Sunday Early Edition

On an island.
That's where I live.
Not the kind of island I'm talking about, but sort of.
Pumpkin.
Sorry, I had to get that in.
Anyways I managed to get in a few miles yesterday, as I waited for some clay things to dry out.
Which is sort of like watching cactus grow, so off I went.
In search of...
Okay, I wasn't really searching for anything.
Still I found something:



I saw this person way out there on the water sort of coasting on his paddle board.
Well, not really coasting, more like floating cause coasting in the water is sort of like coasting uphill: nature eventually takes it's course.
So I was watching this dude for a bit, remembering what it's like to just sort of float around out there far from shore, leaving it all behind.
Sort of like you're on your own little island.
I swear I could take like one of those inflatable mattresses and float out there like forever!
Okay, not forever for eventually I'd probably end up in California.
Or something.
When you're floating around out there, everything is in a different perspective.
For one thing, you're now in three dimensional space, not like when you're walking around on terra firma, for now you have to start worrying about what's below you.
If you know what I mean.
There's this feeling of isolation, of being far from reality, for the only reality is you, floating around in a rather large ocean.
Despite this isolation, you can't help but be aware, aware of everything around you, for what's around you has an effect on your survival.
How this adds up to a peacefulness and calm, I don't know.
Maybe it's something primal.
Well I was thinking, it's sort of how I feel when I'm riding around on my bicycle.
Like I'm riding around on my own little island.
Except me and my little Italian island keeps a look out for other folks' islands:



This only happens when it gets crowded and the other little islands sort of poke out into the path cause the parking lot is like right next to it.
It's sort of dangerous cause when I'm on my island, I'm usually looking ahead or down and not up and those long skinny islands are sort of popular around these parts.
At least put a red flag on it.
So anyways, I've had my own little island for like three years now and it's taken about that long to get back some of my old island riding skills.
As a small kid, when I had my banana seat bike, it seemed like I could make it do all sorts of cool things like wheelies and such that I can't do now.
Oh, every once in a while I try some of the old goofiness, you know, just for fun, but I seem to be lacking my old skill set.
Well one of them came back.
One of my old skill sets I mean.
I can finally let go of the bars:



Oh yeah!
Baby.