City Hall Roses and the Morning Commute

I took this photo on July 30 on my way to work, waiting beside City Hall for the last of the two or three morning buses that I catch to go from home to the job.


A bit past its prime, this City Hall rose still is beautiful. You're wondering why it's two or three buses, right?
I get on either the 15, 17 or 20 first, a few blocks from the apartment. If I ride the 17 or the 20, I transfer to either the 4, 8 or 33 when I get off. If it's the 4 that shows up first, I ride it all the way to work. If it's the 8 or the 33, I ride it to a block from where I can catch either the 4, 10 or 14 at the bus stop right beside the City Hall roses. Any of those last three take me to the bus stop across the street from my building. If I ride the 15 first, I have the option of the 4 or the 33. You know the story on each one of those as far as either getting straight to work on the 4 or taking the 33, then catching either the 4, 10 or 14.


I took this photo on July 9. Oh, after I get off the 17 or the 20 I also have the option of catching the MAX, either the Green Line or the Yellow Line. I can ride it to within one block of where I can catch the 4, 10 or 14 for the last leg of the morning commute.


Here's another rose from July 9. If memory serves, we'd had a hot spell which I believe severely impacted this beauty. It hadn't given up as much as its nearby buds had, though, who were losing their petals. It had the option of surviving a bit longer.


Options are a great thing to have, especially when you ride to work on mass transit like I do. What option did this lovely yellow rose have prior to July 9 that the red one didn't have? I wonder if the heat didn't impact it because of its color? It seems to me that the bright yellow just might reflect more heat than the deep red which I see as absorbing heat. Anyone know anything about this for sure? I'd love to hear.