Solitude and Cold Toes…

IMG_6519 (300x236)Reading a book and riding a bike are my two favorite ways to find some solitude.  And it’s hard to be more alone than on a snow covered bike trail on a cold, windy Sunday morning in December.  After double checking my Little Free Library map, adjusting my various layers of winter wear and noting a temperature of 12°F, I headed out for a new LFL adventure.

In the predawn darkness, it was just me and a few hardy cottontail rabbits scurrying out of the way as I concocted a roundabout route to the suburbs while I pedaled.   After an hour or two, frequently flexing my fingers and toes to keep them warm, I found the library I’d selected – as always, open 24 hours every day – and stopped to check the current inventory. IMG_6520 (300x243)

I found a wide selection, including The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach, Life Beyond Measure by Sidney Poitier and an audio version of David Sedaris’ Me Talk Pretty One Day.  Trying to choose quickly as my fingers became numb, I picked Wait Till Next Year, a best-selling memoir about suburban New York in the 1950s by Pulitzer winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin.  In its place I left Isaac’s Storm, a book about the 1900 Galveston hurricane by Erik Larson.

Scarfing down a quick snack and snapping a few photos – after warming up my frozen camera in my pants – I packed up and was back on two wheels, struggling to defrost my fingers while pedaling.  Yet another memorable visit to a Little Free Library.   You can probably find one near you, no matter what the weather.

photos by the author

dave
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