Archive for
arachnophobik(e)
today's bike rack "friend"
So I had to make a quick bike run to Target today. I arrive, go to lock up my bike at the rack, and spot this lovely little arachnid along the building next to my bike. It looked suspiciously distinctive, and upon closer (but not too close) look … yep, a black widow. (And yes, she was fully alive and well.)
Now it’s not that I have any big case of arachnophobia; I happen to think spiders are kind of cool – as long as they are not crawling on me. But this one, being a little package of poison – I swear she was eyeing my bike and thinking how nice and cozy it might be to sneak into my panner while I was in the store. It looked like a mighty nice home, rather camouflaged, nice and dark, an easy place to hole up … and wait.
Yes. I’m an idiot. And my mind runs in ridiculous directions. Never the less, I moved my bike to the other side of the building. Just in case.
looking for a new home in my bike?
a color-coordinated house for your 8-legged "pets" (?)
rainy
It’s been strange weather. Very warm, pretty windy. Fronts coming through. Rain. It’s like the weather can’t commit to becoming winter-like. Sigh.
Days have been filled with errands, commuting, and not much else. I am keeping my fingers crossed that the weather will return to cold and crisp and sunny over the next few days. Also hoping there will be some Thanksgiving break rides with my boys, home for the holidays.
Meanwhile, wishing everyone a peaceful time with friends and family – and a very happy Thanksgiving.
rain puddles & threatening clouds
foggy mornings
a window of "nice"
hat
#CyclingCapTuesday ... before the rains came
the things YOU carry
A big thank you to all of my great friends who took time to share their own photos of the things they carry – on their bikes and otherwise. I love how individual personalities are revealed in such a simple photo, and within the collections of the items they use each day. I also happen to covet some of your stuff! (Lol.)
I might try to revisit this idea again in the future … so if you missed out this time, or want to send a new collection, I’d love to have you send your photos to me: shebicycles at gmail. Thanks for sharing. 🙂
from Myrna in MN; cyclist, writer, pilot and devoted mom/wife ... who has mastered the art of travelling light
from Kellie S (in CA?); paddler and cyclist ... and I love her bird notebook/journal
from Tim M., student, musician, cyclist and all around creative guy ... and his artful collection; I loved his descriptions of the place each item holds in his life
from Lynda S ... a very prepared and organized cyclist from AZ, who is married to the "world's best bike mechanic" (lucky girl!)
from my Flickr friend, Mary G in our nation's capital ... dedicated bike commuter and randonneur extraordinaire; I covet her bikes as well as her commuting gear. I can't believe there's not a Little Package cap in this shot... 😉
the road home
late light
There are moments on my bike where I wish I could magically bring along a non-cyclist, put them in my pocket or carry them along somehow – just so they could experience the incredible feeling and the beauty of traveling home quietly by bike.
It is a glorious time of year to be on a bicycle. I love coming home in the late afternoon light with the trees glowing and the long golden shadows, there is a chill in the air, and I have that wonderful tired-but-fulfilled feeling that comes from a beautiful day spent riding from here to there. I know that a warm bowl of soup is waiting for me in my warm kitchen. Maybe some spiced tea and a good book later. I wish there were a way to share the feeling with someone who’s never experienced it.
Why would you want to travel any other way?
time again for gloves and my PINK! visibility jacket 😉
things we carry
Xtracycle: carries anything and everything ... and more
I’ve seen several other cyclists post pictures and discuss the stuff they carry by bike – especially among my commuter friends. It’s interesting to see. The stuff of daily work, laptops, cell phones, keys, locks, cycling caps, spare parts, cameras, snacks, books, Moleskines … It’s as varied as the bikes they ride.
And I’ve recently been following a couple of very visually interesting sites: What Do You Carry and Things Organized Neatly. They’ve made me think about the things I carry every day, and the ways I typically carry all of this stuff I cart around – especially when I’m on my bike. I always have some bike “emergency” items (multitool, spare tube, levers, etc.) stashed in a small saddle bag – but for my daily-use stuff of every day life, I typically use a Rickshaw bag, a Chrome messenger bag, an Ortleib Back-Roller pannier … or, of course, any bag/purse/tote on my Xtracycle. They all serve me extremely well, form and function.
my Rickshaw custom poppy bag
my Chrome messenger
the things I carry ... every day
While the contents are not always so neatly organized, I thought I’d lay things out just to see what I carry nearly every day. It was an interesting exercise. Here’s the (rather ridiculous) list of the inventory:
- a snack (today it’s an apple)
- sunglasses (usually on my head)
- camera (varies – but today, my 7D with 24-70mm f2.8L and 50mm f1.8)
- iPad
- “Wreck This Journal” by Keri Smith (an ongoing project … long story)
- wallet
- keys
- stylus
- eyeglass cleaning cloth
- lip balm
- iPhone
- reusable shopping bag
- three Lamy fountain pens (different nibs and ink colors)
- Moleskine journal/sketchbook
- journal pen/brush assortment
- headphones
- Flapper Girl coffee cozie
- watercolor field set
- green tea mints
Sorry, no bacon. Or beer. If you have any interesting photos of the things you carry by bike, I’d love to take a look and share them on my blog. Neatly organized or not. 🙂
shebicycles 