3rd House Journal

Beating the Chill

[Strolling in the Public Garden, Boston; 3/27/11]

It was another chilly weekend in Boston, and again people made the most of the sunshine, determined to celebrate Spring despite temps 20 degrees lower than normal. Friends of D's pushed it even further, throwing a "beach party" at their apartment in Jamaica Plain on Saturday night, featuring Beach Blanket Bingo and How to Stuff a Wild Bikini videos, fruity drinks, and Hawaiian-shirt attired guests. The only challenge was getting there by T, layering up over the summery clothes and tucking flipflops into my purse.

Sunday was a bit warmer and people were out strolling the streets and parks. On Boston Common, we came across a spirited game of Quidditch, which I understand is popular at some of the local colleges.

[A game of Quidditch on Boston Common; 3/27/11]

Meanwhile, many of the crocuses that came up a week or so ago either shriveled in the freezing nights or closed up to wait it out for warmer days. But a few have managed to thrive in sunnier spots, and some of the early flowering trees are budding, ready to pop once this stalled cold air moves out to sea.

[Cherry buds, Boston Common; 3/27/11]

BIKE

[The Bike Stop, on the Minuteman Bikeway, Arlington MA; 10:15am, 7/19]

It was already almost 90 degrees (F) when we hit the bikeway at 10am. The good news is that my local bike shop (not The Bike Stop) was stunningly uncrowded when I stopped off before my ride. The guy who helped me said everyone was out riding early to beat the heat. So I got my seat adjusted and some questions answered, and I felt a little better about the place after some bad service on two previous visits. Mental note: go when everyone else is likely to be elsewhere. At least they'd tuned up my bike well and it was nice, smooth riding today.

[A bit of shade on the bikeway in Arlington]

Busy social weekend -- visited with friends on Thursday night at their house for an impromptu 9pm cookout, then last night I met up with a couple of gal pals for margaritas and tapas at Solea. Tonight I'm going to a movie (The Edge of Heaven) and tomorrow morning canoeing with friends on a local lake. Hopefully I'll get some downtime in the late afternoon and evening tomorrow before back to work on Monday. Work has gotten stressful again, although some it is just my attitude -- I think I could use a bit more time off to enjoy the summer. And sometimes you just need to stop peddling and take a breather.

[At The Bike Stop, on the Minuteman Bikeway]