warm january days...

these last few days have been warm
it is january
it hardly feels like january
had considered taking a day off and heading to Whitetail with my older son for some winter fun on the hill
but weather like this makes it hard to think of winter sports
maybe we should take the day off and go to the beach

global warming?

well... a few warm days in winter are common around here
which is not to say global warming is not a reality
because global warming is our reality

the genie is out of the bottle
since we can not put the genie back
we need to figure out how to deal with it

the warm weather has me yearning to go mountain biking
the warm weather does not entirely help with the mountain biking option
last week the trails began to freeze
this week the trails have thawed
it is more than likely more muddy in the woods today than it was last week when the days were closer to the evenings with rain

today was a good day on the bike
I did not ride that hard and I definitely did not ride long
but I had a good day on the bike
the combination of a few minutes before work and a few minutes after work made for a good day on the bike
not necessarily something that would constitute as a workout
just a good day on the bike

this morning I decided to add an extra two minutes to my ride
rolling with the camera in the bag rather than dangling around my neck I was freed up to ride the stairs at Malcom X Park
an urban route that I usually only take if I am riding with chris or libbey on a ride into work
but today I decided to head through their on my own
as I always like that espresso shot feeling I have after I roll out of the park
so, I was bouncing down the stairs with a noisy rocking horse style when I caught a frame ahead
a few sections of stairs ahead I could make out the shapes... there was a light blue top and dark blue bottoms in a familiar form
the size and the shape of this form appeared to be what may be a park police officer
from behind the shirt had that awkward shape that comes when someone wears a bullet proof vest underneath the shirt
rather than have the conversation I slowed my pace and turned towards the center set of terraced stairs the go along side the fountain
the fountain that is now without water because they drain it in the winter

the change in trajectory down through the park was not to get away from the officer
not really to avoid the officer
an effort not to buzz the officer
and the effort to avoid the conversation that I do not want to have

knowing I would still empty out right next to the officer was fine
it was more the notion of how I would pass him
even slow could evoke some sort of response
a conversation I am not looking to have
a conversation that could be dictated by personal opinion or even a bad mood
so I migrated away from the park police officer

then returned to a pretty standard trajectory of my direct route to work

after work the weather was splendid
knickers and a long sleeve jersey and a windbreaker vest
plenty of lights to see and be seen
the variables were there
exiting nearly on time also allowed for a quick ride

on the geared karate monkey I split traffic through georgetown
the warm weather had the sidewalks filled with shoppers
once on the key bridge headed into roslyn I noticed the high number of active people
walkers, jogger, and bikers cluttered the sidewalk over the potomac

onto the mount veron trail
the light changes quickly off the bridge
the light to see is as vital as the light to be seen
the ratio of riders with lights versus riders without lights is good
it pleases me how common place lights have become for cyclists
but the dusk runner needs to do better
a reflective vest is better than nothing
but how hard would it be to factor a blinking light into a running routine

the legs felt good
I pushed a solid gear in the big ring
the legs had some snap I had not felt in quite a few rides
so feeling the snap I figured I might as well use the snap
the snap was gone pretty quick
which was fine
it was a short ride
simply turned it around at the airport than back across the 14th street bridge
by this time the monuments are glowing white
the planes landing overhead always make for a great show
especially when you chase you on your approach lighting the world in front of you

then up 15th over on penn
passing nearly in front of the white house
but turning up towards 16th before getting dead center with the white house
onto the streets to race the cars
I race the cars and the buses with great success until the hill

back where the day began at the base of malcom x park I take the sidewalk
I give the cars the hill
the cars race up the hill to certainly get caught at the light or at the back up that exists everyday where 16th hits columbia road

even backing off from my pace I beat the cars to the mount pleasant zip code border

home
maybe not even an hour on the bike
fifty minutes
I should have extended it longer

the house is empty
no dog, no kids, no wife
they are hiking
the house is vacant
before I can sit on the couch I hear a slam at the front door
they are back from their hike
perfect duration for a ride
with energy to spare for other activities


hard to get these thoughts down
this post was created as I assisted my older son with his homework
we worked on our homework at the table after dinner
he had some questions
so the focus as usual is scattered
now I wrestle to get my younger son to stay in bed
that is about to get my full focus
bedtime was never as easy it appeared on The Waltons

good night john boy

GO TO BED GRANT!