Huckleberry Friends

Happy Holidays!

Here is a picture of my last ride from the Ferry Building Farmer's Market the day before we moved to Mill Valley. Isn't our tree the cutest? And I pedaled her home myself!

Why did I think it was a good idea to move the day after a craft fair, and 10 days before Christmas? It's been hectic, but so nice to be in our new apartment with the view of the redwood grove. I made my first Christmas dinner, had family over, and a really nice day. Isabel is crazy about her new wooden train and babbling up a storm. It is a delight to see her interacting with her grandparents and being a completely different person than she is with us. She is starting to have her own life, separate from us. 

Today was crazy shopping for our brunch tomorrow (it's my birthday and our housewarming!). Hopefully hubby will take picture for me to share with you.

I hope everyone has a peaceful holiday season.

I hate you ... give me that camera (and I'm missing my bike / child-less self)

Toddlers are just like teenagers, but without the hormones.

Isabel is learning to use a spoon, but insists on scooping up her food and then upending the spoon to get the contents into her mouth. Of course, the spoon fits better when it is upside down because it conforms to the tongue, but the food gets everywhere. I try to show her the correct way, but she insists on her way. The trouble is, she gives me this really smug 13-year-old look when she scoops food in upside down, as if to say: "see, I know the RIGHT way to do this." All the while, I am holding the bowl under her mouth to catch the food she spills.

I have this clear vision into the future (when she is a teen) of the same look on her face as she "proves" that she is right again about something. I realize that my role as her mother is to empower her ability to control her life, all while holding the bowl under her mouth to catch her food. I hope I can always be there to help her learn and figure out her messes.

I took the photo as she was scooping upside down, but as soon as she saw the camera, she started crying for it. When I put it away, she recommenced eating. Such a toddler!

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If my writing is illegible in any way, it is because I have had over 1/2 bottle of wine, which is a lot for me. I am so sad that I finally sold my bike, Daisy, today. I sold it to a very nice couple from Mill Valley, and she will be ridden, but I miss her so much. She reminds me of what I miss most about NYC - my commute along the Hudson River Parkway. One of the most beautiful commutes in the world. I know Northern CA is very beautiful, but you do not have the architecture mixed with nature on your bike paths. I'm feeling very sad for my lost time alone on a bike that I love. So, I am listening to the songs I used to listen to on my daily rides and feeling very lonely for that bit of myself that got lost when I became a mother. Songs like this on the stereo now ... "Barracuda" ... how can a mother listen to that like a single woman would? With a little bit of jealousy of that single woman, that's how. Oh, if I could only live my 20's and early 30's over again!

I can't believe I had to sell my bike - I feel like I sold myself.

Bakfiet = Freedom

Sorry to be so out of touch lately (I have many emails to return) but we did not have internet for a while, and I've been trying to find my groove in SF with a toddler, husband on the job hunt and starting my own business.

Okay, this post is about my new love. If you are a bike geek, read on. If not, your eyes will glaze over so you might as well ignore this.

I love bikes. Anyone who knows me, knows this. Bikes are all about freedom, political smugness, environmental responsibility, ease of mobility and, most importantly, having fun like a little kid. But I am also paranoid about safety (too many broken bones and hospital stays for this not to be the case), so I never wanted a kid bike seat or trailer for Isabel. Enter the bakfiet, my new Daisy Bike. She holds 200 lbs in the front box and 80 lbs on the back rack. She is the station wagon of our family. Yesterday, we came home from the farmer's market with the following in the box:

 - Isabel

 - Stroller

 - Diaper Bag

 - 3 big bags of groceries

 - water bottles, hats, jackets and toys

This was so easy! I hardly felt the weight. If we had to take public transportation, I would have been miserable because it would have been too much to carry. If we even had a car, we still would have had to schlep everything to the parking lot and then deal with being cooped up in a glass and metal box in traffic (I REALLY hate cars a lot and always dread being stuck in one). But with the bike, we carried our goods to the bike rack, loaded up, and chatted to the hoards of people asking questions about it. Most people get very excited about this bike, from other commuter cyclists and fixed geared hipsters, to construction workers in big trucks. Everyone can see how much fun it is. 

I really believe that if we can make the roads feel safer to people, this type of bike will be the future of our cities. And I mean that people only need to FEEL safer because once you get more people on bikes, then all of the cyclists really are safer because car drivers and city officials became used to bikes and work with us. I want to see a day when getting around by cargo bike instead of car is boring, not a traffic stopper.

Okay, back to the fun. In the photo above, you can see Isabel and Roxie going for a ride along Mission Creek, near where we live. I would love to live in one of those houseboats behind us, but that is a different post. Isabel loves the bike, but Roxie is going to take some convincing. Once she realizes that it is her ticket to the beach, she will relax.

And yes, the bike handles very easily. Much easier than I thought it would. Because of it's weight, once it gets going, it is very easy to keep it going at speed, even when fully loaded. Hills are more of a problem, but we modify where we go. Living along the Embarcadero is easy because it is flat and traffic is not too bad. We ride every day. Even if just to the playground. I am always so happy when on my bike and love that I can share this love with my daughter.

I am also posting this on my new blog: http://www.huckleberry-friends.net/sfbakfiet/. My goal with this new blog is to spread the word about bakfiets in SF, but also to find the other 8-9 bakfiet owners in SF and have them post their experiences to the blog as well. Changing the world, one pedal turn at a time.

Ride on!

Bikes

Tuesday was probably my last day riding my bike to work due to family work schedules and child care. I am very sad about it because my bike commute was one of the best things about living in NYC. We live in Inwood, at the very top of Manhattan and I work in SoHo, about 12.5 miles away. Yes, that is a 25 mile round trip and it is stunning. There is a bike path along the Hudson River that 24 of those miles are on. The path has trees, birds, lots os cyclists (obviously), joggers, dogs. It is really beautiful to ride along a river surrounded by trees. Parts of it run along the West Side Highway, so I get my share of cars, but I hardly have to ride in traffic. This ride is so beautiful! And so much more relaxing than the loud, smelly, crowded subway car that I'm stuck in right now. I love public transportation, but I loathe the NYC subway system.

But this post is about bikes. I love bikes. I love the way they make my body feel all stretched out and fluidly strong. I never feel more relaxed or happy than on a day when I have ridden. I love riding in the quiet mornings when I can hear all the steel (yes steel) parts doing their work. I love how friendly all the cyclists are in the mornings and say hello to each other. Why doesn't this happen in the afternoons? Are people so grumpy after work?

I love my bike, a beautiful Rivendell Atlantis. If you know this bike, you know why I love to ride. If you don't, imagine driving a perfectly tuned old Mercedes where everything is heavy and solid and works perfectly. I will go to cycling hell for comparing a bike to a car, but I can't think of anything better to compare.

When we move to SF next month (!!!), I want to buy a Bakfiet cargo bike so Isabel can go on all of my rides with me. Since we cannot afford another expensive bike, I will have to sell my Atlantis. This is another reason why my last commute makes me so sad. I so love my bike, Daisy.

But I will love riding around SF with my daughter even more. What is Dutch for Daisy? And how on earth do I get an electric assist for my new bike? Those SF hills!