cute picture of the day
Doesn't that look just say "C'mon, mom, give me the keys!"? Paul and Carla are really going to have their hands full, I tell you.

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• I sent out a stack of reminders to potential advertisers yesterday, informing them that their ads have expired and wouldn't they love to renew?
• After that, a stack of similar letters to members whose memberships have expired or are expiring soon.
• Today, I sent out a reminder to the club that the submission deadline for the newsletter is this Sunday; next week, I'll put together the newsletter (er, did I mention that I'm the club's newsletter editor now?)
• I called the Pine Acres Resort in Pine Grove to reserve the block of rooms and campsites for the Pacific Rally (Sept. 12 - 14), and reserved my personal room while I was at it.

This weekend, I've got to write a couple of articles for the newsletter (mainly blurbs about the Pacific Rally), and then sit down and get cracking on the next column for the national Women on Wheels magazine.

This all makes me very, very happy.

there's something in the water.
Everyone's been doing little trips lately. Diana just returned from a multi-day trip around Southern California; you can read about some of her exploits. The hippie lady hitchhiker story kills me every time. I just don't get sick of hearing that story.

sometimes, i do things right.
I've been thinking over the stuff that I brought with on my trip, and in a lot of ways, I really brought some smart things. I can only believe that this was accidental, or perhaps learned by osmosis through all the touring books I read -- I certainly didn't put any actual thought into anything that I packed.

• Extra zip-lock bags. The brilliance! Who'd have known that I would find the perfect greasy chain-cleaning rag in a parking garage in Las Vegas? Good thing I had a zip-lock bag to put it in!
• Wee Willy. An impulse buy from Helimot, the Wee Willy kit provided whole minutes of entertainment, cleaning bugs off my shields in motel rooms.
• A dark visor. I bought the dark visor because my sunglasses really pinch my face when smooshed under the new XXS helmet. I'm in love. Too much of a pain to use for commuting (where would I store the extra shield?), but I'll never do a full-day ride without the dark visor again. I am a convert.
• Desert Solitaire. None of you are ever allowed to tour the canyonlands without bringing along (or at least reading before you go) Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness, by Edward Abbey. An amazing book in and of itself, it'll really give you an idea of the land you're riding. If I find out that you've toured Utah without reading this book, I will find you and revoke your cool points. Incidentally, you can find copies of this book in most of the parks' gift stores. They know what's up.
• Sneakers. Since my riding boots are so comfortable, I waffled about whether I should take up luggage space by bringing a pair of sneakers. Yes. Yes, I should. It was A Good Idea. Happy feet.
• My own soap. A secret: I'm a big girlie at heart. I use hair mousse. I take bubble baths. It made me very happy to shower in random motel rooms with my nice red yummy-smelling soap.

sometimes, i don't.

• All those books. I thought I'd be bored. No. I was never once bored; never once lonely. There was no reason to carry those books around, except for maybe as something to occasionally complain about.
• No WD-40. I utterly forgot WD-40. I'm not sure how I thought I was going to clean the chain. I had to buy some at a gas station, and naturally, they didn't have the trip-friendly small sized containers. Grumble.