We also had a fun bike ride home for Day 27 of 30 Days of Biking. Day 27 was a big one for Theo. For the first time he biked on his own bike across one of the Mississippi River bridges.
Here are a few pics from our evening ride home from the dinner.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Day 27 of 30 Days of Biking
With a late day at school and work, we spontaneously opted to eat dinner at one of our favorite neighborhood restaurants, the Birchwood Cafe. I biked from the Hub Bike Shop and met Hil and the kids at the Birchwood. I hadn't been there in months and had a great chicken stew. It really hit the spot on a cool evening.
We also had a fun bike ride home for Day 27 of 30 Days of Biking. Day 27 was a big one for Theo. For the first time he biked on his own bike across one of the Mississippi River bridges.
Here are a few pics from our evening ride home from the dinner.
We also had a fun bike ride home for Day 27 of 30 Days of Biking. Day 27 was a big one for Theo. For the first time he biked on his own bike across one of the Mississippi River bridges.
Here are a few pics from our evening ride home from the dinner.
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Alleycat: "I'm a Cheetah!"
Theo's favorite way to get in his daily dose of 30 Days of Biking is what we now affectionately call "Alleycat". Alleycats are informal bike races typically in urban areas. I have a work buddy who first told me about alleycat races, but I have never done one. Last year Theo and I started doing "preschooler alleycats" - minor bike chases in the alley behind our house. We do circles and figure-eights around trash cans between our neighbors' garages. It has actually proved to be a great way for Theo to advance his bike skills and learn good lessons from a few "soft knocks". Hillary caught us on video and in photos during our post dinner Alleycat the other night. Theo was so fast that he declared, "I'm a Cheetah!" Here are some of the photos:
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Confessions from Riding Phrius and Support of Fellow Car Freers
I started our Riding Phrius blog to share the day-to-day joys (and challenges) of a young family living car free. It has been a gratifying means to share our experiences with family and friends and hopefully many others. But on Friday morning I got an especially gratifying comment from Henry's teacher. "Andy, I love your blog, it has helped inspire us to remain car free." Henry's teacher and her husband recently had a baby. They were on the verge of buying a used car. In fact they were so close that her husband found a car, went to the dealer the next day expecting to buy it only to learn that they had just sold it to somebody else! So car freedom, desired or not, prevailed. I am really glad that Riding Phrius can help inspire and confirm the unique quality of life that comes from being car free.
I must confess that Hillary and I have had many discussions in the last few months about the emerging constraints of not having a car. Believe it or not, we have been "Riding Phrius" for over 8 years! Neither of us thought we would go that long. We knew that as the kids got older and more and more involved in activities, the desire to have easier access to a car would increase. Hillary would really like to be able to get out of the city more regularly to visit regional parks and friends. Theo recently announced that he wants to do a kids cross-country ski race next year. There is this awesome Minnesota Youth Ski League that Theo could join to really learn how to ski, but it meets at a park on the other side of Minneapolis. (Note: we could actually get there on a single bus from our neighborhood to the park, but it would be a 50 minute ride-- kind of long to do every Sunday with kids, especially if we want to get to church or anything else that day). And the kids are getting bigger and heavier to pedal around in the Winther Kangaroo. Theo is riding much more, but not in the winter, or the pouring rain, or when the trip is longer than a few miles.
If an HourCar hub was near us on Lake St... if we still had a closer car to borrow...if the recent winter hadn't been so snowy and long....we might feel this less. Still, I think those days when we need to make those longer trips inside and just outside the city are relatively few in number, like maybe 20 extra days a year? To own a car for those extra days, would compromise so many of our prime biking days. We would lose many more biking days to driving short trips around town simply because a car was right in front of the house. We would lose out on so many days of short bike trips and the attendant surprises - a fresh breeze, a glimpse of a flying Cooper's Hawk, bike to bike conversations with the kids, etc.
The draw to have a car is so strong. Cars are embedded in American culture and individual identity. For most people, whether it be a sports car, a hybrid, or an SUV, their choice of a car sends important messages about them. They like speed, they want to be green, they want be seen as "outdoorsy". NPR's Marketplace just noted this in the beginning of a series that will be exploring the costs of car ownership over the next few weeks. I look forward to hearing that discussion. Here is the kickoff, that I paraphrased in this paragraph.
I must confess that Hillary and I have had many discussions in the last few months about the emerging constraints of not having a car. Believe it or not, we have been "Riding Phrius" for over 8 years! Neither of us thought we would go that long. We knew that as the kids got older and more and more involved in activities, the desire to have easier access to a car would increase. Hillary would really like to be able to get out of the city more regularly to visit regional parks and friends. Theo recently announced that he wants to do a kids cross-country ski race next year. There is this awesome Minnesota Youth Ski League that Theo could join to really learn how to ski, but it meets at a park on the other side of Minneapolis. (Note: we could actually get there on a single bus from our neighborhood to the park, but it would be a 50 minute ride-- kind of long to do every Sunday with kids, especially if we want to get to church or anything else that day). And the kids are getting bigger and heavier to pedal around in the Winther Kangaroo. Theo is riding much more, but not in the winter, or the pouring rain, or when the trip is longer than a few miles.
If an HourCar hub was near us on Lake St... if we still had a closer car to borrow...if the recent winter hadn't been so snowy and long....we might feel this less. Still, I think those days when we need to make those longer trips inside and just outside the city are relatively few in number, like maybe 20 extra days a year? To own a car for those extra days, would compromise so many of our prime biking days. We would lose many more biking days to driving short trips around town simply because a car was right in front of the house. We would lose out on so many days of short bike trips and the attendant surprises - a fresh breeze, a glimpse of a flying Cooper's Hawk, bike to bike conversations with the kids, etc.
The draw to have a car is so strong. Cars are embedded in American culture and individual identity. For most people, whether it be a sports car, a hybrid, or an SUV, their choice of a car sends important messages about them. They like speed, they want to be green, they want be seen as "outdoorsy". NPR's Marketplace just noted this in the beginning of a series that will be exploring the costs of car ownership over the next few weeks. I look forward to hearing that discussion. Here is the kickoff, that I paraphrased in this paragraph.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Theo joins me in 30 Days of Biking: the first 10 days
"Theo, do you want to ride your bike every day for the next 30 days?" I asked. "Sure, Dad!" Theo replies. I took the pledge for 30 Days of Biking and am so psyched that Theo, at 4 going on five, was up for it too. He rode his bike to and from school the first day when the AM temperature was 35 degrees and there were still ice patches on the sidewalk.
Day 2: Late afternoon bike ride to the nearby school park. Bobike for Henry. Kids love the Bobike, Henry is no exception.
Day 3: Family morning ride to park for Theo to play with his friend.
Day 4: "Theo do you want to ride your bike to school today?", Hillary asked. "Of course, mom, it is 30 Days of Biking!"
Day 5: I left the rusty, studded tire, sluggish winter bike (named "I.N.D.Y.": It's Not Dead Yet) in the garage and finally pulled the Italian Stallion out for the non-winter commutes. Such a nice ride! Theo made it to dinner time without riding. So we took a beautiful evening family ride around the block. Henry just loves the Bobike. He frequently says, "Henry go on Bobike" and now gets upset if we try to divert him to the Roo. In recognition of all the growing Theo has done since biking last fall, I raised his seat. He was skeptical of the need, but did not resist.
Day 6: Theo bikes the mile to and from school again today. "It's a beautiful day for a bike ride, Mommy. Boy, it's a good thing that Daddy raised my seat."
Day 7: I was blessed with a beautiful view of a Bald Eagle flying along the Mississippi River Gorge during my morning bike commute. It landed in a tree further ahead on the bike trail. I biked by it and there it was perched next to another Bald Eagle! These are the wonderful moments that come with lots of time outside
Day 8: Fun to bike with Theo to school today. He told me all about the erosion happening along the sidewalk on 31st Ave. He spotted a Robin on the corner of a building.
I arrived home from my bike commute and met up with Hillary, Theo and Henry just as they were biking home from school. Theo and I started a round of what I will call "Alley Cat". This is a "game" we started last year. It consists of biking circles and figure-eights in the alley behind our house. We wind around whatever obstacles, trash cans, parked cars, in a low grade chase. He loves it - it is a lot of fun. Here I am in hot pursuit...
Day 9: Mommy, "Theo, we need to go to the post office." Theo, "And we'll ride our bikes because it's 30 Days of Biking!"
Day 10: More "Alley Cat" for Theo and me today. It is actually a great game for practicing biking and testing your limits a bit. Theo gets to practice tight turns and the braking and control necessary for them. He has to deal with uneven surfaces and gravel. He took a spill on the gravel and luckily landed unhurt but all the better for the lesson of being extra careful with gravelly surfaces. He blamed Hillary for distracting him and causing him to fall. Another good lesson, there will always be distractions, one must stay focused despite them.
Theo is really into 30 Days of Biking. Yesterday (day 12) he, Hillary, and Henry just missed the bus to the YWCA. Theo quickly responded, "That is OK, Mommy. We can ride our bikes instead because it is 30 Days of Biking!" They had a great ride to the Y and got a bonus stop at the library on the way home.
Day 2: Late afternoon bike ride to the nearby school park. Bobike for Henry. Kids love the Bobike, Henry is no exception.
Day 3: Family morning ride to park for Theo to play with his friend.
Day 4: "Theo do you want to ride your bike to school today?", Hillary asked. "Of course, mom, it is 30 Days of Biking!"
Day 5: I left the rusty, studded tire, sluggish winter bike (named "I.N.D.Y.": It's Not Dead Yet) in the garage and finally pulled the Italian Stallion out for the non-winter commutes. Such a nice ride! Theo made it to dinner time without riding. So we took a beautiful evening family ride around the block. Henry just loves the Bobike. He frequently says, "Henry go on Bobike" and now gets upset if we try to divert him to the Roo. In recognition of all the growing Theo has done since biking last fall, I raised his seat. He was skeptical of the need, but did not resist.
Day 6: Theo bikes the mile to and from school again today. "It's a beautiful day for a bike ride, Mommy. Boy, it's a good thing that Daddy raised my seat."
Day 7: I was blessed with a beautiful view of a Bald Eagle flying along the Mississippi River Gorge during my morning bike commute. It landed in a tree further ahead on the bike trail. I biked by it and there it was perched next to another Bald Eagle! These are the wonderful moments that come with lots of time outside
Day 8: Fun to bike with Theo to school today. He told me all about the erosion happening along the sidewalk on 31st Ave. He spotted a Robin on the corner of a building.
I arrived home from my bike commute and met up with Hillary, Theo and Henry just as they were biking home from school. Theo and I started a round of what I will call "Alley Cat". This is a "game" we started last year. It consists of biking circles and figure-eights in the alley behind our house. We wind around whatever obstacles, trash cans, parked cars, in a low grade chase. He loves it - it is a lot of fun. Here I am in hot pursuit...
Day 9: Mommy, "Theo, we need to go to the post office." Theo, "And we'll ride our bikes because it's 30 Days of Biking!"
Day 10: More "Alley Cat" for Theo and me today. It is actually a great game for practicing biking and testing your limits a bit. Theo gets to practice tight turns and the braking and control necessary for them. He has to deal with uneven surfaces and gravel. He took a spill on the gravel and luckily landed unhurt but all the better for the lesson of being extra careful with gravelly surfaces. He blamed Hillary for distracting him and causing him to fall. Another good lesson, there will always be distractions, one must stay focused despite them.
Theo is really into 30 Days of Biking. Yesterday (day 12) he, Hillary, and Henry just missed the bus to the YWCA. Theo quickly responded, "That is OK, Mommy. We can ride our bikes instead because it is 30 Days of Biking!" They had a great ride to the Y and got a bonus stop at the library on the way home.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
