Sunday

Putting a few words down before getting a visit from The Winniferous.  2 is in charge of an evening fireworks-watching party at the museum, so I'll provide W with some entertainment for a few hours.

Didn't feel like doing the early ride to DeWitt this morning.  Only slept so-so, and had the body aches.  Pete had a couple of other guys lined up to join us as well, and I hate being an anchor on a group ride.  So I met Cal for coffee, read the paper, watched some of the TdF, and then took off for a solo tour of North Scott County roads.  Good ride to start the week.  To meet my 115 mile target, I'll need to be out there on the front end this week with KC on the docket Friday.

Here's my latest purchase: another Fuji Finepix mini-digi camera.  Its basically the updated version of what I've used for the past couple of years (and what 1 also now has).  The local camera store had a special on it, and there was a manufacturer's mail-in rebate, so I figured 4 could keep my old one (that I had loaned to her for the NYC trip).  Everybody wins!

To prove that it works, I took it on my ride this morning and snap a couple of pics.  The first is obviously taken from the same spot on the road that has produced a previous home-page shot taken with the earlier mini-digi.  The second is just the road sign of the Pioneer Village site on the north end of Scott County Park.  Nothing very exciting, but I like the feel of the camera.

The PGA Tour stops here this week for The John Deere Classic.  The community gets heavily involved with the event, and several of the bigger names on the tour are scheduled to play.  Steve Stricker will attemt to win the tournament for the third year in a row.  John Deere started a deal three or four years ago that has a chartered commercial jet lined up for departure from Moline next Sunday night after the tournament is over.  The charter takes the players (caddies, families and others) directly to the British Open in Great Britain.  There's a $1,000 charge per seat that Deere turns around and contributes to charity.  The charter is a big reason why those big names show up here.

I hadn't paid hardly any attention to the preliminary stories on the TdF which started yesterday.  There's still the doping cloud out there, and I just haven't been as interested in the races this year.  The route looks a little cock-eyed.  I'm wondering whether there is universal love for the event, or if maybe some towns grow tired of the traveling circus.  (Glenwood, on the Southwest Iowa border, for example, has little affinity for RAGBRAI after serving as the departure town several times.)

At least one of the local papers had this AP story a couple of days ago: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gbbMwQ9ARigkEheQdfuLC4VDas3w?docId=336e5e0163194bbbb62d6fac7f8686ec  I'm guessing that the rafters "Truckin' Down the Truckee" might be problematic at this point.

Maybe a little more later.

BCOT...especially those tourists in NYC!