Ok, just two weather-related things: 38 degrees is a whole lot easier on the toes that 20 degrees, and please, Baltimore, turn down the wind machines. Anyway. It was a sunny day, dry roads, and I happily hopped on the bike and sped down the hill and over to Canton for another swimming lesson. After some practice with the breaststroke (Rob says I have naturally good timing, not that I’m bragging or anything) it was back on the bike for a ride to the west side to meet S. for lunch and a chat about what she does, what I do, and how we might do a thing or two together. That leg of the ride took me on Lombard and in the bus/bike lane, which I just adore. Bike lanes are often so narrow and right next to parked cars, and oh what a treat to just take a whole entire lane on a broad and well-paved street and just be traffic! I pedaled along, slowed by the bus, and then I took my left and got all tangled up in Ridgely’s Delight. The place is I guess best known as the birthplace of Babe Ruth, but I know it best for its one-ways and incredibly long traffic lights, another place that’s hard to get into but easy to get out. It is named after plantation owner Charles Ridgely, though the idea of a plantation being delightful is a frightening one, to me; all the good old days Confederate balls and such tell me we’re not all on the same page on that one. Craftspeople lived here, and then rich people who made their homes fancypants, like the one with the portico balcony bits tucked in between the brick houses. Now it is home to commuters, another identity category I’d like never to occupy, and it sits in the shadow of the stadiums. I felt like a slow walk on my way out of Ridgely’s Delight, so I pushed my bike toward the Inner Harbor, turned down several kind offers of help from fellow bicyclists–nope, no flat tire, just walking–and finally got back on for a ride up Fallsway. What a nice, nice day. I needed it.