Day 12 of 365

As planned yesterday, I took it easy today and just rode downtown for a tea. It's the craft show today, as you can see in the photo above. They close down the two main streets downtown for it, and also have vendors in the park. I think it's going to be really packed today as the weather is just as beautiful as yesterday. Look how busy it was at 9:30 in the morning!

This isn't my favorite craft show-- it seems like many of the booths have similar types of items and a bunch of it isn't even "home-crafted." It's mostly country style crafts with a few more unique artists thrown in.

I didn't walk around much, but I did buy this lovely key chain. It matches my grandmother's everyday silverware pattern, silverware that my mom gave to me a few years ago. It's not the fancy stuff, but I don't use it regularly because it's not as hardy as my everyday silverware.

I do, however, collect other items made with the pattern. There's this key chain, of course, and I also have a barrette and a watch.

I took a few pictures of flowers on the way and saw a bunch I want to get tomorrow. Now it's time to get ready for doing four hours of chair massage. I'm going to be exhausted tonight!

Miles today: 3 Total miles: 59

Day 11 of 365

I'm blogging while watching the Olympic opening ceremonies, so this'll be short.

It was an absolutely beautiful day today-- more like September than August. I took advantage of it and added another two miles to my ride for a total of nine. I started feeling it in my knees near the end so I'll probably keep it short these next couple of days. And now I'm eating chips and ice cream for dinner, so it's a wash anyway!

There is a pair of hawks in this area, actually I think there's more than one pair. I heard two of them calling to each other yesterday but couldn't see them in trees. Today I was lucky enough to get a picture of one. They were both flying overhead, but it was hard enough to even get this shot.

I also saw a train today. Here it is crossing in front of an Amish farm. Aside from the obvious buggy in the yard and black clothes on the laundry line, I knew this was an Amish farm because a bunch of Amish kids came running out of the house to see the train go by. Where this train is going I don't know. To pick up grain? Liquid chocolate at Wilbur's? I can't imagine what else it could be.


Miles today: 9 Total miles: 56

Day 10 of 365: Maybe I should change the name of this blog

to Still Life with Bicycle and Wildflowers. I know for sure that I need to remember to put a bigger memory card into my camera before I go out again. The card I had today was full before I'd even gone a mile, and I was being very selective about what I was trying to photograph!

On the left is Hedge Bindweed and above, Chicory. Chicory is one of my favorite flowers-- weed, wildflower or regular garden flower. I love the color.

I have so many pictures to identify and TONS of flowers that I haven't even gotten photos of yet. And it's only been one week in August. AND we're just talking about roadside plants! Just documenting what's there right now is daunting. When you start thinking about all the different plants that bloom at different times of the year and then factor in the growth phases of all those plants... well, it's almost overwhelming.

But I'm hooked, so I'll keep at it! I think I might do a little flower scrapbook. Keep track of when and where I took each photo and so on. Where I'll find time to do that I don't know, but it sounds like something fun to do.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 47

Day 9 of 365

These long days at work are killing me! I didn't get out to ride until after 7:30, and it's getting dark earlier and earlier every day. Makes for a pretty sky and all but not particularly safe for biking.

The cows were out tonight! When I stopped to take pictures they kept crowding each other and getting closer and closer to where I was. I was hoping the fence was electrified!
I know I shouldn't be afraid of cows, but there it is.

I never realized until today that each cow has a name as well as a number. Above is Maud and below are Wendy and Allie.


I don't have any clients until 6 pm tomorrow, so I'm planning to go on a wildflower hunt.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 40

Day 8 of 365

It was hard to get a ride in today. I only had two clients but I couldn't get my time organized enough to get much of anything done. It didn't help that it was incredibly humid and we even had some rain. I finally got out there at about 7:15. I went up to the Mennonite church. No pictures, though, because of the threat of more rain. So here are a few photos of wildflowers that I've taken on other days.

Although they look similar, the one on the left is Nightshade and the one on the right is Horse Nettle. This next one is kind of interesting, I think. Clammy Ground Cherry is on the left. I think they're related to the Chinese Lantern plants you see in gardens. And on the right is Butter and Eggs.












This last flower is Bouncing Bet, a variety of Soapwort.

And now it's 9:30 and I haven't even had dinner yet!

Miles today: 4 Total miles: 33

Day 7 of 365: Dominican food and wildflowers

My neighbor's mother is visiting from the Dominican Republic. She'll be here for two more months, and then we won't see her again until next year. Every few days she brings me over a huge plate of food-- for lunch, she says. Look what she brought today! It could feed two or three people, I think! There's rice, beans with bacon, sweet potato with cinnamon, a chicken leg AND breast, and a corn & spinach casserole. And all of it is really, really good. I'm not nearly as good a cook as she is, so I reciprocate by bringing over vegetables from my garden.

I took a trip downtown for my ride today. I went to the post office to mail some letters and got an iced tea at the coffee shop. On the way home I stopped along the brook that runs through town to take some pictures.

I'm going to identify these flowers as best I can, but if anyone wants to correct me please do! I'm using The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Wildflowers as my reference.

Above on the right is a Pale Touch-me-not. On the left is Vervain and to the right is Blue Vervain.

The bottom yellow flower is an Evening Primrose. They open in the evening and close around noon. It was around 11am when I took these photos so it was just starting to close up, I think.

I have no idea why these pictures don't show up on the blog the way they do on preview. Hopefully I'll figure it out some day, because it's getting annoying...

Miles today: 3 Total miles: 29

Day 6 of 365

I rode seven miles today-- a full two miles farther than I have previously ridden! Now, seven miles may not seem like much but when the terrain is slightly hilly and the rider is out of shape, an additional two miles is an accomplishment. Above is a view of the road I'd just ridden down. Usually there's cows out and about on this farm, but I think they were in the barn for milking when I rode by.


This is a Yellow WoolyBear caterpillar crossing the road. He (or she) will become a Virginia Tiger Moth in the next few weeks.




I stopped to try and get a picture of
some grasshoppers (or locusts, or whatever they were) that were sitting among the soybeans when I got a shot of this butterfly, a Pearl Crescent.

I've been getting some good shots of flowers along the road, and when I get them identified I'll post them.

Miles today: 7 Total miles: 26