Keeping it Real in the Kingdom

This has been THE most beautiful weekend in the history of the world. I'm not exaggerating. 75 degrees, not a cloud in the sky, breezy, green with hints of oranges and reds on the trees...it's incredible. Because it's also a holiday weekend, there are about forty million mountain bikers here in East Burke. We live on the Kingdom Trails, a veritable Mecca for mt. bikers, and this weekend is their Sturgis. I think a majority of the bikers who come here from "away" are French Canadian and an even larger majority (that is, nearly everyone) are decked out in serious gear and they do some intense single track, technical riding. Nichole and I like to ride on the trails, too, though for various reasons, we haven't done it much this summer. But this morning Nichole and Harper and I had a terrific ride. We're not like those other folks who swarm here by the thousands in their matching jerseys with their too-cool-for-school attitudes. We stick to the easiest trails we can find (the single tracks are for running), we put our feet down a whole lot and even walk our bikes when it gets too hairy. We're real proud of ourselves when we make it through the tiniest of mud puddles or over a particularly gnarly group of roots and rocks without dismounting. And we just like being together and in the woods and riding bikes.

So that was the morning and then after lunch Patrick and Rosie and I went for a long, long walk on some other trails, down to part of the river, which we waded in for some time (and might be the most beautiful spot in the world--Peter and Maria, this is where the three of us walked to on that longer-than-planned walk in July; remember?) and then proceeded to get lost which was a great opportunity for teaching Patrick about the joys of taking your time, rambling aimlessly, etc.  It was a stroke of luck that I happened to bring my cell phone with me so when we found the road, several miles from home, I was able to call Neil for a ride!

Finally, because it's such a great day, we've been listening to G. Love, which reminds me that ever since Neil and I saw G.Love and Special Sauce in concert last month, we've been really digging their groovy vibes.  Here's an example.  

Now the kids and I are going to head out to see Kayla and Jordan's new dorm rooms and then come home to cook tuna on the grill.

P.S. Carolyn and Henekis, your photo documentation of your bike ride earlier this summer inspired me to have Neil take the above picture!