Monthly Archives: November 2012

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#420 & #421)

#420…a 6ft/1.8m Christmas Tree. #421…a cardboard box containing a few groceries, a book, and an acoustic guitar. Urban Simplicity.

The Usefulness of a Bike, and a Couple Photos that Make Me Feel Small

I mentioned in a previous post regarding using a bike (especially a long-tail) as a platform to stabilize a camera, and in that post I was using a small tripod that was primarily for compact or at least lighter cameras. Well, since then I have gotten a couple new (used) cameras that are considerably heavierContinue reading “The Usefulness of a Bike, and a Couple Photos that Make Me Feel Small”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#419), and a view from my handlebars

On the bike: a cardboard box containing a quart of milk, a jar of peanut butter, a jar of jelly, a bag of dog food, and a double order of Chinese takeout food. Chronologically,  these photos are in reversed order. The image below I took on my way to work this morning. Look at thatContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#419), and a view from my handlebars”

Arroz con Frijoles y Carnitas

I made this for dinner tonight…mmm. Easy and delicious. Really delicious (if I do say so myself); I am very full as I type these words. It’s a basic brown rice pilaf recipe (use any of these recipes) with the addition of black beans and carnitas (click here for a recipe and pics). Urban Simplicity.

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#416 & #417), a Brief Story Behind it, and a Simple Recipe

#416 (first photo above)…a canvas bag containing a few books; a double plastic bag containing a cooked turkey carcass, and a few vegetables for mirepoix. #417 (second photo above)…a cardboard box containing 18 pint contains full of still-warm turkey broth. Okay, so here’s the deal. Nearly every year, after our Thanksgiving feast at one ofContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#416 & #417), a Brief Story Behind it, and a Simple Recipe”

Enough Already!

I already have enough disposable stuff…I don’t need to take part in the madness that retailers named “black Friday.” And it’s now creeping into Thursday as well…being called “grey Thursday.” What’s next, “beige Wednesday?” And do we now–instead of wishing each other a Happy Thanksgiving–say Happy Grey Thursday? I noticed a few years ago thatContinue reading “Enough Already!”

Gravy Deconstructed…

The following text was originally published in Artvoice; to see it at its original location, click here. Gravy(grā’vē) n., pl.–vies a. The juices that drip from cooking meat. b. A sauce made by thickening and seasoning these juices. –The American Heritage Dictionary It’s as ubiquitous at a Thanksgiving feast as the turkey itself. Mashed potatoesContinue reading “Gravy Deconstructed…”

Two Views from my Handlebars

The weather this past week has been–as far as I’m concerned–perfect. Idyllically autumn. Crisp, barely a breeze, or cloud in the sky. Also perfect weather to be on a bike. The above photo is a building I pass everyday, and as I coasted past this evening the sun hit it just right. This is alsoContinue reading “Two Views from my Handlebars”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#415)

Two canvas bags. One containing four books and a journal (among other things). And the other containing twelve newly sharpened chef’s knives of varies sizes. Urban Simplicity.

Kartoffelsalat mit Speck (German Potato Salad with Bacon)

Ok, so a couple of things. Firstly, while I love and am fascinated by languages in general, I do not speak German…sometimes I can barely speak English. But thanks to Google Translate I can list this recipe in it’s mother tongue. I’ve mentioned in a previous post that while my heritage is half Lebanese, itContinue reading “Kartoffelsalat mit Speck (German Potato Salad with Bacon)”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#414), and a view from my handlebars

Things on the bike…three cardboard boxes containing a gym bag full of wet clothes, dog food, sundries, $72.57 worth of groceries, three liters of red wine, and a double order of Chinese take out. The view…another incredible view looking west over Lake Erie. Knowing sunsets like this last only a few minutes, I pulled theContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#414), and a view from my handlebars”

From My Front Porch…

  It’s interesting, I think, how these two photos were taken five minutes (or less) apart and from the same location but looking in different directions; the top photo is looking west while the bottom photo is looking south. But I’m getting ahead of myself.  I have the weekend off this week…the first in aboutContinue reading “From My Front Porch…”

Ezekiel Bread!

I made this today and am, in fact, eating a warm and butter-slathered slice as I type these words. This is still my favorite bread, and it is still the #1 reason people find their way to my meager blog. The recipe is below, but for more pictures and a brief description, click here. AndContinue reading “Ezekiel Bread!”

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#413)

 Photo taken in front of Allentown Music, which ironically is no longer located in Allentown. A new soft-shell acoustic guitar case (for my son) and a birthday gift (to me) from my sisters. Urban Simplicity.