A Surfeit of Passion

I Gotch-yer BIKE SCRIBBLE SHIRTS Riiiight Heeee-yah!

2009-06-21T19:17:00.000-07:00

Otherwise known as shameless self marketing...

At long last the Bike Scribble shirts are available online. They come in three different Scribble designs and many different colors.

Here you can see Chris Carmichael proudly wearing the navy blue version. Thanks Chris!

And here is Tim Jackson smiling in his red Bike Scribble shirt while representing Masi at the Amgen Tour of California. Thanks Tim!

A demonstrative Dave Towle was announcing the Amgen Tour of California that day in Solvang so he couldn't put his on but gave me the high sign of approval. Thank you Dave.

Leonard Basobas of The Triple Crankset - uber cycling blog - looks sharp in green as he tirelessly covers the Paso Robles stage of ATOC. Thank you Len!

At the risk of being obnoxious, here's that link to the online store again:
HERE

So far you can get them in green, maroon, blue, navy, red, purple and maillot jaune gold. There are more folks out there who have the prototype shirts (and you know who you are) so I will be posting those photos soon. Truly, everyone thank you for your support in this little endeavor and thank you for reading this shameless piece of advertising.

Go Here!

This just in! Behold fabulous Miss Kris "K2" Keim rockin' her maroon sleeves. Thank you Kris! Once again, I love the internet!

Just transmitted across the Atlantic, Carlton Reid author of The Bike to Work Book in the Scribble and on his mtb! SWEET! Thanks Carlton. Have a great ride in the English countryside.

Communicado

2009-06-11T16:32:00.000-07:00

Busy Busy Busy...

I've been out of touch...for awhile...working on a mural... about the Tour de France for Chris Carmichael's new training facility in Colorado Springs, "Carmichael Training Systems". The opening gala is on June 19th and I am working feverishly here:

with my faithful sidekick Eli in tow:

And it's looking something like this:

And this:

The grand opening for the public is on June 20th.

I am in a massage coma a the moment thanks to CTS' wonderful staff massage therapist Charissa and thankful for spell check but there will be more photos and details soon.

If you are looking for SCRIBBLE SHIRTS please click.

It's Raining Champagne in California!

2009-02-23T10:36:00.000-08:00

Frank Schleck crosses the line to win stage 8 of the Amgen Tour of California

Record crowds lined the roadside over the 9 days of ATOC. Epic stages. World class racing. Wonderful memories. Cycling is made up of really exceptional people. Made a ton of new friends. There is so much more to tell but I had the good fortune to wind up at the AAA party: Amgen, AEG and Astana! And I simply need more sleep!

Levi Leipheimer makes it Three

And the champagne melée ensues

Silver Spirit

2009-01-10T01:09:00.000-08:00

While on a ride toward Ventura today I saw an older woman approaching me, going the opposite direction on the other side of the road. She had short gray hair, appeared to be in her late fifties and couldn't have been more than 5' 2". But she weighed about 185 lbs. She was riding a hybrid, had on a good quality helmet, sport shades, and a smile on her face. There were big rolls of fat everywhere, but she didn't care. She had on a heather gray ensemble: bike shorts, tank top and a little matching jacket tied around her waist. As she passed she gave me a broad smile and a smart, sharp nod of the head. I nodded and smiled back. She was confident and happy, not huffing and puffing, or self conscious. It would have been easy to hide, sit on the couch feeling old and making excuses. But not her. Fat be damned! She was on the bike and getting fit with the sun on her skin. I LOVE that! Whoever you are, you go Girl! See you on the road.

Bike: 1
Couch: 0

The Comeback Trail

2009-01-03T23:23:00.000-08:00

We're going to play a little game called "find the bike or cyclist in this picture". I didn't plan on it but there were so many cyclists training on this road I just went with it. There's one in about every other shot.

Click on the photos to enlarge and they'll be easier to see.

The subtitle of this blog is: "It's All Terrifying and it's All Beautiful". Never before have I witnessed a scene that exemplified that sentiment so well as what I am about to show you. As many of you know the neighborhoods around East and West Mountain Road in Santa Barbara were laid waste by the Tea Fire. That road is the way to the infamous "beyond category" 3,998 ft alt. hill climb simply known as "Gibraltar Road" and therefore a favorite haunt of cyclists including myself.

I watched as the 300 ft flames climbed into the sky that night and roared, fast, ferocious and deadly down the hillsides, whipped by 70 mph winds. I prayed for the people in those houses. "Run! Get out!" I whispered under my breath. When the fires had all been put out I made a point to ride up to that area on the days that followed, my goal being this:

What had happened to the art collector with the sculpture garden and the cyclist fashioned into a mailbox? I had to know. It took over a week to get there. Edison crews pulled the barricades back a block at a time as they replaced the torched telephone poles.

Here he is today:

As I rode past driveways I knew well I saw instead the houses that high hedgerows had hidden, now reduced to smoking ruins. The air was still oppressive, the smell of smoke filling my nostrils. I rode slower and slower and slower... I couldn't take my eyes off the blackened smoldering hillsides, the trees, the mailboxes, the twisted metal and wire of all the things that days before had been an everyday part of someone's home.

No time to get the mail.

This bike tried to run from the fire by climbing a tree.

I wasn't alone. There were other cyclists and motorists and joggers. We all had the same look on our faces. The way people look at a wake for a child. All I could think about was how horrific that night must have been, to be trapped in one of these canyons. I could see how the hungry fire had fingered through the creek beds like a thief, torching the trees from underneath, curling up the embankments to devour everything. The power had gone out shortly after the fire had started. No light to gather your belongings, children, pets. No street lamps to show a way through the thick smoke. The few narrow roads out must have been chaos. I have never been filled with such sorrow simply looking at a landscape. On the first trip I couldn't take any photos. I would raise my camera and slowly lower it back down and turn it off. The camera couldn't see the way it felt. I slogged back the way I came and didn't pick up my pedal stroke until my path was greener and I was beyond the burn zone.

I resolved to return and document, document, document. When I did I began to see such beauty. Cast-iron black trees against blue sky and chocolate earth. A thousand shades of umber, sienna and rust. Then on the last trip... GREEN! Like a fresh splash of cool life on the eyeballs, NATURE was coming back. And that made it even more beautiful. I wish I was more of a photographer with a proper camera and lenses because I can't hope to do it justice. My friend Carson Blume, cycling photographer, is sick this week otherwise I would have got him up here. I hope you get the idea anyway.

Green

Remember Christo? The artist who wrapped an island in pink plastic? I know it's hard to see but this is an entire hillside wrapped in burlap. It looks so surreal up close and it's BIG.

More burlap hill
(see tiny cyclist?)

A sculpture I could not see before because it was beyond the gate, obscured by trees.

Kind of proud of my calves these days. They're not massive or anything but I've always had trouble growing them and for me they are huge. Thanks for reading and Enjoy your rides!

'Tis the Season to be Jolly!

2008-12-24T20:08:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas,
Happy Hanukkah,
Joyous Chrismakkah
and
Happy Festivus for the Restuvus.

Wishing us all silent nights on a peaceful Earth with good will and equal rights for all.
Can I get an AMEN!

Peanut butter dark chocolate kiss cookies

Be good to each other

Adam Sandler's original Chanukah Song, recorded in Chicago no less. Word up.

Cantus' Stille Nacht. Simply stunning. If you want to be blown away, listen.

"Idle" Chatter

2008-11-20T22:53:00.000-08:00

Breaking news:

Bike Scribbles Cross Atlantic!
"City Cruise"

While I can't believe I'm saying this I must admit I am thoroughly smitten with Twitter. At first it seemed like just another techno-gizmo time suck:

"What are you doing right now?"
"Chewing on my pen cap. You?"

Honestly, who among us is moment-to-moment fascinating like, say, Lance Armstrong (who is, you guessed it, also on Twitter. No really, it's him)? Certainly not I.

But I gave it a couple of weeks and POW it started to work its magic. I now swear by it as one of the most brilliant networking tools in existence. I've started meeting all kinds of local creative people and bike people as well as reaching all the way across the US and the Atlantic. Which brings me to the point of this post: The Bike to Work Book by Carlton Reid and Tim Grahl.
One night I was reading the Twitter roll and saw that a British man I knew only from his internet efforts in the cycling world was asking for Americans to look over the rough draft of his new book and make constructive comments. While just breakfast time in the UK it was the wee hours of the morning here so I think I was one of the very few Yanks still awake at the time. I offered and he sent me the pages in an email. Along the way he mentioned that he had seen my website and liked my artwork. Then I had an idea. I sent over a bike Scribble and made a suggestion. Long story short, he accepted. I drew some custom scribbles and in really a head-spinning short time - TA DA! The book is almost here and my Scribbles are part of it!

It is a very timely volume indeed. The perfect manual if you want to sock it to Big Oil in style. Fun to read, energizing and packed with information, these guys have covered every possible question. I've learned several things about biking that I didn't know before and learned about some really cool products that assist in making bike commuting a breeze. And those are from just the first few chapters. The only downside is that when you're done with the read you will be plum out of excuses to drive a car for much of anything!

I am intensely proud of being involved in this project. Carlton Reid is a really good guy (with an amazing 11-year-old cycling son Josh, by the way). I hope this book gets all the smashing success it deserves. Do check the link for a preview and you can leave comments if you like as well. I've never seen an author so gracious about getting critiqued!

Many thanks to Donna Tocci, Tim Jackson and Kris Keim for coaxing me into this fine pot of jam! And thanks to photographer Carson Blume for the digital assistance.

"Zoomin' Through"
© Kathleen King 2008

The "Wait" is Beginning to Lift

2008-11-08T22:44:00.000-08:00

It's a sunny day at the beginning of the Obama Era...

"Unfinished Flag of the United States"

Lawrence Ferlinghetti
George Krevsky Gallery

Warning: You are about to see poetry. But not just any poetry, one of the greatest American Postmodernist poems ever written. Don't be afraid. I promise it won't kill you.

In the streets, the shops and on the web it feels like the dawning of a new age. Now I know this man will be just a president and a president is just a man - who needs a congress, a senate and corporate America to cooperate with his vision. Not only that, he will be a president who inherits a generation of troubles to solve. Four years is such a little time. And we'll all need a lot of meditation, good vibrations and old fashioned prayer. But the People! The spirit of the American People is hopeful and excited and able to dream again about being 'the shining city on the hill'.

All my life I had read this poem in a mood of angst and irony. It is one of my top three most favorite. Today I read it and felt for the first time that maybe for some things the wait would soon be over. Please give it a chance and try to get all the way to the end. I hope you will get something from it and maybe love it as I do.

First published in A Coney Island of the Mind by Lawrence Ferlinghetti in 1958.

I Am Waiting

I am waiting for my case to come up
and I am waiting
for a rebirth of wonder
and I am waiting for someone
to really discover America
and wail
and I am waiting
for the discovery
of a new symbolic western frontier
and I am waiting
for the American Eagle
to really spread its wings
and straighten up and fly right
and I am waiting
for the Age of Anxiety
to drop dead
and I am waiting
for the war to be fought
which will make the world safe
for anarchy
and I am waiting
for the final withering away
of all governments
and I am perpetually awaiting
a rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for the Second Coming
and I am waiting
for a religious revival
to sweep thru the state of Arizona
and I am waiting
for the Grapes of Wrath to be stored
and I am waiting
for them to prove
that God is really American
and I am seriously waiting
for Billy Graham and Elvis Presley
to exchange roles seriously
and I am waiting
to see God on television
piped onto church altars
if only they can find
the right channel
to tune in on
and I am waiting
for the Last Supper to be served again
with a strange new appetizer
and I am perpetually awaiting
a rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for my number to be called
and I am waiting
for the living end
and I am waiting
for dad to come home
his pockets full
of irradiated silver dollars
and I am waiting
for the atomic tests to end
and I am waiting happily
for things to get much worse
before they improve
and I am waiting
for the Salvation Army to take over
and I am waiting
for the human crowd
to wander off a cliff somewhere
clutching its atomic umbrella
and I am waiting
for Ike to act
and I am waiting
for the meek to be blessed
and inherit the earth
without taxes
and I am waiting
for forests and animals
to reclaim the earth as theirs
and I am waiting
for a way to be devised
to destroy all nationalisms
without killing anybody
and I am waiting
for linnets and planets to fall like rain
and I am waiting for lovers and weepers
to lie down together again
in a new rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for the Great Divide to be crossed
and I am anxiously waiting
for the secret of eternal life to be discovered
by an obscure general practitioner
and save me forever from certain death
and I am waiting
for life to begin
and I am waiting
for the storms of life,
to be over
and I am waiting
to set sail for happiness
and I am waiting
for a reconstructed Mayflower
to reach America
with its picture story and tv rights
sold in advance to the natives
and I am waiting
for the lost music to sound again
in the Lost Continent
in a new rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for the day
that maketh all things clear
and I am waiting
for Ole Man River
to just stop rolling along
past the country club
and I am waiting
for the deepest South
to just stop Reconstructing itself
in its own image
and I am waiting
for a sweet desegregated chariot
to swing low
and carry me back to Ole Virginie
and I am waiting
for Ole Virginie to discover
just why Darkies are born
and I am waiting
for God to lookout
from Lookout Mountain
and see the Ode to the Confederate Dead
as a real farce
and I am awaiting retribution
for what America did
to Tom Sawyer
and I am perpetually awaiting
a rebirth of wonder

I am waiting for Tom Swift to grow up
and I am waiting
for the American Boy
to take off Beauty's clothes
and get on top of her
and I am waiting
for Alice in Wonderland
to retransmit to me
her total dream of innocence
and I am waiting
for Childe Roland to come
to the final darkest tower
and I am waiting
for Aphrodite
to grow live arms
at a final disarmament conference
in a new rebirth of wonder

I am waiting
to get some intimations
of immortality
by recollecting my early childhood
and I am waiting
for the green mornings to come again
youth's dumb green fields come back again
and I am waiting
for some strains of unpremeditated art
to shake my typewriter
and I am waiting to write
the great indelible poem
and I am waiting
for the last long careless rapture
and I am perpetually waiting
for the fleeing lovers on the Grecian Urn
to catch each other up at last
and embrace
and I am awaiting
perpetually and forever
a renaissance of wonder

-Lawrence Ferlinghetti

San Francisco's Poet Laureate and co-founder of City Lights Booksellers and Publishers was born in Yonkers, New York on March 24th 1919. Ferlinghetti, who is also known for his activism, essays and painting, has often been considered a Beat poet though he doesn't consider himself one. Located in San Francisco's North Beach district, City Lights Publishing is most noted for publishing the controversial and legendary Howl by Allen Ginsberg. Ferlinghetti was then famously charged and tried for violating obscenity laws, then acquitted. At age 89 Lawrence Ferlinghetti is still writing, touring, traveling and speaking his mind. His voice and life are heroic and he is one of the greatest artists and Americans this nation has ever produced.

Lawrence Ferlinghetti

about to sign my copy of Americus, Book I at D.G. Wills Books in
La Jolla, CA
2005

Happy Happy Joy Joy

2008-11-04T20:41:00.000-08:00

OBAMA WINS!!
IN
LANDSLIDE

I am proud to be an American!

BOO!

2008-10-31T19:31:00.000-07:00

HAPPY HALLOWE'EN!

Ha HA HAAAA!

WowEEE

Yikes

Awwwww!

Ooooooooh

TeeHeeHee

SHARK!

Ooops, too late

Mmmmm, fresh pepitas!

Hope y'all have fun!

IT'S A SIGN!

2008-10-29T00:12:00.001-07:00

"Hope is the thing with feathers that perches in the soul, and sings the tune without the words and never stops at all..."

And the signs are everywhere.

Signs of intelligent life.

On my last few bike rides through the tree canopied byways of Montecito I have included a little game: counting political posters and bumper stickers. The unofficial tally is roughly 20 to 1 in favor of Obama/Biden over the Republican ticket. So I have decided to honor these brave souls with a gallery of gates. Hopefully it will gladden your heart as it has mine.

Here in front of a very modern Frank Lloyd Wright sort of design

Now why should these displays be so noteworthy? Well, if you haven't heard, the community of Montecito is not merely one of the wealthiest in California, or the US, but in the world. This is the land of estates, acreage, the loooooong driveway/private road and the solemn guard gate. Big, huge, sexy, MONEY by the bushel-basketful . Entry level home ownership starts at $3 mil. This should be a Republican stronghold. Not only that, but this idyllic enclave has a reputation for being reclusive, exclusive, tight lipped and PRIVATE with a 'talk to the intercom' sort of attitude. To declare one's political leanings with a yard sign, especially those that proclaim 'we don't fit the mold' is downright radical. So how can I help but celebrate them!

Atop a loooooong hedgerow

Many of the homes have put out great Halloween decorations

Though hard to see, this is a very handsome gate

One for the road

Oh, one more. I tell ya they just keep comin'!

For those that may think the revelation of my own choice for 2008 here on my blog a little imprudent, I think that cat was already out of the bag. I'm an ARTIST. My clients probably suspect I'm a raving liberal. I'm waiting for November 4th like a four-year-old waits for Santa Claus.

Last but certainly no less important, the signs for equal rights
NO ON PROP 8! Gay and Lesbian couples should KEEP their right to marry.

You have to love these people. These two photos are of the same property.
They used the "No On Prop 8" signs like landscape décor.

This entry boasted no affiliation whatsoever buts earns a place because they grow amazing hydrangeas and I know the kids will love it on Friday night

Whatever you believe, with all my heart I HOPE you get out there next Tuesday and vote.

An update on my tasty critter friends whose numbers are rapidly dwindling nationwide as I write.

Goodbye Mr. Orange Halloween Edition Hippo (or is that a rhino?)!

Smile, darn ya, Smile!

2008-10-15T16:07:00.001-07:00

Urban Wildlife

"Hand over the Mother's Circus Animal Cookies or you'll never see Eli again!"

Mr. Raccoon here, whose lovely wife was behind him in the dark, is as big as the average footstool - about 3x the size of my cat.

Endangered Species

For those of you who don't know (too bad if you don't care; you're out numbered) Mother's Cookies of Oakland California has shut it doors FOREVER which means NO MORE pink rhino cookies, or blue camels, or red lions, or orange elephants with sprinkles! Waaaaah!

crustulum matris bestia circus (leo) rufus

crustulum matris bestia circus (camelus) peteulanus

Women weeping at the Palace of Fine Art at the thought of a world without Mother's Cookies.

The long silence simply means that my head has been preoccupied with empire building, which has hit a few snags of late. But I refuse to accept any reality other than "onward and upward"!

There has also been a lot of cycling my butt off.

Ascending great heights.

And working on my little illustration-esque tarot designs and putting them on canvas.

Eli is making new friends and sending the local rodents to their 'great reward' even without the majority of his teeth.

I've learned a lot about adaptation and perseverance from that little furbrain!

How does the bumble bee fly? Because it thinks it can. BUZZ BUZZ BUZZ!

Over, under, around or through, we will get there.

WooHoo!!

2008-08-01T14:32:00.000-07:00

Tim "Masiguy" Jackson comes full circle!

He took his first RIDE on a BIKE since the crash TODAY! Thanks to Donna T. (who got the scoop on me) YAY TIM! Cheers for you!

Watch the video:

http://masiguy.blogspot.com/2008/08/first-friday.html

Glorious!

2008-07-18T13:02:00.000-07:00

The anointed one, Mark Cavendish (Team Columbia) makes it four in the 13th stage of Le Tour de France, flanked on his right by 2nd place Robbie McEwan (Silence Lotto) and on his left by 3rd place Romain Feillu (Agritubel).
The world is his oyster.
photo: Graham Watson for Velonews

4!

Eyes on the prizes
photo: AFP, Road Bike Action
video on Versus

Congrats Cavendish! (or, take that, ToC)

2008-07-09T11:33:00.000-07:00

Yeah Sweetheart, you really did just win stage 5 of Le Tour de France!
photo: AFP

Mark Cavendish, the "Manx Express" has won stage five, the longest stage of Le Tour de France, 232km from Cholet to Chateauroux. Hopes were high after his brilliant performance winning two stages of the Giro d'Italia and now his place in history is assured. The new-to-the-Tour, Team Columbia has made their 'mark' on this tour indeed. I guess we'll have to stop calling them "team boring kit". Champagne all around!

After stage six of the ToC (and before the disqualification decree),
Mark is interviewed by Bob Roll. You can also see the fabled Graham Watson over Mark's shoulder.
photo: Kathleen King

I'll never forget the confusion after stage six of the Tour of California as throngs of press and officials milled around for twenty minutes waiting for the decision that Cavendish would be stripped of his breathtaking stage win on a technicality. Well, take that ToC, this kid's got wings on his feet. It's a great year to be Mark Cavendish. Go Baby Go!

...and we're Back!

2008-07-05T17:35:00.000-07:00

C130

Note the homes at the bottom of the frame

note: My camera has a problem with the protective shutter getting stuck so some shots have black corners.

The hills are still burning in Goleta (north of Santa Barbara) and even more residents, thousands now, have been evacuated from their homes. Some of the residents were allowed back in to Old San Marcos road yesterday 'at our own risk'. I took the opportunity to station myself on the ridge above our neighborhood to witness the heroic firefight that kept the fire from our back door. I was by no means alone. many news vans were parked down the hill and I was passed by five engine companies. Soon after I got there, "Rocky" the chief of our San Marcos Volunteer Fire Department, pulled up in his rig to spot and relay information. Several of the firemen who are residents of the Trout Club had tales of many wildfires that had threatened and burned homes several times in years past. We all watched the flames rise and fall in a tense but stoic mood lightened by the driest of humor.

"Rocky"

Rocky's rig

I cannot begin to adequately describe the skill and bravery of the pilots who pummeled these hillsides dropping load after load of water and retardant. Between my proximity to the flames and all the military aircraft in the sky I felt like a war correspondent. I kept hearing The Ride of the Valkyries in my head. I could hear the flames roar and crackle like an angry beast from hell, feel the heat, smoke, and rumble of engines and propellers. And then the wind came up, in 40 mph gusts; that's strong enough to sting your face and make you lose your footing. From the very beginning of this event we have been at the mercy of these evening "sundowner" winds.

Aerial Acrobatics
The larger craft are led out by smaller spotter planes

The Beast

S20 (?)

Firefighters and news crews assembled at the gates of hell

On the drive to the hotel July 4th

July fourth fortunately ended with a respite and a different kind of red glow. Cathy Mehl of USCyclingReport.com, (also an evacuated hill dweller) invited me out to a party on her friend's boat in Santa Barbara Harbor for the fireworks show. Being new in town and having only got the last truckload of belongings moved in last week, packing up to evacuate just seemed a discouraging bridge too far. Plus it's exhausting to be on red alert in your mind and soul for 36 hours even when you don't move your body all that much. Good food, dark beer and cheering for the glittering sparkles overhead, surrounded by the cool ocean breezes were just what I needed.

Like another world
the fireworks over Santa Barbara Harbor

Unofficially out of immediate danger (and unofficially back in my crib) I can hear the men yelling on the lines, choruses of chainsaws and massive water tanker helicopters flying overhead as they turn around and head back to the latest drop zone a few miles to the west... My thoughts are with all the Goletans to the west and south because the fire is heading their way. At this writing the few puffs of smoke that I saw driving home on July 1st has now grown to more than 6,600 acres.

The hillside today - July 5th

CNN (getting live coverage of a charred hillside...)

Trout Club Cheek

a couch, I'm guessing positioned by Jan and Rocky for comfortable conflagration viewing during the night shift watch

correction: it has since been discovered that Jan and Bob were responsible for the couch and are up there again this evening... fire has now consumed over 9,000 acres...

I can't wait for that first blessed bike ride (tomorrow?!) I did get to see the first stage of the 'Tour DAY Frantz' at the hotel - yes, even with all this my concern over tv access for today never left my mind. Cathy was equally concerned. She wanted to be able to catch it live at 5:30 a.m. We bike nerds are all completely mental I tell you. Certifiable!

and all is well

evening addition: To the tall, handsome men of engine co. #5 from San Gabriel who are keeping watch over our canyon tonight - thanks boys. Your broad smiles and shoulders reassure me we're in good hands. Ahhh firemen, as always they do the human race proud!

THE NEW HOTNESS

2008-07-03T17:21:00.000-07:00

View from the deck to the west

View to the south

NBC national news trucks are stationed 1/8th mile down the slope from my house... Our area is under evacuation warning. They say the "Gap Fire" has #1 priority in the state because of its proximity to homes. It has been suggested that the fact that Arnold Schwarzenegger has a house near here doesn't hurt... Well, my bike is in the truck... Eli and his "Cat Cab" are where I can see them.

For a more comprehensive account of the situation please see fellow Santa Barbaran Marco Fanelli's blog. It's packed with photos and facts. S'mores anyone?

SOLSTICE

2008-06-22T01:45:00.001-07:00

If you're going to do the recumbent thing I say go with the pinwheels, the rainbow whirly-gigs, dress in an Elmo suit and for chrissakes put some gold fluffy stuff in your wheels!

At the beginning of June everyone I met in Santa Barbara started talking about "Solstice". "You're going to Solstice aren't you? Everyone goes to Solstice - It's THE thing!" Well I couldn't believe that any one event/parade could be such a big deal but they were right. Solstice is a tremendous deal in Santa Barbara. I'm sure people are already planning their floats and costumes for next year.

It draws nearly the ENTIRE town - over 100,000 attend every year. The route travels for about a mile up the main drag, State Street, a gentle incline the whole way. One of the rules for this parade is every entry must be human powered only - no motors. The unspoken rule is: half naked is better! A woman in the crowd told me that in the early days there was a lot more nudity but they've toned it down recently.

The whole parade makes a turn at the mile mark that lands the whole glittery, undulating celebration by flooding into Alameda Park. There awaits a tie-dyed, new age, beaded, braided, fringed, face-painted, dread-locked, didgeridoo playing, peace nicked, tree hugging, hippie love fest extravaganza that would make Jerry Garcia shed a tear of joy. And they sell imported beer! It was so, like, conscious and metaphysical and creative and free. If you didn't know you were in California you sure as align-my-chakras know it now!

It really struck me how the whole city came out for this from every walk. I even saw elderly couples in druid-style forest spirit masks, men and women with flowers in their hair. It was beautiful, every bit of it. Like Jimi said: "I'm gonna wave my freak flag high." And Santa Barbara will welcome you if you do.

I focused on anything bicycle in keeping with our theme here. The theme of the parade, however was: "Solar Flair". Go put on some tie dye, assume your favorite yoga position and enjoy.

This stilt walker...I'll call him Father Rainbow Flowers, was going along blessing the crowd.

This is a guy named Bryan and his killer red Monster Cruiser, or was it Mega Cruiser?
The heat has made me forgetful.

This thing, whatever it is, was just so pretty.

Obviously all the triangles were painted by children.

Solstice Trike - Yeeeeaahh Dude!

Lots and lots of twirling people. Lots.

And hula hooping and drumming.

Terrific, wonderful, irresistible drumming throughout.

This is actually a homeless man who had decorated his bike for the occasion.
I found that very touching.

And speaking of incredibly cute kids.

My favorite by far. Is this not an awesome dragon?

And remember: human powered - check out the guy pushing it all the way UP State Street. Temps were in the 90s today.

This was hilarious. It's a shark ("landshark"). It belongs to a float with mermaids and a fishing boat. The shark chases the mermaids and spectators around only he did it like a bull fighter. He would chase then back off, pretend he wasn't interested and then lunge at you.

Because everyone needs a gold pyramid on casters, to, ya know, channel energy
or be a beacon for aliens, or...?

Many colorful hats

Of course Pharaoh has something to do with solstice!
Ancient Egyptians worshiped the sun god Ra - and he road a bike too!

Me.

I brought my own seating arrangements as you can see.

The finale

(I had to move out of the sun as my shoulders were frying like a potato chip).

It's a big inflated sun and if you look closely there is a girl in the middle dancing on a pole... yeah you read right.

There was also a very beautiful, Polynesian-looking young woman wearing nothing but a tiny silver g-string and a pair of tiny white floral pasties blowing on a conch shell and jumping up and down, but I decided to spare you men the trauma of such an image.

editor's note: to those of you who flocked to this blog in search of pictures of the nearly naked girl in pasties...PSYCH!

...and all the village danced, drank mead and enjoyed life on into the night until the sun rose up again.

Say Something!

2008-06-19T21:30:00.000-07:00

Eli on the slab

Ok. Something. Please forgive the long absence. I still have nothing exciting or particularly clever to write but, death before blog idleness. My new environment is proving to be capricious indeed. Three weeks ago I was lighting fires in the potbellied stove morning and evening and now it's 95 at midday. At this writing, 8:30-ish it's still 85. But it's a dry heat! Typing at the keyboard inspires sweat. Mostly one just lies still, or runs down to the coast where it's still hot but pleasant. I've been getting in some great rides up the big hill and along the foothill routes. But not these past two days. Don't want to cook my brain. Much of this wooded enclave is still a little 19th century and setting up reliable internet connections is a royal pain in the butt. I'm currently "poaching" a signal to blog while I wait for newly ordered gizmos to arrive.

Speaking of butts and bicycles, my greatest compliment this month came from my new massage therapist (Saint) Jacob who informed me that it wasn't the painting position that had tweaked my lumbars but the fact that muscles in my butt were growing so fast from the sprinting I've been doing that my lower back couldn't balance them and gave up. HA! My back is tweaked from my massive, hard-training cycling muscles! Badge of courage. I know K2 will have something Pilates-wise to say about this...

My one pro cycling comment: Amgen in bed with ASO - Hmmm....

Kudos go out to Liz for moving her blog to Missing Saddle. And Tim for his sweet gig on Velonews' At the Back page, and Len because his writing is just consistently so damn good!

I just brought my cat up from cool, coastal Del Mar to his new home in the sweltering hills. Poor thing must think he's being tortured and that I don't like him. And now for your moment of Zen:

Eli on the rock - so glad I don't have fur

I promise something more interesting, clever and/or deep and bike related when I can get my computer down off the stack of pillows by the window and onto my desk where I can THINK!

To all my dear friends who are gleefully getting marriage licenses this week and making hasty plans to tie the knot before friends and family, a tearful and exulted CONGRATULATIONS! It's been a long road.

Yay Doug and Perry!

Peace and Love, Y'all.

Mothers Daze

2008-05-11T17:30:00.000-07:00

I have two moms. Extraordinarily they are both named 'Katherine', only one actually spelled it "Kathryn". My adopting mother, Katherine, passed on some years ago to the great Department of Pre-Columbian Studies in the sky. I'm certain she's savoring spicy hot cacao with real Aztecs, Mayans, Olmecs and Toltecs. They're discussing how the Nazca Lines were made in languages that haven't been heard in thousands of years. Heck she's probably talking to the very people who made the Nazca lines! Anthropologist's Heaven. This would please her very much.

We always used to say that Mom had been a Mayan or some such in a past life. She used to have dreams of being chased barefoot into the jungle by Europeans. She was the first person to explain to me what the Colonialists really did to the indigenous peoples they "discovered".

I can picture her now wearing a cape of brightly colored feathers from birds long since extinct, twirling her skirts, dancing barefoot to flute music and having A BALL!

My biological mother Kathryn Garfinkel should be about 63 now. I wish I knew as much about her as the other Katherine, but alas we parted when I was brand new. Wherever she is she should know that her red-headed baby girl is doing just fine... and misses her... and hopes she has found a good life... Especailly on Mother's Day.

A Happy Cinco de Mayo Indeed!

2008-05-05T15:57:00.000-07:00

Tim Jackson is getting sprung from the hospital today. He says he can feel and wiggle his right thumb and the doctors are satisified with his ability to negotiate the stairs on crutches enough to let him go home! Way to celebrate the new moon in Taurus. Rock and Roll Masiguy!

A Smile is Worth a Thousand Words

2008-05-03T14:28:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Blue Squirrel we have a happier image of Tim. He's on the mend! Let's hope this posts correctly as I'm not on my own computer at the moment. Please see Blue Squirrel's blog for more comprehensive updates. Thanks again to practically the entire internet bike universe for all the global blog love!

Update for Masiguy

2008-05-01T23:30:00.000-07:00

Sorry folks, can't seem to get this to save properly:

Addition #5 An unfortunate update to report. I spoke to Tim this evening and the word has come back on his knee. It is fractured in two places and he will not be able to put ANY pressure on it for twelve weeks. That just sucks. As one of those people who believes there is always good to be derived from any situation I am amazed at how people are coming together and connecting over this incident. Tim Jackson brings people together. It's one of his gifts. Folks are looking at this blog from Chile to China, India to New Zealand and everywhere in between. The story and pictures have been repeated on ten other blogs that I know of. I've been sharing all the stats with Tim. It's astounding. Gives one hope for the planet. Tim will heal it's just going to take longer than we first thought. Hmmm, I wonder, how will Masiguy use that time? Thanks for all the great comments.

Let The HEALING Begin!

2008-04-30T19:17:00.000-07:00

As you may already know Tim "Masiguy" Jackson the maestro of bike-blogging took a pretty bad spill at the San Diego Velodrome last night. He hit the boards at about 30 mph trying to avoid another rider. He was on a brand new bike, 24 laps into a 25 lap race... He sustained a concussion, a broken rib and nearly severed his right thumb clean off. At the moment he has a blood clot behind his left eye and three cracked vertebrae in his neck - hence the neck brace - which they say he'll have to live with for the next six weeks. We are waiting for the results of a cat scan to determine the condition of his right knee...

Unbelievable as it sounds they expect to have him standing upright, at least a little bit, later this evening. I got to meet Masisister, Masimom and Masistepdad all at his bedside. Jill from Haro was there as well when I left. Tim is in remarkably good spirits though hurting more he said than he's ever hurt in his life. Not surprising. He has his very own morphine drip control which makes him smile. The thumb has been successfully reattached. I saw him eat food, with lots of assistance from the nurse, with my very own eyes. He's HUNGRY and that's good. It is the beginning of a long road but our man is gonna make it I'm certain!

He's at Scripps Mercy Hospital in San Diego rm# 1024. Please see Blue Squirrel's blog for more info on the actual crash.

Get well soon my dear friend. You are so loved. All the prayers, meditations and good vibrations are flowing your way.

Going to become a little ambidextrous for awhile

The thumb

Not this time Mr. Reaper

Smile Tim! You're on Morphine. (yes, that is a morphine drip smile)

Addition: Tim could go home as early as tomorrow or Friday, remarkably. We'll know more in the morning.

Addition #2: Blue Squirrel is back from his trip to the hosp. with update #4. Please have a look.

Addition #3 A tremendous outpouring of love and support is coming in from all over the globe! Spoke to Tim this morning and he is doing well. His eye is much better. Still waiting to know more about the knee. His neck is stable and doctors are happy with his progress. He's eating a little bit more and is surrounded by family and friends who are looking after him. He sends his thanks to everyone for the well wishes.

Addition #4 The brilliant Blue Squirrel is hosting a Tim Jackson Get Well Fund. Please click on the link and check it out. Lots of options for gift cards and such to help Tim with the peripherals during the down time. Thank you all.

Officially OFF THE GRID!

2008-04-23T00:56:00.000-07:00

The Pelican has landed. Yup, it's true, I have found a new home, and my address is:

UN-GOOGLE-ABLE!

I can't tell you how much chuckling pleasure this little fact gives me. You can enter the address all you want and Google remains mute. The satellite map shows the area but not the road! Tee hee hee hee... I didn't think it was possible. It's high in the hills above Santa Barbara not someplace like... the Appalachians for heaven's sake! But I am reveling in the anonymity. It reminds me of the movie where Dudley Moore tells a friend: "I'm incommunicado." and the woman on the phone asks: "Where is that?" Dudley says: "Next to Cognito".

If you look closely you will see the road on the top of the ridge that is now my home training ground.

"Cognito" is at the top of a well worn epic hill climb. Santa Barbara cycling pals will easily guess where it is (expect summit brunch party soon). The house itself is rather cabin-like but contains all the modern conveniences. There is a pot bellied stove and fireplace to lessen dependence on the electric heaters for warmth. However, no cable, so satellite is necessary for TV, and radio reception depends on tricky antenna placement. God bless Blue Tooth!

One thing there is plenty of here: QUIET and lots of stars. We also have something called "sundowners", high gusting winds that come up as the sun sets. They routinely blow the plastic deck chairs over the railing where they fall to the ground two stories below. There are lots of welcome animal sounds day and night, nice neighbors with beautiful gardens, a babbling creek and swimming holes. Yeah, I said swimming holes! I'll be starting my own veggie garden too.

Once again, in more pictures than words:

The view from the top

Alarm clock

Pest control

If the phone cuts out I'm blaming this guy

In the gardens

Poppies at the roadside

On the Boulevard of Broken Dreams...

Maybe this is the Appalachians!
(actually a former director of the Botanical Gardens lives here, go figure.)

Top of the creek bed

Creek

"I have made fire! I... have made fire!
(Tom Hanks ain't got nothin' on me)

Those close to me know that this relocation (after 12 years in Del Mar) has been a long journey indeed. As a special bonus that is evidence that the Great Spirit is watching over me after all my new house mate is a partner in a local winery: "Help yourself to all the wine you can drink. Plenty of wine!"

It's going to be a cozy year.