• bicycle rides,  bicycling,  Pedaling on

    About the bicycle

    September 14, 2024

    The bicycle I’ve purchased is a Trek Verve+ 1 LT which is a lightweight electric city bike. It has a lightweight Alpha Gold Aluminum frame with lowstep geometry, which is what this older guy needs. It has an 8-speed Shimano drivetrain, a Hyena (250W, 40Nm) motor capable of sustaining speeds up to 20mph, an LED Bluetooth controller, and 250Wh battery with an estimated range of 35 miles, which is integrated into the down tube. It also has hydraulic disc brakes, extra wide 27.5 x 2″ tires for stability and traction, ergonomic grips, fenders, and lights. The bicycle weighs 44 pounds, which makes it easy to maneuver and is easy ride without the assist. Being a Class 1 ebike, it has no throttle and therefore I must be peddling to have any kind of assist. Oh, and it’s red! Pedaling on….

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  • clouds,  horizons,  landscape,  poems

    Touch My Soul

    September 12, 2024

    Let love lead your soul
    make it a place to retire to,
    a kind of cave, a retreat
    for the deep core of being.

    Rumi

    The leaves have been changing colors the past couple weeks around my condo. One tree has dropped most of its leaves. However, the greens are vibrant at Spring Creek Park with lush foliage in the trees and a well manicured lawn. I plopped myself on one of the park benches and watched the clouds continuously reshape themselves. Even though these clouds provided rain in the mountains, we did not get any. But, even without the rain, one of their tasks was to touch my soul.

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  • bicycle rides,  clouds,  Pedaling on,  quotes,  sunrises

    Moments like this

    September 11, 2024
    Sunrise over CSU campus this morning

    We can express them (beauty and love) with words but cannot define them — we can only say that this and this are included but that is not, and wordlessly we all recognise the truth of it. Speech is limited, no matter what the language…. For in our hearts we understand more than we can possibly talk about.

    N.J. Berrill

    I stopped for this image on my ride to the coffee shop this morning. Makes me wonder if my coffee life is enriched because of moments of beauty like this. Have a wonderful Wednesday!

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  • flowers,  poems,  quotes

    Let me linger…

    September 10, 2024
    A busy bee and daisies

    It may be a product of getting older
    But sometimes I want to stop time.

    I want to make the sunsets last just a little longer.
    I want the quiet mornings to go on and on

    The laughter at the dinner table
    To stretch out into a whole evening
    The beauty of the clouds as they race
    Across the valley to never end.

    It is not that I want to freeze reality, just slow it down.
    I want life to move as slowly as I do.
    For I have learned that life moves far too fast as it is.
    It is a joy that endures but briefly
    Made of moments that pass as quickly as hummingbirds.

    Let me linger in the love I feel.
    Let me see the light for as long as I can.

    Steven Charleston, Spirit Wheel

    I stopped on my ride this evening because these daisies caught my eye. However, I was not the only one interested in the daisies as this bee busily flitted from flower to flower. So busy in fact, I never got a good infocus shot. Oh well. I watched and lingered and loved the moment.

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  • landscape,  natural areas,  quotes,  reflections,  sunsets

    Experiences

    September 9, 2024

    Faith does not begin in what we imagine
    But in what we experience.

    Steven Charleston

    I am not able to explain my faith. I could try, but any words would fall short. However, experience has brought me to believe the sun will rise and set each day, even after I’ve taken my last breath. And, I believe the seed of these experiences change and transform me. Because somehow, when I returned to my car after watching a sunrise or sunset I believe I am a different man. I would try and explain that, but any words would fall short. And, it happens a lot. 

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  • flowers,  Plants,  quotes

    Stand there

    September 8, 2024
    Coneflowers at the CSU Trial Gardens

    “Don’t just do something. Stand there.”

    Daniel Berrigan

    I like this saying because for too many years I thought it was more important to do something than to stand there and take it all in. Have a wonderful Sunday!!

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