On the morning of Tuesday, July 6, 2021 – the quiet of a hot 88 deg. F morning was broken by the roaring engines of a dirt bike as the rider was going around Jefferson Park's south lawn in an almost circular path. Our house on Cooley Avenue -- faces the park.

 

The path was not a square, nor a rectangle, but very close to a circle.

 

Circle after circle!

 

The lead photograph shows a composite with three clips – showing the circular path 1-2-3-1.

 

And the rider (he had a head covering but not a helmet) was going in a particular direction – counter-clockwise.

 

 

That is to say – the rider and his bike were in total harmony with our solar system – our planet (Spaceship Earth) spins in a counter-clockwise direction and rotates around our sun in a similar direction.

 

And both our planet and the sun are what are called oblate spheroids (spheres that bulge at the equator because of centrifugal forces) – both forms derived from circles.

 

Also our planet takes an elliptical path (a squished circle) around the sun.

 

I was by the front portion of our driveway packed with cylindrical pots (forms derived from circles) holding a variety of plants – miniature trees (maples and mulberry), dusty miller, sunflowers, orange cosmos, and a variety of wildflowers -- all flowers with circular shapes.

 

With a high temperature of 90 – 92 deg. F predicted for the day -- I was making sure that the pots were well drenched to stay safe. Plants in pots are the delicate variety – you forget to water them for a day – and they fall down wilted. On the other hand – wild flowering plants like buttercups, michaelmas daisies, and dandelions – they are hardy and need very little water – and can survive without regular watering.

 

So you can imagine my curiosity – here was a dirt bike rider -- going round and round -- in circles -- in sync with the motions of our planet and the sun – and all I could see around were manifestations of the circle.

 

The rider was enjoying every moment!

 

There was not a soul around – and no sounds of firecrackers (our neighborhood was barraged with the incessant loud noisy sounds from 7:00 p.m. on 4th of July to 2:00 a.m. the next morning – a total annual nuisance -- which leaves both humans and pets nerve wrecked).

 

And his going round and round – was like a ballerina swirling -- a reminder of grace and charm!

 

What was missing was Tchaikovsky’s ballet music!

 

After a few minutes of riding – the rider headed north – in the direction of Canada -- as shown in the second photograph.

 

The heat was beginning to spin my head in circles. I quickly finished the watering and retired to our basement -- where I have my computers, books, and documents – and where the air was about 20 degrees cooler (no air conditioning).

 

Note: While dirt bike riders pose a grave security risk to the rest of us, and also themselves, with the way they ride their bikes on the streets and sometimes the sidewalks -- one has to acknowledge the aesthetic appeal of their movements.

 

Stay safe and enjoy the rest of the summer!