Cycle Blog Ins and Outs

iOS7 has fouled up my blogging life. The former "PhotoStream" functions automatically pulled images from my "Cycling Cazalea iPhone Camera" for instant incorporation in this blog. But it doesn't work as quickly or reliably as before. Now I have a longer process for creating. Sigh.

Sometimes people ask me how this blog is created. Today I will reveal some of its secrets - so let's go:

• I go out to the bike shed and unlock the door(s).
• Look at the bikes.
• Feel the tires.
• Choose one with hard tires - if they are all soft, groan, grab the pump and inflate.
• Carry bike out.
• Lock the door.
• Carry bike up the stairs, then remember my helmet and bright vest and/or shoes.
• Prop up bike, go downstairs, open door, grab missing items, lock door, go back up.

• Hop on bike and ride away.
• Notice mal-adjusted derailleurs or brakes or rattly chain (make mental note to repair/adjust when home; then promptly forget that note)
• Ride up to top of street and decide which way to go (click to see more details about the choices). 

• I ride around a bit, stopping to take pictures of interesting things, such as the world's smallest pavement roller lurking in the shadow of a big backhoe.

(this must be the mate of the tiny backhoe featured in previous blogs; see below)

I noticed a couple taking their two dogs for a morning walk - dad has Mr Pooch on a lease, mom was pushing a wheelchair with Mrs Pooch on the seat, propped up with cushions... is something wrong with our society?!

I was going to take a photo of the weather mirror, but it was so dirty that you couldn't see anything but streaks of dirt and dust. Time for a good rainstorm, I think. Or maybe I need to ride back over with some Windex. In any event, this view gives a clue to where the dirt on the mirror came from.

There's more new concrete in this alley than old - which means there was plenty of cutting and digging and dirt flying. All ending up on the glass. (here's a photo from back in the "clean old days") 

And the mirror today after the Mrs. and I went back to clean it. Notice the great weather!

I poked my head over the fence and looked at a house remodel in progress. Oddly irregular lumber on this wall, wouldn't you say? Could the house have been built from scraps?

• Finally I stop nosing about and got down to riding (some time passes) and eventually I ride home.
• I go to my desktop computer. (I prefer using it for blogging compared to using Blogger's app on my iphone or ipad. The desktop interface allows more customization, links to other sites, editing images with more alacrity, etc.)
• I plug in my phone (or camera) and download images to iPhoto.
• I select and edit a few of the photos, and exporting them from iPhoto, I put them into a folder named for today.

• I log in as the owner of the blog, and go to the editing page. 
• I start writing, I pull in pictures, I add interesting links to other pages or sites.

• Eventually I finish.
• I proof-read my text, check the alignment of my photos, and click Publish.

Then I completely forget the bike and get on with my life until tomorrow.

Back on the Boulevard

Today I dispensed with recreational riding and went off on my bike with a purpose in mind. Shopping. I was so fixed on this chore [ bike, cable, lock, grocery bag, money ] that I neglected the traffic jams which accompany the local high school letting its students out. Argggh!

At least I had on my high-visibility safety vest. Of course the vest is irrelevant when 90% of the students are staring fixedly at their phones as they wander out into traffic ...

But I'm getting ahead of myself. First I had to ride through the obstacle course sewer works.  The boys had constructed an elaborate display of force today - two tractors and a full-on dump truck.

And for the first time in this project I actually saw two guys shlepping some pipes around the park.

I found the market and bought some stuff. Here's their promo flyer.

Laden with my 8 lbs of produce and fish, I started home.

I had no idea that I would be car-spotting for the next mile. A Mustang Convertible to my right, and around the corner?

A 1961 Buick Convertible in original, sun-baked paint - but otherwise very nice shape.

And directly behind it - blocking the sidewalk and poking out into the street - another Mustang Convertible.

I took the least windy, least hilly route home - Ooops! Right past the second high school in our area, now letting its students out...

106 Steps, Twice

I forgot half of yesterday's post. I was so carried away with the sea glass that I neglected to finish the blog with the "spottings." So here they come.

First, the obligatory Mustang Convertible, from the 1960's along with a very nice looking Corvair Greenbriar Van. This is a two-fer shot of noble proportions. Two iconic vehicles captured at the same time - in relatively decent condition. Only in San Diego.

Then I swung by one of the nastiest, steepest, most treacherous driveways ever. This goes down to the beach (well, at low tide there's a beach). But you don't want to even walk on it if it's at all slippery. And you definitely don't want to use a skateboard or bicycle unless you are itching for a crash and burn, followed by cold salt water.

I swung aside from this horror and headed up the street, where I found another horror of a different kind. One of the cheesiest Mustang Convertibles I've ever seen.

THEN I headed home for a rest.

106 Steps, Once

I rode down to the beach today. Why? It's a slightly convoluted story, so bear with me.

Some people collect beach glass (I don't). Here's what I found in a half-hour a few days ago.

Our friend Kim is a beach glass fanatic. So I had to tell her about Sunset Cliffs, with arms waving, 

"Lots of glass. Lots of secluded beach. Lots of water! Not many people."

She was skeptical. I was persistent, "There's even a staircase right down to the beach, with 100 steps."

 

It's best to go there at low tide, and this morning it was high tide. But I was on my bike ride, not gathering glass, so I didn't care that the water was right up to the steps.

Here's what it looks like at low tide - best time for finding beach glass.

This is what the cliffs look like from the water's edge (at low tide) in panorama. (click it to enlarge)

Why did I come down here? Oh yes. Beach glass. 

Here's what Kim and my wife found on their first exploratory trip down that staircase!

They reported back that the glass was great but there were 106 steps, not 100.

[continued in the next post]

A glorious day

I hit the road on my shiny bike today. I felt good but didn't plan to ride very far. The sun was shining, birds were screeching (they don't sing around here), and the roads were wide open.

 In fact, the open road beckoned to me (but I ignored it). Look at the sunshine! See the blue sky!

I saw my favorite blue hue on a BMW parked on the street. BMW call it Estoril Blue - after a district in Lisbon, Portugal, where a famous race course is located. Here's the blue:

Here's the district in Lisbon (thanks to Wikipedia Commons). You can see they are used to blues.

We (like Portugal) are in a Mediterranean climate, so we have blue skies too but lots of brown as well. No water, no growth. Here's a typical vacant lot.

Here's a view of the valley where I was "retreating" this week, up in the mountains east of San Diego. Not much water on the hillsides but they do irrigate in the valley. 

The retreat distracted me so I couldn't ride for 3-4 days - and no I didn't take my bike up with me as it was a 2-mile rough and gravely road in and out of the camp. But I digress - let's come back to today.

I rode around for awhile, then headed back home. Along the way I passed the Hosteling International's home for weary, visiting, round-the-world cyclists.

I forgot how to do it

Last week I rode several times but in the flurry of back-to-school life, I forgot to post on the blog. Wow. That's a big omission for me and I'm sorry. I didn't forget how to ride, or how to put up a post.

But I wanted to add a sound file to the blog and that takes some serious behind-the-scenes work, and I'd forgotten how to do it (even though I have previously put sound on my bird and icon blogs). Ah well. Technology and old age don't mix. And a new iPhone and iOS7 came out last week too!

But now I have remembered. Press the play button to hear what I am talking about...



I had ridden to the park and I was struck by all the chaos - the "mechanical woodpecker", the airplanes, reverse-warning-beepers, compressed-air brakes, dump truck passing, etc. I got tired of it and left.

I went out on the usual dusty, disheveled pavement.

I stopped, looked and listened at the park. It was an unending cacophony. Not to mention a mess of pipes, signs and debris.

Leaving all the noise behind, I rode over to some stylish streets in my neighborhood. Here's an example of a home recently treated to some love and affection. Even if cobalt, raspberry, terra cotta and purple aren't to everyone's preference, the place is neat and tidy.

This house is neat too, but too stark and maintenance free. It also strikes me as a bit like women who dress to deliberately show their underwear. The front porch is NOT the place I would choose to put my water softener tank. Nor would I want my solar panels up front gleaming on the front of the house. But maybe that's just me. Luckily I do not live across from these folks.

Riding home, I saw the previously-featured "world's tiniest back hoe" at work. The sewer guys had to trench down between two houses without knocking either one down. I had seen this task on the published plans. Apparently houses were built OVER the sewers back early in the last century, when some of the drawings weren't too clear. Now the city will abandon those old sewers, but they must run new lines to join up with the existing drains on this and several other houses.

Deliberations at Dawn

It's Monday. It's cool and foggy, and I'm out here on my bike well before 7 am. 

Why? I wonder. Is it because I've been up since 4am thanks to a restless cat?

Or perhaps to get a ride in before the construction crews get to work on the sewer and water pipes underneath our pavements?

Could I be out here just to observe newly-shorn trees? This one should look nice in a few months when it fills out again...

What am I -- what should I -- be looking for (instead of sleeping)?

I did notice, for the first time ever, a homestead whose house and car match almost perfectly. It couldn't have been accidental! The careful color-coordination was obvious. 

I remembered to avoid Rosecrans (big, busy arterial street), this morning, but did tangle with three different trash trucks. This truck is emptying the trash (black) cans, while the gentleman on the sidewalk is scavenging from the recycling (blue) can. 

This purple bench called itself to my attention from an attractive street corner. If you look very closely, you might see the bike lock wrapped around the front leg of the bench (to our right), connecting it to a ring set in concrete. This must be the second bench they've put out there.

I rode home to find Mr. Early Riser Cat waiting for me on the porch. He's now sleeping on my chest, so maybe I'll stop writing and join him for a catnap...

Gray Friday

It's one of those calm gray mornings when the marine layer clamps down on us and the wind can't decide which way to blow. The airport control tower cant make up its mind either as departing and arriving aircraft are changing directions too. 

I decided to hit the road. I found the destruction crews hard at work in a new neighborhood. This is a different contractor, because Ortiz Bros. are still hard at work in our area. 

Concrete comes out cleanly. But loudly. Which means there's a bit of shouting too. I sat on my bike on the sidewalk for awhile and watched the 9-man team in action. (Two are out of sight)

I wasn't the only one observing this turmoil. A mysterious but calm, 10-foot-tall Madonna in a nearby front garden watched with me. 

I'm getting highly skilled at navigating my bike across multiple paving breaks. But that doesn't mean I like it. There are some sections that literally frighten me. Our roads are atrocious. Now that our notorious skirt-chasing mayor is out of his job, perhaps the new mayor can help bring our infrastructure up to the level of mediocrity we are paying taxes for... 

Heading home, I stopped at the park and watched the planes drift into the airport. If this DHL freighter had gotten any lower, I'd have had to duck.