A Great Ride

Last Saturday, hubby and I joined our good friends J & M for a bike ride. We had been planning to do a ride together for a long time, and last Saturday was finally the day. This was not just a meandering ride, though. J planned a great adventure for all of us.

We started out a J & M's house. From there, we headed downtown by taking advantage of the wonderful Greenway system around town. We were just on a main road for a little bit of time, then we were in neighborhoods and trails. It was a gorgeous day for a ride. The boys lead the way, with us girls following behind. It probably worked well as we could each have our little conversations as we rode. We saw gorgeous homes along the way to the downtown area. We rode about 11 miles before reaching our first destination, MoJoe's. We stopped for a quick beer (see picture) before heading on.

J designed a route with many possible stops. He took us past local landmarks (such as the home that was featured on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition) as well as historic sites (the Historic Oakwood neighborhood, the Jewish cemetery, the Confederate cemetery, Governor's mansion, etc.) We made another beer stop at 101 Lounge downtown before grabbing a quick snack at The Roast Grill. The Roast Grill was recently featured on the Travel Channel's Man vs. Food show. Host Adam Richman at 17 hot dogs to create a new record, but it was quickly broken by a local man who currently holds the record. We each ate 1 hot dog and moved on to the next stop.

We rode over to Boylan Bridge Brew Pub for a beautiful view of the downtown landscape. We enjoyed a locally brewed beer there, then moved on to the final section of the ride. From there, we headed over to Cameron Village. We ended our journey there with a proper lunch at Piccola Italian Restaurant. When it was all said and done, we rode 19+ miles and had a great afternoon.

Check out J's blog for more pictures and his take on the afternoon. It was a fantastic time and I hope we do it again soon

A Great Day for a Dog Park

Bill and I did something really fun yesterday. Bill took Misty and Lily to our local dog park, and I joined them on my lunch hour. We had not been to the park in years, but I signed the girls up for the park as soon as we got them. It was the right thing to do.

The dog park has grown and changed so much. Now, there are different areas for large dogs and small dogs. Since both our pups are over 35 pound, they can go in the large dog area. There are trees and grass in that area, as well as a gravelled area. The whole space must be at least the size of a football field. There is a water fountain, and an area with water bowls that I was able to fill for the girls. There are two benches for the parents, as well as a picnic table and a barbecue. The girls loved being off leash in such a big area. We were so proud to see them interact so well with the 5 other dogs that came through the area. There were no dog fights, just pure canine fun. Bill and I enjoyed our lunch on the picnic table while all the dogs wandered around. It was also a nice fall day, so you really couldn't ask for anything more.

It was a wonderful lunch - the perfect way to get out of the office for a bit. I know we will be back often.