With thanks to Rivendell Cycles: classic photo of Royal Canadian Border Police headed out on manuevers.

Unknown photog, ca. 1912, captured a squadron of velo warriors on their way to secure their border with the United States. 

KEEP COOL .... Are you kidding?

MinneHAHA ice cream parlor is looking forward to Spring, one scoop at a time. 

Shoe shopping at Schuler's.  Your humble editor bought himself a pair of the Haflinger's, with every intent of wearing them at home -- house shoes the locals call them.  Comfortable? You betcha'.

Snow. Cold. Sun. Melt. Ice. Icicles. Walk under these stalagmite-type-thingies at your own winter risk.  

Bob's Java Hut on Lyndale in Minneapolis makes a very good cappuccino and provides of privacy and table space for serious journal entry.  Plus:  for a buck-and-a-quarter, handsome sticker makes for perfect young person gift item.  

Lunch today at Highland Grill with my most esteemed public intellectual. 

After the snow, and some Rancho de los Caballeros pool time, here's some other spots to visit in and around Wickenburg.

Untold millions of tons of copper ore have been taken out of mines here in Bagdad. "The Best Copper Town Anywhere," is a company town.  The father of a friend of ours in Wickenburg worked his entire career in the mines, retired, but stayed in Bagdad anyway. 

The Ranch. That's what generations of  tender foot visitors to southwest Arizona call Rancho de los Caballeros. Sporting an 18-hole championship golf course, more than 100 head of saddle horses, miles and miles of trails, classic resort pool, tennis courts, 4-star food and drink, and real love cowboys, "The Ranch" never disappoints.

This bare-ass-biker is not part of the scene in Wickenburg, AZ. 

Two lovely cowgals style some raccoon hats in the hot summer sun.  Not for the feint of heart.

Remember the bike out front of The Ranch, near the welcome sign?  This leg, plus the other, belong to the guy who rides that Giant Cypress. A little matter of losing control in the desert sand caused the boo-boos so readily apparent.

And when you're done with all the activities and exploring, why not drag your weary buns back pool-side, chill in a chaise, take a sip of your colada, post your toes on FB, and make up a tall tale about wrestling a rattler in the Sonoran Desert.

My sister and brother go sledding, ca. 1955.

Aren't these just about the cutest siblings anyone could ever ask for?  My dad, a superb amateur photographer, lined up Sis and Bro on a well-used Flexible Flyer, and produced one of the best family shots I've ever seen. Dad was a Leica man (no finer camera in its day), and he worked with 35mm Kodachrome film.  The most memorable and precious fotos were made into 4 x 6 glossy prints, for all eternity.

Lloyd M. hosted Mike B., Phil D and Yours Truly on an Eastern Maryland Shore adventure, some thirty years ago.

Got these pics in the mail last night from my old buddy Lloyd.  He and family live in the Rocky Mountains now, but there was a time when they domiciled in Maryland, and had have unfettered access to the byways of the Eastern Shore. 

The foto on the left -- the guy pointing to the sign for "Seth State Park" -- is the same Seth who writes this blog.  The old Seth has a full head of hair, a 'stache, and more than an inch to pinch around the waist line. The bike -- a TREK 700 series -- is in regular use three decades later.

Next foto: me, Phil and Mike. Maybe near St. Michael? I seem to remember we stopped in that liquor store for a 1/2 gallon of Mt. Gay Rum:  the preferred beverage of many of the finest velosters we know.


Final shots on the right: fearless foursome on the final day of our four-day trip.  Wish we had a shot of the hotel room where all four of us, with bikes next to the bed, spent the night.  

Ralph would approve of the good care my Polo sweaters receive over at Pilgrim Cleaners in Long Lake.

Thanks to a very generous gift from a certain "Will" in the Bay Area of California, I am proud owner of a pair of Ralph Lauren v-neck pull-over sweaters. They are dreamy.

When it comes time to spruce them up, and to make sure all spots and dribbles magically disappear, there's only one place to go: Pilgrim Cleaners.

Work there is done the old fashioned way: paying close attention to detail, treating sweaters with respect, AND, as you can see in this pic, making sure any special care instructions are pinned by hand to the Polo label inside the collar. 

With a little luck I can pass these cashmere and wool "jumpers" (that's what the Brits call sweaters in the UK) on to my heirs and their kids.  

Local Mpls furniture superstore presents a vintage Indian-made CycleDesk, with AVON underpinnings, topped by repurposed salvaged wood.

Ever see a piece of furniture like this?  I hadn't until I popped in Schneiderman's and slammed on my brakes! An "English" style bike, made in India, used for decades, con-joined with scrap wood and recycled materials, and made into a kitchen counter?  Rec room bar? potting table? hobby work area? Whatever .....

AVON is the leading manufacturer of bikes in India. Bike style is decidedly British, and AVON brand name - paen to one of best known rivers in the UK.  Chain ring here is classy in its simplicity and visual appeal.  

Patty, a member of the design team at Schneiderman's, showed me this hybrid, said that sales were pretty strong.  List price was somewhere around $900, but had been reduced to $600+ for special promotion.

Our friend Alison, Brand Ambassador for the Dutch-made Van Raam, demos this e-assisted trike.

Our friend Alison is North American brand ambassador for the Dutch-made Van Ramm line, including this electric assist trike.  Here she is with her dog and new "Fun2Go" model.  Dog still thinking about jumping on the passenger seat. 
"Fun2Go" will likely be available in the States soon. On a New England winter day recently Alison's friend’s 86 year-old dad climbed aboard and joined in the pedaling. The octogenarian has balance issues, never thought he’d ride a bike again! F2G trike sports an e-assist silent motor with a disengagement hub, so that driver can enable passenger to pedal or not, as he or she is able. 

My buddy and former ad sales partner Wayne (on the right) and I check out a Classic Diesel Cat at company headquarters in Peoria, IL.

It was more than a few years ago that my good amigo and former print ad sales partner Wayne (on the right) and I checked out a Classic Diesel Cat at corporate HQ in Peoria, IL. Wayne might have sprung for the hats. Not sure we were encouraged to climb into the driver's seat, so we kinda "stealthed" this photo. Wayne and I are both out of the mag ad sales biz now; Wayne has gone on to fame as an oft-published mystery short story writer. I get to rescue old pics from the archives, post on the blog with as much of the real story as I can remember.

Nomi Brand co-founder Will encourages sampling of his fresh fruit and oat bars yesterday at Lund's.

No, this is not Will, nor Nomi, and the dear doe here at the birdfeeder would much rather chew on a Nomi Fresh Fruit and Oat bar than  cracked corn and black oil sunflower seeds. 

Here's company co-founder Will at the Lund's demo table. I sampled, then bought, a box of four Apple/Almond/Cinnamon bars (they are refrigerated, by the way, and unusually tasty).

Bars in wrappers look like this one on the right.  Bar in middle of being enjoyed looks like the one on the left.

Roving Reporter Nails the Poop Thing - Eat Right, Crap Right.

Connecticut correspondent for the Poppy Blog affirms importance of a healthy, balanced diet.  In one end and out the other, you might say.  Thanks for the reminder, and keep those bumper sticker opinions coming.

These things deliver lots of fibre, other nutrients.  Good for what ails you.

Gentle hands control the Kubota, bucket works within inches of our leaky well

Some of you may know that we sprung a leak in our well.  Only noticed it last week because of the standing water around the well head. Especially in near-zero temps, 1382 had a problem. We called for emergency “check valve” replacement, then conserved water like crazy until the backhoe equipment could arrive and get to work.

Pina and I were stunned by the soft hands of Kubota operator Steve. He put the bucket within inches of the well pipe, and gingerly extracted quite a few scoops of dirt.  Several hours after they started the guys had pulled the 30-year old well pipe (it had a big leak, could not be repaired) replaced it with a new one, then reconnected electric wires, refilled the hole with clods of dirt, and flipped the well switch and … voila!

Next step:  replace the water tank in the basement.  Steve diagnosed a puncture hole in the tank’s  “bladder,” which turned out to be in itself another reason for the leak.

Nick from Tonka promised this new gaiter would keep me toasty even at 20-degrees.

I almost hate to post this weird-o pic of me in my new gaiter.  It's 100% merino wool, and Nick at Tonka Cycle and Ski said I'd stay warm even down to 20-degrees.  Yeah, Nick, like I'm going to be in the saddle a lot when the temps drop below freezing.  Let us not forget that winds out here in Minnie generally come from the northwest, can be brutal, and keep most of us senior velosters inside watching CNN. 

My friend Jim, a francophile of the highest order, took this pic in Paris last month, and I'm posting with great appreciation for his keen eye, love of Paris and velos.

Aren't these miniature Tour de France cyclists simply gorgeous ! Remarkable. Unique!  Turns any bicycle enthusiast back into a kid again. Can't you just imagine the time and workmanship that went into this peleton ?
Jim reports that this procession is underway in the window of Les Vélos Parisien, a bike shop near Le Bon Marché.  
 These lead toy soldier-like replicas are exceptional in their own right: can almost imagine how cool the inside of the shop must be.  Vive la France!

Alfalfadale Farm, Medina, MN, home of the whopper (punkin', that is)

The farm's been in business since 1880, but the GMC slat-side is vintage 1960's. Just look at the cool logo: hand lettering, iconic windmill harking back to late nineteenth century, all set off against richly fading deep green.  This classic is the real deal.

The honor system is in effect at Alfalfadale: pick out your own pumpkin, deposit a 5-dollar bill in the cash box, read the helpful instructions for carving your purchase, and have a happy, scary Halloween!

How so many different varieties of fall-season gourd-kins can grow at any one farm, is beyond us.  When Nancy and I dropped by yesterday to check out the display there seemed to more "product" than we could remember seeing in Falls past.  We bought a pumpkin, of course, and dutifully dropped our five-spot in the bright orange cash box provided for that purpose.

Just had to show another shot of the truck door.  Not exactly the dark green of the foto, but the type is the only green in my palette.

Now you can see the cash box. Very cool and contemporary looking, though the vintage must be ca. 1970. 

You're going to stop for sure when you see these three scarecrows! Alfalfadale crushes it: their "marketing department" gets everything right.