In Brief...

 Day's Park

Just a quick note to say that I will not be posting for a few days (probably 5 or 6). Thanks, as always, for those who continue to visit and take the time to comment. Until next week, peace.

Five Quotes From Ernest Hemingway

When I was a young and impressionable man two writers in particular had a great effect on my life: Jack Kerouac and Ernest Hemingway. Like them or not, they both had their own style of writing and didn't follow others; individualism, I believe, is a virtue hidden in all of us but we often stifle it, these men did not. And a little known fact about Ernest Hemingway was that he was a velophile...I love the above quote by him. Below are two photos of him on bicycles as a young man (found here and here). I find the one on the right particularly interesting; it's a photo of him on a bike carrying a rifle during WWI in Italy. Sadly, it was fifty years ago today that he put the barrel of a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

All good books have one thing in common - they are truer than if they had really happened.

Always do sober what you said you'd do drunk. That will teach you to keep your mouth shut. 

Fear of death increases in exact proportion to increase in wealth.

I know now that there is no one thing that is true - it is all true.

I know only that what is moral is what you feel good after and what is immoral is what you feel bad after.
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Things That Can Be Carried On A Bike (#328 & #329)

#328 (top)...an empty cardboard box, and extra bike, and an extra helmet.

#329 (bottom)...a cardboard box containing approximately $32.00 in groceries, and a Fender Stratocaster in a hard-shell case.

These photos were taken from the same trip--to and fro--here's the quick story behind it.

I had to pick my son up from his guitar lesson (his mom took him there), and much to his chagrin I told him I would be picking him up by bike...he new what that meant (it's bad enough that his dad rides this "weird bike" but then he drags another one with him...ahh, the angst of being a teenager). I also needed to stop for a few groceries so I attached the empty box to the front rack. On my way to pick him up I stopped at the Co-op for a few groceries. Then I purposefully arrived early so I could stop off for a couple pints at the bar which is conveniently located directly opposite where he takes his lessons (and yes, I used my fancy new lock). When he came out of his lesson I switched his bike for the guitar and rode home. Simple and fun.

Front Yard Wheat

This is a picture of a continuation of two previous posts (click here and here) regarding my garden experiment for 2011...front yard wheat. It's only a small patch to see if it would grow--it is--so maybe next year there will be more. There won't be nearly enough to make enough flour for a loaf of bread (my goal) but there will still probably be enough for me to harvest and boil for either a side dish or salad. Pretty cool.

The Importance of a Good Lock (continued)

This of course is a continuation of this previous post. Firstly I just want to say thanks to everyone for their comments, stories, and suggestions. I really enjoy hearing what others have to say. And the beauty is that with the Internet we get to hear what people have to say from across the continent and the globe. Anyhow, after a bit of deliberation and minor research I purchased the above (rather expensive) lock and chain. I know a few of you use these and they seem pretty hefty. If I have to lock my bike(s) for any length of time I plan on using this in conjunction with a u-lock; cables will be for tires only. It's a shame that we have to go to these lengths to make our bikes more difficult to steal. But such is life in the modern world. Thanks again.