I'd always wanted to remove it, so now I finally have. Of course the hallway really needs to be refinished, which will be done after I get the last carpet-covered room unveiled: the living room.
An anaerobic workout, to be sure!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
I been workin' on the hallway, all the livelong day!
Well, actually the weekend. The previous owners of the house had put linoleum over the hardwood floors in the hallway. Horrors!
I'd always wanted to remove it, so now I finally have. Of course the hallway really needs to be refinished, which will be done after I get the last carpet-covered room unveiled: the living room.
An anaerobic workout, to be sure!
I'd always wanted to remove it, so now I finally have. Of course the hallway really needs to be refinished, which will be done after I get the last carpet-covered room unveiled: the living room.
An anaerobic workout, to be sure!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Timely - or historic?
While researching for a CLE (continuing legal education) presentation on bicycle law and claims, I found this law in Washington state:
This could have been written this week, given the news that Governor Gregoire is currently considering a 4 day work-week for state employees.
When did the legislature pass this law?
In 1974, during the Arab oil embargo. Think what our state might be like if we had acted on this measure consistently in the 34 years since it was passed.
47.26.300 Bicycle routes ‑‑ Legislative declaration.
The state of Washington is confronted with emergency shortages of energy sources utilized for the transportation of its citizens and must seek alternative methods of providing public mobility.
This could have been written this week, given the news that Governor Gregoire is currently considering a 4 day work-week for state employees.
When did the legislature pass this law?
In 1974, during the Arab oil embargo. Think what our state might be like if we had acted on this measure consistently in the 34 years since it was passed.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
Spring Creek
Slight grade, slightly steep, steeper, then just plain steep - that's how I describe the 4 mile climb up Spring creek. It's a "must do" at least once a year. Sunday was that day. Here I am at the very beginning of the climb, hot, but not yet in pain.
Tied to a post at the the top is one of the purple "Ann Ribbons" which area cyclists have placed at favorite local bike ride spots in her memory. As I was riding her bike that day, I thought this was a particularly appropriate shot.
Here's the view from the end of the pavement (the gravel continues, steeply, for about another mile). I'm not sure if this photo does the percentage grade justice, but let me tell you, those last couple of hundred yards just plain hurt, even with a tailwind.
Will I do it again? You bet! I may be slow, but I love to climb and look down at how far I've come.
Couse de Creek
Saturday was a fine day for a ride, except for the blustery headwind. I successfully tucked into the pack in the ride south into the wind. All was well until we hit the hills up Couse Creek, at which time Leslie and I popped out of the shelter of the pack and into the wind. The rolling climb is about four miles, and there were tumbleweeds bouncing along in the roadway from the east. I think that they were caught in a vortex with the cliff-face, as there are NO tumbleweeds which grow to the east side of this road.
On the way down we were flying in small groups. A tumbleweed popped in front of me; I stopped pedaling for a second, but knew there was no way to swerve, so I just plowed on through it. Part of it was thrown into Tim's front wheel behind me, although I didn't know it of course.
When he took his pull in front, he tossed a small tumbleweed branch over his shoulder at me. After the hill leveled out, we grinned and chatted about it.
This reminded me of the kind of relationship that we have with our "biker buddies." At the funeral meal for family and friend’s after Ann’s memorial service, the husband of one of Ann’s co-teachers came up to me. He explained that he was a mountain climber, and he had listened to my eulogy. He said that the relationship that one has with companions in sports such as climbing or biking is a degree of trust and intimacy that you have with no one else, not even members of your own family. This results in the close relationships that are formed with trusted companions, such as friends with whom you have ridden with and suffered through many adventures. You have to trust that person riding in front of you to warn you of hazards, to ride in a predictable way, in a way that you trust no one else. I am privileged to have such good friends in cycling. That's one of the reasons that I bike.
On the way down we were flying in small groups. A tumbleweed popped in front of me; I stopped pedaling for a second, but knew there was no way to swerve, so I just plowed on through it. Part of it was thrown into Tim's front wheel behind me, although I didn't know it of course.
When he took his pull in front, he tossed a small tumbleweed branch over his shoulder at me. After the hill leveled out, we grinned and chatted about it.
This reminded me of the kind of relationship that we have with our "biker buddies." At the funeral meal for family and friend’s after Ann’s memorial service, the husband of one of Ann’s co-teachers came up to me. He explained that he was a mountain climber, and he had listened to my eulogy. He said that the relationship that one has with companions in sports such as climbing or biking is a degree of trust and intimacy that you have with no one else, not even members of your own family. This results in the close relationships that are formed with trusted companions, such as friends with whom you have ridden with and suffered through many adventures. You have to trust that person riding in front of you to warn you of hazards, to ride in a predictable way, in a way that you trust no one else. I am privileged to have such good friends in cycling. That's one of the reasons that I bike.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
More STP pictures
Jon took this shot of me as we were getting ready at 4:45 a.m. Notice that I am smiling.
This is somewhere around mile 130 or so, another Jon pic. My hairdo was appreciated by all. I told them that I had been working hard on it all day.
Note that I am still smiling.
Here is Charles. Note the similarity in the hairdo:
This is somewhere around mile 130 or so, another Jon pic. My hairdo was appreciated by all. I told them that I had been working hard on it all day.
Note that I am still smiling.
Here is Charles. Note the similarity in the hairdo:
Thursday, August 7, 2008
New Loads Possible!
Two days ago I got some new panniers, made by Axiom, for my commuter. They are actually dry bags, and seem to be completely waterproof. So far I've been very pleased. They have considerably expanded my carrying capacity as well.
Here is a bunch of Jim's old uniforms, which I was taking to Goodwill because he no longer wears uniforms in his new job as Care Manager:
Then I packed them into my new bag along with a pair of my daughters old shoes:
Now they're on my bike, ready to drop off at Goodwill on my commute to work:
Mission accomplished!
Here is a bunch of Jim's old uniforms, which I was taking to Goodwill because he no longer wears uniforms in his new job as Care Manager:
Then I packed them into my new bag along with a pair of my daughters old shoes:
Now they're on my bike, ready to drop off at Goodwill on my commute to work:
Mission accomplished!
Bicycle Mania
Here is a great video from the CBS morning news which talks how bicycling and bikes are being viewed differently by the American public, everything from supported bike touring to bicycle commuting. The text is as follows:
(CBS) "Pedal Power" is coming into its own these days, as Americans of all ages are coming to realize biking can be practical, economical, and good clean fun - or should we say, good GREEN fun? Our Cover Story takes us from California to Cambridge, and is reported by Serena Altschul:
"Learn to ride a bicycle," Mark Twain once wrote. "You will not regret it if you live."
On a cool Summer morning, a dozen bicyclists are living the good life on two wheels. Their backroads tour out of Sonoma, Calif., takes them through wine country.
"There's really no better way to see something, to see a place really well than by biking," said one rider. "You're presented with the smells and sounds of nature. For me, this is a very Zen ,relaxing thing."
Relaxing, and refreshing.
Today's ride of about 40 miles is new for some ("I actually am not a big biker<' admits one), and for others, it's just another day. "We ride about 5,000 miles a year," one couple said. "A hundred miles a week." A coast away, at the Bicycle Riding School in Somerville, Mass., a drama is unfolding as Sue Ghezzi and three other students are about to take the saddle for the very first time. "Isn't that a shock - I've never ridden before," she said. "I grew up in New York City and I probably didn't see a bike until I was a teenager." Instructor Susan McLucas tells one of her students, "You're going to go wherever the bike wants. Surrender to the bike. The bike is the master." "All of them think they're the only one," said McLucas.
Over the past 25 years, she has taught 2,000 grownups to keep their balance.
"I feel like I'm kind of doing half-therapy, half-bicycle riding teaching."
"I hope you're capturing all the terror in my face!" laughs one novice.
Teacher or therapist, Susan gets the same result.
"It feels good, it feels really good," said Imelda.
And that's been the idea right from the start, though the earliest versions of the bicycle back in the early 19th century weren't nearly as comfortable. Foot-powered, then pedaled on a big front wheel, the bicycle became the machine we know today by the 1880s - "A pretty extraordinary device," is how president Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists describes it.
"It led to all kinds of innovations that we take for granted, both in the bicycling world, but also in the world of the automobile: suspension, pneumatic tires, gearing systems, braking, all of which really got their start with the bicycle."
It was also a social force.
"What the bicycle offered was a kind of liberation in terms of movement, an independent, affordable means of transportation," Clarke said.
Especially for women. Suffragette Susan B. Anthony wrote that the bicycle "has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world." She called it "the freedom machine."
With gas prices now more than four dollars a gallon, for some the bicycle today is turning into a different kind of freedom machine. Not long ago, just down the road from the Bicycle Riding School, Julian Richards embarked on a first of his own - as a bicycle commuter.
By cycling to work each day, Richards estimates he could save up to $5,000 a year.
"So you're saving money," Altschul said. "Are there any other noticeable benefits for you?"
"Absolutely. I don't mind telling you that I've dropped 10 pounds in 2 months."
At Landry's Bicycles in Boston, they say it's becoming a familiar story.
"We've absolutely seen the price of gas affect bicycle sales," said manager Mark Vatour. "You know at Landry's we've seen bikes used for transportation. Sales have increased 70 percent."
Bicycle stores across the country are reporting the same thing.
Yet nationally, fewer than one percent of Americans commute to work by bike. The problem for these new commuters is where to ride safely.
Boston, like hundreds of communities across the country, has miles of bike paths. Still, when it comes to cycling in the central city, "It's definitely challenging," said David Watson, the executive director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. "I wouldn't recommend that an inexperienced cyclist just dive into commuting in Boston traffic."
He says Boston is at the very beginning of improving its infrastructure for cycling.
Several cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Minneapolis are known for their bicycle facilities. But the one that's farthest down the road in making itself bike friendly is Portland, Oregon.
Mayor-elect Sam Adams is Portland's transportation commissioner. He'll soon preside over the country's biggest bicycling success story.
Remember, less than one percent of Americans cycle for transportation, but here in Portland, that number reaches six percent, and as high as 15 percent in some neighborhoods.
At Clever Cycles, Portlanders can even buy the bike equivalent of an SUV. One model can carry a thousand pounds.
Spend a little time in Portland, and you'll soon be struck by not just the number of bikers, but their variety.
The mayor-elect, whom everyone here calls Sam, rode to victory on a bicycle platform. He's probably posed with more bikes than babies.
Altschul took a ride with him to see what makes Portland different.
"We've seen, you know, nearly 150% increase in the last 10 years of trips made by bikes, especially in the central city," Adams told her. "And it makes me proud because, you know, imagine all the smog we're not producing with these bikes trips. Imagine all the health improvements."
Fifteen years ago, Portland looked to European cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where more than a quarter of all trips are taken by bike, for inspiration.
Mia Birk was Portland's first bike coordinator: "We developed a bike plan, we developed a bikeway network and we started building it so that people really could be able to bicycle for their daily transportation needs."
She says that behind the city's 300-mile bike network is a new philosophy: "Driving has been a part of our culture for a hundred years now, and is such a predominant part of our culture that we don't even recognize it. People think that's just the way to get around."
Portland has added the bicycle into the mix.
"It's just the way we get around," Birk said. "It's just what we do."
Dan Kaufman has taken that message to heart. When this work-at-home dad needs to pick up his son from dance class, he puts his family on what he calls the "bike train" … for a 12-mile ride.
"And are there a lot of families like you guys that do this that you're aware?" Altschul asked.
"Oh yeah, this is not a big deal," Kaufman said.
"Totally normal?"
"Totally. This is, in Portland. There's people who, I don't consider myself 'uber' at all."
"How does your wife feel about the bike train and you guys being out on the road so much?" Altschul said.
"She wasn't too thrilled at first," he said. "And I definitely ride very defensively. I mean, this is my family here."
Still, even in this biking nirvana, accidents happen. Last October, Portland was jolted by the deaths of two cyclists.
"And you know, how do you get over that?" Adams said. "Respond very decisively, and in a smart way."
As a result of those deaths, Portland installed special pavement markings called "green boxes" at some city intersections, in which bicyclists can stop in front of cars, "so they can't miss us," Adams said.
And can other cities have what Portland has?
"I'll just challenge your viewers to think about substituting one trip a week that they normally take by car, try it on a bike," Birk said. "Try a short trip that's 2 miles or less."
According to a recent federal study, that's 40% of all urban trips in America.
"See how much easier it is than you think it is," Birk said. "Just try it."
So, thinking of dusting off that bike? It is, after all, a Sunday in the Summer.
(CBS) "Pedal Power" is coming into its own these days, as Americans of all ages are coming to realize biking can be practical, economical, and good clean fun - or should we say, good GREEN fun? Our Cover Story takes us from California to Cambridge, and is reported by Serena Altschul:
"Learn to ride a bicycle," Mark Twain once wrote. "You will not regret it if you live."
On a cool Summer morning, a dozen bicyclists are living the good life on two wheels. Their backroads tour out of Sonoma, Calif., takes them through wine country.
"There's really no better way to see something, to see a place really well than by biking," said one rider. "You're presented with the smells and sounds of nature. For me, this is a very Zen ,relaxing thing."
Relaxing, and refreshing.
Today's ride of about 40 miles is new for some ("I actually am not a big biker<' admits one), and for others, it's just another day. "We ride about 5,000 miles a year," one couple said. "A hundred miles a week." A coast away, at the Bicycle Riding School in Somerville, Mass., a drama is unfolding as Sue Ghezzi and three other students are about to take the saddle for the very first time. "Isn't that a shock - I've never ridden before," she said. "I grew up in New York City and I probably didn't see a bike until I was a teenager." Instructor Susan McLucas tells one of her students, "You're going to go wherever the bike wants. Surrender to the bike. The bike is the master." "All of them think they're the only one," said McLucas.
Over the past 25 years, she has taught 2,000 grownups to keep their balance.
"I feel like I'm kind of doing half-therapy, half-bicycle riding teaching."
"I hope you're capturing all the terror in my face!" laughs one novice.
Teacher or therapist, Susan gets the same result.
"It feels good, it feels really good," said Imelda.
And that's been the idea right from the start, though the earliest versions of the bicycle back in the early 19th century weren't nearly as comfortable. Foot-powered, then pedaled on a big front wheel, the bicycle became the machine we know today by the 1880s - "A pretty extraordinary device," is how president Andy Clarke of the League of American Bicyclists describes it.
"It led to all kinds of innovations that we take for granted, both in the bicycling world, but also in the world of the automobile: suspension, pneumatic tires, gearing systems, braking, all of which really got their start with the bicycle."
It was also a social force.
"What the bicycle offered was a kind of liberation in terms of movement, an independent, affordable means of transportation," Clarke said.
Especially for women. Suffragette Susan B. Anthony wrote that the bicycle "has done more to emancipate women than anything else in the world." She called it "the freedom machine."
With gas prices now more than four dollars a gallon, for some the bicycle today is turning into a different kind of freedom machine. Not long ago, just down the road from the Bicycle Riding School, Julian Richards embarked on a first of his own - as a bicycle commuter.
By cycling to work each day, Richards estimates he could save up to $5,000 a year.
"So you're saving money," Altschul said. "Are there any other noticeable benefits for you?"
"Absolutely. I don't mind telling you that I've dropped 10 pounds in 2 months."
At Landry's Bicycles in Boston, they say it's becoming a familiar story.
"We've absolutely seen the price of gas affect bicycle sales," said manager Mark Vatour. "You know at Landry's we've seen bikes used for transportation. Sales have increased 70 percent."
Bicycle stores across the country are reporting the same thing.
Yet nationally, fewer than one percent of Americans commute to work by bike. The problem for these new commuters is where to ride safely.
Boston, like hundreds of communities across the country, has miles of bike paths. Still, when it comes to cycling in the central city, "It's definitely challenging," said David Watson, the executive director of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coalition. "I wouldn't recommend that an inexperienced cyclist just dive into commuting in Boston traffic."
He says Boston is at the very beginning of improving its infrastructure for cycling.
Several cities like San Francisco, Chicago and Minneapolis are known for their bicycle facilities. But the one that's farthest down the road in making itself bike friendly is Portland, Oregon.
Mayor-elect Sam Adams is Portland's transportation commissioner. He'll soon preside over the country's biggest bicycling success story.
Remember, less than one percent of Americans cycle for transportation, but here in Portland, that number reaches six percent, and as high as 15 percent in some neighborhoods.
At Clever Cycles, Portlanders can even buy the bike equivalent of an SUV. One model can carry a thousand pounds.
Spend a little time in Portland, and you'll soon be struck by not just the number of bikers, but their variety.
The mayor-elect, whom everyone here calls Sam, rode to victory on a bicycle platform. He's probably posed with more bikes than babies.
(CBS)
"We've seen, you know, nearly 150% increase in the last 10 years of trips made by bikes, especially in the central city," Adams told her. "And it makes me proud because, you know, imagine all the smog we're not producing with these bikes trips. Imagine all the health improvements."
Fifteen years ago, Portland looked to European cities like Copenhagen and Amsterdam, where more than a quarter of all trips are taken by bike, for inspiration.
Mia Birk was Portland's first bike coordinator: "We developed a bike plan, we developed a bikeway network and we started building it so that people really could be able to bicycle for their daily transportation needs."
She says that behind the city's 300-mile bike network is a new philosophy: "Driving has been a part of our culture for a hundred years now, and is such a predominant part of our culture that we don't even recognize it. People think that's just the way to get around."
Portland has added the bicycle into the mix.
"It's just the way we get around," Birk said. "It's just what we do."
Dan Kaufman has taken that message to heart. When this work-at-home dad needs to pick up his son from dance class, he puts his family on what he calls the "bike train" … for a 12-mile ride.
(CBS)
"Oh yeah, this is not a big deal," Kaufman said.
"Totally normal?"
"Totally. This is, in Portland. There's people who, I don't consider myself 'uber' at all."
"How does your wife feel about the bike train and you guys being out on the road so much?" Altschul said.
"She wasn't too thrilled at first," he said. "And I definitely ride very defensively. I mean, this is my family here."
Still, even in this biking nirvana, accidents happen. Last October, Portland was jolted by the deaths of two cyclists.
"And you know, how do you get over that?" Adams said. "Respond very decisively, and in a smart way."
(CBS)
And can other cities have what Portland has?
"I'll just challenge your viewers to think about substituting one trip a week that they normally take by car, try it on a bike," Birk said. "Try a short trip that's 2 miles or less."
According to a recent federal study, that's 40% of all urban trips in America.
"See how much easier it is than you think it is," Birk said. "Just try it."
So, thinking of dusting off that bike? It is, after all, a Sunday in the Summer.
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Pure relaxation
Our anniversary is Wednesday; 31 whole years together! We have been feeling stressed this last nine months, and with good reason, given Jim's multiple surgeries, his 6 months off work and my sister's death.
On Thursday I realized that the last time we had been out of town overnight together was the first week in October, when we flew to San Antonio after Tami died. That was hardly a pleasant experience, and it was quite some time ago.
So, an overnight outing together was long overdue. I decided that we could celebrate our anniversary a few days early. I called and got both a reservation at Patit Creek AND a room at the Weinhard hotel in Dayton . The trip was set up.
As always, the food was delicious at Patit Creek, and the Weinhard is a restored hotel in Dayton, built in 1909. You can read more about it here
For us, a trip out of town is quality time together. We talk, and laugh and think about all sorts of things. When we're at home, we tend to go off and do our own thing. Quality time. It was what we needed and that was what we got.
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