A Full Day

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was cloudy most of the day.

This is looking through the Serra Sculpture toward the Civil Courthouse.

The sun was nice enough to make an appearance at lunchtime, but most of my coworkers were complaining about it being chilly.

I admit was eager for the end of the work day to come.

Today was new windscreen day.

Installation was pretty painless. There were a couple of bumps in the road, but with the Red Fox this is to be expected.

I think it looks good. More importantly, I liked how it felt when I got to ride with it.

There were some imperfections in the Plexiglas. This is probably going to be a prototype. I'd be happy with it, but Mike wants it perfect. Who am I to argue? :^)

This is going to be Mike's new track bike.

I overheard Mike say this is Ducati chassis with a SV motor.

I don't know what this is. I thought it was very cute.

• 47F/8C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 59F/15C and partly cloudy for the home ride.

Wind

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

On the way home there was no sunshine ...

... neither was there rain.

In the morning there was wind. It wasn't mentioned in the forecast, but Billie was dancing like a snake. I don't like wind when I'm expecting it and even less when I'm not.

• 57F/14C and cloudy, but not overcast for the ride to work.
• 60F/15.5C and pretty much overcast for the ride home.

Confused.

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

There was dangerous weather to the South of us last night and today the tough stuff went North. The Tornado Warning for Downtown expired at 1630hr and the sun came out.

Obviously, the rain didn't get the memo. I've been known to ride come rain or shine. Today I got to ride in rain and shine.

And, by the time I got home I was on dry pavement. Tis' the way of it.

• 60F/15.5C and cloudy, but not overcast for the ride to work.
• 72F/22C and a little confused on whether to rain or shine for the home ride.

Another Beautiful Day

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was yet another beautiful day.

In the neighborhood where we live last evening's Severe Thunderstorm Warning was pretty much a nonevent. On my way to work I did see some limbs down and was to surprised to see one tree twisted, broken and leaning against a house. I couldn't stop to get a photo. I thought I might on the way home, but by then it was all cleaned up.

Mostly, everything here is about blooms and more blooms. There is rain in the forecast for the Sunday and as nearly always this time of year some storms may be severe. Hopefully we will get some play time in on Saturday.

• 50F/10C with a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 77F/25C and partly cloudy for the home ride.

Without A Hint

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The trees are still blooming.

And . . .

I rode Billie to and from work without a hint of yesterday's electrical problems.

And . . .

The rain in the forecast didn't materialize until long after I was home.

• 52F/11C with a few clouds for the ride to work
• 78F/25.5C and overcast for the ride home.

Excitement

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was another beautiful Spring day.

I was back on Billie today. The evening commute brought some excitement.

In the evening I seldom do a walk around. I do that in the morning. I know I should do it in the evening, too, but, I don't. When I went to engage the turn signal for the first time on the ride home nothing happened. It was then I noticed the little lights indicating my fuel level weren't working either. I tried the horn...nothing. I reached my hand out front of the bike and was relieved to find I still had a working headlight. I rode home using hand signals, including the one for indicating I was stopping. I suspected I might not have a tail light or brake light. When I got home and checked the lights before I shut off the bike, I found what I suspected was true. All I had was a headlight

I turned the bike off and called Mike. He told me to re-start the bike. I did. Everything worked. I told him I knew he was good, but I hadn't expected him to fix via the phone. He laughed. He told me my ignition is probably dirty or wearing out. If/when it happens again to try giggling the key. The Symba is getting close to time for routine service. I guess that will happen sooner rather than later.

• 49F/9C and partly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 64F/18C and overcast for the home ride.

Uber Smooth

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I rode the Red Fox.

I believe this is her first trip to work in 2014. You will remember I tried once before. It didn't go well. It was the day after I replaced the battery. The solenoid froze open and the starter kept going and going and going. This morning the commute went uber smooth. I did learn this: When I take the Kymco I get to work faster.

Later in the day I checked the lot again.

I was surprised there were only four of us and one bicycle. The weather was near perfect for riding.

Of course, the ride home was the long way.

It took me by this house. I couldn't help but wonder if poodles lived there...or, perhaps the owners are Dr Suess fans.

I passed a father and son out for a ride.

Safety issues aside, if I was that little boy I'd be loving it.

• 54F/12C with a brilliant blue skies with just enough clouds to keep it friendly for the ride to work.
• 69F/21C and a few clouds for the homeward meander.

Crabapple

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I went to bed hoping my ride to work would be a dry one...and it was.

Over the weekend the crabapple tree next to the parking area bloomed. I really like this tree.

I'd expected to ride home in the rain...and I didn't. Actually, the sun even managed to peek out through the clouds a couple of times, but by the time I got to the gas station it was looking as if it could begin raining at any moment. A guy walked by and said, "You're going to get rained on." I replied, "I hope so!" He laughed. I think he thought I was kidding.

• 63F/ and overcast for the ride to work.
• 74F/ with patchy sun  through the overcast for the home ride.

Good Friday

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

We had an early dismissal.

It is Good Friday, a day when Christians remember the dying of an innocent man. Many Christians will be contemplating the cruelty we are capable of inflicting on each other and renewing a commitment to lean against hatred and injustice.

Apparently there will be others who will be getting ready for Bar-B-Que.

You can't make this stuff up.

• 48F/9C with a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 66F/19C and clouds, but plenty of sunshine for the ride home.

Tougher Than I Am

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was another beautiful day here in the Heartland.

I had lunch with a friend at the Jimmy John's. I work in the 1100 block. He works in the 900 block. Jimmy John's is in the 500 block. I chose it because I thought it would be nice walk for both of us.

I got there a few minutes early as is my custom. Ten minutes after our scheduled meeting time I get a text from him. He was looking for a place to park. When he finally got there I really gave him grief about not just walking. He agreed. He said it just didn't occur to him. He has gotten out of the habit of walking with Winter dragging on. I suspect he's not alone in this. It may take folks a while to embrace Spring here. They are just not used to a serious winter. Of course, I have friends who are still getting heavy snows and record low temperatures. Some things are definitely relative.

One of the reasons I like eating at Jimmy John's is watching the delivery cyclist coming and going. A couple of the riders have been doing it for years. I recognize them. They are out in all kinds of weather. They are much tougher than I am.

• 46F/8C with some clouds for the ride to work.
• 65F/18C and brightly overcast for the home ride.

A Beautiful Day

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The light frost of other night hasn't seem to slow the Spring flowers down from doing their thing.

Loved this lone tulip surrounded by daffodils.

And, most of the trees seemed to be blooming right on through.

It was a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

Even the contrails at the end of the day had charm.

• 39F/4C with a few clouds and breezy for the ride to work.
• 58F/14C and fewer clouds and more breezy for the ride home.

Mild Frost

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It did get down to 31F/-.5C. We'll see if there was much damage. I imagine it was colder in the outlying areas. The City tends to be warmer. It was a clear evening and those who had more commitment than me saw the "Blood Moon". I thought about it before I went to bed, but decided I let my son tell me about it instead.

It was a pretty good day for riding, but I didn't see many others out. Vulcan rider rode. Deputy Chrome-Head rode. I saw one other scooter on the road during my morning commute. That was all. I suspect the number I see will increase as the temperatures do as the week moves along.

• 31F/-.5C and clear for the ride to work.
• 49F/9C and a few clouds for the ride home.

Better Luck Next Time

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I worked just a half a day. Tonight Heather and I will join friends at my friend Will's house for the first night of Passover. This means I missed the opportunity to ride home in sleet. I had to settle for riding Downtown in a fine mist. Oh well, maybe better luck next time.

We are under a freeze warning  for tonight and may see some snow.

Hopefully it won't be a hard freeze. I did see one person out covering his trees. It's all part of Springtime in St.Louis. By the weekend we'll be warm again.

• 47F/8C and drizzle for the ride to work.
• 43F/6C and overcast for the ride home.

Perhaps It Is

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I rode yesterday, too.

Both days have been nearly perfect weather wise.

The summer jacket was called for. These are the first days I wore on the ride to work.

Being still and paying close attention one could almost hear the tulips growing.

The parking area was pretty full when I got there this morning. Schwinn Rider was there. She'd told me she was going to get her bike out this weekend, but today was just too nice. She had to ride. Others came later, a sportbike and a Goldwing for sure.

On the way home it was impossible to go more than two blocks without seeing either a scooter or a motorcycle.

Yes, the weather is making an effort to convince us Spring is here to stay ... and perhaps it is. Although, I do believe I heard something about a cold front moving through on Sunday.

• 55F/ with a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 73F/ with some clouds, but plenty of sunshine for the home ride.

Stunning

Yes, I rode to work today.

It was my Monday. And even though it was Wednesday, it felt every bit like a Monday.

The weather was stunning.

Lots of scooters, motorcycles, and bicycles were out.

After work I made it a point to stop take some photos of these trees I've been admiring on my commutes the last week and a half.

Heather tells me they are star magnolias.

I just know they are beautiful.

Are these plum blossoms?

I'm pretty sure these are ornamental pear blossoms, but I mostly liked the way the shadows played on the light pole.

More beautiful weather on tap for tomorrow. I like this.

• 39F/4C and fair for my ride to work.
• 68F/20C with a few clouds for the ride home.

Delighted By Its Attention

Another day off.

And . . .

The day was mostly sunny.

I ventured out and did breakfast in a different place. A cafe on South Grand with a view of one of my favorite buildings. I see this building on my evening commute from Arsenal Street as I cross South Grand. You may have noticed it in some of my photos. The Arsenal/Grand intersection is one I often find myself waiting for the light to change. Waiting for a light to change often means photo op.

Later I took the Red Fox down to Mike's. One of the problems of owning a Kymco is the lack of aftermarket items. I've mentioned wanting a larger windscreen. We took the windscreen off today and took to a plastics fabrication place. It appears I'm going to have a custom windscreen. It seems it will be cheaper and less hassle than trying to make something not really designed for the scooter work.

The company now has my windscreen and a cardboard template of what I want. It was very odd to ride home without any windscreen. It wasn't so much the wind as it was it just didn't look right. It was mildly disorienting.

Next it was Billie's turn. I needed to check her tires, gas her up, and get her ready for going back to work tomorrow.

And as if out of nowhere it rained. It rained quite hard, but only briefly. Fortunately the gear I was wearing was water resistant. When I got to the gas station I stowed my cellphone in the topcase. It was the only thing I was worried about. Of course, it stopping raining just as I was ready to pull away from the pump and the sun shone bright for my ride home. The whole episode made me laugh. It was like life was having a little joke with me. And just for today, I was delighted by its attention.

High temperature was 62F/17C today. Other then the little cloudburst there was plenty of sunshine. I even got in a quick inline skate: 6 miles in 30 minutes, a nice 12mph/19kph pace.

Tomorrow the plan is: Back to work. I am ready.

Vacation Day = Rain, Of Course.

Nope, I didn't ride to work today.

And . . .

I won't be riding to work tomorrow either. I'm taking a couple of vacation days.

Of course, it pretty much rained all day. I'd hoped to ride or inline skate or land paddle. Instead I shopped and spent money.

Yesterday, we walked around Creve Couer Lake. People were enjoying the milder temperatures and the abundance of sunshine.

Oh, we found another Birthday Cake.

Tomorrow is another day. The forecast is for rain again, but we'll see.

Easy On Two Feet

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

By morning the severe weather had moved out of the area.

There was plenty of standing water to witness to last night's downpour.

The name of the game today was wind. I'm not fond of wind. Today during my commutes I'm told the winds never gusted to over 40mph, still it got my attention a couple of times.

At lunch time I went for a walk on the Tucker Street bridge over the railyard. This is a view I get every evening as I ride home. There's nowhere to pull off to take a photo from the bike, but it's easy on two feet.

Lots of puddles

In the morning I have this view from the bridge.

And I've become rather fond of this electrical tower.

I ride by the old Police Station, too.


It is an incredibly dull looking building. Flat, square and gray ...

The flags look much happier in the wind than I felt.

... until you come to the entrances.

It has always seemed just the right touch to me.

Of course, City Hall has its own Birthday Cake.

• 45F/7C and breezy with light rain for the ride to work.
• 47F/8C and mostly cloudy for the home ride.

So Goes Springtime

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

We woke to Tornado warning sirens. A Tornado was confirmed a few miles north of us. There was no damage here. You can click here to see photos of some of the damage which occurred not very far from us.

When it came time for me to leave the condo it was barely raining.

Given the timing of the storms I was surprised to see the Vulcan in the parking area.

It rained off and on throughout the morning and into the afternoon.

It cleared in time for my ride home. I wasn't expecting this. Truthfully, I expected to ride home in the rain.

The last thing I was expecting was sunshine, but there it was. Go figure.

Now we're back under a Tornado Watch until Midnight. And, so goes Springtime in St.Louis.

• 59F/15C with a very light rain for the ride to work.
• 62F/17C and mostly overcast with the sun making an appearance on my home ride.