Mother Nature has had something against the baseball/softball season so far. After successfully rescheduling daughter’s rainout for this evening, we scrambled to contact everyone late afternoon to let them know it was rained out…again. As I drove home, in the rain, I watched the sky start to clear. Towards Emerald Queen Casino I saw a glimpse of a rainbow over the hillside (apparently Mother Nature like to gamble a bit too) and another glimpse hovering over the strads at the Port. Within the next 45 seconds I witnessed the complete rainbow emerge from the clouds and pop out in such vibrant colors I could hardly believe it was real. It reminded me of a poster my mom had long ago “Let us permit Mother nature to have her way, she better understands her ways than we.” (or something like that) I realized I was smiling and enjoying a sight we only see when it rains. As I looked around, everyone else was looking up from behind their steering wheels and smiling too. What a nice break from a boring commute! I even forgot I was ticked at Mother N in the first place.
I got home in time to send hubby off to his soccer game with a good luck kiss, chatted with the kids, started a load of laundry and contemplated my next move. I need to get my dad’s car to a lot near the airport no later than Friday afternoon. We have softball practice (rain or shine) on Thursday and I don’t want to wait until Friday morning. I come up with a plan…throw my bicycle in the back of his car, drive to Wally Park, jump on the bus, ride back to the bus stop nearest my house and ride the rest of the way home. Brilliant! And as good luck would have it, I bought a brand new helmet this very afternoon. My old one didn’t fit over my dreads & my friend said my new one made me look fast. Let’s go try it out! I changed clothes, grabbed my ORCA card, gloves, a book, my keys, his keys, and threw my coat on. Piece of cake drive to the lot, put his keys in a clearly marked envelope, made arrangements with the cashier and coasted down the hill to the Rapid Ride stop at 188th. I waited approximately 97 seconds for my bus to come, spent the next 97 seconds trying to figure out how to secure my bike to the rack, joked with the Operator as I explained I was a rookie at the bike rack thing, and took my seat. The bus smelled more like smoke than a casino but it was all good. We cruised down International Boulevard and arrived at the Dash Point stop in about 15 minutes. I remembered to tell the driver that my bike was on front so she didn’t run over me and assured her I’d try to be quick. And hey, getting the bracket off is a helluva lot easier than getting it on. I got out of her way, zipped up my coat, strapped on the new helmet and realized someone had turned off the lights. Damn! It’s dark! And I have no headlamp, flashing red light, reflective gear or any other sort of safety devices other than to 2 factory reflectors on either end of my bike. And Dash Point Road is a narrow shouldered, very poorly lit road, which people motorists like the Autobahn. Never gonna get home standing here so let’s get this ride started! Most cars give me plenty of room and I swear I’m leaving only 3 inches between me and the edge of the shoulder. My night vision is taking its own sweet time so I’m focusing way too close to my front tire for my comfort. There’s all kinds of crap on the shoulder, a couple of animal remnants, branches, small potholes, big rocks…they all blend together because it’s dark and wet. All of a sudden, SMACK! Something reaches out of nowhere and thunks me just above my right eye. I’ve been so focused on the pavement that I haven’t noticed the narrow shoulder just went on a diet and I have to duck before the next branch takes my head off. Holy CRAP! Kids actually walk this way to/from school. This is horrible! The shoulder widens again, I relax a bit, although still anxious to get off this road, and I start noticing how many streetlights are burnt out. 15 out of 18 to be exact. Jeeze! I got home safe & sound though and I’m sure my new helmet helped me get here faster. Take time to enjoy the rainbows!
