Blowing & Drifting

Forecast: Significant blowing and drifting, with the possibility of heavy accumulation in rural areas.

High Spring

My bike rides to and from work this week were a great experience, each and every time. For once, I wasn't halted in my tracks by a stiff wind, but good meteorology wasn't the half of it. The hundred yards to the edge of campus brought me past scores of students enjoying the great weather - basking in the sun on the Bald Spot, playing frisbee golf (Carleton is nuts for ultimate, but pretty swoony for frisbee golf, too), reading (textbooks!) on the benches along the sidewalks, even flying the occasional kite and playing bocce ball.

The ride along the city streets and out to the edge of town was just as good, if less nostalgic. Among other sights, I passed a bustling city park full of kids doing what kids do on sunny 70-degree days, homeowners mowing their lawns, runners huffing along the sidewalks, the resurgent roofing crews working on the last hail-damaged houses, the high-school golf teams doing putting drills at the golf course, a group of girls practicing their cartwheels, and - best of all - towering banks of lilac bushes exuding that intoxicating smell.