Addy in Disguse (With Glasses)

"This is gonna be great!"

I haven't seen my daughter Addy in a year. A week ago we bought a round trip ticket from Thailand to bring her back home for Christmas. Going to be the best ever.

Even More Trike Stuff

This is from Paul Patzkowsky, the rider on the earlier posted trike YouTube. Here it is from the horse's mouth:

"I have a little more time now to address some of the comments previously made. Most trikes that I have seen have two caliper brakes mounted on the front fork in front of the fork. This would often be a side pull or center pull paired with a cantilever brake. This arrangement works very well and is the simplest and lightest. I've also seen a disc brake on the front fork with a caliper brake. Of course, disc and drum brakes can be put on the rear axles.

The trike that you see in the video is 35 years old and the wheels have never been touched since they were built. They're still true and, as you can see in the video, they don't become pretzels in corners. Wheel failure is possible and axles have been known to break so there is some risk I suppose. There is a tendency for the inside wheel to lift when turning. This is opposed by leaning into the corner with the body as seen in the video and by twisting the handlebars toward the turn in some cases.
Is a trike practical? Some enthusiasts would say, "yes",, I would agree for some uses such as winter riding. The primary attraction for me in the trike is the differences. Why would anyone in their right mind want to own an antique car when they could drive a nice, reliable, new Whatever? Because they enjoy a varied experience in motoring perhaps. Riding a trike is very different from riding a bicycle. I enjoy collecting and riding old iron. Most of my bikes are 55-60 years old. My current best time for a century was on a 1951 Bates BAR.
When the trike was new and I was twenty-something I could cover 100 miles in well under 5 hours. Today I need 7 hours for the distance compared to 6 1/2 hours on a bicycle. There are trike riders that can do a century in under 4 hours. That's all, the Oldtrikerider."

Jayberg

It was hard to find a picture of my Uncle John. He left a pretty small footprint in life. 

Through the generosity of friends and family he was able to buy a little house. He repaired and refinished furniture, tended his large vegetable garden and had a few flowers to brighten up the edges of his life. Children and dogs were always attracted to Jayberg and his neighborhood was filled with both. When we stopped by for a coffee there were often a few hanging around. I think children liked Jay because he talked to them like they were small adults and he was completely non-judgmental. And dogs? Dogs just know.

I was thinking of him today because Georgia O'Keefe's name came up. O'Keefe and Jayberg? O'Keefe lived a really pared down life and so did Jay. I didn't know how pared down until he died. A few days after we buried his ashes, we went over to clean out the house. There was nothing in the basement except a laundry. No cobwebs. You could have eaten off the floor. In his bedroom closet and dresser there were enough clothes to get through one week, everything clean, pressed and neatly folded. The kitchen had enough food for a week, no left-overs. There was no extras in his life. He had everything he needed, no more. This man had it together.

 Like most people, I live my life in semi-controlled chaos. I wish I had a little more of Jayberg in me, though I do like kids and dogs. Well, kids anyway.

-Gunnar

Deep Into Fall

The leaves have finally all left the trees for the ground, trying to overwhelm us with the raking again this year. The trees themselves are standing around like weathered gray skeletons, looking innocent, aloof, as if they had no part in this whole damned mess. The plants that overwinter are pulling their life forces back down into the keep of their roots where it can be protected until the rebirth next Spring. The Summer birds are gone and the Winter birds are marking the feeder locations. The world in general, this gardener included, is battening down the hatches preparing to survive one more frigid Northland winter.

As I was walking down the brick path to the storage shed, putting away coiled hoses and stray garden tools, I noticed some last bits of persistent color. The low growing perennials, mostly Sedums, Pinks and Heucherellas, the various crosses between Heucheras and Tiarellas, are still showing signs of life and subtle color. We'll enjoy their company until they are either covered by snow or cut off at the ankles by a subzero scythe.

Zevon: The Other Shoe Drops

Warren Zevon on living and dying. This is for James. First of all, it includes Lawyers, Guns and Money in honor of Jim's previous life, then there is Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner (part 4), based on a true story. It captures the spirit of the Jimmy I know best. It is what he would have become if he hadn't become a lawyer, of the hired gun ilk. He had to slake his thirst for adventure by running guns to the occupiers at Pine Ridge (a charge which he publicly denies).

Warren Zevon

I assume most of you know the Warren died about five years ago. Ironically there doesn't seem to be a good tube of one of my favorite songs, Carmelita, The last two cuts are from his last album, which dealt with his dying. People seem to die when they chose to. Warren stayed alive long enough to hold his new twin grandchildren, then he let it go. Zevon rarely sang other people's songs, but the last is a cover. Maybe he just didn't have the energy left. He left us some wonderful songs and a few great quotes.

Chesterfog

A Halloween picture taken this year by T.Chesterman.

Holy Spelunker!

Hang Son Doong cave, recently discovered in Vietnem, is 200 meters tall, twice the size of the previous "Biggest Cave in the World!!!".

Originally discovered in 1991 it had not been entered since due to the terrifying wind and noise from the large underground river.

Tights Weather

Now that the weather has turned toward the cool, it's time to pack the cycling shorts and dig out the tights. I lifted this from the Rydjor Bike crew, who are more than a little quirky, especially Jens. It's for fun.

Schlumberg On Growing Old

I knew the "Old" Toad when we were both young and he was simply a "Toad". I received this from him today. I have no idea why he thought it would apply to us:

As we get older, we sometimes begin to doubt our ability to

'make a difference' in the world. It is at these times that our

hopes are boosted by the remarkable achievements of other

'seniors' who have found the courage to take on challenges that

would make many of us wither.

Harold Schlumberg is such a person.

"I've often been asked, 'What do you old folks do now that you're

retired'? Well, I'm fortunate to have a chemical engineering

background, and one of the things I enjoy most is turning beer,

wine, Scotch, and margaritas into urine."

Rydjor Bike Shop Blog!

Chad Burma and the boys over at my LBS, Rydjor Bike Shop, have slipped in a new blog for us to monitor. So far, in it's infancy, it seems to be a mixture of bicycles and music. Eclectic. Where do they come up with this format? For those of you that are not familiar with the vintage lightweight collection at Rydjor, left to us by the late, great Dan Ulwelling, check it out. "The late, great..." gets thrown around pretty loosely these days. In this case I'm quite serious about it.

Smoke'em If You Gottem

I don't have anything to say about this. I just like the photo.

Boyle & Kahn