I sit at my kitchen table on this overcast Sunday morning, warmed by tea and sheepskin slippers and classical music. My body feels strong and efficient and accomplished. Part of this grounded peaceful feeling has to do with eating healthy and maintaining an active body and mind. But mostly, it’s because I’m a two-wheeled evangelist. … Continue reading
When the sun shines around here, everything seems to glow. Even the asphalt, seemingly emotionless, takes on a surreal quality, an exaggerated essence that makes us question- have I ever seen a building/bridge/tree/flower/stop sign that beautiful? It was like this a couple weekends ago. The plants in my garden exuded happiness. They stretched up tall … Continue reading
It’s a circus, this orchestrated morning commute. Unrehearsed, impromptu, unanticipated encounters with strangers. You never know who you will see, pass by, or almost collide with on your route. You never know which butt you will end up looking at, who’s looking at yours, or who will decide you’re going too slow and pass you … Continue reading
I often write poems when I’m on my bike. It’s so easy to let words and phrases roll around in my head, the cadence of stanzas and sets of words mimic-ing the rhythm of my legs going up and down, up and down. The straining of my muscles, the relaxation of my brain, as the … Continue reading
Living in such a bike-centric city, I am grateful that there are so many places for cyclists such as myself to safely recreate and commute. From a myriad of bike lanes and bike “routes” such as SE Ankeny, SE Harrison/Lincoln, the riverfront Esplanade, Hewett Blvd, and Terwilliger Blvd, among many more, Portland is a wonderful … Continue reading
Portlanders, as a whole, have been defined and stereotyped by many iconic actions, most publicly in recent months by the IFC show “Portlandia.” In my experience, acting like a “Portlander” is more of a feeling, an abstract state of mind, than concrete actions, but nevertheless, there are many things that most Portlanders have been identified … Continue reading
in the midst 