I took this photo of this stunt biker a few weeks ago at the Hollister Airshow. The biker, not at this particular moment, raced a monoplane. The biker and pilot started and ended at the same point on the tarmac. The biker turned at the midway point before the pilot could lift off, but the pilot managed to fly to the finish line before the biker. But, just barely.

The holiday started off grandly as the Husband and I pedaled our bicycles a mile away to watch the annual Fourth of July Kiddie Parade. It's the cutest, sweetest, shortest, and quickest parade in town. It's my favorite for all those reasons. If you'd like to see more photos of parade, click here . Until later.

Tilda-Hilda and I pedaled to and from Tres Pinos again. We rode about 13 miles in 74 minutes. She's posing in front of the Immaculate Conception Church at the southern edge of Tres Pinos. That's where the parents had me baptized when I was a baby. It's a pretty little wooden church that was built in 1892. I'm not a religious person, but I do like the feeling of spirit and community that I get whenever I step inside. I also like looking at the gorgeous stained glass windows. To see photos of the windows and a few of the statues on the grounds, head over to this post at my other blog, Take 25 to Hollister . Tilda-Hilda and I passed by an assortment of roadkill this morning—a very tiny skunk, a ground squirrel, a snake, and a jack rabbit. Poor fellows. May they rest in peace.

My Alphabe Thursday theme—Places I've Been If you loooooooooove the taste and aroma of garlic, then the Gilroy Garlic Festival in California is for you. I finally experienced the garlic extravaganza a few years ago. As I grow older, I sometimes get overwhelmed by crowds so I don't go to as many festivals as once upon a time. I'm starting to understand the Mama's response of "I've been there before." when we ask if she'd like to go with us to nearly anywhere. The garlic festival was fun with loads to see and buy. Lots of cooking demonstrations.  And, lots of arts, crafts, and vendors. Best of all, this food festival had lots of food loaded with the food it features—garlic! There were the usual yummies, such as garlic bread, and the unusual—hello, garlic ice cream, which I remember as being rather delicious. Celebrating its 37th year, the three-day festival will be July 24 to 26, 2015. It has always been in Gilroy, about a

Yesterday afternoon, the Husband and I pedaled around town to do our errands. It has been awhile since the Husband and his flashy chartreuse bike came out for a ride. They did quite well in the heat and wind. Not including the time for stops and talking with people, we pedaled four-and-a-half miles in 27 minutes. This morning, Tilda-Hilda and I pedaled a bit over 10 miles in 54 minutes. It was a relatively flat ride. That's us (above photo) pedaling back towards town. I wanted to take a photo of us next to a funky sculpture made out of car parts. But, this yappy dog began racing down the driveway as we came to a stop. No way was I going to find out if he was all bark and no bite. Onward and upward.

My ABC Wednesday theme: The Mama and Her Authentic Green Thumbs. . .and Fingers The above photo is from seven years ago. That was the year the Mama decided it was okay to have planter boxes in her garden. She devised them herself, using loose boards, branches, and rocks. At first, she grew vegetables in this box, but they didn't do to well. Too much shade from the miracle, apricot, and persimmon trees. I think it was four years ago, she decided to simply grow flowers in that box. "I like flowers," she said. "I want lots of flowers here." New flowers went in the box, as well as cuttings from her geraniums and daisies. I had my doubts. What was I thinking, right? Yes, the box is full flowers. That's what it looked like this past March and April. The rear of the box is now full of geraniums. Here's what the box looked like a few weeks ago. The Mama put up the headless scarecrow in hopes of scaring off the animals that were eating the apricots.

I had to talk myself into getting on Tilda-Hilda this morning. I had great excuses. It's too hot. It's too hot. It's too hot.  And, it wasn't yet 7:30 a.m. Tilda-Hilda and I made a breeze for ourselves so it was actually pleasant. Now, stopping. That's a different story. We did a bit over 11 miles today in 64 minutes. Surprisingly, after two days away, I wasn't gasping as much as I pedaled Tilda-Hilda and me up the hills. I think it helped that the Husband and I walked under an umbrella of redwood trees on Sunday. All that wonderful oxygen. Marilyn Monroe's "We're Having a Heat Wave" was going through my head on much of the ride. At one point, Neil Young tried to come through but Marilyn overpowered him. I couldn't figure what he was singing. While looking for a video of Marilyn singing "We're Having a Heat Wave", I came across a rendition by Ella Fitzgerald. I like it far more.