23 June 2007

No Dance Partner Necessary


Bike banners
Originally uploaded by Katherine H.
I remember the first time I thought I was delusional. I was reading in bed one evening and briefly lifted my gaze from the page to the window, only to catch out of the corner of my eye a glimpse of a man riding a unicycle. I did a double take.

What did I just see? Yes, a small man in a bow tie and carrying a briefcase was cycling uphill past my house and around the corner. I shrugged my shoulders, turned off the light, and slid underneath the covers…hoping that the image would fade from memory as sure as the daylight would soon arrive.

Bike parking

As it turned out, I would meet that man, Mr. Terry, a few months later. He was called to serve as the Bishop of the young adult congregation I worshiped with in Salt Lake City. And he did, indeed, ride a unicycle with a bright blue seat to and from his office downtown. I imagined that his business card read something like this:

Richard Terry, Attorney at Law
Passionate Unicyclist

Good balance, powerful legs, fossil fuel savings – I’m not sure what motivated him. If you visited his home, you would discover several unicycles hanging upside down in the mud room. And it wasn’t just his hobby, but a growing family tradition. Another image impressed in my memory is the evening I looked out the window and saw not only him, but also his twenty-one-year-old-bowtie-clad son pedaling up the hill toward home.

Cherubic

Today the fifth annual Multnomah County Bike Fair was holding court at Colonel Summers Park in Southeast Portland.

Bike dancers from Vancouver, BC, entertained the crowd, and a small fairway of venders and bike-friendly programs promoted their wares. There were silly competitions (three bikes, two people, and one moving entity) to enter, bike lore to share with fellow cyclists, and a cavalcade of homemade bike accessories to admire.

There were no unicycles in sight at the fair today. But in true Portlander spirit, there was plenty of verve and passion and silly fashions.

Bike cycle

Click to see more photos from the fair.

09 June 2007

Six Pic Saturday: Calgary on Foot


Picnic table
Originally uploaded by Katherine H.
I finally decided to accept an open invitation from friends to visit Calgary for an extended weekend this month. They were perfect hosts, and delighted in sharing all that their city has to offer. Here is a small glimpse of downtown during a Saturday morning stroll:

Adjacent to the 1988 Olympic Plaza is the old City Hall Building with some sculpturesque picnic tables and a glass and granite memorial to fallen firefighters.



Memorial

We walked past the Art Gallery of Calgary, which was hosting an exhibit titled, "Pink," and were drawn in by an intricate mosaic of colorful butterflies covering the entrance wall. Upstairs, we found an even more engaging piece that beckoned to the observer:

A walk into...

Calgary has some funky public art, and this grove of urban trees made for great picture taking.

grove

I enjoyed these bright, koi lampposts in a section of the Chinatown area (The Calgary Tower is peeking through in the background):

Koi lamppost

On Saturday evening, my friend was particiapting in a fundraising run called The Underwear Affair which was to benefit cancers "below the waist." The route ran along the Bow River, and participants were encouraged to dress down by wearing underclothing as outerwear. It's a clever idea to bring awareness to a serious health issue.

runners

There were over 900 participants, and $690,000 raised for the Alberta Cancer Board,.