Coding, not cycling

Before you even started reading you probably noticed that things have changed just a little.  Welcome to my new look.  I’ve been thinking about making a change for while now but just haven’t found the time or motivation.  Somehow, that all changed this week and I found both.  I think it was partly due to the new logo.

Over the last 12 months I’ve felt there was too much wasted space around the outside of the blog.  I started researching other blogs and quickly decided I liked the 3-column look much better.  So, I began searching for a 3-column template but never found one to my liking.  Not even close and I have probably looked at a couple of hundred templates by now.  Then, I found a blog post explaining how to change the HTML code to create my own 3-column template.  Did I really want to try that?  I read through the instructions and it seemed pretty straight forward so I decide that I will give it a try when I have some free time.

What made today the day?  Well, just take a look at the picture to the right.  As you can see, it is another cold, wet, and windy day here so I decided to spend the morning coding, not cycling.

It was actually kind of fun.  I was able to make the initial changes and, after fixing few mistakes, I had the basic 3-column template complete.  Of course, the template I started with was different then my original so while I achieved the overall layout I was hoping for it did not have the right look and feel.  At least, not yet.

I then continued on to learn about creating code for enhancing color schemes, adding padding (some technical term) for the right spacing, playing with column widths, and other odds and ends until I ended up with what you see here.  Of course, since the columns are set up differently, I also spent some time deciding what was going where.  I have to say that once the template was re-designed all of the other work was just drag-and-drop kind of stuff that was very easy.  Lastly, I called on the powers of Sherry’s creative eye for colors to make everything sync just right.

I also decided it was time to update and refresh some of the photos including the title.  That’s Chris, Mr. Fitness Journal, and I riding in Monument National Park outside Boulder, Colorado.  I think it’s only fitting that Lee’s Life Adventure pay homage to one of my greatest cycling adventures ever.

You may see more enhancements in the future but for now I hope you enjoy the new look!

Ciao!