A Great Bike Day

Today was a 'landmark' day....today I rode more kilometers outdoors than any other month since I've been riding.  Also, I rode more kilometers than any month ever...indoor and outdoor kilometers combined.  And I went over 9000 kilometers (about 5,600 miles) total since I've been riding.  Wow...pretty cool day.  But that wasn't all.....it wasn't a pretty day really.  It smelled like rain and it was a lot cooler than it has been.  Maybe that's a good thing because I saw lots of deer today!  There are three different kinds in the park...the wee little ones , the fallow deer and the red deer.  Up until this year, I've only seen the wee little ones.  Well, today, I saw fallow AND red deer.  The fallow deer are medium sized deer with white spots and and parts of their antlers can be 'solid'.  The red deer are one of the largest deer species.  Below are pictures of a few fallow bucks....only the males have antlers (that's true for both fallow and red).

What I could not capture on film was a herd of fallow deer crossing the path right in front of me!  There were at least 5 or 6 adults and two fawns.  One fawn was very dark but, after researching, found that fallow deer have a wide variety of coloring.  Although I did photograph the red doe and fawn, the pictures are not good.  But I did see them and it was totally awesome! Wow....what a fantastic experience! Funny though.....no boar were to be seen anywhere and I actually went 'hunting' for them. 

Blackwork - Monument Valley Interpreted update

I don't think these photos could be worse.  Well, maybe so.  But they really are pretty bad.  I did want to share my progress though.  Yes, I am working on it and yes, progress can be noted.  It is a wrinkled mess though.  Susan...I'm thinking you'll be the one to solve that problem!  Mark it on your calendar but, you've got some time!  ha ha

I put my glasses on the piece so you could get an idea of the size.  If you would rather see something else for size comparisons, let me know.  I just don't really know what to use!

Are you ready for some more bike pictures??

Blackwork - Monument Valley Interpreted

As promised, here are a couple pictures of my current project called 'Monument Valley Interpreted.  

And as stated in an earlier post, blackwork takes a long, long time.  But it's coming along.

Yes, I love the teeny-tiny details of blackwork.  Alot.  And it's a good thing since the stitches are really teeny-tiny!  I don't expect this project to be done for probably close to a year.  At least that's what I'm thinking at this time.

 Oh wait!!!  How did these pictures from today's bike ride get on this post??!! ha ha  No, I just feel the need to share everything with you!

 After I had photographed the butterfly, I saw this picture on a billboard in the Oak Garden.  It says that this butterfly is in danger of becoming extinct.  I'm really excited that I saw it.

The above picture isn't so great but if you enlarge it, you can really see the hairy edge.

 I'm not sure what kind of flower this is.  It's part daisy, part sunflower.  Whatever it is, there are plenty of them and they are gorgeous!

I Can't Seem To Stop Posting About Riding!

Okay, okay, this will be the last post about bike riding for awhile.  But I had to do one more....

 It wasn't a typical Monday.  I some times followed.....

 I sometimes got out of the way.

 Lots of flowers are blooming.  Weeds to some, flowers to me.

And I discovered I'm not the only one who looks for tadpoles.  I never thought about actually going in the ponds!

And now...you guessed it.....videos!!!

Steve....I am so thinking about you!!!!

Sonya...you could come and rent an electric bike and we could do this!!!!

And now...for my favorite.  It's only one second long......

It really isn't a crash....just a funny thing with the camera.

So, next post...I promise...will be my blackwork piece.  I am working on it as well, not just riding.

The Invasion

I ride my bike in the Park because it is quiet.  I ride through the woods and fields, seeing nature at its finest.  But once a year, there is an invasion.  It's like a locust invasion.  

 This is that day.

 I had seen the signs advertising the 'Waldfest und Gottesdienst' but I didn't note the date.

 There was no doubt about it though, today the park was filled with walkers, bike riders, firetrucks, old and young alike.  There were tents set up in the woods, I guess to celebrate Mass and then serve as the beer tents.

I look forward to riding tomorrow.  I do hope, though, that they clean up after themselves.

When It's Gray

Even on a gray, almost dreary day, there is still plenty to see.

 These beautiful flowers are blooming all over the place.  They range from pure white to dark purple. They are called Digitalis Purpurea and are originally native to western and southwestern Europe.   As an interesting side-note, an overdose of their toxicity causes anorexia, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea as well as xanthopsia which is jaundiced and yellow vision.  Wow...I don't think I'll be putting any of these on my salad!!

 There are some tadpoles with front legs now.  Pretty exciting for a tadpole fan like myself.

This is the little pond, what I call a 'sunny pond', that has the tadpoles in it.  If you remember from past blog entries, I have seen both Mallard and Asian ducks here.  A while ago, I saw 10 little ducklings here swimming around all by themselves.  Although I waited, no parent duck came.  Since that time, I haven't seen any ducks, adult or baby.

Come Ride With Me.....The Second Day In A Row

It seems a rarity this year to have two nice days in a row.  But we did.  So I was out again.  Everything is so green and beautiful.  Not too much to take pictures of today.  Well, let me word that a different way....I did more riding than picture taking.  I did get a couple of shots to share though so enjoy!

Come Ride With Me....

After over a week of rain and cold, the sun came out today.  That means, of course, that the two-wheelers were back in action!  What a glorious day.  Come ride with me, see what I saw.  And rejoice in the sun!