Soooo Ready

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The morning was hazy. I really expected it to get warmer than it did. It just looked like the beginning of a hot humid day.

It turned out to be a very nice day and evening. I was grateful. Not my best brain day. I suspect I will always be surprised how something that was once so very simple for me can now be so difficult. I have needed to call and set up an appointment to get the car's safety and emissions inspections. No problem, right? It has been a problem. I can't explain it. I just can figure out how to begin. Today I got it done and it left me exhausted and agitated. I'm very aware how much I once took for granted.

I was soooo ready to ride when five o'clock came. Most grateful I can.

It looks like this may be the last blog for the week. I have a gig tomorrow night and Thursday evening I have a meeting. Friday I'm off work. So Happy Holidays and be safe.

• 70F/21C and sorta hazy, yet fair for the ride to work.
• 85F/29C with plenty of clouds, yet the sun managing to be quite bright for the ride home.

Once Again ...

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I rode all last week, too.

The story of last week was rain.

That said, once again I pretty much avoided the rain. There was only one day where my gear setup was tested. It passed.

Last night we had hail.

It was big enough and heavy enough to bring leaves down from the trees, but not big enough to do any damage to my car.

This morning was beautiful, a smile after the storm.

• 70F/21C with plentiful sunshine for the ride in.   
• 85F/29C and some clouds for the home ride.

It Rained

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It rained.

And it rained.

And that is pretty much the story.

Cheiftain Rider didn't ride today.  I saw him this morning and before I could say anything he said, "I chickened out.  I'd been so lucky this week I just didn't want to push it." He'd of got wet today.  The rain was heavy at times, but not at the times I was riding.  It was a warm rain.  With the events in Charleston, I will  admit I thought of tears.

• 73F/23C and light rain for the ride to work.
• 74F/23C and light rain for the home ride.

Sunshine? Blue Sky?

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

Yes, I rode to work yesterday, too.

Yesterday I'd expected rain, but only encountered a sprinkle on the way in.

By evening it was overcast and dry. I didn't even bother with the raingear.

Today the remnants of Tropical Depression Bill was supposed to hit. The original forecast was for rain all day with periods of very heavy downpour. And we had that, but not during my ride time in the morning.

The pavement wasn't even wet.

Just the two of us.

Nor, in the evening.

Yes, the pavement was wet, but look at that blue sky.

I even had sunshine part of the way. I wasn't expecting that at all.

Tomorrow I'll be surprised if I am so lucky, but then again, I was surprised today.

• 77F/25C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 74F/23C with patches of blue sky and sunshine for the home ride.

Mostly Dry, But Bill Is On Its Way

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I rode to work yesterday, International Ride to Work Day.

Alas, I was the only one. Chieftain Rider wasn't at work or I'm sure he would have rode.

He did today and there was a much greater chance of rain than yesterday.

I started my ride in a light rain.

But, by the time I got Downtown the the streets were almost dry.

It rained heavily during the afternoon, heavy enough to cause a rain delay in the Cardinals' baseball game. They were able to finish the game eventually with just enough of a delay to put me in post-game traffic.

It was good of the rain to pause long enough for those parked away from the Ballpark to be able to make to their cars without getting drenched.

I did get sprinkled on during the ride home.

But, I'd call it a dry ride.

• 75F/24C with a light rain to start off, but a mostly dry ride to work.
• 79/26CF and hardly a sprinkle for the home ride.

A Saturday Bonus

He was standing on the corner, an older gentleman wearing a baseball cap and looking every bit the part of a down on his luck Country musician.  He was playing his guitar with open guitar case in front of him.  It was the first time I've seen a drive by busker.  I was in the left hand turn lane and couldn't ever hear his music.  I could see his lips moving. I assumed he was singing.

I could hear the "boom-boom" of the bass before I saw the car or heard the music coming from its speakers.  It was an emerald green older Cadillac.  Immaculate.  Tall tires.  Chrome wheels.  It had "Big Daddy" lettered on the heavily tinted rear side window.  As the car pulled up I wondered if the driver, I'm assuming "Big D", was going to turn down the music while he waited for the light to change. As soon as the thought crossed my mind I dismissed it.  He didn't turn it down.

But, shortly, I heard a gentle beep of the big green car's horn. I watched the busker move toward the car. As he approached the passenger side window he reached out his hand and took a "tribute". He tipped his hat, walked back to his corner, and put the money in his case.

Damn! I hate it when I get caught up in my preconceptions.  A lesson I keep having to learn over and over again.

I made my left turn, but changed my plan. Instead of heading home, I turned into the Target parking lot so I could get out my smart phone and take a photo. A reminder:  Every moment is open.  And my mind?  Not as much as I pride myself.

Friday

Yes, I rode to work today.

And ...

There were storms in the area, but non found me.

It looks like a rainy weekend. Actually, the forecast is for a rainy week. Ah, but this is St. Louis and we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

• 81F/27C and sorta cloudy for the ride to work.
• 89F/32C and threateningly cloudy, but no rain for the home ride.

Summer

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I rode yesterday to.

Last night I had a gig which kept me out late for me. It was a poetry reading and we did some music. Allison Creighton read from her new book Drawing Down the Moon. A nice evening.

Yesterday and today were pretty much mirror images of each other. A little warmer this morning for the ride in, last night a little warmer for the ride home.

It was a good day to find some shade, sit on a curb, and eat an ice cream cone. That is, if you like ice cream. I'm not a fan.

Possibly rain tomorrow, but it's the season for storms. Of course, I'm not sure it ever stops being the season for storms here.

• 78F/25.5C for the ride to work.
• 92F/33C for the home ride.

Two Days In A Row

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The only difference from the morning to the evening was the temperature.

I've been riding the Kymco the last few days. Often, I take a different route in the morning when I'm riding the Red Fox. It's quicker, but has more traffic.

But, as I have often said: People who complain about the traffic in St. Louis haven't lived anywhere else. This building has just been made over into a self-storage site. It had been vacant for as long as I've worked Downtown. It is good to see it come to life again.

• 72F/22C and plenty of sunshine for the ride to work.
• 91F/33C and plenty of sunny for the ride home.

I Didn't Intend To ...

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I didn't intend to stop posting. Nor, is it my plan not to blog anymore. I made some commitments which gobbled up the time.

I have been riding. I haven't missed a day riding to work since my last post.

I rode in on wet pavement, but no raindrops fell upon this head.

 
It looked a little ominous for the ride home, but there was blue sky on the horizon and the radar was clear. I didn't even put on raingear. Again, no raindrops bounced off my helmet.

There is always blue sky on the horizon.

• 71F/22C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 83F/28C with three quarters of the sky overcast for the home ride.

Didn't Miss the Rain

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I didn't miss the rain this morning, but I did miss the thunderstorms that rolled through shortly before I left.

And . . .

It was clear for the ride home. It was breezy, but not as windy as they had predicted.

• 67F/19C with a steady rain for the ride to work.
• 83F/28C and cloudy, but plenty of sunshine for the home ride.

All Red

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

All red in the Parking Area today.

It was a dry ride to work. I didn't expect to be so lucky in the evening.

Today was the first time the Red Fox went to work this year. She has less than a hundred and fifty miles on the clock for the year. I'm hoping to remedy that.

There were powerful storms in the vicinity once again today.

And, once again to my surprise the storms stayed where I was not.

Tomorrow looks like another cat and mouse game. It's all about luck - 70% chance of storms means 30% not. Wind is in the forecast, too, with gusts as high as 30mph. Don't like that, but we'll see.

• 65F/18C and mostly cloudy for the ride to work.
• 75F/24C and partly cloudy for the home ride.

Not An Unusual Spring Day

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

The day began with fog and mist. It was wonderful. It even occurred to me it would be nice to just keep riding.

But . . .

By 10 o'clock it was difficult to tell whether it was PM or AM.  The rains hit in earnest not long after. By lunchtime it was back to being overcast and a sprinkle or two.

By home ride time it had cleared off nicely.

After I got home I took the Red Fox out for a brief ride and to rearrange the garage a little. I'm thinking it's probably time to let the Kymco go to work some.

• 62F/17C with fog and mist for the ride to work.
• 69F/20.5C with some clouds but plenty of sunshine for the ride home and beyond.

Blossoms

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I haven't missed a day since my last post.

And . . .

I've been seeking balance, experimenting with what I need to let go of in my living and what is extra. Commuting to work is a vital practice for me. Being physically active is also vital. Heather time is vital. What comes after these? How can the dance of my life be more graceful?

The trees are loaded with blossoms. I keep waiting for a good Spring storm to come along and bring the blossoms down, but so far the blossoms have been allowed to fall as the trees let them go.

I hope this most current personal "letting go" time with be as gentle.

• 56F/13C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 67F/19C and mostly cloudy for the home ride.

Gray, But ...

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It didn't rain on me. It was still gray, but warmer.

On the ride home the sun really tried to make it through the clouds. Alas, it's quest didn't fare so well where I was.

I could only admire it from a far.

I did see this sign of Spring:

I'm not sure what this was a sign of:

When I showed this photo to a friend her comment was, "Who doesn't love a pocket-sized mobile pole dancer."

• 48F/9C and overcast for the ride to work.
• 56F/13C and cloudy for the home ride.

Different Day from Yesterday

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

I began my ride to work in a thunderstorm. I guess this means it is really Spring.

While I left the condo with thunder and lightning by about a third of the way Downtown it became just rain. It was wasn't a hard rain, but it was real steady. My raingear definitely got a test.

By mid-morning the rain was merely a drizzle.

By quitting time the rain had moved out. Even the pavement was mostly dry.

I told tomorrow it will be warmer and if I'm lucky I'll miss the overnight rain.

• 34F/1C with some thunder and a almost heavy rain for the ride to work.
• 46F/8C and overcast for the home ride.

Monday

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It didn't rain during the morning ride.

It did rain around lunch time.

It didn't rain during my ride home.

The forecast for the week looks a lot like Spring. In other words, unsettled. T-storms are possible. We'll see.

I'm quite glad to not be where there is snow and ice in the forecast.

• 42F/5.5C with a few clouds for the ride to work.
• 57F/14C and a few clouds for the home ride.

Yay! It Felt Like Spring.

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was a gray morning, but by the afternoon the sky had cleared.

It was a beautiful evening for the ride home. These folks were playing catch in the Park at Lafayette Square. There were lots of people out and about.

And plenty of cyclists out as well. Surprisingly, I didn't see another motorcycle or scooter.

• 42F/5.5C and gray for the ride to work.
• 56F/13 with a few clouds for the ride home.

A Gray St. Joseph's Day

Yes, I rode to work today.

And . . .

It was gray all day. The pavement was wet for the ride in, but the streets soon dried off.

The rain stayed to the north of us. The sun stayed somewhere.

Today is St.Joseph's Day. This is a big deal in some places, especially New Orleans. Here it is not.

I had my red on and spent the day wishing folks "Happy St. Joesph's Day." I would often add this, "May your home and hearth be blessed, and may those you love be safe and protected." One of the people I did this too is named Joseph. He didn't know anything about St.Joseph Day. I told him to Google it to find out more. He really was very excited. Here's some links if you're curious:

Wikipedia of course.

This one has recipes.

Another New Orleans party.

Enjoy and Happy St. Joseph's Day. May your home and hearth be blessed, and may those you love be safe and protected.

• 40F/4C and gray for the ride to work.
• 50F/10C and gray for the ride home.

Fire in the Sky

Yes, I rode to work today.

And ...

The sky put on quite a show for me in the morning.

Come evening it was a different story.

There were reports of sleet, but I didn't encounter any. It appears spring showers may stick around for the rest of the week. No complaints from me.

• 39F/4C and fire in the sky for the ride to work.
• 45F/7C and light rain for the home ride.