Simple beauty

Mid-day walks give me a burst of energy, reset my mind, and let me come back to solving my work puzzles refreshed. It was a beautiful day today, a good day for a short early afternoon stroll.

A stand of goldenrod drew my eye as I walked by. Strong yellow flowers, with a triangular patch of white. What is that? Ah, a moth, wings folded up so that the underside of its wings was almost all that I could see. White, with a single gold dot along the edge of each wing, bright yellow antennae, a lighter shade than the flower on which it was perched. I'm so glad I stood and watched for a few minutes, because the moth treated me by opening its wings to show me a splash of blue and brown decorating the top of the wings. Beautiful.

Brrr

Temperatures the past few days have emphasized the coming change of seasons. I was already getting the hint from the shortening days, but just in case I didn't see it coming, the temperature slapped me in the face.

This morning won the prize. I woke up and did my usual check of the temperature. It was 49 degrees out. Brrr! I'm really not ready for this, but ready or not the weather wizard appears to be in charge.

Can't we have more summer? Please? After all the autumn equinox is still three weeks away. Can't the season trail the equinox? I really don't think that we need this early preview.

Bugs, bugs, bugs!

Wow - where did all of these little bugs come from?

I had planned a bicycle commute to work today, but when the alarm went off this morning I decided I needed another hour's worth of sleep. Sleep was good, and my bicycle and I went for a ride after work. Sunshine, relative cool, comfortable, a beautiful late afternoon ride.

It was after I got home and saw myself in the mirror that I noticed the little teeny bugs sitting on my (cycling) jersey. Yuck!

I spent a few minutes catching and crushing bugs. (Sorry bugs, I really don't need this type of visit!) And then it was definitely time for a shower. When I ride late in the day I usually hop in the shower to wash off the sweat. Tonight? Not only did I need to wash off the sweat, I needed to wash my hair to make sure that there were no tiny bugs lurking there.

Clean again. Happy...

A blue day

It was a blue day. Not a sunny blue day, just blue. Off. And yes, I know, the weather wizard created a very gray day today, and I'm sure that contributed to my odd mood. Blue...

Thoughts of my brother and his difficult battle with what appears to be unrelenting pain keep stirring and wandering through my head. Frustration that there doesn't appear to be anything I can (really) do to help... Yes, I keep sending good thoughts his way, loose, floating through the air, wishes for comfort and no more pain, hopes for healing.

Neal, my thoughts and love are with you always.

And I hope that this blue day disappears with the nighttime; tomorrow needs to be a day for new hope for all of us.

Chasing frogs...

...camera in hand

As I was wandering on two wheels yesterday, I passed a pond that was clad in lily pads and water lilies. I stopped to soak in the beauty and I heard the sound of frogs. And then I saw the frogs. It was a staring contest, human to frog, frog to human. Only a small piece of the frogs' heads were visible. Staring...

I only had my baby camera with me yesterday, and I couldn't convince it to focus on the frogs - so I just had to return today with my SLR. I rode a very different set of loops today, but I made sure to visit the frogs again. Photo success!

I'm not sure who had the more powerful stare - but I suspect it was the frog!

I guess the frog decided that it was safe to sit up a little higher and come a little further out of the water...

Sunflower magic

More pictures from this weekend can be found on pages 10 and 11 of this photo gallery.

Rain

Alarm buzzing, morning routine, waking to the sound of heavy rain...

My bicycle was hoping that today would be a commute to work by bike day. She took a rest day yesterday, and she was sure today would be a good riding day. After all, at the beginning of the week the weather forecast showed days of sunshine and dry pavement. Yes, I know, I shouldn't believe the forecast. I was hoping, but clearly the weather wizard had different ideas than the forecasters, presenting this area with heavy rain today.

As I drove to work, I passed one bicycle commuter who apparently decided to ignore the water falling from the sky. He didn't look too happy, and I know that I wouldn't be either if I were out there on two wheels this morning.

What I really need is a bubble for me and my bike. Goal - to be able to ride in the rain and stay dry, and to protect my bike from all of the wet road "gunk" that totally trashes the bike within minutes. Ah, dream on...

Early morning delight

Sun emerging... wispy white clouds against a deep blue sky, backlit by emerging sunshine. Pictures captured in my mind. Beautiful.

Dogs greeting bikes

My bike chose a slightly different route home tonight. I was standing waiting for a light to change on a road that was jammed with cars when I noticed that the car just in front of me had a backwards-facing dog in the front seat. The passenger window was rolled down, and as he looked back, the dog clearly noticed me.

"Oh look, it's a cyclist. I'm in the car so I can't chase her, but it must be time to bark!"

I moved up a bit further so I could talk with the driver after I heard her say "Chloe, stop barking!". Chloe insisted on protecting her owner, and the barking continued. The light changed, and the driver very nicely suggested that I start first. Ah, with my bicycle ahead of the car, Chloe apparently decided that her owner was now in control and that it must be time to stop barking.

Around the corner, down a different road, turning once more... I was in a quiet neighborhood, and a little dog - a pug - was walking his owner on the sidewalk on the other side of the road. As soon as the pug saw me, he quickly jumped into the road and attempted to chase down my bike. He was on a leash though, and his owner clearly told him that wasn't acceptable behavior. We shared a smile before we each moved on in (our) opposite directions.

Dogs make me smile, particularly when they stay within their own territory. It's the dogs that are loose who scare me. I remember one little guy in Ireland who I thought was contained in a fenced yard. He wasn't - the gate in the fence did not fully extend to the ground, a fine gate for adult humans, but not for little dogs. Luckily this dog decided not to keep up the chase beyond the next yard.

Dark morning sky

Alarm buzzing, morning shock... When my alarm woke me just before 5 o'clock this morning, I was sure that the time showing on my clock was wrong. How can it be 4:50AM when it's still totally dark outside?

Yes, I know I complained about this just two short weeks ago, but as the sunrise creeps to later times the realization that the days are getting shorter still continues to surprise.

I guess I'll just have to enjoy my remaining commute-by-bike days as this month draws to a close. With my upcoming September wander to Nova Scotia, my cycling focus will change a bit. And when I return from vacation, I'll be back to no-commute riding. I hope to ride on the weekends through the end of the year, and I'll try for late afternoon rides as long as the daylight supports them. Based on previous experience, I'll adjust somehow...

Rain receding

I woke at 6 this morning to the sound of heavy rain, and the sound made me peel myself out of bed to rescue my newspaper from the front walk before the water seeped through its plastic bag covering. Ah, I beat the water! Paper rescued, time for a little more sleep... The next time I opened my eyes it was nine o'clock. Wow. I can't remember the last time I slept that late. But I know I needed the sleep, so I have no regrets about missing a few hours of my Sunday morning.

I expected a rainy day today, and I almost welcomed it because I knew that I needed a rest day. Most of the day fell into that category, but when the pavement dried and the sun peeked out from behind a cloud in the middle of the afternoon I couldn't resist taking a short ride. It was still cloudy, and the weather forecast called for isolated thunderstorms, so I chose to wander in the general vicinity of my home. Still, I managed a 27-mile loop, and the roads stayed dry.

As I sit and write, I'm listening to raindrops hitting the pavement once again, listening to the distant rumble of thunder. And I'm hoping for dry roads in the morning to match the weather forecast that calls for a string of partly cloudy and very reasonable temperature days. My bike wants to ride to work tomorrow...