewood's tribute to Bastille Day features 50 venues including Schlafly Bottleworks, Acero, Water Street Cafe and Cocktail Bar full of artists, entertainers and musicians. Have your art and eat out, too! 6 to ... More >>
Jennifer SilverbergThe Nosh space in Maplewood, soon to become Home Wine KitchenThe Maplewood restaurant Nosh has closed after less than a year in business. Its storefront at 7322 Manchester Road is mostly cleared out, and the phone number has been disconnected. I reviewed Nosh just six months ag ... More >>
The interior of Water Street Cafe and Cocktail Bar on Tuesday morning.Gabe and Maria Kveton are still slapping paint up on the walls of the Water Street Cafe and Cocktail Bar at 7268 Manchester Road in Maplewood, but the brother-and-sister team vow that the restaurant will open next Tuesday, ... More >>
Laura MillerChocolates at Bissinger's at Maryland PlazaValentine's Day is this Monday, February 14. What's that? You haven't done your shopping yet? No worries. On this holiday, it's not the thought that counts -- it's the quality of the chocolate.Gut Check checked in with a few of our favorite ... More >>
Laura Ann Miller Kakao ChocolateAs we moved into a new month, Gut Check took stock of some changes to the local scene. Among the news, Kakao Chocolate is opening a shop in Maplewood, and Gerard Craft sold Taste by Niche to Adam Altnether. Find a list of the month's openings and closings i ... More >>
Don't you know? Gut Check has a Twitter account. You can follow us @gutcheckstl.Here's some of what you missed on the Twitter feed this week: Walmart Sandwiches Recalled http://bit.ly/b9v31V ...and here I was looking forward to having an egg-salad sandwich from Walmart...
Ian FroebIt has been a rough few months for Cup of Sno. In April the Maplewood snow-cone stand was struck by an errant Cadillac. No one was hurt, but the structure was destroyed. A new stand went up in its place in May (pictured right), but that hasn't opened for business.Yesterday, Cup of Sno it ... More >>
Annie ZaleskiThe good news? The only May closing (of which Gut Check is aware) is actually a holdover from April.The bad news? This month also saw the temporary closing of Gut Check favorite Monarch, as the restaurant renovates and reworks its bar menu.Openings include The Wood (pictured right), ... More >>
Don't you know? Gut Check has a Twitter account. You can follow us @gutcheckstl.Here's some of what you missed on the Twitter feed this week: RIP Richard LaMotta, inventor of the Chipwich: http://nyti.ms/bU0OK9 100 Favorite St. Louis Dishes, #80: Banh Mi Dac Biet at Phuc Loi - http:/ ... More >>
Don't you know? Gut Check has a Twitter account. You can follow us @gutcheckstl.Here's some of what you missed on the Twitter feed this week: score (in progress): jambalaya 1, tide to go pen 0 Restaurants! Follow your posted hours OR update your website/sign/et cetera! #petpeeves #wastedtrip ... More >>
Ian FroebCup of Sno, why have you foresaken us?As we approach the month of May, Gut Check's thoughts turn to snow cones. So imagine our shock to discover that one of our go-to spots has...disappeared. That is -- or, rather, was -- the location of Cup of Sno pictured above, in the parking lot of t ... More >>
Kiwi from Maplewood writes:Where can I get some really good pizza bianca here in town? I don't want something that resembles cheese bread, which I suspect is what I'd get at most restaurants if I asked them to leave off the tomato sauce. I realize that I can make a pretty nice one myself with o ... More >>
The first full week of work after the holidays is always a killer. Sure, you come in on Monday morning, buzzed and amped for the week ahead, but by Thursday you're as defeated and tired as Dilbert on quaaludes. Re-energize, then, this weekend with some of these inexpensive entertainment op ... More >>
October has ended its wet, wet reign, so we look back on the soggy month's restaurant openings and closings. As always, if I missed one, please let me know in the comments. Gracias in advance.Ian FroebBeechwood Bistro by Sage fell victim to the Union Station curse.OpeningsThe Wedge (under new man ... More >>
Ed Hamell, a.k.a. Hamell on Trial, made a pit stop at the Deluxe Diner in Maplewood last night on his way to the SXSW Festival in Austin. The Brooklyn-based artist-- known for his subversive, spoken-word lyrics and blistering acoustic guitar (a '37 Gibson) -- performed before a small but enthusiasti ... More >>
What a weekend. Here's what you missed: The Alice Rose of Austin, Texas played Friday night at Lemmons in South St. Louis. Click over to A to Z to read more. On Friday night, the wind was whipping down Washington Avenue, but that didn't stop the club crowd from heading out. Here's a recap from Jo ... More >>
We're pleased to bring you the first in an occasional series of genuine e-mail exchanges between RFT staffers and the wonderful world. As with most e-mail threads, you'll have to read from the bottom to best follow this exchange with publicity agent Stacey Wechsler... www.techrepublic.comFrom: Sta ... More >>
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The Loop expands its border
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The majestic new Monarch brings world-class cuisine to St. Louis
Week of December 12, 2001
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text:
Why can't I delete his number?
Find a Conversation
|Fri, 03-16-2012 - 5:38pm
So yes, I have not deleted his cell number, email address and
|Fri, 03-16-2012 - 6:56pm
|Fri, 03-16-2012 - 8:00pm
|Fri, 03-16-2012 - 8:13pm
Hi Mia,
I honestly don't know how to find my old posts, so let me give you a brief recap of my story.
|Fri, 03-16-2012 - 8:15pm
I am sorry I have to be the first to disagree with you.
I think you are hanging on.
|Sat, 03-17-2012 - 12:32am
I have not been willing to block either. Very able to, yes, as you are. But not willing. You certainly can delete his number and block him. But why aren't you willing? Because you don't want to be mean or because you don't want to rule him out completely? It is hard to know. For me it is some of both. I deleted the cell # before I memorized it but I haven't blocked his incoming email. And you know what? I am pretty sure I never will.
|Sat, 03-17-2012 - 5:59pm
In the end I found that it was easiest to "just do it" rather than overthink it. Like jumping into a cold swimming pool. In a moment of immense love and appreciation for my H's trust in rebuilding I really quickly pushed the buttons and it was done. And I haven't looked back since.
If your H was the one who had the A would you want him to cut those last ties? Just do it :)
|Sat, 03-17-2012 - 11:23pm
Hi Anna :)
I guess only you can figure out why you haven't blocked him, but I think that just the fact that you are still engaged in your mind..well that he is still taking up head space may be more what I mean...after 16 months...is a sure indicator that it would be in your best interest, mentally, to block him and close this chapter in your life so you can move on...free from further thoughts of him.
I see this a lot on EAS.


text:
Front Desk Skills: Checking in a guest
Hotel School | 08 March 2012
Submitted by Hotel School on Thu, 03/08/2012 - 08:30
If you haven't already seen our latest video, featuring our Durban campus 2nd years, you should check it out. Featuring Liana Nel, Bradley Williams, David Wilson and Monique Romarin, the video demonstrates a right way and a wrong way to check in a hotel guest.
We even have the behind-the-scenes bloopers!
What do you think?
Leave a Comment
Along the same lines...


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ON SALE Leopard Print Platform Shoe Card and Envelope
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What do you put in stew?
- KaimukiMan May 16, 2007 01:16 AM
The item about slow cookers started me thinking about stew, and what to put or not put in. My cooking heritage is mostly from eastern europe, and tomato NEVER went into the stew pot. I think I must have been in my early teens before I saw a tomato based stew. Often there were noodles, usually potatoes, carrots, celery, and beef. I don't much like celery and usually substitute green bell peppers. Sometimes I use stock, sometimes wine - usually red - and on occasion beer. Seasonings vary depending on what else I have put in and what I have on hand. Would love to hear the variations others grew up with or have adopted.
re: rmperry
Second on the "tapioca as a thickner" for slow cooked stew. What a surprise that was.
re: rmperry
Yep, I like to add parsnips too, even w/ potatoes in there. It adds another dimension.
re: rmperry
I recently tried tapioca as a thickener and while I prefer it to flour or arrowroot, I'm still uncertain about ratio of starch to liquid. Do you have a rule-of-thumb on this?
re: Masonville
My slow cooker recipe for Texas Chili (from The Everyday Low-Carb Slow Cooker Cookbook, K. Broihier and K. Mayone) calls for 15 ounces of beef stock and two tablespoons of quick cooking tapioca, if that's of help to you.
I had to pull that book out to refresh my memory; I think I'll make that very recipe this coming week. It's gooder than good and I'm brushing up my slow cooker skills now that we're getting ready for our first Phoenix summer.
re: mandycat
Thanks, Mandycat--that does help. Good luck w the chili. Last time I was in Phoenix was October, and it was 110. I belong in a colder climate.
Red wine, beef, beef broth, potato, carrot, celery, onion, thyme, salt and pepper, a little flour for thickening.
Instead of wine or beer, try vermouth. It has a lovely woodiness. A nice autumnal variation would be all root vegetables: sweet potatoes, carrots, turnips, parsnips.
Garlic is totally necessary, as are onions, either chopped or pearl. A parmesan rind can add a nice nuttiness, as can a dash of nutmeg.
re: katecm
If I add garlic, I like to add whole roasted cloves. I'll either roast a head and put some in, or saute cloves in olive oil until golden. They'll fall apart in the stew, giving it that yummy roasted garlic flavor throughout.
re: Sarah P
Interesting. Avocados as thickener?
re: Sarah P
Whoooooah. This I'm interested in. Never heard of a cooked avocado. What's it do--does it thicken? What's the cooked color? Is the taste altered by cooking?
I brown the meat first and deglaze with wine, and my 'secret' spice is a lot (3 T?) of smoked paprika.I put barley in to thicken, all the root veggies, and whole canned tomatoes instead of the paste or suace. I use beef stock for the base. I put a whole clove of garlic in just about everything I cook but eggs :)
I brown the meat, add water and start simmering for a couple of hours. During this time, I start adding some paprika (smoked if you have it), season salt, ground clove, ground allspice, garlic, onion, a couple of bay leaf's, salt, pepper and brown sugar. Sometimes I add tomato's - depending on how I feel. As for other vegetable additives, it depends on what I have. Diced potatoes, carrots, celery, green beans, corn, peas and if on hand - diced red/green/yellow peppers. Usually thicken with a flour slurry. But I am so ready to go for the tapioca thing. Great idea from the above posters.
I like to brown the onions at least and I deglaze them with red wine.The red wine really helps. A tablespoon of mustard helps also but I would put that in at the end. Put a splash more of red wine the last 30 minutes.
I also highly recommend using a few teaspoons of 'better than boullion" beef base. It is fairly salty so cut down on the salt elsewhere.
By the way, Cook's Illustrated recommends instant tapioca as a thickener in crockpot dishes because flour loses its thickening power after 4-5 hours.
re: tonka11_99
Oh - browning of the onions - I forgot about that and it does add another layer of flavor!
Here is an old article that has some recipes using tapioca. This will give folks an idea of proportions for adding tapioca.
re: Chemicalkinetics
If Sarah can put avocados in stew, you can put Coca Cola in it or at least Dr. Pepper. Yep you read it right... avocados. Up about 9 notes above me. I have now seen everything.
re: tonka11_99
Thanks for pointing it out, I didn't read the avocados post from Sarah. Still, as much as avocados seem a bit strange for stew, I think coca cola is much wield-er. What do you think? :)
re: Chemicalkinetics
I was in such shock over avocados in a stew, I figured you could put rocks in it and not do any more than avocados. Sorry, I am absolutely dumbfounded with the avocados. It is just not something I can wrap my brain around.
re: tonka11_99
I'm with you, dumbfounded. Mm, maybe have to try it in chicken stew?
re: bushwickgirl
I like avocados but I'm not sure I am brave enough to try that.
It is the strangest thing I have seen with avocados since Alton Brown made a cake icing with avocados because of their high fat content.
re: tonka11_99
When I were in college, I once mix my cereal with coca cola. (the campus cafeteria ran out of whole milk, and I were going to contaminate my cereal with some nonfat milk, ya know).
I didn't grow up with this (we didn't eat stew and only had pot roast in the slow cooker), but I was house sitting for my parents one year when I was 21 or so. My younger brother (18) came by one night because I had a cold. He had said on the phone he was going to bring me soup, and I assumed it would be a can or from a deli.
He had never cooked before in his life and walked in with a few grocery bags. So cute. He filled a stockpot with water and beef stock, brought to a boil, then put in a long thin cut of beef and three whole white potatoes. I watched in horror and confusion as he rinsed carrots, green beans and cauliflower. An hour or two later, he presented me with the moistest beef and most flavorful (whole) potato I have ever tasted from a stew. He didn't cut the carrots at all. I don't know what seasonings he used, as my taste buds were a little off, but it was one of the sweetest things I've ever seen him do. And surprisingly the stew was delicious, comforting, and flavorful!
Based upon my mom's recipe from way on back:
lean beef
beef stock and water
bay leaves
salt and pepper
garlic powder
minced onion
tomato paste
This is somewhat similar to minestrone, actually, but without any beans or pasta. Also pretty soupy, rather than thick, which I prefer.
re: Perilagu Khan
I'm quite fond of hominy and will add it in next time I make beef stew. 100 oz cans of Bush's Hominy are on sale this week at my local, maybe I'll pick one up for when the gas comes back on, although what'll do with the rest of it? That's a lot of hominy. Does it freeze?
Green or black olives, capers, prunes, quince and figs are nice in lamb stews. There is a classic Greek beef stew with quince, but I've never tried it; easy enough, though:
About the only thing I don't put in stew is green bell pepper. The pepper's essence tends to overwhelm all other flavors in a low, braise, although added at the end might be ok.
I was very bored with my beef stew, after making it for years. I tried all different kinds of velggies/herbs and it all just tasted blah to me. I've added, wine, stock, beer you name it. Nothing inspired me to say 'wow'.... until someone on here posted a recipe for Mahogany Beef Stew. All I can say, who ever you are, thank you it's fantastic. Everyone person I make this for raves about it. and wants the recipe.
re: mcel215
What's the unique ingredient that makes Mahogany Beef Stew so wonderful?
re: Perilagu Khan
Hoison sauce, which may not be unique, but I never would have thought to add it to my stew.
re: onceadaylily
That's pretty unique.
re: onceadaylily
I've used Hoisin. It adds another nice layer of depth if used sparingly, say a few tablespoons. It's easy to use too much - then your stew is sweet.
re: Aravisea
Hoison sauce in stew? I do not think I will like that in my stew.
re: Aravisea
A few T., eh? That actually sounds like quite a bit to me. Next time I make stew I think I may start with only a couple of t.
Now is it best added early or late in the cooking process?
re: Perilagu Khan
The first time I tried mahogany stew I was following this recipe, which calls for half a cup of hoisin: http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/foo...
Half a cup was, IMO, way too much. A few tablespoons made much more sense to me and the time or two that I tried it in that amount, we liked it. Don't remember exactly when I was adding it, though.
I'm interested in mcel215's recipe...would you share where you got it?
re: Aravisea
I got it on here, jotted down the recipe and now use it all the time.
I just read the Eipcurious recipe, it's the same.
My family loves this recipe, the 1/2 cup of Hoisin is not too much for us. It has a nice balace of sweet and savory and I serve it over the Horseradish mashed that was recommended..... Yum!


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In honor of the 25th Annual Houston Press Music Awards, we present the Houston Music Hall of Fame.
Photos by David EnsmingerThe Mydolls' Dianna Ray and Kathy Johnston at Rudyard's, July 2011Sometimes people come into our lives with the force, elegance and nimbleness of water. Musician, photographer, and patient advocate Kathy Johnston, the Mydolls guitarist and percussionist who passed awa ... More >>
The heavily Hispanic roots — and present — of Houston's punk scene
Amid Noise and Smoke, legendary Houston post-punks reunite


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by Laura from Texas
Ask Kate how to avoid unapproved mortgage rate lock extension fees: Kate, today the private bank we are refinancing with sent me a new Good Faith Estimate and paperwork listing several thousand in fees that we must pay in order to get the original low locked-in rate to cover their "hedging".
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The March 30, 2009 front page of the
Detroit Free Press
|Daily newspaper
|Gannett Company
(Detroit Media Partnership)
|Paul Anger
|Paul Anger
|615 W. Lafayette Blvd.
Detroit, Michigan 48226-3138
United States
|234,579 Daily
639,350 Sunday[1]
|Official website
The Detroit Free Press is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, USA. The Sunday edition is entitled the Sunday Free Press. It is sometimes informally referred to as the "Freep" (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primarily serves Wayne, Oakland, Macomb, Livingston, Washtenaw, and Monroe counties.
The Free Press is also the largest city newspaper owned by Gannett, which also publishes national newspaper USA Today. The Free Press has received nine [2]Pulitzer Prizes and four[3] Emmy Awards. The newspaper's motto is "On Guard for 181 Years."
The newspaper was first published as the Democratic Free Press and Michigan Intelligencer on May 5, 1831. The first issues were printed on a Washington press purchased from the discontinued Oakland Chronicle of Pontiac, Michigan. It was hauled from Pontiac in a wagon over rough roads to a building at Bates and Woodbridge streets in Detroit. The press could produce 250 pages an hour, hand operated by two men. The first issues were 14 by 20 inches (360 × 510 mm) in size, with five columns of type. Sheldon McKnight became the first publisher with John Pitts Sheldon as editor.
In 1940 the Free Press was sold to the Knight Newspapers (later Knight Ridder) chain. During the following 47 years the Free Press competed with the Detroit News in the southeastern Michigan market. The Free Press was delivered and sold as a morning paper while the News was sold and delivered as an evening newspaper.
In 1987, the paper entered into a hundred-year joint operating agreement with its rival, combining business operations while maintaining separate editorial staffs. The combined company is called the Detroit Newspaper Partnership. The two papers also began to publish joint Saturday and Sunday editions, though the editorial content of each remained separate. At the time, the Detroit Free Press was the tenth highest circulation paper in the U.S., and the combined Detroit News and Free Press was the country's fourth largest Sunday paper.
On July 13, 1995, Newspaper Guild-represented employees of the Free Press and News and the pressmen, printers and Teamsters working for the "Detroit Newspapers" distribution arm went on strike. By October, about forty percent of the editorial staffers crossed the picket line, and many trickled back over the next months and others stayed out for the two and a half years of the strike. The strike was resolved in court three years later, and the unions remain active at the paper, representing a majority of the employees under their jurisdiction.
In 1998, the Free Press vacated its former headquarters in downtown Detroit and moved to offices inside the News building.
On August 3, 2005, Knight Ridder sold the Free Press to the Gannett company, which had previously owned and operated the News. The News, in turn, was sold to MediaNews Group; Gannett continues to be the managing partner in the papers' joint operating agreement.
On May 7, 2006, the Free Press resumed publication of its own Sunday edition, without any content from the News. A quirk in the operating agreement, however, allows the News to continue printing its editorial page in the Sunday Free Press.
On December 16, 2008, Detroit Media Partnership announced a plan to limit weekday home delivery for both dailies to Thursday and Friday only. On other weekdays the paper sold at newsstands would be smaller, about 32 pages, and redesigned. This arrangement went into effect beginning on March 30, 2009.[4]
The Free Press entered a news partnership with CBS owned-and-operated station WWJ-TV channel 62 in March 2009 to produce a morning news show called "First Forecast Mornings". Prior to the partnership, WWJ aired absolutely no local newscast at all. [5]
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Hurricane Ike snuffs out Galveston webcam
A dramatic image from galveston.com appears to show the moment at which Hurricane Ike did for the island's webcam sited in the Strand Historic District: Interrupted webcam image of Galveston In fact, the timestamp shows this particular camera held out for a few hours longer than those facing the full wrath of Ike. Examination …
How hard did Ike hit?
Ask Tina!
Why Live there in first place
More toxic mortgages .
silver lining?
can you surf on a 12 foot (what's that in proper units?) storm surge?
Side Text
From the Spot Wave Cam:
"Located at 32nd and Seawall, The Spot offers gourmet hamburgers, fresh seafood, ice cream, fresh-baked desserts and bread, an arcade, and Tiki Bar."
Ahem.. well, not really..
Mine's the one Dry Suit
check out the tourist blurb ...
... on the next cam down:
"Galveston's 32 miles of sun-drenched beaches are ideal places for numerous sports and leisure activities ... Stewart Beach is a family-oriented beach offering a children's playground, umbrella and chair rentals ..."
Ma! My umbrella is broke!
If you've done six impossible things this morning ...
"We have no communications."
... so how did she tell anyone this?
I'm sure everyone will be asking this but...
How do we know what they mayor had if they had no communications?
Crazy risk assessment
If only they did proper risk assessment, they'd know that hurricanes are far more likely than terrorist attacks, but we're taught to fear one way more than the other; and subsequently waste faaaar more tax payers money on one than the other...
If you haven't read it
Erik Larsen's book about the 1900 hurricane which utterly destroyed Galveston, 'Isaac's Storm', is a fantastic read. (While you're shopping for it at Amazon, also take the time to pick up 'Devil in the White City' from the same author).
Flying free
I love that the last image the webcam gave was a dying shot of the American flag standing tall. Suddenly I feel like I'm an extra in a humanity-will-overcome cheese-fest film
And the fixed width design bites back
Now you'll need to resize all your images to fit.
I was 21 when I left Galveston...
Google was there?
Is that a Google-cam mounted on the mini-suv in the Gulf Cam photo?
Actually you can
surf during the early hours of a hurricane, however, it's ill advised. I've seen it done a couple of times by some of the more hard core surfers, on the east coast. Idiots just waiting to be cleansed from the gene pool, in my opinion.
Wise words
"Do not come back to Galveston. You cannot live here at this time."
I surprised anyone could live there at all.
In Austin
we have alot of the evacuees still here. One guy reported that he rode out the storm in his neighbors third floor jacuzzi
"Michael Geml has braved other storms in his bayfront neighborhood in Galveston, where he's lived for 25 years, though none quite like Ike. The 51-year-old stayed in the third-story Jacuzzi of a neighbor's house, directly on the bay, with family pets as waves crashed across the landscape.
"I'll never stay again," Geml said. "I don't care what the weatherman says — a Category 1, a Category 2. I thought I was going to die."
Oh Galveston.....
can you surf on a 12 foot (what's that in proper units?)
>can you surf on a 12 foot (what's that in proper units?) storm surge?
As any surfer kno, the proper unit for wave height is feet. So the answer is, if you don't know that much, you can't.
Sorry to be anti-climactic here Mr. Haines, but a hurricanes wrath is a gradual process.
It is not uncommon for an area to lose power hours before the hurricane 'actually' comes ashore. Galveston had to have been battered for a significant amount of time before these webcams (Galveston as a whole) lost power, fourteen to sixteen hours before Ikes eye wall 'officially' hit at around 2am on the 13th.
The eye wall is not a determinating factor as to who loses power and who doesn't. As witnessed by the hundreds of thousands of people that were flooded, suffered wind damage and/or lost power east from the Galveston/Houston area, back into western Louisiana.
While the eyewall has dangerous conditions associated with it, the outer bands of the storms can cause significant damage in and of themselves. Ikes sheer size caused problems days before land fall, with flooding along Louisiana's gulf coast south of the New Orleans area. You could follow the flooding and/or power outages west from there, without Ike ever officially making land fall in Louisiana.
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Barclays hires former Vodafone marketing chief Wheldon to brand role
Barclays has hired former Vodafone marketing chief David Wheldon to head up its global corporate reputation, amid the negative perception of the banking industry in the UK and overseas.
David Wheldon: joins Barclays in senior role
Wheldon, who left his role as global brand director at Vodafone in April 2010, has been hired as head of brand, reputation and citizenship across Barclays Group. It is understood he will be tasked with enhancing the bank's reputation and managing its range of CSR activities.
Although Barclays has not been forced to endure the same levels of scrutiny around executive bonuses, chief executive Bob Diamond has proved a controversial figure in the media, arguing last year that the "period of remorse" in banking should come to an end.
Prior to joining Vodafone, Wheldon spent four years as global advertising director at Coca-Cola, as well as a stint as European president at advertising network BBDO.
Barclays was unable to provide a comment on the appointment.
This article was first published on marketingmagazine.co.uk
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