Shrimps is Bugs – June. 30, 2025
I was lucky enough to be in Seattle this weekend for a friend’s wedding, and while I was there I couldn’t help but start thinking about the sheer biomass of all the fish and shrimp in the Seafood restaurants, not just in Ballard, but then Nationally, then globally.
There wasn’t really a point to my pondering, but I’m really impressed and a bit overwhelmed by the amount of tonnage in shrimp that must be- I don’t think that “Endless Shrimp” should have ever been thought to be a sustainable thing. I then moved on to the irony that the most prestigious chefs in the world can spend a large part of their life’s energy winning the acclaim of a tire manufacturer. What a time to be alive.
The Price is Right… I think? – June. 23, 2025
I’m back from a glorious and much needed trip to the beach, and every time I travel, it takes a few days to get acclimated to the exchange rate when I’m at a restaurant or store, especially when the rate is an odd formula (like 18.89 to 1), and the currency symbol is the same as the USD. The $289 fish tacos were worth every centavo!
Burning the midnight oil – June. 16, 2025
The past week, I have been building a shade structure in the backyard that will ensure I spend as much time as possible out there, but with retail hours, a 14 month old, and other life obligations, my time has been relegated to working on it (securing the 1000+ pieces of hardware and lumber) from 4am – 6am and 7:30pm – 10pm on weekdays. Alas, at 4:45am, my toils have come to fruition just in time for me to be gone for a week on vacation! When I return, I am going to enjoy a nice cold barley pop with the family and dogs and bask in the shaded glory!
Center of the Universe – June. 09, 2025
On our recent trip through Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge, I always take a few moments to reflect on one of the more prominent mountain features of the ride: Baboquivari Peak. It is not just a geographical location, but a spiritual center for the Tohono O’odham, representing the “navel of the world”.
The mountain is considered the dwelling place of I’itoi, the creator, who is believed to have shaped the land and its inhabitants. I’itoi is said to reside in a cave at the base of the mountain, though some believe he emerges only when the people are in need. Tohono O’odham cosmology connects Baboquivari Peak to a creation myth where the world opened, and people emerged from the mountain after a great flood.
Stoke the Fire! – June. 02, 2025
One of my absolute favorite things is getting to facilitate New Bike Day for folks that are about to embark on an epic journey. Since I’ve been helping cover the sales floor while most of the staff is gone, I had the pleasure of getting a rider fully outfitted for the Great Divide with a decked out new Surly Krampus Rigid, Oveja Negra and Revelate bags!
What an awesome overland rig! Here’s Toby applying Loctite to the front rack hardware, making sure that this beast will endure the shakiest of washboards!
When in Rome – May. 26, 2025
This past holiday weekend, the family and I joined the Arizona masses headed North to the woods and higher elevations on the Mogollon Rim, for Leo’s and Mia’s (Mia is the younger dog and Leo’s partner in crime) first camping trip.
We were rewarded with dust, fire restrictions, and probably the last chilly weather we will feel until October, and it was fantastic! We went on a hike to explore the stream that was running down the small box canyon we camped in, and it opened up to this picturesque valley with a little ranch and farmhouse, it was quite idyllic and good fun was had by all.
One Man’s Trash – May. 19, 2025
As I’ve previously mentioned, I am always trying to find ways to up-cycle and reuse stuff instead of sending it into the waste stream, and my associate, Toby, is of the same mind. One of the things that he loves to get one last use of is the ubiquitous supply of letter sized paper from receipts/packslips/pizza orders, and I finally created a cache by the shipping desk to maximize our harvesting of said paper. While this may not save the planet in it’s entirety, At least we can feel a little better about not simply tossing viable note pads!
Morning walks are Cereus business – May. 12, 2025
As part of my morning routine, the dogs, Leo and I take a stroll through the neighborhood before the heat of the day begins to set in. A big perk is not only the cool fresh air, but many of my neighbors have night blooming cacti in their yards- and since we are up and out early enough before the heat of daybreak, we get treated to quite a few botanical fireworks displays.
I believe this particular one is a “Vanilla Cactus” (Selenicereus grandiflorus), and there are a few stands of it throughout the yard that all produce slightly different colors of flower. Unlike the always impressive “Queen of the Night,” these will push out blooms multiple times a summer, and they began early this year!
n + 1 – May. 5, 2025
Most folks that are into bikes can agree: once you start getting to the “happiness” quantity, storage of your favorite items can become a bit of a daunting task. Until I have the time and space to build an amazing contraption like Jake’s, most of my whips rest nose hung on a steel beam that’s part of our defunct freight elevator, and it’s a pretty efficient way to go until you need to get to one in the middle. Which is always the one that I seem to need to get. I’m looking forward to building up my Otso Warakin so it can meet some friends!
Anyway… Here’s Wonderwall – April. 28, 2025
This week I don’t have much cycle-related pondering, because I’ve been working diligently on an outside space for the little guy. There was a 15′ x 12′ space in the backyard that at one point housed our domestic fowl, and was just a dirt patch by the patio.
After a few long hours and many wheelbarrows of backfill, I was able to roll out some turf (which is essentially just outside carpet) that I scored for cheap in a remnant pile. There was a bit of joining seams and such, but I think it came out pretty well, and now Leo has a relatively safe area to hang out in before the weather turns to magma!
Cheshire Conjunction – April. 21, 2025
It may be a bit late to announce, but hopefully some folks caught the celestial “Smiley Face” to the east just before sunrise! This rare planetary massing of Venus, Saturn and the crescent moon has a bit of tilt to make it a smiley, but it’s still neat to see astronomical events like this without any need for special equipment. Here’s a picture of the cheesy moonrise from our recent overnighter to Arivaca.
Taking the bike for a hike – April. 14, 2025
This past weekend, we went on our 5th edition of the Buenos Aires Wildlife Refuge/Arivaca Overnighter, and despite our best intentions with planning, got stuck in the middle of a spring heat wave. With temps exceeding 100°F the day before departure (a new record for earliest date, beating the old record of 4/19/1989), and Red Flag/Fire Weather warnings from the National Weather Service, a few brave and/or foolish riders set out for 60ish miles of shenanigans. The trip included a side quest to the Hill Top Bar in Sasabe, which adds a few miles, but is totally worth it for the experience. My bike was geared far too tall for some of the hills, so I was able to take it for a few upslope strolls. (photo: Colin Veitch)
Lettuce turnip the beets – April. 07, 2025
This week we had the pleasure of celebrating Leo’s first trip around our solar orbit, and went to the Zoo for a fun family outing. The wonderful person at the ticketing counter realized it was his birthday, and graciously gave us tickets to the giraffe encounter- which we headed to right away.
Leo didn’t realize the lettuce and carrot the docent handed us was for the animals, and he tried to start eating the lettuce while we were waiting, but was a good sport about it once he realized we were giving it to the long-neck dog. We ended the day with family, food, and dancing, and a full night’s sleep!