Golden Moments

This morning's ride was a microcosm of life.

It started out so cold and wet that my toes froze almost immediately. I tried to cheer up the ambiance with a bright bandana around Shyla's neck. In my opinion, it didn't work. But it is rewarding to see Shyla standing so confidently while propped on K's favorite stump.

For those who remember the early days of this blog, that bandana belonged to S, our beloved yellow Lab. So, in some ways, two of our departed Labs are in this photo with Shyla.

After visiting Hug Hill this morning, we had a long and shady ride to some sprawling aspen groves. At first, I was so cold that I was ready to give up and go home. Then, I noticed some fleeting glimmers of sunshine filtering through the forest. And, I noticed that Shyla was being exceptionally well-behaved. Life started to seem happier.

As we reached those faraway aspen groves, I saw a small area of glowing golden leaves in the grove. Then, the sun somehow burned through the thick layer of clouds for a brief visit.

I called Shyla to me so I could take some photos of her golden eyes in the golden grove. She had a puppy-like crazed look as she accelerated toward me.

The sun didn't stick around for long but we basked in every moment of its somewhat veiled visit.

After the clouds had enveloped our world again, we rode back toward home. As we passed through a meadow filled with drying golden grass, I noticed this beauty tucked down in the "understory" of the grass. I hope that it survives the snow that we may get tonight.

As we approached home, the world became darker and wetter again. Rain droplets on leaves have an unparalleled beauty that almost makes up for how cold it is to ride a mountain bike in 40°F with soaking rain.

I've been trying to remember those brief golden moments in the warm sun with Shyla to keep my spirits high for the rest of this day.