little bits

It was colder today and dry, with lots of afternoon sunshine. So I forced myself to go out for a ride.
My house is at the bottom of a long hill if I want to leave my neighborhood and go south, or downtown. That long uphill can sometimes be enough of a downer to keep me home in the winter. But with the sun out, it was easier to convince myself that I'd be okay.

I've come a long way from when I raced ten years ago, and didn't care about hills.

But that was then, and this is now.

So I rode up to the CCC for Salvage Sunday. Salvage Sunday is usually two hours of idle picking through broken spokes,  its of rusty chain and assorted bike components with little or no future; but now and then I can find something useful for fixing up these older bikes I deal with. At fifty cents per pound it's a good deal for anyone willing to do their own rust removal and cleaning.
I really didn't have much money to spend, but for a couple of bucks I scored two rear racks, a few patch kits and a wrench for the refugee bikes project.
One of the racks was broken at the welds in two places. I wasn't worried. With duct tape and hose clamps, I can fix almost anything. (After taking this photo, I covered the pointy bits with more tape.)
This rack will work just fine to carry a bag of groceries on a bike I'm currently fixing up for Catholic Charities.



I managed to run two errands and stop for a little off-season coffeeneuring in two hours' time.
The ride home was lovely, too; I could feel the sun warming my back just a little bit and reminded me that the days will now grow longer. By my birthday it will definitely feel like early spring.




Amazing what sunshine, pedaling and a little coffee can do for a soul.
And yes, that is a lot of plaid I'm wearing. Welcome to Portland.

(If you're curious, the hat was a custom job, made from one of my old Pendleton shirts by the Misia at Double Darn. She creates beautiful hats that fit very well.)



Portland weather for the next couple of days is supposed to stay dry and cold. I'm meeting a friend downtown tomorrow afternoon, and perhaps I'll help myself to a First Ride on Tuesday.

For all my readers, thanks for hanging in there with me in 2018.
May the coming year bring us all many happy miles and smiles.