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November 10, 2005
Pippy joins the Freakbike Gang Part 2!
It was a beautiful, if slightly brisk fall day, with a little bitey chill in the air, the leaves crackled underfoot, ah yes, slightly too chilly for riding along the lake! But lovely too, in that lakefront way, after warming up riding I sat for a while on a bench and watched the watery reflections of westward facing buildings on eastward facing buildings in the fading daylight. People jogged and biked past, puffing and, in some cases in shorts, the cold turning exposed flesh to pink. I rode in circles a bit to keep warm, and leaves caught in my spokes and I dropped them in the harbor. A man came by with a golden retriever who carried a floaty toy in his mouth in hopes of swimming. I patted the dog's nose but he was fixed on the dog beach. No time for girls. I was waiting to meet up with a tall bikey e-friend, and phone friend, Travesty. (Who doesn't want things knitted for him. Or maybe he's just saying it. We have no way of knowing! Alls we know is he's not afraid of ear flaps. Boys are mysterious. Its all I'm saying.) We finally met, after some confusion, and cell phone calling, and rode up to Metropolis and drank coffee to warm up. And plus I admit I was stalling for time as the tall bike was looking taller to me now, with the possibility of actually getting on and riding it. And the pavement seeming more and more forbidding, thinking of hitting it from such a height! However~
eventually I did it!
The world looks very different from atop a tall bike!(For one thing, you can see over the tops of the dumpsters. Could be handy!) Believe it! Ok, so I need to practice getting on,(a lot trickier than it looks) and am a little shaky on the dismount, but once in the saddle I was able to tool around in circles for awhile, practically unassisted! One day I will master the tall bike and then look out! I will be even more invincible, just like Travesty~ the intrepid and sometimes contrarian, but always encouraging and certainly always there to catch a smallish, occasionally faltering Pippy on a tall bike~ instructor.
Thanks again, Travesty! You are nice!
In knitting news, I have almost finished one sleeve of Agnes, and will only have one sleeve left to go. I swear someday I will get a damn camera. Really.
Posted by at November 10, 2005 10:03 PM
Comments
Lovely post! Believe it!
Posted by: rob helpychalk at November 11, 2005 12:33 PM
Pippy did in fact ride unassisted. But joining a freakbike gang? ONE freak bike club ride required please!
ps. Every human is mysterious. Boring, I know :)
Its just that there is a good chance I won't like wearing it. I CAN knit my own cap. Anyway, I do appreciate the offer, just trying to save some hours of labor for better things (like practicing your foot work) For me a woman on a tall bike is its own reward.
-T
Posted by: travesty at November 14, 2005 02:17 PM
Pippy I have a new contact on Flickr who has loaded lots of photos of Critical Mass here:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/50804604@N00/sets/1253335/ I will be stealing the Magritte painting costume idea for next Halloween.
I discovered some galleries in Pilsen this weekend and will be posting some photos of that soon.
Posted by: Elizabeth at November 14, 2005 02:54 PM