I brake for doves

There’s been a sadness over my heart lately with all the sickness in the family, s0
Saturday morning I woke up and decided that this was the day I was going to really go riding. I haven’t been on my bike since about mid July (I think), but I know that it has been a while. It’s really been much too hot to really enjoy a good relaxing ride anyway. There isn’t any amount of shade cool enough to ride in when the thermometer is nearly topping out at close to 100 degrees F…but on Saturday I made up my mind to get out and go riding.

Luckily for me the day was overcast with clouds and I was loving every single cloud in the sky. I chose my route carefully too…roads with shade trees that created a tunnel over the roads, just in case the sun was to shine through, it would be filtered by the leaves.

When I ride, I talk to God and thank him for creating such a beautiful earth, filled with beautiful creatures of all kinds. I say a little prayer for each little animal I see dead on the roads and ask God to forgive us and our machines for running over his creations. Then I’m reminded of all the people who die in car accidents too, so I say a prayer for their families. Riding for me is a time of reflection, thankfulness, deep thought, meditation & a lot of praying. And on a not so serious note, I pray that we don’t get run over ourselves.

Once I am on my bike I feel so much better. Too much time had passed since my last ride and when that happens I feel a little intimidated by the bike and I have to tell myself that it is ME who will be in control of it and that it won’t do anything I don’t want it to do. So once I leave our driveway, which is not an easy task for me, I begin to immediately feel better and in control.

Jimmy always makes me lead the way. He says it’s for my safety so he can watch my back and keep cars from cutting in between us and also when changing lanes or merging into traffic he can clear the lane by entering it first and allowing me to glide over into it easily without danger. Sometimes I just want to follow and especially on curvy unfamiliar roads, so I can see how the road lays by watching the person ahead of me. So since I always lead, Saturday I chose a very familiar road to ride.

To my surprise the road had been repaved with nice new smooth blacktop. The last time I had been on this road we chuckled and called it the road to be impaled on because of all the fallen trees which protruded into the road. It’s a road you ride slowly and cautiously on, always watching for obstacles and for little furry creatures scampering about…and Saturday was no exception.

I had decided to ride and just not worry about taking pictures today, so I kept my camera put away in my saddlebags. And wouldn’t you know it today was the day, I should have had it ready. I guess because it has been so dry and because I had chosen this particular road that followed a swift flowing creek, the animals were in abundance crossing in front of us. Sometimes they just sat still and watched me ride by. I was particularly amazed at a pair of doves that I braked for, that refused to move out of the way. No I didn’t run over them, but just went passed them as they continued pecking the asphalt just as if I was invisible…well almost invisible. They looked up at me and went back to whatever they were doing.

We saw chipmunks, squirrels and groundhogs that day, but I will never forget the two little young deer. As we crested a small knoll, there they were, smack dab in the middle of the road. I slowed down almost to a stop and they looked up at me. One walked towards me a few steps and then turned back around and bent down to the road again, then the other bent down and touched something on the road. They looked so innocent and young and they weren’t quite sure whether to be afraid of us or not. I was thinking to myself that this was that special Kodak moment and here I was without my camera. There was nothing I could do but watch the two in amazement. They finally scampered off and as I slowly went forward I saw what the two were intently looking at. There in the road was an orange & black tarpon (land turtle) with its neck & head looking up at me…not in the least afraid. The two little fawns had discovered the tarpon on the road and were taking turns touching it with their noses. Now wouldn’t that have been a prize winning picture? That image is still embedded in my brain. I looked around, but never did see their mother although I know she must have been close by.

This road is never a disappointment except for the fact that I have never been able to snap a picture of any animal…even when my camera is at arms length. The picture of the two fawns at the top is a borrowed picture and not one of my own. It best depicts what I saw on the road minus the tarpon. I also posted another picture of a tree that had fallen across the road, but it has disappeared twice...yes twice, so I won't attempt to upload it again...no telling where it would end up or where it went in the first place.

I hope everyone is having a nice day.

Ps...I would like to wish Brian & Reva a belated Happy 25th Wedding Anniversary. Sorry I missed it yesterday.