Here is the birthday version:
I can't help but ponder the difference between male and females here. I mean, I can't recall one time...EVER...that I had the thought to grab my Mom and see if I can lift her off the ground. I have wanted to do a makeover or two on her when I was younger and learning hair and makeup myself. I've wanted to play Scrabble with her to see if I can beat her. I think making Christmas goodies with her is a blast. I have even had the thought that it would be great fun to sing karaoke with her sometime. But pick her up? Uh...no. It is impressive that he can lift Nathan though, isn't it? I mean, just because I have no desire to do it myself, doesn't mean I can't admire it as I'm watching it.
Living the life in Virginia!
Not all of our friends love music. Some of them don't even begin to understand our love for music. It's not something we share with just anyone and everyone. And we're ok with that. But there is something nice about arriving at a concert and knowing: these are our people. We just feel at home with these people.
We are people who are moved by music. We know some music just demands that you react to it in physical ways. Music is a part of our love language for example.
Music moves us to dance. Like a crazy fool even. Because you just have to. It's just not optional!
Music brings us joy like nothing else on this earth can. And this applies to the young and the old.
It moves us to do other things too!
I'm assuming most of the people at the concert are pretty similar to us in this way, or they wouldn't be here. So that would explain why we are all consumed with what is going on while we are here.
Some of us think it's so great, it needs to be recorded and shared with others that were not so fortunate!
You gotta love technology!
Living the life in Florida!
Like wrapping and shellacking handlebars. These are the new Nitto Noodle bars on the Co-Habitant's roadbike. We have wrapped and shellacked bars so often at this point, that it's become second nature. He is the wrapper. I am the shellacker. It is satisfying to smear the amber shellac onto that pristine white tape and watch it transform into a warm caramel colour. Makes me think of candy apples.
And in case you are wondering, yes those are reindeer pajama bottoms. Très chic
For a while now, the Co-Habitant has been wanting water bottle cages on his Pashley Roadster. I thought the idea was ridiculous, until I received a few comments from male Pashley owners expressing the same desire. I guess men like bottle cages on their bikes, even on a roadster? Fair enough! For those interested, here is the Co-Habitant's DIY solution:
Yes, you are seeing what you think you are seeing: Not one, but two bottle cages mounted on the inside of the handlebars, with twined, flat-cappedKleen Kanteen bottles inside them. The bottle cages are generic bolt-ons that can be found in many bike shops for around $7 (same bottle cages as here). For the Pashley, the Co-Habitant first took them apart, shortened them so that they would not stick out too far past the handlebars (I believe the drill and superglue were used), and bolted them to the handlebars, with the bottles facing inward. Now he has direct access to water, while remaining upright.
Here is the "cockpit view". And yes, that is a cycling computer you see mounted on the stem, in between the bottle cages. On a Pashley. What can I say, the man has his quirks.
My opinion on this project? I think that if he mounted just one bottle and stopped there, it would have been successful.
With two bottles, I think he went overboard with the eccentricity factor and the bottles look like a pair of missiles. What do you think?
And if you are wondering why he did not just use one of those coffee-cup mounts that are designed for the handlebars, he did not think they were sturdy enough, or accommodating enough of different containers. I agree: These bottle cages are super-stable and the bottles do not budge or vibrate at all inside them. It is a very secure set-up, and the flasks can be filled with coffee as well as water.
While I do not agree with the choice to mount two bottles, I think that otherwise this is an innovative and practical solution. I am now considering installing a similar set-up (with just one bottle though!) on myPashley Princess.
Our lunch in Wadi Rum village and lower foto taken on the road to Wadi Rum village. The rock cliffs and rock formation become finer and stunning as we approach Wadi Rum.
Meet our cool Bedouin guide: Tyseer! I will tell more about him later =)
We had hot chicken soup for starters.
Grilled chicken flavoured with Arabic spices and herbs, and Makluba (or spelled as: Magluba, Maglouba), a typical Bedouin rice dish with meat and vegetables.
Salad (lettuce, tomatoes and cucumber) and Arabic flat bread.
Our restaurant in Wadi Rum village and the breath taking views... and this is just a teaser.
The one running the restaurant sleeps in a tent inside the restaurant! LOL, funny I thought. Up on the wall (picture frame) is King Abdullah II, King of Jordan.
It is a bicycle 
But enough rambling. I should really introduce you already. Who is this beauty, shimmering a pearlescent puke green that seems to have been custom-mixed for my bizarre aesthetic sensibilities?
Yes, who indeed?
Well, I will leave you to your own conclusions for now. But have no fear, an excruciatingly detailed post will follow. I just needed to get this off my chest. Happy weekend!
Spare bicycle parts, a restless spirit, and a willing "guinea pig" can make for a dangerous combination. In her latest reincarnation, Marianne sports VO Belleville handlebars and Dia Compe inverse brake levers - a practice run to determine how a similar set-up would feel on the Royal H. mixte.
Here are the bars and levers in all of their French glory - on a Motobecane mixte with an Ideale saddle. 
The Belleville handlebars are similar to the Porteur handlebars shown here. Both are a classic style of upright bars found on vintage French city bicycles. These bars are narrow, with long gripping areas that are nearly parallel to each other - placing the rider's hands in a position similar to holding a tray. The Bellevilles are 5cm narrower than the Porteurs (43cm vs 48cm) and are completely straight across the front (whereas the Porteurs have a slight forward sweep).
It is typical to see handlebars like this fitted with inverse brake levers. My assumption is that this is done to maximise the gripping area of the bars. Because the levers are installed at the ends, there are no interruptions along the handlebar's surface and the cyclist is free to move their hands pretty much along the entire bar.
The inverse brake levers you will find today are most likely either Tektro or Dia Compe. Here I have installed the latter, and you can see that their brown rubbery tips go nicely with twined handlebars. It surprised me to learn that some dislike the Dia Compes because of the brown tips and prefer the Tektro levers instead - which are all-metal. To me, the rubbery surface felt nice, but I suppose it isa matter of personal preference. If you have used either of these levers, I'd like to hear your thoughts.
Braking with inverse levers. I have found that I am able to get pretty good leverage almost no matter where I hold my hand along the bar, with the exception of the very front.
Can't brake from here, near the corners. But if I move my hands 1-2 inches back, it will work. This set-up is amazingly versatile in terms of the hand positions it allows.
The inverse levers are set back from the bars far enough so that they do not interfere with the grip. You can see in the pictures that they are nowhere near my knuckles. Truly a neat design.
If you are curious about this type of French set up, both the bars and the levers are surprisingly inexpensive. You will like them if you are a fan of narrow handlebars, and if you prefer to hold your hands to the sides rather than flared out or straight in front of you. I certainly fit that description, so both the Belleville and the Porteur handlebars feel as if they were made just for me. The super-wide Albatross bars were comfortable enough, but with the Bellevilles and the Porteurs I get that "spot on!" feeling. I also think that they are better match for French bicycles - especially for the Motobecane's aggressive handling.
I will pause and confess here, that this is the last change I will be making to Marianne...because she no longer belongs to me. Yes, I did sell her after all - to a lovely local woman whose acquaintance I had the pleasure of making this morning. Riding the Motobecane with the French handlebars and inverse levers yesterday, I finally felt that this bicycle was "perfect" and experienced a calm sense of satisfaction - not dissimilar to how I feel when a painting is finally "finished" or when a photograph looks just right. And after that, it finally felt appropriate to let her go. I hope the new owner enjoys her as much as I hope to enjoy my Royal H. mixte - which I will most definitely fit with a similar handlebar set-up.