Daily Journal

Wednesday, August 03, 2005 Riding to school today, I saw an elderly couple out trimming the bushes in front of their house at 7:10 am. At first I was surprised that they were out so early, but then I thought, hey, it’s cool in the early hours, they probably love doing this together in the seclusion of the morning, they’ll probably have a celebratory second cup of coffee in a few minutes. As I rode down a hill on Route 1, their life seemed pretty good to me. I took a wonderful kayak ride this afternoon. I put in just below the Woodville Dam, on a stretch of the river that I was completely unfamiliar with, and drifted languidly downstream for 30 minutes or so. It’s a deep and slow-moving section of the river, perfect for meditation, sight-seeing, or even a little quiet reading. Within a moment of pushing off, I felt totally relaxed. A 7-year-old boy from next door named Dallas is becoming quite a character in the neighborhood. When I rode into the driveway today, coming from school, he rushed over on his bike. After answering a few questions, I started to take my bike inside. “Too bad you have to go in,” he said. “I was hoping to go for a ride with you.”