fantastic photo in the New York Times

fantastic photo in the New York Times

the pleasures and the compulsions of the blog have taken a back seat to holiday prep and holiday activities
the only thing that has gotten less attention than the blog in the last few days has been the bicycle
okay... not quite

there have been errands on the bicycle around town to make the final gift purchase
a ride through Georgetown had the Spidey senses going haywire
no lane was safe
all lanes were the door zone
the Christmas Chaos had overflown into the streets
people were shopping like chickens with their head cut off with a Visa Gold Card stuck in their chicken claw

there have been cross town treks on the bike to gather goods for our Christmas Eve tradition of my cooking Paella
a rainy ride to the temporary Eastern Market had its level of fulfillment
not just the joy of gathering fresh seafood and assorted sausages
but the energy of the day
the flurry of activity at each station as people collected what they needed to entertain family and friends over the long holiday weekend

there have not been any trips to the woods with the bike
yes... there have been trips to the woods with the dog and our dog guest
but, the weather has been moist
so I have not used this excess of free time for riding in the woods

instead I have been setting up Lionel trains and wrapping gifts
there have been trips to see various Christmas light displays as well as a number of holiday gatherings
ambitions have been high... friday night I had hoped to catch Fort Knox Five at the Rock and Roll Hotel
these plans were set to occur after the boys went to bed
the boys went to bed at midnight... which left little energy for me to go out

here it is the morning of Christmas Eve
I am sipping my coffee and blogging when I should be walking the dogs
dogs plural... as we still have our dog guest Ollie

many blog ideas have floated through my brain
none of which made it to the keyboard

before I walk the dogs I will try to see if I have any images worth sharing from the last few days...