Free is good
Date: May 31 Sat
Mileage: 20 (Bleriot)
May mileage: ??
Year to date: 598
Today's miles were beautiful free miles, found miles, without insistence of training or of necessity. I'm hot and sweaty and hacking hairballs or something, but I wouldn't trade today's miles for just about any others. My plan, there is always a plan, was to get out and do a couple hours this morning. 'L' awoke a little earlier than expected and mutually we decided to go to the farmers' market via 2-wheels. 'L' is so much more game to take these jaunts than his lazy older brother. He was downright enthusiastic. I took the 9.2.5. fixie to use its veggie-appropriate basket. I knew it would be a good day when we hit our first hill, a steep little pitch going from Trevilian in front of Lakeside up to near Kroger. 'L' hit is hard and kept plugging away, making the "summit" just a half wheel ahead of me, grinding my best on the fixie. Good for him and a great way to start the morning. We took a look at the farmers market, which was at its social best while not fully stocked with yet-to-ripen veggies. We picked a locally-produced havarti cheese, one of the boys' favorites, some salad greens and a quart of strawberries. The fresas are all very much in season, so that seemed the best option. The family loves them. I'm a little more ambivalent for some unknown reason. On the way home we stopped at Breadworks: scone for 'L', coffee for me, scone for 'Z' and danish for good wife. I also ran in next door to the hardware to grab some gutter drain covers. Now that some of our drainage goes underground I want to keep the pipes clean.
The second ride was also 'L' related, and also quite serendipitous. He was playing baseball about 2m from the house, so I took the LHT again. My dad and my half-brother arrived part ways through the game from Detroit, so we all decided on ice cream after the game, only that meant they were in the car and I on the bike. They gave me a bit of a head start and I time trialed it to Diary Kastle. If watermelons, tomatoes and thunderstorms are summer, then the DK is more so. Cheap, soft serve ice cream, homey atmosphere. Americana at its best. From the helado stop I then wandered north through Germantown and had intended to circle through the parks and home. Instead, I ran into the morning coffee guy from Sunergos. We had a very amiable chat, one that wasn't too different on bikes than what we have at 6.45 in the a.m. We both agreed that the bike is the way to liberate the day. After turning up towards Lexington Road I eyed another chap on the sidewalk . From the back it looked like a church softball friend, and once I approached my observation proved correct! I then rode with him a bit on his way to the bank. He doesn't ride much, but $4.00 is changing his mind. For years he has been almost chastising me to be careful; he's a bit paranoid about cycling on the road. After my 2nd serendipitous one-the-bike conversation I headed home, almost giddy at a superb day of urban errand cycling.
Mileage: 20 (Bleriot)
May mileage: ??
Year to date: 598
Today's miles were beautiful free miles, found miles, without insistence of training or of necessity. I'm hot and sweaty and hacking hairballs or something, but I wouldn't trade today's miles for just about any others. My plan, there is always a plan, was to get out and do a couple hours this morning. 'L' awoke a little earlier than expected and mutually we decided to go to the farmers' market via 2-wheels. 'L' is so much more game to take these jaunts than his lazy older brother. He was downright enthusiastic. I took the 9.2.5. fixie to use its veggie-appropriate basket. I knew it would be a good day when we hit our first hill, a steep little pitch going from Trevilian in front of Lakeside up to near Kroger. 'L' hit is hard and kept plugging away, making the "summit" just a half wheel ahead of me, grinding my best on the fixie. Good for him and a great way to start the morning. We took a look at the farmers market, which was at its social best while not fully stocked with yet-to-ripen veggies. We picked a locally-produced havarti cheese, one of the boys' favorites, some salad greens and a quart of strawberries. The fresas are all very much in season, so that seemed the best option. The family loves them. I'm a little more ambivalent for some unknown reason. On the way home we stopped at Breadworks: scone for 'L', coffee for me, scone for 'Z' and danish for good wife. I also ran in next door to the hardware to grab some gutter drain covers. Now that some of our drainage goes underground I want to keep the pipes clean.
The second ride was also 'L' related, and also quite serendipitous. He was playing baseball about 2m from the house, so I took the LHT again. My dad and my half-brother arrived part ways through the game from Detroit, so we all decided on ice cream after the game, only that meant they were in the car and I on the bike. They gave me a bit of a head start and I time trialed it to Diary Kastle. If watermelons, tomatoes and thunderstorms are summer, then the DK is more so. Cheap, soft serve ice cream, homey atmosphere. Americana at its best. From the helado stop I then wandered north through Germantown and had intended to circle through the parks and home. Instead, I ran into the morning coffee guy from Sunergos. We had a very amiable chat, one that wasn't too different on bikes than what we have at 6.45 in the a.m. We both agreed that the bike is the way to liberate the day. After turning up towards Lexington Road I eyed another chap on the sidewalk . From the back it looked like a church softball friend, and once I approached my observation proved correct! I then rode with him a bit on his way to the bank. He doesn't ride much, but $4.00 is changing his mind. For years he has been almost chastising me to be careful; he's a bit paranoid about cycling on the road. After my 2nd serendipitous one-the-bike conversation I headed home, almost giddy at a superb day of urban errand cycling.
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