Pickleball Wing Ding Tournament

Today we got up very early, so we could head over to a pickleball tournament that Rich and Donna invited us to. The tournament was at King's Point in Sun City and was called the Wing Ding Tournament. This is only the second round robin tournament we've been to, with the first being the one we hosted. It was good for me to go and play with all new people, since I tend to have this mental hangup about playing with people I don't know yet. Since we move every two to three weeks, it is not a good mental hangup to have at all.



I had fun today. I still prefer just playing with the people at Thousand Trails without the pressure of tournament play, but it was good for me in some other ways so I'm so glad I did go.



Buddy rode with us, and it gave us a chance to know him better. The people we met and played with were wonderful. I have often said the pickleball crowd has some of the nicest people we meet, and today proved that to be true.



I'm always so impressed with Austin when we go to events like this. He is so wonderful to not be intimidated about being the youngest person, the youngest player and the only one under 18. I'm not sure I'd have been able to do that at all at his age!

The weather was fabulous, which just made the day all the more wonderful. Now I'm off to ice my ankle, which is swollen since I ever so gracefully twisted it and fell. Nothing major, just enough to remind me that I'm no longer 20.Living the life in finally warm Florida!

Seeing What We Want to See

To a large extent, we all shape our own experiences of reality: We see the things we want to see and block out the things that do not fit our world view.

Walking home yesterday afternoon, I was amused to notice how much I tend to do this even when it comes to bicycles.

Both Vienna and Boston are full of generic modern unremarkable bikes, yet the ones I pay attention to are the classic and vintage bikes.

And since I notice these more, in my subsequent memories they are the ones that play a starring role in the city's "velo life".

In a similar fashion, I tend to pay lots of attention to architecture I like and ignore all the "ugly" stuff right next to it. As a result, a city or a neighborhood might consist entirely of beautiful architecture in my memories.

There are countless examples of this of course, and unless we point and shoot in a random direction we cannot take a picture without revealing our subjective biases. Our pictures reflect how we want to see and remember things rather than how they actually are. For example, several readers have pointed out to me that my "street scenes" tend to be miraculously free of cars, and indeed I seem to frame photos so as to avoid them. There is just something about modern cars that is not photogenic: they detract from the feel of the city landscape.

Bicycles, on the other hand, seem to enrich it - especially when the bicycles are nice and the cyclists are well dressed. Yes, that is a Hassidic Jew cycling through Vienna - who clearly has no problem cycling in a suit.

And here is a couple, cycling into the sunset idyllically. While of course I did not stage these scenes, you could say that I chose to notice them out of the many alternative scenes I could have noticed instead.

So, what is my point? Only that life can be filled with golden sunsets and lovely bicycles if we want it to - even on those days when it's not.

Vegan Options for Classic Saddles

[image via somafab.com]

Though I am personally not against using animal products, some of my friends and readers are - which makes bicycle saddle purchases especially difficult for them. The problem is the basic construction of the saddles: There simply aren't any vegan options on the market today that are made in the same manner as suspended leather saddles, whereby a tough yet breathable material is stretched over metal railings like a hammock. So, what is the next best thing in terms of construction? Since saddle preferences are highly personal, I can only tell you what works for me, and hopefully it will be useful to some of you as well.If not suspended leather, then the next best thing for me is anergonomically-shapedsaddle that is a hard plastic shell, covered with a thin layer of synthetic material and very minimal padding in between. I prefer this construction by far over heavy padding or gel, which I find completely unridable. A number of experienced cyclists, such as Jon Forester, recommend these hard saddles over padded ones - the reasoning being, that the padding/gel bunches up under your sitbones and becomes uncomfortable over the course of a ride, whereas a hard plastic support with minimal padding holds up your weight equally.



[image viasomafab.com]

For roadbikes, there are several vegan options available as far as these types of saddles go. Notably, SOMA has recently released the Okami series (above, and the previous image), which comes in black, white, and embossed floral "synthetic leather," with copper-plated rivets. I've heard good things about this saddle, though I personally have not tried it. And it certainly looks classic.



[image via tokyofixedgear.com]

The Japanese manufacturer Kashimax has recently re-issued several colourful models in this tradition, many of which are vegan (just look for the models labeled "plastic" rather than "suede"). Though theKashimaxsaddles look scary-long and uncushioned, I've tried one on a friend's bike and really liked it.

[image via cinelli.it]

Another all-plastic option is the Cinelli Unicanitor re-issue - "the first saddle with a plastic shell in the history of cycling".

[image via cinelli.it]

And a limited edition Barry McGee version, covered with a lightly padded synthetic leather.

[image via chari &co]

Two Italian manufacturers have re-issued their original versions of these classic saddles as well. Selle Italia has released several versions of the classic "Turbo" model. I have ridden on several vintage Turbo saddles and loved them, so this would probably my vegan saddle of choice for a roadbike. There is something about the squarish back, the sloping sides and the down-turned nose that I find very comfortable.

[image via sellesanmarco.it]

The Concor release by Selle San Marco is a similar design to the Turbo, though I have not tried these personally. And SOMA's Ta-Bois yet another version.



[image via selleroyal.com]

Now, as far as saddles for upright bicycles go, I am not really sure what to tell you. I have not found a good vegan alternative to a sprung leather saddle, so these are more like "the lesser evil" suggestions. The Ondina model by Selle Royal (above image) is a mattress-style saddle. It is more evenly padded than other models I've tried, and resists bunching up. I have ridden on this saddle and thought it was fine for a short urban ride.



[image via lepper.nl]

I have also tried the mattress-styleLepper saddles (which come standard on many Dutch bikes), and those are similar to the Selle Royal, though with a more boxy profile. They are also usually quite heavy and the springs are enormous.



[image viaelectrabike.com]



Electra offers a number of vintage-inspired saddles that look the part, and aren't as horrendously over-padded as others I've seen - including these narrower styles that would work well on a mixte.

[image via electrabike.com]

Electra alsosells a lot of colourful models that could work well on a traditional bike. After all, a classic look does not necessarily need to imitate leather.

[image via nirve.com]

The cruiser manufacturer Nirve offers a number of traditional styles as well, including the riveted saddle pictured above and a number of floral-embossed models.

[image vianirve.com]

And another classic design by Nirve, with the "diamond" pattern popular on cruisers. If you are going for looks alone, there is a great deal to choose from between Nirve and Electra, but ride quality reports for these vary considerably.

If you have experience with any of the saddles listed here, please share your thoughts. And if you have other vegan alternatives to recommend for those who do not wish to buy leather saddles, your suggestions would be much appreciated.

Underneath the Pavement

Though it's been a week since the Vermont Fall Classic, I still cannot post a report. My heart is too full; this is a ride that requires some emotional rest and distance before it can be put into words. But privately some of us have been discussing it, rehashing it, testing the accuracy of our own memories by comparing them against the memories of others'. And one topic that's come up is the quality of the dirt. A few of us noticed that it was differed from our local dirt, and different from the dirt we rode in previous events. At the D2R2 in Massachusetts and Southern Vermont, the unpaved roads were a dark brown earthy colour that turned muddy when wet. At the Kearsarge Classic in New Hampshire, the terrain was rocky. The dirt roads in Northern Vermont were a light grayish-tan, almost clay-like in consistency, dusty and tightly packed except for a thin top layer that was soft from the rains of previous days. When it began to rain again, this top layer turned liquid, but not muddy exactly. It was thinner than mud, less viscous. I was certain it was some type of clay. Others thought it was more sand-like. A rider who often cycles in upstate New York then described the dirt roads there, which are reddish clay and leave a pink residue over everything. Fascinated by these nuances, we admitted that we never gave them much thought until now.




All of this makes me realise just how unfamiliar so many of us are with the actual soil we live on. Paved roads have defined and homogenised our landscape for so long, that we hardly consider what lies beneath. Do most of us even know what our local streets would look like unpaved? The streets in the next town over? Can most of us determine what a particular type of soil is by looking at it or feeling it? I was in touch with these things when I lived in the countryside, had a garden, walked in the woods, but living in the city has distanced me from that awareness. Now cycling on dirt through different parts of New England has reminded me just how important it is. I'd like to learn more about our region's terrain, about what lies underneath the pavement. I don't ever want to lose that connection again.

Uphill track!

I'm alive and on the uphill track! It is a good start for the rest.

Two Fellows Home From Camp Taylor

Columbia City Post, Whitley County, Indiana
Saturday ~ December 29, 1917

Vic Phend and Earl Bordner are both home for short furloughs from Camp Zachary Taylor, Louisville, Ky. The former came Thursday evening. He is in the engineers and likes his work very much. He has grown heavier, weighing about one hundred and eighty pounds and he looks every inch a man now. Earl Bordner is in the medical detachment of the engineers and he, too, has benefited by his training. He is a half inch taller and is also heaver. He will be here until Tuesday, visiting with his father, R. J. Bordner, and others.

Grandpa (Rolland Victor Phend) enlisted in the Army on September 19, 1917 and went as a 'substitute' for someone else. He was 24 years old at the time and about six feet tall. He often commented that he thought he had gotten 'special' treatment because he was an enlistee rather than a draftee. He attained the rank of Sergeant and served in England and France as a member of the 309th Engineers. Though he never said anything about being in combat he was gassed while on a patrol and suffered for many years as a result. At one point the doctors said he wouldn't last six months. He fooled them all by living until the day before his 98th birthday! Mom says she remembers, when she was little, that he often slept sitting up in a chair because he couldn't breathe if he laid down. He received a very small disability pension. At one point when he was in his 80's, the government decided that he was no longer disabled and took away his meager pension. He contacted one of our senators (I don't know which one) and after some delay, his pension was restored.

Inflight Entertainment

Leaving for Austria again, I bought the new Bike Snob book to read on the plane in hopes of distracting myself from my terror of flying. I like the BikeSnobNYC blog, but what made me buy the book was Grant Petersen's review on Rivendell's website. I have to admit that I am a sucker for Grant Petersen's writing and find myself reading all sorts of things he wrote that I have no interest in, just for the narration. If he wrote a 2-page description of bathroom tiles, I'd probably read it. His enticing endorsement of the book put me over the edge.

And if this isn't proof of the existence of the Collective Unconscious, I don't know what is: No sooner did I stuff Bike Snob into my carry-on, then mention of me appeared on his blog. Scroll down to the bit about the Boston Globe story on sweat stains and fabrics with patterns. Right...

Bike Snob proved useful during my flight, as I was seated between two mothers with babies on their laps. The babies not only wailed for the duration of the flight, but now and again would reach out to pull my hair, poke my eye, or chew on my jacket. Noticing this, the mothers would smile at me generously - as if to say: "As a female of childbearing age, surely you must be delighted at the opportunity to interact with babies!" Trying not to start wailing myself, I took deep breaths and concentrated on Bike Snob.

If I had to use one word to describe the book it would be "heartwarming". It is gently humorous, and reading it feels like wrapping yourself in a warm and fuzzy sweater with cute little patterns of bicycles all over it. Though Bike Snob argues that there is no such thing as "bike culture," he contradicts himself by creating a sense of one - to the extent of even referring to cyclists as a distinct breed of people. He also contradicts himself by railing against the fetishisation of the cycling experience, only to go on and fetishise the heck out of it himself in later chapters. I am pretty certain that these contradictions are intentional, meant to illustrate his own hopeless love for bicycles and to demonstrate that he too is susceptible to the very things he mocks.

As for the contents, they are surprisingly straightforward. The chapters address such topics as bicycle history, bicycle ownership, bicycle maintenance, and road rules. There is also a part on "Velo-Taxonomy" where he categorises cyclists into various types and explains the differences in detail. According to his taxonomy, I would be a hybrid between the "Retrogrouch", the "Lone Wolf", and the "Beautiful Godzilla" (though the only thing in common I have with the latter is the type of bicycle I ride).

The Bike Snob book is generously illustrated, in a manner that evokes Kurt Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions and Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince. The design and layout make the pages almost seem edible. In a way, the presentation can be described as having a pre-packaged "cult status feel." Whether the book will actually attain cult status, only time will determine.

In other velo-news I can report from my travels, I saw these neat bicycles during my layover in Frankfurt Airport. These bikes have fenders, dynamo hub lighting, a the double-legged kickstand, a bell, a Basil front basket, a Pletscher rear rack, Schwalbe tires, and what appear to be license plates. From what I could tell, they are for the airport employees and not for flight passengers. Too bad, I would have liked to ride one around the airport!

Smorgasbord of upcoming trips to the Middle and Far East

Next weekend I will be flying to the FAR EAST to visit family. This will be a grand time spending precious time with my loved ones and travelling with them as well. My parents are getting old—my dad turns 70 and the family will be holding a big feast for him, hence this trip. My mom cannot travel long distance as well to visit me because of her health, so we recently made a pact that we’ll just travel locally, within the Asian region, as long as it’s not a flight of more than 4 hours.



Family is important and when you live across the globe, those few moments every year when visiting should be well spent.



So here’s my a lil bit crazy travel itinerary:



DUBAI, United Arab Emirates







I have never been to Dubai so I am very excited for this stop over. I will be staying a night and a whole day in Dubai and have already mapped out my agenda. I even booked an afternoon tea at the Skyview Bar of the only 7-star luxury hotel in the world (I know there is no such thing), Burj Al Arab! I cannot wait!



Also, I am quite relieved that the Dutchman is not travelling with me this time because in Dubai you can get in prison for giving a peck on the cheek to your other half or even just by mere holding hands! And its Ramadan so they are uber strict. You know, I cannot get off my hands from the Dutchman.



SINGAPORE







Will be staying a few days with the sister who lives in sunny Singapore. I will do the rounds while she works during the day. In the evening we’ll paint the town red. Wait, I think I am too old for that.



This is going to be 2 trips to Singapore and I'm crafting my agenda to cover many things to see and do, stuff that I have missed since my last visit several years ago.



CEBU, Philippines!







Ah, my home (is)land. Daddy’s big party -- he turns 70! This is going to be a massive family reunion as well. I am really curious about my relatives from both sides of extended families. How they look like now, how they are now, their kids, what they are busy with now, etcetera. I do have good relationship with a few of my cousins but for the rest, I haven’t seen them for a very long time. I was 21 years old when I left Cebu (I am 43 now), thus I rarely joined extended family gatherings.



I just realised that I have lived more than half of my life on earth outside Cebu. That is a milestone.



HONGKONG SAR







A week (well 5 days) in this busy metropolis with mom, dad and my sister. Brother and his family will not be joining because someone needs to run the business at home and pay for this trip, haha. The last time I was in this city was 11 years ago. That long.



MACAU SAR







The perfect side trip from Hongkong, but what I am really thrilled is the Portuguese Pastel de Nata (egg tart) and the bakeries in Macau are selling them. They are sooooooooo good.



Macau was once a Portuguese colony.



MALACCA, KUALA LUMPUR & CAMERON HIGHLANDS in Malaysia







A road trip with my mom! And oh, driving right hand on the left hand side of the road is going to be a bit of a challenge I am sure! Not panicking =)



We will see a little bit of culture and history in Malacca. I read that this used to be under Dutch territory so I am quite curious to see some Dutch architecture and influence in this city. KL for a quick stop over to admire the Petronas Towers, then we head off to the Cameron Highlands for some nature tripping and a lovely cup of tea in the middle of the luscious tea plantation. I heard they have a strawberry farm there as well.



So much to look forward to with the family.



July-August

Asia Travel

Venetian Lagoon Island: Lunch in Burano

We had lunch in Burano Island in a restaurant called, Bar Sport. A very interesting name for a restaurant I reckon. We sat outside of course.



Blondine had Pasta al Frutti di Mari while my lunch was typically Italian vegetarian--grilled vegies: peppers, aubergine and courgette, and green rucola and tomato salad on the side as well which we shared a bit. I love vegies, I can eat them every day.



The restaurant was quite busy, it was prime time lunch that they forgot to serve my grilled vegies on time. So I had to ask them about it and I had to WAIT longer. Good thing that I ordered a green salad so I started my lunch with it.



The prices were fairly decent though compared to Venice (obviously because this is in the islands, it is outside Venice) but Blondine was less pleased with her pasta. However, she only has great praises for the desserts. She ate mine as well as I cannot stand the sweetness!



So the verdict. 3.5 stars out of 5. Except for the desserts, I think Blondine will rate them 5 stars.



Beside the restaurant we found this cute cat sitting on the window sill. We tried to harass the cat but she was in her own world.



Our trip to Burano was lovely. We loved every minute of it. The charming and brightly coloured houses are one of a kind. They are so un-Venetian.

Just Hangin'

We have finally hung the Motobecanes up on the wall and cleared up some floor-space in my art studio. Now there are "only" four bicycles there: the Pashleys and the vintage DL-1s. It is not a large studio by any means; I have no idea how we managed to store six bicycles there. At least now these two are suspended from hooks in the bedroom.

I think the Motobecanes look rather nice here. The door on the left is a closet, and yes the positioning of my mixte makes the closet impossible to open without taking the bike down. That is okay, because it is a long-term storage closet and we only open it occasionally. There was no other place to hang the bikes in the entire apartment; the rest of our wallspace is covered with book-cases.

We used common 5" threaded, ruberised hooks that you can easily find at any bike shop. They are intended for wood, and you need to be sure that you are screwing them into wooden beams and not drywall. Also, this probably goes without saying, but this method is not intended for extremely heavy bicycles, such as Dutch bikes or English Roadsters. Our vintage roadbikes are around 30lbs each, and I would not go much beyond that weight.

We like these hooks because they are sturdy, yet unobtrusive. We did not really feel drawn to bike trees and funky wall-mounting systems, as those tend to clash with the delicate ecosystem of our dwelling's aesthetic. With these minimalist hooks, the bikes remain the focus of attention, like fine pieces of art. Incredibly imposing art.

Walk on the Desert

went for a walk on the desert the other day and saw some interesting plants. The dogs trailed something that was most likely a rabbit. Was a nice day.