the morning...


ah... mornings
it is tuesday
the sun is shining...
and yet my day started out like a rainy monday


the boys got out of bed without argument
they were downstairs dressed and messing around on the Indo Boards with plenty of time to eat something for breakfast before leaving off to school
lisa and I tag teamed the morning processes
each barking orders to put on socks or take off pajamas
only maybe not in that order
there may have also been some commands guiding the boys towards safe play and sharing

lisa put in the English Muffins in the toaster

I buttered them when they popped and also put out some orange juice by the boys' request
lisa and I each issued commands
put on your shoes
sit at the table
put on your shoes
sit at the table
eat your breakfast
did you put on your shoes?

grant had no interest in his English Muffins
I snagged them and took the still warm and toasty muffins with me on my morning walk with the dog
I walked out the door with a muffed have a good day over my shoulder

out in the woods with my black dog brutus I ran into al and his dog elvis
the dogs did their sniffing
al and I caught up as the dogs greeted each other
I sensed that the old dogs were getting grumpy
a second too late I tried to call brutus to break his attention and move forward away from elvis
the dogs were already in a morning tiff
teeth and lunges... but no real contact

in an effort to not spill my morning coffee I tried to break up the argument that was more bark than bite with my feet
al was in on the action before my full cup of coffee had spilled

al and I continued our conversation while keeping the dogs at a comfortable distance

back home
the leash off the dog
cycling gear on my body
I was out the door with my camera around my neck and my bicycle between my legs
in a rush I took Adams Mill rather than Mount Pleasant Street to get to Columbia Road

on my ride I ran caught up with Al's girlfriend Dana
I made mention of the scuffle between the dogs
dana had heard

I snapped some shots of Dana as we spoke about Bike To Work Day
after all... Dana is on the board of WABA:The Washington Area Bicycle Association
we meandered through traffic as I snapped some shots
we caught a few yellows... we pushed an orange... dana stopped for a red

I rolled through
trying not to be late I pushed a big gear on the final blocks leading into work on my mini-commute

passing in front of the hinkley hilton I merged from columbia road onto connecticut
in a bit of haste I chose a line that was not quite pretty

at the last second I went up a handicap ramp with speed
not clearing the lip not rolling over the flattest part of the ramp
then I took a hop off the taller than normal curb
boldy I
headed on into traffic the wrong way
I split the space between the on coming taxi and the curb

then crossed Connecticut Avenue against uphill traffic
then feeding into downhill traffic at speed
I fit right into the rushing heard of metal cattle
at the intersection of Conn and Florida I felt the back end slide around
I decreased speed and rolled towards the right lane
by the time I was at the curb the rear wheel was flat
I had known that I had hit that handicap ramp in a less than pretty fashion
there was no finesse involved
the skinny tire cyclocross bike is far less accepting of ugly lines than the fat tires on the 29 inch wheel mountain bike

off the bike I walked
the people on the sidewalk were moving at a leisurely pace
Dana passed me with a wave and a hello
she said something about the red light
I uttered something about a pinch flat

I missed the shot
focused on getting to work
not focused on the camera

I rushed on foot to work
figuring I could fix the flat later in the day
when actually it would have made more sense to fix the flat and pedal the final blocks into work
as the flat needs to be fixed any way
and why walk when you have a bike
logic is not always my way in the morning
especially after spilling my morning coffee