a ditty sittin' pritty

Here's one more reason, not that we need one, to sing the Ditty Bops' praises.....check out Amanda on her Xtracycle, loaded up with goodies, a bouquet adorning her snapdeck. Photo was touched up a wee bit to reflect her techni-colored dream bike. Hot stuff.

I've long admired these two incredibly talented musicians/revolutionaries. Not only are they phenomenal singer-songwriters; listen for yourself here, they are big time bike advocates and all around progressive go getters - toured the US last year on two wheels spreading good vibes and inspiring tunes.

And they are coming soon to Mccabes, I'll finally get to see 'em live!

TAGGED!

A break from two wheels....well call it a recovery post.

Melissa from LA Green Living tagged me, to post 6 things people may or may not know about me, and may or may not care. And then I cyber-tag 6 other bloggers to do the same. So here goes:

I come from a line of carousers. My maternal grandfather Joe Huber was a beer brewer from Germany, and my dad’s father started a line of smokin’ clubs and restaurants in LA, what I would give to go back in time....

I was such a tomboy growing up that my parents had concerns about my future gender identity. When told to wear a dress, I’d don my OP shorts underneath and remove dress when we arrived at x event. My mother used to sing me a fill in the blanks song, “daddy is a BOY, Simon is a BOY, grandpa is a BOY, but, Anna is a _____”.

I’m a former fencer. Yes, like the 3 musketeers. Captained my college team, made it to the NCAAs my senior year, and.....my athletic careers been downhill since.

I was so fascinated with mold in high school that my first boyfriend courted me w/ a moldy peach, left on my doorstep on Christmas eve. Ah young love...

I had major vampire-phobia as a wee lass. I'd hide cloves of garlic all over my room (and find months later, moldy....) and fall asleep with my fingers forming a cross in front of my throat. The power of old black and white films.


I’m also a violinist, though you wouldn’t know it these days...here I am with a chamber music group in Santa Cruz after a concert we gave.


And now I tag....damn girls, you’ve taken almost all my blog-amigos! - I'll reach out beyond the borders here to: Tim (brand new blog!), Maya, Leila, Rajiv, Jennifer, and...Riley maybe she'll update her blog.....how 'bout a post on your upcoming event hint hint???

BIKEWINTER 2007

And you thought YOUR morning commute had become nippy!













Nothing like the scene above (Tim Harvey sporting winter studded tires for a Siberian Cruise), LA BIKEWINTER 2007 promises sunny rides, clear skies, and a solid 2 weeks of mobile street parties, all on bikes of course.

The impetus for BIKEWINTER 2007 spun from the steady BIKESUMMER 2005 momentum, rolled right through the BIKESUMMER/WINTER 2006 season, and is now gearing up for yet another extended bike bash this february.

Preview of coming atractions:

*An opening night party, immediately following the 2 year SM Critical Mass fiesta;
*Group rides to sample vegetarian food, local coffee roasters, and hot chocolate;
*The second annual Chocolate Aphrodesiac ride where the image here was taken;














.....and many more - all deets on the Bike Boom Calendar.

Bike seat for precious cargo

How do you carry your groceries AND tote your tyke around? Try the Peapod, an Xtracycle attachment for tots. I would've LOVED this as a kid. My folks used to have this rusty old bike with a built in kiddie seat, I remember begging them to ride me around the block, so much fun.....but who says you hafta grow up?

My friend Paul shares my sentiments, here he is attempting to get in touch with his inner child.

LA's fearless femme spokes woman

She’s tall, blonde, and charged with a mission long overdue: to make LA a more bike-friendly city.

Monica Howe, recently featured in an excellent LA Times profile, is the new outreach coordinator for the LA County Bicycle Coalition. Since taking the position last year, Monica has hit the ground....riding, a good thing as she has much ground to cover.

As she puts it, “Los Angeles is really the last big city to realize that bicycling is a good idea.”

Intrigued? Read the rest on Worldchanging LA,, where I'll be contributing (what else?) periodic bike related biz....