The Freedom of Spring

Ah, spring!  Not only does the earth come alive this time of year, but so does my spirit.  After months of feeling trapped in my house by the cool weather, suddenly I feel free.  My vegetable garden is planted and there are flowers in pots on my patio and deck.

It was a beautiful day yesterday with the high in the low eighties so my husband and I decided to take a bike ride.  We are lucky to have a greenbelt along the Boise River—we can bike from our house and access the bike path.  We were slightly detoured because of a flooded underpass.  The Boise River is no longer at flood stage, but it is still running fast and high; the water has not receded everywhere.

This was my first bike ride of the season.  For me, there is a feeling of freedom as I pedal along and take in my surroundings.  A cool breeze coming off the river refreshed me as I pushed along.  The sweet fragrance of the Black Locust blossoms filled our nostrils.  The beginning of our trip took us along the horse barns at the fairgrounds—there were lots of horses poking their heads out of their stalls, watching us go by.  We pedaled over a wooden bridge across the swollen river; we rarely see it so high.  We rode past houses and also through areas where there was not a single house in sight—just green vegetation, water, and birds.  As we approached the downtown area, we saw more and more people enjoying the end of a lovely Sunday—families fishing or picnicking, and all ages on foot, in strollers, on bikes, or on skateboards, many with dogs on leashes.  We stopped at the new white water park to watch kayakers playing in the rapids.

My husband and I got off our bikes at the Anne Frank Memorial—a memorial dedicated to human rights and containing a variety of quotes carved in stone along with waterfalls, flowers, and benches.  We noticed that the sunlight seemed strangely dim then realized that we could observe the partial eclipse through the clouds.  I even took a couple of photos.

  

The hour was getting late so we headed back.  We arrived home tired and hungry, but also refreshed from our outing.