rainy day here in dcsure I have the gear to ride in it
send that weather my way
I have the gear for all sorts of weather
it is not lack of gear it is that I lack the desire
can you send some desire along with the weather?
I could certainly use the desire more than I need the weather!
rode into work and things were looking pretty sweet
not too cold and not too wet
damp, but not wet
considered some dirt after work
dressed for things not too cold and not too wet
but covered for cool and damp
by the time I slide out of work things were very wet and quite cold
my gear setting was on not too cold and not too wet
I was under geared
beyond that I did not have the desire
definitely have been lacking the desire lately
I caved quickly to the rational that I am more likely to lose than gain by riding
odds of getting sick vs. the actual gain in fitness or something to that effect
I rode on Saturday in this sort of very wet and very cold dc winter thing
even with the proper gear it is a cold and wet experience
so I took it straight home
once home I jumped into some very comfy clothes... dry clothes
only to realize that I would have go back out into the rain to walk the dog
the house was filled with some holiday madness
lisa home from work
both dean and grant home from school
the day after christmas you know
dean and grant were playing with new christmas toys with a kid from down the block while lisa buzzed around doing something
she was putting something away or getting something out
having got off work early I figured I would use my time wisely
before I could rest my head on the couch for a short nap I noticed some figures coming up the stairs
it was my inlaws in town from pittsburgh
after some hellos and holiday greetings I helped people settle then I decided to take the dog out for a walk sooner rather than later as I still had some afternoon light
took brutus for a little more than the usual across the street loop in the woods of Rock Creek Park
longer walk than usual yet not long enough to constitute a hike
just a short walk in the rain
gortex upper body was good
but the rest of me could have used some rain appropriate gear
my jeans and baseball cap were pretty damp by the time I got back inside with the dog
but not so bad that I have done anything more than remove the hat since that hike
the pants are not so bad
or maybe I am just lazy
while on my hike I did my usual daydreaming
daydreaming can be like conversations to myself
the christmas season had me thinking of how multching the christmas trees could be used to restore some of the woods
areas that have large gulleys could be filled in with the christmas tree multch then covered with fertile soil and the seeds of some indigenous plants
I thought to myself about the volume of the rain as I watched how the roads drained into the woods
and how the woods coped with this flow of water
the rain was light so the volume reflected that
but it does not take much more volume for the streets to funnel enough water to turn that trickle into a river
I looked at the damage that had been done recently by a not so impressive rain
the surroundings guide my thoughts
the dreams mix with my reality as much of my focus is on going up and over obstacles
or keeping my footing on slick roots or slippery mud
the daydreams travel from the thoughts of basic grunts moving earth to a landscape architect redesigning things in a more sustainable yet still natural fashion
each daydream can grow and change to any direction I choose
I am the protagonist
if I want to be famous and sitting on the sofa across from david letterman
it is my daydream
and heck yea...
I will do it
been there before
will be there again!
on this day as I walked brutus in the rain I daydreamed about a film project
a film project with a reality eco terrorist environmentalist slant to it
something that could get the funding of someone like robert redford
it is a fantasy of the filming of some serious rogue trail maintenance
on this short loop I saw an unneccesarily steep route ahead of me
on my approach I looked at the path and the hill around it
the trees and the exposed roots
the straight path that would make so much more sense to meander
the hill in the distance was soon under my feet
as I walked up the steep straight heavily eroding path I thought of how the volunteer crew of energic characters could sneak into the woods at dark
with film crew around them shooting things in a Blair Witch Project sort of way
the fast moving crew unloading earth and stone at the top and at the bottom
approaching to execute a well thought out plan
no time for talk... only time for action
working in stealth mode with the speed and efficiency of mission impossible
stressing the stealth nature of things knowing that the fantasy does not go as far as having the powers of jason bourne
placing rock and stone in a naturally slow serpentine loop using and breaking away from the steep trail
filling in the trail and placing indigenous plants
guiding the trail users to be forced to learn to use the switchback
rather than take the steep slippery path that is eroding so fast
by the time I have summited this short thirty yard hill I have witness the vision of the landscape architect move from the paper sketch drawing onto the television screen on bravo to the real world then back to its reality of needing some sort of attention
the daydream shifts
maybe to me getting awards or me getting arrested
so I am getting for not paying the workers
then getting off on the loophole that the people were not in fact workers... but actors
actors who had agreed to play these roles on a volunteer basis
other parts of the trail get make overs too
the whole city becomes one of those before and after shows that we all love so much
the daydream ends
the daydream could have carried on in all sorts of directions
there could have been continued filming
fly on the wall sort of stuff
checking to see what sort of response the trail repairs are getting
learning what other think about such efforts
there are so many directions to the daydream
the public service announcement is always a popular daydream
one daydream I have revisited is a spoof on that classic no littering campaign
that classic campaign with the American Indian with the canoe, the tear drop, and the liter at his feet
my PSA is a little different... I star as the main character
I am at different points around washington dc on my bicycle, in the woodsof Rock Creek Park with my dog. and roaming the streets of dc in my business casual
witnessing not just people littering
but witnessing people being people
people who are usually idiots or assholes
this post like so many was tossed together as I was pulled in all sorts of directions
there were battles with remote control helicopters and there was pizza from vace
another effort to nap on the couch
and the caving in to the younger boy with the Pokemon movie
which is fine...
he is tired
and his focus on the dvd will free up the others for their game of Superhero Monopoly with Dean
as for me... once again I am stuck without the desire
just as I lost my desire to ride
I am without the desire to edit
at least I had the desire to walk in the rain and daydream
Crying Indian PSA for Keep America Beautiful
a claim that the Crying Indian Iron Eyes Cody is not really a descendent of native american blood
Wiki Page say it ain't so... please
say it ain't so
(I seem to recall Iron Eyes Cody claiming that it was not in fact a tear drop but a drop of glycerin something about an indian not crying)