Cycling My Way Back In Time

Tuesday afternoon proved to be a perfect day to be outside. The ingredients were partly sunny skies, eighty degrees and very little wind. I said to heck with the housework, laundry and bills.

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If you stop in here regularly, by now you probably can guess what I chose to do with my free time. If you guessed that I hit the road on two wheels with my Sony Cyber-shot, you are right on target.

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Within the first mile of my ride I passed the homes of four people who have been important in my life. Instead of only posting my normal set of photos, I decided to include a picture of their homes and a short clip about them.

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The first home belongs to Dena. Dena was flower girl in my wedding in 1969. She was darling with her dark hair in ringlets as she walked down the aisle in a long yellow dress trimmed with daisies. Dena now has a husband and two fine teenage boys. We see each other occasionally as we go about our lives.

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My sweet niece, Maria, and her husband and three boys live in the second house. I remember holding her hand and walking with her around my father's garden when she was just learning to walk. What happened to all the years since that day?

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Sue lives in the house just barely visible above the trees. She is the hygienist at the dental office where I work. Sue is a positive influence on the job and I appreciate her.

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After crossing the bridge over Rock River and seeing my odometer reach 2.8 miles, I passed another house with meaning for me. My cousin, LaVonne, and her husband live there. LaVonne is my age so we had lots of fun when we got together as kids. She and her sister, Sue, and I had lots of fun and loads of laughs. I loved to entertain them with my silliness.

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A high school friend, another Sue, used to live in the last house I photographed. I was pleased that she asked me to be a bridesmaid in her wedding which was held shortly after we graduated.

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When I reached the corner of Smythe School Road and Mill Pond Road (sorry, I accidentally posted the road sign after the barn photos), I was inundated with a whirlwind of childhood memories. Several pictures of the bright red barn and silo indicate all that's left of my great Aunt Violette and great Uncle Edwin's farm and home. My brothers, cousins and I spent some of our best times at that location.

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My ride ended up at Beckman's Mill. Since I've included lots of photos already today, I'll display those of the mill in my next blog post.

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I've slipped a bit when it comes to exercising recently and I paid the price today. Until recently, for years, I've exercised nearly every day. My twenty-mile ride today really left me pooped. It's surprising how staying in good physical condition requires constant dedication. I refuse to choose the option of biking less miles per outing. So what if I was pooped yesterday. It gave me an excuse not to exercise today. There IS a method to my madness, at least occasionally.

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What did you do on Tuesday afternoon while I did what I did?