English Garden
April 2, 2004

I love my bike!

Today a friend and I met in the English Garden for a bike ride in the sun. We picnicked at the Chinese Tower beer garden and then rode all the way up to the northern perimeter of the park. I had to stop and take a picture of this swan on the lake, and the people feeding the birds (below). You can click on the pictures to see the larger versions.

It really looks like spring out there. The willows are yellow-green, and little flowers are coming up along the paths in the park. The animals are all acting crazy. When Marty and I went walking tonight, we spotted two geese flying away from a dog that was chasing them as fast as it could -- twenty feet below them on the ground.

Even the RATS are acting crazy. Yesterday one ran out of a shrubbery right in front of me as I was walking back from the grocery store. In fact, it ran right under my foot! I had to dodge to keep from stepping on it! I was totally surprised -- mostly because I had never seen a rat so up close and personal before. But it kept on trucking and sped off under a parked car. I think it was as surprised as I was.

Katynka arrives early tomorrow morning. Marty and I are both excited that she's coming for a visit. Whether or not we'll have a repeat of last year's Starkbierfest visit is up to her. She is our only guest who has ever drunk two liters of Starkbier the day she arrived. She set the bar high -- I don't know whether even she can live up to that!

I'm so tired, I keep mistyping. I'm sure this entry would be a lot more entertaining if I just left the mistakes instead of correcting them.