High five

Late last year I got a new camera for my birthday (Lumix LX5). The adventures of a new camera have certainly begun, and I'm having tremendous fun. I'm patiently waiting for the point where it takes me a quick click+turn to get it to the right setting, 'til then, the learning process is curving. Luckily I am very patient.

I hadn't even bothered to look down at the camera to see the outcome because I was caught enjoying the moment.
And seeing this moment made me smile and feel very happy inside. I saw what I assumed was a young couple and more than likely the parents, biking with their son (in a kid-seat behind the dad) out on a fantastic 63°F January weather. Seconds after I had attempted to capture the photo, I saw the mom +dad high-fived each other.
It was a such a sweet sighting.

The future is looking good.
xxo♥m

The Dying Of The Light

According to the weather report, today was the last day of lovely light and long shadows. This last week has been spectacular, the kind of weather that makes you thrilled to live in Northern California. These may be my last pictures of Autumn.

When next you see me, I will be ready for near freezing rain.

Our Farmers Markets in San Francisco are year round. They may not produce quite so inviting a pannier tableaux by Saturday morning.

Here we go, people! The long, dark months are upon us! Get those lights on your bicycles (now! Stop reading this and go put some damn lights on your bike!), shake out the weather proof gear, make sure your panniers have adequate drainage, lube your chains and stop worrying about the extra weight and get some fenders already!

Ten Seconds On Hawthorne

A group of friends.

Heading somewhere.

A sunny weekend day, fun somewhere down the road.

Four friends, four bicycles, one bike lane.

Ten seconds on Hawthorne. Imagine an hour, a day, a year and all the friends that ride along here on their way to something fun. Make it happen in your town.

Sunshine, Sushi and Road Lessons

Finally, just when we all thought we were going to become walking mushrooms from lack of light, San Francisco has sun!!! Oh glorious sun from which all life springs, you have finally seen fit to visit us with light and warmth!! For a few days there will be no thought of taking a sweater, or two, when leaving the house. I will not have to wipe fog from my eyes or contemplate wool. No boots, no socks, no sleeves!

When it gets this warm, I stop cooking. On Tuesday we decided to have a family sushi night so we could ride in the warmth to the restaurant. Declan was very clear that he wanted to ride his own bicycle, not on the sidewalk. It was quiet out, and with four of us to buffer him, why the heck not?

I am quite sure that people seeing us pass thought I was completely nuts for letting my kids, especially one so young, do something as radical as ride a bicycle on a street (godforbidbutatleastheiswearingahelmet...) but that's fine with me. I had the great joy of seeing my three monsters pedaling away, joking with one another, keeping tabs on each other and enjoying the amazing evening.

It is always a little difficult when he decides he would rather skid to a stop than slow down and come to a gradual one, but other than that, we just enjoyed a real summer evening on our bicycles. Something about sunset light, and summer heat, and bicycles and the prospect of sushi make a Tuesday night quite nice.

Why Me?

I can't beeeelieeeeeve you want me to bike, agaaainnn!

And so it begins

Another Monday. What is new with you all?! Back to school, back to work?!
Hope you have a nice sunny Monday!
Here a back to school selection from our flickr pool:

Our Xtracycle school bus. by mslaura
"The best way to get to/from school! No waiting in pickup/dropoff lines, and always easy parking!"


Richardson ISD School Bus by dickdavid


First Day of School by fullhands


Sunday Parkways @ Lent School by gregraisman

So, this week, a little sun for SF, maybe?! ...please señor weather, we need some.

0016_9A change your life; ride a bike! by velopete

Rad bits

Sightings from the radical tour.

Powered by Volker:



Dave's bike details:



Calitexican's daily tattoo.

greasy pata

The idiots.

A couple of weekends ago we went on to a ride up north of San Francisco. We were ready to ride at 8AM on a sunny Saturday and we all joined the now annual Fairfax Foray. For those of you outside the Bay Area, the weekend mornings at the Golden gate bridge are hectic if you are on a bicycle. Not because happy tourists attempting to capture a memory of a majestic beautiful icon. Not because of our splendid mid 50° degree summer fog. Not because of our views. Yes, as locals we can never get tired of that. But there is something that happens on the north end of the bridge – the lycra bullies.

The verbal abuse the daily, normal, typically everyday people like me and my peers, and perhaps most of you that read this blog, get on this bridge on the weekend mornings, is certainly abusive.

I have always say I have met nice folks with full-on lycra that are very nice and sweet. That does not apply 90% of the time when I happen to be with my friends, on our-OUR Golden Gate Bridge.

So here to share, some of the things that I overheard within 2 minutes. Mind you, as the photos below show, the bridge was rather calm.
Too bad we intruded for these people, to shave 3 seconds of their time and some use of their bitter spit, to let us know what idiots we are.

As we turned the corner (it is pretty sharp) it goes like this:

"You are all idiots"
"Stopping in this spot is DANGEROUS"
"Move out of the f***ing way"
"Riding bikes on the bridge is very dangerous"

In front of me: Matt and Melyssa aka Calitexican

Behind me: Volker – laughing at 'danger'

I just have to laugh, and ride.
These *ssholes that go out of their way to insult us are plain out lame.

Do I see them riding butterlap everyweek?
No.
Do I see them dodging doors day in and day out throughout the city on a daily basis?
No.
Do they have fenders, because when you RIDE so much in the city, you *know* that was urine?
No.
Do they haul their fancy road bike up and down Bart, Muni, AC transit or CalTrain because they commute, went to a party, or are so tired after you went bike camping 100 miles away from here that you are just trying to get home?
No.
Are they having fun?
Certainly not.

So who are the idiots now?

We continued our ride, we can put up with the daily hussle in the city - these posers on lycra don't intimidate us one bit. Suckers.

They have no idea we rode to Fairfax, (about 18-20 miles up from SF) looking freaking happy and had a blast. There is no heart monitor to measure that nor energy bars to put up with us.

Of course, there are a handful that as fast and mean as they look, take a sec of their bridge experience to say normal things, like 'oh hello' or 'good morning'.
To remind you what idiots we are, here are some pictures of our ride.

and also, don't they know we are doing a century in August?! :D
Thanks for insulting, but try again later.

dat's rite!!!

Don't call me. Page me.

Because you will find me on Page street.
Silky smoothness, one of the latest additions of the buttery streets around our beloved wigglelands, here in SF. And many more to come.

Smooth pavement makes a ride very pleasant and great sunset light reflect up from the surface on your ride home now that the sun stays out for a tad longer. Have you been on a recently paves street? got any pictures? send them over :D
-happy riding!

It takes two.

Bike lane conversations are certainly the best way to catch up with your pals, or meet someone new, chat about the weather, make a hill seem less steep, transform traffic into a chatty obstacle course and share a laugh or a frustration. My last conversation was with a stranger (well after we chatted no more) over the invasion of cupcake stores in San Francisco with a bikey guy that had a super flamboyant air to him – queens and I get along quite well. He also mentioned he needed some teal tights like mine. How did we go from tights to cupcakes, maybe a frosting color linear similarity. It lasted for about 5 minutes then he was gone. I'm sure we will run into each other again, we have the potential to talk about colorful things for hours. Have you had any interesting random chats lately on the bike lane?! Funny enough I had started this post last week, and saw Adrienne's post on the boring encounters. The bike lane offers it all, that is the beauty of exposing ourselves on two wheels.

Here are some duo bike lane shots from our pool:

Bike Lane Built for Two by K_Gradinger


Riding Couple by Michele Cannone


DT and Bert by darko666


Friends by Lars Daniel [RZ67 in da house]


Phil, Chrissy and Sean by dickdavid


6057 Saturday pedestrian pause by Xander N'Dante


chatting it up by meligrosa


Friend At My Side by Adrienne Johnson (still a bozo : )


Riders head for Smith-Dorrien Road by Adventure Cycling Association


Sigamos conversando by organicc


bicycle friends by Ignacio.Torres


The social bike by jeremyhughes

garage parking

when i first rolled up to work today, i thought:

1. issssh, my favorite parking spot is taken!

2. this is kinda cool that there is very little parking.

3. there will be happy and productive workers in downtown SF today.

4. (this thought occured much later while looking out of the high rise window...) it's so beautiful today, there will be a lot of distracted workers today.

:)