Oh, I needed a day just like today following this weekend’s trip. I had a wonderful time in New Orleans, no doubt, but it’s hard to go to a place that feels like home and realize you don’t get to live there anymore, especially when the place is so full of love. And then it was back in Baltimore, a few hours of sleep, and back at work, nary a moment to breathe and remember that we–me and my bike–live here now. Continue reading
The Gold Dusters at 3636 St. Charles
And then I got on a bike, took a right then a quick right, a left then a right, and I was on Baronne, headed Uptown to meet C. and P. for parades filled with floats and bands and Metairie’s best dance troops. Oh, it’s good to be back home, or in this home, at any rate.
Parked Suburban at 26th & St. Paul
I didn’t have time for a bike ride today, but I did have time for a short walk around the neighborhood, and what did I see? A giant suburban parked in front of a curb cut, over a crosswalk. Riding a bike regularly and also driving and being a pedestrian means I have a sense of sharing roads and sidewalks. This isn’t how we do it. Sigh. Anyway, I miss my bike and won’t get to ride tomorrow either, but that’s because I will be flying to New Orleans. Oh my, but I can’t wait to ride around that city again! See you there!
Gates at 25th & Calvert
I had a long day of reading, writing, and teaching, but I had to have the energy to ride my bike just down the hill to Mt. Vernon–I mean what am I going to do, drive and park there? Please. It was a pleasure, though, because it mean meeting V. for dinner at that Indian place that smells like butter. We ate too much, swapped teaching strategies (what do you do when they start crying?), and then it was time to lug my exhausted self back up the hill to home. Continue reading
Looking Up the Hill at Mt. Olivet Cemetery at Frederick & Parksley
Today’s ride took me over to campus to fetch my car after its exciting weekend parked in a lot. The day was ridiculously sunny and the sky a wild blue and I was feeling like quite the lucky duck, with my free afternoon (meetings cancelled!) and my sweet ride. I took a slightly different route since I didn’t have to hurry and rode down Maryland, past the library, and took a right on Saratoga. Continue reading
Plexiglass Flag On The Star-Spangled Flag House at Pratt & Albemarle
Well, it wasn’t all sunshine and blue skies like yesterday, but I was still excited to hop on the bike this morning for a ride around town. I headed to Hampden for brunch and some light reading and then to the Jones Falls Trail to snake my way downtown for a visit to the Lewis Museum and their new Dandy Lion exhibit. Continue reading
Railroad Tracks From the Gwynns Falls Trail near Wilkens & Dukeland
I had one of those unexpectedly busy days, literally wall-to-wall meetings since allegedly none of us have anything to do on Fridays, and I woke up already frustrated that I wouldn’t get to ride my bicycle. If you know me, or even if you don’t, you can probably guess that not riding my bike makes me a grouchy, and no bike ride on a sunny Friday afternoon? That wouldn’t be pretty. Continue reading
Abandoned Fleece Scarf at 27th & St. Paul
Ok, something’s really wrong here. It’s February 1, and I went out in a flimsy dress and a light sweater and was plenty warm. I had a good day of self-care, car-care, and lounging before it was time to take the bike to the coffee shoppe to get back to work. I wrote some words, read some stuff for class, and organized students into small groups, not of their choosing, and then it was time to get back on the bike and head back up the hill to home. Continue reading
Sunset Over Druid Hill Park From the Reservoir
Some days the bike ride really does feel like a hamster wheel, and today was one of those, which is exactly what I wanted. I woke up with the sense that something wasn’t right, couldn’t shake it through reading, meetings, emailing, or writing, so at the end of the day, I put on my bike shoes and took my bike to the reservoir to do laps, one after another, listening to a song or two on repeat. Continue reading
Blighted Building in Carroll Park in Pigtown
Oh, it was a beautiful day for a bike ride, so after a morning reading in bed with cats, I hopped on the bike and whizzed down the hill to meet J. and J. for lunch. We wandered from their hotel to the Inner Harbor, passing all the other conventioneers, before settling in for turkey burgers and side salads and fries. It was so good to catch up with an old friend–just what I needed. It was still warm out at the end of the afternoon, so I took my bike on a ride past Camden Yards, into Pigtown and Washington Heights, and then along the Gwynns Falls Trail. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 