Amber waves of grain

Oh beautiful, for spacious skies...

It seems strange to me, a Midwestern soul, born and raised in the Great Wheat State, to see how short the wheat is down here in Texas.  It is a far shorter variety than the old Russian Red variety of my youth.  I can imagine all sorts of logical reasons for this varietal change, but it just looks funny to me.  And to have it turning, and heading-over already, and it is only mid-May?  You gotta be kidding me!

For amber waves of grain...

No.  I'm not.  It is turning that lovely amber color, and the heads are full, soon to bend gracefully toward the ground, a golden ocean whose waves make the wind visible.

Recent rains have also caused a proliferation of the local wild flowers, aka ditch weeds.  I keep meaning to stop and take pictures on my rides.  But my phone is the only camera I carry, and it rides safely in the back bag, primarily for emergency use or simple location tracking for DH, so he knows where I am at, when I go for a ride.  I don't really want to risk fumbling an expensive cell phone that I can't afford to replace, just for a picture of some ditch weeds, no matter how lovely they look.

I need to snag a used digicam from somewhere.  I know there are a lot of Nikon Coolpix versions out on the used market.  If I get something like that, small enough to fit the bike's bento box, I wouldn't be out much money if I dropped it and it broke.  That would allow me to stop and capture some of the sights I see on my rides, if only to share them here.  Perhaps it would inspire some of you to dust off your bikes and go for a ride.  That would make me smile.  Maybe you'd smile too?

These last two days I have appropriated Monkey1's road bike, a Giant OCR, to see if I could ride a diamond frame bike again, or not, before shelling out beaucoup bucks for an Encore.  Seemed prudent to me, since it had been a decade and many pounds ago, that I had been on a DF bike.  IF the arthritis didn't bother me too much, it might make more sense to get a used road bike, and keep the old recumbent for long rides.  And if it did flare up too painfully, then the Encore would be confirmed.  So far, I am faster on the lighter bike, and much faster uphill.  But...today's ride was a lesson in pain management.  I had forgotten what all can and will hurt on a road bike if you are not acclimated to it.  So far, the hand joints are one of the lesser pains.  Surprise!  It's everything else that hurts.  I will likely go ahead and get an Encore, the comfort factor alone is enough to keep me on a bent primarily.  But I might grab a used DF, and sell off the mountain bike, just in case.  Once the Monkeys master their road bikes, I might need one to keep up!

This is why I ride, to see the beauty still out there.  To relax, even while slogging my way uphill.  Sure there are health benefits, increased strength and endurance, and weight loss to name a few.  But it's more than that.  It's just such a part of our life here, one of the important things DH and I share, and something we want to share with our children.  Enjoy beauty where you find it.  It is out there.   and if you find it from the seat of your bike, so much the better!

Be safe out there when you ride.  I will have another post next week I think, on the general gear I think is essential for safe riding.