Tag Archives: urban simplicity

Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#374)…and a quick conversation

Things on the bike: (front rack) 2 gallons/7.5 liters of interior house paint, a gym bag full of wet clothes, a canvas bag containing a couple books, 1.5L of red wine, and two tacos–1 fish; 1 tofu–from Cantina Loco. (rear carrier) a 5 1/2 foot/1.67 meter Christmas Tree. A synopsis of a brief conversation whileContinue reading “Things That Can be Carried on a Bike (#374)…and a quick conversation”

Another View from my Handlebars

Beautiful isn’t? Inspiring to say the least. I pass this intersection a few times a week and am always inspired by this beautiful church. Tonight, as it drizzled and sleeted lightly as I rode by, I thought I’d stop and snap a couple pictures. It’s First Presbyterian Church at Symphony Circle. And as I stoodContinue reading “Another View from my Handlebars”

Falafel (Yum!)

Falafel are an awesome and healthy food that is not only nutritious and delicious but easy to make. In it’s most basic description, it is nothing more than ground chickpeas (and/or other legumes) mixed with seasonings and deep-fried. It is traditionally eaten as a pita sandwich laden with tarator sauce (tahini sauce), but it isContinue reading “Falafel (Yum!)”

Virtual Land Owner

Domain 1 a : complete and absolute ownership of land   b : land so owned  2  : a territory over which dominion is exercised  3  : a region distinctively marked by some physical feature 4  : a sphere of knowledge, influence, or activity Taken from the Merriam-Webster online dictionary.   OK, first of all I wantContinue reading “Virtual Land Owner”

Fagiolini con Aglio e Olio

OK, firstly…I do not speak Italian, but I do know what aglio e olio means: garlic and oil, usually virgin olive oil; two of my favorite ingredients. And to cook “aglio e olio” is not just a manner of using these two ingredients, but an actual style of cooking. The traditional recipe for this isContinue reading “Fagiolini con Aglio e Olio”

A Few Things I Saw over my Handlebars

These are just more examples of what a great opportunity a person has on a bicycle to witness and become an active participant their surroundings; these are a few images from tonight or the last couple of days that I took while on my bike. They are–to me–a form of contemplative photography. Click either forContinue reading “A Few Things I Saw over my Handlebars”

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#373)…plus two recipes.

Things on the bike: A canvas book bag containing two books; a cardboard box containing a just-kneaded batch of whole-wheat honey-oatmeal bread (see below for recipe), a small container of oatmeal, 2 pints of 3-bean soup with pork, 2 re-gifted coffee cups, and an extra pair of gloves (yes that’s snow coming down and visibleContinue reading “Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#373)…plus two recipes.”

Five Quotes from Mark Twain

Samuel Langhorne Clemens (November 30, 1835 – April 21, 1910) “Anger is an acid that can do more harm to the vessel in which it is stored than to anything on which it is poured.” “Apparently there is nothing that cannot happen today.” “Be careless in your dress if you will, but keep a tidy soul”Continue reading “Five Quotes from Mark Twain”

Sometimes I Forget…

Sometimes I forget. Often actually. And it’s easy to do because I’m on it everyday. What I’m talking about is my bike, or at east one of them. Specifically I am talking about the Mundo and how long it is (or at least how different it is from most other bikes); that it is aContinue reading “Sometimes I Forget…”

Three-Bean Soup/Stew with Pork

I made this soup/stew yesterday to utilize some of the turkey stock that was left over from Thanksgiving. It’s a basic bean-and-pork soup or stew recipe, and I say soup or stew because it depends on how you like it. I made it thick (sort of condensed) so it would take up less room inContinue reading “Three-Bean Soup/Stew with Pork”

Curly-Swirly Bread

Beautiful…isn’t it. Two bread doughs rolled into each other, giving it a curly-swirly look (for some reason every time I type the phrase “curly-swirly” I have a desire to listen to the song Hurdy Gurdy Man). Anyhow, one of the doughs is made with a puree of fresh roast red peppers and the other containsContinue reading “Curly-Swirly Bread”

Too Close For Comfort

I came across the above photo at the Facebook page of Car-Free America. It is–as it’s description says–the Oriten, a ten-seat bike made by the Orient Bicycle company. I had never heard of such a thing, but after Googling it I was surprised to see that it was quite popular around the time it wasContinue reading “Too Close For Comfort”

Broth, Bouillon, Brodo, Caldo

Well, if you are an American reading this blog, or an expat living abroad, you likely celebrated Thanksgiving dinner yesterday with a traditional turkey dinner. I personally love this holiday–it’s not so gift-centered and commercialized as Christmas has become–it’s more about getting together with family, being thankful, and eating a really good meal. Unfortunately theContinue reading “Broth, Bouillon, Brodo, Caldo”

A Few Old Bikes in Action

I love old photos of people on bikes, especially when they are being used for utilitarian purposes (OK, the one with the guy sitting on the stack of papers may be stretching it a bit…but I love the one with the delivery guy using his bike as a chair). Anyhow, I came across these atContinue reading “A Few Old Bikes in Action”

Five Quotes on Being Thankful

I find the above painting very moving. It is “The Thankful Poor” by Henry Ossawa Tanner. On this day, the American holiday of Thanksgiving, I think it is especially poignant…though most of us (especially myself) have more than they need–food, clothing, shelter, family, etc.–we still desire more, and sometimes we (again, I’m mostly speaking ofContinue reading “Five Quotes on Being Thankful”

It’s That Time of Year…

It’s that time of year again…when the stores and media bombards us with adverts attempting to convince us that we have to buy stuff we don’t really need. Whatever your beliefs (or non-beliefs, for that matter), let’s usher in the holiday season (not the “shopping season) and celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Winter Solstice (or evenContinue reading “It’s That Time of Year…”

I Can Finally Name It

For many years I have enjoyed taking pictures. First with a 35mm camera (never did learn to develop them myself) and more recently with digital. What is truly awesome about digital cameras is that–because there is no developing involved–you are able to take multiple pictures of the same thing, upload them, and pick-and-choose which youContinue reading “I Can Finally Name It”

Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#372)

Front Rack: A canvas bag containing a few books and writing implements; a cardboard box containing a dozen or so over-sized glass Christmas tree ornaments wrapped in paper. Rear Carrier: A 15lb/6.8kg capacity all-steel, hand-crank sausage stuffer; a cardboard box containing two pints of homemade turkey gravy, 5lbs/2.2kgs of bread flour, and three homemade cheeseContinue reading “Things That Can Be Carried on a Bike (#372)”