Oh, it wasn’t easy to leave the perfect mid-70s sunshine of New Orleans for the sleeting skies of Baltimore, but I live here now, so there you go. Yesterday was a bit chilly, but we got a surprise (to me) warm up under heavy clouds today. Things started to look more and more like rain, so I put on my bike shoes and headed to the park for a few turns around the reservoir. It was so, so warm, so I took off my coat, shoved it in my pannier, and pedaled my way to the park. It was good to be back on a bike that sticks to the road like mine does, and Baltimore looked downright pretty with its blue-grayness, lacy trees against the sky, and wet golden grasses. The clouds were dipping low in the sky in that way where you can see the slice of storm underneath them, and I knew I better pedal fast if I was going to make it home dry. The two sides of the reservoir were two different weather systems, one into a strong headwind that made everything cold, the other side a calm and speedy ride in spring warmth. I stopped on the first lap to snap this picture of the geese all settled in on the water–I can’t believe it’s this pretty a ten minute bike ride from my house. On the second turn the geese sat while the crows all rose at once and headed for the trees. They were on to something; by the time I made it to the tennis courts, the rain had started. At first I only heard it, but by the time I was back on the street things really opened up and I was drenched. Never start a ride in the rain, my dad says, but sometimes you have to end them in it. It was alright by me today–it’s good to be home.