This morning as I put on my watch, I thought about the watchmaker.
A kind and generous, gentle man with big hands executing small, precise, delicate maneuvers. Hands that taught two dozen nieces and nephews and their kids a secret family handshake. Hands that made a girl a jewelry box with little hinges and a velvet lining. Hands that held kid after kid after kid on his lap, allowing them to use his entire body as a slide. Hands that came off a steering wheel to insert and eject cassette tapes of Gloria Estefan and Iron Butterfly while driving his teenage niece and her brother to the beach in North Carolina.
New York - 1975 or '76
Minneapolis 1998
Small, precise, delicate maneuvers, establishing our solid movement in life.
I'll miss you and your fantastic laugh, ya bastard.
Ate breakfast, rode to The Firm, did an energetic spinning class with proceeds going to the Red Ribbon Ride, rode home, made a huge salad, ate about 1/4 of it, trimmed grapevines and shrubs, weeded multiple flower beds, cut down all the things growing around the garage, washed clothes and put them on the line, folded them, mowed lawn, ate another 1/4 of the salad, and soon I will sleep.
I've been at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation for the past three days, and have one more to go. In addition to the main skills training, we learned about the Foundation's work building a culture of health.
They walk the talk, and have fitness classes for staff, free breakfast, lunch, and snacks, and nice walking trails, among other amenities.
While the food is pretty healthy, there's a lot of it. I probably gained five pounds through my snacking, combined with sitting on my butt for days. If I worked here, I don't know how all that would pan out. It is a cool place to visit, but I'm ready to be home.
I got to hang out with my nephew on his first day of summer vacation. He beat me in a series of races home from the park when walking the dog, and beat me at war. I think we broke even on Uno, and I won King's Corners. Really, though, I won all the way around: I got some quality 1:1 time with a boy who wanted to go for some bike rides, showed me where all the tadpoles were hiding in plain sight, was willing to try oysters on the half-shell with me, and reached for and held my hand for probably the last time ever as we wrapped up our big, sweaty walk back from the river.
Well, that was a splendid week. On Tuesday, I had tons of fun at a horrible game, including chortling at the phrase "Beelzebub in the buff" instead of "Lucifer in the flesh."
Cardinals vs. Cubs. The Cubs won definitively.
I stayed at the Moonrise Hotel in St. Louis. All the pictures in the rooms were moon-themed. This one was creeping me out. Why is the moon holding a small child from its mouth?
I got back late Weds after a delightful dinner with my aunt and uncle in St. Louis, had great commuting weather on Thursday, and went to a WNBA game Friday night.
On Saturday, Dan and I went to Dave's Brewfarm in Wisconsin and had a gourmet BYO dinner while drinking some beer out in the country.
They have a barebones taproom that sometimes is open. Dave and his wife serve the beer.
When in Rome....
We got to watch a crazy storm pass over the farm from the comfort of our beer-drinkin' seats.
Only three of us made the team ride to Stillwater on Sunday, but we were looking good in our matching jerseys, or as one guy (facetiously?) called them, "our uniforms." This ended up being a 76-mile ride for me, since I rode to and from the start of the ride.
Maggie, Keisha, Matt
While we were on the Brown's Creek Trail back from Stillwater, I tried to take pictures to show how pretty the trail is. Tried.
Don't eff with me. p.s. Take note of the helmet.
Today, Matt very kindly invited me to join him on a ride with the Twin Cities Bicycling Club. The route was about 30 miles (a 52-mile ride for me, since I rode to/from the start), and I rode a bit faster than my normal pace which was good for me. I need to do that more often. The ride started/ended at County Cycles in Roseville, who very kindly grilled brats for the riders. I joined the club last night, not realizing it would get me a discount at the bike shop today, when I bought this new, crazy high-viz (vis?) helmet. I was looking for a white, less bulbous helmet that fit my head better. Not white, slightly less bulbous, totally fits my head!
