The Original Bike Luggage?

I was looking through some of the photos I took at the New Amsterdam Bike Show.  One of them got me to reminiscing.




Brooklyn Cruiser bicycle


There was a time in my life when milk crates served as furniture, storage units, shelving--and bicycle luggage.

Milk crates have been attached to rear racks with zip ties, hose clamps, rope, bungee cords and old inner tubes.  When I had a milk crate on my town/commuter bike, more years ago than I'll admit, I attached it with toe straps.

You can even use a milk crate to turn your bike into a tandem.  Why didn't I think of that?

Whenever I see of milk crates, I think of Lego blocks.  They are structured, and fit together, in much the same way,and come in the same colors.  They are fun--and practical.

Remember:  Milk crates are your friends!

Following The Scent In The Light Of Another Season

Assisi, Italy.  By Aaron Huey, in The National Geographic, July/August 2007

The past couple of days have been a bit chillier and wetter than what is normal for this time of year.  Or, perhaps, it just seems that way because of the mild, dry winter and April we had this year.

Somehow, at least for me, the unusual weather conditions left me feeling as if Spring hadn't arrived. Perhaps I am one of those creatures who doesn't respond so much to the season itself as to the change from the previous season.  I barely noticed that change from February to March to April.

However, the chilly, damp weather of the past few days left me feeling, ironically enough, that Spring had finally arrived.  I first noticed it one day last week, when I rode to work.  The rain had just passed; it washed the air with the scent of blooming flowers and reflected a subdued yet forgiving light of a dissipating cloud cover.

I could have followed that scent, in that light, all day.  But that day's ride had to end at work. But, at least, the sky had cleared and I pedaled home in the moonlight. 

The Day After The Super Full Moon

The other night we had a "super full moon."  Higher-than-normal tides usually come with it.  What that means is that when the tides recede, they leave even more sandbars exposed than are usually seen when the tide is out.

These above photo, and the ones that follow, come from Point Lookout, where I rode yesterday.

It seemed that everyone there was happy.  Why wouldn't they be?  The overcast sky opened to bright sunshine, and everything seemed so peaceful.  I pedalled into some wind on my way out there, but that meant an easier ride home.

Isn't that what everybody wants?