Short ride with a hill, and a hot date

Not enough time to get in a group ride today, for reasons that will appear later in this post, so I did a quick 20 miles, including Coppermine Road. I remember when The Coppermine was a real challenge; now, after twice up Federal Twist in two weeks, I'm not even shifting down to my lowest gear to get up the hill. Respectable, if not record, speed, but on the other hand, it was before breakfast or coffee.

(Whatever happened to the 45-lbs.-overweight guy I was a couple years ago? The guy whose idea of exercise was parking at the far end of the parking lot so I could get 60 extra steps to the office door?)

Then took my honey in the car and went to the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the Chagall show; he's not one of my rockstars, but he is one of hers, and she was just thrilled with the show (it was undoubtedly a good show). While we were there, we decided to drop in on a heavily-advertised-but-apparently-sparsely-attended show of an Italian fashion designer, which we quickly discovered was not our thing. The first few garments were attractive, fashionable, and reasonably functional, but then they became sculptural. It was clear that the women wearing the dresses wouldn't be able to do anything but wear the dress: they wouldn't be able to move - in some cases, they wouldn't even be able to put their arms down. The designer had obviously given up on designing clothes for women; instead, it was apparent that he was designing sculptures that required being wrapped around women to work. Based on his later designs, it looked like he wound up not liking women much.

From there to the Reading Terminal Market, which is about a mile walk from the Museum, a walk full of nifty Philadelphia historical sites, architecture, and street theater. There may be other places to eat lunch in Philadelphia, but I doubt we'll ever check 'em out, because the Terminal Market has great food and, in its patrons and staff, better entertainment.

Then a ride to the Germantown neighborhood of Philly, a pretty, upscale section with a Penzey's store, where we got to use up some gift certificates we got for Christmas from my thoughtful sister. Since my wife is (as I have so frequently told her) a wizard of domestic finance, instead of spending up all the gift certificate today, we signed up for the coupon mailers, knowing that we'd be going back to the Art Museum for the Rembrandt show... which will make an occasion for another visit to the store.

And then, home again, for some vegetables and doin' of the chores. Good day.