Foothills

Foothills, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

A view from Diablo Foothills Regional Park. The hills remind me of Ireland around this time of the year.

French Inspirations: Beautiful Oddities

As a change from the Cape Cod theme, I would like to share these photos of some early French bicycles from the collection of Nick March. These pre-war bicycles are not quite mixtes, but they are not classic step-throughs either. Whatever their construction, they have an overall grace and elegance that I find inspiring.

This beauty is a very rare bicycle by Caminade (see here for additional details).

What makes it truly exceptional, is that the frame is alloy, with hexagonal(!) tubing and elaborate lugs. I have never seen a bicycle with hexagonal tubes before, so these photos blew my mind. I wonder what it feels like to ride this creation.

In the close-up photos, it appears as if the lugs might be bolted to the tubing, but I am out of my depth here. Any further details regarding the construction of this bicycle are welcome. This is definitely one of the most exceptional ladies' bicycles out there, and the condition in which it has been preserved is amazing.

This sage green bicycle is an Alcyon from the late 1930s. The mixte-like construction has twin stays that curve sharply at the seat tube, then connect to the lower part of the rear stays. One of the elements of early French ladies and mixte bicycles that appeals to me, is the colour scheme: The combination of pastel blue-green paint and chrome accesories takes my breath away - even when the bicycle is old and rusty and the paint is faded.

This ancient Helium is another example of the faded pastel green paint I love. Notice the curved stays again, which I have also documented on many bicycles in Vienna. The twin stays extend all the way to the rear drop-outs, but is the bicycle technically considered a mixte if the stays are curved in this manner? I assume the purpose of this design was to lower the step-over height, but what effect does it have on the bicycle's structural integrity?

Largely dilapidated, the Helium in the photo is in her owner's "destined for the trash" pile. I wish I could wisk it away to a bicycle history museum. My thanks again to Mr. March for permission to use these images; they are a treat to see.

Aurora Corona

This shot represents the culmination of probably the single best night of Aurora Borealis photography that I've ever experienced. This image was made early in the morning on July 15, about 1/4 of the way into an Aurora storm that lasted almost 36 hours, one of the longest-lasting geomagnetic storms on record. Shortly after this image was made the activity level of the lights dropped significantly, although they remained visible until daylight started to creep into the sky. The following night the Aurora activity was also very high unfortunately we were unable to view it the second night due to heavy cloud cover. My friends that were with me on this night could only come up with one word to describe the lights as they flickered in the sky directly overhead. That word? WOW.

Grand Canyon :: Sunset at Yaki Point

We had been told that Yaki Point, on the southeast side of the Grand Canyon, was a good spot for viewing the setting sun, so on Thursday evening (April 15th) we caught the shuttle bus and headed that way.

We arrived almost too late, the “color” was disappearing rapidly in the Canyon. This view is looking northeast from Yaki Point.

This shot and the next one were taken about five minutes after the first photo, still looking to the northeast.


Quickly returning to the west side of Yaki Point, I was just in time to catch the sun dipping beneath the horizon. The swirling clouds and dramatic colors show up beautifully when using the 7x zoom!

Other spectators were also photographing and enjoying the sunset.

This is one of my favorite photos. Not just because of the fantastic color (due to the clouds and pollution) but because you can also see multiple ridge lines – to me it “says” Grand Canyon. (Note: Well, you may or may not be able to see the multiple ridge lines... I could see them fine on the image on my laptop but not after uploading the image to blogger. Bummer.)

Drivers are Not a Different Breed

I have been reading some bicycle blog posts lately where the authors describe feeling betrayed when their non-cycling friends say something nasty about cyclists - you know, the kind of thing a clueless and self-entitled driver might say, but certainly not a friend who happens to be a driver. I mean, they're different, right? Those drivers who cut us off and shout at us are bad people, whereas our friends are good?



Problem is that this difference is fictional. After all, each of those nasty drivers is also someone's dear friend. As hard as it may be to believe, they are not usually "bad" outside the context of being behind the wheel. Likewise, just because someone is our friend does not mean they are incapable of thinking or doing things that would outrage us. We can disagree on issues and never know it until that issue comes up, and my experience has been that cycling is one of those issues - right up there with abortion. Once I began cycling for transportation, I learned fairly quickly not to discuss it with friends, co-workers or relatives who are non-cyclists unless I wanted these conversations to turn into heated debates, or all out fights.



Recently a friend and her husband were visiting Boston, and I met them for dinner at an outdoor cafe. I knew that they were both avid recreational cyclists, so I let my guard down and was speaking to them about bicycles - the pros and cons of different roadbikes, that sort of thing. I was feeling good that finally here was someone from my "real life" I could discuss bikes with. Then some cyclists rode down the street past us and the husband shook his head. "Those idiots are going to get themselves killed." I was confused. "What... Why?" He then explained how stupid it is when cyclists "think they are cars" and cycle "right on the road, without bike lanes or anything." "I hope you don't do that!" he added as my friend nodded. Turns out there is this huge national park where they live, and that is where they ride their bikes - unless it is an organised charity ride, which is the only time they'll go on the road. Not only are they drivers the rest of the time, but having exposure to cycling has done nothing to make them empathise with transportational cyclists. We could have spent the rest of our meal fighting, but instead I changed the subject - it wasn't worth it to me. After dinner they took a taxi to their hotel, and I walked around the corner to where my bike was locked up, then rode home "as if I were a car." Those drivers who hate cyclists could be anyone - our friends, our relatives, and even, apparently, other cyclists. People are people, ever ready to feel frustration and annoyance.

Flying Tigers Babeball Game

We planned to do baseball games as part of our entertainment this summer. Because I have been tied up with other things, that has not happened until this week. I hope we find our way there more often than we've managed so far because it was a lot of fun.







The stadium we visited is the same one that the Detroit Tigers do their spring training at. Which means the Michiganders visit this place. Which means I get to talk to people who have the same "accent" as I do. And I meet people like the guy who was on the school board of the high school I attended.





I also like hanging out with people that like baseball. Not that I'm a huge fan of baseball myself, but I like people that can still be entertained by things like baseball. And I like to see the talented players. Even if I kept asking Nathan if this particular group was 12-16 years old or was I just getting old(er). Seriously they all looked like babies to me. As in same age as "my" baby who is 17.



It was a pretty uneventful game until the end, and then the Flying Tigers made us proud.



This was my favorite moment of the night, when a three year old ran the bases in a race against the mascots:



Living the life in not so sunny right now Florida!

Typically Dutch 002: Draw Bridges & Caravans

The Netherlands is a water country, ergo bridges everywhere!

Draw bridges and caravans, even on the highway.

Last weekend we went to Friesland up north to visit friends. They speak a different language there by the way but ABN (Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands - which is something like the nationally approved language) is also spoken by everyone. Along the A6 highway we stopped for a quickie as the highway drawbridge was open.

Drawbridges in the Netherlands come in many forms. Most of them are small wooden characteristic bridges in little villages that are drawn up by a pulley. Some are metal bridges operated by a remote control service, while this one is a highway bridge specially manned by a dedicated personnel.

And of course the caravan! What else can I say? Many Dutch own caravans and much to the annoyance of southern neighbors, they tow them down to Germany, France and Italy during summer, clogging their highways.