On the bicycle again, finally

Haven't ridden for weeks-- before Cold River Camp Joan and I were walking the trail along the lower reservoir in Belfast-- it is only two miles out and back but there are several short steep ups and downs.  Now we are planning a multi-day ride in northern Maine and I need to harden up my butt.  So today I did what John and I call "the classic".  It is about 21 miles, and goes Perkins, Woods, Route 52, Edgecomb, Tufts, Jesse Robbins, Pitcher, Poors Mill, Shepard, Head of Tide, Kaler, through Belfast and home on Route 1.  It is finally cooler today and I had no trouble with it.

Stopped in Belfast on my way home to take a look at the HMS Bounty, now visiting town.  The mist makes it look particularly wonderful-- it is a replica built in 1962 for a remake of the movie and is much larger than the original.  John and I thought of taking a tour but it was $10.00 each and we decided against it.  This misty picture is more evocative for me than trudging around the ship with a mob of people-- and it surely was a mob-- Belfast looks like Bar Harbor these days with the streets full of tourists.

This is the eggplant and tomato risotto I made for dinner-- actually this is what is leftover from what I made.  The recipe is from Martha Rose Shulman and the New York Times.  I am devoted to the gorgonzola and walnut one that I have been making so it is hard to adjust to something less kick ass but John and I agreed this was very good.  Not so beautiful, however-- for beauty it would be hard to do better than this salade nicoise made by Liz Fitzsimmons on Monday last.