With thanks to Momentum Magazine (on-line) for a fascinating refresher on the history of Cargo Bikes.

The History of Cargo Bikes

Cargo bikes originated in The Netherlands in the early 20 century, and were used by tradesmen to deliver milk, bread, and other goods in the absence of the automobile. By the 1930s, the phenomenon had spread across Scandinavia. In Copenhagen, Denmark, bike messengers called svajeres carted goods all around the city, and nearly every company owned at least one cargo bike to handle their deliveries.

Around the same time in the UK, deliveries were being made by “butcher’s bike,” a light-capacity cargo bike with a rack mounted to the frame over the front wheel. The British trend spread to the US, where Schwinn produced the original American “cycle truck,” which sold over 10,000 units in a year at its peak of popularity during WWII.

While cargo bikes have remained immensely popular for carting everything from kids to couches in parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, their use waned considerably in North America when mass marketing of the private automobile began in earnest. These days, many North Americans have never even heard of a bicycle with high carrying capacity.

Only with the recent trend towards high-density urbanism have we seen a resurgence of interest in cargo bikes over here. As with the regular bicycle, many of the original cargo bikes designs are essentially the same today as they were in the early 20th century, with a few modern technological upgrades.

Reading Essays by the Formidable Wendell Berry

Kentucky native Wendell Berry has worn a lot of hats in his varied, prolific career.  Part poet, novelist and essayist (he's written more than 40 books); social activist (Berry has lobbied the US government for years on behalf of a sensible agricultural policy); and farmer (Berry lives on the uplands of north central Kentucky,  where he has developed his vital and critical views on sustainable living.)

In Our Only World, in ten essays, Wendell pulls together the strongest, most urgent and compelling writing of his I've read. The two lines below are worth our reflection and action.

"People do not become wealthy by treating one another or the world kindly and with respect. Do we not need to remember this? Do we have a single eminent leader who would dare to remind us?"

Gotta try the "Guacammus" at Kowalski's

If you love hummus and you love guacamole then you can't help loving "Guacammus," a super-tasty, super-logical mix of healthy spreads. Nancy and I were food shopping yesterday in Excelsior at Kowalski's market, tried a sample of the guacammus, and bought a tub. Reports from the East Coast suggest the dip is available in CT, though no one we know there has tried it.  Suggest readers of the Poppy Blog check it out. 

"Second Chances and New Beginnings" - excerpt from the January 2018 e-newsletter from PPL, Project for Pride in Living.

As Blog readers know, I've volunteered with the PPL program Ready for Success, and have come to know CEO Paul Williams.  The January e-newsletter carries Paul's annual address.  See if you are not as motivated by his message of "Second Chances and New Beginnings" as I was.  To learn more about PPL and their mission to end homelessness and unemployment, visit: www.ppl-inc.org If you'd like to support Ready for Success you can donate here: https://givemn.org/project/Readdyforsuccessmn

"It’s a new year, complete with second chances and new beginnings." - Paul Williams, President & CEO, Project for Pride in Living

A Message from Paul Williams It’s a new year, complete with second chances and new beginnings. This is what Joanne was given, and what PPL strives to bring to each and every resident we house, job-seeker we train, and youth we teach. With the opening of our latest affordable housing development, EcoVillage Apartments, we welcome in a new phase of PPL’s work in North Minneapolis. This is not only a chance for individuals and families to find a safe, stable place to call home, but a chance to start anew thanks to our wraparound services and support. Whether it’s unemployment, unfinished education, homelessness, or other barriers to success, PPL works to unleash the potential of the thousands we serve, helping kick-start new beginnings. The opening of EcoVillage Apartments is only the beginning for PPL in 2018. Indeed, we have set ambitious goals for our work in the year ahead. With your generous support, we know we will forge new paths and opportunities for our Twin Cities community. Happy New Year! Paul Williams President & CEO, Project for Pride in Living

Dressed for 4-seasons in Minnesota, when anything can happen, and a guy can look as weird as he chooses.

To protect the identity of this woodsman, I'll simply say that this fella graduated from an Ivy League university.  Ya', sure, you betcha' he did.  You'd never know by looking at him now.

It doesn't look like Everest from this angle, but to the kold kids hauling saucer sleds and toboggans up Hamel Hill, it might as well have been the top of the world.

I'd been walking around the baseball fields this afternoon, twisting and twirling, stretching and trying to stay warm.  Had to stop mid-way to catch this shot.  If you could have seen (and heard) the speed at which these sledders hurtled down the hill you'd have been taken back to your own sledding youth, when no hill was too steep, no run too fast.

I didn't see many moms and dads offering to schlep the kids' sleds up the hill for one more run.  Come to think of it when we were young sledders, there wasn't a mom and dad in sight.  Child's play.

Thanks to genie software inside the iPhone a colorful afternoon shot can be turned into an artsy Black & White. Don't you like those cattails in the foreground?  By the time I took this one my hands were freezing and the phone went into the North Face puffy jacket pocket, and hands into the gloves.

If this bronze sculpture outside Carver County library doesn't get your young ones to love reading, then I can't imagine what will do the job.

As soon as we find the name of the artist who sculpted this inspiring bronze, we'll post it.   Meanwhile, tweak the motto of the U.S. Postal Service here: neither snow nor zero-temp afternoons will keep young readers from their appointed date with classic books.  

Gandhi Always Got it Right.

The world has enough for everyone's need, but not enough for everyone's greed.

                                       - Mahatma Gandhi

An Unjustifiable Human Wrong.?

Health care may not be a human right, but  

lack of universal health coverage in a wealthy 

democracy is a severe, unjustifiable, and 

unnecessary human wrong.

                       - David Frum, in an essay, March 2017.

Wayzata floods several sports fields each winter, creating vast municipal rinks for courageous, warmly dressed skaters.

In-town skating at the Wayzata municipal rink is not for the faint of heart. With temps in the minus-double digits as I post this foto, you can imagine how hearty and dedicated these skaters must be.  Oh, they dress warmly as well, as you can see. 

Eugene O'Neill Theatre Complex Campus, Waterford, CT, December 2017

Young playwright holds prop -- a likeness of the actress'Cher,' made of papier mache -- as he poses for this foto for the Poppy Blog. My young friend (did not get his name) and other performance artists were finishing up a week- long workshop at the O'Neill when I happened upon them during a recent visit. 

To think that the classic drama "Death of a Salesman" helped made the O'Neill Center possible. My English teacher senior year assigned "Death" to our class.  I've now seen the the play itself on Broadway twice.  The character of Willy Lohman is synonymous with an employee no longer relevant to his job and company, where change has come quickly, and he has not been able to adapt.  Never mind that " ... they know me in the territory ..."  Willy beseeches.  We learned senior year that "Death" was a sterling example of the Tragedy genre.  We know now from personal experience how tragic the end of a career can be. 

The O'Neill boasts classy temporary quarters for actors, playwrights, and other theatrical professionals in-residence for performances and workshops. Each house is named in honor of the luminary who contributed the cost of construction.  Names I recognized included "Michael Douglas" and "August Wilson." Other houses are to be built as soon as funds have been secured.

“Friends are the clans we belong to by accident. Of place and space and grace. What a gift: could such pleasure really be just happenstance?"

        - writer Brian Doyle in his 2015 book, 
          "That's how the Light Gets In."

"Baidarka" - handmade "skin boat" in Aleutian Islander kayak tradition.

Boat builder Christian puts his new "baidarka" skin boat through its maiden voyage paces on a quiet lake in the San Juan Islands.

Skipper Christian poses for a pre-shakedown launch foto by Mark G, well-known Whidbey Island professional lensman.

Stunning attention to detail. Aleutian Islander craftspeople used no plans, made each boat to fit the paddler.  Christian's technique was a carbon copy. 

Christian explains more about his creation:  "My partner Cat and I worked three weeks non-stop building our Baidarka which is a traditional Aleutian skin boat, kind of the predecessor to the modern day kayak.  They are super lightweight and flexible and really nice to paddle.  The traditional ones were made of driftwood and sea lion skin but since we had a hard time finding a dead sea lion this one was made of cedar and ballistic nylon. Neat boats. No screws or nails, everything is lashed together or sewn."

Just look at the size of the sewing needle take a break on the skin boat's deck. 

This baby weighs about 15-lbs, is 18' long, draws perhaps an inch of water.  In the hands of an expert paddler like Christian, the boat is virtually un-capsize-able. 

1920's era Ice Boat kicked ass on Lake Minnetonka back in the day. Now she's in dry dock in the front yard of the West Hennepin History Center in Long Lake, MN, a mere ghost of her glory days under sail.

You've seen the old black and white fotos like I have.  Skeletal wooden frames, massive square feet of sail, and outrigger skate blades that create the bare minimum of friction. In her prime this baby could probably make 40 knots, delighting spectators along the shores of Lake Minnetonka, likely striking terror into the hearts of the skipper and crew.  I must learn more about the boat and reasons for celebrating her history in our neighborhood.  I'll write more soon.

Friday Night Lights in Key West, Big Oil in Maple Plain, Rocking a Boss San Fran Ride, and Big Cheese in Wayzata.

A long time and dear old buddy, really gets into the high school football scene. Here's our man this past weekend as hometown "Conchs" from Key West routed an arch rival from one of the other Fla. keys. Behind on the field during half-time, the "Conchquettes" twirl, dance and promenade to the delight of (sadly) a half-filled stand.  Wait 'til next year, they say. 

Meanwhile, a world away in central Minnesota, a random junk artiste has created a still-life of questionable meaning. Chairs, wagon wheels, an old Schwinn ... and then there's the rearing pony. I still don't get it. Can I get a little help here?

This one I do get.  Much-in-demand San Fran designer cuts a completely contemporary, fascinating figure in the City by the Bay. Add up the Boots, Bricks, Bike, and saddle Bag and you've got a hot, new and iconic brand pedaling the retro look into future. 

The cheese lady at Lund's in Wayzata said the big wheel of Parmesan you see in this foto weighs about 70-lbs. It has a street value somewhere north of $1250. Parm wheels arrive only twice a year at the supermarket, and if you savor the flavor of parm, you'll do no better than this parmesano reggiano, as my brother-in-law Mark G. refers to it.  Mangia, dude!