berner

The older I get, the more I seem to enjoy and await the arrival of warm weather. This past week has seen some beautiful Spring days of puffy white clouds, warm sunny days a joy to be out on JRA. Yesterday on the part of the ride through Colt State Park, the shrubbery, all of it, was in full bloom which in the middle of a gloomy pandemic was a welcome sight. The main thing about this park, it is directly next to Narragansett Bay with a wide walkway by the water and fine views to the West. In Summer, it is a good place to engage in the serious business of flying a kite.

A bit further north, one town further up the bike path, an osprey family I always look for that lives in a tree on an island in the middle of Brickyard Pond, has again taken up residence. I'm always happy to see them and especially like to see them hover over the water as they draw a bead on some doomed fish.

Back at the town beach, next to Colt Park, I stopped to admire the view across the bay with my shirt and shoes off in the warm sun. In these difficult times it is important to take the time to notice the little things such as the sweet young things whose micro bikinis don't have enough fabric to make a lamp shade.

bruce19

So long and thanks for all the fish.

Barry2 

42

OldTryGuy

Life -- began NOT OF MY CHOICE

the Universe -- one pretty big place with a bunch of empty space

and Everything -- YUP, it is what it is until I kick the bucket

jleeg

Lucky you to have a place with such scenes. I rode through some the loveliest farmland and hills in a remote section of central PA yesterday. How can you beat riding in such places.
Best

79pmooney

I did a business-like ride on my hardest fix gear today in the Willamette Valley. Mixed, almost all cloudy sky, some dark but dry. Light wind. Didn't focus on the scenery but still, western Oregon spring, the smell, the green. Now, the super clean air and far less human noise. Funny that riding a modern bike on pavement in technical clothes, cycling shoes and helmet can be almost primordial.

berner

Yep. I grew up in a mostly agricultural community of upstate NY and worked on a farm during high school years. I love the countryside. I even like stone walls as many here do. Where there are no stone walls, people put some up.

HeyItsSara

I forget where I heard this bit about aging - that men develop an interest in the Civil War, or some such. But yes, weather is a big discussion as we get older!!!

bruce19

I spent some time up in Cobleskill in my youth. My dad moved there from NJ. Between the ages of 12-15 I spent some time with friends who owned a dairy in Preston Hollow.

AlmostTrick

Sounds like fun! Can you tell us more about the lamp shades you are working on?

philbob57

Have you ridden the Mt. Hope Bridge on a sunny Summer day? It's one of the few scenes I can consciously bring up from my memory.

Champlaincycler

Too funny, but true. Civil war, WW2, old sailing novels etc. I think it's about investigating how we got to where we are and giving understanding to injustices that remain, at least for me. Hard to believe that so many of the issues that tore us apart for most of American History are still sowing division. If you seek to understand, then you'll read up on history and the old have a gift of time to do so.

bruce19

What I find interesting is that the issues that tore us apart (Civil War) were over 100 years ago. So, I'm thinking it's not exactly those issues for most folks. It's some sort of narrative that's been kept alive by generations.

berner

I love the view from that bridge as you can see water everywhere you look and there is even a light house. But I won't ride a bike across it, though I've seen others do it. There is no shoulder so too easy for a distracted driver to mow you down. I do like riding the area west of the Sakonett River as far as Dartmouth. After driving over the Mt. Hope Bridge I park at a commuter lot just before Rt 24 and the new bridge over the Sakonett does have protected bike lane.

berner

I've become much more interested in history as I've gotten older. Someone (Henry Ford?) once said "history is bunk". This is true only because no one pays attention to the lessons that can be drawn from history. Except for the Founding Fathers who were educated and well versed in those lessons which they applied in writing the Constitution. I'm just now reading a biography of Ben Franklin and becoming aware of how much I missed in the first reading and how hard the struggle was and it is not over.

philbob57

As a kid, we used the Mt. Hope Bridge to get to Middletown, where my grandfather had a summer house. Stopping in the middle of that bridge was #1 on my bucket list - first to go on the list. I left RI in 1966. Maybe 20 years later I took my bike on a visit East and rode from East Providence to Newport. The bridge was the scariest place I've ever ridden. The 'road' was concrete slabs that had stood up to wind and rain and alt air since the bridge was built; it was too rough for me to ride on my 120 PSI tires. The sidewalk, too, was made of disintegrating concrete slabs with what seemed like at least 3" between them, with nothing below them except the bay. I screwed up what courage I had and bounced along the sidewalk.

What a view, though! I've seen SF Bay from various viewpoints, and it definitely qualifies as 'beautiful,' but Mt. Hope Bay from the bridge qualifies, too.

I guess if you're driving, it a lot less hair-raising to park and walk. I recommend doing so

berner

One complaint I have as well as many others who have to cross that bridge is that they are constantly working on it with traffic down to one lane. Maybe it is a jobs project or maybe the bridge is in poor shape after years of the highway department spreading salt on the roadway. At least the roadway is now in good condition.

Retro Grouch 

Sounds like a post from 50+ the way that it used to be. I notice that you got a pretty good bunch of "likes".

peterws

One night contemplate all sorts of things perhaps, in times past, and conjecture the future. Things that go round, come round, and we never ever learn from history. But when you get to a certain age, say, 72, you do look back and wonder why. you look at our politicians, the legal system, etc, and wonder how so many can earn so much under false pretenses and still have their heads on their shoulders . . .Shrug
Finished my coffee. Time for zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .

gios

A towel, [The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy] says, is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have.

berner

[QUOTE=peterws;21528874]One night contemplate all sorts of things perhaps, in times past, and conjecture the future. Things that go round, come round, and we never ever learn from history. But when you get to a certain age, say, 72, you do look back and wonder why. you look at our politicians, the legal system, etc, and wonder how so many can earn so much under false pretenses and still have their heads on their shoulders . . .Shrug
Finished my coffee. Time for zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz . . .[/QUOTE

I'm just now about 2/3 of the way through a re-reading of a Ben Franklin biography. The British of that day were incapable of understanding the complaints of American colonists and would not even hear petitions. The relationship began to sour as early as 1755 and went steadily down hill for the next 20 or more years. This situation is analogous to our current situation with race that has been going on for generations with no resolution.

fietsbob

Q: Where is your Towel?

berner

I'm big on bandanas myself.

BEC111

My towel is in my Giegerrig pack. With my panic button.

peterws

[QUOTE=berner;21529942]The British are famous for it. They never listened to their own troops' or officers' complaints either. Nor would they natter to the Germans (both world wars could've been shortened dramatically) or the IRA for that matter. Until they had to.
There's more of course. Always is. And we might see just who owns the Old Money in Blighty, Could be some red faces! . . . .
Such interesting days!