New House Blog: Episode II

In Episode II we start showing you the actual work we have completed.  We are starting off with the small jobs that we want to complete before the house is tented for termites (they're very popular in the Silicon Valley).  Here we go.

Door Knob/Deadbolt Replacement

We decided that it would be a good idea to replace the door locks.  Two reasons for this are that some of the old locks are/were finicky and required a certain amount of key-jiggling; and we don't know how many spare keys are floating around out there.

Here are some pictures.

The old front door lock.

From the inside.

The new front door locks.  Sadly we can't show you an inside picture because said picture did not turn out very well.

 Putting in the new locks was slightly troublesome, because whoever put in the previous locks didn't drill the holes quite large enough, so we had to do a little carving out and applying force to make some of it go in.  In the end, however, it all did go in and all of the locks work as advertised.

Here are some more pictures.

The second door's old locks, from the inside.  As you can see, they're painted to the door for added security.

Same door locks, from the outside.

The new locks, from the outside.  As you can see, they're a different finish from the front door locks.  This is intentional.  We liked both, so we got one set of each finish.

From the inside.

Join us again for our next exciting, action-packed Episode, in which we will see some more inside pictures and maybe even some more outside pictures.

Good locks make good

bIsh

New House Blog: Episode I

As the title suggests, this series will be talking about our new house and our progress toward making it move-in-able.  Technically it is habitable now, but there are several items we want to correct and fix and spruce up before we move in.

First things first - we bought a new house.  By "we" I mean Becky and Me.  By "bought" I mean that we now have a mortgage (for those interested we got a 4% fixed).  By "new house" I mean that the house was built in 1971, but it is a house we have not ever owned before.

Here are some pictures to keep you interested.

This is the front.

This is the back.

This is part of the huge back yard.

The house is 1710 square feet, 2 stories, 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath, 1 garage, 1 kitchen, 1 fireplace, no basement.

In the episodes that follow this one we will be chronicling our journey from purchase to move-in readiness; our repairs and spruce-ups.  Pictures will be provided.

Home sweet

bIsh

It Is Alive

As of Sunday, September 11, 2011, the bike is complete and on the road.  This was the final build session for this bike.  The previous post left off with only one item incomplete, at least as far as basic rideability is concerned - the derailur cables.  After I installed both derailur cables I added a few stickers, the rack, bottle cages, and a small seat bag.

I had a lot of fun with this build, and I learned some new things.  I've been riding it these past two weeks, and I really like it.  On the road it's nimble and lively.  The front end is very quick to maneuver.  All shifting is spot-on, and braking is excellent.  There's a slight squeal from the front brakes during hard stops, but I think it's just because the pads are not properly toed-in (should be a quick adjustment when I take the time to do it).  I also discovered that I have the rear brake and front derailur cables routed incorrectly - I accidentally ran them through each other's mounting points.  Everything works, but I will probably correct this some time soon.  On to the build and the finished product.

The derailur cables:

 As with the brake cables, I decided to use Jagwire Hyper cables and housing.  These are, like the brake cables, coated cables with lined housing and nifty gold-colored cable end-caps.

This photo shows the rear derailur all cabled-up.

In this photo you can see the two deraulur and one brake cables.  As mentioned above, the rear brake and the front derailur cables are in the wrong mounting brackets.

Here you can see the cable routing at the front.  The Jagwire cables came with little rubber boots to stop the housing from rubbing on the frame and marring the paint.

The built bike:

Here it is, folks - the built bike.  The frame was advertised as an 18" frame, which I understood to mean 18" from the center of the bottom bracket to the center of the top tube.  When I measured it, however, it turned out to be only 15" from bottom bracket to top tube.  The advertised 18" measurement is from the bottom of the bottom bracket to the top of the seat collar.  It's okay, though.  I like its compactness.

The same bike with a few stickers.  The Ascent stickers came with the frame, and I assume that is the brand.  The Jagwire stickers came with the cables. (I use the plural "stickers" because there are two of each - one on either side of the frame.)

From the front, looking toward the back.

The final finished product:

The bottle cages are Blackburn Mountain Cages.  These are the strongest, beefiest cages I have ever encountered, and they're light. These two particular cages have been with me for at least 17 years, and they're still in great shape.  I don't remember exactly why I chose that color when I bought them.  Since these cages are still available new I may get a couple in a more subdued color - probably black.

The rack is a Blackburn Mountain Rack.  It has been with me for at least 20 years, and it is showing signs of its age.  Some paint has worn off, and it's not quite as straight as it once was.  It's a basic rack, and it has served me well.

The bungee cord was found on the side of the road.  I used to find all kinds of bungees in various colors and sizes on the side of the road.

The seat bag is by Speicalized.  It's just large enough for some tire patches, a wallet, a spare bungee, and maybe a phone.

The donor frame:

This is what's left of the poor donor bike.  Anyone need a frame for a project?

And that's the end of the build.  Or is it?  (Did someone say, "upgrades"?)

Happy Riding to you.

bIsh

It Goes And It Stops

Saturday, September 10, 2011, is the date of the second-to-last build session for my new old bike.  This session was concerned with braking.  I installed new brake pad inserts, adjusted the shoes for proper rim alignment, and installed both brake cables.  The front derailur cable that you might see in the pictures below (and in the previous post) is only temporarily connected, so I do not count it as being installed yet.

There seems to be no industry standard for brake post placement.  Every time I have had to replace a fork I have had to readjust the brake shoes for proper rim alignment.  The same is true when moving brakes from one frame to another, and when replacing wheels with new wheels of a different make.  I suppose, on the one hand, that it is not that big a deal these days, what with the proliferation of disk brakes, but there are still people out there using rim brakes, and at least one of us wants some kind of standard.  Enough said.  On to the building.

The brake shoes and cables:

 The brake shoes are Avid Rim Wrangler shoe inserts.  One thing I really like about V-type brakes is the option for shoes with replaceable pads.  Adjusting brakes shoes is not my favorite thing to do, and this design feature allows me to replace pads without having to adjust anything.

The cables are Jagwire Hyper brake cables.  These are coated cables with lined housing and nifty gold-colored cable end-caps. I was planning to transfer the cabling from my donor bike to the new bike, but there was trouble with housing lengths, cable lengths, and a severe shortage of cable/housing cutters.  Along with new brake cables I bought a new Park cable/housing cutter.




That's it for this build session.

A journey of a thousand miles begins with
bIsh

It Keeps Going

Labor day, Monday, September 5, 2011, was when build session #4 took place. As you can see, my updates are a few days behind the actual build sessions.

When we left off last time the bike was technically rideable - I rode a lap around the parking lot - and mostly adjusted to fit me.  It had the majority of its drivetrain, but no brakes.  During this build session I added the brakes, some cabling, and all of the handelbar accouterments.

While building, I was focused on installing parts and not on taking pictures, so all of the pictures you see were taken after I was done building for the day. Because of this the photos will not necessarily show chronological progression.

On to the build.

The brakes:

The brakes are Shimano XT V-Brakes.  I would have preferred to use Avid brakes, but these are the brakes that came off of my donor bike.  They are good brakes that have never given me any problems.  If I recall correctly, I got these brakes several years ago for free from one of my brothers.

The brake levers:

The brake levers are TekTro Quartz levers.  I don't know what that means, but they, like the brakes, were given to me free of charge by one of my brothers. They're nothing special, but they do their jobs and I can upgrade them later if I'm so inclined.

The shifters:

Yes, I know this isn't a good photo.  The shifters are Grip Shift 8-speed shifters. As mentioned in my previous post, I have been a big fan of Grip Shift since its first appearance on the scene, many years ago.

The grips:

The grips are ODI Lock-On grips - 90mm length - with a Yeti grip pattern.  The shorter length works really well with my Grip Shift shifters.  These grips go on easily, lock into place (via allen screw), and are a breeze to remove.  I like the Yeti grip pattern because it has that big fat Yeti pad right where my palms rest. It also has smaller Yetis around it that are good for gripping with my fingers.   At some point I will probably replace the red color with blue - to match the other blue accents on the bike.

The bar ends:

The bar ends are old-school Onza bar ends.  I know that bar ends are less common today, and some people say that running bar ends on a riser bar is out of fashion, but I love my full-size L-bend bar ends.  They give me multiple hand positions that come in handy at times.  I also know that it's uncommon to see taped bar ends, but I like to tape mine.  I like the padding and extra grip. Yes, the tape is kind of grungy - it's been on there for a while.

 Here you see the bar with all of the aforementioned accouterments.

This is the progress thus far.

Closer and closer to the final
bIsh

It Continues Some More

Build session #3 took place on Sunday, September 4, 2011.  I feel like I got a lot accomplished during this build session, and the bike really started to take shape.  I installed the following parts: fork, stem, handlebar, seatpost and saddle, both derailurs, wheels, crankset, pedals, and chain.

We left off last time with test fitting, marking, and cutting the steerer tube. This build session began with cutting the handlebar.

A few months back, as part of my previously-mentioned (in the previous post, that is) desire to introduce a more upright riding position, I purchased a riser handlebar to replace my flat bar.  I didn't pay enough attention when ordering and ended up with a bar that was 685mm wide.  This translates to about 27 inches (26.9688, to be a bit more precise), which is significantly wider than my flat bar.  I lived with it for a while, but didn't really like it, so I decided that this would be a good time to cut it down a bit on each end.  Conveniently for me, the bar was already factory-marked for cutting. I chose the furthest-in cutting marks and cut away.

Cutting metal pipes (steerer tube and handlebar in this case) is step one of a two part process.  Step two is filing and/or sanding down the cut end of the pipe to get rid of burs and any sharp edges.  The end result should be a smooth surface that is safe for handling.

On to the photos and comments.

The fork:

The fork, as mentioned in a previous post, is a Surly 1 1/8" unicrown fork with threadless steerer.  This is what it looked like after cutting and sanding.  I have included the small piece of pipe that was cut from it.

The Stem:

The stem is an Easton EA50 with 9 degrees of rise and a 31.5mm clamp.

The handlebar:

The handlebar is an Easton EA50 Monkeybar, with a 31.5mm clamp size.  This is what it looked like after cutting and sanding.  I have included the end pieces that were lopped off.

Here you see the handlebar installed.

The seatpost and saddle:

The seapost is a generic post, 32mm in diameter.  The saddle is a Specialized Body Geometry.  Nothing special, but they do their jobs.

The wheels:

The front wheel is a Mavic Crossride, with 24 flat spokes.  It is a standard 26" wheel, and it is still true after nearly 4 years of riding.

The rear wheel is a Mavic Crossland, also with 24 flat spokes.  Like the front wheel, it is still true after nearly four years of riding. Unlike the front wheel, however, it is not just a standard 26" wheel.  See this older post to for more details, and to read about my rear wheel/tire saga.

The bike is finally on its own two feet.

The crankset and pedals: 

The crankset is an FSA with 22, 32, and 44 tooth rings.  Crank arms are 175mm in length.  This crankset and the bottom bracket were sold as a packaged deal, which turned out to be quite convenient for me as it meant that I could be fairly certain that they would work well together.

The pedals are Performance brand metal platform pedals with toe clips.  I normally run feet belts, too.  Yes I am aware of modern clipless pedals, and I have tried some, but I have never felt the need or desire to buy them. 

The front and rear derailurs:

 The front derailur is a top-pull X-9 from SRAM (I'm still not sure how SRAM is pronounced).

The rear derailur is an X-7, also by SRAM.  The cassette in the picture is an 11-32 8-speed, branded by SRAM.  Do you see a pattern here? I have been a big fan of SRAM products ever since the very first generation of Grip Shift shifters.



The chain:

The chain is by SRAM.  I don't recall the model or number.  It is silverish.  I do not use the Power Link that comes standard with SRAM chains - I still break and unbreak chains with my trusty Park chain tool.

Progress thus far.

For this build session I brought Daisy out to the garage instead of Satchmo. She is generally calmer and less skittish (and quiter) than Satchmo, so I thought she might enjoy the experience more than he did.  She stayed in her carrier for a bit, then came out and explored a bit.  She spent most of her time either behind bike wheels in a corner or behind a stack of boxes.

Remember that it's right to tighten and left to

bIsh

It Continues

It's been about a week since my my previous post, and there have been two more build sessions.  This update deals with the build session on Thursday of this past week, Septermber 1, 2011.  Parts and comments will be added in roughly chronological order.

First, a little more background.  I am tired of leaning over when I ride, so I decided to give myself a more upright riding position by raising the handlebars up a bit.  The problem was twofold: the steerer tube on my bike was cut short; it is extremely difficult to find a 1" fork these days (it is next to impossible to find a 1" stem (I have been using a 1 1/8" stem with a shim)).  1" used to be the common size, but everything is 1 1/8" or larger now.  Thus, it made sense to me to get a new frame with a 1 1/8" head tube and get a new, uncut fork.

On to the build.

If you recall from the previous post (if not you can peruse it now to refresh your memory) I got as far as test fitting the fork and headset.  It seemed to me that the next logical next step was to install the stem and handlebar so that I could put on the wheels and get the bike standing on its own two feet, so to speak.  Before installing said stem and handlebar, however, I had to remove them from the donor bike.

The donor bike:

The left side

The right side

The donor bike was originally a 1994 Bridgestone MB4 (that was about the last year Bridgestone bikes were sold in the U.S.), purchased new for roughly $450.  Since its purchase so many years ago it has been basically rebuilt, one piece at a time.  The original parts include the frame, front derailur, bottom bracket, crankset, and some of the bolts.  It has served me well for a long time.

The first step of disassembly of the donor bike was to remove everything from the handlebars and then remove the handlebars.  The next step was to remove the top cap and the stem.  I also removed all cables at this time.

Time to test fit the stem and mark and cut the steerer tube.

The photo shows how things stacked up.  I marked and cut the steerer tube and called it a day.  It may not seem like much progress, but it's one step closer to the finished product.

The stem:

The stem is a 1 1/8" Easton stem.  I believe it is 9 degrees of rise, but I don't recall the length.







I brought Satchmo out to the garage with me again for this session, thinking that he might be more comfortable on a second visit, but it was much the same: he meowed for a while, then settled down behind a stack of boxes.

Disassembly is sometimes part of assembly.

bIsh

It Begins

What begins?  The building of a new bike.

My trusty commuter/street bike is over 17 years old now, so it seems like a good time for an upgrade.  Instead of simply buying a bike, however, I've decided to build one from scratch - that is to say, starting from a bare frame.  This bike will be a combination of new and old parts (primarily for budget reasons).  The old parts include the wheels (including tires and tubes), pedals, cassette, rear derailur, seatpost, saddle, stem, handlebar, brakes and levers, shifters, and as much cabling as I can reuse.  Everything else will be brand-spanking new.  I will be doing all of the work myself, except for installing the crown race.

This blog will be a journal of my build over the coming days and weeks.  This entry is also the first update.

Yesterday I installed the first components - the headset (using my own homemade headcup press), the bottom bracket, seatpost collar, and the derailur hanger.

The frame:

I selected a generic aluminum frame from a trusted online bike retailer.  This frame is 18" in size, and it includes a replaceable derailur hanger and mounting points for my rear rack.  It is white.

The headset:

The headset is a Cane Creek 40 - 1 1/8" in size.

The bottom bracket:

The bottom bracket is an FSA with external bearings.  This style seems to be the way the industry is going.

The seatpost collar:

The seatpost collar is a Salsa, non-quick-release.  It is blue.  I like Salsa products, I like the blue, and I don't anticipate a need to adjust my saddle height a whole lot once I've set it.

The fork:

The fork is a rigid 1 1/8" Surly.  It is black.  As this will be a mostly on-road bike I opted not to spend the extra money on a suspension fork.

I decided to bring Satchmo into the garage with me for this first build session, thinking that he would like to explore in the garage, but it wasn't as fun for him as I had hoped.  He was quite meowy at first, and he assumed a defensive/scared/submissive posture as he sniffed around for a bit.  Eventually he settled down and hung out behind a pile of boxes.  I may take Daisy out to the garage for the next build session.

That's it for now.

Remember to always
bIsh

About A Cat

I have now joined the ranks of cat owners. About 2 weeks ago I purchased, from the local animal shelter, a 2 month-old kitten - Domestic Shorthair, tuxedo pattern. I've named him Satchmo, and he is very vocal. Right now he's cleaning his little claws, the way cats do, and he just finished giving himself a bath. So far he's been confined to my room, and the hallway joining my room. As soon as the rest of the place is cat-ready I'll be letting him visit, and eventually he'll have the run of the place. Satchmo is an indoor cat, very zippy at times, a very good climber, quite curious, and good at figuring out how to get where he wants to get. Yes he's fixed, and no he's not declawed. Scratching is a normal part of a cat's life, and if you're not prepared to deal with it, well maybe a cat isn't right for you.

Some who know me might ask, "Why a cat?" I like cats. Cats are self-cleaning, and easy to clean up after, they're somewhat self-entertaining, and they're fun to watch and play with when they get into hunting/pouncing mode. I like cats.

Cats. Cool.
bIsh

Bish For President

I just today realized that I'm now old enough to run for President. I wonder if I can get on the '08 ballot.

Vote for
bIsh

Of Pizza Trees

Maybe on the wild pizza trees of legend you might find fresh, whole pizza, in pizza season, but what I'm told (by someone who knows) is that today's modern pizza trees mainly produce the ingredients separately. And you know that calzones were merely pizzas that hadn't fully bloomed yet. Someone got the idea to pick them early in the hopes that they wouldn't spoil so quickly, and he (maybe she - records are sparse) discovered the calzone. But today's pizza trees, as I was saying, no longer produce whole pizzas. The well-tended ones produce dough at the ends of the branches, where the pizzas used to bloom, and they can be tapped to get the rich red sauce inside. White sauce, and others newfangled types of sauces you find on modern pizzas, does not come from the pizza tree, although I did hear a rumor that some geneticists were working on trees that can produce different types of pizza sauces.. Pizza crust mix comes from the bark and the dried leaves of the pizza tree: you need both to get a proper pizza crust mix. Some brands, however, dilute the mix with flour to try to stretch it out and get more profit. I've also heard that the best pizzerias feed their trees tomatoes to get an even richer, tomatoey-er sauce. And I think I read somewhere that some can be cross-pollinated with olive trees to produce their own olives.

When the moon hits your eye like a big pizza pie, that's
bIsh

Packed Like Sardines

Wow, over 6 months since my last post. I'll try to do better - maybe.

Anywho, on a recent backpacking trip to Meadow Lake, I discovered that I like sardines. They are a good source of protein and Omega 3's, and they taste great. In shopping for sardines I have discovered that there are basically two companies distributing them (at least at the Safeway near my home) - Bumblebee and Chicken of the Sea. Chicken of the Sea is sold under its own brand name, and Bumblebee is sold under several different brand names. So far, my sardines have come from 3 places - Norway, Canada, and Thailand. Thailand? Really? Yes, Thailand. I was surprised, too. I guess that's it for now.

There's something fishy in all this...
bIsh

Part One

"It's just over that next rise. I think you'll be pretty surprised at what you see, and amazed."

The two men continued walking up the brush-covered incline. Legend had it that there was once a great city nearby, part of a huge civilization that once spanned the entire continent. But that was long ago, and there was only myth and shadow and the sparse evidence left of that ancient civilization. Building foundations and skeletal frames were visible in some places, and there were deep trenches and strange pipes that seemed to lead from nowhere to nowhere. Deep holes were found here and there, seemingly carved from solid rock, and a few short sections of stone-carved tunnels could be found scattered around. Every now and then someone would stumble upon some ancient artifact, and the people would try to divine a little bit more from that artifact, try to add a little more color to the stark outlines of what they knew, or thought they knew, of the previous inhabitants of that land. Mostly, though, nature had reclaimed whatever once existed of the ancient people. No remains of the ancient people had been found, and no pictures of them were known. How they had lived, how they had died, where they might have moved to: these things could only be guessed at, speculated upon. And in this manner, the people who lived there now had put together their own beliefs and legends regarding the ancient people and their grand civilization.

"We've been walking all day, and I still ain't seen nothin' interesting. You say it's over the next rise, but you been saying that for the past three rises. You sure you saw anything?"

"I know what I saw, and I tell you it's over this rise. Just a few hundred yards to go, and you'll see something you've never seen before, something amazing. Let me ask you, you ever been out this way, this far? No. No one has. We've been goin' right up to the edge of that gulley for years, but no one ever bothered to venture across to the other side, until I did it. And now you. Good thing we brought food and water. We may need to make camp and sleep out here tonight. You got the shelter in your pack, Jeb?"

"Yeah, I got it. And the noisemakers too. Sure wish we could be back home tonight, inside. This had better be worth a night in the wilderness, Zeke."

"It is. And don't worry about the wild ones. I stayed out here overnight and didn't see or hear a thing. Didn't smell nothin', neither. Why, I ain't even seen their tracks nor any other sign o' 'em. Like I said, they don't hang around here. Why, I'm not convinced that they hang around anywhere. I ain't never seen one, and them that claims to have, well, I ain't met a reliable witness yet. I heard the stroies, though, and I've heard some strange noises some night, but there's lot's o' things that make noises at night. Anyway, like I said, I ain't heard no strange noises at all last time I was out here at night."

Zeke and Jeb continued up the incline in silence. It had been a long hike to the gulley, then the climb down one side and up the othere, then more hiking. The ground had been mostly level with a few rises an dips, but the last few miles had involved a lot of uphill hiking. They were near the top now.

"Oh, this is gonna be good, " Zeke said excitedly. Just a few more yards. This is the spot. Here we are. What did I tell you? Is that incredible, or what?"

"Wha...is that...but...Oh my..." was all that Jeb could manage, as he stood, mouth open, transfixed by what he saw. He had never seen anything like it before, never even conceived of anything like it. Yet there, below him on the other side of the rise, was the most amazing thing he had ever seen...

To be continued?
bIsh

Back in The Saddle Again, Again

Well, I am back in the saddle again, again.

In a previous post, I told about how I am back on my Mountain Bike. I am now back on my road/commuter bike, also. This bike was down for a while due to rear wheel replacement surgery. Both of the wheels on that bike had come down with a bad case of worn-out braking surface - something I had never seen before in all of my years of bike doctoring. The braking surface on the rim of each wheel was thrashed, to the point where the brake shoes were picking up and retaining flakes of metal from the rims, in turn causing more thrashing of said rims. The front tire replacement went smoothly - I chose the (relatively) inexpensive Mavic Crossride, a standard 26" wheel. When I ordered a Crossride for the rear wheel, I found out that it is no longer available, except as a disk-specific wheel (I don't have disk brakes on either of my bikes). This being the case, I chose the Mavic Crossland - a slightly more expensive wheel, and definitely not a standard 26" wheel (unknown to me at the time). The Crossland arrived, and I tried to mount the rear tire and tube, but was not able to do so. A little reading of the manual revealed that I could not use just any 26" tire; I needed an ERTO-spec tire. I had never heard of ERTO before, so I did some research and discovered that ERTO is a European tire spec that uses milimeters instead of inches. The ERTO size for a 26" x 1.5" tire is 40-559 - 40 being the tire cross-section, and 559 being the wheel diameter (in mm). Thus, my standard, American 26" tire is slightly too small to fit over the rim of a 559mm wheel. After much searching online, I found a retailer selling an ERTO-spec tire in my size (26" x 1.5"/40-559). The tire came two days ago, and even though it is ERTO, it is a pain to mount and unmount. Long story short, the tire is mounted, the wheel is mounted, the brake shoes are new, and I'm back in the saddle again.

This was definitely a learning experience for me, and in the future I will probably not choose Mavic for my wheels.

Time to ride.
bIsh

Flight, Erosion, Flood Evidence

As I was flying to Kansas City, MO, for a weekend business conference, I looked out the window at the terrain below, and I was amazed at how much of the land looks like it was formed by massive erosion; as though a huge flood had covered the entire countryside at some point in the past, left behind deposits of dirt and rock, formed them into the hills, valleys, and mountains that we see today. All around us is evidence of the flood from Noah's time. Praise be to God for leaving this lasting witness, this timeless testament to the truth of His Word. Praise be to God that He has promised not to destroy the earth with a flood again.

Praise the Lord.
bIsh

Back in the Saddle Again

Well, I'm back in the saddle again. I finally got my replacement fork installed on my Santa Cruz a few weeks ago, and I went riding with some guys up at Wilder Ranch. It felt good to get back out into the hills and valleys on my bike.
I'm back to this blog, too. I've been away from it for a few months, but I'm back. I hope to be posting a few times a month.

Stay tuned.
bIsh

Dis A Pear, Please

In my continuing quest to explore Pear-dom, I came across an odd little pear called the Asian Brown. How is the Asian Brown odd? First, in its shape: the Asian Brown is not at all pear-shaped. It is round, with no neck. Second, in its skin: it is tannish/brownish, with speckles. Third, in the taste and texture of its flesh: taste is bland, watery, not pear-like at all (with perhaps a subtle melon-like hint); texture is hard and crunchy and only slightly pear-like. Fourth, in its packaging: the Asian Brown is typically sold in a styrofoam netting or sleeve, the only pear I've seen that is sold this way. Why the Asian Brown is sold as a pear, I don't know. Perhaps it is genetically a member of the pear family, but the pear-ness of the Asian Brown is hidden and not at all obvious. This one goes to the bottom of my pear list, and I do not plan to buy any more of them.

I know there are those who like the Asian Brown, or they would not be sold, but I am not among those.

Not all is happy in Pearville
bIsh

A Pear of Winners

Well, folks, in addition to the Red Anjou pear, there is the Green Anjou pear, also called the Anjou (without color reference). Everything I said about the Red is true of the Green, except for the skin and color. The skin of the Red is a little rougher in appearance than is the skin of the Green. The Green Anjou is, as the name implies, green in color - light green like a Bartlett - with speckles. In shape the Green is similar to the Red - shorter and squatter than the classic pear shape, with a short neck. The flesh is soft and moist, juicy and succulent. Concerning taste, the words sparkly, zesty, and lively apply. The Green Anjou is one excellent pear. The main difference between the Green and the Red is the skin color and texture. Both of these pears are at the top of my list of favorite pears.

Which came first, the Green, the Red, or the
bIsh

**Bonus pear fact/observation: I have observed that the ideal time to consume a pear is typically between 3 to 7 days after bringing it home from the store. This is because the pears in the store are typically not fully ripe, and they continue to ripen after arriving at the house. Pears eaten before this ideal window tend to be harder and crunchy, and after tend to be mushy and bland in flavor. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Encore A Pear Ance

A red pear? Surely they were joking. That red thing in with the other pears couldn't be a pear, or could it? This I had to see. Yes, indeedy, it was a red pear - a variety called the Red Anjou. Who woulda thunk it? A red pear. Very interesting. I got a couple, and I ate them (at home).

The Red Anjou is an excellent pear. In shape it is shorter less "pear-shaped" than your traditional pear. The coloration is dark red, with a hint of a yellowish undercoat showing through sometimes. From a distance, it almost looks like a slightly mis-shapen pomegranate. Inside, it looks like a normal pear. The flesh is soft, and juicy beyond belief. And the taste. The Red Anjou is a very sweet, succulent pear. It is very easy to eat one very quickly. Whey you taste it, you will want to just keep eating and eating. Mmmmmmm... Where was I? Oh yes, right. Moving on. The skin is very thin and soft, soft enough for a fingernail to accidentally pierce, and it's a little gritty.

So far, the Red Anjou is my favorite pear. Try one today, and you'll be hooked. They're that good.

Bet you can't eat just one.
bIsh

** Bonus pear fact: You can judge the ripeness of a pear by gently squeezing the neck (the thin part by the stem). If it's soft, the pear is ripe. Of course, you've got to decide if you want to squeeze a bunch of pears that other people are going to eat. ;)

Now A Pear Ing

How about them pears? I haven't really paid attention to pears for some time, but there they've been all along, waiting for me to heed their call. I never really took notice of the different varieties, either, but this has changed. I am now aware. One thing I have found is that, although I like a crisp apple, I prefer a soft pear. I can't abide a soft, mushy apple, and I don't care for hard-packed pears.

Two interesting things about pears: The core is very slim, allowing for prolonged taste enjoyment; The skin of a pear tends to be thin. Indeed, when I peeled the stickers off of the pears I ate recently, the skin peeled off, too.

I had a couple of standard Bartlett pears recently, and I was very pleased. The Bartlett is a nicely-sized pear, although the two I consumed were not the prototypical "pear" shape. They were slightly less rotund in the lower portion, and slightly out-of-round. I do not know if this is a seasonal issue or a species issue, but the shape had no apparent effect on the taste or texture. It has a light green skin, with small green speckles sprinkled liberally about. The flesh is generally very soft and juicy, but it can vary from soft to hard in a single pear. Flavor is your basic "pear" flavor, varying from sweet to bland, sometimes with just a hint of sharpness. I did not taste any sourness or tartness, and I would be suprised to find these in a quality pear. The skin of a bartlett is a little gritty, and I could really feel it grinding between my molars and bicuspids. All in all, the Bartlett is a very satisfying pear.

Pear, the other apple.
bIsh