Bikes, Trees, Cats and Computers

What better way to start a Sunday than driving over to Clermont and taking part in the 65 mile, hilly, and grueling Windemere group ride?!?!
Yes, I know there are many answers to that question (quite a few that I have already thought of) but I'm not interested in technicalities here! I'm interested in what ACTUALLY happened on this Sunday morning:
Alarm went off at 6am, I dressed in my bike gear, rounded up some breakfast, and then Dad and I were out the door and on the road by 6:45am. We picked up two other triathletes in the DeLand area (Chad and Mike) and pulled into the Elementary School parking lot by 7:50am...time to spare, I guess I didn't need to drive 80+mph on the interstate!
I had a beautiful day to ride in the hills. After visiting the Olympic Trials course last weekend in Tuscaloosa, I know that I need to keep up my cycling strength so that I can drag myself up all 16 of the hills on the race course.
We grabbed some Subway chow on the return trip to Delightful DeLand, dropped of Chad and Mike and pulled into the McLarty Farm around 1pm. Martha and John, family friends, had stopped by the house with their "ascending" gear. "Ascending" is the term to use when talking about climbing a tree using a 'non-evasive' method...basically ropes instead of spikes.

So here is my Dad, half way up a pine tree in the north pasture, using the 'ascending' method. Here are the steps: lift foot, raise ascender up rope, stand up on foot, scoot knot up, repeat. Keep doing this for a few minutes and eventually you will find yourself a couple of feet off the ground and entering the tree 'canopy.'

Mom and Martha watching the tree climbing from our rental-golf-cart. This thing is SWEET...and I hate that it is being returned in two days (anyone got a spare $4k lying around that we can buy a golf cart with??).

Dad was waving to Grandma Jane. She was watching from her back porch but wanted no part in the tree business:)

It took my Mom a few minutes to figure out the method to 'ascend'...but once she got the steps, right up the tree she went!

This is my Grandma Jane and her new kitty, Tess. Tess is the sweetest thing...friendly, active, happy, loving, etc. Now I have two reasons to go visit the Pink Cottage in the front yard:)

As for new things in my life, sometime next week I will be getting a package delivered from HP containing my NEW LAPTOP! I'm so excited because the computer that I am currently typing on is sorta making me a little loco!!! This new present to myself (a little belated-B-day gift) has tons of sweet features...check it out here...touch screen, fingerprint recognition, lightweight, tablet style, built-in web cam and mic, etc, etc!! It's going to make my reporting abilities from the road a breeze!

I have been drooling over this particular computer for a few weeks and the final straw that convinced me to make the purchase: I found a $400 coupon online for this model! No joke, I had the thing ordered within 10 hours of that marvelous discovery!