Given that Summer is turning into Fall, I thought I'd share an image of some bicycles that look positively autumnal:
These classic cruisers were photographed at last year's Fall Bicycle Swap Meet in Tuscon, Arizona.
I think of them as the old red barns of bicycling. They're lovely and peaceful in a similar way, if not quite as melancholy.
First he said, "Vous ne passerez pas!"
As if Marley speaking French weren't astounding enough, his next utterance really made me take notice:
He wants to learn how to true wheels. Now, why he would want to learn that, I'll never know. But how can I say "no" to a face like his?
First he is learning how to check side-to side-trueness. He's very polite: He said, "I see wobbles" and not "That thing's wiggling like your belly!"
Now he is checking vertical trueness. There are no "hips" or "hops" in the wheels, he reported. I explained that the wheel has a different kind of rhythm. He understands rhythm very well!'
"What's that thing hanging off the center of the wheel?"
"You mean the hub?"
"So that's what it's called?"
Now he's taking another look. He sees how the wheel is more rideable than it was a few minutes earlier. Of course, he'll never experience that rideability for himself--unless, of course, I put him in a basket or carrier.
Marley is definitely curious.
Max, on the other hand, couldn't care less.
I know that Fall "officially" begins on Saturday, the 22nd. However, I think I saw some signs of when I rode out to the Canarsie Pier late this afternoon:
On some of the trees, the tips of the leaves are turning brown:
And, on others, entire leaves have turned:
A few leaves have already fallen to the ground.
I used to look forward to the fall: I always enjoyed riding in the cool, crisp air. Although it was a bit warm for a fall day (about 26C), the air felt autumnal because brisk breezes from the sea swept over the streets. Somehow, this day, which straddled summer and fall, made me a bit sad. For one thing, the days are growing noticeably shorter. And three seasons have passed; a year is passing.
All right...I'll make this lighter, and bring it back to cycling. Here's a sign for which I wouldn't dare not to stop!:
