I read myself to sleep last night with a bike repair book, so woke up with an urgent need to clean and maintain my bikes.  Rhoda’s chain has been skipping a lot lately, and even the pedaling has felt off.  So I treated her to a new chain, and she feels so, so much better.  After riding to and from work I decided to meet K. to take Jack out for a spin on the levee.  Gusty winds meant I got to play with gears and it felt good.  We took a break under the Huey P. before heading back, enjoying that tailwind.  I was going to head straight home but decided instead to take a spin around Audubon Park.  Man, it is seriously nice to spin along smooth asphalt.  I took a seat on a park bench in the shade to watch the birds on the Island.  They were so talkative today–I wish cameras could capture the sounds.  If you look in the upper left part of this picture you can just make out one of the herons flying towards the trees.  I sat and watched that bird for a good thirty minutes as it flew to collect sticks and branches to deposit with a much smaller and fluffier version of itself in a growing nest.  The smaller, fluffier bird then seemed to putter around, moving other branches back and forth, building out the nest.  It was incredibly relaxing sitting in the park with the herons, the noisy geese, the duck pairs, the turtles coming up for air…yeah, it was a day to sit in the park with my bike and my camera.