It’s hot in Baltimore, hot and humid. We’re all complaining about it even though this is every summer. Biking in this weather feels like riding inside somebody else’s mouth, and it smells like it, too. My body feels it, heart rate all the way up even on rides I’ve done a zillion times. I was traveling for much of July and the first week of August, though, and missed my bike so much. Plus, it’s how I get around, so I spent the last two days of brutal temperatures on it anyway.

And it has been great. I’ve been riding a bike regularly for so long that getting back on after a break feels like coming back home to my body. I even enjoyed the extra sweat, that’s how much I missed it. I get a breeze up my skirt, tuck my short sleeves into my bra straps, and at red lights, I take off my helmet, muss my hair, and hope that the soaking wet parts catch that breeze. Pump my legs, shift up and down, how-you-doin’s everywhere, and I’m home again, home again.

I snapped this picture on my way home on Monday. The air was soaking wet and those clouds looked ominous, but I knew they were faking it, making promises they couldn’t keep. I’d have to wait for Tuesday night for the downpour, and even then, it is still thick out there.

I have never spent so much time on vacation in my entire life, and I get why people love vacation. It was great. And I’m so, so, so happy to be home, nowhere to go for a minute. I’m excited to get back on my bike and back to Baltimore. I love it here.