Independently Muggy and Restless

July 2, 2020

Sincerest salutations from the summery midwestern part of US.

I hope that you are doing well.  It seems like a lot of people are getting outside to public lakes and other public recreational venues to enjoy the summery weather.  Possibly also because there aren’t as many options as there used to be for summer fun.  

Snot Jr. and I had a nice time out on our inflatable 2-person kayak, Floatie, on Zorinsky Lake a weekend or so ago.  We went over to the west side where we saw a couple of basking reptiles but did not get quite close enough for a good photo

and got away from some of the grumpy fishermen in a 16-foot Lund (or similar) who were being territorial near the aqua underpass (i.e., bridge?).  I have no idea where I might have gotten this complex/neurosis, but I tend to bristle just a bit when someone in a larger, motorized vehicle comments on the legality of the actions of someone in a smaller, human-powered vehicle. If I don’t physically bump into your ridiculous-for-the-midwest aqua-vehicle or have a stereo cranked with my sweet paddling playlist, then I don’t feel your commentary is warranted.  Well, I guess maybe many of us are more irritable than usual these days.  This place is like a tinderbox and a lot of people are setting off some fireworks and/or smoking something.  

In the meantime, I have been riding my bicycle at slightly different times than usual.  I noticed a few things that I might not have noticed during my former usual bicycling schedule.  Here is a communal swallow colony nesting site under the overpass I frequently ride under.  

I’d never even noticed them over there before!

Also, here’s some commentary about the weather we’ve been experiencing lately.

And the mulberries are plentiful and delicious and there weren’t any other foragers out there to compete with.  

Yum!

Well, the headset fix on ye Olde Bastarde lasted quite awhile (approximately 12.5 months), but now the upper adjustable cup is cracked and the grease is kind of oozing out.  

So I will see if I can track down a replacement part.  It looks like Universal Cycle has a $12 (+$6.50) threaded headset that might work. If that doesn’t work, I think my next option may be getting new headset cups pressed into place, which involves using a couple tools that I do not have (a headset cup remover and a headset cup press). So I guess I might just take that down to ye olde bike shop and politely request that they take care of it.  

Here is an exciting story about a Harvard University ornithology professor who is bicycling across the U.S. and who is also acting as a kind of diplomat/spokesperson for the Black Lives Matter movement.  He appears to be riding a Surley (possibly a Long Haul Trucker?) and you can even follow his journey on his Twitter account:  @ScottVEdwards1

Awesome! 

Well, that bring us to the close of this edition of BSO.  Wishing you and your friend(s) a happy Independence Day and/or weekend/weekday.

Love,

BSO