Summer is not my favorite season to ride. Heat, sweat, and abundant vehicles on the road just makes me tired. Mentally and physically. Judging by the number of motorcycles and scooters out this time of year I suspect my dis-embrace of summer puts me in the riding minority.Photographically I've always found clear sunny days difficult to connect with. I stopped to make this picture because it reflected my ideas of summer being devoid of mystery. The camera gains weight when the temperature rising above 80F making it difficult to pick up and use.
A ride to Bellefonte to have breakfast with a friend feels ordinary. The passing clouds, beautiful in themselves, don't trigger the same reactions as rain, fog, cold or a heavy, gray landscape. I should learn to be grateful for the day I suppose regardless of the package it arrives in.But I just feel tired. Too tired to get the hammock out of the attic for a nap in the backyard.
Maybe if I were more social summer would be different. Stopping after work at the neighborhood chocolate store I consider the riders sitting outside at Duffy's Tavern. They don't look tired. I make a note and move on to purchase something to accompany my evening tea.
A stop at the grocery store on the way home from work. It's hot and I have more groceries than I can easily pack in and on the Vespa. There is a whole roasted chicken in a big plastic container. Had to have that. And four more bags. I'm hot and I'm tired as I begin to solve the packing puzzle.The roads are packed with students and their families as they move into town for fall semester. With cars everywhere I realize tired is not the best state of mind for a rider. Pushing open the visor the rush of air loosens my eyes and stiffens the spine. Mentally the rider dial turns to high and at least for the ride home any feelings of being tired evaporate.
At home, sitting in the garden, watching the sky through the tops of tall fir trees I dream of cooler weather and for me, the start of the riding season.
