registed for the ride

I decided to hit the used bookstore in Troy today, so I headed there after dropping Mark off at Preschool. It wasn't quite that I wanted to hit the bookstore itself, but rather I wanted to sign up for the Troy Strawberry Festival bike ride. I have about 3 weeks to finish getting ready for it, I'll be doing the 29 mile tour. Both years I did it my bike computers said it was really about 32 miles, but I think 29 is their target distance.

Anyways, the used bookstore in Troy has a unique property: it is part of a pseudo mall. There is an office building containing the Troy Chamber of Commerce, as well as Strawberry Festival office. On the main floor, there is a rear entrance for the book store, as well as a coffee house. On the other side of the bookstore from the coffee shop is a small deli type restaurant. While it doesn't have an entrance to the lobby, it has an ordering window. Handy, especially if it is raining.

I didn't really find anything I was really looking for there, but I did pick up a Jack Higgins book I was missing. I almost stuck some luck, I did find one of the Jon Winters books (Professor Gilbert Cross from Eastern Michigan University is the author, written back in the real early 80's) but it was the second of the series, I am only missing the 3rd of the series, but I was pleasantly surprised.

Beyond that the day was normal until I picked up my cousins daughter who we babysit most weekdays, and at the store getting some supplies she piped up how she has a dad now.

Her dad has been 'absent' since before she was born, though I internally wonder if it really was her dad wanting nothing to do with her, or being run off by her mom. At any rate, her dad is staying with her and her mom for a week or two, and yesterday she was finally told that the visitor was really her dad.

It is odd for me, I've babysat her for about 3 years, in which time I was effective the only make role model in her life. Now her dad is in the picture, and he may well be gone in a few weeks.  But it feels like I have lost part of my purpose, not that I actually officially had it. (De facto vs. de juri) It still makes me feel odd though.