** Monday again!

wow...had a full but nice weekend! it is sunny again which is nice to start the week out with. friday night was low key for me...just some laundry and dateline! can't go wrong with a wacky murder mystery!

saturday i went with kneecaps to his friend's home that he plans to rent in a month. it is a tiny cottage in towson with a nice sized backyard and small swimming pool. it will be a nice change for him as he has outgrown his 1 bedroom apt. after 4 years...

we had a quick bite at one of the markets in belvedere square which has really undergone some major renovations in the last 5+ years. i hadn't been down there in close to 6 years myself.

after that, it was off to columbia so he could check in for the triathlon and drop off his bike in what i will call "the bike sea"! i have never seen anything like it! over 2000 race bikes, lots of skinny athletes in multiple colors of spandex, goggle-like sunglasses and funny shaped helmets.

sunday, i got up way too early (mick woke me at 5:24am)! i wasn't happy but decided it was better to let him out then, then risk having to clean up an accident later...

left my place at 9:20a to drive back to columbia and catch the end of the race. the area within a 2 mile radius of centennial park was now a "sea of cars". cars, parked on the side of 108, in neighborhoods, in the park, etc. i found a space what seemed almost a mile away in a neighborhood and walked over. watched some of the athletes do their "bike dismount" which is when they transition from the bike ride to the last leg of the race, the 6 mile run. some were clearly more smooth than others. some just jumped off flat-footed and then limped into the bike area to drop off their bikes. others appeared to have practiced this move in their sleep and didn't miss a beat!

i managed to make my way to the finish line and stood their taking in everything. it was again like something i had never seen. lots of super sweaty athletes in space blankets drinking crappy water from a hose, spectators snapping pictures of their family & friends who had finished, dogs that were dressed up in spandex, people holding florescent colored signs and the announcer calling the names of all 2500 when they came across the finish line!

kneecaps came across shortly after 10:30 and was clearly relived to have finished. he wasn't too out of breath which was pretty amazing to me and looked like he was ready for water and a power bar! i was really happy for him and he was glad to have a small cheering section to boot! we walked back, he picked up his bike and we headed to his car and blew that pop stand!!

we stopped by my brothers condo so he could take a quick shower then headed over to "wine in the woods". it is a yearly event, something different to do on the weekend and to get to sample several different MD wines. i have gone at least 6-7 other times and this was by far, the worst weather. it started raining within 15 minutes of getting there and was quite a challenge trying to hold a wine glass, an umbrella and eat a crab pretzel all while standing. i will say overall, i wasn't too impressed with most of the wines there and had probably tried 70% in years past. the sweet ones were delicious, but only if your intention was to pour it over pancakes or ice cream...

we left after about 2 hours and each drove home for a nap only after washing the mud from my pants and flips flops...all in all, a good weekend!