The Sunday Drive

It would normally have been an ideal day for a bicycle ride - cool, clear sky; a Sunday.  However given the tempered prologue - for medicinal reasons only - the episode unfolded as an afternoon drive in the country. In preparation for the outing I took the car to Stittsville for its daily swab. The high atmospheric pressure invited the rejuvenation. In addition to wiping the running boards and windshield wiper blades - I fussed over a minor disturbance in the wheels (but ended by concluding it was merely the effect of dampness on the disc brakes). This made me feel much better; it relieved me of the moral and psychological necessity to visit the dealership tomorrow morning. Besides the objectionable noise had completely disappeared so it would have been a search for identification. Thus emboldened I relished the undulating drive home through the vernal countryside before collecting my companion for our anticipated journey to Neat Café in Burnstown.

My preferred route to Burnstown is through the Village of Pakenham, along the Waba Road (through Waba) into White Lake and then across the Madawaska River.  The longer, alternative route is through the Village of Pakenham into Arnprior onto Calabogie Road.  A further variation is to divert from Almonte along the back roads through the Village of Blakeney, always a pleasant expedition but one which necessitates crossing the narrow 5-span bridge in the Village of Pakenham. It is not an enormous accommodation but may involve some unwanted conflict with unfamiliar drivers from the other side. I did however answer the call of curiosity sufficiently to travel down a road parallel to the usual path before turning back onto the standard route.

We sat outside the Café to drink our coffee. The sun was warm but the wind was cool. Several other guests were seated nearby, including a young couple with their newborn baby girl (who slept peacefully in her portable baby carriage with her eyes forced closed by the bright sunshine). We didn't linger in the cool air. Our objective had been accomplished. The ride home was uneventful other than involving some adjustments to the sound settings in the car to see whether the change of bass and treble levels affected my hearing and the new hearing aid.