Happy Back Home and Riding Our Bikes

 Yes it sure did feel GREAT for being home again!

Regardless all the love and joy from being with friends and family...

Pieter looking happy as well on the day after my return.

We were ready to go to Church.

Still bird–poop from those sweet Eastern Phoebe babies that left their nest while I was still abroad.

Pot Plants on our Patio...

Happy me in my summery silk Escada dress and wearing my pearls and Marc Cain shoes.

The next day, back on my bike and riding along with my Pieter

Pieter in his t–shirt on our usual wooden bench on a friend's property for our mid–way rest stop.

Home from another bike ride and the kitty welcome committee is always on the driveway!

From left to right: sibling kitties Tiggy–Tiger, Spunky and Spooky–boy.

Sibling brother Bandido to the left and front sister–by–adoption Speckie also joined now.

Related link:

Eastern Phoebe Reside in Front Porch with Babies | previous post by me

Biking in my Province of Limburg

 Of course I did not say NO when Ellie's husband proposed to go biking together.

Using Ellie's e-Bike without altering anything, as I did not want to do so for only once using it.

We left around 15:45...

Just had to stop and I at least TRIED to capture these grazing sheep...

Photo later showed me that all those tall grasses still hid most of the sheep.

This was so special with 7 of the total 8 windmills from Windpark Greenport Venlo and also you clearly see the red asphalted double bike lane!

For actually seeing this, in a 5:25 min video: Greenport Bikeway Venlo to Horst–Sevenum (Netherlands) [409]←click link

Bike lanes go over Interstate...

Again, the Windpark was visible from this country side.

A short break for sipping some water...

Not that many photos made...

It was lovely for being able to bike for 16.95 km or 10.53 miles

Supper did taste well and once again, I indulged in white asparagus.

Cucumbers came from friend Sissy's husband's huge greenhouse business.

After supper, I ate ALL these red currants, as well as the golden currants.

LOVE them and Ellie's son Tristan had these home–grown!

Stay tuned for more...

Related links:

Limburg 4Days Marches — Fun Fair and Dinner with Friends | previous post by me

Visiting Castle Gardens Arcen with Friend Ellie | previous post by me

Food for Body and Soul in Limburg | previous post by me

Walking in Limburg in Beautiful Nature | previous post by me

Limburg — The Emotional Part | previous post by me

In Limburg with Friends | previous post by me

Flying on Delta Premium Select–Savannah to Amsterdam | previous post by me

Back Home from my 67th Trip to Limburg in The Netherlands | previous post by me

Bike Ride and Visiting Friends' Horse Barn and Petting Zoo

→ Sunday, the 1st of May was such a lovely day and after Pieter had taken his nap and we ate a light lunch, it was onto our bikes for a very special ride...

Visiting the Horse Farm with small Petting Zoo of our Friends!Tara owns THEFURGPHOTO ←click link and she also does Horse Summer Camp.

Tara seen here with her cute daughter Charlie–Sue on her right.

Lovely baby donkey, goat kid and silkie chickens...

What a joy for children being able to grow up with animals like that!

Me, holding a lovely Silkie Chicken with blue cheeks!How fluffy they are and so sweet, they can reach the age of 9. Pieter with a cute goat kid, asking in Dutch if it knew its people... So tame.As a teen at the end of WWII while being evacuated for half a year, Pieter and his older brother Toon, were staying with one farmer. The Parents and oldest brother Thé, with yet another farmer; brothers.Pieter and Toon had a bedroom right above the sheep pens, where several pregnant sheep needed to be watched over. The farmer told Pieter, that if he would guard one real big–bellied sheep very careful, 'You will get what is inside her belly'. She was huge and sure enough a baby ram was born and Pieter called him Bokkie.After the liberation, Bokkie came home with the family, riding in a cage on top of the horse wagon.Bokkie was his favorite pet and was very tame and playful.Bokkie followed Pieter like a doggie!One day however, when Bokkie saw his own image reflected inside the glass of the greenhouse with grapes and tomatoes, he banged inside the glass to attack... cutting deep inside his chest and belly. Sadly he had to be put down by the vet.Pieter cried and was heart broken of course.

Tara's husband Jeremy and his Dad admiring Pieter's bike...

This is the 3rd generation of Friendship as we knew Tara's Granddaddy Larry, who passed away in December of 2010.

Also his daughter Lydia, Tara's Mom, has been a long–time friend.

Of course we were at Tara & Jeremy's wedding in April of 2018, me still on a crutch due to my closed pelvic bone fracture.

It was such a lovely 1st of May day with 30°C or 86°F!

Happy we rolled back after such a lovely break in–between. We did not even put our Strava App off, while visiting the Horse Barn and Petting Zoo...

A total ride of 27.69 km or 17.2 miles.

And at home we enjoyed our tea with rice cake for me and mixed unsalted nuts.

Perfect ending of a Sunday afternoon!

Sunny Bike Ride

 Not always easy to plan bike rides with March or even April weather... Had our Tornado watches and nasty wind with lots of rain!

But on March 6, it was such a perfect sunny day!

Wearing our shorts and off we went!

Finally we found us a spot for a break.

Pieter is munching on my home baked Amaretti cookies.

This was on March 6, so the trees were not yet filled up with green new leaves...

Beautiful lake...

A short 6 second video of both lakes and Pieter on his bike.

Lovely Redbuds or Cercis canadensis

For those that love to see our full ride on Relive, here it is...

Team Vedder is Ready to Roll

 Sure, winter is not bad here in the South but still one has to be cautious at times due to our back problems.

But you BET, Team Vedder is Ready to Roll!

It is great for adding depth and meaning to an already blissful relationship... 😉

There is nothing more lovely than being out in the fresh air and riding our bikes!

This WeFie is from last year... 😏

We both plan to add many miles over 2022...

Are you biking?

This Image reminds us of The Bull (De Stier) by Paulus Potter 1647

 Whenever both of us are biking on Evergreen Road, in Dublin, Georgia we come upon a meadow with a bull and cows.

This certainly reminds us of The Bull (De Stier) by Dutch painter Paulus Potter 1647.

De Stier (1647) - Paulus Potter ←click link and it can be translated in English as well.

He is one of the most famous painters of The Netherlands.

Sadly, Paulus Potter only lived to be 28 years of age, he died in 1654 of tubercolosis.

Were you familiar with this great Dutch painter?

Our Year on WHEELS

 The year 2021 went so FAST!

Not so much on WHEELS, but in general...

Pieter did spot this 'old bike' long before I'd seen it, always zipping by too fast... So finally we captured it.

Both are GREEN deals!

The BEST thing we've done is to trade in Pieter's Male Trek bike for this: Vale Go! 9D EQ S

Pieter has been enjoying it so much!

Not bad for a 92.5 year old guy, don't you think?!

Well, I didn't go quite as far as Pieter did but I used my Vale Go! 9D EQ rather well.

For me, only 300 rides versus Pieter's 530 rides...

Pieter did 3,118.7 km over 2021, as he runs his bike for running errands to Home Depot, to Kroger, Walmart and whatever. He loves doing that!

For 2022, I would love to see me do more km as well.

Hoping to soon have all my digital work behind me, and looking forward to routine things.

For our Dutch Batavus Cambridge bikes we did not yet have the Strava app or any other app...

The Schwinn Hybrid was too risky for pushing up the many hills in our region and Pieter's heart could give out.

So, Pieter did search on his iPad Pro, for a better solution, looking for an Electra and for me as well.

Even if I did not want to go that way at first, but Pieter insisted by saying: 'Listen we always have done things TOGETHER!'...

So I was sold!

Only one trip I manually entered in 2017, for my Batavus Cambridge, when my youngest brother was here with his wife Wilma and daughter Caro, for Pieter's 88th Birthday.

While Pieter napped, all four of us rode, we still had the Batavus Cambridge and the Schwinn bikes.

~

Pieter had bought the Trek Verve +3 MALE bike but when we together once started at home and he tried to swing his 92 year old leg over the back+saddle, PLUS Pannier bag, he fell on the lawn.

It was then, that I made up my mind and when coming back from our ride, getting in touch with Edward Angus Hall from Atlanta Cycling Vinings.

He went out of his way for getting Pieter this new green one; A LOT SAFER!

Our longest ride was 58.5 km and we reached home just before dark, riding with our lights on for the final 5 km!

Pieter wearing his down puffer jacket and I should have worn it too, as I got rather chilly in my cotton sweatshirt with cardigan below, under the thin jacket...

Friend Engracia took this photo on her iPad, just before we left.

My eyes show bags, due to my hyperthyroidism and CKD stage... But I'm still alive! 😏

But it sure felt good having visited our widow friend and sipping some tea together and enjoying the mixed unsalted nuts and rice cake with Tamari seaweed that I'd carried inside our Pannier bag.

I'd baked almond amaretti cookies for her and she gifted us with a heavy scented candle that went back inside my Pannier bag as I did not want to make it harder for Pieter to push some real mean hills.

This one shows you the rolling area!

Engracia captured that when we left her home.

Sunny and 18℃ (64℉) and it should be 16℃ or 60.8℉ when riding back... 

But in reality it was only 11℃ or 51.8℉ when riding back around 5:00 PM and the days were short after mid November!

Proud of my Pieter for managing this!

There were some very mean and steep hills to tackle.

But on October 20, when Pieter's cardiologist had an ultrasound done to check his heart, he said his heart even had improved a bit!

Soooo, let's keep rolling our wheels together as it is good for a healthy heart and for a healthy living.

My CKD level is in stage 4 but due to me being 'muscular' it is mentioned as 3b.

Not that it ever improves but keeping my 28% function as stable as can be, I HAVE to continue!

May God grant us some more blissful days on wheels together.

Related link:

New Green Deal | my July 21st post with more info about Pieter's virgin ride... 

Indian Summer and Biking

 Living in subtropical Georgia has lots of benefits.

Our Indian Summer is so lovely...

Rather exotic looking Yucca lily in bloom on October 24, as we biked.

Had to zoom in as I was a bit reluctant with my sandal feet to get into the ditch...

Copperheads are being born live in the fall and I sure don't want to step onto one!

On a lovely sunny October 15, on the bridge across the Oconee River.

That's me posing next to Pieter's New Green Deal...

We went back to the bridge for the first time since Pieter got a flat tire there!

That was quite something... I swapped bike with him so he could ride home on mine and come back with the car, backseat flat for transporting his bike. It JUST fit...

I've managed to push it for about 4 km and it was hard to do in the heat, full sun and uphill!

Next we had to go to Atlanta Cycling for getting a new back tire; they happened to have just the LAST one, at their other location.

So we keep our fingers crossed that things go well!

Oh, on one of the longer rides, Pieter had an empty battery... he thought he had more than wat it was.

So I swapped with him again and pedaled that heavy sucker home for some 20 km... Those hills are killing you!

There still are lots of yellow wildflowers alongside the road.

Golden Rod with a happy Bumble Bee feasting on its pollen.

Pieter in his TREK Atlanta Cycling top.

We love the quiet back roads since we do not have bike lanes here, like in The Netherlands.

WISH we had them!

Lovely wildflowers... 

Huge field where peanuts already have been harvested!

Here they were still harvesting the peanuts.

Georgia is a BIG peanut exporter!

Photo is from October 17, and these Confederate Rose shrubs (Hibiscus mutabilis) are blooming everywhere!

We used to have one in our wood garden but of course, the competition with tree roots is fierce.

These goat kids were loose once we biked past this meadow.

Now the owner has secured the fencing a lot better, attached mesh wire in front of the planks so they no longer can escape!

There were five more of those goats in front of an old school bus.

Hate to see old cars or equipment sitting somewhere; why not recycle?!

October 22, blue sky and at this lake there always is lots of water fowl.

If there would be a bench, one could observe different birds.

October 22, it was 28℃ or 82℉

Guess on a Saturday we ought to clean out this barn...

Horses are a far better sight!

Pieter captured me when I went closer for capturing that Yucca lily.

Did not want to go into the ditch bare footed... think about snakes from my previous post (see link below).

Love to wear these cotton terry shorts from Escada, with a cotton t-shirt from Indonesia.

Wish this photo would work LIVE as you could see those birds flying away in a big cloud...

Smart cooperation, the cows stir up insects and they're right there!

Pieter counted 50 cows but they have such vast meadows here, compared to The Netherlands!

Another farm where they usually keep horses but this time they had several Llamas.

Haha, this one tried its very best to smile at the camera!

On LIVE it does...

Hope you enjoyed this little view of rural Georgia.

Related link:

New Green Deal | previous post

Copperhead Snake | previous post