Bicycling This Week

I've pedaled all over town for many different purposes this week, at least 50 miles total. Some trips have been short, some much longer. Some days have been sunny, others cloudy. I love the cloudy, breezy days because it's easier to keep cool even when I'm working up a sweat. I love the time I have on my bike to relax and ride, watch the scenery go by, and think about the beauty of the day. Here's a short summary of the week:

Where did I go?
* The farmers market, a bookstore, a bank, and a bakery
* Our CSA farm along the Sammamish River Trail
* Two libraries, the post office, another bank, and an office store
* The grocery store and a take-out restaurant

Who and what did I see?
* Two lakes, a winding river, and woodsy neighborhoods
* Geese, roosters, wildflowers, and a variety of gardens
* Friends, farmers, shoppers, and construction workers
* Families riding bikes and people walking side by side

What did I carry?
* A whole bunch of fruits and vegetables
* Books, bread, mail, printer ink, and paper
* Groceries for camping and dinner for the evening

One of the things I love most about riding my bike is the people I see. Sometimes I have chance meetings with friends when I'm outside a location like the library or the bakery, and they often notice me first because I'm on my bike. The red hair/Xtracycle combination probably helps. Also, when I stop in a store or at the farmers market, if I forget to take off my cycling gloves or I'm carrying my helmet, people strike up a conversation about bike riding. Clerks or other shoppers notice how much I'm carrying and wonder how I can carry it all on my bike. It's fun to tell them. Then of course, when anyone sees me with the bike and everything I'm carrying, they often do a double-take and inquire about it. I like this because it makes shopping and doing errands a friendly, people-centered activity instead of just something to get done. It's a good thing.

This Week in the Garden

We've got a lot of pretty growth in the garden this week. Blueberries are just starting to ripen, the pink lavaterra is blooming, broccoli and rhubarb are ready to harvest, and the oregano is going wild.

Stuhlmiller Road Wildfire

I woke up this morning to find an email from my cousin with a link to this breaking news story: Stuhlmiller Road Wildfire

Hey, that's our family's road! It's named after my grandfather and his brother. They were dry-land wheat farmers, growing many acres of wheat and barley at the end of this road. My mom grew up on this farm until she moved to the coast. The farms are still in the family, and we still farm wheat and barley there.

Stuhlmiller Road is a long road, so as I watched this video, I wondered how close the fires were to our farms, if everyone was okay, and if any of our wheat crops were burned.

I kept hearing familiar words and places from my childhood:
West of Quincy, dry-land wheat fields, Grant & Douglas Counties, Trinidad Hills, Crescent Bar

So I called my mom's cousin whose grandson now farms the land, and she said the fires are contained now. It didn't affect our land or much of theirs. Everyone is safe. The wheat is safe. I guess it started at the edge of some of the harvested acreage, but then moved quickly in another direction. Heavy sigh...

Here's a photo of the aftermath, and a news update: Wildfire Update

Dragonflies and Lupines

I watched two dragonflies playing among the lupines today, and I was lucky enough to have a camera nearby...

Living Well

We rode our bikes to the farmers market today. It was a nice meandering ride through some woodsy neighborhoods, so it was cooler than our usual route. Before we started shopping at the market, we went into the nearby bookstore to peruse a few books. I found this one:

"How to Live Well Without Owning a Car:
Save Money, Breathe Easier, and Get More Mileage Out of Life"
by Chris Balish

I've started reading it already, and it's full of good practical ideas and philosophy. Lately we've been talking about the possibility of living with just one car instead of two, so I thought this might be a good book to get us started. We'll see how it goes...

Quote of the Day

"Every time I see an adult on a bicycle,

I no longer despair for the human race."

~ H.G. Wells

This Week In the Garden

Lavender, calendula, sage, and lupine

Edible Landscaping

On today's trip to the nursery, I went in search of various organic fertilizers and just a couple more plants. I found a lovely Aronia shrub with pretty color and lots of berries. It's known for its white flowers in the spring, bold red leaves in autumn, and clusters of round flavorful berries high in Vitamin C. The berries can be used in juices and jams, or eaten fresh when fully ripe. It's another adventure in edible landscaping!

Pretty Plants

I took another bike trip on the trail today to the local nursery for a few more ground cover plants. These will help add some low-growing color along the pond and waterfall beds. The plants I found each have their own delightful characteristics. The Lipstick strawberries have dark pink flowers and are already producing a few berries. The Pink Ripple creeping thyme has a lovely lemony scent, and the Elfin creeping thyme has fragrant lavender flowers. The false heather has pretty purple flowers and fern-like leaves.

Fire on the Trail

While I was outside taking down towels from the clothesline this afternoon, I heard a strange crackling sound over toward the neighbor's house. It wasn't a familiar sound, so I wandered over toward their fence and looked out toward the trail. As I did, the crackling became louder and I began to see smoke on the trail. I told the guys and we all ran to take a closer look. Sure enough, it was a small brush fire. Don called the fire department, but another neighbor a couple houses down had already called. Within minutes, we heard fire engine sirens getting nearer. The firefighters used shovels to beat down small patches of fire and then a hose to spray it all down. It was exciting to see the fire truck up on the trail. We watched for a while and were glad when we could tell the fire was extinguished.

(Click on the pictures to make them bigger.)

This Week in the Garden

Orange poppies, ferns, and fun with rocks

Solar Power

One of my favorite parts of summer...

A Ride to the Nursery

I wanted to get a few native plants to fill in the newly landscaped area in the back yard, and since the bike trail goes right behind the local nursery, it made sense to use the trail and ride the Xtracycle. I was tempted to take the car, but I knew if I did, I'd also be tempted to get more plants than necessary. They all look so pretty in the nursery, and it's easy to get carried away. Using human-powered transportation is good for keeping things on a human scale. I figured I could bring home about six gallon-sized pots if I needed to, and that would be plenty for now.

It was a fun ride, I found several great plants, and they all fit just right in the side-loaders. Here's what I got: red huckleberries, salal, Oregon grape, ferns, lipstick strawberries, and some wintergreen ground cover.

Once Upon a Pond

Once upon a time, long long ago, there was a pond and waterfall beds in our backyard landscape. As the years went by, they became one with the woods and overgrown weeds.

This week, we've found them again. Can you see the difference? Can you see the possibilities? Soon, this landscape will become home to huckleberries, blueberries, salal, ferns, and strawberries. Stay tuned...

Today's Harvest

New potatoes, shelling peas, strawberries, and garlic

Aren't they cute?

Kayak on Wheels

Today Ben started thinking about a way to bring the kayak a few blocks down to the lake. So he found some wheels, a board, some hooks, and a bungee cord with which to craft a modest method for rolling the kayak down the street. It worked pretty well for a while...


...until he realized that wheels that swivel probably won't work. As he rolled the kayak down the street, it swiveled one way and then another until it was going entirely in the wrong direction.

He took it apart to figure out what to try next, and thought it might be just as easy to carry it. He figured that might work for a while, but it would be kinda tricky crossing the bigger streets! Back to the drawing board.

Fireworks, Kayaks, and More

We enjoyed a nice family gathering at Lake Goodwin on Friday. Ben was in charge of fireworks. He helped cousin Luke with the art of lighting punks on a breezy day. Then he worked at lighting matches to help cousin Ellie's little black snakes unfurl. Tracie, Luke, and Ellie watched and waited patiently. After some sparklers and other small fireworks, we all went down to the beach.

















Uncle Paul and Ben helped Grandpa for a while as they moved and secured a couple concrete-filled pilings for the new dock. It was big, strong work, but they had fun together.













A little later, we made a bonfire for roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Ben enjoyed some kayaking while cousin Haley strummed her guitar, and when it got dark, there was an amazing panoramic view of fireworks all around the lake. And if you're wondering...yes, Don and I were there, too. We were taking pictures, relaxing, talking with everyone, and playing with the dog.

Quote of the Day

"What makes people smart, curious, alert, observant, competent, confident, resourceful, persistent - in the broadest and best sense, intelligent- is not having access to more and more learning places, resources, and specialists, but being able in their lives to do a wide variety of interesting things that matter, things that challenge their ingenuity, skill, and judgement, and that make an obvious difference in their lives and the lives of people around them."

~ John Holt, Teach Your Own ~

What else can you carry on those things?

A whole bunch of groceries

Plants and puzzles

A strawberry rhubarb crisp and other potluck foods

30 lbs of dog food and more groceries

A Load of Fun

This week Don loaded up his Xtracycle to ride to band rehearsal. You'll see he's got all the essentials: two guitars, a bag of cables, and a small cooler filled with beer to share with the band.

Xtracycle Girl

It's been about two months since we've been riding our new Xtracycles, and we love them! We ride them to the grocery store, the library, farmers markets, our CSA farm, social gatherings, and wherever else we need to go.