Chain Ring Cowboy

Cars and Bicycles might possibly be like birds and cats, natural born enemies. But then again, perhaps not. Take a look at this video and visualize this happening on our roads. Today I rode my bike in to work. I will do the same going to the apartment, then drive to the gym, then drive back, clean up and drive to the airport, then fly to El Paso. Today is multiple mode of transportation day. Have a good weekend.

Where I come from, when Easter has passed you by, and you wear a cowboy hat, you may now switch from felt to straw. When I was much younger, that standard seemed to be adhered to, but nowadays, it doesn't seem to be followed. Anyway, you may now switch to straw because warmer weather is just around the corner. The city of Austin is asking bicyclists for input on how to make the roadways more friendly for commuting in the city. Austin already is a friendly bicycle city, but with automobile gridlock the way it is, the value of getting even more folks on two wheels seems to be a good idea. Chicago has just past an ordinance to fine auto drivers if they turn right or left in front of a bicycle (cutting them off). Also, they will be fined if they don't give at least 3 feet of clearance when passing. There are many reasons why society should accomodate and embrace cyclists as a bonafied part of the transportation world, and perhaps society is coming to see this. This morning I saw a

The cool ride in this morning may possibly be one of the last for this year because Easter has historically been the time when the weather turns. I think that the Sun crossed over the equinox sometime early this morning making it the first day of spring. Spring of 08 sounds purty good to me. Blue bonnets will be out for show on the road sides which makes weekend country riding very pleasant. I am parking the bike here in the office so I can take the airport flyer, a bus to the airport this afternoon so I can fly to El Paso so I can be with my wife and kids, so I can visit with my mom and dad and other children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren for the Easter weekend. Oh Yeah! But yes, the ride in this morning was delightfully cool. Somewhere in England, I think London, there is a public announcment for traffic safety. It goes like this: Have a great long weekend everyone and Happy Easter.

The weather situation is bordering on dangerous today, especially to the east of here. The country is taking a whipping from Mother Nature in some parts. I decided to drive the Impala today. I would rather have it suffer from hail damage than me and the bike. The weekend was nice for riding. I got in a 50 miler with some members of a group I used to ride with a lot. Last week's overall total was around 140, so taking today off doesn't hurt me too much. Should be better tomorrow. Below are some pictures of my daughters, grandchildren and great granddaughter. Also pictured is Richard, my old friend, a cool cat from LA. Before the Ride I forgot to mention the SXSW event here in Austin this past week. Richard came just for that, spending 5 days here seeing all sorts of music. I decided to go with him Saturday night to one of my favorite places, Antone's. We saw 4 or 5 different performances. Here's pics of a couple Guy Forsythe Patrice Pike

If you recall, I mentioned a young free spirit of a man over on the drag a couple of weeks ago repairing his bike trailer made of bamboo. He uses old inner tubes as fastening agents. His bicycle is totally customized which tells me that he has put a lot of his energy into it. Well, yesterday on my noontime walkabout I noticed his rig parked in front of the Perry Casteneda Library at UT Austin. I had to stop myself from walking just to take a gander of his outfit all in one piece and seeming to function well. I noticed he had his trailer loaded down with stuff, which I didn't inspect or even touch. I have this thing of not wanting to even touch another person's bike. I know some people who don't think there is anything wrong with that, but for me, it's a taboo. Anyway there was his bike. I had a brief chat with someone else about the crude ingenuity and then went on my way. today, the bike is still there, obviously unmoved. That picture didn't seem right to me, and I

Yesterday's ride both coming and going from work was more interesting than usual. I had the pleasure of showing up at the office late, and yes, legitimately, and the weather was terrific. The temps were cool to warm and the winds were mild coming from the South by Southwest (SXSW). Right now there is quite a phenomenon in town so named SXSW (South by Southwest). Is this a coincidence? I think not. the winds directions are very predictable around here mainly due to the influence of the Gulf of Mexico. If you want to know more about SXSW, all you have to do is paste those four letters in a google search bar and you will find that every major news source in the country and perhaps the world is covering SXSW. So, when coming to work about a half a day late yesterday, I saw plenty of big star and little star buses. some that looked like customized Greyhounds and some that looked like old hippie school buses. Wires and cables, speakers and microphones were being strewn about. Then on my

This past weekend provided two short rides. Maybe 10 miles Saturday going to the gym and back, then 15 or so Sunday going to church and back. Jeanetter drove in from the Hill Country with Corbin so we could have a visit. It was a beautiful day at Auditorium Shores with the typical hundreds of dogs playing about. I am amazed still how the Austin dog population can show up en-masse and all be happy. No fighting or posturing, just playing and romping, some with their owners throwing something like tennis balls or frisbies; and the others just socializing and playing amongst themselves. It must say something about Austin if all the dogs can get along. After the park, the three of us crashed a birthday party where at the biggest pizza place (must be) in the world. It was fun seeing all of her inlaws and eating, but especially spending time with the kids. SXSW is in town now so the whole place is a buzz with the electrified music scene. Even if I don't go to any of the pay events, I get

When Maria was 10 years old she traveled with her parents and siblings to the north part of the country to pick vegetables each summer. This was in the time of the 1960's for Maria and her family. They were migrant workers who lived in Texas and drove an old station wagon to places like Minnesota and Wisconsin every year to make some money. Obviously it was worth the trip in transportation costs because that family did this every year. They were not alone as migrant workers, virtually all of a brown color and Latino culture went in droves each harvest season to capitalize on the the opportunity the farmers provided with their bounty. Maria had 17 brothers and sisters. Her mother bore 17 children and adopted another child who was to be fair to say, abandoned. This huge clan were a close cohesive unit who were hard and industrious workers. Most of their fellow workers were from Mexico, who when finished for the season would go back to their home country. Some however found permanent

Rain, wind out of the north, and my part time job tonight kept me out of the saddle today. Any day now, here, in the Austin area spring time will be here, leaving behind the cold wind from the north and replaced with the warm humid winds from the south, the Gulf Coast. So missing today is not a bad thing kowing better times will come. As I was growing up, I had a bit of a rebellious streak in me that gave my parents plenty of grief. Mom has always been the woman I wanted her to be, and I still gave her plenty of trouble to lose sleep at night. Dad and I were at odds from the time I was about 13, according to my not so great memory. One day though, after a few decades, I decided that my dad had finally become the man I wanted him to be. I've changed myself quite a bit in the past fifeteen years, certain that for the better. Last Sunday I was sitting in church and it came to me suddenly that my dad may have always been the man I wanted him to be, but for me to recognize that, I had t