West Boxford, MA
Set out today on Janet Teijido Memorial Trash Pick Up. Intent was good; truth is I didn't make it very far. 2 bags, maybe 25 pounds of trash. There's plenty of opportunity for further pick up if I get out before the poison ivy.
I found an ecology of trash at the side of the highway. Most noticeable was Tyvek sheeting and plastic bags blown at the edge of the marsh. Once I stepped away from the road to gather them, I saw a odd few cans, bleached of color and bent. A black edge, a shoe, no what was left of a shoe. A sole with ragged edge and ants. Glass bottles nestled into the soil under the leaves. Some with a rank smell of alcohol pouring out, others with caps rusted on sealing them tight. The more I wandered after shiny wrappers and flattened water bottles the more glass I found. I imagine the edge of the highway to be layers of bottles, leaves, and plastic degrading bags. Perhaps only a few more days and all this will be covered with swarming green vines and thick grasses.
I went for a lovely three hour ride on the North Shore in the afternoon, but I felt like it wasn't coming together for training. Midway through the ride I started looking for 100 wondering things. Found them. Flowers, buds, dogs, and joy to be on the bicycle.
