I am sweaty, exhausted and sore and am waiting for a very hot bath to be full enough to give me some relief.

I spent most of the day on a marathon bike ride on the Fox River trail with a couple of friends. The weather was perfect and the shady trail was a welcome respite from the brilliant sunshine. We saw deer, a rooster, a dilapidated train museum and a large old-fashioned paddle boat on the river. We rode under a Casino in Elgin and rode over many, many bridges. We dined on many carbohydrate-laden substances at The Manor diner in St. Charles where we looked out of the window next to our booth directly into the river. And when we returned some fifty odd miles, one flat tire, and a somewhat annoying car-ride later, AJ was waiting for me with big smiles. It�s almost worth going away for a while to come home to that.

I haven�t energy for much more of an entry today and in fact was planning on skipping today. But then I realized that it is my first anniversary here at diaryland and to skip this particular day might be inauspicious. Assuming that I can still walk in the morning, we plan to head into town early to take AJ to the Lincoln Park Zoo, where he hasn�t been since he was a baby. I�m really looking forward to seeing his reactions.

My bath is done. I am off to detoxify.

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