Lucy: “Wubie wears a brown dress.”
Dad: “What does he do in his brown dress?”
Lucy: “Walks around like a cat.”
— a conversation with Lucy

I took a bike ride over to my mom’s place this morning. For the ride back home, I decided to goof off a bit and take some pictures. I took a few shots at Piedmont Hills High School, about a mile from my mom’s place. I thought my older siblings might get a kick out of the pics. They all went there.

By the time my little sister and I were old enough for high school, school busing was in effect. We never got a chance to go to the school down the street. Instead, we went to Independence, which was about six times the distance of Piedmont Hills.

In addition to the school photos are shots of various scenes that caught my attention. I would have taken more pictures, but unfortunately my bike ride was cut short by a pesky thorn (yes, I took a pic of it!) that flattened my rear tire.

It figures that on all my previous rides I’d brought along a pump, repair kit, and spare tube and hadn’t encountered a single problem. So this time I thought, “Man, my bike is heavy enough as it is. Maybe I’ll just leave that stuff at home this time.”

So today I get a flat tire and wind up walking the bike home the last 2-3 miles on a hot summer day. Also, during the walk I figured out that once the flat lost all its air (which was about a mile from home) I’d have to lift up the rear of the bike so that the rim wouldn’t get all bent up during the walk home. Lovely!

Oh well, good exercise I guess. I ended up biking/walking about 15 miles all together. Once I finally got home I learned that I was six pounds lighter than I was at my trip’s outset. That’s a lot of sweat! I also learned a valuable lesson: I sure won’t be leaving my bike repair stuff at home any more.

It was a lovely day so we all decided to have a picnic in the park, then come back home for cupcakes. It was so relaxing in the park, I forgot to take any pictures, so we’ll have to start with the cupcakes Lucy and I made…

the gang’s all here…

about to sing the birthday song…

partygoers and birthday celebrants. Happy Birthday Grandpa and Auntie!

“Shhh…I’m baking.”
— Lucy, while making banana bread with her mom (and wearing apron and chef’s hat.)

Part 2 of the summer pic series…more beach, boating on the lake, painting with auntie, and playing at the park.

Last week we had our first adventure in kite flying, on a big hill overlooking the valley. Madame was a natural!

The weather was warm, wind was blustery, and the view was spectacular…you could even see the water of the bay and the hills in the distance. What a perfect day.

I met some friends for lunch and a movie yesterday. I enjoyed the movie, “Kick-Ass”, which featured Nic Cage doing an awesome channeling of Adam West.  Anyway, since we were meeting at the theater and I’d been trying to fit more exercise into my daily activities, I elected to walk to the theater, a distance of about four miles, and take some pics along the way.

In the above pics you’ll see a cat (though he’s pretty well hidden), geese, sheep, railroad tracks, trees, the park, etc.. I’ve kept them in chronological order, in the order in which I encountered them on my walk to the theater. (I bummed a ride back home after the movie.)

It was a really fun walk, topped off by a good movie and great time with some dear friends.

The beautiful park is open to dogs, so Luna came along, and met up with other dogs big and small.

It’s wooded in places, hilly and meadowy in others, and it felt like we were in the middle of a forest, rather than a city. (It also reminded me of Hitchcock’s Vertigo.)

Here are some of the breathtaking views:

That green strip is Golden Gate Park.

Toward the Sunset, you can see the beach:

Auntie points out her house:

Luna having fun.

Auntie, Luna and Lucy wander down a path.

Lucy chasing the ‘piglet’ doggie:

We hope to visit again soon.

I found a neat tool online, The Squirrelizer, that lets users make their own Squirrel Crasher pics. Check it out if you find yourself thinking your photographs need that little something extra.

Here’s a video from last month of Lucy taking her Gpa Tom to one of her favorite places, the park. It’s our first HD video post. You can view the HD version at Vimeo.

• Music: “The Foundation” from Sounds From the Thievery Hi-Fi by Thievery Corporation

This Saturday morning begins at one of Lucy’s favorite places, the park.	Lucy strolls the park’s winding trails for a bit, then decides she wants to go on a swing…
…but this is easier said than done. There are so many swings to choose from! (Who’d a thunk?) This one looks too big…	This one’s too round (and strange)…
This one’s just right!	Lucy enjoys the swing. She sees it as welcome relaxation before a busy weekend.
Once off the swing, Lucy goes exploring, what’ll she do next?	Lucy the train conductor. “All aboard!” she says…
“…as long as you’re a cat or squirrel!”	Her train shift complete, Lucy clocks out before deciding on something aquatic.
She makes friends with a baby dolphin and the two quickly lap the park 3 and a half times! (they would have made it four, but the dolphin’s mom said they had to go.)	Lucy gives a reluctant good bye to her flippered friend, then sets out to explore the “big kid” playground…
“One of these days,” she says to herself…	“…this will all be mine!”
Finished w/ the park, Lucy runs an errand…	..and visits the local supermarket.
“Mommy would like these cakes, I bet!”	“She’d like this ice cream too!”
“Mommy’s just like me in that respect!”	After the supermarket, Lucy treats her chauffeur/ daddy to some pommes frites (after patiently explaining to him what they are) before heading home…
What a morning.

Flickr Picture Set.

Laura and John were nice enough to drop by. They even brought their dog, Luna, which was a special treat for Lucy (though slightly less special to Wubert). Of course we took pics, including some shots taken at the park. View photos.