Yesterday we took the New London ferry to Orient Point  (Long Island) with good friends for several hours of comfortable bike riding. The weather was cool and bright, and the flat roads made the riding a relaxed pleasure. One of the highlights was a stop at a roadside lavender farm -- yes, a farm specializing solely in lavender. Spread out before us were many acres of the purple flowers, through which visitors were passing and snipping blossoms for their baskets. None of us had seen such a sight, and so we spent many minutes enjoying it. Two women had set up their easels and were painting the scene, and we chatted with them about what they were seeing and what they were trying to do in their paintings. Before we rode off up the road toward Greenport, Delycia and I asked a woman to take our picture with the countless purple blossoms spread out behind us.

Altogether, we rode 31 miles, and were thankful, I think, to settle into our shady seats on the ferry back to New London.

Dinner at home on the porch, as usual -- a tasty tuna salad prepared by Delycia.