Bike Share, Near Chinatown, San Fran.

They say the City by the Bay was slow to set up its bike share program.  But they've got it going now, though I didn't  check 'er out on last trip to Grant @ Columbus. Why so slow? I assume timing had to do with steep hills, limits on park/exchange places, not to mention riders who were likely in marginal shape! 

"Come Back Buddy," Rockin' Good Music of the '50's

These guys could have won a Grammy!

Mike Randall on guitar, and lead singer.  Miss Poodle Skirt and Saddles Shoes, on bass and doing close harmony.  A stand-in drummer who still remembers all the songs.  Rockin' good times and tunes from my formative 'teen years, laid down by "Come Back Buddy."  

The music scene at Wickenburg "Gold Rush Days"did not disappoint.

M. Peliedes, South Florida Genus.

My brother Joe is part-botanist, part ichthyologist, and all heart.  He's a volunteer at Miami's Fairchild Gardens, where time is spent caring for butterfly species like the stunning and mysterious M. Peliedes.

Joe sent this challenge:  spell peliedes, and repeat the word, fast, four times in a row.
OK readers:  show us YOUR stuff !

Wickenburg Ghost Bike Still Haunts.

An anonymous veloist paid tribute to his fallen comrade by draping a Ghost Bike with a well-used riding cap. The addition of a small American flag strikes a melancholy note, if only you stop long enough on Hwy. 60 to listen.

Catchin' A Cab at the Embarcadero.

Pina captures the old man in the back seat of an uber-cool pedi-cab working the iconic Embarcadero area in San Fran.   The pedaler charged us five bucks for the ride, and earned another five-spot in tips.  Dude was strong, strong, strong, didn't need steroids! Young lady in the foto hopes to operate her own pedi-cab someday.

All the Way from May (Idaho, that is).

Nancy Martiny came all the way from May, ID to take part in the annual leather craft show and exposition. The Civic Center was alive with classy, hand-crafted leather goods; punches and awls and finely milled decorating tools; massive sewing machines to stitch the most daunting bridles and harnesses in the America West; and some good old boys (and gals) who were willing to share stories about their craft.  Nancy, pictured above, also sold pocket knives which I admired so much I bought a half-dozen!

Never Met an Old Caddy He Didn't Paint.

Old Big Caddy

Found this one on a used (very used) car lot while driving through Delta, Colorado. I just can't go by an old car or truck without slowing down to take a look or make a drawing or watercolor. There was just so much more style then, don't you think? We are lucky to spend so much time in the West where aridity is an old car's best friend. Always something interesting parked in the alleys... James

Back When Cars Were Caddys!

What do you suppose this Caddy is? '61 maybe? Did they ever make a longer one? Or a model that squatted lower to the ground.  This baby weighs as much as a semi, gets perhaps 9 mpg?  Check out the white walls, the skirts, the paint job.  Wowzer!!

ONE STREET BIKE ADVOCACY.

CLICK "DEFYING POVERTY."  Defying Poverty Blog Needs Outreach Our blog to inspire discussion around tackling poverty with bicycles is in motion. Topics range from model programs to the reasons why these programs are necessary. The problem is, very few people are reading it. Can you help? Please post its link on your blog or website, forward it to your friends and give it a good plug through your social media devices. Here’s the link www.defyingpovertywithbicycles.org Thanks so much! The more people who connect with this blog the more ideas will develop toward powerful programs that lift people out of poverty with bicycles.

Run Across America for Our Vets.

Pedaling the Giant earlier this week, I spied a super-patriotic rig parked in the Wickenburg Community Center lot.

A Colorado hero named Jim is afoot on the land in a fund-raising show of support for our U.S. Vets.  I was hoping to meet Jim, shake his hand and make a donation to the cause.  Jim must have been grabbing some grub in town, or taking a shower at the Y, or maybe catching 40-winks in the van.

I did slip a ten-spot in the driver's side window, snapped a foto, and pedaled on down the road.

Tinkerbell's Vanity License Plate.

Saw the car and met the crew in a parking lot in Phoenix.  I assumed TINKMBL referred to a car maybe owned by a friend named Tinkham.  The real owner of the VW explained she liked the Tinkerbell character from Peter Pan, and ordered up the tag in T'bell's honor.  Fun, and only a little wacky, wouldn't you agree?

Dogs May Not Poop in this Yard.

If you're walking  down Las Lomas keep your pooch on a short leash, and, remember:  no pooping in this guy's front yard!

Ride 'em, Chainsaw Cowboy!!

Would you believe it?  This wooden sculpture was carved entirely with a chainsaw?  Yup.    The figure depicts a Senior Pro Rodeo Circuit athlete, totally in control of a buckin' bronc.  And while the art work isn't exactly wasted in this Wickenburg parking lot location, the quality of the craftsmanship, and the subject matter itself, would be every-bit as at-home on the lawn of the Arizona State Capitol in Phoenix!  Yee, haw.

Classic Cars + Trucks 4-Sale in Arizona.

Old desert dude is selling off his collection of classic cars and trucks.  Prices seem fair -- what do you collectors think?  Saw the home-made For Sale sign duct-taped to a community bulletin board next to the CVS on West Wickenburg Way.  Maybe give the guy a call?

Lake St. @ Bryant in Uptown - Fave Dunn Bros.

I come back to this photo -- and to this particular Dunn Bros. retail store -- again and again.

I love the joe, first and foremost:  iced latte, easy on the 2-per cent, some of that fudge cake brownie if you have it.

Then the ambiance inside:  cozy gas fire pit that essentially guarantees a community of sippers, readers, chatters, sharers.

Outside the venue?  Arguably my favorite velo-oriented photo op. You won't see many bikes there today, not with temps in double-digit negative territory and wind chills so dangerous they can't be measured.  But spring will be here soon, so plan to pedal down and I'll meet you there.