Entries Tagged 'Back In the Day' ↓

Best Pie Recipe…

We somehow got on the topic of pies on the long climb and return from Bald Mountain last week. Janet asked me what my favorite pie was. Without question or hesitation I listed, “a three-berry pie, or butterscotch, and that my all-time favorite is Lemon Sponge pie!”

Here is my great grandmother Nellie’s (actual) recipe notebook. My grandmother, (94) learned baking from her and guess that she probably tweaked Nellie’s recipe many years ago. It’s unusually good!

Nellie’s Lemon Sponge Pie…
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 1 cup Sugar
• ? cup or 2 heaping tablespoon’s Flour
• 1 Lemon; grated rind and juice
• 1 ½ cups of Whole Milk
• 3 eggs separated

• Cream butter and sugar, add flour. Beat egg yolks together with milk, then add Lemon juice and grated rind.

• Beat egg whites stiff and add to the above.

• Put ingredients into an unbaked pie shell. Bake in a glass pie dish @ 400 degrees for 15 mins. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake for 30 additional minutes.

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A Prairie Home Companion favorite, The Wailin’ Jennys will be performing again at the Mauch Chunk Opera House this Saturday night. It’s been about a year since they played locally;8:30 pm in Jim Thorpe.

http://www.thewailinjennys.com/listen2.html

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08/30/2008; This week’s ‘Saturday Morning Ride’…

Request ride will be this week. Please refer back to last week’s list of rides, and either email me, or review the list with your suggestion for this week’s ride.

Start time is 7:30am.

Last official ride for this season will be next week, Saturday September 6th. Ride will have a special stop. Don’t miss next week’s ride!

Your bike guys,

Lee, Rich & Tom

Thomas Bettis Casimir LEWISBURG - Thomas Bettis Casimir bravely went forth early Thursday morning, Aug. 7, 2008, at his home in Lewisburg after 47 years on earth.
Tom was an immensely gifted designer whose vision and skill brought grace and functionality to his projects in Japan, Puerto Rico, Texas, and of course Pennsylvania. He was disgusted by those who didn’t pay attention to the potential for beauty in the world.
He was diagnosed with advanced pancreatic cancer 10 days before his death. His liver, however, was in excellent condition.
Tom will be missed by friend and foe.
He is survived by his siblings, Randy, Trey and Edith, many heartbroken friends, and the best dog in the world, Murphy.
Services will be at the convenience of the family.
Donations in Tom’s memory may be made to the charity of the donor’s choice.
Arrangements are by the John H. Shaw III Funeral Home, Market and Eighth streets, Lewisburg.

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A group of friends from NEPA who met up with Tom in the earlier days of mountain biking attended a memorial for him on Sunday August 10th in Lewisburg. Tom was talented in more ways than you could imagine and was an intellectual stimulant to all those who knew him. He will be missed…

Sorry about not posting today. I know some of you look forward to the rant.

Nice ride up along Coxton today. A small group split and continued their ride on some beutiful roads to add extra mileage.

Speaking of Coxton, did you know?…

• Charles Lindbergh made an emergency landing at the Coxton Rail Yards in 1928.

• Legend also has it that a man named Campbell escaped capture and torture from Native Indians by leaping off the ledge to his death. We ride past past Campbell’s Ledge on our Coxton loop. Campbell’s Ledge is near the confluence of the Lackawanna and Susquehanna rivers.

Two Cool for You to Consider…
Let me tell you about two separate artists who are well, just cool. I’ve been listening to some form of music from Brit Paul Weller and Canadian Daniel Lanois for years. I’m kind of like a patron to their musical experimentation and always look forward to the next destination to which the sound will take me to.

I first started listening to Weller when he was the frontman for The Jam, a power pop trio that symbolised the English Mod movement. Mod music was sort of a bridge from late 70’s Punk spilling into 80’s New Wave. Paul abruptly ended the Jam to develop an entirely different smooth sound with The Style Council. He continues today as a solo performer. 22 Dreams, his latest album dropped this week.

I’ve included a link to a reissue of one of hist best works, 1993’s Wild Wood…
http://216.69.135.140/MP3Players/Weller/WildWood/Wimpy.html

Daniel Lanois, (Lan-wa) is best known for his successful association with U2 as one of the producers of The Unforgettable Fire, The Joshua Tree, and others.
Lanois’ own music is ambient, sparse, complex, full. His latest, here is what is, is presented as a collection of sound and dialog. I’ve included Daniel’s Cool Water live recording of The Maker from 1993 here, http://redfloorrecords.com/CoolWater.htm

Two things about the totally hip Weller and Lanois. Both are revered in their own countries yet relatively unknown in the ‘States and rarely perform.

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“Smart, intrepid, unreadable-”
CNN senior political analyst Candy Crowley on Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton

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SMR Stage 9: (06/07/2008); We’ll Take You to Higher Ground…
7:30 AM Start time!

OK, for those who have been wondering, the wait is over. This week we hit the hills. We’ll cover the West-side, then give Oberdorfer a shot, the legendary NAIL and then have some options from there before returning to the city.

Here are the directions for this week’s SMR…
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/plains/474700220172

The Time is Now 10 o’clock. Do You Know Where Your Bicycle is?

Kryptonite, who pioneered better bike security with its U-lock, has compiled a list of the worst US cities for bicycle theft. Leading this list according to Kryptonite is Philadelphia.

1. Philadelphia, PA
2. Chicago, IL
3. New York City, NY
4. San Francisco, CA
5. Tucson, AZ (tie)
Portland, OR (tie)
7. Denver, CO
8. New Haven, CT
9. Cambridge, MA
10. Austin, TX

“When we did the compilation, there wasn’t even a city close to Philly,” stated Donna Tocci, Kryptonite’s marketing manager,“Not even close.”

According to Tocci Kryptonite compiles the information from various sources. In addition to police statistics, the company uses information from college campuses, visits to bike shops, and data from their own customer service department.

Looking 20 Years Back; Hampsten Sleighs the Gavia…
The 1980’s were the coming of age for American cycling. Greg Lemond, impressive victories at the 1984 Summer Olympics in LA, and the American-based 7-Eleven team brought US cycling respect that it had lacked from the Europeans.

On June 5th 1988, 7-Eleven’s Andy Hampsten pulled off a stunning ride on Stage 17 of the Giro d’Italia to what many consider the toughest day in the history of the Grand Tours. Hampsten rode onto the narrow dirt covered mountain passes of the Dolomites and then left his nearest competitors on a treacherous snow-covered descent into the tiny Italian village of Santa Caterina.

Hampsten credits the preparation of his team manager, (7-11 had purchased ski wear that morning to keep their cyclists warm) and the hard work of his fellow riders for the eventual win.

His victory of the Giro d’Italia is considered one the finest achievements in US cycling history.
Today, Andy is a much sought out speaker on his recollections of that most memorable day in 1988.

SMR Stage 8: 05/31/2008; 7:30AM Start Time this Week!…
Note; Rain cancels ride!

This week the Saturday Morning Ride will incorporate two loops. First, we’ll do the usual by riding up along the river to West Pittston, over the Ft. Jenkins Bridge, turn onto Parsonage, left at Stevenson, another left onto Rt.11. The longer ride will be making a right off Rt.11 and continue to ride toward Coxton, then wind our way back to the city.

Here are the directions for this week’s SMR…
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/wilkes-barre/764755545481
Length of ride approx. 37.52 miles. Shorter and longer options too.

SMR Stage 5: 05/10/2007 Lance Armstrong Foundation Ride; We Challenge the Bull…
The legs are getting stronger. Our intensity builds.

Join us this Saturday May 10th as we join the LIVESTRONG Army with a ride to raise awareness and funds for the fight against cancer.
Donations to the Lance Armstrong Foundation are appreciated but not required. All participants are encouraged to wear something yellow.
LIVESTRONG wristbands will be given out as long as supplies last.

The SMR this week will cruise some of our favorite roads to Nanticoke, then cross the Susquehanna to challenge the Bull!

We’ll ride up Plymouth’s Bull Run and traverse along the top of the Valley to Luzerne where we will return to the city through Kingston. Longer, harder options for those looking for more…

Here are the directions for this week’s SMR…
http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/pa/wilkes-barre/182428949325

8:00am Sharp Start Time!

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Speaking of Bull Run-

The Agritubel Professional Cycling Team’s primary sponsor, Agritubel, is a manufacturer of stockades or runs for livestock. Agritubel’s Website is one of the freakiest sites you’ll find.Alongside products for the farming community are pictures and an icon of the cycling squad.
http://www.agritubel.com/en/maj-e/c2a1i818b1/agritubel.htm

I guess the handlebars on the Agritubel team’s time trail bikes are real cowhorns!

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Wilkes-Barre Great 100 Newspaper Clipping, Circa 1970’s…

37 years ago , June 20th 1971 to be exact, Wyoming Valley hosted its first 100 mile ride. The event was called the Gibbons Great 100 and it began from Kirby Park. The course was epic as it traversed several of the routes that we commonly use today, (Moconauqua, Coxton) and was considered one of the best biking challenges in the East for its time.
The start location of the event changed a couple of times and finally fizzled in the mid-nineties. In the future, I’ll have more on this and maybe interview a couple of people still around from the early days of this Great event!

Thank you, Tom W. for a copy of the clipping!-tj

I have always appreciated Johnny Cash but never realised what long coattails (literally and figuratively) John Carter’s daddy wore during the 60’s & 70’s until I stumpled upon a DVD with some of the highlights from the Johnny Cash TV Show. This show, which ran from 1969-1971 showcased what would now be referred to as alternative music. Johnny was an innovator and not afraid to take chances like combining greats such as Carl Perkins & Eric Clapton with Johnny and the Tennesee 3, or a young Joni Mitchell performing a duet with ‘the man in black.’

Even more interesting was Ray Charles’ superb rendition of Cash’s own ’Ring of Fire’, and the recreation of a Jimmy Rodgers blues tune with Louis Armstrong himself on trumpet!

Other artists like Bob Dylan, George Jones & Tammy Wynette, Loretta Lynn, Neal Young, and Stevie Wonder give great performances too. 

It’s obvious that Cash’s show broke many barriers and challenged the changing views of society during this turbulent time. This piece easily illustrates the respect and admiration he developed with fellow musicians.

Check this one out if you get the chance-tj.

(01/16/2007) Around Town Bicycles announced today the establishment of a cycling ‘free’ library. Access to cycling-related books, DVD & videos, magazines, and other materials will be available to all interested, free of charge.

Donations of books or DVDs will be rewarded with a gift card from A-Town Bikes.

“Cycling is a passion that we share with our customers,” stated Tom Jones, co-owner of Around Town Bicycles. “Allowing free access to these accumulated bike-related resources makes everyone better informed.”

One obscure DVD title, (with English subtitles) will be ‘le Velo de Ghislain Lambert’, a 70’s period piece which realistically portrays the peloton during the time of the great Eddy Merckx.

Other titles such as the memorable ‘Breaking Away’, ‘American Flyer’, and 2007’s ‘The Flying Scotsman’ will be part of the DVD collection.

For those attending the W-B Velo 20th Reunion ride yesterday, I think it can be said that it was a special experience to ride and then look back at the short, but active history of this club.
The group ride wound its way through some of the familiar training routes before reaching the familiar downhill at Sordoni’s farm, leading back to Harvey’s Lake. Some of the rider’s continued on to finish out the day by riding to Kunkle, then a right on Carpenter Rd., which empties out at Sandy Bottom, just a short stretch away from our finish at the Grotto. The pace was leisurely which allowed us all to chat and catch up on old times.

A table was set up afterward with club memorabilia. Everyone had a fun time reviewing jerseys, race flyers, and those incrediblely funny newsletters (I really mean that!).
So, if you missed this one, plan on making it for the next one! I’m sure that we’ll do this again-

Until next time,

tj15 Oct.