We had some wonderful weather this week. It was not too humid, and temperatures were a little below average for August. Cold temperatures make my bike rides a short in the winter. Usually I start building up more endurance in the spring. This year when we got back from vacation everything was shutting down. That includes public toilets in libraries, senior centers, and even the spot-a-pots in county parks. That limits options. When parks opened back up, it was outrageously hot and humid. But I did what I could. My favorite endurance ride goes to Glenwood. It’s a beautiful 45 mile route that runs through Howard County farms and rural areas on excellent cycling roads. It’s largely an easy ride with a few moderate hills for a little zest. The sandwich shop at the terminus went out of business. Libraries and senior centers are still restricted. But the nearby county park is open. This week I did the Glenwood ride for the first time this year. It was fabulous.

A couple of days later I was doing my favorite hill ride. I was surprised to see a road was recently closed. Too bad, it’s a well shaded road that has a moderate grade to the top of the hill. I decided to take the alternate road up Ilchester Hill. This is the toughest paved hill in Howard County. Young men with too much testosterone hold time trials up the hill for bragging rights. Any one of them would drop me in a moment. But I made it up. It was a fun challenge.

Danita found an interesting presentation put on by the Walter’s Art Museum. It was about pre-Colombian art. The conservator was investigating the sounds made by some of the objects. Here’s an example on YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m4fsnl-SBWU. Here’s another YouTube with modern versions. https://twistedsifter.com/videos/inca-whistling-water-vessels-mimic-animal-calls/

Other than that, it’s life as usual. I hope this finds everybody doing well.