ketchup? no – catch up

Time for the weekly “oh-my-god-he-hasn’t-written-a-damn-thing-since-his-photo-post” chime in on all things that have happened since last week.

Hooray?

Hooray!

Last Friday, I went to see the Nats host the Texas Rangers (a.k.a. the Washington Senators, who last visited this fair city in 1971, when they were moved to Arlington, TX) in an interleague battle royale. I went with Sarah and sprite – as well as over 200 folks who share a love of all things fiber: knitters, quilters, needlepointers and cross-stitchers. They call the event “Stitch & Pitch,” and it was a lot of fun, even for this non-knitter.

The game was a decent one, going 14 innings – which meant a second Presidents Race between the 13th and 14th innings, and a 14th Inning Stretch. Good times.

On Saturday, I co-led a PPTC ride: 65 miles from the Gandhi Statue to Seneca, MD, and back. I was the A/AA leader, which meant that I was able to ride off the front and keep the pace brisk. It was a speedy ride, a lot of fun.

That night, Sprite and I went to see Get Smart, and we both enjoyed it quite a bit. During the walk to the Georgetown movieplex, we passed a couple with their two your boys, each of whom were wearing the ubiquitous “skate sneaks” that are all the rage. And when I saw one of the boys walking in them, on his toes, I thought to myself, “those kids are prepping themselves to wear high heels.”

sprite had a great addition to that, remarking that I should say that to their father and see if he quickly demands that his kid take ’em off. After all, they could catch The Gayâ„¢!

(And yes, I know how to walk – even how to run – in heels. Blame a certain cult movie for that ability.)

Sunday I went on a ride on Skyline Drive with Jonathan, Chris and Phillip. We were wary of the weather (the forecast had called for thunderstorms by mid-day), but managed to luck out, with moderate temperatures, a lot of sun, a nice breeze, and little auto traffic. About 7 miles into the ride I saw a black bear in the middle of the road, blocking my path. He and I stared at each other for a couple of minutes before my riding pals and a car made him amble off into the woods.

So I’ve had my Skyline Drive bear sighting – a rite of passage for any cyclist who rides that classic route.

The ride was really great: almost 84 miles, with 8,700 feet of climbing. The climbs were tough, but not terrible, and the descents were fast. It’s good prep for the Shasta Super Century, for sure!