splendid

i love riding my bike in the fall. i got out three times this week, plus i ran three days. in just one week the trees have gone from slightly-tired-end-of-summer to vibrant-livid-in-your-face-color. this morning was especially beautiful. i was perplexed by the weather. i knew by the time i'd been out for my four-hour ride it would be into the 70's and sunny, but when i left it was still cold in the shade. i opted for knee warmers, arm warmers, vest, and cycling cap under my helmet. all those extra layers came in handy for the first 15 miles or so. somewhere around mile eight i rounded a corner next to the brandywine and saw the most amazing sight. the sun was just making it over the dense treeline at the top of the hill on the east side of the road; it was shining down through the mist that was forming as it hit the freshly mowed field on the west side of the road. i could see individual golden beams of sun filtering through. i could smell the damp hay next to me. a mix of crisp fall air and humid summer air surrounded me. this is just the best time of year. i felt great today - like i could go on forever. i had no set plan or route in my mind, i just made turns as i went along. i wound up near northbrook and flew down the hill toward the canoe company. the road had been closed all summer and it is the my favorite hill. there is a set of railroad tracks at the bottom, just before a sharp right-hander, and then there is one of my favorite scenes in chester county - the longhorns grazing next to the river and the newly revamped bridge that's no longer an open grate design. wonderful. it really was just a perfect, flawless day to be out. even the hills were cast in a new light. isn't it kind of amazing, this season; just as things are preparing to go to sleep for the winter, shedding leaves and fading to brown, there is this unimaginable burst of color and smell and crispness.

last weekend was a bit of a different story, the other side of fall, the colder, rainy cousin i tend to forget to mention as i wax poetic about the season. i spent saturday and sunday in the dc area visiting w, r, and b. b is just about four months old and is coming into his own as a little man. i cannot begin to tell you just how great it was to sit on the couch, eating papa john's pizza, watching college football, and chatting with w. i am honored to get to see our friendship evolve over the years as marriage and kiddos come into the mix. and could there be anything much better than feeding b a bottle and hearing his contented sighs as he downs it with such concentration, it is like there is nothing else in the world.

the cold and rain came into play on sunday. following a huge breakfast in the baby section of the local waffle shop and some grocery shopping, r, b, and i headed out to winchester, va to see w race his bicycle. i hadn't been to a race yet this season and will be out of town for the local race next weekend so i wanted a chance to cheer him on and enjoy the scene of cyclocross. we drove through rain and i watched the temperature hover around the 45-48 degree mark. i began to think longingly of the long underwear i'd seen in my closet the other day. i could use it in weather like that. the rain stopped but the cold didn't as we arrived at the park. the race started and, unfortunately, ended, pretty quickly for us. w had a mechanical - broken seat post - and had to stop for the day after just one lap. even my "buns of steel" joke didn't seem to illicit much of a laugh (too soon?) but seeing b in his fleece bunting just about made my day, as well as everyone around. what a cute kid. i spent the rest of the afternoon on the interstates, singing along to the ipod and feeling like it was november, not the first of october.

fast-forward one week and it was time to celebrate my goddaughter's third birthday. she is big into the "cars" movie and so every decoration and nearly every gift was tied to that theme. she is so incredible to watch - i have loved seeing her get bigger and older and smarter. she's got a very strong, kind, quiet personality and she is quick to say thank you and give hugs and eat cake. a girl after my own heart. we danced to country music and dressed up like princesses, and then the birthday girl got to do everyone's makeup. as you can see, she does only minimally better than me when applying it. we laughed and laughed.

getting to spend time with my friends and their kids has been like that sunlight i saw this morning. it makes me feel rich, but in a way you can't count or put a finger on. life rushes by sometimes, and i am looking straight into a few weeks of travel and long days at work. but times like these make it all worth while. blue eyeshadow and everything.