Wednesday

Well, for the folks looking for an addition to the yet-to-be-named blook, you'll have to wait another day. All you have here tonight is general ramblings.

I snuck out a little early from work and did a nice ride out by the Davenport Country Club hills. The development on the far East end of Forest Grove Road is amazing. They have moved dirt all the way to I-80 on the North side of the road near the dead-end at the road that heads to Black Hawk JH. That farm homestead right before you cross the interstate is now just a couple of acres with the housing development all around it.

Good ride, but with the development out there comes traffic. Lots of that too. I came back by way of Valley Drive, up past the high school , and at 6PM, there's lots of people in a hurry to get somewhere. A little stressful for a rider, but I'm not sure that I like those conditions less than the factors on a crowded bike path. I was out for about 90 minutes which is a good workout, particularly with the hills. In a couple of weeks, I'll start increasing things, at least for a weekend ride. But there's no hurry at this point.

The post-April 15th work environment has been ok. I have lots to do. One of the by-products of the hectic times in late March and early April is that a person does get in the habit of working pretty hard. One of my goals now is to carry that required work perspective into the more normal times and be more productive. Criterium needs me to be productive.

Charlie, Susan and I are booked for travel to Reno out of Chicago on July 13th. Return July 16th. Direct flights. Expensive. Uncle Phil is doing some inquiry on accomodations.

Mary has her new laptop. She has the hassle of re-acquiring billfold essentials as a result of a small problem from last week.

So anyway, the story. I'm doing it to make myself do it. I know that it is not Pulitzer Prize journalism, but I have this writing gene that I need to give air to. Doing the blog has been fun and meaningful to me, and I will continue to add thoughts, opinions and document family history. But there are lots of times where I really don't have that much to say, and I don't want the blog to be just a plain record of what food I like, what I thought 40 years ago, or why I have a particular hat in the attic. (Actually, I don't have an attic, and I think Mom has gradually sanitized her attic of my stuff.) And one of the truely important things to me is that you maintain an interest in wanting to read whatever it is that I write.

So the blook is my own effort at mental therapy, the challenge of coming up with multiple weekly additions, and in keeping your interest. Those two-to-three page entries take me around 2 hours or so to write. I don't have the focus to do that everyday. Hopefully, both weekend days and one or two days during the week. I'm thinking 250-275 pages to completion. Which may take us to Christmas. Who knows. I may get on a roll this Summer and make progress in quicker strides. It is a work in progress. And I do not have it all planned out. Don't be afraid to make suggestions.

Have a great day. Be careful out there.