Playing Hooky

Last Friday, Sherry and I played hooky. Ok, it wasn't hooky in its truest form since she has every other Friday off and I took a vacation day. But, we were both free to go play on a work day so it felt like playing hooky and that's all the really counts.

The plan was pretty simple. I was going to ride in the morning while she slept in. We would do a little house cleaning, I needed to get my hair cut, we had our insurance guy scheduled to look at the kitchen remodel, and so on. However, in the middle of all that we also planned to head out to the town of Sonoma for one of our long lunches.

I got up bright and early as normal and spent some surfing the web and playing around on Twitter and Facebook. I read all the latest cycling news on Paris-Nice. And then I checked outside. Damn! After 4 mornings of driving to work under brilliant blue skies there is a very wet marine layer that rolled into town. I don't want to ride in that mess. I want sunshine! Just as I was resigning myself to be cold and wet I thought - "Wait a minute! I have the day off and can go ride this afternoon once the sun comes out." So, with the situation resolved, I poured myself another coffee and enjoyed the slow pace of the morning.

After Sherry got up we had a quick breakfast of cereal. While I was eating I made a mental note that from now on it would only be french toast on hooky days. We did our house cleaning and then headed out to Sonoma. After a little shopping (there is a great cook ware store on the Square) we headed for lunch.

The Girl and the Fig is one of our favorite restaurants. They have a beautiful outdoor patio and the sun has now burned the fog away leaving us with plenty of sunshine to dine outside. After a short wait at the bar, where we felt obliged to order drinks, we made our way to our table. Lunch was fabulous. A simple little 3-course meal with wine. This beats my normal Friday deli sandwich any day. After our leisurely lunch it was time to head home.

Our insurance guy had to reschedule so now the rest of the day is free. Time to jump on the bike and hit the road. I toy with riding the single speed but decide on Paolo (my bike with gears). I have the sunshine I was hoping for but I also have wind, which I had anticipated. Still, I am only wearing about half the layers of clothing I would have had on that morning so I am a happy boy. And with my pre-ride meal of assorted Artisan cheeses, fig and arugula salad, duck confit served on a bed off white beans, profiteroles and a half of bottle of wine, I am ready to ride.

Back home from a tough 40 mile ride (the wind really was pretty challenging) it is time to just relax for the rest of the night. Neither of us wanted to cook so we ordered pizza. Then we just sat back watched a little TV, chatted away about nothing and everything, and starting planning our real weekend.

Now that's the way to spend a Friday.

Ciao!