“10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, 0!” The old man counted-down the walk-light counter, but nothing happened at zero, at least not immediately. “No blastoff”, I called out to him. “No blastoff”, he glumly echoed. He was dressed in a suit and overcoat. Then he belied his formal demeanor, with the briefest of smiles. In another second the traffic-light turned green. He walked across and I rode on.
Sunday was that kind of day. After weeks of below freezing weather, the mercury soared this weekend and hit a high in the sixties. All Saint Louis got out and about. People passing one another, would greet each other. It was an idyllic afternoon, especially with what the weather gods have served up this winter.
Anne and I rode together in the morning, she on Big Red. We rode in the Park, saw Kubie and got 15 miles. I rode again in the afternoon, got another 10 miles and saw Kubie again. The bike trail was still too icy to enjoy, although I tried to ride it. All of the ice melt made me glad that I had my fenders on.
While I was enjoying bike riding part deux, Anne and Joanie went to the zoo. Whoops! Since most of Saint Louis already had that idea they had to redirect. They ended up going to the gardens instead, more pictures to process.
Springtime in mid-February was not only Sunday’s weather, but is also the forecast for the rest of the week. Today is Valentine’s Day. It is good to see a weather warm-up on this holiday of the heart. Warmer temperatures will help to stir the blood and on this day of celebration of romance that is a good thing.
The old man who I met on the street today, he was across the street from Saint Mary’s Hospital. I don’t know it that was where he was walking. I don’t know if he was going to visit someone he loved there. I don’t even know if he has anyone special in his life. I do know that at that light his heart was light.
The pictures with this post are from Saturday’s trip to the Riverlands. The new to me SLR camera is fast enough to snap pictures of birds on the wing, while the old point-and-shoot was not. So, please notice that all of the birds are flying, flying with a certain lightness in their hearts.