Saturday
I planned a casual ride with a couple friends for later in the day Saturday so I could go to the Farmer’s Market with my husband first thing in the morning. We’ve been away a fair bit on the weekends, not to mention my husband’s work has their own farmer’s market every week and the prices are much better than any other around, so we haven’t attended the Saturday one in Deering Oaks Park since late spring.
We were in search of non-paturized apple cider. Most places will only sell the paturized type and we know we can buy this item at the market. We were successful in our quest and bought 3 gallons!
I always love going to the market in the park on Saturdays. It’s great to walk around to see all the wonderful products grown and sold locally.
Then it was home in time to head out for the ride. It was overcast but surprisingly warm. I am so used to 50-degrees being somewhat chilly but that was not the case Saturday. It was actually mild and I found myself very over dressed.
It must have been Homecoming Weekend for Portland High, with the Battle of the Bridge football game taking place Saturday because the Casco Bay Bridge was decorated with signs by the cheerleaders. (I know a little about this because my daughter cheered for a few years for PHS and they were in charge of the decorating.)
The ladies and I took our time on the ride and made sure we stopped to chat at Prout’s Neck:
From here it was off to Scratch Baking Company for coffee and a little snack. I always buy a coffee for me and a lemon pound cake for my husband. I can manage to fit it into my jersey pocket without crushing it.
Sunday
After some pretty heavy rain and wind Saturday night the sun poked through late morning Sunday. I was rather surprised. I thought it was going to rain most of the day and had prepared myself for some much needed cleaning and cooking.
I wanted to take advantage of such a spectacular day with a bike ride. I know we wouldn’t see many more days like this until spring. In fact the day reminded me a bit of spring and I was feeling a renewed sense of life, something I haven’t felt much of lately.
As it turns out there were a few people that were getting together for a ride. It was noon when I found out about it and they weren’t leaving until 2pm. That was enough notice to get a little cleaning done before heading out so I wouldn’t feel so guilty.
8 is not a bad turnout for an impromptu Sunday afternoon ride! With temperatures in the mid-60’s it was nice to be in shorts and short sleeves.
It’s now late enough in the season that the mid-week group rides have come to an end. It’s just too dark too early. So there will be more weekend rides throughout the fall. I’m looking forward to them. They typically consist of a good group of cyclists and involve a stop someplace for coffee. It’s a great social event.
Maine Velophile 