Who Knows

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I stopped and talked to the woman walkers. They have been walking the same 4 mile route together for eleven years. Of course, they were completely unaware they had traded sides earlier in the week. There was no reason they were aware of. When I mentioned I passed them nearly everyday, they admitted they hadn't noticed me. Today I was on the Kymco. When I mentioned I normally rode a little black and white bike they the story changed. Yes, they had noticed me. The red bike threw them off.

It was another beautiful day here, but since there was a chance for afternoon showers it was just me and the Chieftain today. I did see the proud new owner and had a chance to ask him how he liked his new bike. He loves it. But, he should, he said, it was brand new. He's waiting until after a year of riding in all the different seasons before he makes a judgment on how he likes it. He honestly believes he won't know if he got a really good deal for seven years. By then if he still likes it and hasn't had a heap of trouble he'll know he got a good deal. Until then, who knows?

• 76F/24C with some clouds for the ride to work.
• 87F/30.5C, bright, silvery, and cloudy for the home ride.

By the way, I'm taking a few days off starting tomorrow. Hopefully, I be back next Tuesday.

Walking Poles, a Crash (Not Mine), a Goldwing, and a Bunny.

Yes I rode to work today.

And . . .

Every morning I pass these two women. They are walking. One has walking poles the other doesn't. Everyday for as long as I've been riding to work the woman with the walking poles has walked on the inside. I was surprised Monday when she was walking on the outside. I wondered why the change. I almost stopped to ask her what was up with the change, but didn't. Tuesday same thing. Today she was back to walking on the inside. I have no idea if they notice me. I think not. Would I have noticed them if I was in the car everyday. Probably not. Why? Because I wouldn't be on that street if I was commuting to work by car.

Nor would I have seen the aftermath of a Corvette ramming into a cellphone store.

You can barely make out the hole in the building with the camera man standing in front of it as a reporter reads the story.

There was a reporter on the scene as I went by. I didn't get a very good picture. Later I looked up what had happened. You can click here for the story and a much better photo of the damage. Ah, life in the City.

The weather was so nice today that even the Goldwing came to work.

Again, not my cup of tea ...

But ...

It is a head turner.

The deputy who owns it puts a lot of highway miles on it during the Summer. He doesn't bring it to work all that often and never when there is rain in the forecast.

Finally, I hadn't see the bunnies in over a week I was getting worried. Today when I came out after work I spied one hunkered down in the grass.

Maybe the eagle detail on the Goldwing frightened it.

• 73F/23C and sunny for the ride to work.
• 86F/30C and plenty sunny for the ride home.

I Was Wondering

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The forecast indicated both ride times would be dry, but there was a very good possibility of heavy rain in between. I was wondering if I'd see the Chieftain. I knew I would have seen the Vulcan. I didn't take a photo, but trust me it was there. It appears this is one Indian which will not be babied.

By afternoon the sky was making up for all the boring it has been showing.

I rode the Red Fox today. It was her first time out in over a week, maybe even two. I didn't take the real long way home, but I definitely stretched her legs some.

• 74F/23C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 86F/30C with plenty of blue sky and sunshine peeking out around the clouds for the ride home.

A Head Turner

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The suspense is over.

As I rode up into the parking area it was obvious Vulcan Rider had made his decision.

Not my cup of tea, but it certainly is a head turner.

I certainly can't find fault with the color.

I've not had a chance to talk to him. I'm eager to hear what he thinks of his new beast of burden. I'm, also, curious if having the Chieftain will change his choices of when to ride or not.

• 76F/24C and pretty cloudy for the ride to work.
• 89F/32C and mostly cloudy for the ride home.

Clouds

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was a day of scattered showers. None of them found me while I was riding. The one Heather drove through on our way the Shul was pretty intense. Yet, when we got to where we were going, it hadn't even rained there.

It was also a day of clouds.

I think this may be the first cloud photos of the year.

Busy weekend. Tomorrow will be the Fringe Festival. Sunday we're planning on watching the sunrise at Woodhenge over at Cahokia Mounds. Of course, the weather is supposed to be much like today which means we could be dodging rain storms all day both days. Such is life in the Heartland.

• 78F/25.5C with some clouds and rather "sticky" for the ride to work.
• 90F/32C and a sky with lots of personality for the home ride.

It Is Late

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

All went well yesterday.

I spent the evening with my daughter. She is visiting from Virginia. It is late, but one quick story.

There is a police officer I see many mornings. We often enter the Courthouse together and have one of those pleasant workplace friendships. Today I missed her when I came in, but after I took off my gear I went across the street to get my morning coffee. As I was coming back in the Courthouse she was leaving. I'm not sure she has ever seen me without my gear. She looked at me and asked, "Did you ride your motorcycle today?" I responded, "Yes, I even ride when its nice out." She thought that was pretty funny and I didn't have the heart to tell her it wasn't the first time I'd used the line.

Goodnight for now, and ride beautiful.

• 80F/27C, cloudy, but plenty of sun in my eyes for the ride to work.
• 92F/33C with a few clouds for the home ride.

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I came home early. This was planned. I am prepping for my once every decade Colonoscopy. The procedure will be preformed early tomorrow morning and then I will nap and eat the day away. Or, at least, that's what I remember happening a little over ten year ago. My memory is the prep is worse than the procedure. Truthfully, the prep hasn't been all that bad.

It was warm again today. I rode home when the sun was high. I'm glad I have a light colored mesh jacket. Black would have been sooooo hot. And, while looking "hot" is a good thing, being "toasty hot" is not.

• 79F/26C , hazy and partly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 91F/33C and not cloudy enough to block the sun for the ride home.

A Name Change?

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I got sprinkled on. It was almost a complete surprise. I've lived here long enough to know when it gets muggy, a little pop-up shower can manifest. Still, it took me off guard.

If you look close you can see the telltale splatters of  the sprinkle I rode to work in. I'm glad it didn't became a shower.

Later I talked to Vulcan Rider and got more surprising news. He told to say my goodbyes to his Vulcan. He's getting a new bike. Alas, it will not be a Vulcan. This will mean a name change. I'm told Prince rode a Vulcan in Purple Rain. Perhaps I will need to rechristen him "The Deputy Formerly Known as Vulcan Rider". Hmmm, a little long.

I also discovered a small Beetle infestation near the Courthouse.

Funnily enough, the man checking out the convertible later walked over and got into the white one. I couldn't help but wonder if they just happened to park so close to one another. That seems nearly too much of a coincidence. Alas, I'll never know. I'm really glad there wasn't the middle generation present. As far as I'm concerned they could have skipped that one entirely.

It was a warm ride home, but thankfully the humidity had broke. It was plenty comfortable as long as I was moving.

• 76F/24C, humid with a few sprinkles for the ride to work.
• 92F/33C and partly cloudy for the ride home.

0% Chance

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

There is nothing like a forecast of 0% chance of rain to fill up the motorcycle parking area. By the way, I was the only non-cruiser.

Off topic. One of the things I like about being grown up* is eating a whole can of black olives without my mother making a comment about me taking on the attributes of another mammal, one with a flat nose and and curly tail. Oh, and I mixed them with some brussel sprouts just to totally gross out Heather who can't stand either. :^)

• 62F with sun for the ride to work.
• 75F with a few clouds for the home ride.

*I suspect whether I'm all grown up might be debated by some.

Okay with me

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Today the rain held off until after I was home. It was nice to ride in the last last night and it was even nicer to ride home in the dry.

Nor did today bring any unusual animal sightings. I saw no goats or pigs.

I did see a couple of rabbits. They are quite accustomed to humans being around.

Even so, apparently I got a little too close for this creature's comfort.

Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be beautiful. That is okay with me.

• 62F/17C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 71F/22C with a sprinkle or two for the home ride.

Oh My!

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was dry both going to work and coming home. The forecasters say it is unseasonably cool. I think it is just right.

And . . .

It seems it was livestock day Downtown.

First there was the goat. I went outside on my morning break and there it was. It isn't everyday you see a goat Downtown. Truthfully, in the years I've worked Downtown I've never seen a goat Downtown. Later I found out a guy is walking from Seattle to New York with his goat. You can see a short video about it here.

At lunchtime I noticed this woman with a big dog crate. This, too, is an unusual site Downtown.

When I looked closer I saw there wasn't a dog inside the crate.

There was a pig! Later I found out the pig's name is Walter and he's a Barn Buddy animal ambassador from Longmeadow Rescue Ranch, a Division of the Humane Society of Missouri. Just exactly what he was doing Downtown I'm not sure, but I think it involved a TV appearance. You can read more about the Ranch by clicking here.

I really do like working Downtown.

• 63F/17C and sort of cloudy for the ride to work.
• 71F/22C and still mostly cloudy for the ride home, but then it cleared off nicely.

It Rained.

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was a beautiful ride into work.

After work? It was nice, too. But . . .

It started to rain just as I was putting on my helmet.

The rain picked as I left Downtown.

It rained steadily all the way home. This was the first test of my summer raingear. It do as well as my winter gear. Oh well, better to find out on a 30min ride rather than a 3hr one.

The Kymco handled wonderfully in the rain.

Of course, it began to let up as soon as I got home. By the time I left to meet Heather for an Introduction to Birding class at the local Community College it had stopped completely.

I do like riding in a nice steady rain.
69F/20.5C and cloudy for the ride to work.
67F/19C with a nice steady rain and a mild thunderstorm thrown in to spice up my ride home.

No Rain

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

There was no rain in the morning. It was cloudy, but no rain.

I rode home and . . .

. . . pulled into my alley just as it began to sprinkle. Only after the Red Fox was tucked in for the night and the garage taken out dumpster did it begin to rain. I'm getting a gnawing feeling I going to pay for all this good luck.

• 65F/18C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 74F/23C and overcast for the home ride.

The Truck

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Once again I had a beautiful weather both ways.

I, also, left a little early and rode the Red Fox in hopes of getting a photo this truck. I've shown a photo of the bike before and at the time wondered if it really was rode as it was fit out or if it was an image thing. The truck showed up a few months ago. First time I saw it I wondered if I had slipped into a Mad Max movie. Nearly every day the bike is parked there. During the worse of the snow it did disappear for a few days. Once I even saw a couple either getting ready to go or just getting back. I couldn't quite tell.

• 68F/20C and overcast with haze for the ride to work.
• 82F/28C and brightly overcast for the home ride. It was definitely more comfortable with the smoked visor down. 

The Body Does Adjust

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was another dry ride day. If I'd been on the bike yesterday morning my rain gear would have been tested, but I wasn't. I had a dentist appointment and decided to just schedule the whole day off. It gave me an opportunity to meet with a couple of people I've not seen in way too long. Working 8 to 5, writing this blog, spending time with Heather, chores, exercise, etc. means face time with friends seems increasingly difficult to come by. I don't like this trend.

Back to the weather, it always surprises me how relative temperatures can be. Not long ago 68F/20C would have felt warm, today when I went outside for my morning break 68F/20C felt almost chilly. The body does adjust.

On my walk I saw this little character. It reminded me of R2D2. It looked a little forlorn  and I decided to take its photo to, you know, cheer it up.

Taking Wednesday off is rather nice. It does mean having two Mondays in the same week, but it also means having two Fridays. Yay!

• 66F/19C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 73F/23C and mostly cloudy for the home ride.

Some Excitement

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Again the rain forecast for today didn't materialize.

Buildings and Grounds took the opportunity to mow the grass inside the restraining wall. All the ruckus flushed out a bunny. I don't see so many Downtown. Where I live they seem to be everywhere.

The robins do seem to be everywhere. Today they were finding morsel in the freshly mowed areas.

Afternoon brought some excitement.

Someone managed to set a microwave oven on fire. This lead to the whole building being evacuated. Things went very smoothly, although later we were told we went to the wrong park. Oh well, this one had more shade. I glad it was no "real" emergency and I'm very glad it didn't rain as forecast. Although no rain means Heather will have to water the plants. Come to think of it, that's probably a plus also. I think she enjoys taking care of her "charges."

I'm taking a personal day tomorrow. Rain is in the forecast and since I'm off, I suspect it will be right.

• 75F/24C with some clouds for the ride to work. There was sunshine, but I didn't feel the need to drop the smoked visor down.
• 89F/32C and brightly cloudy for the ride home. I definitely felt the need to drop the visor.

Hostas

Yes, I rode to work today.

When I went to say goodbye to Heather this morning she pointed at my jacket and with a big smile on her face said, "Don't you get hot in that thing?" We laughed. Now that we are experiencing Summer like weather I may get asked if I rode on a rainy day, but from here until Fall the much more common question will be, "Don't you get hot wearing all that gear?" I've responded to this question in many different ways in the past. The answer I've settled on is, "Sometimes."

It was breezy this morning Downtown. They say it rained a little early in the afternoon, but I didn't see it and by the time I got outside there was no evidence of rain.

For me the big news of the day was: The hostas were planted over the weekend. It is always fun to watch them grow and fill out.

Another day of riding in the dry, and I ain't complaining.

• 76F/24C and hazy cloudy for the ride to work.
• 83F/28C and enough sun for me to pull down the smoked visor for the home ride.