Monday, May 24, 2010

Pedal Power

It has been very unspring-like weather around Portland lately, and I am getting a wee bit tired of it. I am tired of having to wipe off Mesa's muddy paws every time she goes outside, most of the time while trying to balance a baby. I am tired of not being able to mow the lawn because it is so wet and muddy and so the grass in our front yard comes up to our knees. I am tired of not washing the car because I know it is going to rain and won't matter anyway. I am tired of not being able to take Tate on long walks around the neighborhood with Mesa like I had envisioned all during my pregnancy (can you just imagine me, a stroller, a baby, a 120 lb. newfoundland dog, and an umbrella? I think not). Overall, I am just tired, tired, tired of this gray and cloudy and rainy weather. So I am dreaming of summer and spring and that means I am absolutely dying over these bicycles from Madsen Cycles. Referred to as Urban Utility Bicycles, they would make the perfect summer day, farmer's market, kid-carting, dog-carting transportation device, don't you think? The details feel very Scandinavian to me, and I can imagine myself and an older version of Tate traveling all over town on the weekends. So European. And absolutely made for lazy days with warm, sunny weather and black-and-white striped t-shirts with red tennis shoes.
They also seem to perfectly fit the bike-riding culture in Portland. Speaking of which (both bikes and European culture), have you seen this commercial? I love it.
And when I think and dream of spring. I think strawerries. At least that dream has been satisfied. Here is Sunday night's strawberry shortcake.
Next to chocolate chip cookies, strawberry shortcake is my favorite dessert, so this was a fantastic way to herald in spring (in flavor, at least). It was delicious. Lip smacking good, you might say.

1 comment:

  1. I love, love, love these work-horse bicycles. They remind me of bikes in Amsterdam, which are tricked out to carry kids and groceries and are generally made to do all the things we non-Dutch use a car to do. Dutch bikes are like mini-vans, and while I don't think with glee at the prospect of driving a mini-van, I do get rather gleeful at the through of driving a mini-van bike.

    I've been thinking about getting a new bike—the My Dutch Bike store in San Francisco made me do a stop/double take/drool the other day—but I'm not sure I can justify such an expenditure when my nineteen-year-old (!) Schwinn is still killin' it.

    These pictures from De Fietsfabriek, an Amersterdam-based bike manufacturer, are great examples of the Amsterdam mini-van bikes. So great. http://www.defietsfabriek-usa.com/content/our-story

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