Life is grand. There are a lot of things coming together to either makes things good or bad. I suppose we each have to process and make decisions that fit our own needs and desires.

“the calculus of life…” I like that idea.

A picture might remind us of a journey or a time or related memories; it could spark thoughts of the future as well. Consider if the picture was taken by another person.

When riding (my scoot is a ’06 Burgman 650) there is the multitasking of a safe ride, and the journey, and the experience of multiple places, and smells, and changing sensations. Even a safe ride is complex; roadway, traffic, light, path, speed, awareness, … Some conditions will change on familiar journeys, but which ones. If the journey is with others another level is added to the experience and complexity.

I too like the ride with time to explore. I am also blessed with an occasional ‘..oh, look, a chicken…’. It’s so hard to slow down sometimes.

I fondly remember a short program on Saturday morning TV in the ’50s? that was popped in between cartoons when a young fellow played an acoustic guitar and sang about “consider all the possibilities…” with pictures and words that were changed with synonyms and homonyms or antonyms.

Ain’t life grand?

Think rides — I like that. And your description of the range of thoughts and sensations seems like a perfect reflection of what can happen on a good ride. I have my bicycle in the garage now and have considered taking it out again after not riding for years. The last time my body sobbed as the impact on my inflammatory arthritis made even a short ride excruciating. But perhaps now I should try it again. It certainly would be good for my heart.

I envy you being able to stop at the beach. Of all places I’ve been, the ocean has the most powerful effect. Perhaps it’s the sound, or the openness, but I think if something could lure me away from the Vespa it would be the ocean.

I’m with you about enlightenment — the ride does something, I have fun, it’s worthwhile, but anything more complex happening, I’ll leave that assessment alone.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and experiences. I really appreciate being able to read them.

I think Junior would be nervous in a sidecar or on two wheels. Even in the car he’s more content to jump in his crate for the ride rather than stick his head out of the window. He’s a patient beast — he waits for the destination so he can explore. The ride doesn’t thrill him. Maybe he’s worried that he’s going to the vet, or recalls being removed from his birth home in Illinois and the long ride that brought him here. I still feel bad about that even though he is right at home now and is like my shadow.

Yes, we do have a lot to be grateful for and have to always guard against expecting more, better, richer experiences. They come and go as they will despite our own planning.

Lily and I just returned from a walk in State College. I’ve wandered those sidewalks for 43 years now and I’m still excited to see what I’ll see. It’s a far better nighttime walk than wandering the neighborhood here in the dark with our 5 streetlights…

Junior always wants to go and always looks forlorn when he has to stay. I’m impervious to his tricks though. Kim is not. “He looks so sad” is a familiar refrain in our house which is usually followed with the delivery of treats. No wonder Junior has developed “the look”.

Even if I had a sidecar I wouldn’t take Junior (or Lily) along. As with two-wheeled riding, I don’t want to have to worry about anyone else. I’m a selfish rider…

The mind is a fascinating world. Dual process theory is probably beyond what I normally consider on this blog but it does point to how our brains process similar events in different ways with different conclusions. Sometimes I try and reduce living to a simple formula and then something like this presents itself to remind me that we are incredibly complex beings…

I’ve seen examples (sort of) of this at work in photography when I would take a group of students to a location to make photos. Looking at the collective work later you wouldn’t even know they were in the same place. It’s almost as if there is no universal reality.

The language used in the Psalms is lovely to see and hear and the thoughts powerful. I always try to accept the idea that “due season” is not my choice…

I think getting past the quick, dismissive part of me is one of the most difficult things I do. Circumstance has narrowed my riding opportunities so I have more opportunity to practice looking at things more closely. Still, it’s a challenge.

Every now and then, when I go to a familiar place, one I am certain I know everything about, I’m surprised to find something different. Today for instance, I was riding through an area that I have ridden through dozens of times. And suddenly, as if appearing magically like Brigadoon, I see a road that I have never seen before — a little asphalt track leading up out of a narrow valley into the forest.

You never know what’s you’ll find. And there’s always a chance to see a UFO right?? That’s why you need to practice with your camera — to get that once in a lifetime picture.