Be Positive

 I will get back to bike riding for my next post, but I wanted to share this:

One of my weekly activities is reading to small children every Thursday at our church's preschool.  I am really not sure who is having more fun with this:  the children, or me!    

I brought a couple of books about fall today.    I also brought a box of Autumn décor that my wife had gathered over the years.    I spread strings of silk leaves around, and over the children, and set a small, decorative hay bale on the floor.   It had ribbons and silk flowers, and had, at one time, been a centerpiece.  A herd of two and three year olds descended upon my meager decorations.   Four of them gathered around the hay bale as I attempted to share a pumpkin counting book.   At least one of the children has a tendency to cry, so as long as they were quiet, I wasn't going to bother them.    After a while, I looked down to see that these little angels had disassembled the hay bale and the flowers, and there was now hay all over the floor!  The older children found bits and pieces everywhere when they came in!   

For all the negativity in the world today, I can still find pure joy in the faces of preschoolers!   I think I could read the phone book to them (is there still one?) and have them interrupting me to add something that may or may not pertain to anything we are discussing, but they sure want to share!   I have long since learned never to bring up birthdays, new shoes, or puppies, if I ever want to finish reading the story!   But, I saw pure joy today, and believe I looked into the face of God!

Next week I will read Jeanne Titherington's  Pumpkin, Pumpkin, compleat with a bag of pumpkin seeds and some pumpkin cookies.   Not sure if I will be brave (or dumb) enough to cut open a pumpkin while they watch.    

Anyways, this is my best therapy.    

Houston Tour De Bicycle 2022

 

I know it's been awhile since I posted anything, but let's see if we can get back on this horse.

Houston B Cycle, you know, those bike racks with colorful, sturdy bikes all over Inside the Loop?

Well, Houston B Cycle is hosting a fun activity for October.    We are being challenged to visit all 153 bike stations during October.   That is quite a challenge.    By my estimates, I will need to hit the trails at least 10 times in a month/    There are prizes, but more importantly, here is an opportunity to see parts of Houston we may not have seen before.  Here is  their website:  

https://www.houstonbcycle.com/tour-de-bcycle2022

I registered and very quickly got an email from BCycle.   Among other prizes are a free month of bicycle rental, an aluminum water bottle that doubles as a place to put the badges (Badges! We don't need no stinkin Badges!  Name that movie). the requisite T Shirt, and at some point, you could even get a whole year of bike rental, and maybe put your name on a new bike (without getting in trouble!).   

The bike stations have been grouped by neighborhood.   When you check out the website, you may have a hard time reading the neighborhood list, and even a harder time printing it, but do not despair,  once you register for the fun, BCycle will let you download the list in wonderful PDF.

I'm a little analytical, so I have spent several days trying to figure out the best way to play this game.   I live outside the Beltway.   I plan to take Metro Park & Ride downtown during morning commute, grab a bike and head towards my chosen neighborhood.   I have decided on Near Northside and 5th Ward for my first foray, so I will check out my first bike in the County Courts area and head north.     On another day, I will take park and ride to the Medical Center.

The whole idea of B Cycle is to leave your car behind.    I stopped at a local supermarket service desk and bought a Metro Q Card so I don't have to fumble for change when I board the bus.     I will also study the Metro bus schedules.    It really is not hard.

I asked the nice lady at B Cycle about stations that are out of order.   She suggested I take a picture of the offending racks and send the picture to her, for credit on this treasure hunt.  I would not trust the map - the App shows the Castillo Communtiy center as out of service, but I found 4 bikes there, including an E Bike.  But, come to think of it, I did not try to check out a bike, so maybe......

Ah, E-Bike, the preferred method of transportation.   If you manage to get one, I would check it in and out from as many stations as possible, as long as the battery lasts.   Each time you dock or undock a bike, you get credit for that station.

Before you tell me you can't do it, you should know that I am a 69 year old overweight diabetic with other issues.   At the start of the pandemic, I could cycle 2 miles.    Saturday, my bike buddy and I did 24 miles, only a couple of those miles were because I cannot read a map!

Stay tuned,  I hope to start this ride on Monday, October 3.

Badges!   If you said "Blazing Saddles" you are either a Baby Boomer, or were raised by one.   If you said "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre" you know your black and white movies!