fortunate 4th

I have been trying to follow the sensible voice in my head for a few weeks now. There are many days when competing ideas win out, and I wouldn't say they are entirely senseless, but afterwords do seem like a silly thing to have done.

Turns out the annual 4th of July ride did not go as well as in previous years. I decided last week that I would not go so others could ride. After the last overnight ride I did, I felt it would be a good year to stay home and experience some other type of fun. This is one of the best decisions I have ever made.

My sister came to stay with us for a couple days. We don't see each other very much, and almost always at family gatherings, so it was great to spend some time with just her. With my stepfather diagnosed with cancer, she (and most of the family) is thinking of the shortness of time, and what is really important to her (and us). Why does it have to be bad things that spur these types of feelings to jump start what should be in peoples heads every day?

The 4th was great. My wife and I spent a nice relaxing day taking care of the backyard, cleaning up to be ready for the inevitable next house guest, and then going to see a movie. We rarely go to the theatre for movies and it is a nice change. Get to the matinee for discounts and it is almost affordable. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, not my favorite (I swear it wasn't Harrison Ford's voice for the first few minutes of his appearance). We decided to have dinner at home. Just a nice relaxing day.

I had a small gathering for the opening stage of the Tour. Late notice kept a number of people away, but sometimes small get-togethers are the best. I don't particularly enjoy hopping on the Tour bandwagon, but it is amazing to watch those athletes. As I don't race, it's fun to watch the tactics and to see what they can do with their machines.

We decided to ride every bike we own to the shop at least once this month. It's been great getting bikes out I don't normally ride. The trouble with that are the 4 bikes with 20" wheels. 12 miles on each of those are going to be long. And with TRAM coming up, it's going to be close to see if I can get them all ridden. Maybe I'll create a list.