Trial Run

I drove out to Cobourg with Sheryl yesterday to join Chris for the day and bring him back home (which we did today). Chris had a great week with his grandparents. They drove to Kingston on Monday to see Fort Henry and stayed overnight there. Tuesday they continued on to Ottawa where they checked into the Chateau Laurier. They visited the Museum of Civilization and then, at Chris' insistence, toured the Houses of Parliament that evening. Next morning they watched pleasure boats navigating the Rideau Canal locks right below their hotel window and then visited the War Museum before returning to Cobourg. Thursday was spent swimming with some new friends and two of Chris' cousins, and Friday started with a tour of a local chocolate factory and a screening of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory. We joined up before the movie, but didn't go along.

Chris was very glad to see me (and I him). He'd bought me a totem pole shaped beer bottle opener as a memento of his trip, and a little figurine for his mother. He had lots of photos to show me as well, and wanted to give me a slide show the instant we got there!

This morning I cycled the rural roads of the Cobourg Triathlon's 30K bike course for practice while Chris and Sheryl went to the Farmer's Market with my sister and her two little girls. My sister came back with a free puppy for grandfather to look after, but "Patches" ended up returning to Toronto with her. I think he's going to commute... Chris loves Patches too.

The bike course took me 77 minutes on a road bike I borrowed from a friend. Only about 20 minutes behind the time I think the "real" cyclists will do! I did stop twice to take a quick picture of the scenery (click on the photo to see a larger version), pause to watch a deer standing in the middle of the road, and frequently noted the pretty blue corn flowers along the road side. Also I think that the bike I borrowed is too small for me. It's at least ten years old and it's proving hard to find a longer seat post for such an "old model". So at least my excuses are well rehearsed. There were a few other cyclists out testing the route, and if you click on the photo you'll see a larger version showing someone chasing me down. You might also notice Lake Ontario in the distance. That's where the course started!

Listening to: That's Entertainment by The Jam from Sound Affects.