"Five - Four - Three"

Today, these are 3 pretty cool numbers.... 54.3 miles on the bicycle this morning, starting at 5:30. I visited Madison, Athens, Decatur, & Moorseville in the almost 3.5 hours in the saddle. The last 9 miles, heading North, were the worst. I was pedaling straight into a strong wind. At times I dropped to single digit speeds. Of course, maybe it was simply because I was already fatigued, or maybe it was the bowl of butter pecan ice cream that I had at 9:00 last night. Nevertheless, I made it!! A new Personal Best.

It was really a beautiful ride this morning ... 67 degrees and sunny. It was beautiful to see the sun sneaking through the trees as it continued its climb. No cars, no other riders ... just me and the road in the early morning. I always enjoy the beauty of the back roads of Northern Alabama.

Speaking of beauty, we are only a few days away from boarding a jet to Sydney, Australia, to see our new grand daughter, Savannah Hope Windsor. She will be beautiful! Do I sound proud already....? We haven't seen our daughter and son-in-law in a little more than a year - except via Skype. Seeing Lauren and Daniel will also be a thrill.

It's my first trip down under - Tami's second. It will be smack in the middle of winter when we arrive. Boo!! But the warmth of a new family member will make it all worthwhile. I really can't wait to see the three of them.

Jordan will stay behind and "man the fort". Mom and Dad will be on the other side of the world....Freedom!! I can hear him chanting, and yelling now... I suspect that he'll be doing things that M & D might not ever allow.... cussing, spitting in the floor, lounging half naked on the couch watching who knows what from Netflix, etc. We'll check in using Skype to keep tabs on the place. Maybe I'll ask him to walk around with the laptop so I can see the actual state of affairs... Actually, Jordan is a very mature and capable young man.... except for the lounging part....

While in Australia, I'll probably be blogging often. I'll include plenty of pics of the new young lady. Trust me, she'll be beautiful - inside and out - just like her Mom...