Trips and Tricks

It's been quite unexpected. Last year, it wasn't until April that we began to get out regularly on the bicycles. I expected to be later here, not earlier, but we've been out in each of the last two days. Although it is still morning, the outdoors is already beckoning today, and tomorrow is predicted to be nice as well. Oh, the trails are still too snowy and mushy, but the roads are fine.

I'm not sure if we'll cycle as far or as frequently here because this area isn't quite as splendid for biking as our previous home, but opportunities still exist. Our normal ride back in Sarnia was 30 kilometres, but we only did a little more than 15 klicks yesterday, and that felt like enough: possibly because it's early in the season, or perhaps because there's no natural stop, rest and turn-around point — at least not in yesterday's direction.

We wondered how our legs would stand up to line dancing last night after biking for two straight days after a long and fairly sedentary winter, but we did fine: perhaps because we have also been doing a bit more walking lately. I dance better on some nights that others. Last night, I felt more rhythmic than I sometimes do and felt the music pretty well for me.

One lady observed a great contrast between Cuppa and me. She noted that Cuppa was beaming and smiling all through the dance, but I was looking very serious and sombre. That's more or less a chronic look with me. If I'm not expressly joking or laughing, I tend to look serious. However, I was really having a wonderful time last night and beaming with pleasure on the inside. In fact, I had a blast. I found myself humming along to some songs, whistling to others, and singing to some. I don't know if anyone hears me over the music and the sound of feet. But, what the heck: it's okay if they do and okay if they don't.

Cuppa and I still don't do couple's dancing very well. With line dancing, you learn the routines, so you always know what to do next, but we don't really know how to properly do regular dancing. We manage to get around the floor in our own way, but it would be nice to do better. So, last night, I asked one of the guys who seems to dance pretty well, if he would ask Cuppa to dance some on Thursday night. She tends to pick it up quickly and could then try to teach me some of the steps.

It seems that he will be happy to oblige: said he doesn't quite know whether to approach married women as it seems to bother some guys. However, he now knows that it's fine with me for him to waltz Cuppa.

Here we are, approaching sixty, and starting to learn how to dance. You can teach old dogs new tricks after all.