July 10, 2021
Hello,
I hope you are as good as it gets! I am doing quite well, thanks for asking. It has certainly been awhile, but you and I have both been busy. Maybe we should get together for a nice cup of coffee sometime soon, just like in the olden days!?
Times and priorities change, I’ve noticed. Here are a few examples:
I’ve dragged my family with me to vacation down in Branson, MO a couple times. Speaking strictly for me, they were both great vacations. However, my friend and bicycling mentor Rich recently extolled the many virtues of vacationing in Bentonville, AR, so I may give that a try sometime. So that would be different. I love vacations and I hope you’ve been able to enjoy one or maybe plan one recently. On a recent short vacation to Chicago, I enjoyed using the Divvy/Lyft bicycle rental system.
The one by the hotel was empty by the time I decided I should take a spin, but they were everywhere and there was a map showing locations at the informative billboard by the hotel kiosk. Although I neglected to record and forgot my passcode after the first use, I eventually realized I could just put my credit card back in the card reader at one of the kiosks and they gave me a new code to get another bike! Plus my second bike had some kind of variable speed transmission thing
that enabled me to pedal at whatever specific cadence I felt was optimal! I rode for maybe 12 miles and scoped out a busy beach, a bird haven,
Soldier Field, and the outside of a few museums.
I also took a walk and snapped a photo of the place where I purchased my first camera, a Nikon N2020 with a 28-75 zoom lens back when I was an aspiring artist enrolled at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Although my photography professor informed me my photos were aesthetically unappealing, that hasn’t stopped me from taking many more photos of similar quality in subsequent years and I intend to continue to do so!
Here’s another thing that’s changed: I’ve recently replaced my panniers! The old ones were a little holier than thou and had been stitched up a few times.
I still use the old Nashbars on occasion, but these new Banjo Bros. ones are good.
I thought for awhile that I might miss the outside lid zip pockets; however, I’ve forgotten to zip the pockets multiple times and had to retrace my path to find various dropped items, so it’s probably good that these new ones don’t have the outside pocket. They also have a waterproof liner that appears to be pretty good, although I have not yet been through a torrential downpour with them. And if I ever start a line of bicycle accessories, I think I just might call it Nash Bros. (although you can use that if you want, just make sure you send me one complimentary item that I will graciously test and review).
Well, now that vaccinations are doing pretty well here in Nebraska, I’ve been socializing a bit more than usual and I’ve even signed up for the 18thannual Wear Yellow Ride/Walk/Run, to be held this August 14th! It will undoubtedly be an extremely glorious occasion as in days of yore. Some things never change!
Unchanging blessings to you and your loved ones.
Honestly,
BSO
