France Road Trip ... Coming Soon

I'm just trying to organize and get a few more photos from the trip to France. I've got some from cycling, racing, socializing and wandering around French towns. Oh yeah, I've also been swamped at work. Hopefully I'll catch up this weekend. In the mean time, not a bad photo of the bikes on the top of the car.

By the Sea Shore

Last weekend, I went down to Swanage for another visit.

It was cloudy on the first day but that didn't stop people from walking up and down the boardwalk enjoying the treats. It certainly did not stop me from having an ice cream.



 As usual, it wasn't just a pleasure trip as the bikes also came down for the Swanage triathlon. Tucker also joined the road trip and you can just see him through the back window.

 He wasn't particularly impressed with the traffic jam on the way down.

 Sunday turned out to be wonderful weather. Here's a good view of the triathlon swim. The photo is taken from transition. You had to walk down to the beach on the left, swim all the way across the harbor to the right, get out of the water (yes, that's get out of the water), run up some stone steps (which I promptly tripped on knocking the girl next to me back in the water) and then head back into the water and back across the bay. Whew! It was lovely actually - the water was gorgeous.

 For my lack of training, I actually did rather well in the race. I finished 11th overall (only out of 55 women) but 5th overall on the bike. It must be the new wheels.....

 After the race, I had to hike back up to the top of the run course to get some of the surrounding views. Needless to say, during the race, EVERYONE had to walk up. It's a long way down to that beach!

 Tucker enjoyed the hike up to the top as well. He was almost as tired as I was.

To celebrate surviving yet another race, I had a pint in honor of the University of Wisconsin. That's right. It's Badger Beer. All in all, a good road trip.

Bling.

A little bit of peer pressure and I got some new wheels. They seem to be worth the investment as I took 4 minutes off of last year's bike time in the Swanage triathlon.. and I was in better shape last year! It must be the wheels...

My Dog Is My Co-Pilot

Best seat in the car?

Just came back from a road trip to the sea so had to share Tucker helping me navigate. I tell you, packing for a getaway with your dog is probably about as bad as kids. Amazing how much junk you need.

This is just a quickie...I have TONS of pictures of France, the sea and other random events that I'm trying to organize. I have to buy myself some time.....

Bikes, Not Burglary

Since London seems to be kicking off (as they say in British) right now, I thought I'd write about my recent trip to France rather than a bunch of hooligans looting and stealing stuff. However, I should mention that I had yet another bicycle stolen from the train station. Argh!!! Most annoying. Anyway, here are some bikes I'll never be able to afford.

My recent trip to France put me once again at the famous Tour de France. Here my timing is awful as I try to get the cyclist coming at me at a rate of almost 30 mph on the flat.

This is what happens when you don't press the shutter at the right time and end up just taking a picture of the team car.....

Finally!  A shot of both a rider and the car. It was very cool. Even if you are not a bicycle geek.

How many motorcycle cops does it take to lead out 150 riders? Answer: a lot. The route took the cyclists almost an hour to ride in most cases so there were about 35 police on the course at any one time! Along with the cyclists of course.

Even the travelling gnome put in an appearance. He is getting excited for the Europecar racer.

I inched my way closer to the start.....

And voila! I'm able to see the emaciated, hairless rider in a skin suite up close. I'm really admiring his wheels....

Lastly, a Sky rider out of the chute. I know, you probably aren't so excited about this but it was very exciting since it came down to the last 15 minutes of the race. More soon... work continues to be mental which cuts into my posting time and my desire to turn on the computer when I get home. I promise, I'm safe and sound - (aside from being hit by an old lady on my commuter bike the other day. let's just say I've got some new scars and not having the best bike luck lately) and working a little too much. I've got some more photos and odd bits to show so you'll see them soon. Amazingly, they aren't of Tucker. Who would have thought...

Memorials

Yes, I have been MIA. I haven't been on top of my life lately and it reflects a bit in my lack of posting, doesn't it? I even have things to post and have been able to get to it! Anyway, just back from a lovely holiday in France (I finally got a week off) and as I'm swamped with hundreds of emails in my inbox, I thought I would do a quick update before it is another month between posts.



Good friend Patti was in town for work so I took the opportunity to wander around Windsor and the area with her husband Loel. For some reason, we kept stumbling across all sorts of items that were built for us to remember events and people. I found this one particularly moving as it tells us how they roasted an ox and had plum puddings. Hot stuff!

 

After that, Loel, Tucker and I took a hike to see the JFK Memorial. The British donated land to the States and built this memorial. Technically, I was standing on US soil when I took the picture.

 

Also near the JFK Memorial sits the memorial to the Magna Carta. It sits in a field where the king and the dukes all met to ratify the treaty. Here I'm photographing a school gnome that has been sent to me to travel around the world and send photos back to the kids in the class.

 

Interestingly enough, this Memorial (in England if you have forgotten) was funded by the American Bar Association.

Apparently Americans, given our history, are much more fond of this gift of freedom. Please ignore Tucker trying to find a cool place to lay down.

Our last stop on our hike was the Air Forces Memorial.

 

This was erected to remember those in WWII who never returned home.

 

It may not have moved me like the Vietnam Wall or Korean War Memorial, but it was great place for reflection.