It was hot today, really, really hot.  Since I’ve been busily moving I have been taking mostly task rides lately.  But today I wanted to ride, just ride, as far as I could go.  In this heat it wasn’t that far.  I stopped here, at The Fly, on the Mississippi for a breather.  This public park along the river plays host to so many different publics.  There are the men fishing almost every day, but today there was also some sort of pagan family picnic, lots of small groups sunning with their dogs and coolers, and then there was the cop from the sheriff’s department, sitting in his car, smoking a cigar, making sure we’re all behaving ourselves, I guess.  There were kids and adults, solo nappers, families, pets, runners, and, of course, bikers.  It felt good to be out there in the heat today, and I took particular pleasure being alone, sharing public space with all these others as we moved anonymously around each other.  Except for the cop.  He needs an ashtray and a job.