Oh, I had such a busy day today. I was up early, rode the bike to campus, and then just taught, four classes, no time to much other than what I was there to do. How rare is that? Anyway, I was ready to just be home when my last class was out at 5:15, but I had to ride my bike to get there. I wasn’t looking forward to the short 2.5 mile ride, so I decided to change it up by getting off St. Charles and taking Willow downtown instead. Continue reading
nature
Ferns Growing on a Building at S. Peters and St. Joseph
I finished up a project I’ve been working on for some months today, so as a reward, I gave myself the afternoon to ride my bike around, drop into a National Park Visitor’s Center–you know, the usual Friday afternoon of a National Park/bicycle obsessed academic. I put my passport in my pannier and thought to toss a poncho in there, just in case. Well, I made it to the Pontchartrain Expressway underpass when the sky just opened up. Sigh. I waited for awhile underneath the expressway, hoping it was one of those momentary summer thunderstorms. I impatiently put on my bright yellow poncho, thinking I could make it to the Quarter, but man, that kind of rain, when you wear glasses? Impossible. I hung out under an overhang for awhile longer until suddenly the rain was just gone. Weather in this place is nuts. I continued on my way and took a left at N. Peters to shoot down to Decatur. I stopped to take a picture of this white brick building on the corner of N. Peters and St. Joseph. You can’t tell in this picture, but there’s a veritable waterfall streaming from the top of the building where pipes are funneling water away from the rooftop. Continue reading
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
Sailboat on Lake Pontchartrain
A ridiculously hot–RealFeel(tm) 110 degrees!–and sticky summertime Saturday afternoon? Don’t mind if I do! I hopped on the Surly and headed to Mid-City for lovely brunch with A. I meant to go home afterward, get some work done, but I just kept pedaling. I just wanted to see the lake today. I headed up the Wisner bike path, snaking through patches of shade, and then up Lakeshore. Continue reading
Tchefuncte River at Fairview-Riverside State Park
It was supposed to rain all day today, but I headed out of the hotel with high hopes for a reprieve in the afternoon so I could get a quick bike ride in. After some spitting rain while I tooled around the Covington farmer’s market, the sun came out and it was simply a beautiful day. I went to Madisonville for some maritime history and background before taking the bike out for a ride along the Tchefuncte River. Continue reading
Green Along the Tammany Trace Between Abita Springs and Covington
Back in March I was a little tipsy and there was a silent auction and I was in the mood to bid. I ended up with two weekend stays at hotels in Covington, and I’ve got to say, best bidding ever. I tossed the Surly in the back of my car and drove over the bridge to redeem my coupon here at the Residence Inn. I stopped at the Insta-Gator Ranch for a tour–not recommended–and then to the Abita Brew Pub for a beer and some sweet potato fries–highly recommended–to fuel a quick fifteen miles on the lovely Tammany Trace. Continue reading
Davis Bayou in the Gulf Islands National Seashore
It’s still the holidays, I think, so today I tossed the Surly in the back of my car, grabbed my National Parks Passport, and headed to Mississippi to get a cancellation stamp from Davis Bayou, part of the Gulf Islands National Seashore. The gulf shoreline along scenic highway 90 looks a lot different than it did this time last year. It’s still eerily quiet and relatively empty, but now there are roving bands of workers in matching t-shirts and reflective vests carrying clear trash bags, raking through the sand, hunting for oil. Continue reading
Sunflowers at Baronne and Erato
Today was the last day of summer school–school’s out!–and I spent the afternoon bouncing around town, lunch with N., pinkberry with S., and racquetball with R. It felt good to get some sun on this most lovely day. I rode up Baronne realizing it had actually been a week or two since this particular route in the daytime; I hoped those sunflowers over on Erato would still be in bloom. Continue reading
Golden Cosmos at Joseph and Patton
I was zipping around town today, feeling good in the sunshine. I swear it’s getting cooler even though the numbers aren’t changing. After teaching and some time in the office I headed over to N.’s for some World Cup action. That is some tense sporting, my friends. I watched one of the players for Italy attempt a bicycle kick on a ball that was just a little too high. I quickly realized that all my time in the saddle has done nothing whatsoever to prepare me for my duties on the pitch. Alas. Continue reading
Truck and Flowering Tree at Camp and Toledano
My legs were kind of wilty today after yesterday’s ride so I kept my ride to the commute to campus for class and then back home. I pedaled along, noticing the lushness that all this heat and humidity give us. Back at the beginning of spring we got the brilliant azaleas and that insidious cat’s claw and the cloying jasmine. I always feel a little sad as the heat comes on because I know it’s the end of that first wild color, but lately as I ride around I’ve been noticing the outrageous fuschias and purples and the sparkling bright whites of these flowering trees. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 