critical points of view...

i meant to put this up last week, but i had to attend to some family matters.

i wanted to share some pics i took of critical mass from a couple of fridays ago. you can be en masse with your bikey posse one second, and the next second lose all of them completely as the slow moving molasses mass moves around you like lava, hot and with determination.

also, critical mass was not just one day of celebration, but a week long event with something new each day. the last day was on sunday, a bittersweet day for me, which ended with a lovely bike ride to the beach to hear some music from musicians using the rock the bike sound system.

ade already spelled out a few reasons why she hopes not to need critical mass in a few years, and i happen to agree with her. so this will just be a picture post.

enjoy.



kiddical mass showed up!







what do you call a bikey marching band.



you've got mail, chevron.





sunday's closing event took place at ocean beach.









sunset. and life continuing on.

the time...it is a'changin'

i'm sad to say it's that time of year when the light above hangs noticeably different in the sky.

a few sundays ago this was pretty apparent after i stood on this corner to get out my bike lights.

left.


right.


boooooooooohiiiissssssssss.

soon we are going to be forced to change our clocks and wake up to the dark. i don't like it, but it happens every year. can't do anything about it...

so i guess this means is time to work on bike projects in the comfort of the garage as we await rainy season to hit us full force.

Unusual postcard, from San Francisco with love.

Let's begin the week with our majestic Golden Gate Bridge. One can never get tired and at its amazing presence, and in this sunny afternoon shot, it is peaking out from a distance.
I took this photo a few weekends ago, in the Sunset district - when there was an actual sunset going on (it is known for one of the foggiest micro-climates within the City).
See, all up and down hills in this town have its rewards. The lovely ladies in this photo are Karen and our Calitexican.

ladies. sunset district. golden gate bridge.
Taken from 20th ave - The sunset district.

It's Friday

Time to grab some friends and ride off into the sunset!

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.

friday fun times: beachy sunsets

as the sunset of the work week races once again to the western horizon, here's a picture for you:

we rode here from a dolores park picnic to the beach in about 20 minutes. this was a last minute impulse decision, and we were determined to make it to either baker beach or ocean beach before the sun set. can you tell which one this is? does it matter?

this was only the beginning of a really nice rest of the weekend. hope you have the same this time around!

addendum: this impromptu bikey date falls under social cycling section of the LGRAB summer games! go and read fun stories!