Worked but came home early to deal with stuff and cycle. I am getting my head around the project. One thing I can do by meeting with EU HR and Disability staff is to raise IF profile, even if little else is done with those offices.
I went out for 80 or 90 minutes of cycling on the narrow back country roads here in the Flemish Ardennes. I'll guess 25 km. No rain! Great countryside, rolling hills, wooded windbreaks, lots of small villages, farms with cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, etc. No hogs? Brasseries. There is a well-developed cycle signage system that I am starting to figure out. The bike is not much to ride on – though on the cobbles it has its advantages. Geared low for hills too. But not comfortable due to style and size.
Missed the TDF the last 2 days. I think I will probably skip the trip to Alsace for the TDF. Wrote some poetry. Woke at 2 am with Karen worries and got up to read. Wednesday, July 15 Decided to work from Z today to save time and take advantage of weather to cycle. Rain coming Friday – Sunday, I will work then. Worked til noon and went out and bought baked goods, sunscreen (pricey!) and bike maps. And oud zottegem bier after discussing life, the region, and the beers with the woman. Discovered the local brewer hidden in a side street and tried the local brew – Oud Zottegem. it was very good. The woman working the lonely shop was talkative. 75 cl bottles for the price of a 33 cl drink in bar. F
ound a flier for a barrel race (horse and rider) here on 16 August! They benefit a diabetes program. Suzanne – will you be here? And Bryan, there is an old time tractor show this summer, too. Went cycling after lunch. Had a map this time and got more turned around than yesterday . But did get to interesting places, including a local archeology museum in Velzeke.
I took on my first “named” hill on “de ronde van vlaanderen, or “tour of flanders”, where there are well know cycle races. This was “Molenberg” at St Blasius Boekel. 14+% in the steepest section of slope, small cobble stones, less than ½ km. (1/3 mile) long. Like the hill in Stillwater, but with curves, cobbles, cows, But a fair challenge to surmount and I was happy for once to have the big tires and low gears of the mountain bike. Not too far from here is Muur (the Wall) with maximum of 19.8% grade that goes on for more than a km. (.7 mile) and big cobblestones. Generally its thought to be the toughest, though Koppenberg, 19.4%, 700 m. and higher average incline than the Muur with small cobblestones, is others' “favorite.” I will estimate about 60 km today, 35 miles. Strong winds much of the afternoon.
When I came back, saw some “post TDF” round up show on TV. David Miller's shirt: Parlez vous argyle” will mean something to some Howard I know.
K is good. She tells me that Judge Sotomayor was asked at the hearing how she would rule if a woman with a 38 week old foetus wished to abort due to a late diagnosis of spina bifida. She danced around and did not answer. Not an impossible situation to be faced, esp. in Europe. Given my experience this month with people with spina bifida and the work I have going, it would be very hard to support abortion in that circumstance. What the law should be, hmmmm....
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