Sometimes an animal journeys with me with whom I have less history, today was one of those days. The reason in this particular case stems from a PII incident which I can’t divulge. Nonetheless, we still ventured out.

I look to my left at a fellow cyclist stretching along the railing as I pull the sheep from my bag and secure them for the shot.

The animals arrive pre-packaged now, nestled in their stuff sack, so I wasn’t exactly sure who made the trip this morning.

“There’s the polar bear. The polar bear is on the big boat. The polar bear is eating.”

Billy the Goat, fittingly (let’s see: the Badgers lost twice in a row with leads in the fourth quarter and the Cubs and White Sox got bounced from the playoffs (go Red Sox!)), traveled today on the big boat.

I was pretty excited today when my daughter presented both ZoZo and Amélie for a trip on the big boat. I’m pretty fond of the letter Z and zebras, less so the animal and more so the football official, my dad having officiated football throughout most of my childhood and the memories I have thereof. I knew just where I was going.

My daughter took no chances on forgetting this morning, booking down the hallway before I even opened the door to the garage. So while Gus & Balsmic, Bernard, Baby Ralph, Curious George and Pierre stayed at home I was joined by Miriam, my wife’s favorite of the animals.

Of all my daughter’s animals, I’m most fond of Pierre. He’s quiet, cute and small enough to fit in my backpack, important because I opted to ride my road bike today on what might be one of the last warm, dry days of the year. Because I had limited space, this was the first time I interfered with my daughter’s wishes, choosing not to take Gus – maybe tomorrow buddy.

Ironically, my daughter offered some advice this morning she had never before proffered: “Daddy, be safe on the big boat!”

Today Baby Ralph traveled on the big boat to be photographed from our office’s rooftop deck.