In the middle of the journey of my life, I am--as always--a woman on a bike. Although I do not know where this road will lead, the way is not lost, for I have arrived here. And I am on my bicycle, again.
Today is the first full day of summer here in the Northern Hemisphere. The day was hot, but not terribly humid, and the skies were clear. So, of course, I went for a ride.
I had a limited amount of time, so I made no effort to score style points. Thus, I had nothing on any of these young ladies enjoying a summer ride in Copenhagen in the 1950's. Where are they now? Perhaps they've entered the Bike Gate:
Artist Tylur French created it from over 300 scrap bicycles. It graces the entrance of Overton Park in Memphis, Tennessee.
Happy Father's Day. I extend this wish, not only to those of you who are male parents, but to any of you who have taught a child--or any young person--important life lessons and skills. Since you're reading this blog, you probably agree that the most important skill--or, at least, one of the most important skills is riding a bicycle. So for those of you who stayed with some kid until she or he learned how to pedal while balancing on two wheels, I offer this, from World of Wander on Etsy New Zealand:
Most of you would probably agree that one of the most important lessons is the knowledge of right from wrong. Many of you, I'm sure, learned that at least in part from your fathers:
Finally, some of you would argue that the most important thing that your fathers imparted to you--and perhaps the thing you share most as adults--is beer. (Such is not the case for my father: He--thankfully--has never been much of a drinker.) If your father loves bikes and beers, you might want to give him this:
Of course, I would be remiss if I didn't end this post without mentioning the film that shows, more than any other that I am aware of, just how a bicycle can bring a father and child together. That film, of course, is the monumental Ladri di Biciclette:
I hope that it doesn't take the theft of your, or anyone else's, bike to bring you and your father (or, for that matter, mother) together!
Yesterday, the weather forecast said today the skies would be "partly cloudy-to-sunny" and whatever chance we'd have for rain would come late tonight or in the early hours of tomorrow morning. When I woke up this morning, the sky looked heavier and grayer than I expected it to be. I turned on the radio. Sure enough, the forecast had changed to "occasional rain and drizzle."
So I figured I could get out before one of the occasions and, if I got caught in one, I could ride or wait it out. Although a fairly cool day for this time of year, I wouldn't have minded getting caught in a shower, especially a light one.
Including my "beater" (the Schwinn LeTour), I have three bikes with fenders. Reason and logic would have dictated taking one of them. But, I have one of those lives in which not much is dictated by reason or logic. So, of course, I took one of my fenderless bikes--Tosca, my Mercian fixie, to be exact.
Needless to say, I did get caught in one of the meteorological "occasions" that was forecast. I rode through it, and another. Not surprisingly, I ended up with some dirt and mud spattered on the wheels, frame and seat and handlebar bags (which cleaned up surprisingly easily).
Unless I've had a particularly long or hard ride, or I simply don't have time, I clean my bike before I clean myself. It's not that I care more about my bikes' than my own appearance (although I think my bikes are far more capable of looking good than I am!). Rather, I always thought that it didn't make sense to take a shower, then to get dirty again when cleaning my bike.
After giving Tosca her wipe-down, I turned toward the sofa and saw Max:
