Dancing Gypsies

Farewell to the city I love...

Summer is best in Chicago.

There may not be mountains or canyons, but there's biking along the Lake shore, Millennium concerts, late night cycling, Critical Mass, gardening, harvesting, the Sunday Market, neighborhood festivals, the smell of barbeque, potlucks with neighbors, walks along the beach, quick swims on a hot day mid-cycling, only to get back on your bike and continue on, the bonds of friendship that regrow during the summer months as friends resurface from our cold weather hibernation. The Windy City will be missed for the next couple months as this chica is Italia-bound! (Voice, I miss you too! Please return!)

Ohhh, and so much thanks to Dad for looking after Themba, Ruth for watching Flave and Gideon II, Anne for watering my plants, Matthew for tending to our community garden plot, Pam for her schedule flexibility, Amy for the lovely Buon Viaggio mix of tunes, Dirk for all his European advice and guidance, Joan and Bill for a good read, Nancy for the ride to the airport, Jackie at REI for all the packing advice, Eunice and Jill for letting me borrow ELL teaching supplies, Dale for readying my bike for riding in August, and everyone else who shared in the abroad anticipation.

Until soon, ciao ciao...

Uptown girl

"One less car"

Uptown Bikes made my day. This bike shop is run by rad chicas. Maria explained they use this to ride their recyclables to the neighborhood bins. They're going to give my Austrian-born, Cilantro, a little make-over soon. Yay!

They let me ride around Uptown on a KHS - though this is the bike I ride in my dreams - while she was getting her check-up. No offense my sweet Cilantro.

KHS and Alternatives. I love this mosaic by Ginny Sykes.

Pieces of me.

Cilantro...

...my green accessory for the day!

Highlights include, a fellow cyclist passing me saying, "Nice weather!" (or was it, "Nice leather"??), and Dr. K taking Cilantro for a spin (and then offering to buy me a new bike.)

Miss Thang

Cilantro's back in action!

Cycle Recycle

As part of the Peace on Earth Film Festival this weekend, a wonderful documentary called Cycle Recycle: Economic Development in Sierra Leone (by Greg Sucharew), was shown highlighting the amazing work done by the non-profit, Pedals for Progress. They collect bicycles (and sewing machines!) headed for landfills and pass them along to countries where they will be valued, and subsequently provide transportation, sustainable community development, independence...all sorts of important stuff. Maya Pedal in Guatemala also provides similar support to its communities. Tom at Bike Juju posts about his travels abroad and the use of bicis everywhere...so encouraging and hopeful to know there's such amazing efforts out there.