found via Black Rock City: HonestlyWTF.com / images by Peikwen Cheng
Thursday, August 30, 2012
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
america's cup visits SF & spectators came by bike.
last wednesday, the much talked about america's cup started their trials in SF. i do not follow this sort of fast boat racing, but let's just say that people were a little excited in our bike valet part of the world. an international event gives us visibility into the service the bike coalition provides.
SFist reported that the viewership was pretty low during the week. my guess is that people were WORKING or in school and, despite their hopes and dreams, were not able to skip either even though this sport has a reputation for being popular with the haves (as opposed to have nots).
despite feeling pretty crappy due to a cold i caught earlier in the week, i was called to go into work. and lo and behold...there was some bike parking going on. time to get to work.
as you can tell by the pictures, we were busy. pedestrian, car and bike traffic were all bustling. good thing we were around and parked about 500 bikes each day.
on sunday, what i believe will be declared the first day of SF summer, the weather was lovely. i even got to wear a short sleeved shirt near the open waters. but the jeans, the jeans were still on.
i walked in the village and saw this life-sized bottom of a racing boat. crazy.
was an interesting event to be a part of. hopefully we'll be back and parking bikes the rest of the time they are in town from now until 2013.
until then, we always have this picture of the first day of summer. and no fog in sight.
SFist reported that the viewership was pretty low during the week. my guess is that people were WORKING or in school and, despite their hopes and dreams, were not able to skip either even though this sport has a reputation for being popular with the haves (as opposed to have nots).
despite feeling pretty crappy due to a cold i caught earlier in the week, i was called to go into work. and lo and behold...there was some bike parking going on. time to get to work.
as you can tell by the pictures, we were busy. pedestrian, car and bike traffic were all bustling. good thing we were around and parked about 500 bikes each day.
on sunday, what i believe will be declared the first day of SF summer, the weather was lovely. i even got to wear a short sleeved shirt near the open waters. but the jeans, the jeans were still on.
i walked in the village and saw this life-sized bottom of a racing boat. crazy.
was an interesting event to be a part of. hopefully we'll be back and parking bikes the rest of the time they are in town from now until 2013.
until then, we always have this picture of the first day of summer. and no fog in sight.
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Arthursday: smoke and ride
Leave it to the Italians.
Looks like a very dear friend of ours, just replace the hat with an A's cap.
Beautiful artwork by agostino iacurci
- - -
xxomeligrosa
Looks like a very dear friend of ours, just replace the hat with an A's cap.
Beautiful artwork by agostino iacurci
- - -
xxomeligrosa
Tuesday, August 21, 2012
Handlebars
We all have handlebars.
Sometimes they are rusty.
Sometimes they have baskets full of dreams hanging from them.
Sometimes they carry our coffee.
And sometimes we ask too much of them.
Sometimes they carry the people we love.
Let's hear it for handlebars! After all, it isn't like we ever really think about them.
Sometimes they are rusty.
Sometimes they have baskets full of dreams hanging from them.
Sometimes they carry our coffee.
And sometimes we ask too much of them.
Sometimes they carry the people we love.
Let's hear it for handlebars! After all, it isn't like we ever really think about them.
Monday, August 20, 2012
Big Box Bikes
On one of our obligatory trips to the hell that is Costco, James and I came across this lovely solution to getting there and getting stuff home.
A tandem for companionship and to share the load.
Big baskets to put all of the big shopping in.
More space to carry more stuff, because you never walk out of Costco with less than you thought you would buy.
And a cute bell to ding at the clueless parkers in the lot.
I would bet dollars to donuts that the riders of this bicycle had a more pleasant Costco trip than anyone else there. I know. I will do anything to not drive to Costco. Soooooo much better, and cheaper because you can't buy as much, when you Big Box Shop on your bicycle.
A tandem for companionship and to share the load.
Big baskets to put all of the big shopping in.
More space to carry more stuff, because you never walk out of Costco with less than you thought you would buy.
And a cute bell to ding at the clueless parkers in the lot.
I would bet dollars to donuts that the riders of this bicycle had a more pleasant Costco trip than anyone else there. I know. I will do anything to not drive to Costco. Soooooo much better, and cheaper because you can't buy as much, when you Big Box Shop on your bicycle.
Thursday, August 16, 2012
Arthursday: back to school
Is that time of the year, back to school.
Found this video awhile back and wanted to give a shout out to the Workshop in Houston for doing what they do, and providing a great momentum in creative resources for the future of this country, our youth.
xxo♥meligrosa
Found this video awhile back and wanted to give a shout out to the Workshop in Houston for doing what they do, and providing a great momentum in creative resources for the future of this country, our youth.
Workshop Houston has five shops that provide resources and support for young people: the Third Ward Bike Shop (do-it-yourself bike repair), the Chopper Shop (welding and metal fabrication), the Beat Shop (hip-hop music production), the Style Shop (fashion design) and the Scholar Shop (tutoring and academic enrichment).
Workshop Houston's mission is to provide youth with creative, technical and educational resources. Our vision is to lay the groundwork for a just society by creating a community that provides youth with support, expanded opportunities and alternative definitions of success.Video by Jonathan Jindra / cinematography by Christopher Patterson.
-website: workshophouston.org- - -
xxo♥meligrosa
Tuesday, August 14, 2012
Date Night
On our way to dinner. Hubby the Bikeman is not always dressed in bike wool and chain grease.
I think he cleans up quite nicely. Someone driving by thought so, too, and gave him a shout out.
A nice night out for us means overcoat, tie and Dutch bicycle. As it should be.
I think he cleans up quite nicely. Someone driving by thought so, too, and gave him a shout out.
A nice night out for us means overcoat, tie and Dutch bicycle. As it should be.
Monday, August 13, 2012
Almost Hitched
Last weekend my friends Kimberly and Amandeep
got married! It was a weekend long affair that started for most of us with a bicycle ride across town. Of course.
Deep had the sound system blowing, the rest of us followed along. How can you resist a happy group ride of love? You can't, so don't try to pretend otherwise.
I tried to get a shot or two of the bride along the way, but it just didn't happen before I ran out of film. I did get this one, though.
A few other moments-
Deep taking his parents for a quick ride around the flower garden,
Our friend Sasha advertising for the cause,
Kevin (from here) and the love of his life, MK(from here) who are a HUGE factor behind what makes riding in San Francisco FUN,
Alex and Gary spent the day being cute (my back went out just before the ride and Alex helped me put it back together because she is wonderful, Gary helped contribute to my back problems with his contributions to bicycling over the years : ) They were married, with bicycles, last year.)
There are more pictures of the wedding that followed, but you will have to wait for those. They aren't back from the lab : ) I am pretty sure CTX has more than a few to contribute (BTW, she looked amazing at the wedding!!!!), too.
got married! It was a weekend long affair that started for most of us with a bicycle ride across town. Of course.
I tried to get a shot or two of the bride along the way, but it just didn't happen before I ran out of film. I did get this one, though.
A few other moments-
Deep taking his parents for a quick ride around the flower garden,
Our friend Sasha advertising for the cause,
Kevin (from here) and the love of his life, MK(from here) who are a HUGE factor behind what makes riding in San Francisco FUN,
Alex and Gary spent the day being cute (my back went out just before the ride and Alex helped me put it back together because she is wonderful, Gary helped contribute to my back problems with his contributions to bicycling over the years : ) They were married, with bicycles, last year.)
There are more pictures of the wedding that followed, but you will have to wait for those. They aren't back from the lab : ) I am pretty sure CTX has more than a few to contribute (BTW, she looked amazing at the wedding!!!!), too.
Friday, August 10, 2012
friday fun times: marin century recap
so a lot's been going on this week, but not as much as what happened on saturday. we rode 106 miles again y'all! i felt better and stronger this year. weather was also substantially cooler than i recall from the past couple of years.
we kept running into our friend, sue, who i think summed up the whole experience quite nicely. she gave us permission to use her post.
My lessons from today:
1) No matter how much you inwardly make a deal with yourself during a hill-climb that you will throw in the towel and take a SAG wagon back to the start, they are inevitably nowhere around until you get to the top of a hill and are already feeling fine again.
2) During the middle of the century ride, when the crowd has thinned out, feel free say "Hey Cow!" and "Hey Goat!" and "Hey Peep!" to cows and goats and birds that peep. If a roadie rides past you while you are doing this, he won't notice... he won't even look at you, because he is very serious.
3) The grass, for cows, seems always greener (or tastier) on the other side of the fence.
top of marshall wall
4) Skunks smell pretty bad when they are hit by cars and their guts are showing.
5) It's not a great thing to mouth breathe when you ride through a cloud of gnats.
6) Great friends will encourage you and applaud you and cheer you on no matter how long you are taking - thanks, Sean, Tracy, Bill, and Melyssa! You are all awesome.
7) Drink something caffeinated in the morning before one of these. Then have some caffeinated things with you - GU is really good. OR... you can experience some super sweet male chivalry when a guy gives you one randomly.
8) The last 10 miles of a century somehow take longer than any ten miles you have ever ridden in your life. And no, saying loudly "WHEN THE HELL IS THIS GOING TO END??!?!" is not going to make it end.
9) No matter how much mental chatter you have going on about quitting a thing like this (if you are not injured, etc), it is generally awesome to finish it. And in this case, some of the easier miles were at the end. By the time I could have quit, I had actually already ridden through all the hard stuff.
10) It is a great thing to ride through the country and stop every once in a while and hear how quiet it is.
11) It is also a great thing to ride by a pasture where several cows have gathered and one leans back his head and lets loose his "MIGHTY YOWP" - Mooooooo
"
12) Quail running across the street are pretty cute.
fotos courtesy of the marin century peeps and butter bill's fb page.
have a great weekend y'all. mine is full of "century legs" and bike camping with the ladies of leisure!
we kept running into our friend, sue, who i think summed up the whole experience quite nicely. she gave us permission to use her post.
My lessons from today:
1) No matter how much you inwardly make a deal with yourself during a hill-climb that you will throw in the towel and take a SAG wagon back to the start, they are inevitably nowhere around until you get to the top of a hill and are already feeling fine again.
going up a hill early in the am.
2) During the middle of the century ride, when the crowd has thinned out, feel free say "Hey Cow!" and "Hey Goat!" and "Hey Peep!" to cows and goats and birds that peep. If a roadie rides past you while you are doing this, he won't notice... he won't even look at you, because he is very serious.
serious early riser roadies.
3) The grass, for cows, seems always greener (or tastier) on the other side of the fence.
top of marshall wall
4) Skunks smell pretty bad when they are hit by cars and their guts are showing.
5) It's not a great thing to mouth breathe when you ride through a cloud of gnats.
6) Great friends will encourage you and applaud you and cheer you on no matter how long you are taking - thanks, Sean, Tracy, Bill, and Melyssa! You are all awesome.
7) Drink something caffeinated in the morning before one of these. Then have some caffeinated things with you - GU is really good. OR... you can experience some super sweet male chivalry when a guy gives you one randomly.
8) The last 10 miles of a century somehow take longer than any ten miles you have ever ridden in your life. And no, saying loudly "WHEN THE HELL IS THIS GOING TO END??!?!" is not going to make it end.
9) No matter how much mental chatter you have going on about quitting a thing like this (if you are not injured, etc), it is generally awesome to finish it. And in this case, some of the easier miles were at the end. By the time I could have quit, I had actually already ridden through all the hard stuff.
10) It is a great thing to ride through the country and stop every once in a while and hear how quiet it is.
11) It is also a great thing to ride by a pasture where several cows have gathered and one leans back his head and lets loose his "MIGHTY YOWP" - Mooooooo
"12) Quail running across the street are pretty cute.
fin
fotos courtesy of the marin century peeps and butter bill's fb page.
have a great weekend y'all. mine is full of "century legs" and bike camping with the ladies of leisure!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Arthursday: So you think you can sketch?
Found a sketch-do tutorial via wired
Find the useful tips to build these here:
"SketchUp lets you plot out everything from a closet reorganization to a new home addition. It’s easy. It’s free. It’s fun. But instead of picking up the program, you’ve been spending your time puzzling over some half-formed treehouse plans. Don’t worry. We’ve brought Matthew McKee, an interior designer with San Francisco bike companies like Mission Workshop, Specialized’s Globe Bicycles and Bicycle Coffee, in for a pep talk. McKee uses SketchUp daily to design everything from trade show booths to store layouts to bicycle trailers. Here are a few tips to help you dive in." -wired.com
Find the useful tips to build these here:
You suck at Sketchup / via wired.com
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Arthursday: moving poetry in the finest occupation of them all
This is so simple and quite magical.
Enjoy
---
xxo♥ la meligrosa
Found this +artist's info via MariaPopova
Enjoy
---
xxo♥ la meligrosa
Found this +artist's info via MariaPopova
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
The Sidewalker
Riding on the sidewalk. It is a charged concept, especially in places like San Francisco that are very busy. I remember the law in California being that only those under the age of 12 were allowed to ride on the sidewalk, and then only on residential streets. When I go to look for actual code I get a lot of hits pertaining to cyclists "21200 (a) Every person riding a bicycle upon a highway has all the
rights and is subject to all the provisions applicable to the driver...". To me, this means don't ride on the sidewalk as we are not supposed to be driving on the sidewalk (although I have not found anything that specifically addresses that, either). Then again, there are times when even I am forced onto the sidewalk for a variety of reasons. Especially on my street.
Monterey Blvd. is very busy. 1700 cars an hour in the afternoon rush period! There is no bicycle lane, no sharrows and not much consideration between the hours of 3:30 and 6:30 pm (and all day Sunday, for some reason). It is a 30 MPH street (!!!!!!), entirely uphill when traveling west, and it is the best bicycle connector between CCSF/SFSU and the Mission, which is a major connection. If you do not know how to ride in that kind of traffic, it can be harrowing. I am not surprised when I see people choosing to ride on the sidewalk. There are times when I do-
when riding west bound with Declan by ourselves without the bike posse that is the rest of the family with us.
when riding home from the grocery store with very heavy bags during the wind season
for certain blocks during rush hour because I don't want to become a statistic
anytime I am too tired or slow to be able to compete or cope with traffic.
Even then, I find myself mildly indignant when I see others doing the same thing. The opportunity to be a hypocrite is seldom let pass me by. Why? Are there no times when riding on the sidewalk is the better option? I have stated the circumstances when I do (I will say that this is the only time I ride on the sidewalk other than a stretch of Dolores St. which is so terribly lovely to ride on on very hot days I can not always resist). Now, if the City would do something to calm traffic and provide bicycle space on my street, it would not be a problem (the neighboring Hearst St. is where the City would like us to ride but it is poorly controlled at the intersections and unacceptably hilly for most riders to tackle regularly). No one would have to make a choice between the street and the sidewalk.
When do you think it is OK to ride on a sidewalk? Or is it ever OK?
Monterey Blvd. is very busy. 1700 cars an hour in the afternoon rush period! There is no bicycle lane, no sharrows and not much consideration between the hours of 3:30 and 6:30 pm (and all day Sunday, for some reason). It is a 30 MPH street (!!!!!!), entirely uphill when traveling west, and it is the best bicycle connector between CCSF/SFSU and the Mission, which is a major connection. If you do not know how to ride in that kind of traffic, it can be harrowing. I am not surprised when I see people choosing to ride on the sidewalk. There are times when I do-
when riding west bound with Declan by ourselves without the bike posse that is the rest of the family with us.
when riding home from the grocery store with very heavy bags during the wind season
for certain blocks during rush hour because I don't want to become a statistic
anytime I am too tired or slow to be able to compete or cope with traffic.
Even then, I find myself mildly indignant when I see others doing the same thing. The opportunity to be a hypocrite is seldom let pass me by. Why? Are there no times when riding on the sidewalk is the better option? I have stated the circumstances when I do (I will say that this is the only time I ride on the sidewalk other than a stretch of Dolores St. which is so terribly lovely to ride on on very hot days I can not always resist). Now, if the City would do something to calm traffic and provide bicycle space on my street, it would not be a problem (the neighboring Hearst St. is where the City would like us to ride but it is poorly controlled at the intersections and unacceptably hilly for most riders to tackle regularly). No one would have to make a choice between the street and the sidewalk.
When do you think it is OK to ride on a sidewalk? Or is it ever OK?
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