Queen is so Non-Gender Specific

For those of you who don’t know me well…and there may be some guest readers to this edition…it seems that if Cheri and I are getting ready to go on vacation, then I need to fall off my bike. 

There was still enough light Friday evening for us to head out on a ride.  We did a nice 13 mile loop and as I powered to the top of Dugg Hill I  pulled over to watch Cheri surge up the climb.  At the top of the hill is a nice turn-out that provides a great view over the fields of East Woodstock with the church steeple just rising above the trees…a very New England look.  I crossed the road to this turn-out and when I got to the edge realized there was a six inch drop from the road to the packed dirt area.  Slowing my bike I dropped down onto the dirt surface and then needed to turn quickly (or drop off a steep edge into brush and a field). 

Now I am moving very slow…turning left…on loose dirt with a drop to one side and a six inch climb back onto the asphalt on the other.  Since I planned to stop here anyhow, I kicked my right foot out of the pedal clip (when stopping I usually unhitch my right foot first since that is the foot nearest the edge of the road).  When turning left the bike tends to lean in that direction and having kicked out my right foot it continued to move my overall center of gravity in that direction as well (the engineers out there will appreciate this…and I won’t go into angular velocity or centrifugal effects).  Regardless, I now realized that I was fully stopped…leaning left…my left foot still attached to the pedal…and a fall was inevitable.  The photo above shows the greatest part of the ‘seen’ injury (the unseen greater part is my pride) where upon hitting the ground on my left side my loose right leg followed gravity and momentum down and across the front gear sprocket. 

Enough Mundane Info…On to the Important Events

Saturday was time to take Bunco back to the South…or at least southern Connecticut.  Jack (a former Queen and only a little bitter about losing his crown…I’m just saying) and Stephanie Gosselin hosted the next event at their home in North Stonington.  As Consort to the reigning Queen Cheri I took great care in delivering her and the royal jewels to the site.  Upon arrival they were prominently displayed in the main room of the Gosselin Estate.

 The evening began with appetizers, cocktails and a brief demonstration of the usefulness of a ‘spud-gun’ for planting potatoes and providing fetch opportunities for the dog, Lego.  Although there was a nice outdoor fireplace providing some comfort, the party soon moved inside and proceeded to the main entree.  Stephanie made a large serving of paella for the main course and we settled in for a fine meal.

…and then the Bunco festivities began…the range of emotions throughout the game was intense.

 

Finally the rounds were completed, the scoring done and Jack and I went into Executive Session to determine the winnings.  There was some discussion among non-winning players that Jack and I may not have been judicious in our choice of most wins trumping a tie for most Buncos, not that we are overly concerned…again, I’m just saying.

 

The votes were in…scores tallied and Jo received an award for the most loses…Drew an award for the most wins…and then it was time for the coronation for the player rolling the most Buncos.

The transition seemed to move smoothly and orderly with Cheri standing regally by the host.   And yet it may have been this nexus of Royalty that caused the calamity to follow…the crown fell to the floor, jewels and dice scattered… Eventually Queen Mark was able to pull himself together enough for the official picture of the coronation. The Queen is dead…long live the Queen!

Then came the moment of transfer…the passing of State from now a former Queen to the new Queen…Queen Mark.  Rare is it that we have three members of the Royal Lineage so involved with the transfer of State.   The former Queen worked with the new Queen to gather the crown jewels…and the dignity of the participants.

The Festivities ended well with all participants enjoying the adventure.  A tentative time in June is being established for Queen Mark to defend his role as the Bunco Queen.

 

Jet-Setting

Somehow the month of March has passed us by…

Following our wonderful weekend in Boston we managed to stay at home for a week…then it was back to Boston to catch a flight to San Diego.  It was time for the annual American Society for Healthcare Engineers and the American Institute of Architects Planning, Design & Construction Summit. 

These summits are often times for me to speak or do presentations, but this year I was able to get by with simply presenting the Vista Award for teamwork in a healthcare construction project.  I Chair the selection jury and as the Chair had the privilege of making the presentation at the opening ceremonies (in front of approximately 2,000 attendees).  The presentation went off very well and then I had time to simple attend the summit, pick up new ideas, and network with others from around the country.

Much of my time was going to be spent at Summit events, but we planned ahead for Jess to come over from Phoenix to spend days with Cheri and all of us being together in the evening.  Also, since it was San Diego we decided to head out on Saturday arriving late in the evening.

Jess joined us the next morning and following breakfast we each headed out our own ways…me to play some golf, Jess and Cheri to take a tour of the Southern California wine country.  I am not sure who had the better deal, but we all had a good time.

 

That evening we decided to take advantage of the Old Town area of San Diego and headed out to the Coyote Cafe, a Mexican restaurant.  We were able to sit out in the courtyard, but having the propane heater did help…along with the margaritas… Even while enjoying pool time, Jess was multi-tasking with her Kindle and her Blackberry.

Monday  seemed to involve quite a bit of time in the sun for Cheri and Jess while I went off to make the  Award presentation and attend some sessions.  That evening we caught up with several of my friends and their wives from around the country for a good time at Joe’s Crab Shack.

The trip followed this planned theme for a couple of days with Jess and Cheri heading off to tour and bike while I went to presentations and exhibits.

The summit ended on Wednesday and Cheri and I spent the night—instead of catching a red-eye flight—which gave us a little more time with Jess to do some sight-seeing before getting her onto a flight.  We headed out to Point Loma and the Cabrillo National Park and Monument.  The weather was beautiful, once again, and we had a great time hiking around the Park and the lighthouse before sending Jess on her way.

It was a great trip overall being able to spend some time with professional colleagues from around the country and to top it off by spending time with Jess.

After arriving back in Connecticut we were fortunate to have uncommonly warm weather which allowed us to do work cleaning up the yard over the next few weekends—spending time with my newest toy.   It also allowed us to begin eating out on the deck while enjoying the weather.

The nice weather took us into April and the Easter Holiday…the month of March has passed us by.

Coming soon to the Adventures…a guest writer telling tales and showing pictures from her travels to the genteel South with her friend Gail.