June 04, 2004

11:20 p.m.

Bee Ee's Big Adventure

It was the kind of weather too perfect to resist, and the day ended in a spectacular sunset. By late this morning (and I slept in a bit) I was trying to get motivated to put on my shoes and go for a ride, but the moment I lay back on the bed, I thought how wonderful it would be to just lie there and drift back to sleep, with no thought of the day's schedule and nothing more interesting occupying my mind than the birdsong and bullfrogcroak outside. I did bask in a bit of that, but knew I would be filled with self-reproach later if I didn't get outside on this, my one totally free day. So out I went. Good lord, it was made to order. My long sleeved shirt was only a little warm for part of the way, but on the way back I had to put on my jacket. I surprised myself yet again by going even farther than the last time, and because I have an odometer now, I know that I rode 24.84 miles today. At the point where I stopped last ride, I got off, sat on the side of the path and ate my apple. I saw no one and I swear I could have just lain back and gone to sleep, it was so peaceful. The wild rose has burst, and there are sudden, unexplained flowery perfumes along the way. I decided to keep going.

About five minutes past that last stopping point I came upon a wonderful sight: a few yards into the woods was a roaring little river, pouring over boulders and singing like Niagara Falls. A little way down it turned a corner and went into a tunnel -- with the bike path going over. I rolled back up to the path and kept going. It will be a great lunch spot when I reach the point where I have to actually pack a lunch on these rides.

At the point of turning around I had come to a street, so rode down a little way to Rt. 6 to check the street sign: Wales Road. Once home I mapped it on my Streets & Trips and discovered that I've gotten just about halfway to Willimantic (my goal if the path is passable the whole way). Halfway! Will I ever be able to ride that long? The bike path isn't on the map, so I had to estimate its route by following the cross streets I'd seen. In Bolton a railroad track suddenly appears on the map, so I assume that's where the path continues. I followed its course into Willimantic and found the street where I used to live. It was the coolest apartment I've ever had.

Anyway I reluctantly turned around and started what seemed like a very long ride home. I really have to pack more food if it's going to go over a mealtime. I got back in time to see the brown bunny behind our parking lot... but I was utterly too tired to drive to Great Barrington to see Dave play.

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Instead I picked up laundry from Rose's, and we went out to DQ to get her favorite treat, called something like Triple Chocolate Explosion or Ecstasy or Orgasm -- which she has had almost every single Friday since starting Weight Watchers last fall, and still lost about 45 lbs -- I haven't seen my sister with a figure in years, and she looks amazing.

The little black dog is half in the spirit world; she has barely eaten anything in weeks, and everything she does deign to eat gives her diarrhea. I love her so much, and we're going to have to say goodbye soon.

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Apart from that not unexpected sadness, the day was a welcome here-and-now relief from my usual preoccupation with schedule and other worries. Sitting by the path eating an apple and realizing I didn't know or care what time it was, nor when I got back, was a simple, perfect pleasure I almost never experience. And this morning started off with a guffaw, as I read a note from hissandtell giving me a few sample terms for girly naughty bits. I swear, I must have grown up in some very small circles not to have ever heard these phrases. All I could think, after the first hour of riding on my very fancy but rather hard bicycle seat, was, "Whoo-WEE! My panty hamster is squealin'!"