Today is my birthday, so I gave myself the gift of a ride along the Mississippi River levee.  I love the fact that the path is paved, that the lanes are clear and the riding is safe from chronically incapacitated New Orleans drivers.  Although I find the trash lining the banks a bit disturbing, I also like wondering where it came from, what some of it is, who had her hands on it before it ended up here.  But most of all, I love the seemingly endless expanse and the feel of the sun and the wind as I tool along.  Today I saw the Mississippi River, the New Orleans/Harahan border, trash, two large rabbits, a deep blue crane-sized bird, that same duffel bag from last time, a beached tugboat, and many other things.  But this is a picture of me, balancing precariously as I snap a shot of myself mid-ride.  *This* is how it feels to ride a bicycle in New Orleans.  I’m off to ride down to the Quarter now, and then back uptown.  Today I am in love with New Orleans, the river, my bicycle, and my birthday.  As Bruce Springsteen wisely notes, “it ain’t no sin to be glad you’re alive.”