century conquered
james, phil and I successfully completed the MS-150 bike tour, century-style. we started riding in the cool morning air just after 8am. we rode and rode and rode over rolling hills and past horse farms, stopping every now and again for snacks, lunch and a quick visit with matt in middleburg. we crossed the finish just after 6:30pm. a full day, with about 8 hours in the saddle total. sara was an awesome support, cheering us at the start, lunch and finish line. thanks to all who donated to the national MS society. I raised a new personal record of $540.

virginia in virginia
my dear ol' friend virginia from australia who is making her way around the world stopped in our nation's capital for a visit with me. I hadn't seen her since our days at emma kaufmann camp in 2000, but I've been following her travels via e-mail and was looking forward to seeing her again. it's amazing how friends can pick up where they left off and not miss a beat. we did the touristy thing downtown in the wind and admired the just past peak cherry blossoms. in less than a week, she was on her way again, headed for canada.

out to the ballgame
sadie's friend danny treated us to an evening at RFK stadium to see the washington nationals play the cincinnati reds. sadie, james and I rode down on the metro. when the train reached the stadium/armory stop, it stopped and the metro voice said, "doors opening left side," but...the doors did not open and then the metro voice said, "doors closing." there was a pause in the car before folks started reacting, some laughing, some grumbling, some hitting the emergency button. we had to get off at the next stop which is way down the line and hop the next train back.

fern homecoming
when word came that the ferns were unfurling and the triliums were putting on a show on sandlick, I headed for the farm. mom and I captured the ferns on the bank toward piggs (and cleared a bag of trash along the way). have yet to re-create the magic of towering ferns, but it's always fun to try. on sandlick, I ventured across the road to the creekside. found many of the beautiful dark red variety there. mom chatted with a lady who lives down the road and assured her that she hadn't lost her mind.

celebrating katy
rita, sara, phil, james, sadie, diana, thomas, nicholas, elizabeth, erin and I all gathered at needwood with canoes, bubbles, a fine lunch spread, fishing gear and whistling balloons to celebrate katy's birthday. we didn't catch any fish, but had fun trying.

becoming bunny
before work on easter sunday, I donned rita's luxurious bunny costume and surprised the neighbors by riding my bike up and down the street. mr. roberts swore it was rita in the snow white fur. then james and I jumped in the jeep and rode through kensington, meeting honks and smiles. I walked daisy around the local park and got lots of looks and some requests for pictures.

boys being boys
finally had a chance to climb outside with matt and the boys. we tackled kindergarten and the nose at carderock. riley and dalton both did great, and aidan loved bouldering with his dad. we checked out the bird on its nest that I had discovered earlier in the week and had a fine picnic after a full morning of rock climbing.