Today I am writing to brighten up Chris' day. He lives in one of the most idyllic places in England, but is occupied with tearing out ugly old plaster ceilings, and glancing out the window at a very chilly, windy, snowy day. Brrr. I get cold just looking out this window. [click on any image to enlarge it]
I on the other hand, was hammering down a major street, fighting with potholes, gutters, trash bins, inattentive motorists and my own out-of-shape body. Huff, puff. Mr. Traffic Light, please turn red so I can catch my breath! Oh no, it's green already.
I finally got to the end of the street, and its highest point. Huff, puff. I spotted a nice little bench at the end of a city easement (making it public). I pulled off the crowded commuter track and headed for the bench. Normally I never put my bike on the ground but there wasn't anything handy to lean it on. What happened next? You will have to decide for yourself:
I was
(a) totally exhausted
(b) interested in the view
so I
(a) threw my bike on the dirt,
(b) lowered it gently to the springy turf,
and
(a) threw myself on the bench, wheezing
(b) lowered myself gingerly to the flimsy seat,
and
(a) tried desperately to catch my breath before I keeled over.
(b) took out my camera for a photo.
After this short period of fatigue-induced schizophrenia, I headed downhill to the water. It's always easy going down to the water. (Even after working as a professional editor for 30 years I had to look up the correct spelling of
skitzofrenia.)
I got right DOWN to the water. Holding my camera a few inches above the gently lapping ripples, I captured a sea lion's view of the
Robert Gordon Sproul, a marine biologist's dream. Visit the link to learn more, but be sure to hit return to come back and finish the story of my bike ride.
(You wouldn't want me to be sitting at the dock of the bay all day, would you?)
I looked the other direction. More shining sea. Wow - another morning in Paradise. I do appreciate it. This image is larger, to encourage Chris that there is life beyond "snow in March".
Leaving the harbor, I spotted my first Aston Martin of the day. There are two more along this route, but they were no doubt conveying their retired banker-owners to the club for squash. I did spot a Dino 246 and several Porsches - all under their covers this morning.
I passed by one of my favorite homes - with wonderful landscaping - a beautiful mix of succulents, cactus, block and green-stained chimney. This is on the waterfront too, making it even more special.
There you go Chris. Hope this inspires you a bit to get your guest room in tip-top shape before our next visit to Dorset.
