After nearly a week off the bike in favor of a merry tangle of work, family, social engagements, and feasting, today's semi-balmy temperatures, brilliant light, clear, dry pavement, and lack of other engagements should have been a gift from the Bicycle Gods. However... somewhere along the line, I seem to have picked up a little virus, the principal symptom of which appears to be lassitude. On the off chance that this means "the state or condition of being Lassie", I should warn Timmy that if he falls in a well this time, he's on his own: I'm too pooped to go for help. I did, however, take the bike out in the early afternoon, after dragging around the house in the morning, a slow spin out the Minuteman to see if I'd perk up once the moving parts started moving. I seemed to be perking down instead, so I turned around at Bedford Street, Lexington, for a little ride of 14 miles. The month, day, and hour gave us a low sun, clear light, and long shadows, the shadows of tree trunks often striping the Minuteman like barcodes, producing the well-known stroboscopic blink on the sunny eyelid. Lots of folks of all sorts out on the trail today, but especially the proud owners of NEW BIKES! NEW SKATES! NEW SCOOTERS! NEW <proprietary wheeled conveyances>! These were mostly, but not entirely, children, and managed, mostly, to keep in their lane. They were having fun, and their parents were running interference for them. Riding-in-crowd skills were occasionally needed today.
The Taylor Lane horses were in their typically placid state of equine serenity. No traffic jams for them.
The high point of the ride was encountering Jim and Sharon on the tandem in the vicinity of Arlington's Great Meadow, exchanging a wave and a shouted greeting in passing. Hurray!
Now for a nap...
rod