It was a most fitting start to May with temperatures in the 80's and plenty of humidity to make it feel more like late July than early Spring. While I respect the "all the gear, all the time" guys, all that gearing up isn't for me. If I'm wearing shorts for the day and plan to hit the road on the BV, the shorts stay. There will be many days between now and October when the whole point of hopping on the scooter and taking off will be simply to cool down and I'm not going to pull on a pair of jeans then. Today was my first day of 2010 with shorts on all day, and on the bike, they felt marvelous!
Even though I would never make fun of the ATG-ATT folks, I am going to pick on the superstitious ghost hunting wannabees who think that "orbs" in photos are ghosts or some other kinds of other-worldly phenomena. There were a number of such orbs in this picture snapped with the flash at dusk today, but I didn't feel the hairs on the back of my neck standing up nor sense any kind of ectoplasmic presence. One of my friends did a Ghosts of Gettysburg walking tour some years back and was thrilled to find orbs in many of his photos, convinced that indeed the town of the famous battlefield was chock full of the not quite so departed dead and that he'd captured proof of their presence right there on his digital snapshots. I did the tour some time after that and all I got were a good number of mosquito bites and a sore knee.
Besides the balmy temperature, another herald of the coming summer was finding the gates open to one of the parks I haunt on many of my summer evening rides.
The gates were locked up tight in late fall and I'd ridden up to them a number of times when I took the bike out in the winter on the nicer days. It was almost ritualistic in that I'd go to the park knowing full well that they'd be locked, almost as if I expected them to swing wide open for me as my front tire rolled closer. I'd heave a deep sigh, turn around, and dare to be disappointed in spite of knowing that I wouldn't be able to get into the park before I even got there. There was some minor disappointment in finding that the portable potties weren't installed for the season yet, but that'll just give me another little something to look forward to 'cause everybody knows that the coming of the Job Johnnies is the true sign of summer's full arrival.
The very observant will see quickly my cause for further joy in this snot snapped even earlier today.
There are two helmets hanging off the back of the BV. My baby's home from school! Though her days here at the house will be broken up by her work schedule, a trip in late June to Alabama, and various spontaneous trips to see her boyfriend, she's officially done with her sophomore year of college and here to stay for a good while. Though it was nice when they were kids," sometimes I think it's even better when they're adults. Both of my daughters grew up to be persons I respect, and I think that might be the best part of knowing that I had some part in making them who they are.
Happy May!
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