Tuesday, August 4, 2015

A Week of Rides

Saturday Morning (on which Mr. M and I participate in a small MS benefit ride)

It's a treat for me to be riding with Mr. M today. Once a serious cyclist, he's spent years battling the after-effects of a brain tumor and, later, a pulmonary embolism, which together have made riding very difficult. The effects have not gone away, but he has worked hard to get back on the bike and slowly build up his mileage.


And we're off! This ride attracts all sorts and ages of riders: fast, slow, young, old, middle-aged, hobby, serious. (Mr. M and I belong to the slow, middle-aged, and hobby categories.)


The day is warm and the weather changeable; at times the air is very thick and humid, making some of my photos rather blurry. (But a blurry photo is a chance to play with photo-editing effects - which will, I hope, explain some of the pictures seen below.)

Our course takes us through lovely rolling farm country - what Astri might call "bucolic". ;)


Double shadow shot!!


An intermittent wind provides refreshment (and clearer photo ops):


The course is well-marked, and there are several rest stops for the hungry or thirsty:


Mr. M shows me a cool way to stand up our bikes - and for the rest of the morning the song "Lean On Me" plays in my head. :)


Here is one of the littlest riders, very thoroughly kitted out:


Getting ready to take off for the next leg, I hold Mr. M's bike while he makes a pit stop. I look down to see our handlebars nestled together, and the sight is somehow symbolic:


The changeable day clouds up, then clears again as we ride between green-and-gold fields. Red barns and tractors, and colourful cycling jerseys, make splashes of colour:




At the second rest stop, Mr. M chats with another survivor: a cyclist, who looks to be in his 70s, and has lived through a stroke and a heart attack. He told us he gets up at 4:30 every morning to ride.


The third leg of the ride takes us into Amish country:




On the last leg we pass a gal in a recumbent who's pedalling with her hands - possibly because her legs no longer work due to MS? Her companion's jersey reads "Attitude is Everything".


This is why we are riding.

~

It seems somehow appropriate that on this day, for the first time in over 21 years, Mr. M rode 33 miles. It may not sound like much to a seasoned cyclist, but for Mr. M it was a huge breakthrough. I am so proud of him for persisting all these years: for keeping up his stretching and static exercises when he couldn't ride or even walk more than a block, for taking short walks whenever he was able; for getting back on the bike even when he could only go a mile or two; and for overcoming his fears, his permanent double vision, impaired hearing, chronic fatigue, and irreparable lack of balance, to keep trying to do the cycling he loves. He may never be able to recover quickly from physical exertion (he spent the rest of the weekend sleeping and eating and sleeping again), but now he has the hope of becoming a little stronger than he's been in decades.

~

Tuesday Morning

It's a gloriously hot and sticky day - the kind of day when I look back the cramped, grey, chilly rides of early spring, and feel grateful for summer and the chance to get honestly sweaty.

Blue Vervain are growing near a marsh - the bushes are taller than I am, tipped with small green-and-violet spikes of bloom:


A few feet away grows a plant I don't recognize, with white clusters of bud just beginning to open. Research reveals it to be Boneset (Eupatorium perfoliatum), a plant used in traditional Native American medicine to treat fevers:


Miles on, I pass a stretch of gorgeous double-blossomed pink Bouncing Bet (Saponaria officinalis):


Waves of wildflowers break against a wall of corn...


...which in its turn breaks against a wall of trees.


Swallows make picturesque dotted lines on the telephone wires, but whenever I take out my camera they panic and scatter:


A pleasant summer ride.

~

Friday Morning

The humidity of the early week has cleared; today is a day of boisterous wind and deep-blue skies.

The first walnuts are falling, a sure sign of what's to come:


I pass patches of a plant I don't recognize at all. The wildflower databases are no help, though a stray reference makes me wonder if it could be some kind of hemp. Can anyone ID this plant for me?

Check out the Very Large Beetle hiding in the leaves just above these words!

A favourite barn:


Curves (and Queen Anne's Lace) ahead!


Today's ride is an out-and-back, with the turnaround point at a local lake. Iris rests against the barrier while Tallulah and I climb down to the gravelly shore and revel in the wind-whipped waves.




The air is fresh and invigorating; hot in the sun and cool in the shade. Miss T poses for a few photos, but the lighting does not, alas, favor her delicate complexion. (It doesn't help that the camera wants to focus on the wrong subject. The trials of turtle photography.)


We spy some new-to-us blossoms growing nearby:


Even to Mrs. M's uneducated eye, it seems obvious they belong to the Aster family. And so they do: research at home identifies them as Parasol Aster, or Flat-Top Aster (A. umbellatum).

A wonderful (though short) ride on a gloriously beautiful day. Here endeth the riding report for July.

Current wildflower count: 116

~

A happy August to you! What are your plans for the last weeks of summer? (Or winter, if you live in the Southern Hemisphere?)

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

31 comments:

  1. Bravo to Mr. M and to you too! You certainly have picturesque riding grounds. You're fortunate to live near the Amish.. I find their culture and farms and horses and carts just wonderful. We will be leaving for a lake camping trip next week. I hope I'm rested up enough before we leave! LOL! ((hugs)), Teresa :-)

    ReplyDelete
  2. I so enjoyed reading this post. Well done Mr M - what an inspiration to keep on persevering. I hope he is fully recovered now and still feeling very proud of himself. It must have been wonderful to be out together. Juliex

    ReplyDelete
  3. Looks like the two of you had a blast....and your pictures are awesome, as always. :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovely to hear about your rides. Well done to Mr M, sounds like quite an achievement and sounds like you two have been through a lot together over the years. Great photos.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm so glad you were able to get in rides this weekend and doubly happy that Mr. M was able to ride. If he's like my Hubs, riding is like breathing for him. It's hot and humid here and my ac fan motor decided it was a good time to take a vacation. Thank goodness we bought window fans earlier in the spring and we have big shade trees in the front yard.
    Hugs,
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  6. I'm so glad you were able to get in rides this weekend and doubly happy that Mr. M was able to ride. If he's like my Hubs, riding is like breathing for him. It's hot and humid here and my ac fan motor decided it was a good time to take a vacation. Thank goodness we bought window fans earlier in the spring and we have big shade trees in the front yard.
    Hugs,
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  7. Congrats to both of you, but especially Mr M. That sounds like a long ride. Great photos as always. I've noticed some of my walnuts on the ground too, and wondered whether it was the extra hot dry summer we're having.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Yay to Mr. M., and to you, too. I lost my father in law to glioblastoma 3 years ago this month, and it always makes me happy to hear of folks who beat BC, of any type. Lovely, lovely pics from what looked like a lovely, lovely ride. Thanks for sharing. I have to say that I am envious of the apparently superior quality of your roads. Here in Santa Cruz County, CA, we have to keep an eagle eye out for pot holes and buckling.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Kathleen - and I have to admit not all our roads are that smooth. Some of them are awful, but they don't show up in photos because they're so bumpy I can't get good pictures while riding on them! :/

      Delete
  9. Wonderful rides and even more wonderful hubby! We wouldn't even consider doing such long rides. And thanks for identifying so many wildflowers. I have also seen the one you can't find. Let us know if you identify it. Linda@Wetcreek Blog

    ReplyDelete
  10. I'm taking a wild guess at the plant you're trying to ID. I think it looks much like horsemint (and there are different varieties). The one that I see here in Tidewater Virginia has those "stacked" flowers (pink), and narrow leaves.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Betty!!! Horsemint it is - or spotted horsemint (Monarda punctata). Around here it's not pink at all - it's more of a greyish-white - so I was looking in the wrong section of the wildflower database. (I usually search by colour first.)

      So satisfying to get a proper ID. Thanks again! :)

      Delete
    2. Great! That's probably what I have here, too. I see that it blooms in a variety of colors. (I have one of those lovely handbooks where you sort by color, too, and it *usually* gives me a quick ID. But then there are those odd times . . . . )

      Delete
  11. Your ride sounds wonderful and congratulations to Mr M!!! Bravo! His determination is a great thing to read about. I love the handlebar symbolism. So true and I hope of my marriage too.
    Blessings,
    Betsy

    ReplyDelete
  12. What a lovely story of Mr. M's persistance and all the lovely things you shared along the way together!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I'm cheering Mr Mr along (and you for being by his side). He must have true grit I think, it's an inspirational tale, very well done Mr M. The 4.30am cyclist is rather inspirational too, I think I need to make more of an effort! CJ xx

    ReplyDelete
  14. Well done to Mr M 33 miles is amazing good for him. Lovely scenery and wildflowers what beautiful places you cycle through. :) xx

    ReplyDelete
  15. Absolutely fabulous barn pics... they make my spine tingle...
    A wonderful ride for a worthy cause but it also yielded enjoyable time with each other. A bravo to Hubby for his determination and strength to move forward. And of course to you too for your contribution to MS research and sharing those lovely photos.
    Susan x

    ReplyDelete
  16. My hat is off to Mr M. And to you of course for your fund raising efforts.

    Your corner of the world is looking decidely lovely just now (alhough I'm not sure the humidity would agree with me).

    ReplyDelete
  17. What a wonderful story!!! How proud you must be of him.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Way to go Mr. M!!! Keep after it!

    Nice post Mrs. M., your flower shots are awesome. I think I like the Blue Vervain the best out of this set. As for August, Snowcatcher and I plan to visit the alpine tundra several times before everything growing shuts down for the fall/winter. We just returned from a photo trip into the San Juan Mountains and managed to hit flowers at their peak. Sadly, in several weeks, higher elevation plants will begin their journey into dormancy, sniff, sniff.

    ReplyDelete
  19. The most wonderful segment of this post is your ride with Mr. M! How awesome! You brought happy tears to my eyes!

    We've never trusted our bikes in that lean due to wind, but I love that you were able to, and the song is so perfect!

    ReplyDelete
  20. Mr. M is indeed an inspiration..as if your love and caring for each other. Such loveliness to look at through the eye of your camera. Such a wonderful post here, Sue.
    With affection, Ellen.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Oops, I meant to say "as is", not "as if".

    ReplyDelete
  22. I am betting that you have also put in a lot of effort to Mr M's recovery and you both deserve praise for your tenacity.

    The flowers are gorgeous and I'm happy that you have an ID for that one.

    ReplyDelete
  23. I am in awe of your husband, what an amazing man to keep at it all after all he has been through. I husband is a survivor of three different pulmonary embolisms. He rides inside most of the time. The balance, and double vision would be a huge hurdle to navigate, I am so pleased for you both.
    Hugs,
    Meredith

    ReplyDelete
  24. Oh I am thrilled for Mr. M and for you! What a great ride you had! Loved going along .
    Hello T...does she ever eat the wildflowers?
    I love your purple water bottle.

    I don't like to think we are into the last weeks of Summer. It just arrived. We had a cold cold windy start as you well know.
    I plan to try to golf with Fireman. Swim more outside while we can. Two august barb e ques are being planned.

    Fezzik is growing so big this, his first summer.
    This string of sunny 80s is to bottle and keep deep in my winter memory bank

    ReplyDelete
  25. Bravo to both of you!! A very inspirational story, Mr M must be a man of great personal courage and fortitude , much like you I am guessing. We sure don't what's on the road ahead for us. Thank you for sharing such a moving story.

    ReplyDelete
  26. This looks like a lovely ride. :-) Blue sky and all .... Regula

    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks once more for the really beautiful photos of the countryside that you pass on your cycles. I always love seeing them even if I don't always get to leave a comment. Delighted to hear that your hubby made that cycle. It's no wonder that you sound so proud of him.
    Rosie

    ReplyDelete
  28. Way to go Mr. M! I missed taking rides with you. Now if I can keep my computer going, I will ride along. ;)

    ReplyDelete

I love comments! Speak on....