While It Lasts

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It rained, but not until the afternoon.

The morning began with sun - sun and humidity. I thought we might be in for a real taste of St.Louis Summer. By lunchtime, however, it wasn't as "sticky" as I feared.

When I came out to ride home it was obvious it had rained.

The bike was wet. Yes, it had rained, but it hadn't rained as much as I would have liked. I was being very cautious as I left Downtown. I was leery of those patches where the rain had been just enough to mix with oil residue on the streets making for one slick mess. I'm happy to say traction seemed fine.

As I rode farther south it appeared to have rained more. I was grateful.

Once again, I rode home without being rained on. The odds will catch up eventually. Ironically, the first year I rode, I rode in lots of rain. It seemed to rain on me all the time. I'm enjoying this streak while it lasts.

• 71F/22C, sunny and muggy for the ride to work.
• 81F/27C and overcast for the ride home.

We'll See.

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was another day without rain, although it sure felt like it wanted to at lunchtime. At least one of my friends had planned to go out for lunch, but decided to stay closer.

By afternoon there were plenty of clouds, but it was plenty bright.

Rain is still in the forecast for tomorrow, but it is only a slight chance. The way the weather works here, tomorrow just may be the day I get rained on. We'll see.

• 71F/22C and cloudy for the ride to work. Today the smoked visor stayed up.
• 85F/29C and partly sunny for the ride home. 

Still Sunny

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

This is what mostly cloudy with a 60% chance of showers and possible thunderstorms looked like today.

It was becoming more cloudy as I rode home.

I heard the beginning of the baseball game was delayed for a while due to rain, but we didn't get any here. I guess I got out of Downtown just in time.

• 67F/ and I pulled the smoked visor down for the ride to work for the first time in two weeks.
• 84F/ and increasingly cloudy for the ride home.

Is It Really Tuesday?

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Yes, it is Tuesday even though for many of us in the United States it felt like a Monday.

No matter what day of the week it was, I must say I love most any day when 40% chance of showers with Thunderstorms likely looks like this ...

By the way, that is also how mostly cloudy looks to the National Weather Service. I'll take that, too.

Tomorrow the forecast is up to 60% chance of showers with Thunderstorms still likely. I hope it looks as good, but ...

• 68F/20C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 84F/29C and mostly cloudy for the home ride.

Grateful

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The son of a friend was hit last night. A car made a left turn in front of him. He came away from the crash with a broken leg. His mother was very pleased her $800 investment in protective gear paid off. I'm grateful it had the outcome it did. I'm told he's eager to heal and ride again. He's mother says she'll believe it when he tells her this after the drugs wear off.

I don't know if it is original with Dom over at Redleg's Rides, but he is where I heard it. He says, "Ride as if you are invisible and made of glass." Truth.

I'm always grateful when I make it to my destination safely. Today I was even more grateful.

And . . .

It was a beautiful day to be Downtown.

I spent some time in Citygarden.  It surprises me how after spending hours and hours and hours in this place I still catch a sight I've not seen before.

Of course, watching the people and spying on strangers is always fun.

And the children and the sprinklers. Oh my!

The only bad thing about being outside is having to go back inside.

I would of rather stayed in the park and listen to the peonies sing.

• 67F/19C with a few clouds for the ride Downtown.
• 81F/27C, calm, bright, and delicious for the home safe.

At Least . . .

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was another very nice day.

There was plenty of sunshine and it wasn't as humid as yesterday.

The closing was today on Heather's Grandparent's house. One less thing for her to juggle. I'm hopeful we'll get to spend some fun time together over the upcoming three day weekend. At least, there should be time for rest.

• 71F/22C and some clouds for the ride to work.
• 80F/27C and some clouds for the home ride. Yep, it didn't change a whole lot throughout the day.,

A Taste of Summer

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

We had a little taste of summer today.

Lots of sun during the day.

And some clouds ...

A thunderstorm rolled through in the late afternoon ...

Billie on the rack waiting her turn.

And by the time Billie and I made our way to Mike's after work, it was sunny and steamy.

Billie was just in for routine maintenance and a good look over. It was almost a pit stop. Heather and I have been way too busy. I have reason to hope things will be slowing down at least a little soon. Until then I'm grateful Billie continues to be a low maintenance gal.

• 73F/23C and some clouds for the ride to work.
• 83F/28C with lots of sun and more than enough humidity for the ride to Mike's and on home. 

I Can't Imagine

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I can't imagine anyone who is a rider and was able to ride not riding today. It was another stunning day here in the Heartland.

Urban Wildlife: Robin and Rabbit.

There was much activity back near the parking area.

Billie was tucked safely away from the action.

The workers were long gone by quitting time.

Tomorrow there is a slight chance of Thunderstorms. Billie and I are going to see Mike tomorrow night after work. I suspect the weather won't interfere with those plans.

• 68F/20C and pretty clear for the ride to work.
• 89F/32C and lots of sunshine for the home ride.

Tulips Gone

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Today was the day they pulled up the tulips.

All during the day folks were picking over the discarded bulbs.

An attorney friend of mine was mightily embarrassed when I caught her in the act.

It was brightly overcast again today. And it was breezy. There were gusts over 35hph. When I saw the forecast this morning I decided to take the Red Fox. It is a much more stable ride in the wind than is the Symba. I've also discovered I make it to work around 10 minutes earlier if I take the Kymco. I can honestly say I don't go any faster on the Kymco, but I do go quicker.

• 56F/13C and cloudy for the ride to work.
• 78F/25.5C and a bright silvery sky for the home ride.

Glad For It Being Friday

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was beautiful. Some folks thought it cold. I was parking Billie this morning a co-worker came by. "Did you take those muffs off your bike?" I told her I did. She then accused me of being the cause of the cooler weather. It was good-natured ribbing ... I think.

On my morning break I went across 11th Street to the 1010 Market Building. There is a sandwich shop there and I often get a beverage there. I love the lobby of this building and have taken photos of it before. It is an oasis especially in the winter months. It has an open feeling with lots of light. You can see the Courthouse and the blue sky reflected on the marble sitting area.

After work the sky was full of clouds with strong personality. It has been an odd Spring. Even on the days when it is sunny the sky has seemed more silver than blue, more brightly overcast than populated with clouds. Today we had clouds.

It has been a strange week. Heather had Jury Duty. This meant we had lunch together everyday. This was a good thing. It also meant I was off schedule which is stressful for me. I am very glad for it being Friday.

• 44F/ and partly sunny for the ride to work.
• 58F/ with a blue sky full of personality for the ride home.

Sun

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

There was sun!

There also was rain, but I didn't see it. There was sun for the ride to work. There was sun for the lunchtime walk. There was sun during the ride home. If there hadn't of been puddles I wouldn't have known it stormed. Some areas even got hail. I wonder what tomorrow will bring?

• 48F/9C and cloudy but with the sun peeking through for the ride to work.
• 55F/13C and plenty of sunshine for the home ride.

Full Day

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was a very full day. I find it is past my bedtime and here I am just beginning to think about my blog entry. Oy very!

I did get to ride in the rain, finally! I, also, had an opportunity to make a somewhat panicky stop on wet pavement, the kind of stop which has been problematic with the Symba. In the past the front wheel would lock, and that was big trouble. I'd always thought it was my grabbing the brake, and no doubt that was a part of it, but the new front brake pads make a world of difference. It was a beautiful stop with lots of room to spare.

Maybe more rain tomorrow. We'll see.

• 53F/12C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 51F/11C with a nice gentle steady rain for the home ride.

A Little Rain

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It rained enough during my ride Downtown to make my boots nice and shiny.

My windscreen even looked rained on.

We welcomed Vulcan Rider back. Rain in forecast didn't keep his bike in the garage.

There was a light mist all day. The streets and sidewalks never completely dried, but they never really got wet either. Tomorrow the chance of showers has been boosted to 80% and the temperatures have dropped significantly. I have friends who are turning back on their heat. I'm looking forward to some good sleeping weather. I guess some things are a matter of perspective.

• 61F/16C and a light rain for the ride to work.
• 56F/13C and overcast for the home ride.

Rain?

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The forecast was for a 50% chance of rain. It didn't rain on me for my ride into work.

I parked Billie in her spot just in case one of the "possibly servere" thunderstorms found its way to us. Notice there are no Hippohands.

On my morning break I noticed there was only one tulip bloom left. Soon they will come and pull up all the bulbs. And if they follow past practice they plant hostas.

When I came out after work I noticed someone had been painting on the street.

A number of the streets in Downtown are torn up. There is a big sewer replacement project going on. Hmmm, I wonder if there will be some inconvenience in my future. Oh, and notice the pavement is still dry.

It's supposed to be rainy all week. We'll see. I hope it turns out to be rainy just like today did.

• 75F/24C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 87F/30.5C, humid and hazy-cloudy for the home ride.

25

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

With rain in the area and Vulcan Rider on vacation I wasn't surprised to find Billie had the parking area to herself.

Other than a few sprinkles in the morning, hardly enough to make the pavement wet, the rain stayed to the South or the North of where I was.

I rode home under bright cloudy skies.

And Billie reached a milestone. She turned 25.

• 69F/20.5C with some sprinkles for the ride to work.
• 80F/27C and bright for the home ride.

Truman's Birthday

Nope, I didn't ride to work today.

And . . .

I didn't do any other riding either.

I did inline skate and . . .

I was most pleased.

Mesh In the Morning ...

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was 71F/22C when I left for work. What's that old saying, "Mesh in the morning, concentration take warning"? I suspect I just made that up, but it is true nonetheless. Today I was grateful my work area doesn't have a window. Keeping my mind on my work would have been a real challenge.

On the way home I had a chance encounter with a friend. He was riding his BMW and came up next to me as I waited at a stoplight. We didn't have long to chat. He asked me if it wasn't a little warm for Hippohands. I admitted to just being lazy. I'm off work tomorrow. Maybe I will take them off. It's not like it's a big job or takes much time. Like I said, I've just been lazy.

Yes, I'm off work tomorrow. It is Harry S. Truman's Birthday. He was the 33rd President of the United States. He was born and raised in Missouri. I think we who work for the State are the only people who have this day off. I love it.

When I got home tonight, I happened to look down as I walked by the recycling bin.

I'm thinking Leo has taken up origami...or, it was simply random. Still, I picked it up very carefully and disposed of it respectfully just in case it was faerie remains. It can't hurt to be cautious.

• 71F/22C and a little cloudy for the ride to work.
• 85F/29C and plenty of sunshine for the ride home.

Birds

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was another wondrous weather day.

Another day spent inside.

I did escape for a few moments around lunchtime.

The birds were busy feeding, bathing and drying themselves. Soon the raptors will be returning and it won't be such a bird's life Downtown. But, for now, life is good.

60F/16C with a few clouds for the ride to work.
86F/30C and brightly cloudy for the ride home.

A Taste of Summer

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

There were motorcycles and scooters everywhere.

At lunchtime people were everywhere.

I was a little surprised there were only three bikes in the parking area. Yes, I rode the Red Fox. I didn't get a chance to ride over the weekend. The plan had been to take the really long way home. Then a co-worker reminded me it was Cinco de Mayo. This has turned into another major drinking holiday. Safe seemed home directly.

• 58F/14C and cloudy for the ride to work.
• 86F/30C with clouds, but lots of sunshine for the ride home.

Cognitively Cloudy

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Today was the second "Bad Brain Day" in a row.

It would have been best if I could have spent the day riding. Fortunately, my job allows me to work pretty much off on my own. I had very little distraction.

Still, I was very happy when the end of the day came and I could ride.

I am glad tomorrow is Saturday. I'm not sure I'll be able to ride, but I will be able to rest.

• 48F/9C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 62F/17C and a little sunshine for the ride home. 

Some Sunshine

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

There was sun.

There are still lots of bushes and trees blossoming. There are leaves appearing on many of the trees.

But, there are many just now shooting leaves.

It was still chilly today by the native's standards. Heaven knows I seen warmer May Days, and I have certainly seen colder.

• 44F/7C and sunshine for the ride to work.
• 55F/13C and overcast for the home ride.