Chilly Companionship

Had a long day at work.  The new year has been all about putting out fires, and it was another tough day.
The Scientist was at an event, so I had the duty of releasing the hound,  and I kind of blew it.  I was checking a window schedule after the phone finally stopped ringing, when I realized I was supposed to be home in 10 minutes !!!
I jumped on my bike, barely pausing to save my files,  and headed out,  only to encounter in the 3rd block a biker wearing a neon vest and a shrek helmet cover.  I pulled up and asked him about it.
It turned out it was his 9 year old grandson's (honestly, he didn't look old enough to be a grandfather- biking must keep you looking young!)  He boasted that he was giving his grandson VC lessons,  and that they had biked to school every day until the snow fell.  What a lucky kid to have someone in his life encouraging cycling like that!
We rode down Cambridge street, and over the Longfellow, taking advantage of the light traffic to ride abreast most of the way.  We chatted about generator wheels - I recommended the VO ones, he shared gossip about problems with VO stuff.   He was using a Bern helmet with helmet liner - I can't find my helmet liner and worry that it was lost in the flood, etc etc.  It's amazing how quickly time flies when you have a pleasant chatting companion.  Right before I split off along my new route through Central to Green street,  I asked him if we could stop so I could take his picture.
Unfortunately I didn't have my "real" camera, and the camera phone shots are pretty lousy- the reflective stuff on his gear kept throwing off the meter.   I photoshopped out the worst of the glare, but there's no real saving them. The helmet was really lots of fun,  in a nicely irreverent way, but unfortunately the shots don't do justice to the pink fenders and berry colored bike- a great combo.

Dave,  it was sure nice to meet you- hope we can ride together again sometime!  Next time I'll bring a proper camera and get real photos!

Unexpected

Not what you normally expect to see tethered to the bike rack at the grocery store.
I guess it's one less car....

A day in the biking life

I headed away from work this morning to an early appointment.  I was riding along the path, almost to my destination, and looked away for a moment to check my watch.  I heard a gasp and a "look out"  and then I hit a wire stretched across the road and heard a yelp.   Fortunately I wasn't going very fast and stopped almost immediately (in less than 5')  A woman was walking her dog, and the retractable part of the leash was strung across the path, almost invisible, and I had hit it.  Fortunately for both me and the dog, she'd let go of the leash, so we both got jerked a bit, but neither got flung through the air.  My Dad complains about this a lot- those leashes are a particular hazards to recumbent riders because they're often at their face level.

Anyway, I scratched the dog behind the ears, and handed the lady her leash back (she had been walking on the opposite side of a snowbank, which is why I didn't realize that she was a hazard), and continued on.  Poor little dog!

On the way back to work, I passed home, and decided to go in and  upgrade a few key parts of my wardrobe.  My regular tights just weren't quite warm enough and I needed warmer gloves, and hadn't had time to find them before my appointment.
This is what I looked like as I left the house again at 10AM.

 With my wool tights and shearling gloves, I was so toasty on the way in, that I had to stop, take off my coat and cardigan, and put the coat back on and the cardigan in the basket.

I stopped a couple of times to admire the cool patterns in the ice on the Charles. I'm guessing that the swirls were snowdrifts that were absorbed into the ice through melt/thaw cycles.

Can it be coincidence that the curves of the ice mirror those of the bridge?  I don't know how, but it MUST be related.

Some ducks huddling on the edge of a floe next to the open water by the MIT dock- most of the docks have something that keeps the water too agitated to freeze right at the dock- Ice is hell on fixed structures.  And I think it would be tough being a duck in this climate, no matter how much fatty insulation they have.

After a longish day of work, I made one of my least favorite commutes home- though Kenmore square to REI and then over the BU bridge.   This is kind of a gnarly piece of vehicular cycling in several points.  I sometimes stay on Tremont and Charles Street, but tonight I just cut through the Common- didn't feel up to dodging busses and potholes on Tremont and drag racers on the 4 lanes wide Charles Street. From the SW corner of the Common,  I merged onto Beacon,  which is much wider than it needs to be, so people race from stoplight to stoplight.  Luckily the right hand lane is generally empty with occasional double parked cars serving as bollards.  Today the right hand lane was 6' wide because of cars parked out in the lane because of the snow- a luxuriously wide bike lane.  I've learned a shortcut that avoids the worst of Kenmore square (where 2 1/2 major streets meet at acute angles- full of cabs and buses).  If you turn left on Charlesgate, but don't go up onto the overpass that takes you to the Fens,  there's a funny little extension of Newbury street (Boston's fancy shopping street in other blocks)  with rowhouses on one side, and the pike on the other.
This connects to Brookline just past Kenmore, and delivers you past Fenway park and down to REI.

At REI,  I bought some Earbags.  Charlotte of Chic Cyclists RAVES about these, and I finally decided to try them.  I wanted to buy a pair for The Scientist, who needs to keep his ears warm post ear-infection,  but they didn't have extra large.  I tried a pair on the way home, and I'll have to add my raves too. They're warm, comfortable, and stayed on surprisingly well!  They're on sale at REI- may have to buy a couple of pairs, because I forsee losing some.

Then I have to go over the pike again and through the BU bridge interchange, which is a scary intersection to drive through, with some people going straight, some turning right, and most (including me) turning left.  Then over the BU bridge as fast as I can with someone right on my tail, through the roundabout, and finally to the relative tranquility of the bike path.
I stopped at Trader Joe's to pick up some salad fixings, and saw a guy with a lime green messenger bag, and a slick fixie with lime green rims, lime green bar tape and lime green pedals.  I wish I had pulled out my camera while I chatted with him, because it was pretty impressive.

Home to a late supper of steak salad (the lime juice and olive oil dressing must have been good- the Scientist practically licked his plate clean).   That's a typical day!

Canning and Planning

We're getting close to a long anticipated remodel of our 1980's vintage- lousy layout-no windows-no counterspace kitchen.  YEA!

We're hoping though good planning and the hiring of a "real contractor" (as opposed my my nights and weekends) to get the project done with less than a month of not being able to use the kitchen.

But during that time, what to eat for dinner?  Our budgets and waistlines (and frankly our palates) would prefer that we not eat out every night for several weeks.
We have a kitchenette in the basement with  a sink, microwave and mini-fridge, so we're able to re-heat stuff, make salads,  maybe make some pasta.  But since we'll have limited fridge/ freezer space, we can't just freeze a month of provisions.  So I've been canning some meals in preparation:

The first two batches-  something I grew up calling "chalupas" which is a pinto bean and pork stew with chiles and cumin,  served over fritos ala "frito pie."  It's a favorite, and one of the few things that picky me is willing to eat several meals in a row.  The second batch was four quarts of spaghetti sauce,  also a standby- we'll just have to get a hot plate for cooking the pasta.

I'm going to make a big batch of chili this weekend.  I'm thinking I'll make both a pot of red and a pot of white chili to provide some variety.  I'll probably need some more options though.

Anyone have suggestions of  family favorites that I can put away for our time of need?  I can pressure can just about anything that you could make in the slow cooker- the only caveats are no pasta, rice, grains or flours and no dairy products or eggs.

An FYI

Two stories in the news recently about "fake cops" harassing motorists.  Just an FYI because if you're "pulled over" on a bike by someone with bad intentions you have less of a physical barrier.  
If a cop, or someone you think may be a cop indicates that you should pull over, remember to do so in a well lit public place if possible, and remember that you have a right to see a badge, and can call 911 to verify that it's a real cop if they're plainclothes.  Unfortunately there have been stories of people with a power complex that use flashing lights and sirens to intimidate and harass (and possibly harm) people,  and on a bike you're a little more visible and vulnerable.   So be careful out there!

Bike Traffic in Winter

After a unseasonably warm weekend (highs at almost 50!) melted away some but not all of the snowbanks,  it was back to a crisp 29 degrees when I set out this morning,  and the edges of the road glittered with frozen melt puddles.  But immediately I found myself in "bike traffic"  and had to wait to merge into the bike lane while two people passed.

In total I saw 15 other bikers on my commute in this morning- three on the Longfellow alone.  So much for "no one will ride in the winter".  If there were three bikes every 5 minutes for an hour between 8 and 9 that would be 60 bikes an hour,  not too shabby for January.

Amazing! Warms the cockles of my heart. Now if it could just warm my toes, which were a little chilly-should have worn my wool tights.

Something to get even more excited about- the days are appreciably getting longer.  I'm still biking home in the dark, but at least it's not dark at 4pm anymore...  It's all uphill from the solstice!

A Southern New Years Feast

Happy 2011 Everyone

I'm still getting back into the rhythms of the "real world"  after the Holidays.  We spent most of the long new year's weekend at home- The Scientist still battling an ear infection,  I busying myself with some "advanced Ikea"  assembling a new wardrobe with glass doors.

I don't have a ton of Southern food traditions that I cling to- but two that I do hold dear are Grits, and Black Eyed Peas at New Years.    The Scientist introduced me to his family tradition of Cheese Grits,  and this year I took them up a notch with "fancy"  Anson Mills stone ground grits.  These are grits with character- whole grains and all-  you have to soak them overnight and cook them for an hour,  and at the end they're toothsome and luscious.   I made them "two ways"  half as Garlic Cheese grits (with the addition of Garlic, cheese, an egg, tabasco and butter) and the rest as as Shrimp and Grits.

While Garlic Cheese Grits are a fairly standard "special treat" breakfast for us, I hadn't ever made Shrimp and Grits myself, although I'd enjoyed it lots of times.  I made it with local, winter season Maine shrimp which were small and sweet.  It took a long time to make the shrimp stock, but it was worth it- lovely flavor that soaked into the grits.  YUM

For dinner we had Black eyed peas and greens.  Both are traditional in the South for New Years, supposedly to bring luck or money or something.  For me, they at least brought a tasty dinner.  My Mom used to grow black eyed peas, and I have fond memories of shelling them with her.    For the greens I went creative, since you can't usually find collards here, and I actually don't really care for collards.  I used a mix of swiss chard and fresh spinach, which ends up a lovely mix of red and green.  Good bacon doesn't hurt either.

Happy New Years everyone!