Thursday’s ride was one of those rides where you pedal around trying to get out of the post-first-day-of-school funk that always follows the heavy excitement of day one. I rode up the hill, ate a sandwich, and then rode down the hill, not sure of my destination. I decided to see if Pratt Street was closed for that boondoggle known as the Baltimore Grand Prix (thinking about the waste of resources makes me apoplectic–don’t get me started). I hate the thing, but if the road was closed to cars, maybe I could sneak in a bike race. No such luck, so I headed east, eventually ending up in Canton for some frozen yogurt and an hour of watching dogs tug around their owners. Continue reading
gardens
View From a Back Porch in Waverly
Wednesday was the first day of classes, and oh, I was excited! I love the first day of school–all the books are new, no one is behind on the readings, all the grandmothers are still alive, and we are all full of hope for an exciting semester of learning together–at least that’s how it feels to me. I get so excitable, though, that I’m pretty much exhausted at the end of just two classes. I drove my car home in the post-teaching haze, rested up for just a bit, and then I hopped on the bike for a slow pedal up and over to Waverly to see R. and her new house, a bike ride I expect to take a lot in the next year. Continue reading
Raised Beds and a Tiny Barn at Exeter Street Gardens in Jonestown
I had plenty of time on Friday for a bike ride and that was exactly what I wanted. After another lazy morning lolling about I hopped on the bike and rode down to meet R. for girl talk and sandwiches at the cafe before riding over to East Baltimore to see what Patterson Park and Canton Crossing have been up to. It had been awhile since I’d pedaled that way–I have no idea what I’ve been doing instead, but it was really good to see what the neighborhood’s been up to. Continue reading
Pink Flowers in Charles Village
It has been a light week on the bicycle–just a quick ride up and down the hill to meet N. for beer and then today’s pedal around the neighborhood–coffee shop in Remington where I saw two other weekend riders–we’re all feeling fine, that Sunday 40 was a good recovery ride, Waverly for a quick visit, and back to Charles Village to meet J. for lunch and plans. After this past weekend’s ride and the ones coming this weekend, this has been just right. I took this picture of pink flowers in someone’s yard, a reminder to slo-o-o-w down, it’s still just spring. Brompty and I take off for NYC on the train in the morning so we can pedal alongside as E. runs the Brooklyn Half Marathon–my kind of travel, and it’ll be good to get some bridge riding in. I see you, summertime, but no rush, seriously.
Flowery Trees at Oregon & Link in Arbutus
Wednesday was meant to be a day with a real-ish bicycle ride, but I had to be on campus all day for an evening trip with S. to D.C. for a truly bizarre evening event. Solution: take Brompty in S.’s car for a ride between meetings! Well, best laid plans, right? A meeting turned into another meeting and then I only had two hours to ride and then we got stuck in the elevator on the way downstairs. Continue reading
Yellow Flowers Along a Fence on 31st Between Old York Road & Frisby
I meant to take the bike out earlier today, but I got wrapped up in work and then I heard about the sadness in Boston, and it took awhile for me to drag myself off the couch and pull my eyes off the screens that had nothing to say but kept saying something. And then I did, and I flew down the hill on my bike, because what else are you going to do? A quick swim, some food and compulsive screen watching, and I was riding back up the hill for a quick stop at J.’s in Waverly before heading in for the night. I snapped this picture of early spring’s bright yellow flowers. I’m not sure what they’re called; to me they are the cat’s claw of the mid-Atlantic, and oh so pretty. It’s only my second spring here, and already these are the flowers I’m waiting for. We really do live in some beautiful places, even when it’s not always pretty.
Blooming Daffodil in the Traffic Circle at Harbor East
This past weekend was just ridiculously warm, totally out of character for a January in Baltimore. I mean, S. rode her bike at night in nothing but a sweatshirt, and she’s a baby when it’s cold out. Today was much, much colder, though, so I layered up, put my hat and gloves on, and prepared for the weepy eyes from the freezing breeze in my face as I roll down the hill. Continue reading
Quiet Has Its Own Set of Problems at Fayette & Fulton
It was like springtime in Baltimore today. The sun was out, the sky was this ridiculous shade of blue, and I had time to ride my bicycle all the way to work. I made a couple of stops, to vote and to pick up a video from the library, exercising both the rights and privileges of citizenship, and then I pedaled down to Fayette, took a right, and just kept going. Continue reading
Sunflowers At Baronne & Soniat
It’s hot outside. I know, I know, it’s only June and I’m already whining like a little baby, but it is so hot outside. It’s the kind of hot where you step outside and your glasses fog up and you choke a little on the thickness of it all. That’s what happened when I stepped out of the house this afternoon to head up to work. My legs were heavy, so instead of fight it, I just slowed my roll–a good general rule this time of year. I stopped at Soniat and Baronne to take a picture of the tall yellow sunflowers already in bloom. That’s the flip side of the heat, and once I get used to the heat, it’s worth it: flowers like this, for months and months and months. And they’re best seen by bike.
Sunflowers at Eastman and Allendale
I am on another vacation, this one courtesy of my dear old friends E. and S. and their Southwest Airlines frequent flyer ticket. I am all the way in Oakland, California, where it is cold and foggy in the mornings, even thought it’s August, but this afternoon, because I am one seriously lucky girl, the fog burned off as we walked through Muir Woods, taking in the tallest living organisms on earth–the coastal redwoods (though there’s some fungus in Oregon challenging for the title–*shaking fist at Oregon’s fungus*). Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 