a good day... there need to be more days like this

it was a good day...
there need to be more days like this

thursday was a good day
a slight tweak in the schedule and I get a completely different day

the standard morning routing is to get out of bed and try to reverse the morning zombie syndrome with coffee
coffee is always in the pot when I roll out of bed and stumble down the stairs
I wake and try to wake the boys as Lisa finishes her morning pre work prep
I sip coffee and scan FACEBOOK and BLOGGER to communicate electronically with the world
as the coffee slowly starts my brain Lisa swirls about the house like some tornado of efficiency

the boys try to steal another minute under the covers as we try to rally them out of bed so that they can be
dressed, fed, and delivered to school on time
eight year old Dean tends to be far more agreeable than five year old Grant
at times I think it would be easier to wake and dress a bear after winter hibernation than to get my f
ive year old ready and out of the house in the morning

Lisa and the boys usually leave out the house for school and work while I step out the door to walk the dog
then after a standard short loop with the dog in the woods I throw my leg over the bike and rush into work
directly into work
no time for a pre-work work-out on the bike
hardly time to slow and snap a photograph

on this day things are handled differently
some days I alter my work schedule so that I work a late shift
thus allowing for a completely different day
this was one of those days

the actions of the morning are very much the same

the battle to get the boys out of bed
the effort to find something that their morning minds will feel is palatable for their mouths

on this day I get to play chauffeur the boys
with everyone dressed we exit the house with backpacks and lunches
as we hit the sidewalk our five year old neighbor Dylan joins us for the short car ride across Rock Creek Park to the DC Public School that educates our children

at drop off I get to interact with all sorts of familiar faces
parents of children... children themselves... and the teachers
it is good for me to get to see these faces that exist in my children's world so I can have an image to go with the stories of their days

with the kids in their classroom I drive home with my black dog brutus waiting patiently in the car

on these days we usually hike a different loop... often a longer loop
the Melvin Hazen is often the logical loop on these days

with more time I often spend a minute or two making some repairs to the trails
or picking up some trash


once back I return the dog
maybe sip some more coffee
maybe have some more electronic communication with the world
always realizing too late that I have foolishly sapped up time that could be used on the bike

on the bike with a little more time than the direct trajectory into work I point things north instead of south
out of Mount Pleasant and onto Rock Creek Park
pushing the bike on the paved roads that border the woods where I hike my dog
depending on the time I either take Broad Branch to Bethesda or take Beach Drive past Candy Cane City
either way I link up with the Capital Crescent Trail
one ride being slightly longer than the other
neither loop being that long... but something is better than nothing

I arrive at work after a little more than an hour on the bike at a pretty decent intensity

my fitness is low... my speed is slow
trying to get ready for cyclocross season
I am trying to get in shape in two weeks while others have been building up fitness for months

at work I poke my head in and alert my boss that I have arrived but that I need to shower... this shower may be for others rather than myself
although it works for me as well... I need a shower and the shower feels good
dressed and refreshed I am ready to work

in the office I learn that I need to head to a remote site for some work that needs to be done at that location
BONUS! FIELD TRIP!
I knock out some tasks at the office then march across town

as I move about the city I point the camera at passing cyclists
after doing what must be done I meet up with Cargo Mike for lunch

the switch up to the day makes the day so much more enjoyable
this late guy switch up needs to become a semi-regular part of my week
it is far better than than the mad morning rush that I usually start my day with