here is Joe Byrnes....
I think he is in a Lionel Richie coverband

this was on a tourist trip to some ancient ruins this woman was posing with her Alpacas for the camera there was a minor fee, "plata" or silver

it has happened again....
BLOGGER choked on the PUBLISH AND POST
I reread this long boring tale and made it sparkle
it had more links and more fun
it was acutally worth reading
but....
the PUBLISH AND POST process threw my changes into cyber space
it is all so frustrating
I am thinking of moving to writing my BLOG installments into the EMAIL MODE


Peru
years ago, what now seems like a lifetime ago
what seems like someone else's life
as I do not recall what life without a family was like
I went to Peru for an old friend's wedding, what a great excuse to go to Peru
at that point in my life I was working some non-commital type job
mover/courier/bike shop
which is hard to recall...but with a little chronological thinking I am pretty sure that the bike shop was the "job du jour" but it could have just as easily been mover or courier
in any case, seeing that plane tickets are expensive and I had never been to Peru before I planned for just shy of a month South of the Equator
my trip was a few weeks before the wedding and a few weeks after
the weeks before I was to take my bike and wander about
the weeks after I was putting on my backpack and joining my then girlfriend/now wife Lisa for a few day trek on the Inca trail to Macchu Picchu
where at Macchu Picchu I would propose to my girlfriend making her my finacee and changing our lives forever
all that romance of Macchu Picchu is great
but I am going to drift to the tale of the weeks prior to my friends Greg and Annime's wedding
during these weeks I went to the Cordilla Negro y la Cordilla Blanco con my bicicleta para un pequeno tour
it was all very poorly planned
as much of my life is
but it was an adventure just the same
once in Huaraz I stumbled around looking for the gringo that owned a mountainbike tour company
foolishly thinking that business in Peru would be as dependable as business in the states I thought I could just go to his place of business and arrange to go riding
things are not always that simple
so I killed a few days visiting the surrounding areas of attractions
meeting a variet of locals
and eventually paying a local climbing instructor to take me on some rides around the area
the rides were long and beautiful
honestly, I could have look at a map and done these routes alone
we were on wide dirt roads the whole time
there was plenty of opportuity for death and dismemberment as there was always a dog at our heels or a high speed unyeilding car or truck headed our way
I did some switch back cut offs that amused some locals packed tightly together hanging on for dear life as they descended down the road and I raced down the switchback
but this is not what I was looking for
I accepted that my biking experience was to be more touring than anything else
so i left Huaraz and headed for Caraz and my trip to Laguna de Paron
my knowlegdge of the area was a scribble of information I had found on the internet and read in the Lonely Planet
on top of that I had used my C minus high school spanish to confirm my plans with various locals
all eyes lit up when I mentioned this place, but no one had been there
travel from Huaraz to Caraz was easy enough, I had over slept my original departure time
and thought that I had missed the bus to Laguna de Paron when I got to Caraz
but when I worked my way through this labrinth like village to the bus station I was assured that there was a bus leaving shortly and that I had time for lunch
with time to eat and shop I went for the nearest "el menu del dia" always a tastee and risky adventure
when they say chicken...it means various parts of chicken.....any parts...gizards...intestines...yummy
with a good meal in my belly and some travel food in my panniers I decided to grab an additional blanket as I could see snow at the higher elevations
I arrived at the bus station with my 19' bianchi grizzley fully loaded with all sorts of stuff I was certain to not need, other than my new alpacha wool blanket that weighed a few pounds and did not pack to be very small
our bus was a small flatbed truck with low sides
I climbed in with my gear
and was soon joined by an assortment of people
being gregarious I did my best to meet and greet all
everyone was very polite, even the Quechuan women with whom I could not share words but instead shared smiles
everyone was impressed with my aim to go to La Laguna de Paron
this confused me
weren't we all on the bus to La Laguan de Paron?
as we took this trip up the hill various people got off at different points
people with bags were headed back to their homes and farms from the market
a couple was going to a flower farm
and a woman was going to a school at Laguna de Paron
as time passed there were only two of us left on the bus
my language skills were showing their weakness
and the day was getting late
we finally arrived at the end of the line and unpacked the truck
this woman who was a nurse at "la escuela de Paron" offered that I stay at the school and ride tomorrow
I assured her I was fine and gestured that I was strong/fuerte
then asked her how far and which direction
she motioned up and that it would be obvious
the distance and duration were not clear
I figured from the way people had spoken that it was 100-200 yards maybe a mile at best
so I pedaled away at a vigorous pace with my heavily weighted down bicycle
time passed and I climbed and I climbed
the road switched back and made a curve and climbed some more
I grew tired and the sun began to set
I was climbing high above the clouds
the sites were amazing
I recall resting on one side of a steep valley looking across at a tall water fall and laughing to myself
in my delerium I had found the meaning of life
it was all clear, but foolishly did not write it down
the moment of clarity was the tale end of the ride's sanity
the climb continued and the glorious sunset turned to near darkness
the road climb was so loose at times that I had to walk my bike
which was fine
I had grown tired of walking
at several times in the trip I debated with turning back and finding a safe shelter to sleep
but I felt I had to be close
hours and hours of riding had passed
how far could this place be?
at one point the road leveled off and I passed a school
the school was either abandoned or out of session
I considered setting up camp here
but in the distance I could see that my trail continued up and that there was a small water fall at the top of that climb
in my untrained mind I imagined that the lake would be there and that it was a high plateau
it would be too frustrating to give up now
and go that short distance the next morning only to find that it could have been achieved so easily the night before
so i mounted back on the bike and rode towards that waterfall in the distance
distance can be decieving
I pedaled and I pedaled and it took a long time to bring that waterfall to me
but eventually in almost complete darkness I arrived at Laguna de Paron
I had only encountered one other on that trail
a large male bull who was as confused in our encounter as I was
but once at Laguna de Paron I found a radio tower and what would turn out to be a Park Service station
apprehensively I called out as so not to spook anyone
there was no answer
I tamely called out again
then out of the darkness came a small man in park service gard
we exchanged hellos and in my exhausted delerious state I tried to express my needs to find a suitable place to set up my tent
the park ranger motioned a sort of here....there....anywhere.....sort of thing with his hands
and i got ready to set my camp where I stood
no accessment of views or grade
it was time for rest
then there was a gesture to come inside
I accepted this offer
once inside the ranger motioned to a place along side of the wall where I could lay my down sleeping bag and newly purchased alpaca wool blanket
quickly I created a little nest and stripped our of my gear and into some fresh boxers and a t-shirt
then before I could climb into my pack to pass out I was greeted again by the ranger
now motioning to a small table with one chair
so i sat
he brought me tea
then he pulled up another chair and he too drank tea
soon we were eating his soup and drinking more tea
the exchange was more like a silent movie than a Spanish dialogue
my mind was too tired for words...all I could think was sleep
soon the caffiene from the tea and the resting off the bike and I was feeling a tad more alive
I went to my pack to find what I could add to our feast
there were chocolate bars and granola and all sorts of stuff that my new friend was pleased to share
we began to talk
but shortly after our talks began it was revealed how little Spanish I actually knew
the translation process is too slow for converstation....good for the exchange of solitary ideas
but not abstract thoughts
then I saw the cards....
with a candle glowing between us I asked, "tajetas? juego?"
We tried to find a game we knew in common. I can not recall if we tried to play a rummy and found that we had different rules or if he declined the game and motioned me to play and him to watch...it is too far back to recall
but the game of solitarie began
he watched
I played
as he grew more and more interested I tried to explain the rules
several games ended and more began
soon he was aiding and coaching my selections
and shortly after that he was playing with my guidance
it struck me as odd that a man alone at the Ranger's Station would not know how to play solitaire
eventually it was time to sleep
the sky was dark and we had used enough candle light and burned enough candle wax
this was clearly a simple world where a man's activities are dictated by the rise and the fall of the sun
as I gather myself for bed I motioned to the fireplace and asked "fuego?"
the answer was no....
there was no wood
and the wood that was there was too moist from the surrounding clouds
it was going to be a cold night....even with my newly purchased blanket

the morning came
I am sure I slept late which would have disgusted my grandfather
he could never stand how I could let the morning sun burn come through the window and touch my face, only to have me roll over rather than to get up
it was an odd feeling to wake with nothing to do and no place to go
no resturants
no shops
no markets for haggling
and no people to watch
so I put on what warm clothing I had and my cycling shoes and went for a hike

there was plenty to do
there was plenty to see
glaciers
rocks
vistas and views
and the lake itself with its glowing waters

the hours passed
details are not recalled
eventually it was dinner time and we ran the same routine
shared meal
his soup and tea
my chocolate bars with a mix of mini bananas and whatever else I bought haphasardly in the market
we talked
but it was all surface

it is all a blur
there may have been two night
maybe it was three

his solitaire game got better
and I was running out of food
I learned that he had a son named joel
and that this Park Ranger liked to make sculptures out of dried and twisted branches
before I left I asked to take his picture
he ran inside and was gone for a while
only to return proudly with an automatic weapon and a bullet proof vest
how strange, this man whose name was Fermin was to be documented in such a different light than I had seen him in for the several days prior

we said our goodbyes and got on my bike
it was downhill all the way
it was tough to contain myself from fully letting go of the brakes
I had crashed climbing at a slow pace due to the weight and exhaustion
but to crash now could be a tad more serious
I took the downhill fast, but always respecting the cliffs, the curves, and that this bike with all of its extra gear is not going to stop as quickly as I could hope
dogs nipped at my heels
and children waved
wiser dogs did not wait till I passed to try and chase me at high speeds
no, these dogs ran across the fields and beat the switchbacks only meet me further along
old women and men laughed as the dogs made their best effort to catch me as I sped by
so many beautiful sites
but too much fun racing downhill to slow for photographs
eventually I was back at the base....
not only going down the section I had ridden, but also what the flatbed taxi/bus had driven me and the others up as well
there was no stop watch to tell how much time lapsed
but it was such a fraction that I almost felt like I could get back up to the top and do it again
as I took a taxi back to Huaraz my eyes followed a single track trail that went along side the river
I looked on in envy wishing I was pedaling instead of being a passanger
but I had already plotted my course for Lima where I would join my friends arriving into town for the pending wedding
looking at the trail and foolishly thinking next time...next time I will know to take that trail back from Caraz
now knowing I will never go back there again and appreciating that I got to go there once


(someone else's pictures from this area)

this was on a tourist trip to some ancient ruins this woman was posing with her Alpacas for the camera there was a minor fee, "plata" or silver

Here is a work bike...
there are many of these all over the rural villages of Peru
most of the time the operators are pushing them rather than riding them
some lack chains
all lack grease and oil

is it me or is it blogger.com?

okay.....
too many times I have created a post
always the best posts
never the fluff you see on my site
but the best posts with all sorts of wisdom and knowledge that gives rise to thought and introspection
somehow it seems that best posts get 'hung up' and lost
this has happened again

on this last post I vented about a mad dash to the DC Government Building where the permit office resides
my frustration had a colorful metaphor
in this metaphor I described the the Permit Office as if it were an OCTOPUS
this multi armed creature suffers from some failure where each long tentical covered arm does not know what each arm is doing or what the other arms have done
each arm not only acts independantly, but sleeps
lying dormant until they are awoken by the next human begging for permit review and approval
at times each tenticle appears to be all smiley and kind
at one point I enjoyed the exchanges with the various tenticles
some tenticles are more kind and more gentle
while other tenticles are just grabbing the paper work and scaring the applicants away
but now I am starting to think that the tenticles are getting great joy in fucking with ignorant applicants such as myself
while they are pious and proud at being a master of their process
this morning my permit was held up as it needed to contain a EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL DETAIL SHEET
this ESCD was not something that I had to fill out
this was something that needed to be contained in my submission
they could not get this form from the neighboring office
as that must be an office run by a whole different Octopi all together

but I had to go to that office and get that ESCD sheet and put in in my permit and hand it back over for review again

the octopus rant went on that way for a while
there were some clever words
and some attractive imagry...but alas....it all got lost in cyber space

there was some comparision between the actual aquatic octipus and its cleverness and its ability to leave versus the metaphoracial octopus and its inability to solve these simple puzzles
the rant ended abruptly as I did not want to get too frustrated with the process
at my last meeting I had been told that my application was not current
NOT CURRENT!??!?!
I was there this morning
I have been back and forth as much as I can with a normal schedule
it was started on Tuesday and here it is Friday....WHAT THE FUCK IS NOT CURRENT ABOUT THIS?

the second part of that same rant pertained to my new heightened level of maturity
just as I have withheld tantrums at the permit office
just as I was neither angered or pist at the guard at the permit office yesterday afternoon
(well I was angered and pissed, but I did not let it get to my usual spastic tantrum level)
just as I opted not to spit on the non-yeilding car in the crosswald
I exhibited my maturity by not saying anything to Ralph Nadar as he waited in the lobby of the office as I walked my bike back in from the permit office
oh...here it is on the television...is this the special report?
as I am at work and represent the company it seemed best not to say anything
had I been standing beside Mr. Nadar at the corner hot dog stand things may be a tad different
perhaps at the hot dog stand I could ask Ralph what his goals are and what his goals once were...
I could ask him if he feels like a pawn to the Republicans in this election?

by no means do I think I could match wits with this man who found the Corvair to be UNSAFE AT ANY SPEEDhe is clearly wiser and better educated than myself
but I think that he is too wrapped up in his own adgenda to realize that he has lost site of his goals
at one time he was an advocate of the people
but that word we learned in high school English class as we read Homer's Oddessy comes to mind; hubris

hubris:
hu·brisPronunciation: 'hyü-br&sFunction: nounEtymology: Greek hybrisDate: 1884: exaggerated pride or self-confidence- hu·bris·tic /hyü-'bris-tik/ adjective


this definition does not touch upon the effects of this overinflated pride
how this blind pride leads to the individuals downfall

in any case....
he was speaking in the NEWSROOM
I opted to cut through the glass room behind the newsroom
as so not to distract the speaker from his tasks
also I did not want to risk a cough or a sneeze as our unconcious can be very powerful

Mr. Permit has/is (I MEAN) a company in good company
I met Permit Girl today!
wonder if Permit Girl is Mr. Permit's ex-wife?

this morning was spent at the Permit office again
the games are no longer fun
it is a process
a long lengthy process that has become more than a stone in my shoe
tried getting to the office to grab my reviewed plans and revise as comments specified
could not get there till 4:31 thinking they closed at 4:30
only to find that the guard on the ground floor takes his duties more seriously than I take mine
I am supposed to be at work at 4:30
while I am at the permit office, well, the ground floor of the building that the permit office is in
we had an exchange
it all ended pleasantly
he was looking for an argument
I know I am just one of many asking him to bend the rules to let me up
to my own surprise I stayed calm and pleasant and showed him some respect
not to aid in getting what I wanted
but because we all need a little more respect
very few people respond well to being spat upon
I really need to stop spitting on people; literally and metaphorically
my anger levels are so high that the responses is locked and loaded, waiting to aim and shoot

yesterday's efforts turned into this morning's duties
before work I headed downtown past work towards the DC government building that has this permit office
it was pleasant and virtually painless
got my plans
made some changes
handed them back in for review....AGAIN
they wanted me to wait
the permit should be ready today
but.....I HAVE TO WORK!
what good is the permit if I do not have a job?
one gentleman was kind enough to give me his number so I can confirm that it is ready before I head down there
but as if yet he has not answered
I will call again
ring....ring.....ring.....ring
no answer
I hate to think that I need to head down there again
but I fear I must
no boss to ask permission from
guess I may have to just borrow one of the company couriers to drive me down there or hop on my bike
the car courier thing sounds a tad more responsible

oh...
this post was supposed to be about Mr. Permit and his female incarnation
you are bright enough to build the image yourself
there are women in this subculture
one who calls herself Permit Girl with an embroidered bag and all!
that is pretty much all I know about her
but it does seem that more people down there are Permit Runners than contractors or homeowners

Random Blogs

BLOGGER is funny....
I have been blogging pretty steady for roughly a year now....
when I first started I had the standard free service. On the top of the free service BLOG pages it always amused me how there would be advertising for products that pertained to the topics that had been blogged about recently. Now, there seems to be a different feature, NEXT BLOG. This is a great time killer. Check it out!

here is a fun random page that I was sent to
I love the tough guy gang signals and the sparkly background
Asian Gang Blog?

This guy...
honestly I did not read much about him
but I did get into his information about life in the 1500's and the root of all sorts of old adadeges

then there are BLOGS from all over the world....many in Spanish, some Malaysian, and then this PERSIAN BLOG....at least this one had a link to translate or offer an English option
I think I may want to blog in another language....mix it up...make it interesting

rather than using any of these links
maybe it is best for people to just try the NEXT BLOG function on different BLOGGER pages
it is a great way to kill time
hope it is not a good way to get fired
trying to justify my actions by thinking that I am the only one in the office
so it is best that I stay at my desk rather than wandering the building doing some of the Service Pack 2 work that I need to finish before the end of next week.....

and if you want to stay in the DC area
here is the DC BLOGGER MAP
it does not host all of the DC BLOGGERS
as a matter of fact it does not even host me
but it does have a long enough list that it may keep people entertained

Emerging Trends

A friend of mine at work wrote an article for a new online magazine, Emerging Trends
their first article was on the topic of mountainbike sales
I was quoted as a 'bicycle expert'
and
there was a picture of me racing in the City Bikes jersey

the topic may be interesting to some

Brady Bunch Moment
This morning my father and I had a short email exchange...my father is a man of few words....unless he is telling a story, in which case you may want to sit down. The stories are good....the stories are long...the stories come in chapters....and he wants you to hear the whole book. (hmmmmm.....sound like anyone else we know?) In any case...for those who have been following my endless rants on my Blog you may already know that I got a STOP WORK order on a deck project in my backyard. It may also be known that my father and I had been working on this project together. In this dance of the deck project my father has been leading as he is a better dancer than I am.....at least when it comes to decks. Each day my father asks how the permit is coming....each day I have a similar response....no permit yet.

This morning my father responded back with some wisdom not dissimilar to the words that Mr. Brady gave Greg when situation surrounded the sale/purchase of a beat up old car. My father dipped into his resivour of Latin sayings and came up with this...

“illigitimun non carborundum est”
which roughly translates to
Don’t let the bastards grind you down

It is funny and fitting; and if I could say it I would repeat it.

maybe I will post my DECK PLANS to amuse the bored.

the permit experience
it is long
it is painful
it is an experience
the trip down to the permit office at 941 North Capitol is an introduction to a culture, a subculture, and a world I would rather not know
while down there on this second visit I have noticed a repeat of some of the permit applicants
prior to my first day at 941 Purgatory Row I was familiar with a Mr. Permit and rapidly learned that Mr Permit is not one person but many people....Mr. Permit is a company with good company
so when I met elderly gentleman with cycling gloves, walking stick, and corrective shoes I realized I had met my first permit runner even before I got his card
on this second visit I felt better prepared
better prepared with my computer generated plans (much better than the Sharpie Marker on a digital photo of my back yard....what was I thinking?) and better prepared to spot the runners.
While waiting for my number to be called I killed time by organizing my shit
all these papers; applications, blank applications, blank applications that do not appy to me, photos, photos of the front and the back of the house to reveal that the deck can not be seen from the street, photos of the deck, photos of the deck from above, photos of the deck from the neighbors yard, photos of the deck all marked up with red pen showing where the 7 foot fence is going to go, then my Adobe Illustrator tabloid size computer generated drawings...all four of them copied four times, reciepts, copies of the STOP WORK ORDER, plot surveys, foot prints, and other stuff I may not have needed. No staples or paperclips to aid in my order, just separate them and stack them only to be confused again. It is all about killing time. As I am hopeing that this medicine show creates enough distraction that they never get to the plans at all. While reviewing my plans I ask to borrow a ruler. To my pleasure the ruler I was lent was some sort of architech tool, it had scale. It was some strange triangular ruler with all sorts of different measure...all pertaining to scale. I learned that my scale was totally off, I had not stated the scale as I knew it was off....the measure on my drawing was arbitrary. I feared that this error would be enough to force me for another reworking of the drawings as well as an education on what it means to draw something to scale. My heart rate incresed and I dreaded the loss of another day, another day to be spent in 941 Purgatory, just another waiting station in what is the bureacratic red tape that is Washington DC. This day was the tail end of a sick day, a legit sick day, no reason to share details. Light conversation started between a well dressed, well spoken Latino guy. It was discovered rapidly that he was a runner, now his card also was in my possession.
We talked of his work and the cost of his services. The minimum was 500 dollars. This did not seem like a fair price as I was 2/3 through the process. Cursing myself for not just hiring one of these guys from the beginning. It is not that I did not try, Mr. Permit has refused my work as it was a STOP WORK ORDER. Through our friendly exchange my new friend apologized for not being able to give any advice, but if the advice were free than he would be out of a job. It was then awkwardly exchanged that he could work directly for me at a reduced rate. I was thankful, but warned him about notions of non-compete. He seemed to think there was no conflict. It seemed like a good deal. With a nod and no wink I said that I would call him if I needed his services after the response to this afternoon's review.
As I looked around the corner of the room where I stood I soon realized that I was flanked byu Permit Runners. Some who had, some who had not, and some who did not care about the offer that was made. After all every waiter, bicycle mechanic, courier, or manager at the Gap thinks that they could go on their own and operate a more successful business. This guy was already trying to go out on his own.....and it just might work.
I looked around. Compared him to the others that I identified in my mind to be runners. It was an odd cast of what appeared to be a male dominated subculture. But, how was I not to know that the elderly women who was kind enough to offer some advice on the taking of a number earlier had not been a runner herself? At this point I had the business cards of two runners....but what about that young gentleman over there. I halted before I compared. This man with the ruler waws one step beyond stranger. He had done more than pass any sort of interview type test.
Anxiously I wait for the answer.
My plans were reviewed and they even called in some back up from the back room. My long and lean, handsome and polite, calm and cool, older and black permit approver stepped aside as a smaller and quiter, friendly but short, person came from the back to take a closer look.....the clincher....THE DECK DOES NOT TOUCH THE HOUSE.
Perhaps it is more of a patio then a deck as it is garden space....
not sure
but I hope

oh shit the queer eye is back

I need to try and head over there to learn my fate

stumbled upon this flyer I made for a friend's going away party
it is a few years old....
Lev is a good friend
a rather complex person
a rough blue colar exterior with the scent of alcohol on his breath
more thoughts and sensitivity below the surface than many would think
Lev's main companion in life is his dog Lodi
a well trained Huskie mix with as much personality as his owner; minus the alcohol tainted breath
Lev owns some land "off the grid" in Alaska
for years he has been splitting his time between DC and Alaska
step by step building his dream escape cabin
yet with all of his Alaskan sensibilities he is still half cityboy
he is beyond the Jack of All Trades....as he is the master of many
a skilled carpenter
a creative decorative finisher
and has some unique plaster skills
and this is just on his work resume


off to breakfast

I definitely need to make more of an effort to see my friends
it is tough....family can be such a VORTEX
certainly there are positive aspects to this VORTEX
but
it is important that I do not shut out the outside world

the weekend past....
no race reports
no riding...well, nearly no riding, crossed town with Dean in the trailer
so, no riding to speak of
definitely no dirt
no work on the deck
but, there was some work on the deck plans
odd to have to draw up plans for approval for a structure I already build
hopefully my handiwork in Adobe Illustrator is enough to get the message across to the approval board/inspector
highlights?
yes, there are highlights
both Saturday and Sunday were fun packed
family filled fun pack
Yoga was missed, sorely missed, missed for the second week in a row....ouch
Saturday afternoon was spent in Glover Park with my brother and his family, me and mine, our mom, a mess of crabs and shrimp...yummy
Dean and Eric were too busy playing to eat, which is often the case when they get together
soccer played the sidelines to the fort made by the 3 foot tall portable goalieless goals
then some frisbee tossing
and then some play with some unknown boy and his frisbeelike toy
some sort of "as seen on TV UFO"
Sunday was more of the same
more work on the deck plan design in the am then a crazy car filled dash to Reston Virginia for some suburban action
we headed off to the suburbs for a grand taste of americana
the Montgomery County fair offered that taste of America with a country flare
while the Reston Water Mine (water park) offered a different taste of america, more of a suburban flare
it was my first time at this perfab place with its stocked lake, paddded jungle gyms, and pavillion facilities, well other than the cross races hosted on the grass and grounds around manmade Lake Fairfax
although I tend to hate crowds
there is no agoraphobia to keep me from sharing this experience with my sons Dean and Grant and my nephew/godson Eric
Dean and Eric were crazed
amazingly well behaved for the level of excitement that they maintained
the park seemed small in some ways and huge in others
through the eyes of Dean and Eric it was something spectacular
there were two sets of water slides, each one by one
perfect for racing
Eric jumped the gun on each...."on your marks.....get set.." eric is gone
so competitive
winning is important to him
just like his dad
this repeated false start caused me to give Dean a stronger push
they each slide down and SPASHED
all winners each time
it was a tough call which was more fun
the gentle river loop, which we called "The Current"
the umbrella water fall
or those two sets of water slides

to me it was perfect
Papa John's Pizza on site was just the icing on the cake
we managed to spend more than 4 hours in the park
add transport back and forth and that is the whole day

after we dropped Eric off at his Glover Park home Dean did not stop talking about the water park and Eric until he passed out in the car on the 12 minute drive home
just enough rest to juice him up for the rest of the evening
wish a 5 minute nap would work such magic on me
maybe it would
perhaps I will try to make it part of my day
knowing me I would pull a Rip Van Winkle and over sleep my 5 minutes and my duties
best I do not try

on that note....
I am going to start my week with a quick breakfast