College daze, moist mornings

The big change in GR this week has been the start of local colleges.   On Monday I had a chance to ride at noon to pick up something at another site of our hospital systema and had to ride through the campus of GRCC.  The cars were backed up for miles.  I wondered why so few chose to ride their bikes and to wait in mile long lines.

Today I had a chance to ride out to Millenium Park and the Westsider Cafe between meetings. The air was so moist and gentle, yet the shadows were long and the light less intense.  The flowers are changing to fall flowers.

I wonder who is the mystery blonde girl who I see walking in the park.  Once she was carrying a very big backpack, and today she was carrying a folding chair and little dog.  Is she a nature lover, a person escaping an abusive relationship, homeless?  No way to know.  I just greeted and smiled.

Glistening dew

Friday

The mornings are getting darker, so I put both forward and back lights on the bike this morning, and rode the new bike lanes down through the downtown, past the lines of homeless waiting to get into Degage for breakfast, past the construction cranes, by Founders Brewing where men were already up working hard to finish the expansion before ArtPrize, and then on to Millenium Park.  As I made the first right turn to start the outer loop I came upon a field of glistening dewdrops, illuminated from the size, and a layer of haze just above the fields.

Dewdrops on spider web.

 As I continued on around the outer loop, the low angle sunlight lent a golden glow to the whole park, and as far as I could tell, I was the only one there.  An it occurred to me,  what if you discovered there was a beautiful  park in your back yard that you could visit every day?  What if all you had to do was to open your eyes and see it?

Hazy day

A cormorant swims agressively toward a goose

Today was an "air quality action day" which means the air is not fit to breathe.  The recommendation is that everyone ride their bike or walk to reduce air pollution.   I snapped this shot in an area of the park I call Cormorant City, where geese are apparently not welcome.

Morning errand sweetness

I had two hours free between meetings and before starting up clinical hours in the afternoon.   At first I resisted the thought of taking my shirts to the cleaners.  But then I thought, I could carry the shirts on my bike and make a couple of other errands, transforming this from a joyless task into a series of interesting and enjoyable encounters at a slowed pace.

And sure enough, the morning was sprinkled with mini-encounters and other enjoyable moments scattered among 4 businesses.

New bike lane!

 Wednesday

It was another beautiful end of summer ride before work, with a pair of deer crossing my path in Millenium park.  But I had to cut it short to get to work a little early.

On the way home I decided to check out the new Thursday evening farmer's market downtown.  To my surprise, Heffron Farms will be there so I can buy organic, hormone free meat.  It's going to be so convenient for shopping on my way home.

Heading back across Division I was surprised to see new bike lanes on Cherry Street .

It looks like it will be much easier to bike than to drive to work from the looks of this photo.

Foggy morning

Tuesday

The warm afternoon followed by the night time clear skies and coolness was perfect for creating fog along the river in the morning.   The fog hugged the low land areas along Wealthy Street, and then blanketed all of Millenium Park.  The sun began to break through in areas.

Millenium park - sun breaks through the fog. 

Eastern /Cherry intersection was now open which helped to normalize some of the traffic flows and make people a little less testy.

Nature watch:  The Virginia creeper and sumac are the first leaves to turn red.   The goldenrod is about 1/3 in bloom.   Tree leaves are losing their dark green coloring in preparation for fall.

Bluest blue sky

With the morning off, I rode down to the library and to the Lantern Coffee Shop at Oakes & Commerce where I chatted with a friend in an easy chair.  Once again the day was cool and clear, with the bluest possible sky.  I stopped by the Blue Bridge which is being repainted in preparation for Art Prize.  Even when on a bike I had trouble finding a route to the library, but managed to hop some curbs, walk through some sand and traverse the mass of barriers.

With a little extra time, I decide to tackle the horribly skipping rear derailleur on my commute bike.  After 5 minutes of studying the manual, I was again familiarized with the process of tuning the derailleur, and within 15- 20 minutes it was working smoothly again.

After lunch I rode down to work.  The return was marked by masses of cars all trying to go around endless detours.  Fortunately, I could safely slide by in the right lane and proceed home without impediment.

The dog days....I mean chilly days of August

Millenium Park

It's a cool morning, cool enough to need a jacket, and maybe gloves.   Though the construction seems to be building to a September finale, I wound my way to Millenium Park where the sun was rising and the lakes were still.   I encountered few cyclists or runners, even the birds were rather quiet.  All seems to be waiting.

Rainy day

A steady shower today, so took a little shorter park ride before work.  The rain poncho and new rear blinker worked well so I stayed dry and alive.

I switched out my pedals from Shimano clipless to regular rat-trap type pedal.  This allowed me to wear a regular shoe which was water proof. Nice not to have wet feet getting to work.

After work I rode over to Frank's Meat market and picked up some Italian sweet sausage to use in making a pasta dish with fresh veggies from the neighborhood market.

Long shadows and cobwebs.

Thursday

I was a little behind getting out the door, so had to shorten my ride a bit today.  The air was cool, sky blue, and both the city and the park were as beautiful as a gem.

Riding along Grandville Ave, the low angled morning light made the old engine house even more beautiful

As I wound around the park, I came upon a duck family perched on a perfect family sized island in the lagoon.

 

Later in the day I had to use the car to go to the airport.  A cobweb had been constructed between the mirror and the body.  The car had been sitting for several days without use.   Everyone laughed to see the cobwebs on my little used car. 

Morning shower freshness

Wednesday

My morning ride with a friend was cancelled due to an early morning thundershower, but as mid-morning approached the sky lightened, so I jumped on the bike and had a pleasant, fresh ride around Reeds Lake and to Michigan Ave.

Reeds Lake Ave.

Later,  I jumped on the bike again with work clothes and rode down to work.  Now the wind was shifting, had become humid, and was coming from the West.   But the little ride had me feeling fresh and energized for a day in the clinic.  Afterwards, a quick ride to a restaurant for a light supper and home.  The last Blues on the Mall was playing at Rosa Parks Circle.  The steam was rolling out of the pool and children playing around it fascinated, as always.  Another beautiful day.

Of gravel roads and late summer flowers

I've spend a lot of time avoiding gravel roads.  The gravel is bumpy, riding your bike on them can be unpleasant with bumping and lurching, and then there's dust.  But today on my ride through Millenium Park before work, I chose the road less traveled, slowed my speed, and rode silently through the park, it's birdsongs, and arrived at a curving railroad bridge.  There, along the bridge grew pokeberries which are beginning to turn purple.

Gravel road

Pokeweed

 

Continuing on through the park I note the change of the summer wildflowers.  If there's one wildflower to announce that it is now late summer, it's goldenrod.

Goldenrod

 

 

 

As I make my ride through Millenium Park into a daily habit, I am starting to realize that I am starting to know the animals and the people who are there at the same time.  I know where the bob-white lives.  Here song is always in the same place ( though I can not see her).  The girl on the mountain bike with red hair is almost there.  Gradually, I expect to know the plants and birds as if they are neighbors. 

When life gets busy

There are always turn and twists in life when your work world gets so busy that you forget to exercise, connect with friends, or notice what is going on around you.  Today, as the new clinic opened its doors, I could have easily swept away everything else and life and immersed myself in work.  But biking to work has a way of slowing you down, making you deal with what is around you.

Surprisingly, there was time for lunch, and I was determined to bike 3 blocks to Monroe Center Ave and have lunch at a cafe overlooking the pedestrian mall.  There I sat and ate a middle eastern meal while watching people pass by.

Parsley Mediterranean Restaurant.

Does it look like a lot of food?  Yes, it was enough for lunch and to save some for supper.  I was able to eat more of the amazingly spiced chicken at 5 just before meeting my wife Alice for a dance lesson.

An urban paradox

It's Thursday in Grand Rapids, and it seems like every road is under construction.

Cherry & Eastern

And despite the fact that it seems like it is nearly impossible to get some places by car, it's still quite easy to negotiate route by bike or by foot.  And I know that Art Prize is the driving force behind all this agitated movement.  Everything must look perfect by the middle of September when our whole city will go on display to the rest of the country.

After winding my way through downtown, I headed to my favorite morning destination, Millenium Park.  The fog was lifting and the morning was cool.  Cool and fresh enough to be the first of June.  But the late summer wildflowers belied this impression.

Millenium Park

Passing back over the Maynard using the pedestrian bridge, I thought I heard a familiar call.  As I got closer to the lakes it became louder...the pure two toned call of the Bob White.  It's a song I've never heard in Millenium Park before, and associate with being in a remote northern forest camping.

And then it struck me -- the joke -- that as I moved my life and work focus to the urban area and was now able to bike to work, I am now more connected to nature.   I am not imprisoned in the steel cage stuck on the highway.  I'm sitting here listening to the sounds of the bob-white and watching the stately blue heron pause on a log before slowing lifting off.