My Week that Was - August 14

A fog-shrouded sun from
the Badger Trail. 7:36am
8/7/2021 dwm photo

I rode from the garage at 5:50 Saturday morning.  It was thick, 70 degrees and high humidity.  Less than a block later I thought it was the heaviest fog ever encountered before realizing it was the moisture from the fog covering my glasses which made it almost impossible to see.

During the first hour of the ride I stopped frequently to wipe them off.  The fog made it clear I needed to stick to trails where I could control traffic encounters.

The trails weren't new, but the route was as I took the Military Ridge trail north to the Southwest Commuter which I rode to the University of Wisconsin Fieldhouse then turned around, riding to the end of the pavement 10 or 12 miles south on the Badger.  From that point to home made it a few ticks over 31 miles.

The remodeled UW
Fieldhouse with all new
windows. 8/7/21
(dwm photo)

 I prefer riding early, especially when it it is hot and humid.  After getting back home two hours later it was time to clean up and eat.

 

 Tuesday morning I attended an "Open House on the Prairie" celebrating a new patch of Oakwood's Nature Preserve which has been nurtured with native flowers and grasses.

One of the happy developments in this patch over the last couple of years is that there are very special guests.

The Rusty Patched Bumble Bee on a Bee
Balm flower in Oakwood's Nature Preserve.
8/10/2021 dwm photo

Bombus Affinis, known commonly as the Rusty Patched bumble bee was placed on the endangered
species list by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service January 10, 2017. 

A resident who first 'discovered' the bee when taking pictures feels sure Oakwood is the only retirement community that is also home to a creature on the endangered list.

At the open house, one bee was flitting around the patch of Bee Balm flowers and I was able to get a couple pictures using my phone.  To be clear, there is more than one bee, a hive is believed to be nearby if not on campus.  The photo at right shows more of the bee than the other (below).  

The bee is on the left side of the
lower flower just above a petal.
8/10/2021 (dwm)

 The population of this pollinator has declined rapidly since the 1980s.  A reason is a lack of habitat since the bee depends on territory to forage, nest, and hibernate be near each other.  It's pretty cool this rare bee is living with us at Oakwood.

 Wednesday night was the fourth straight evening with rain, thunderstorms and the threat of severe weather.  The forecasters thought it might be the worst night of the week.

  I came home early, just in case, under sunny skies but with dark clouds on the horizon.  After 6, the clouds were upon us and a large red blob was directly west of us on the TV weather map.  A Tornado Warning was issued.

  At that point, I joined my wife in the basement with our 'over the air' television giving us weather updates as long as the power stayed on.  The advice, alerts, and verbal warnings became more intense as the storm bore down on the town.

In mid-sentence, things changed.  The weather guy seemed surprised as radar indicated conditions developed.  The Weather Service cancelled the warning and the TV resumed regular programming.  Thank God!

Thursday I gave a rickshaw ride to the man who was on the bike a month ago when the left front brake seized the wheel.  The impact was felt by his elbow while my left knee took a bite out of pavement.  The accident was caused by an imbalance of brake fluid in the front pair of brakes.

This time there was no mishap, just smiles after fun rides around the campus.

The weather made a turn for the better yesterday with cooler temperatures and less humidity which means good conditions for a Saturday ride.

Have a great week!