Puzzles

This morning I took a trip to Auchan to stock up on some groceries. The fish department was filleting some salmon, so I bought some for dinner this evening.

Today was a bit cloudy and the forecast said it was going to rain. I kept looking outside and making excuses that the minute I got on my bike it would rain. Finally, around 1:30pm I was feeling guilty for not riding. I got ready and was on the road by 2pm. I had a good ride, taking some different routes than I usually ride, making sure I would be back in time to pickup Brandon at school.

It's funny what a different culture we live in. I was sitting on my bike at the spot where parents pickup their kids. Several dads complimented me on my bike. Ok, no big deal. Then the kids got out and I felt like a celebrity for a few fleeting moments. Several kids came over to check out my 'road racing bike'. I was most impressed when two of the girls in Brandon's class wanted to know all about my bike. One even asked me if my frame was aluminum. I told her it wasn't and she told me that her dad had an aluminum frame. Cycling is a big part of the culture here in Italy. I love it!

Once Brandon and I got home, he wanted to go for a bike ride. I put away my road bike and hopped on my mountain bike. Off we cruised into Parco di Monza for about an hour. We had to stay on the paved trails due to all the rain we had a day ago. The trails were very muddy.


Parco di Monza, near the Lambro River

Puzzles. I've always disliked puzzles. They seemed tedious and just not very fun...in fact, downright boring.

Brandon received a Ravensburger puzzle of the Mona Lisa for his birthday. Katrina and Brandon decided to start working on it and suddenly it was a family project. It's a 500 piece puzzle and we set up in at the kitchen table (since we don't eat there anyway). I suddenly found it fun and interesting to work on the puzzle. Sometimes I would just find one or two pieces, then walk away. Other times I would get on a roll and work on the puzzle for quite awhile. We finished the first puzzle and bought another one. This one was of Neuschwanstein Castle, another 500 piece puzzle. We finished it in a week or so.


I think this is Brandon's favorite part of puzzles...breaking them apart!

This morning I picked up a 1000 piece puzzle of the Grand Canal in Venice. Katrina is starting on it as I write this blog.

Puzzles, they are not so boring or tedious as I once thought.