This past weekend was an extended one with three days in Paris and the fourth in Brussels, Belgium. Shannon has a family friend near Brussels that was nice enough to give us super hospitality and sightseeing for the day. We were living so large for those few hours that he drove us (in his BMW M3) to a restaurant where a plaque dedicated to President Bill Clinton rests above the table where he ate several years ago.
Thanks to my dad's help, I realized how many people will be in the Tour of Flanders I am doing next weekend in NW Belgium, 18,000. Hmm???? Perhaps I will go for a top 500, never thought I would say that one.

(Some simple graphic designing I have done on my Mac to help pass the train rides.)

(Some simple graphic designing I have done on my Mac to help pass the train rides. This mask is on Secret Trail in Durango, CO.)

(Some simple graphic designing I have done on my Mac to help pass the train rides. My Illy espresso machine that I miss so much)

(I couldn't resist the Joakim Noah Jersey)

(I have always known Kebab meat was gnarly, but this hunk brings it to a new level. How on earth is that supposed to cook through the center on the rotating grill?)

(Check out my new friend Mona Lisa in the background, and yes she is on Facebook.)

(Shhh... but this might be cooler than the Mona Lisa. This is a shot of the dressing room in the Puma Concept store in Paris. It is so realistic that the 5mm allen wrench is missing, any cyclist knows how that goes).

(This is the curtain for the Puma dressing room. It is "stocked" with brake and shift cables, housing, small parts with Shimano brand parts and other shelf worthy workshop widgets.)

(The
Manneken Piss sculpture in Brussels)

(This 40ish story building in Brussels works like a scrolling marque with numerous designs, colors and even the date/time/temperature from ground level to the top floor)

(Shannon and Noah in front of the Atomium sculpture in Brussels, this was built for the '58 Worlds Fair now sits behind a rather tacky building made of beer cartons)

(Remember I said we rolled in style, this was quite the wake-up for me after not being in a car for well over a month)