The Slower Path

On Wednesdays, I ride my bike to work. I've been doing it for about a month now. The route I take is 7 miles one way, so I have to get up a little earlier to leave and I have to shower at work, but I really enjoy it.

This morning was chillier than usual, and not because I hit the pavement at 7:03. That summer polar vortex is bringing some lovely 50 degree July weather to the greater DC area. So I got to wear a little hoodie thing my dad got me in Utah this spring, huzzah!

Anyway, when I ride my bike, I like to keep my eyes open and look for things that I wouldn't normally see if I were driving. This morning, I saw a bunny rabbit next to the bike path. I've ridden past a friendly groundhog twice. I found a section of the path with wild honeysuckle growing (I can tell by the great smell). I have seen a very dedicated Indian man who runs barefoot, twice.

But my favorite part about the ride is just being outside, and not being cooped up at my desk or in my car. I can't just turn on the AC if it's hot, I've got to deal with it for 45-ish minutes until I get home. If I get tired, then I either power through it or take a quick break for water. Big hill coming up? Get some momentum and slap that puppy into first gear. And everything is so green and smells great, especially in the mornings.

And I feel extra great when I ride past people who are stuck in traffic :) At least, until I get stuck at a stop light too.

In quilty news, I've been very busy the last two weeks. So busy, in fact, I haven't blogged about it. So there is no process imagery here. I made two baby quilts for my house mom (to give as gifts). They're based off of Juice Boxes by Cluck Cluck Sew. I wanted the squares of the quilt to have a focal point (like animals, or the very hungry caterpillar), and the bigger squares to be background. I was thinking of it as an I-Spy kind of quilt.

Anyhoo, they were flown away literally as soon as I finished them so I wasn't able to photograph them. But house mom got some cell phone pics! But I can't figure out how to upload them. So I'll post them later.