Colors of the Season

Think about August. The Dog Days. Unless you live in the Southern Hemisphere, you may be thinking of the twin burden of heat and humidity. Maybe you are thinking of shorter days; the earlier sunset may be only slightly perceptible right now, but you do notice it. It is no trick, you are running short of afterwork daylight. Then there is the start up of schools; what used to be delayed until after the Labor Day weekend, has now encroached well into August in some areas. The start up of the school year is always accompanied by a big uptick in motor vehicle traffic, and who looks forward to that?

This time of year i tend to search for the little things that make my rides more pleasant. A ride this past Friday turned out to be less than i had hoped for, but the Buckwheat was pretty spectacular in its rusty hue. Likewise, the bunch grasses in the midst of their summer hibernation, were golden from certain angles, simply straw-colored from others. You have heard the saying, "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade", well even on typical, familiar, uneventful rides you can sometimes find extraordinary things.