rainy morning here in dc

rainy morning here in dc
snowing in other parts of the country
nothing but rain here
not cold enough to snow
but cold and wet enough to be miserable

it is not uncommon for Christmas in DC to be preempted by a week of rain and cold
white Christmases are few and far between
in these parts
similarly you don't get may shooting stars

white Christmases and shooting stars are for other parts of the country than washington dc
we are too serious for such stuff
too busy to notice such things
snow is considered a hassle
and well
no one ever thinks to take a second and look at the stars in the sky
those are activities for vacation
dc is a place for work
we take life very seriously here in washington dc

it is not uncommon for the sky to be black and starless with rain coming down at five o'clock around Christmas in this town
those hours of the day can often be depressing
so can this time of year

this morning was slow
rainy cold mornings can often be slow

Lisa and Dean tend to be ready before Grant and myself
on rainy days the gap between our readiness increases

today was no different

once finally dressed I finished my morning coffee as I walked the dog

unknowing of the weather I stepped out in just a fleece
running behind schedule I accepted that it was closer to rain than mist and that I risked getting a bit wet
without enough time for to run back into the house to grab something water proof I moved forward

a few red light runners passed and then I crossed the street

it pleased me that the upcoming car slowed and gave me safe distance
usually people keep pace and cut it close

very few people give the pedestrian the basic respect that they deserve

I started the basic loop across the street in Rock Creek Park with my black dog Brutus
after a few wet steps I considered making it a short walk
then after a few more steps I figured the dog could use more than a minute to stretch his legs
walking in the rain is good for the soul... if dressed correctly... my walk was to be short I knew I would only get a little wet
as I walked this all too familar loop I day dreamed about running a program to resuscitate these trails
infertile soil at the center of the trail to guide the hikers to stay on the beaten path
fertile soil flanking this center strip

as I cross sections I envision terraced steps in a natural way
while other areas would due well to have irrigation gardens
tiger lilies and daffodils seem like a hearty choice
it is a short humble trail that gets a good deal of foot traffic from people in the neighborhood
the trails will not repair themselves

I walk more and I day dream more
I think of how things were.... how things are.... how things are developing... and how things can be

I finished back from a 15-20 walk in the woods with my black dog brutus to see Lisa and the boys pulling away and headed off to school
I headed in and got dressed for a short wet fenderless ride into work
in no time I was suited up in appropriate attire for riding my bicycle a few miles into work
my dress was not over kill
I knew that there would be some wetness...
some wetness that I would except

shoes would get wet which had me packing an extra pair of socks


the ride in the rain can be a dangerous one

riding a bicycle in the city is often a series of near misses

the rainy day is even more so

for some reason bad driver get worse
the people with braille dashboards go even faster
as if driven by fear


in my short commute I had too many near misses to recount

more than average

the blinking lights on my back, the halogen headlamp on my helmet, and the reflectors on my bike
none of these things made me any more visible because no one is looking
the people in the cars and trucks... even the people on foot
no one is looking out for the bicycle
that is why the bicyclist needs to look out for themselves


riding the bicycle is like crossing the street with my kids

it is my obligation to think for all the parties around me

does that car see me? would the car slow down or stop if it had to? can I make it through safely without expecting that car to slow or stop because I know they have no intention of slowing or stopping?

arrived at work a little cold, a little wet, but very much alive