Monday II

So I thought that I would add some text here after several days of pics (or less!).

I'm looking to a little return to normalcy this evening as I get the chance to sleep in my own bed after two days on the road and two additional days Winniferous duty.  Not that any of the days were less than satisfying.  To the contrary.  The trip North was a very enjoyable visit with 1, 1.1, and 1.01.  As the pics attest, 1.01 is a beautiful child.  And a good baby.  It's fun to see her grow.

I changed the title picture here just for the sake of change.  No mountains or biking photos for a while.  (I opted for a bit of tradition as opposed to giving in to my baser instincts.  Plus, I'm neither a Bud man, nor a Chevy guy.)

The book on CD that I listened to on my weekend journey was a bust.  I normally go for the spy/murder/conspiracy junk/easy-read books.  This one was too much on the junk side.  It was one of those deals where the author had an idea and plenty of moving parts for the first half of the book, but then couldn't keep the threads going, and finally just gave up and compressed the ending with a series of convenient ironies in the last couple of chapters.  (And his right-wing ideology was way too over the top.  Even for me.)  Whatever.

The Lowe's flooring department supposedly set me up before I left town on Friday for basement carpet and kitchen vinyl installation this week.  I found it curious that their system is a pay-first program upon confirming the order.  (They out-source the installation and you then schedule that work after you have fully paid Lowe's...who pays the contractor...after he's done the job!)  This in contrast to, say, the car repair shop where you pay upon completion.

I said supposedly because I just got a call from Lowe's saying that, "Oops, that carpet that we had you pay for in advance is out of stock and we don't have enough for your job.  Sorry."  I basically told the guy that I needed time to cool off and that he should call me tomorrow.  What a crock.

Not that a lot of the peanut gallery may care, but the European peloton is traversing Spain over the next three weeks as the final Grand Tour for the year is held there.  The star-power in the pack is always a little light by the time this one rolls around, although most of the high-ranking Spaniards will definitely show up.  I don't follow this race that closely.  But 4 and I are talking about a trip to Northern Spain next year, and the Pyrenee's will be part of that trek.  So I need to decide which of the Tour peaks will be my target.

More later.

BCOT