Saturday

Another great day here in the Quad Cities. My pal Pete and I had talked about doing a tail wind ride, and that was definitely the best choice, but it didn't happen. I did my ride on the bike path and the hills of East Davenport, as well as a couple trips up the Marycrest hill on Fillmore Street. Its a good sign for Mt. Rose that I can do those hills now. My conditioning is coming around.

DeWitt in the AM for breakfast.

I enjoyed the darker humor of 3 and 4's six word bios, and the admissive comment from 2.

Here's my offering for today: "Iowa boy. The farm stayed close."

Sounds like 3 has a good lead on a job in Boston. Same company, different group. Given the carnage in the banking business, any lead is a good lead.

I had a couple of LeRoy Neiman prints that we received as a wedding gift from my Best Man rematted and reframed recently. The previous matting had faded and the frames were retro-'70's. The new presentation is really cool. They'll hang in our reception area, across the room from the very cool, professionally framed and autographed poster of Lance in Paris on the Champs-Elysees.

The cost of framing and matting is a bit outrageous. And this is after the 50% discount. (I suppose that they'll be adding a transportation surcharge in the future.) Everybody from the car salesman to the doctor is trying to increase their "standard" rates so that after all the discounts, rebates and allowances, the net profit is what it needs to be.

The Bull's drafted a highly regarded point guard from Memphis in the draft on Thursday night. This probably means that their current point guard, and one of my favorite players, Kurt Heinrich, will likely be headed elsewhere. Its not like Heinrick is a bad player, but he really hasn't been able to lead the team to consistent success, and the new kid is more of the mold that NBA teams like these days. Maybe they'll be able to package Heinrick with another player or two and get a much-needed producer in the paint.

St. Paul was on the news tonight for the toppling of an old smoke stack. We are easily amused. I'm wondering if there was any underground side bets among the destruction crew as to whether they would get it to fall as planned.

Speaking of the TC, I saw an article last week that the replacement bridge for the one that collapsed last year will be done this Fall. And that the contractor was likely to earn early-completion bonuses.

Keeping with the TC theme, they are hosting the US Women's Open at Interlachen CC in Edina this weekend. I've watched a little on the tube. The course looks pretty tough. The girl in the lead has her dad on her bag. I don't think that that would happen in our family.

Hope everyone has a great weekend.

BCOT

Thursday

Here's to the underdog Bulldogs from Fresno. They had a pitcher and a hitter each reach out and grab the high brass ring last night. The stars were aligned. Great story.

Let's plan for Omaha next year. I expect Erin to be there and that she will greet me like she would any senior citizen.

I saw a story today that observed that the NCAA had strung out the tournament an extra couple of days and eliminated some double-header two-fers which smacks of money moves. My guess is that there will be a further erosion of the small-town feel as they move to the new stadium in a couple of years. The NCAA will want their money for that 25 year contract, and the citizens of Omaha will have to pass on the costs. A different example of collegiate inflation.

Brutal day on Wall Street. Lots of discussion as to how much of the rise in the price of oil is the result of speculation. They call it momentum investing. But the food chain of general consumption cannot ignore the increased costs of inputs, which need to get passed along, recaptured. The basics of inflation.

My six word bio of the day: Liked words. Loved his four girls.

Not bad efforts from 1 and 4. It does require thought.

I had an energy deficit after lunch today. Had to take a power-nap on the floor of my office. No ride tonight. Maybe at oh-dark-hundred in the AM. Its light at five bells. I could be done at 0615. Since I took today off, I need to get out there tomorrow. And I like to keep Friday evenings free.

Forgot to mention here that Aunt Martha's birthday was yesterday. She is Sister of the Day!

Have a good Friday.

BCOT

I never celebrated the Summer solstice on the blog last week.

No takers on the six word bio? I'm a little surprised. Here's another shot for today: "Stayed in between the lines. Mostly."

I'm thinking/working at the definitive statement.

Back on the bike tonight. 16 around DCC.

Looks like the College World Series may go to three games. Fresno State is killing Georgia tonight. One year, I want to go there for a couple of days. Maybe 1.1 could meet me?

So here's hoping your Wednesday is a good one.

BCOT

Monday

OK. I just got back from the deck at Gov's for a couple of beers with my pal Pete. Beautiful night. A few bugs. The Monday Night Riders were out in force. My workout was the yard.

So the new challenge is to come up with a memoir in six words. Like Julius Caesar's, "I came. I saw. I conquered." Or the guy with sight problems, "Macular degeneration. Didn't see that coming." There was an article on this in the Life section of the local paper today. Turns out that its all over the Internet.

Here's my first shot. "No answers. Working on the questions." Or, "Blue collar player. Curve killed him."

So give it a shot. It's an entertaining exercise.

BCOT

Sunday

Wow!!!

Go Cubs Go!!!

Busy day for me. I thought that I was going to beat the wind on the way to DeWitt. It didn't workout that way. But the ride back was a hoot.

2 came over after lunch and helped me scrape and prep my deck for new paint/stain. I got two new coats on it and it should be in good shape for a year or two.

The Indy cars were in Newton today. My guess is that that series will keep coming back, but what the promoters really want is a NASCAR race. Ain't gonna happen.

4 had her new clubs out at the driving range today. I need to get Roy involved.

I'm not riding tomorrow, so I'll try to spend some time here.

Have a great week.

BCOT

Saturday

FFF at my place tonight with 2, 4 and 4's friend, Phil. Salad, and all from the grill, steaks, corn-on-the-cob, steamed broccoli, and grill-toasted garlic bread. A little Tuscan red on the side. Anyone not here lost out.

33 this AM. McCausland. Into a pretty steady 7-10 mph wind going out. But the ride back was fun. DeWitt for breakfast tomorrow. 40 days to Tahoe.

4 has new golf clubs. It's not easy being left-handed. And that's just about finding left-handed clubs. Time will tell as to whether the sport itself will make her question her sanity as it does for most everyone else. I'm going to test my friendship with my pal Roy to have him spend some time with 4 so that she can have an idea of what to practice on and how to do so.

Another win for the Cubbies at Wrigley. Get out the brooms tomorrow.

Hope everyone has a great Sunday.

BCOT

Friday

Cubs win! Cubs win! Cubs win!

This would have been a perfect day in Wrigleyville. A walk-off homer in the bottom of the ninth to beat the Sox. I'm sure that the hard core are still at the Cubbie Bear.

For the pure baseball fan out there, I heard a comparison today that resonated for me. A radio announcer on ESPN this morning offered that Cincinnati's Adam Dunn is the modern day Dave Kingman. Strikeouts and home runs. Not much of a glove. But the home runs are(were) of legend. In the late 70's when Kingman was with the Cubs, his at-bats were must see events. Those were the good old days.

More tomorrow.

BCOT

Thursday

I've decided to give Tiger some props on 4KDays for toughing it out last weekend and winning on one leg. The ACL is one thing, but a couple of stress fractures adds quite a bit to the legend. What does it say about the rest of the field?

My ACL reconstruction was done with a cadaver ligament. You can also use a piece of the patella tendon or a man-made substitute. My guess is that golf magazines will be some of the best sources of ACL surgery information over the next several months.

It has been hard to keep up with the blog these last few weeks as I try to maintain a training schedule. The rain has meant that I have to mow my yard twice a week, and Friday's are hardly ever open. What's a blogger to do?

The deal with Roy in Scottsdale on Tuesday was to listen to a pitch for a medical diagnostic process developed by a PhD in biophysics. See www.epicdiagnostics.com.

This gal did a very survey-level test on me and was able to detect most of my major ailments. She also said that I had "a lot of stress" in my life. (Like I needed a PhD to make that call.) I'm thinking that the company has a bit of a hill to climb to convince the hospitals, medical docs and the insurance companies of the effectiveness of the system. Roy is in, so I guess I'll have a view from the sidelines on whether the buyers bite.

I tried to follow 2's advice on the "cut and pasting" thing for my Word draft for the blog, but my technological skills were inadequate.

Father's Day was great. We did steaks on the grill at Mom's. 2, 3, and 4 in attendance. Steamed broccoli was the hit. 1 called in. (Thankfully, 1's card finally arrived today. I had been very concerned.) I now have enough outdoor chairs to seat everyone when the fam meets for FFF.

The air show is here this weekend. The US Navy Blue Angels are in town for the occasion. They spent the afternoon today practicing their maneuvers, buzzing the locals. It's a bit of a show. And loud. Back in time, as a Lt. in remote Korea, my barracks was right under the flight path of the airfield. And those F-4 Phantoms were not under any noise abatement protocol. But after a month or so, a guy on a check-ride going to immediate afterburner straight up wouldn't even register on my internal audio reference meter.

I had little interest in the NBA series, but I was glad to see Boston dump on LA. Does Kobe have the same appeal as OJ or what?

I'll try to be better with the blog in the days ahead. With no major plans over the weekend, I should have the time to upgrade the quality of my musings.

Have a great Friday.

BCOT

Tuesday

I'm in Scottsdale with my pal Roy for the day. Back tonight.

I did a blog on Word while on the plane ride, but I haven't figured out how to up load it to 4000 Days. Maybe later.

BCOT

Sunday

I'm back!!!!

It's been a hectic week, and the blog suffered. Hopefully, the pace will slow and I'll be able to recapture the routine.

The golf event with my pal Roy was a success, although we didn't win anything but the booby prize for the highest score in our flight. I actually played pretty well the first day, and we were in decent shape. Then we ran into some bad shrimp that night, and the second day wasn't pretty. My back survived, and I think that I'll play a little more golf the rest of the Summer.

The rain has been the big story in Iowa this past week. Cedar Rapids and Iowa City have been inundated with flood waters. Check out The Cedar Rapids Gazette online for pictures. www.gazetteonline.com

3 made it from C-town over to IC on Friday, but ultimately had to go South on the Illinois side and then cross over at Burlington, and head North. Even within IC, travel was limited. 4 tried to get there earlier in the day as well, but her boss told her to stay home as the shoots in IC had been cancelled. You don't realize how your life can get impacted until something like day-to-day travel is restricted.

My Top Ten memories of my Father:

1. Working on the farm: milking cows, haying, fixing fence.
2. Baseball.
3. Ushering at 9 o'clock Mass at St. Pat's.
4. Kneeling at a kitchen chair saying his prayers.
5. His life as a County Supervisor: elections, night meetings.
6. Visitations/rosaries/funerals. He went to them all.
7. Taking naps on the couch.
8. Bad jokes. Stories.
9. Coffee and toast. Throughout the world.
10. His lousy handwriting.
11. His weekly letters with $5 to me at ND.
12. Ford LTD sedans. Crown Vic's.
13. Dagwood Bumstead.
14. Oshkosh B'gosh overalls.
15. His dreams. Travel. New house.
16. Family.

Ok. So this was a little more than a Top Ten list. I could go on, but you get the drift.

My Top Ten list of being a Dad:

1. FFF. Anytime. Anywhere.
2. Trips to K&K, Whitey's.
3. Adventureland trips to DM.
4. Tahoe.
5. Christmas Eve. Any year.
6. Emails and phone calls from around the world.
7. Marathon watching.
8. Indian Princesses. PV Breakers.
9. Augie basketball.
10. Cheerleading. NYT puzzles.
11. The Turkey Trot.
12. Memorial Day at The Arsenal.
13. Sharing breakfasts at McDonald's.
14. Sledding at Duck Creek.
15. Graduations. (One to go!)
16. 1's wedding.

I could go on here too. And the list just keeps growing.

Switching gears...

I did get back on the bike yesterday for 27 on the DCC hills. Maybe a short 15-20 later today if the weather cooperates. Now less than 50 days to Mt. Rose.

And the Tiger Woods legend continues to grow. He made three shots in the space of six holes yesterday that stunned even the most jaded of critics. I know that the guy is a great golfer, and that he works on his game to the nth degree, but to continually pull off these incredible shots suggest to me that there is more going on here than just skill and practice. Something like lottery winners. I have always felt that the big jackpot winners are chosen by a higher power. For a reason. I'm thinking that Tiger is in that same group. Something between (or beyond) skill and luck.

Lots of eulogies in the press in honor of Tim Russert. I was not a big fan, nor a critic. He lived a full life, and was respected by his peers. I can't quite elevate him to sainthood as the members of the 4th Estate have seemingly suggested.

So we are doing some FFF today. 3 to join. If she can get back from IC.

Have a great day.

BCOT

Tuesday

OK. I don't understand the problem. The tomatoes that are sold in stores today are terrible to start with. I'm able to forego their inclusion in my salads with no regrets. My own will be ready in less than 60 days.

I've already reached overload on the political accusations. The spin doctors in each camp need to take some tranquilizers.

My first day on the course with Roy was not a total failure. We stayed on the range.

Biaggi's tonight to map strategy for tomorrow. Mostly, we drank wine.

3 has had a couple of interviews this week. She'll survive. Hang in there, Kiddo.

I over-bought on the bedding plants this year. I finally got them all planted. I feel like I am winning an undeclared competition with a neighbor lady who always plants way too many flowers.

So get out there and have a great day. I am.

BCOT

Monday

This is my location for most of the next three days. If the weather cooperates. We've had enough rain here for a month. I've played in this event in years past where storms came in and stopped play. It's never as much fun when we're dodging rain drops.

I've recovered from TOMRV. Enough to go out tonight and do a DCC route this evening. I'm actually thinking that my conditioning is coming around. If I keep up the schedule, I may not suffer quite as much on Mt. Rose in August.

My employee who's an avid biker said that the Sunday portion of TOMRV was awful. Driving rain. Headwinds. She made it past the halfway point, and got a ride the rest of the way. Makes my plan for the ride look more and more brilliant.

My pal Bill and I are taking a big leap into a new computer system at the office. We've basically been on the same platform, updated on an as-needed (or as-required) basis, since the mid-80's. In an effort to gain a modicum of control, we're essentially throwing out the bathwater, and starting over. Our new IT vendor will be able to monitor a lot of the systems from afar. And by making all of our workstations identical, we hope to avoid the aggravations that come when the tech has to first determine what programs belong on which machine. We'll see.

In other news at the office, the young staff person whom I hired a year ago on the investments side has moved on to greener pastures. Further proof of my lack of managerial skills. More specifically, I suppose that there was a difference of opinion on expectations. Developing profitable clients in the securities business is a bit complicated. And you know how easy-going I can be.

Lots of the same names seem to be headed to Omaha for the College World Series. My bet is that Erin will get more airtime next week than anyone.

Interesting tidbit on the wires today about the most-heavily recruited women's basketball player leaving the UConn campus after less than a week on site. If they can't resolve this bump in the road, how can you understand such a colossal "miss" in judging the fit for new players? Geno is a hardcase coach, but didn't the girl and the family know that going into the program?

Speaking of tough days, anyone see the video of the big two-story house in Wisconsin getting swept off its foundation and sent on down the river? Don't fool with Mother Nature.

So good luck to everyone on a great day.

BCOT

Sunday

So this is a simple rendition of the ride from yesterday. My pal Pete and I did the portion from Bettendorf to Galena, a trek of just over 85 miles. The full ride goes onto Dubuque, overnights there, and then comes back to Bettendorf today. I figured out several years ago that 85 miles was plenty for the weekend.

We left Bettendorf around 6:15AM, and arrived in Galena a little after 2PM. The good things included a nice tailwind for most of the ride, well-stocked sag stations staffed by the ride organizers, and no rain. The other side of the ledger included heat, humidity, and hills. When the route you are directed on points with an arrow to "Ski Resort", you can pretty well figure that the flat part of the ride is over.

This is an annual ride that usually attracts around 1400-1500 riders from several states. Unlike RAGBRAI, you don't see a lot of casual riders looking for a party. It's just too hard. While there are plenty of higher level Greeks with skills, most of the riders are Boomers who understand the challenge and just want another chance to confirm that they still have it.

That same southery tailwind from yesterday that helped push us along is hanging in there today, but with the riders heading home it will be a headwind. The last time that I did both days, I remember that headwind, and the rain, and the misery. That was the year that I figured out that the "old f**ts" who had done the Saturday-only Bettendorf-Galena route were actually the sages of the peleton. And I became one of them.

2 does get another nod for Daughter of the Day for her effort to meet us in Galena and bring us home. With little specific directions from me, she found her destination and we connected as planned at the designated saloon. Good job, Kiddo. Thanks. See you next year. Same place.

2 and I met for dinner at Biaggi's after we got back home. A quiet meal at the bar as we had not called in for reservations. A note of interest at the restaurant was a wedding gathering in the primary party room behind the general dining area. I learned that some brides actually switch wedding dresses mid-event. 2 said that this was a new development traced to TV Bride-zilla shows. I am amazed at how far out of the loop I am with these kind of things.

Tough day for Big Brown at the Belmont Stakes yesterday. There is a lesson to be learned here that has direct application to the investment market place: if something is promoted as a can't miss opportunity, either run (as in, "don't walk") the other way, or sell it short.

Speaking of the stock market, Friday was one of those days where the only direction was down. Except in the oil pits, where the only direction was up. There is no question that $5 gas will be here soon. How far up does it have to go before habits are fundamentally changed? Saving money on gas has become acceptable further up the social ladder. Even the rich notice the price at some point. Supply and demand have a way of kicking in. Will China and India notice?

No big plans for today. A little recovery. Maybe a trip to the driving range. My pal Roy and I have that golf tournament this week and I don't want to embarrass myself.

More later. Have a great day.

BCOT

Thursday

Does this person look like an investment banker, or what? Her story, or more, to follow.

Sorry to have been off line the last few days, but my evenings have just been a bit busy. Between riding, planting my petunias, and hitting balls for next week's golf event, I just haven't had the end-of-evening motivation to jump onto the computer.

And with the primary season now over (?), the material is just about endless.

Hope all is well with the masses.

BCOT

Monday

Note my corrections to last night's entry. I got my 2's and 3's mixed up.

Sorry for the confusion.

Here's a bone to 1. A little whiney today, aren't we?

BCOT

Sunday

Here's a little culture for the peanut gallery. 2 was a primary organizer/planner for the museum's annual fund-raiser last night. It was an Asian Indian art-themed event with displays and artifacts from India. Keeping with the theme, 2 donned an Indian sari to welcome the many Indian guests. You rock, Kiddo!

I'm told that this photo is a bit inaccurate as the sash was supposed to come from the left shoulder. I'll let 2 explain in comment.

Given her willingness to step fully into a roll, 2 is definitely Daughter of the Day.

Today was a Top Ten day on the weather charts. I did a 47+ mile ride to DeWitt, and for basically the first time this Spring, there was no substantial negative influence from wind. Contrast this with yesterday when I did 25 on the hills around DCC, and every time I turned North or West, I was like, "Why am I doing this?"

The belligerent red-winged blackbird has moved to a new nesting area. I got "pecked" coming and going to DeWitt today. Actually, there's one stretch of road that has a string of interested parents.

2 came over for a steak on the grill this evening. Unfortunately, I learned too late that she doesn't care for broccoli, and I left the meat on the fire a little too long to boot. (BTW, broccoli steamed in tin foil on the grill with a little butter is excellent.) But it is always good to have an impromptu FFF, and the Tuscan red was a bonus.

No big plans for the week. Tapering rides Tuesday through Thursday for the Saturday 85 mile ride to Galena. I also need to practice some golf. I'm playing in a tournament with my pal Roy a week from Tuesday, and I don't want to embarrass myself.

Hope everyone has a good week.

BCOT