Oh, it is good to be back home in Baltimore, especially after a 14 hour drive from St. Louis–that’s a lot of sitting, which leaves me even more sore than pumping my not-quite-enough-gears Brompty up and down the hills of suburbia. After a lazy morning of recovery and answering work emails I’d left for after the holiday I hopped on the Surly to enjoy this balmy 50 degree day. Continue reading
sunset
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
Sun Setting Over Druid Hill Park From the Reservoir Path
It’s the end of the semester, and I’ve been burning the candle at about fifteen ends, so by the time this Friday rolled around I was tired, tired, tired. Nope, I didn’t feel like getting on my bike. I felt like getting in bed with cats and starting a new book, but I also knew that once I started pedaling, I’d be glad to be spinning around. And, of course, I was right. Continue reading
Sunset Over Hollygrove From Leonidas & Eagle
I spent most of the day working–first from home and then from the office–so I was definitely in the mood for a bit of a ride around town at the end of it, in spite of the heady winds. We don’t have hills here, so windy days feel like my only chance to “hill” train, so I decided to pedal against it for awhile. I headed up Oak Street past Carrollton to check out how the fancy new street is looking. (Good, but it’s way too narrow for parking on both sides, cars each way, and a stray bike or two.) I turned at Eagle and headed toward Hollygrove, stopping to check out the new water treatment plant being storm-proofed at Spruce Street. Continue reading
Sunset Over Lee Circle From the Fifth Floor of the Ogden Museum
Oh, the difference a few degrees and a few more percentage points of humidity make! I didn’t need to towel off following my couple miles bike commute to campus. After work there was practically a chill in the air! Well, not quite, but close enough. I headed down to the museum for music and to check out their exhibit of photographs from right after the levees broke following Katrina. Continue reading
Sunset Over S. Joseph and Toledano
There’s no way for me to get a picture that could possibly show what the sky looked like when I left for a ride to Mid-City. As I rolled out my door, the sky was a dozen shades of pink and orange and blue. Some parts of the sky looked like pulled taffy, thick ribbons of color across the horizon. The view was eerily beautiful as it gave way to night. The ride home was a little different. Yep, it was dark out, and the street lights seem to work only intermittently. All the more reason to make sure we use headlights, especially since it’s going to be the law on Monday. Front and back lights, folks, for safety and because it’s the law. Safe riding!
Pink Skies Over Constance and Valence Streets
As I was cycling Uptown in my black dress under the beating sun, struggling a little to breathe in the heat and humidity, I wondered if every blog for the next six months will start with a remark about the weather. Maybe, maybe not, but today it was hot in a whole new way. It was that choking heat, the kind that makes you slow way down, reminds you why everything’s a little slower in the South. Continue reading
Sunset Over Our Lady of Guadalupe Church on N. Rampart
I spent the day in my neighborhood doing some writing and thinking about after I finished my writing and could get on my bike. My legs were so tired after the weekend that I was a little nervous the ride today would be work instead of play, but I was lucky and found the pedals spinning just fine as I headed Uptown to the office. Continue reading
What I Saw Riding My Bike Around Today 