Pickleball for Paws Tournament

Today we drove down to Peace River TT's in Wauchula to participate in a tournament. This was a special one because it was a charity fundraiser. Rich and Donna Donald are the ones who put this tournament on. They did a wonderful job and raised a lot of money and supplies for a local animal shelter.

Raccoons

We did see some of the wildlife in the area while walking along the warf in Port Angeles. Of course there are raccoons in all areas of the U.S. - or so it seems, but they are kind of cute, even if an unwanted pest most of the time. This mama coon was teaching her 2 babies how to beg behind a cafe. Not a good idea but we couldn't resist taking their photos. We, also, saw several Canadan geese flying over the water.

Bella Ciao Superba: Ready and Available!

Fashionably late and appropriately glamorous, the Bella Ciao Superba is here! I was nervous up till the moment I saw it, but the bicycle is perfect. The pre-ordered bikes should be off to their owners very soon.



To recap for new readers, this is the result of a collaboration between myself and Bella Ciao, and you can read about it here and here. Twelve bikes were made as a special edition and they are available exclusively at Harris Cylery in West Newton, MA. I know that a good portion of them have already been sold, so please check with Harris for availability. The price is $1,495. I am not the one selling the bicycles (and I do not receive commission on the ones sold), so please contact Harris directly with all sales inquiries.



The Bella CiaoSuperba frames were handmade in Italy, using Columbus Thron tubing. The frame size is 54cm, with 700C wheels. Tires are the cream Schwalbe Delta Cruisers, 700Cx35mm. The wheelsets are proprietary to Bella Ciao, made inhouse.



The Superba includes all the components and accessories pictured here, which I will detail below. It is a 3-speed bicycle with a rear coaster brake and front handbrake, internally routed dynamo lighting front and rear, leather Brookssaddle, natural cork grips, chaincase, and a handmade rear rack.



The stainless steel racks were designed by me and handmade in Dorcester, Massachusetts by Trimount Ironworks. They are rated to carry 18kg (40lb) of weight, provide attachment for bungee cords, and will accommodate a variety of pannier systems.



There is a provision for attaching a battery-operated tail light to the rack, for those who wish to supplement the dynamo lighting.



One thing I like about the stainless rack with its thin tubing, is that it has the effect of being "invisible" on the bike. I've played around with a number of different racks, and this definitely suits the bicycle best. I may write a separate post about the rack design in the near future.



The high-polished alloy handlebars are made by Bella Ciao. I would describe them as a hybrid between North Road and Porteur style bars, and they are possibly my favourite handlebars on the market today.



The bike is fitted with natural Portuguese cork grips from Rivendell and elegant Tektro city brake levers. The cork grips will be left unfinished, but they can be shellacked by the owner - which will make them darker. The brake lever can be placed either on the right or on the left.



Brass bell, of course.



The dynamo-powered lighting is by the German manufacturer Buechel.



It looks fairly classic and unobtrusive, and works nicely.



The dynamo hub is Shimano. The wiring is routed externally up the fork, then internally through the frame, exiting through one of the chainstays.



Sturmey Archer3-speed coaster brake hub.



Front caliper brake.



Brown Brooks B72 saddle.



Non-slip platform pedals.



And the fork ends/dropouts (I like to remove those black dust caps, but forgot to do it here). You can also see the bungee cord attachment point on the rack here.



The colour of the bike as it shows up in the pictures here is fairly accurate. It is not the same colour as my own bike, but a more vibrant, saturated pastel green. If you have any questions about the features, I will be glad to answer them here. I hope that the owners of these bicycles will be pleased with them - I am very happy with how they came out. There is some talk of more bikes, but nothing is certain yet - so your thoughts are welcome. Many thanks to Bella Ciao again for the opportunity to work on this project, and many thanks to Harris Cycley for all of their help.

Spider Web Plumeria

Some strands of spider silk cross a petal of a plumeria.

Diana and Krystal in the Tournament

First, let's talk about the ladies. Diana and I paired up together. We played four games. We played hard.

We played well as a team.

We were happy with how we did today.

We ended up in the championship game for our bracket. We won Runner Up position. Considering that three out of four of our games were against two men, I was thrilled!

These were the winners in our bracket:

Congratulations guys! You played a great game against us.



Thank you, Diana, for playing with me. That is the most fun that I've had in a tournament to date.

Kitten in a TrashCan

Fade to Black

[image via National Library NZ]

For as long as I can remember, the idea of Black Friday has sort of frightened me. The name sounds so dark and sinister - like a day of mourning rather than a day of shopping. And the reports in recent years of shoppersgetting crushedto death in stampedes have only strengthened that association. The possibility of someone wanting to save money on something so badly, that they are willing to wake up at 4 am, stand in line waiting for a store's doors to open, and then... walk over bodies in a rush to get to it, is upsetting. What can inspire that kind of drive for acquisition? - a laptop? a beautiful dress? a bicycle? Or just the very notion that "stuff is on sale today" and that "the thing to do is to go out and get those deals"? Year after year, I find myself recoiling from those messages -not so much in protest against consumerism, as in protest against being expected to blindly follow those crude marketing tactics.



[image via radlmax]

I want to be free to do as I like with my holiday weekend, and I don't want to becontrolled by a vague, socially-induced fear of missing out on a bargain.I will buy the stuff I needwhenI need it. "Black Friday" can fade to black; I am off to enjoy my day!

Aquatica Water Park

Today we hit the water park. This is the warmest day we've had in some time, so we took full advantage of it.

Coming attractions

Many have risen...



... but few have budded.

(Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica.)



Shy ones have been spotted, but their lips are sealed.

(Trailing Trillium, Trillium decumbens.)



Mouthy little things, they'll soon be chewing the scenery everywhere you look.

(Toothwort, Cardamine sp.)



Tired of worn winter clothing, some are already sprouting new duds.

(Stoneseed, Lithospermum tuberosa.)



Still sleeping, but last year's faded poster marks the spot of exciting future installments.

(Foamflower, Tiarella cordifolia.)