not a bad april fools day

not a bad april fools day
no one punked me until I got home

now my kids are saying all sorts of backwards stuff followed by energetic giggles and a loud happy APRIL FOOLS DAY!

very funny stuff!


back from a hike with grant and the dog
took some short paths/trail to get us linked to The Roosevelt Trail
our own little west virginia right here in the center of washington dc

we did not take it as far as Pulpet Rock

just walked the trail along the fence of the Rockefeller property
then across their driveway onto a small head to the lollipop
then back the way we came back to the stick
the crooked stick of the up and back that takes us out and takes us home

as stressful as it is to watch it makes me very proud to watch four year old grant walk the nat
ural bridge created by the fallen tree
makes me equally proud and scared to see this same four year old swim without a
life jacket
grabbing stuff from the bottom of the shallow end

doing flips and dives off the side

as much flipping and diving as can be expected for a four year old

it has been a good april fools day

the weather has been fantastic
work went along in a painfree sort of work
got some work done
snapped some shots on a very quick walk at lunch

knocked some stuff out
and got out early enough to hammer the Capital Crescent trail
which also involved a few pushes of the electronic shutter button

got out of work early and cruised through traffic towards the jefferson memorial and the cherry blossoms

poor old thomas gets ignored all year long until the explosion of cherry blossoms
it was beautiful
I breezed through

as things would be more beautiful with less fat americans falling out of the tour buses to see the purty trees
maybe tomorrow or better yet tomorrow night will be less crowded

rode the streets of west potomac park towards the bike path that goes under memorial bridge

all sorts of crazed cars looking for that one parking space so that they can go take a sniff of the cherry blossoms
can't blame em... it is pretty spectacular
turned towards georgetown at thompson's boat house rather than heading towards the national zoo and home
no... it was too early and too nice not to go for a ride
so I rode down K Street under Whitehurst Freeway right onto the Capital Crescent Trail

before getting to the Capital Crescent trail I put my camera in my pack and took my last swing of water

the intensity of the miles would not be comfortable with a camera dangling around my neck

on the ride through town I heard some odd noises from the franken fixie
odd noises that I was not sure I could identify
scary strange noises.... a howling of sorts
noises that were less
frequent and more faint the night prior
at the jefferson memorial as I stopped to unsuccessfully take a timed shot of myself with the memorial in the background I looked at the bike

was able to snap a less than attractive extended arm shot
but the camera was denying me the timer due to lack of juice in the battery

after a few quick snaps of the electronic shutter I took a look at the bike to try and diagnose things

I checked the area of the frame where max had done a beautiful repair job

I checked the chain oversized chain
I checked the cranks
I checked the front rack
I checked the rear wheel


the frame did not appear to be cracked or cracking
the chain was loose... but not too dry or obviously damaged

I had left the bike out in the rain over night last night
before the ride into work I threw some cycling specific lube on the chain

the cranks were not loose... but they often are
the CETMArack in the front was tight.... but the front hub was loose
the rear wheel did not feel loose... but there was a broken spoke
well... not a broken spoke but a broken nipple

I considered heading back through town and swapping our bikes for something more sturdy
even thought of joining the DCMTB folks for some hill repeats on Ross Drive in Rock Creek
then I thought that I should stick to the Cherry Blossom themed ride from the Jefferson Memorial to the Capital Crescent trail which goes through Kenwood which is filled with Cherry Blosso
ms in Bloom
through Bethesda under Wisconsin Avenue then turnning around at Connneticutt Ave where City
Bikes has its Chevy Chase Maryland location
the bike was less than tight
but I was suited up and ready to go
time is limited... have to use the limited time that I have for riding

always trying to be sure that the variables on the bike were not becoming increasingly more dangerous I spun hectically out of town on this car free route
a paved path that used to be a set of train tracks
the same train tracks where I would foolishly hop the train as a grade schooler

the path was well occupied
no trains... just lots of people
I enjoy the eye candy
the franken fixie has such a small gear that I do not feel as if I am speeding past the mothers with children or blue haired ladies with blue haired dogs
everyone gets an on your left
there is the occasional drift to the dirt adjacent to the path to give the othe
r trail users more space
even with the rear wheel lacking a spoke

the up and back felt good
was curious of my time
had no thought to check the cell or the blackberry for a start or a finish time
so it is all random guestimation
not sure of the duration of my ride


back through georgetown I ran into my friend Al
he was out on his fixie with a winter beard
we stopped
there was a quick exchange about this and that
I snapped a photo which he will never see
then we went our separate ways

traffic was at its rush hour best
I cut lanes of what seemed to be parked cars with the camera still around my neck
the camera was pointed
the shutter button was pushed
who knows if I got anything
as I was more focused on keeping the pedals going and getting home to the family
would continue on that
but I think I already went through the action at home

the boys are playing
dad is blogging
it is almost time for everyone to get ready for bed

when the kids go to bed I am going to see what that old 4 megapixel camera was able to capture