Four weeks from right now, Pat and I will be on an airplane to LA! I love airplane flights, they are a great opportunity to make a new friend. I like looking out the window, all the while thinking that something this big and heavy should never be this far above the clouds. I am always excited to be a part of that gravity-defying miracle of flight.
But let’s get back to this blog’s primary mode of transportation, the bike. I have been at home in Ohio for a bit, riding and exploring places nearby I didn’t even know existed (hello, Turkeyfoot Island). I feel pretty ignorant on my hometown geography, so I’ve had to grab an atlas to brush up. Today I tried to ride up to Firestone Country Club in Akron, the site of last weekend’s PGA golf tournament. But there was some construction, I must have missed a sign, and I ended up taking a scenic tour of Akron. I never found Firestone Country Club, but I did find Firestone Stadium. Good thing we’ll have GPS in the support vans for the bike race!
I’m not sure why I set out to find a golf course. I passed two other courses on my way to look for Firestone. I don’t even like golf. I don’t think I have the patience for it. I would like golf better if you gave me a 6-iron, a pocket full of balls and nobody in front of me. That way I could just whack the ball and chase it.
Last weekend was a busy weekend for Northeast Ohio. In addition to the golf tournament, we also hosted the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductions. The Friday of Hall of Fame Weekend is my favorite day of the year in Ohio. It starts with a croquet tournament in my friend Barnsey’s backyard. Friends and family from all over participate and somehow, it’s always sunny and beautiful outside. It is probably the only time any of us ever play croquet, and we usually have to make up the rules we aren’t sure about. Croquet quickly gives way to other lawn games and general mayhem including wiffle ball and throwing water balloons. After a quick bite to eat, it’s over to Grandma and Grandpa Lindy’s (they’re not really my grandparents, but I have declared myself a member of their family). Even more friends and family gather than were present at Barnsey’s house (Grandma and Grandpa Lindy’s actual grandson). I think ¼ of Canton passes through Grandma and Grandpa Lindy’s every year on the first Friday of August. We play cards, tell stories, catch up with old friends and maybe have a few beers. We play basketball and hockey, we toss around a football and invent games with a tennis ball. (You can never be bored if you have a tennis ball around. Or an atlas.) The end goal is to stay up all night until the Hall of Fame parade starts on Saturday morning. I didn’t quite make it. Actually, I wasn’t even close. It was a rather anticlimactic close to the best day of the year in Northeast Ohio.
As much as I like riding around Ohio and investigating new places, cycling is always more fun whenever someone else is around. Back in Lewisburg, it was nice to ride with Patty, even if most of our rides consisted of me frantically toiling just to keep up. But since I have been solo on all my rides back home, I feel lucky I have an active imagination. I spent about twenty minutes wondering if my friend Devin’s middle name was really “James”. That would mean is first, middle and last names all have five letters, which reminded me of the Domino’s 5-5-5 pizza deal so popular in Lewisburg. It turns out his middle name really is James.
Sometimes I find myself singing song choruses over and over because those are the only words I know. Or I make up the verses. I usually like my lyrics better. Today’s songs of the day were “Wish You Well” by Bernard Fanning (a good sunny day song, thanks for introducing it to me, Buckle) and “Prince Ali” from Aladdin (no idea how that got stuck in my head).
As much as I am enjoying my time at home, I am getting restless and excited to move into our house in DC. Jeff, Jay and Patty are already moved in and listening to their stories of fun and Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots only makes my restlessness worse. Matt and I will be moved in soon enough, but even then our house will not be complete until our dog Gracie (who is a whiz with cell phones) joins us at Labor Day. (And then Patty and I leave for the bike race!)
But now, I have to go pack up. I am heading to Pittsburgh tonight to help my sister pack up her things before she studies abroad to Switzerland. We’ll be crashing at Grandma O’s (my real grandma, this time) apartment. Be back home in time for a good ride tomorrow.
