my dog.. my bike... one of my dogs... one of my bikes


my bike and my dog in my basement...
notice the I AM NOT A MESSENGER spoke card
another acquistion from max

I have many bikes
I used to have two dogs
now I have one dog... brutus

roscoe and brutus blog

took the black dog brutus for a hike in the woods after work tonight
since lisa was off to a PTA meeting the hike with the dog was done with the boys
the way things were I just figured I would get them to agree to step across the street long enough for brutus to take a dump
to my surprise the boys were estatic about the notion of going for a hike on this cold and windy night

we all put on our headlamps
although it was not late it was dark
and most definitely cold... so cold that there was no arguements about coats and there was no arguement about zipping up
there was some frustration with the selection of hats
frustration with my selection of hats
I grabbed the Lightning McQueen baseball cap for Dean... this did work well with a headlamp headband that does not tighten down enough for the circumfrance of a child sized head

to place a petzel on one's own head is a far different experience than trying to put a petzel on another person's head
already a tad cranky it did not help when I pulled some hair or when I accidently snapped the light on dean's forehead

after some adjustment and some discussion we were back to the task
moving through the woods with the dog
each of us moving along with our own light lighting our each individual way
as expected... dean gave us a headstart and ran down the slight grade jumping the small logs and moving fast over the roots
I feel like my mom when I worry about my kids... I just don't want them to get hurt... watching him run that fast in the dark makes me worry

we started the standard loop when grant put in a firm request to hike the melvin hazen section of trail
we deviated course for a short dip into the melvin hazen which demanded the crossing of beach drive in rush hour traffic

I should not have been shocked that the cars were more concerned with staying bumper to bumper
than to allow for a man with two small children, and a dog to cross the street
I know what they are thinking
what the hell is this man doing with two small children down here!?!??!
what the hell is this man doing with two small children down here at this time of day?!?!?!?

it is only six thirty
we are out walking the dog
even if our being there offers question
there should be some basic consideration

but no... no one slows
no one stops
no one yeilds to the small pack of night adventurers

there is a gap between the cars large enough to start across
a approaching car slows and stops
we stall on the cement island
then we finish crossing safely as a small pack
a small pack lit by blue led headlamps and stripes of reflective tape on our jackets

I think that someone should have slowed and stopped some cars ago

the hike to melvin hazen was longer than our hike on the melvin hazen
there were request for water and signs of getting tired
none of us had had dinner
all of us were hungry

grant lead us to melvin hazen
grant lead us out
when given the option of the short way or the long way grant selected the short way

we walked a hundred yards on the bike path
I tried to explain to the children on how to watch out for bikes and how to behave when a bicycle approaches
my lessons created chaos
dean was walking backwards
grant was spinning in circles
luckily no bicycles pass
the kids are more safe without my instruction

we walked across a small bridge that the bike path uses to cross over Rock Creek
then we walked along side of Beach Drive
I was stern in my request
we moved single file
the cars buzzed past

at the four way stop all cars seemed to have anticipated
all drivers gave us some space and a smile
then we walked further down the road for a more safe place to cross
we crossed when it was clear
in the distance a car approached
clearly abususing the speed limit
the drive laid on its horn
we were already clear
it was as if the driver was trying to make a point

I discussed the obnoxious behavior with the boys
this had me defining obnoxious
but dean understood
it was clear that we started when they were not even within nearly a mile view
we had the right of way

we finished the last steps of the hike

I cooked up some Quesidillas
we ate... dean and I worked on dean's homework... grant wrestled with me
now the boys are in the tub
now I blog
they always flood the tub when I try to blog while they bathe

this is done
and yes... the boys splashed all over the tile floor