Monday, April 22, 2013

Another Windy Ride

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Cresting a hill in spite of the wind
Train whistle blowing across the fields
Musical rumble of wind in the pines

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Wind, wind, wind - we can't seem to get away from it. (Even the Three Great Things are permeated with its icy blast.) Am I going to whine about the wind again? Yes, I am. At 20-24 mph, it's utterly dispiriting. All those times last year I nearly fainted from the heat seem like some faraway dream. Will it EVER get warmer? Will the wind ever diminish?

There. It's out of my system for the moment. :)

It snowed Sunday morning - large, cold, damp flakes blowing sideways across the yard - but the weather cleared by the afternoon to overcast skies, temps in the mid-40s, and wind as aforementioned.

Tallulah and I are heading south, then circling around to catch a few of the area's short hills. Our photo breaks are few, as the coldness of the (ahem) wind makes stopping undesirable.

Four favourites in this photo:


Fencepost, field, tree, and that farm in the distance. I love them all, and always pause for photos when I pass this spot.

Tallulah explores the craggy fencepost:


Then we're on our way again. What I see when I look down:


(Sharp-eyed readers who are also cyclists will notice that Iris, my vintage bike, retains her vintage toe clips.)

Many miles on, we reach a favourite marshy lake, the haunt of red-winged blackbirds who fill the air with perpetual song.





Exciting moment: the sun appears, and with it my shadow.


Brrr ... despite the sun, the wind is still very chilly. The next photos, of a handsome barn and silos, are taken from the saddle:



I love the mottled red paint on the barn boards.

Miles more, up the long gradual side of a hill and sharply down the other side, past fields criss-crossed by long straight streams.

Stream with dry grass and red-twig dogwood:


Turtle with stream:


Scrubbed by the wind, the air sparkles beautifully now. One last barn photo...


...then we put our heads down and ride for home. It's getting colder by the minute as the sun sinks into the west.

We come to a railroad crossing. I look hopefully up and down the tracks, but there will be no train photos today. Ten minutes and a few miles later, we hear a train come through, but the tracks are already out of sight. The melancholy whistle floats across the wind, making me long for the warmth of home and hot supper.

A cold and windy ride. Still no leaves on the trees, but there's grass all around, and the birds have obviously decided to stay. If they can stick it, so can I. Perhaps next Sunday will be warmer.

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34 comments:

  1. I love that red barn shot. You braved the wind and cold and had a beautiful bike ride. It's true that winter has hung on and on - but it cannot last forever, even though it sometimes seems it will. At least the snow has melted and the grass is getting greener. Some parts are still getting snow falls! That is the way things are right now.
    When the heat of summer comes and you will be nearly fainting with the high temperatures, you will remember these cooling winds and smile!

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    1. Thanks Sandra - it was a pretty decent ride apart from the wind. :)

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  2. You asked if 20-24 mph wind is wimpy. NO! And particularly when cold! Shoot, in the cold, a 2-mph wind can chill to the bone!!!

    We were supposed to get rain today, high of 54, and then back to the ice box tonight with a low of 12 and up to 12 more inches. But I see out the window spring has once again forgotten to awake, and the snow is once again flying upward and swirling. But out in my neck of the woods, it surely is burying the bulbs I intended to cover tonight as soon as I get home...

    Ah, spring, will you ever turn into summer???

    I love that you were able to get miles in, in spite of the wind and cold!

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    1. Thanks, Deb. And your weather is MUCH worse than ours. Just slap me and tell me how lucky I am to be out on the road at all. :)

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  3. Same story here. Where is spring? Will it ever get warmer? I'm so tired of grey skys and rain, snow even. As you say, maybe it's warmer next Sunday! Have a nice week. Regula

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    1. Thanks, Regula. In an ironic twist of fate, Monday was very warm - well up into the 50s - with much slower wind speeds. And I was at work! :)

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  4. I hope you get a warmer ride next Sunday. In the meantime you went past some great barns, I do love seeing them in your photos. Juliex

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    1. Thanks Julie - I think of you when I snap barns, as I know you love them. :)

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  5. First of all, that is a SPECTACULAR shadow shot! The shadow of Mrs. M in action! Second, I wonder if you can't train Tallulah to take some pictures of you? Why should she get all the glory? And third, at least the red-winged blackbirds think it is spring. Oy.

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    1. Good point about the photos ... but the camera weighs about 50 times as much as Tallulah. I'm not sure she could handle it. Plus, she's way more photogenic than I am. :)

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  6. Love the barns and the faded paint. You are a brave woman.

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    1. Thanks, e. That first barn was spectacular. I would have stopped to take more photos if the owner hadn't driven out just at that moment ... it always makes me a bit embarrassed to be caught photographing people's property. :)

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  7. Thanks so much for taking us on your ride - I only got a glimpse of Iris but she looks like a trusty old steed. Well done for getting out and about in the bluster x Jane

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    1. She's a very trusty old steed - about 27 or 28. Some day I suppose she'll have to be put down but meanwhile I'm getting all the mileage I can out of her. :)

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  8. You are amazing!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -clapping hands- Brave and strong Lady are you!!!!

    "Auntie" sezzzzzz...: Thank You to Canada!!!

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    1. Oh gosh, not that strong, or the wind wouldn't bother me so much! But thank you Auntie. :)

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  9. The barn pictures are wonderful. I hope the wind subsides, and the sun comes to offer some warmth. I have a window open today..gasp. Could spring be coming? The grass is getting green.

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    1. The wind subsided today ... dang it! But wait, why am I complaining? We're on a warming trend. I hope. :)

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  10. Your windy, cold ride reminds me of the time I cycled from Pensacola, Florida to Atlanta, Georgia one spring break. Florida. Spring Break. Who expected COLD? Who expected FREEZING WIND? This was also a cycle and camp expedition. Or was supposed to be. I feel for you.

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    1. Gosh, that sounds like a long ride. It must have felt almost insulting to have a cold wind like that down South. Not at all what you would expect. :)

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  11. You are committed going out in the wind and cold. I'm envious! Your photos are wonderful. Thanks for taking us along with you. How long was your ride?

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    1. Not as long as I wanted ... 24.2 miles. But in that wind, it felt quite long enough! :)

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  12. Beautiful post, Mrs. Micawber! Loved how you commented on each picture..I again felt like I was there too.I'm re-reading Jane Eyre now ..and those landscapes in the book could look just tho sin your photos..I love it!
    Tallulah has had so many trips lately!

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    1. Thank you, Anna! Jane Eyre is my sister's favourite book - and yes, I think Wisconsin does resemble some parts of England. :)

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  13. I like the last photo of the red barn, it looks a perfect American barn. I'm still waiting for leaves on the trees here too, getting a tad fed up as well. Still, at least it wasn't raining!

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  14. Hi Sue! Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a kind comment! I had to come over to yours, and I'm so glad I did. I thoroughly enjoyed your photos! Tallulah is a hoot! I love redwing blackbirds and am always trying to capture them with my camera! I hope you are enjoying a great day!

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    1. Thanks Fundy Blue - I really enjoyed your blog too. :)

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  15. awww I was able to enjoy the whole ride with you!!!

    And my legs and butt dont even hurt

    I love the barns, red and blistered and worn by wind

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    1. So glad it was a painless ride for you ... when are YOU going to get out the bike? :)

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  16. Love your bike rides, they almost make me feel like I'm keeping fit. Hate the wind, I know it thinks it' working hard, but I hate it. When I was a teacher it always made the kids weird and it still makes me a bit odd.

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    1. What is it about the wind that can so affect our moods? A very interesting question. Sometimes it's exhilarating but more often than not it's just annoying. :)

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  17. I worry about Tallulah on the fence post, that she might get a splinter in her...foot? paw? What do turtles have?

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    1. Good question - but they're pretty leathery. And she's so light weight it would be hard for her to get a splinter.... :)

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