Long Shadows

You can tell that fall is coming as the sun is a little lower in the sky each morning when I wait at the bus stop.  When I saw my shadow this morning, i couldn't resist taking a picture.

A Summer Morning

The dew glistens in the sunlight,
each blade sparkling as I pass by.
A gentle breeze chills my face and hands.
Although silence is no where to be found,
a calm and quietness permeates the air.
My mind returns to the bayou in Houston.

Scooter/moped

Last week, as I was talking to my insurance agent, she commented that she did see a moped on our policy.  Earlier in the week, my husband had told her that my car isn't used for commuting as I ride my scooter to the bus every day.  I just had to chuckle.  How many people would assume that an adult riding a scooter meant some sort of motorized scooter?

I see bears.

At the risk of sounding crazy, let me share with you that I often see bears on my scooter ride down the path.  I know.  I know.  Bears aren't typically found in my area.  The chances of an actual bear being on the path are less than 1% (nothing is impossible - one could escape from the zoo down the road).

First, in the spring, it was a stump between the path and the creek that at quick glance while flying by looks just like a bear and no matter how many times I see it and recognize that it is just a stump, my first thought when I pass it is "bear".

This morning, the "bear" was swimming in the creek.

Bridges are Slippery When Wet

It was pouring this morning when I got up so feared I would not be able to scooter, which was especially disappointing because for various reasons I had not been able to scooter the first half of the week when the weather was beautiful.  Fortunately, the rain stopped before I had to leave.  So I put on a pair of shorts, t-shirt, and my waterproof shoes, and packed my work clothes in my backpack and off I went.   (I knew the trails would still be quite wet and there would be quite a bit of spray up.)

I walked down the hill by the park, knowing my breaks weren't ideal in the rain and that there wasn't room to coast to a stop at the bottom.

They were working on the interstate bridge that goes over the path, putting up all the wood that holds the concrete once it is poured until it has cured.  The path was littered with chunks of wood so I kept my head down and wondered if this may be one of those situations a helmet would especially be helpful.  But I made it through without incident.  Then I arrived at the wooden bridge that crosses the creek.  I had learned from previous scooter rides that breaking on the bridge when wet is not a good idea as the back end fishtails forward.  Even with being careful, I had barely started crossing when the whole scooter started twisting underneath me.  Fortunately, I was not going very fast and was able to just step off without injury.  I walked to the other side of the bridge.

I arrived at the bus stop and was really glad I did not wear my work clothes as the backs of my legs and tops of my socks were caked with mud and the back of my shorts were wet.  A small towel I had packed in my bag helped me clean up a bit before the bus arrived.

The best part of the morning was that on a morning like this, no one ventures out, especially since there was still a chance of rain at any point.  So the path was quiet of human noise (except the construction area) and just filled with the sounds of the birds and wildlife rustling in the leaves.