Writing while fading in the rain
An afternoon apart from the office, a mistaken sense of freedom fueled by a dream of riding the Vespa. Somewhere. Anywhere.
Sitting in the Pump Station Cafe in Boalsburg, I can feel myself fading, eyes heavy and the desire to crawl in bed and disappear over powers and thought of riding. Especially in the rain.
Like a sleeping potion, rain and gloom can reach inside and massage my soul into worldly submission. Thought, movement, awareness — all adrift in a thick sea of sleepy pleasure.
Attention to detail
Next to me stands a cup of hot tea. Wisps of steam dance wildly. Tiny beads of moisture line the rim. I can barely look let alone watch. My fingers crawl across the keyboard in a slow march as my brain drains away onto the screen.
Soon I’ll take a sip of tea in hope it restores my soul and leads me into green pastures. If I’m blessed, I may even find myself riding.
Somewhere.
Anywhere.
No Vespa pictures
For a moment I wonder if I’m on a path to another heart attack. Or just getting old. Either way, my eye is on the two chocolate chip cookies to my left. A personal failure to leave them uneaten for some reason.
There are no Vespa pictures and no adventures on the road.
The temperature is perfect as the hot tea strikes my tongue. A simple pleasure; like a hot shower, rubbing a dog behind the ears, or riding a scooter or motorcycle along an empty road with only the echo of worldy concerns in my head.
The cookies are like a drug, straightening the spine and I reach for the camera. I wonder if climbing mountains or riding across continents can exceed the ecstasy of a good cookie?
The effects are wearing off; the arrival of more people and the attendant din of humanity can only agitate and cause a migration.
The Vespa is at home in the garage. The rain has slowed to a drizzle. Brand new tires may be slippery. The evacuation of Penn State students at the end of the semester have the roads ugly with four-wheeled machines.
Rain clouds overhead
I have no idea where to go or what to do. A familiar feeling, one I’ve come to appreciate for the unknown adventures in that place.
Nothing is happening. Anything is possible.
Anything. Even if I’m fading in the rain.
Nice to see another figure out there in the rain….. I’m trying to see it all as beautiful…… and so we awake to some warm liquid in a cup, a blueberry muffin, perhaps…. and a post, a tear, to help me realize I am not alone…. thank you….
Nothing like a hot cup of tea on a rainy day. Glad you found something useful in the post. I’ve found over the years that people share a lot of the same experiences in life and it helps to know that.
Nice description of “the moment” you found yourself in….kind of like a timeless snapshot….frozen in time, until incoming cafe clientele broke the spell.
There are times that I do sort of “check out” for a bit; lost in thought or memory. In this case I opened OmniWriter and sort of dictated to myself what was happening in my head. And the gathering crowd did break the spell…
I like the photo of this post on the screen. After your last post, I thought you’d be headed out on the road exploring a few more of the 1/4 million miles of PA roads.
In another couple of days the streets will be empty of escaping students.
I toyed with the idea of riding but the wet roads and new tires allowed me to practice sound judgement and leave the scooter at home. Did scrub the shine off the tires this morning though. The roads are full of cars today though — all those students being evacuated home…
I absolutely loved this post, and the pictures were amazing. We’ve had rain in Philadelphia all week. Your reflection on the rain is beautiful.
Thank you for the kind words Liz. I’ve always like sitting and watching the rain. The only way it could have been better yesterday would be if I were sitting somewhere watching the rain and ocean waves crashing on rocks…
Your camera work is beautiful; the B&W of budding branches against the layered clouds is outstanding.
“Happiness is reality minus the expectations”
Thanks for the kind words about the photography. It remains a core activity in my life even if I have now pared down to a single little digital camera.
Love your definition of happiness. Expectations can really lead to disappointment.
Hi Steve,
Thank you for your beautiful photos, truly inspiring…. especially the tea cup with the beads of moisture, what camera did you use to shoot your photos?
I am a new subscriber to your blog, I myself am a rider, I have a 2001 Honda Super Four Hyper VTEC Spec I, but after following your blog I am highly considering downgrading engine size from 400cc down to 150cc, maybe a Vespa Primavera and upgrading the fun factor in riding!
More power to you and your blog….
Thanks for the kind words about the pictures DJ. I shoot almost everything with a Canon G15 point and shoot camera. I used it for all the pictures in the post including the closeup of the beads of moisture. It’s a capable camera with a very fast lens.
Moving from the VTEC to a Primavera would be a pretty dramatic shift. It will be a completely different experience. Only you can determine if that becomes “fun”. I rode an LX150 for a lot of miles and it was always fun. The Primavera and Sprint are both exciting scooters.
Good luck with your choice and let us know how it goes.