Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estates

We missed another get together with good food and good people in order to get out and do some sight seeing yesterday. It was the warmest day for some days to come, and I was getting very stir crazy!



We headed down to a neat place south of us. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford had winter estates in Ft Myers, Florida. Their homes were on the same piece of land and Edison had a lab there also. We've been here a few times before, but we had not seen all of the museum yet. It had the usual cool Edison inventions that I enjoyed seeing. I think the first two pictures were my favorite things to see this visit:



and a picture of Helen Keller and her autograph which reads: To Mr. Edison Not loudness but Love sounds in your ear my friend. Helen Keller

For those that don't know, he was almost completely deaf.



Some of his inventions:





I love all of the cars on display there:



My very favorite thing here by far though is the Banyan tree. All of this is the same tree, and I didn't begin to capture all of it because it was raining by the time I took these shots:





Living the life in chilly Florida!

The Cyclist's Dwelling

When I talk to cyclists who have recently moved or are looking to move house, most admit that bikes influence the location and layout criteria for their new place. Usually this admission is made sheepishly, with some embarrassment that cycling plays such a prominent role in their lives. Me, I don't bother to be embarrassed anymore. Cycling is not the most important thing in my life, but it is up there. It is also more intertwined with the other important things now than it was before. And it is crucial to my sanity. It follows that any place I live must be bicycling friendly.




As far as location, this can mean different things for different types of cyclists. For some it means being in the middle of a city with good bicycle infrastructure. For others it means being close to good roadcycling - hilly country roads, or networks of dirt roads, or mountain bike trails. For others still the ideal cycling location is climate dependent. And for others, it's dependent on proximity to clubs, races, randonneuring groups, "cycle chic" get-togethers, or other types of cycling-specific communities. Of all these things, for me it is easy access to good back roads and dirt roads that is on top of the list. While I love a city with good infrastructure and loved living in Vienna for that reason, I know that I can also function without it with fairly little stress. And while I appreciate a close-knit cycling community, at heart I am a loner and do just as well on my own. But when it comes to access to open roads, it's more than a matter of liking it or appreciating it, it is a matter of needing it. Living on the edge of town in Boston (rather than deeper in the city) is wonderful, because it allows for easy escape from the congested urban tangle. And living in rural Northern Ireland is a dream, because a network of country roads starts straight out the front door. I would not do well living in an area without easy access to good roadcycling.




As far as the layout of a house or apartment, I am pretty easy: I like a ground floor entrance for dragging my bike out the door. While I joke about having a farm with a bike shed, in reality I am quite content to cram my bikes into a small apartment space. But I do want to be able to roll my bikes out the door with the minimum amount of stairs and narrow hallways. As it is, I am covered in bruises from the narrow hallways in my current place - never failing to hit myself on the shin with a pedal or on the thigh with a brake lever whilst getting my bike out the door.




For someone who loves bicycles, I am unusually indifferent to "bicycle art" - cycling themed photos, paintings, sculptures, housewares and such. But I do tend to have bike parts and tools lying around in a way that they become integrated into the very fabric of the house. After two weeks in my current place, my roadbike looks wonderfully at home leaning against the book case. And the random bike parts scattered throughout look natural mixed with the household objects and appliances. It's funny, because I only have one bike in the house right now (okay, and one more out on the porch), but somehow the place still has that "bikes live here and they are important" feel to it.




Grabbing Desdemona, I roll her out the door, and - cursing affectionately as I bang my ankle lightly on the derailleur - I pedal away and head for the hills, thankful for the quiet, cloudy Sunday morning, for the emerald green sea, and for the warm tiny place that awaits me and my bike upon our return.

Desert Wild Flower

I don't

know what this plant is. It is one of the first to put on green leaves and bloom in the spring. It seems to be a native plant. The flowers are tiny, tiny on a long stem clustter of flowers. Leaves are long and stripped. Not much to look at but at least it doesn't have stickers on it.

Eustacia Meets Frida

Today Eustacia Vye (my Pashley Pricess) met up with her new friend Frida, the fetching Batavus Fryslan that belongs to Margonaute of ZOMGBicycles.

Margo and I tagged along and sat at an outdoor cafe while the bikes frolicked nearby.

The Batavus Fryslan is a very pretty and comfortable bike. It is a higher-end model than the Old Dutch I tested last summer. It was getting dark and impossible to take decent shots, but Margo has more pictures of this bicycle on her weblog. Especially nice are the shots from last weekend's Tweed Ride - Frida looked so elegant with her owner's stunning outfit!

Despite their differences in wheel size (28" on the Batavus Fryslan vs. 26" on the Pashley Princess), we were surprised to note how similar Frida and Eustacia looked, including their overall proportions. My handlebars are set quite a bit lower, but that was an intentional modification on my part. Margo prefers hers higher. The bicycles also have matching cream tires, matching Brooks B66S saddles, and matching Wald rear folding baskets. So cute to see them together like this!

One really cool thing about Frida is the DIY handlebar bag. It is a small leather purse, with the strap wrapped around the flat part of the bars.

Here you can see the handlebar attachment. A simple and elegant idea that shows you don't necessarily need to spend tons of money on bike-specific accessories.

At the end of the evening, Margo test-rode my bike while I carefully tried hers on for size (Frida is new and I was too worried about her well-being to ride her on the street).

Margo on my Pashley. She is slightly taller than I am, so ideally the saddle would be raised.

My own impression is that the fit of the two bikes is similar, but the Batavus has somewhat more relaxed angles. Weight-wise, the Batavus is a bit heavier. They are both nice bikes, with the main differences being the fork crowns, the wheel size, the lighting systems, and the shape of the handlebars. If you are choosing between a Pashley and a Batavus, I'd really suggest test-riding each.

Here is to lovely bicycles and to lovely bicycle friendships!

La Sportiva? Back at ya, with the CUBE!

Just when I think there is a leap aheadfor alpine boots someone else jumps back in and does a flash burn.



Many have asked me when will La Sportiva update the aging Nepal Evo and Trango Series of boots. Like I'd have a clue. I hadn't heard a even whisper out of La Sportiva. And didn't expect anything new at the up coming summer OR show for Spring 2014 delivery.



Clueless again, guess I got that wrong!






New Trango Cube GTX




"the new state-of-the-art mountaineering boots - Nepal Cube GTX and Trango
Cube GTX - set new standards in lightweight and waterproof properties for
this sector. Trango Cube in particular has been made using the new and
exclusive Thermo Tech Injection method, a thermoplastic coating that
eliminates traditional stitching, making the boot even more water resistant than
ever before."



http://www.lasportiva.it/news_approfondimento.html?&L=1&tx_ttnews%5Btt_news%5D=2398&cHash=d153fab90d5a36947a2e9e2d146f8253

Meet the Reeves

Let's start with Mrs. Reeve shall we?

Here's abeautiful example of the human spirit.

First climbing experience: The long, rambling "Caves Route", Grade 4.

For our international readers -that does not rate on your scale. It's too easy.

Totally freaked, and swore off climbing forever.

But something internally had changed.

Sheunlocked her inner steep climber.











Can't get much steeper than that."Hung Like a Fruit Bat" 25 Coolum Cave













Let Ruth Reeve be a warning to 'fraidy women everywhere. Find your bravery, and you too could spend a year upside down workinga route like this.



























What?Too much with the new "Logo" draws?You think?











The camera has trouble focusing on the climber when they are in frame.















You think I've forgotten Mr Reeve?

Hey, I'm not saying he is old, but here's a shot from the 30's of Dave on Hung Like a Fruit Bat.





Hey Dave, you got the time?

Mountain Top