cycling cycling cycling

We packed overnight bags, rented a car, and escaped the city for a couple of days.  

Monster fern, butterflies, dragonflies, dappled sunlight. A beaver dam in the river where we had lunch. 

We saw a deer springing about, tail flashing white. I didn't know deer had such long tails. I've looked it up and see that Whitetail Deer have tails up to 36 cm/14".  

Cardinals called from the trees--"Chew Chew Chew"--but stayed hidden. Turtles warmed their shells in the sun.

I stopped to take a pic of a pond of water lilies not yet blooming, still in bud. A man with a Provençal accent who was cycling by--presumably not all the way from France--stopped to tell me that I should return in a week when the lilies will be blooming and the entire marsh will be yellow, but I won't be here next week. Maybe next year.

We rented a room in an auberge, which I was excited about since I haven't slept anywhere but in my home since before the pandemic. I like renting rooms, even though I have a lot of bad hotel/motel/B&B/Airbnb memories. Faulty plumbing, drunken patrons, saggy bed, thin walls, all-night traffic, NO BEDSIDE LAMP FOR READING. Even if people go to hotels to have sex, don't they still read before falling asleep?

The auberge was a heritage building. Every effort had been made to retain a sense of history--or at least age--including floors that tilted and stairways that creaked, while at the same time equipping each room with a mini-fridge, a Keurig machine, an a/c unit, a firm mattress. I have no complaints but am happy that I'll be sleeping at home tonight.

Here's my cycling buddy about to dip his head in the water. It's something he does.