back in balance...

Sometimes waking up
before the city
on a quiet Holiday,
taking the dog for a bath,
and heading out to explore
like tourists,
is exactly the therapy and time you need
to set you back in balance.

the people we once were...

Long Holiday Weekends
are about spending time
with the one you love
doing the things
you want to do.

H and I needed yesterday.
An early morning lover's ride,
up before the city.
sigh...
Then in the afternoon
H took me for my inaugural ride
on his new motorcycle.
We picked up lunch,
had a picnic by the lake,
and purchased books
at our favorite bookstore.
We were to have left on vacation
yesterday,
but work changed all that.
So instead, we have taken what we have
and tried to make it what we can.

Five years is too long to let life pass you by.
It was so great to hop on the motorcycle
and remember
the people we once were.
So easily they were lost,
so hard we are trying
to get them back...

Happy Holiday Weekend Everyone!
May you be doing all the things you want to do.
And getting back in touch
with who you are.

Our book purchases:
The Dirty Life
The Summer Book
The Lost Cyclist
In Patagonia

seemingly minor moments...

Mornings
have always been my favorite.
The world is quiet,
the possibilities for what lay ahead endless,
having a place all to myself,
and coffee.

My two mornings in San Francisco
fed my soul.
Sand, Sea, and Sun.
Coffee, Conversation, and Calm.

Refueled
and Refreshed
I carry these moments with me
now that I am back home.
Seemingly minor moments
in an ordinary every day
are anything but...

i love you my friend...

Not one
to go around the touristy corner
to quench my thirst for water.
Not one
to sit in my hotel room
when I can go visit
my City.
I went up the hill
to the little corner shop.
I walked by old haunts.
My heart felt at home.

And on my way back down
I turned eastward
and like a wave
my past life flashed in front of my eyes.
Overcome by emotion,
never able to move past
my hyggelig,
tears began to form.

There are moments in life that are
so it,
so full of life,
so full of living.
I lived more in my time here
than I have since.
Every time I return
I yearn for what was,
I am comforted by what surrounds me,
and I wonder where I will go.

I love you my friend.
I just do.
I will never get over you.
Thank you for today.

i'm outta here...

I am off to
My Hyggelig
for a few days.

It will be all work,
but I am squeezing in
a wee few
early am moments
of play.

See y'all back here soon.

icky crap tirade...

H just called
he's on his way home after two weeks away.
I went on a bit of a tirade
about this horrendous Minneapolis weather.
7 months of essentially icky crap.
I am really at wits end.
He gets it, he feels it too.
But I called back and put on
a positive spin:
Belinda says the sun will pop out later today
and it won't be raining in the morning tomorrow.

More positivity:
one great thing about living here
is I am getting to know people
and share good things.
Last night at the salon,
my hairstylist sent me home
with two basil plants
and a tomato plant
that she started from seed.
She has a farm
and a huge garden.
How great is that?

Well, let's make it a Happy Saturday
Everyone!
I hope the sun is out where you are.

I'm definitely not off for a ride,
but soon my man will be home
and perhaps this family can
get a lake walk in
and reconnect before I leave
for
my hyggelig...

a different year...

This year is different.
I finally just rolled 100
Tuesday night,
just...100...

I have been spending A LOT
of time with this guy.
He's fun and all,
but he's A LOT of work
somedays.

My free time seems limited
My time in this space
therefore,
limited.

Personal things are being challenged.
Vacation was forced early
and then cancelled.

The pretzel of life seems to continue to twist.

But I hope between the twist and turns
some sense seems to be made
some calm begins to occur
new friendships are strengthened
and current relationships put back on track.

Most of all,
I wish for some bicycle time
that feeds my soul
feeds my relationship
and gives me that vacation
I am so dearly missing
So I can feel like I am here

instead of here...

just me...

For some reason
I get a rush
out of heading down the hill
on my own private bicycle road
no cars
no nothing
just me
gravity
and the power of an oncoming train.

Happy Syttende Mai!...

it doesn't matter where you are...

his...hers...

We have been talking about it
for months,
and last night
we were finally able to do it.
Warm Weather 2011 Bike Dates.

The Goals:
Time together.
A 'different' form of exercise.
The Rules:
Close proximity to the homestead.
Take the bicycles.

We always enjoy our Lover's Rides,
but in the last umpteen years, we have both ridden a lot
solo.
This summer,
because of where we are at mentally,
where we are at physically,
and where we are at literally,
we want to spend a little bit more time together,
on our bicycles,
doing something old,
that is new again.

I feel like I keep saying it,
but it has been one hell of a last 6 months.
One day your life changes,
and there is nothing you can do about it.
Sometimes the change moves in excruciatingly slow motion.
This seems to be happening a lot,
and it is filling us with stress,
apprehension,
anxiety,
and I guess a little fear.
We've been bummed,
and we are trying to work our way out.

It's time to
retune,
refuel,
redirect,
reconnect.

FINALLY!
A most oustandingly beautiful day.
Sun, 70, and outside ALL day.
Capping it off with a nice pedal
to our local Japanese restaurant.
Perfect!

they had THE coolest little lights at the restaurant.
hyggelig!!


left: H built up a new 'city' bike
out of an old racing frame, some parts cannibalized off of other bicycles, and some new parts.
had to fix one thing after we got going...still tweaking.

Right: of Course!
2 miles from home I remember~
I forgot the key to my bicycle lock!
need to stop doing that, it's a real bummer.
thank goodness for the spare cable lock!

headed home...

Success.
We had a lovely time.
We engaged.
We rode.
It doesn't matter where you are,
when you embrace what you have,
make what you want it to be,
and share it with the one you love,
suddenly the world looks different,
and so do both of you...

for those of you who pay close attention,
you may see something here that raises an eye brow,
or two.
more on that soon...

a whole new world...

A few years ago I bemoaned the loss
of the online English version of Aftenposten.
Recently I discovered google translate

on google chrome ~ it automatically pops up

and translates!
A whole new world has opened up!
I can once again not only get my Nordic news fix,
but I can read it!

And not only that,
but all of the wonderful blogs
I could only enjoy the pictures from before,
I can now read too!

And on top of it all....
Sköna Hem ~ are you kidding me?!!!
THIS is phenomenal people.

The world really amazes me
sometimes.

cheering up...

I have needed a bit of cheering up lately.
Not one usually into children's programming,
I have oddly found a few moments of solace
with a Penguin.

thankful for the long road...

Yesterday was hard.
I went on my fourth bicycle ride of the year.
Fourth.
Pretty much most of the last 7 months,
7 MONTHS!
Have been crap and have looked like this...

I feel out of shape.
I feel angry.
I feel down.
As the cold wind was chilling my ears
and slowing me down
and the heavy clouds were feeling ominous
I forced myself to once again
get over it.

An incredibly sad event happened here this week.
A young woman, Kimberly Yeong Sil Hull (Audrey), was taken from this world.
She was riding her bicycle through an intersection I ride through
on just about every bicycle ride I go on,
hit by a commercial vehicle,
and died.
I was thinking of her my whole ride
and when I passed through the intersection on my way home,
and saw the flowers in her honor, I could not help but well up.
I sent my thoughts out to her and will think of her often as I pass this spot.
To be robbed of a life at only 25 years old immensely saddens me
and my heart goes out to those around her.
Then a city bus came up behind me,
and I had to return to the moment at hand.

So for all my complaints about the weather
how out of shape I am
and how few weekends of the summer lay ahead of me,
I have bright flowers to make the grey days beautiful,
I have sunshine today,
and I am thankful for what is hopefully a long road ahead of me,
because I have it.

Happy Sunday Everyone.
In a few hours I am off for a ride.
May your day be what you want it to be,
May you be thankful for what you have today and tomorrow,
and may you stay safe out there ~
make eye contact with those drivers,
cycle defensively,
don't assume.

There is a Memorial Ride for Audrey on Wednesday Night.
Information here.

solicitation...

Now and again I receive solicitation e-mails

from bicycle related companies.

I am probably unnecessarily flattered,

momentarily,

and then I move on my way.

I have not advertised in this space,

nor do I post an 'advertisement' of something sent to me.

Until today.

Yesterday I received an e-mail with words that jumped out at me:

Spanish

Textile

Bicycle attached to a sewing machine...

Well, that hits my soft spot people!

No money or words have been exchanged,

I just like it.

So here it is, the video of solicitation...

These two friends,

The Sewing Machine and the Bicycle,

need just two more friends ~

Twins.

goodbye and thank you...

Within 24 hours
I said goodbye this weekend
to two of my very good pals
Lil'C and Scoots.
They have both gone off with new pals
who will let them thrive and experience new adventures.
Scoots will be at University, experiencing a completely different life than she had with me.
Hold on Scoots - you haven't seen anything yet!!
Lil'C went to live with the cutest gal,
with freckles (like me)
who was so excited to have her very own bicycle
instead of sharing with her three sisters.
I will miss you both,
but what I am thankful for is all the memories we have,
all the experiences we had together,
and all that you taught me.
It was time to set you free...

okay, I give...

okay Camper,
you've got my attention.
I give...

THE moment...

We were at one of the bicycle shops we frequent
last night picking up some spare tubes for our rides today
and right when I walked in the door,
THERE SHE WAS!

This really was THE moment
I had started dreaming about back in 2007
and I was giddy with excitement
that the time had finally arrived.
What is this moment?
The moment when an average American
can enter a mainstream suburban bicycle store
and purchase a beautiful affordable quality bicycle.

Back when I began looking for my dream Dutch-style bicycle,
I could only hope that SOMEDAY America would stop selling
only mountain and hybrid bicycles to people, especially women.
I dreamed of an America where people,
not avid cyclists,
people,
would be able to buy a bicycle they would want to ride
around their neighborhoods
in their everyday clothes.
I could not find this bicycle then.

Yes, other bicycles have been coming on the market,
I saw the first real surge last Spring.
But THIS, this is THE moment where it all works.
The Globe Daily truly has the look.
And not only does it have the look,
it has what I asked for - an aluminum frame.
I have always said in my quest for beautiful bicycles for all,
that if only we could have Dutch-style bicycles, but lighter.
Many companies have been working towards this,
the Gary Fisher Simple City comes to mind,
but in my opinion this is the first successful bicycle
to meet the utopian vision of America I had dreamed of.
Is there room for improvement? Yes.
The bicycle is still fairly heavy.
I picked it up and it is lighter than Pash,
but still heavy.
One could argue for the Public,
but that is not what I am talking about here.
I am talking about that this is THE moment
where an ordinary American
can walk into an ordinary bicycle store
and have a choice.

Long may it last
and
Long may THE moment get better!

Happy Saturday Everyone!
At long long last,
I am off for a ride...

coffee, color, hyggelig...

My Heath Newsletter arrived filled with happy color.
I enjoyed reminiscing for a few moments over coffee this morning.
I would love to have one of these to brighten my everyday.
And now to continue with my coffee and thinking about
my hyggelig...

Happy Friday Everyone!
May your weekend be filled with
coffee, color and your hyggelig.

lover's ride...

It's a Beautiful day.
The Sun is shining.
I get a call at work.
A message is left.
"I was thinking we could go for a lover's ride after work..."
Hell yeah!
By 5:30 the lycra is on
and we are off.
Just like
riding a bike...
Nothing like sharing
my first ride of the season
with my Sweetie!
Thanks H!

Oh yeah....
IT'S ON PEOPLE!!!

perhaps...

perhaps winter is at last waning.
as I administer what is hopefully my last tablespoon of nyquil
my thoughts turn towards other shades of green.
last summer as we strolled through neighborhoods, gardens and parks
I created a visual diary of plants
that seemed to be thriving, that were unique, and added visual layers.
It is nearing the time when we can
re-enter the outside world,
walk barefoot in the grass,
enhance our little hus.
it has been winter for far too long,
and much of our life has been on hold.
today we begin to emerge,
stretching after a long winter's sleep.
I begin to come alive,
my heart races with excitement
for returning to the outdoor world.

Happy Saturday Everyone!
I almost can feel the bicycle beneath me
the wind in my hair
the SUN on my face...