The Far Horizons Fashion Show for Spring 2008 was held yesterday. I had been chosen to be a model, and had gone for my clothes fitting a couple of weeks ago. The models all got to eat the same luncheon enjoyed by all the other ladies -- delicious chicken salad (with nuts and grapes) on a lettuce leaf and a lemon-topped tarte. It was delish!
Then we were taken back to the changing area, where our coordinated outfits hung. They told us what to put on in what order, and how to go out there, where to stand on the stage, how to move, etc.. We also had plenty of time to just banter among ourselves. Because the ladies were all ... us.. it was great. We chattered like magpies!
When it was time, we herded ourselves to the ballroom backstage, where we awaited our cues. As they announced each of us, we walked up, pranced to the back of the stage, then to the side, front, and other side. Then we crossed back and were helped down the steps, where we met our adoring public. We ambled among the tables, showing off our duds, and then we exited through the back, and ran back to the changing room for the next round.
The funny thing for me was that the woman from the clothing store who was putting on the show, Lorie, enjoyed kidding around with me. When she introduced me, she pointed out that, although she enjoys hiking, walking, cycling.. all this outdoor stuff, today Janee actually wore makeup for you! Every time I was up there, she said something about me or I did something that made all the ladies laugh. It was such fun! I hope that they ask me to do it again next year.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
Friday, February 15, 2008
Valentine's Day
Ok, so it's not Valentine's Day anymore, but I forgot to post this on the day, so here you are.
Every couple has their own way of celebrating holidays. Some people go all out for such holidays as Valentine's Day, getting jewelry or clothes, or going out for nice dinners. Michael and I had our own ways of celebrating our holidays, too.
For Valentine's Day, we would go out together sometime before the day. We'd go to a card store and he'd take off in one direction, and I in another. I would look for a card for him, and he would look for a card for me.
When we were satisfied, we would meet again, and show each other the cards. Sometimes we'd laugh. Sometimes we'd shed a tear or two. Then we would put the cards back and leave the store.
Sometimes we'd show each other a little cutesy stuffed thing that we would get for the other if we were doing that, but we didn't actually buy the thing. I am laughing now, remembering this. I do have a few cards still that Michael did give me -- mostly for my birthday. Now I do wish that I had more things written in his handwriting, but this memory of our card "shopping" will always be mine.
Every couple has their own way of celebrating holidays. Some people go all out for such holidays as Valentine's Day, getting jewelry or clothes, or going out for nice dinners. Michael and I had our own ways of celebrating our holidays, too.
For Valentine's Day, we would go out together sometime before the day. We'd go to a card store and he'd take off in one direction, and I in another. I would look for a card for him, and he would look for a card for me.
When we were satisfied, we would meet again, and show each other the cards. Sometimes we'd laugh. Sometimes we'd shed a tear or two. Then we would put the cards back and leave the store.
Sometimes we'd show each other a little cutesy stuffed thing that we would get for the other if we were doing that, but we didn't actually buy the thing. I am laughing now, remembering this. I do have a few cards still that Michael did give me -- mostly for my birthday. Now I do wish that I had more things written in his handwriting, but this memory of our card "shopping" will always be mine.
Thursday, February 14, 2008
Some Fun!
Today Jack and I took a break from deck work so that we could do other things. I spent the day doing unpleasant things, mostly. I began by doing laundry -- 5 loads.. sheesh. I should really be doing it every week, instead of letting it pile up so.
Then I assembled and actually sent all my papers off to my tax accountant today! I was so happy and proud of myself for finally doing that. I just hope that he can make sense of it all; it's sort of a mess, compared to what Michael always did. I sent it all in a flat rate box, priority mail, from the Post Office, return receipt requested. Michael woulda been proud.
Then I went and bought shoes to wear for the fashion show, in which I'm taking part as a model tomorrow. (Most women love buying shoes, but me? errr... no, not my favorite thing!) I'm going to be wearing 3 outfits and I had to get shoes for one of them. I got another pair of shoes too, which are dancing shoes. Hey.. there's a dinner/dance here on the 29th, and I have tickets! No date, yet!
I had some fun, too, of course. There was a meeting of the Foto Fun club, at which we had speakers from Jones Photo, who told us about using settings other than auto on our cameras, and it was very good.
And then Jack and Kathy invited me over for dinner -- delicious vegetable beef soup, salad, bread... mmm! :) John and I went out for ice cream at Coldstone and that was fun. I just got home a bit ago.
I missed Michael fiercely today. I had some tears, which are not coming as frequently as before (maybe once a week), and I got to tell my neighbor Neil's brother Phil about how he and I (his wife died too) are the lucky ones, because we made it "till death do us part" and our spouses died loving us. That always gives me a smile to share that sentiment. I told him that it doesn't get any better than that, and really... while it DOES suck that Michael died so young, we really were very blessed to have so many great years, so much fun, and such a love that we shared. He was a great guy. You, my faithful reader, know that, of course. ;)
Then I assembled and actually sent all my papers off to my tax accountant today! I was so happy and proud of myself for finally doing that. I just hope that he can make sense of it all; it's sort of a mess, compared to what Michael always did. I sent it all in a flat rate box, priority mail, from the Post Office, return receipt requested. Michael woulda been proud.
Then I went and bought shoes to wear for the fashion show, in which I'm taking part as a model tomorrow. (Most women love buying shoes, but me? errr... no, not my favorite thing!) I'm going to be wearing 3 outfits and I had to get shoes for one of them. I got another pair of shoes too, which are dancing shoes. Hey.. there's a dinner/dance here on the 29th, and I have tickets! No date, yet!
I had some fun, too, of course. There was a meeting of the Foto Fun club, at which we had speakers from Jones Photo, who told us about using settings other than auto on our cameras, and it was very good.
And then Jack and Kathy invited me over for dinner -- delicious vegetable beef soup, salad, bread... mmm! :) John and I went out for ice cream at Coldstone and that was fun. I just got home a bit ago.
I missed Michael fiercely today. I had some tears, which are not coming as frequently as before (maybe once a week), and I got to tell my neighbor Neil's brother Phil about how he and I (his wife died too) are the lucky ones, because we made it "till death do us part" and our spouses died loving us. That always gives me a smile to share that sentiment. I told him that it doesn't get any better than that, and really... while it DOES suck that Michael died so young, we really were very blessed to have so many great years, so much fun, and such a love that we shared. He was a great guy. You, my faithful reader, know that, of course. ;)
Friday, February 08, 2008
Good Day Friday
Today was a fine day. It started out cool, and I wore my little J.Jill jacket c/ vest with my little red gloves (thank you Suzanne!) when I rode my bike to Computer Club this morning. I did the program for the meeting, talking to the folks a bit about Control Panel settings. I talked about a few of my favorite tips:
1) Under Mouse > Pointer Settings, I like having a bit of a trail on my pointer to make it easier to see.
2) Same place, I like to have the "Show location of pointer when I press the Ctrl key" checked.
3) Under Accessibility Options, I like to have Toggle Keys checked. This gives a tone when Capslock, Numlock or Scrolllock are pressed. Another tone tells you that the key has been turned off. Handy!
I talked about other things, and we made sure that everyone found these things on their own computers.
Next was play practice, which went well. Jack (director) had us all in stitches, without even trying. He's a very funny guy.
Deck construction consumed much of my afternoon, and it was good. The benches are now done, with their neat backs. I'll take photos tomorrow, I promise!
I talked to Dave while I walked, and that was fun too.
This evening, I got caught up looking at Stereograms. There are several sites with fine Stereogram artwork, but this one by Gene Levine is really stunning! Check it out if you like eye games!
1) Under Mouse > Pointer Settings, I like having a bit of a trail on my pointer to make it easier to see.
2) Same place, I like to have the "Show location of pointer when I press the Ctrl key" checked.
3) Under Accessibility Options, I like to have Toggle Keys checked. This gives a tone when Capslock, Numlock or Scrolllock are pressed. Another tone tells you that the key has been turned off. Handy!
I talked about other things, and we made sure that everyone found these things on their own computers.
Next was play practice, which went well. Jack (director) had us all in stitches, without even trying. He's a very funny guy.
Deck construction consumed much of my afternoon, and it was good. The benches are now done, with their neat backs. I'll take photos tomorrow, I promise!
I talked to Dave while I walked, and that was fun too.
This evening, I got caught up looking at Stereograms. There are several sites with fine Stereogram artwork, but this one by Gene Levine is really stunning! Check it out if you like eye games!
Thursday, February 07, 2008
Gone out with a Feller
Tonight I had a sort of a date, I suppose. This was with Matt, a gentleman from Casa Grande. While I had not met him before, except on the internet, I played it safe, driving my car, and not showing him where I lived till I had a pretty good idea that he wasn't a serial killer.
We went to Romano's Macaroni Grill. The food was delicious, the conversation great, and I'd say that a good time was had by all. The first thing he said to me, when we first met, was that I was even cuter than my photo. Of course ... I believed him! ;)
After dinner, I showed him my cottage, patio, and deck. He is into construction (flip-this-house kinds of projects) and so he was interested in the deck and was very impressed with it!
Yesterday was fun too! The Foto Fun club went on a Photo Shoot to the Reid Park Zoo! Jack and I hung together, shooting pics of otters, polar bears, anteaters... and many other exciting creatures. I hope that some of the ones I took turn out ok. I have not looked at them yet. ... blush...
I've recovered nicely from the altitude/dehydration problem that I had on Tuesday. You're very right, Deci and Kath, that I wouldn't have had that problem if I were nestled into my computer chair doing Pen Tool classes. But I wouldn't have that "Climb Every Mountain" feeling of success, either, and that's very good for me right now. :)
The deck is coming along great. After going to Lowe's for a new orbital sander, we spent part of today working on the benches. It's really quite a neat deck and I'm just tickled by it. I'll see about getting some photos in here pretty soon.
The play is coming along too. I have a small speaking role, and I'm singing in several of the songs. Lots of fun!
And... I've been better at getting to bed at a reasonable time. Tonight will be my first after-11 bedtime in probably a week.
We went to Romano's Macaroni Grill. The food was delicious, the conversation great, and I'd say that a good time was had by all. The first thing he said to me, when we first met, was that I was even cuter than my photo. Of course ... I believed him! ;)
After dinner, I showed him my cottage, patio, and deck. He is into construction (flip-this-house kinds of projects) and so he was interested in the deck and was very impressed with it!
Yesterday was fun too! The Foto Fun club went on a Photo Shoot to the Reid Park Zoo! Jack and I hung together, shooting pics of otters, polar bears, anteaters... and many other exciting creatures. I hope that some of the ones I took turn out ok. I have not looked at them yet. ... blush...
I've recovered nicely from the altitude/dehydration problem that I had on Tuesday. You're very right, Deci and Kath, that I wouldn't have had that problem if I were nestled into my computer chair doing Pen Tool classes. But I wouldn't have that "Climb Every Mountain" feeling of success, either, and that's very good for me right now. :)
The deck is coming along great. After going to Lowe's for a new orbital sander, we spent part of today working on the benches. It's really quite a neat deck and I'm just tickled by it. I'll see about getting some photos in here pretty soon.
The play is coming along too. I have a small speaking role, and I'm singing in several of the songs. Lots of fun!
And... I've been better at getting to bed at a reasonable time. Tonight will be my first after-11 bedtime in probably a week.
Tuesday, February 05, 2008
Adventures in Hiking
Today was hiking day! I awoke to frost coating the car, to such an extent that it was hard to get the back door open to put my hiking pack in there. I left the engine running and went back inside, as the car warmed up.
Our hike was on Agua Caliente Hill, between the Catalinas and the Rincons. There were probably 15 of us on the hike, to begin, but people did drop out at intervals. The hike was very challenging, taking us up, up, up to where the cactus began to give way to shin daggers and grasses. And as we got some altitude, we were walking through SNOW! The snow came down as far as 4000 feet, so we were seeing snow for much of the day today.
The other women decided not to go up when we were about halfway to the top. I continued with the men. We reached a nice plateau where we had lunch, and then the guys decided to continue on up to the peak -- about 500' more elevation. I started out with them, but then I started to feel weak and thought that I should turn back. I convinced Jack that I was ok and so he went on up the hill with the rest of the men, and I turned back down the hill.
I didn't get very far before I had a problem. I developed a serious headache, and began to feel confused. I thought that I was perhaps having a stroke, and I tried to remember how to tell that someone was having a stroke. I remembered the symptoms and how to diagnose a person, and I tried to diagnose myself.
I put my hands on my face, and it felt normal. I said something: "I just want to die," and, while I was not comfortable saying that, it sounded normal! I raised both arms, my hiking poles dangling. They both came up to the same level easily. I remembered hearing that a stroke victim's tongue will be bent. I stuck my tongue out and felt it to see, and I couldn't tell.
I became more confused, stopping at one point and walking back up the trail. I remembered that my friends were up that way. Then I thought that I should go off the trail and hide in the brush. I thought that I could die that way, and that seemed ok.
In this beautiful landscape of mountains, sky, cactus, grasses, I sat on a rock and it occurred to me that I had no idea what I was doing, or who I was. I found my nametag around my neck, and I turned it and read it. I looked over and saw a staghorn cholla, and I knew that I knew the name of it. I started to put it back together.
Eventually, the men returned to my rock. I told them that I wasn't doing very well. I was crying and they were all lined up, just looking at me. I told them that I was feeling confused, and Duane told me that I had altitude sickness. He asked me if I had headache, and I said I did. I was not nauseous. He told me that I needed to be drinking more, and indeed, I had not been drinking much, because, in the cold, I was really not thirsty.
Jack gave me his bottle of Gatorade, which I drank, and I felt better almost right away. He told me that he wouldn't let me hike alone, and I told myself that I'll always drink plenty of fluids. I think that I'll get some Gatorade and put that into one of my water bottles.
I had suffered with altitude in Denver, but just with headache. That confusion thing -- not knowing who you ARE -- is really disconcerting. I hope that never happens to me again.
Our hike was on Agua Caliente Hill, between the Catalinas and the Rincons. There were probably 15 of us on the hike, to begin, but people did drop out at intervals. The hike was very challenging, taking us up, up, up to where the cactus began to give way to shin daggers and grasses. And as we got some altitude, we were walking through SNOW! The snow came down as far as 4000 feet, so we were seeing snow for much of the day today.
The other women decided not to go up when we were about halfway to the top. I continued with the men. We reached a nice plateau where we had lunch, and then the guys decided to continue on up to the peak -- about 500' more elevation. I started out with them, but then I started to feel weak and thought that I should turn back. I convinced Jack that I was ok and so he went on up the hill with the rest of the men, and I turned back down the hill.
I didn't get very far before I had a problem. I developed a serious headache, and began to feel confused. I thought that I was perhaps having a stroke, and I tried to remember how to tell that someone was having a stroke. I remembered the symptoms and how to diagnose a person, and I tried to diagnose myself.
I put my hands on my face, and it felt normal. I said something: "I just want to die," and, while I was not comfortable saying that, it sounded normal! I raised both arms, my hiking poles dangling. They both came up to the same level easily. I remembered hearing that a stroke victim's tongue will be bent. I stuck my tongue out and felt it to see, and I couldn't tell.
I became more confused, stopping at one point and walking back up the trail. I remembered that my friends were up that way. Then I thought that I should go off the trail and hide in the brush. I thought that I could die that way, and that seemed ok.
In this beautiful landscape of mountains, sky, cactus, grasses, I sat on a rock and it occurred to me that I had no idea what I was doing, or who I was. I found my nametag around my neck, and I turned it and read it. I looked over and saw a staghorn cholla, and I knew that I knew the name of it. I started to put it back together.
Eventually, the men returned to my rock. I told them that I wasn't doing very well. I was crying and they were all lined up, just looking at me. I told them that I was feeling confused, and Duane told me that I had altitude sickness. He asked me if I had headache, and I said I did. I was not nauseous. He told me that I needed to be drinking more, and indeed, I had not been drinking much, because, in the cold, I was really not thirsty.
Jack gave me his bottle of Gatorade, which I drank, and I felt better almost right away. He told me that he wouldn't let me hike alone, and I told myself that I'll always drink plenty of fluids. I think that I'll get some Gatorade and put that into one of my water bottles.
I had suffered with altitude in Denver, but just with headache. That confusion thing -- not knowing who you ARE -- is really disconcerting. I hope that never happens to me again.
Monday, February 04, 2008
Happy Weekend
I had a fun weekend! Jack and I went to buy more wood for the deck, and went all over town looking for the perfect-sized bolts to attach the seat brackets. They were not to be found, so he ended up notching the 4x4's a bit. He got the benches mostly done while I was out galavanting around the Desert Museum.
I went to the Desert Museum with Eric, a friend from MySpace. We had a really nice time, took lots of photos (which I have not looked at yet; the camera's in the car and it's raining this morning), had a good lunch, quizzed each other on the desert flora and fauna, and saw javelinas! It's always a good day when I see a javelina. :)
Ah! There's a break in the clouds. I'm going to go for my walk. C'mon, Maddy!
Ok, walk was good, though it was starting to sprinkle when I returned. Jack was here and was disappointed that we were not going to be able to make progress on the deck, with the rain, which, by the time he'd finished his sentence, had begun falling harder. And, to make matters worse, along with the rain, came a precipitous drop in temperature, leaving it at only 40° now! It's 50 right now in Bloomington! Yikes!
Today in an hour, I'm going to be rehearsing one of the songs for the play, so I'll have to actually go OUT in the rain. Ewww.
I went to the Desert Museum with Eric, a friend from MySpace. We had a really nice time, took lots of photos (which I have not looked at yet; the camera's in the car and it's raining this morning), had a good lunch, quizzed each other on the desert flora and fauna, and saw javelinas! It's always a good day when I see a javelina. :)
Ah! There's a break in the clouds. I'm going to go for my walk. C'mon, Maddy!
Ok, walk was good, though it was starting to sprinkle when I returned. Jack was here and was disappointed that we were not going to be able to make progress on the deck, with the rain, which, by the time he'd finished his sentence, had begun falling harder. And, to make matters worse, along with the rain, came a precipitous drop in temperature, leaving it at only 40° now! It's 50 right now in Bloomington! Yikes!
Today in an hour, I'm going to be rehearsing one of the songs for the play, so I'll have to actually go OUT in the rain. Ewww.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Ranch photos
Last week, the Foto Fun Club went on a photo shoot to La Rienda Ranch. Yesterday, the members shared their favorite photos -- about 100 in all -- at our meeting. What fun! Here are the photos that I chose to share:
An interesting sky
Karin
Catalina Mountains
Jack, the Horse Whisperer
Pretty Red Horse
Fence
Hoses
I know that I have an odd sense of what's cool, perhaps, but I do have fun with my shot selection! These photos are unedited.
The deck is progressing and looking great. Jack (the same Jack as in the horse photo above) is a real craftsman -- very meticulous and accepts nothing but perfection. I'm expecting that we'll be done with the deck by Valentine's Day ... just a guess.
I'm working on getting to bed at a reasonable hour, and it's been a challenge. Last night I was in bed by 11, and tonight... it'll be after 11. :/ Anyway.. my goal is 10 pm to bed and 6 am to get up, particularly now that it's starting to get light earlier in the morning.
I'm feeling good, having lots of fun, and staying very busy. I'm going to be in the play with a small speaking role and singing in 4 different songs. I'm involved in the Computer Club, am Co-Chair of the Foto Fun Club, and I'm active in the Hiking Club. I'm going to be modeling in the Fashion Show this month. And, of course, I go to any party to which I'm invited. :D
On Sunday, I'm going to be meeting one of my MySpace friends -- Eric -- no.. not Eric Clapton! LOL! We're going to go to the Desert Museum, so if I come up missing, be sure that the CSI folks go after him! Seriously, he's a photographer and seems like a lot of fun. I'll let you know if my perceptions are accurate. ;)
An interesting sky
Karin
Catalina Mountains
Jack, the Horse Whisperer
Pretty Red Horse
Fence
Backhoe
HosesI know that I have an odd sense of what's cool, perhaps, but I do have fun with my shot selection! These photos are unedited.
The deck is progressing and looking great. Jack (the same Jack as in the horse photo above) is a real craftsman -- very meticulous and accepts nothing but perfection. I'm expecting that we'll be done with the deck by Valentine's Day ... just a guess.
I'm working on getting to bed at a reasonable hour, and it's been a challenge. Last night I was in bed by 11, and tonight... it'll be after 11. :/ Anyway.. my goal is 10 pm to bed and 6 am to get up, particularly now that it's starting to get light earlier in the morning.
I'm feeling good, having lots of fun, and staying very busy. I'm going to be in the play with a small speaking role and singing in 4 different songs. I'm involved in the Computer Club, am Co-Chair of the Foto Fun Club, and I'm active in the Hiking Club. I'm going to be modeling in the Fashion Show this month. And, of course, I go to any party to which I'm invited. :D
On Sunday, I'm going to be meeting one of my MySpace friends -- Eric -- no.. not Eric Clapton! LOL! We're going to go to the Desert Museum, so if I come up missing, be sure that the CSI folks go after him! Seriously, he's a photographer and seems like a lot of fun. I'll let you know if my perceptions are accurate. ;)
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Hiking in Saguaro East
This blue matches the sky today. The hike was long -- 9.4 miles -- but it was good. There was too much desert-tromping for my tastes, but there were good views, water crossings, waterfalls, and a couple of small hills.
I've been busy as a paper hanger with hives. Yesterday, Jack and I worked alllllll day long on my deck, making some good progress. We now have the beams all done and most of the joists in. I still have some nailing to do on some of the joists. We have to do rerouting of a water and electric hookup, building of an openable countertop bar to cover the utility boxes, nailing on the decking, doing the benches, and building the two steps.
Jack taught me how to do the toenailing of the joists, which wasn't as easy as it looks. And he had me making cuts with the table saw. I hauled wood from the front, piece by piece, and helped with planning and measuring. Jack's really meticulous and perfectionist, and this deck is going to be really sweet!
I was too tired by the end of the day to even go to the dance class. Jack likes to work from dawn to dusk, without even taking breaks for lunch.
I didn't yet mention the Computer Club dinner. It went swimmingly and I think the club ended up making a bit of money. The important thing is that we did it.
I've been finding that the only time I have to get online these days is... 10pm! And by the time I get done with my email, it's after midnight. I'm wondering how I ever had time to do any work!
Jim, you asked about making a safe left turn on a bike, from the right side of a 5-lane road. You need to make the turn from the left lane, just as cars do. So you have to maneuver your way over there. The preferred way to do this, because it's more expedient, if it's safe, is to check your mirror, do an over-the-shoulder look, and, if you deem it an appropriate time, you signal your move. Move then to the right side of the passing lane.
You still have one more move to make, and you do that the same way, bringing yourself to the right side or center of the left turning lane. If it is a left-straight lane, you want to be in the center of the lane. If it's a left lane, you can either take the lane, or you can be on the right side of the lane, if it's wide enough.
If there is lots of fast-moving traffic, you may want to make what is called a "box-turn." You do this by riding across the road and stopping in front of the lane that will be crossing the road, and crossing with the light, or proceed all the way to the crosswalk and walk your bike across when it's time. There are pictures and comments on this at this link.
A third option (in Tucson) is to make a RIGHT turn. Then make your way to the left and make a U-turn. Then proceed across the intersection. This works in Tucson, because U-turns are an expected thing here. As a cyclist, you don't want to behave in an unpredictable fashion.
Ok... bedtime for Bonzo!
I've been busy as a paper hanger with hives. Yesterday, Jack and I worked alllllll day long on my deck, making some good progress. We now have the beams all done and most of the joists in. I still have some nailing to do on some of the joists. We have to do rerouting of a water and electric hookup, building of an openable countertop bar to cover the utility boxes, nailing on the decking, doing the benches, and building the two steps.
Jack taught me how to do the toenailing of the joists, which wasn't as easy as it looks. And he had me making cuts with the table saw. I hauled wood from the front, piece by piece, and helped with planning and measuring. Jack's really meticulous and perfectionist, and this deck is going to be really sweet!
I was too tired by the end of the day to even go to the dance class. Jack likes to work from dawn to dusk, without even taking breaks for lunch.
I didn't yet mention the Computer Club dinner. It went swimmingly and I think the club ended up making a bit of money. The important thing is that we did it.
I've been finding that the only time I have to get online these days is... 10pm! And by the time I get done with my email, it's after midnight. I'm wondering how I ever had time to do any work!
Jim, you asked about making a safe left turn on a bike, from the right side of a 5-lane road. You need to make the turn from the left lane, just as cars do. So you have to maneuver your way over there. The preferred way to do this, because it's more expedient, if it's safe, is to check your mirror, do an over-the-shoulder look, and, if you deem it an appropriate time, you signal your move. Move then to the right side of the passing lane.
You still have one more move to make, and you do that the same way, bringing yourself to the right side or center of the left turning lane. If it is a left-straight lane, you want to be in the center of the lane. If it's a left lane, you can either take the lane, or you can be on the right side of the lane, if it's wide enough.
If there is lots of fast-moving traffic, you may want to make what is called a "box-turn." You do this by riding across the road and stopping in front of the lane that will be crossing the road, and crossing with the light, or proceed all the way to the crosswalk and walk your bike across when it's time. There are pictures and comments on this at this link.
A third option (in Tucson) is to make a RIGHT turn. Then make your way to the left and make a U-turn. Then proceed across the intersection. This works in Tucson, because U-turns are an expected thing here. As a cyclist, you don't want to behave in an unpredictable fashion.
Ok... bedtime for Bonzo!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Safe Bicycling
The bicycling class was great! Part I was on Wednesday night, and it was classroom time. We learned basic rules of the road, parts of the bike, ... stuff like that.
Yesterday was Part II and we had to bring our bikes! For this part, we met in the parking lot at Udall Park. We began by helmeting up, and then riding over to another parking lot. Here we did various drills, riding in a straight line, looking over our left shoulder while holding a straight line, avoidance maneuvers, quick turns, and quick stops.
After some time there, we took to the road, riding in traffic! It was scary for me at first, because I've always been scared riding in traffic. But then, being part of the group, doing it right and seeing why it was right, I enjoyed it! We stopped now and then for debriefing and introduction to what we were going to do next. We did left turns from the far right on a 5-lane busy road, rode on a 2-lane narrow road with no shoulder, crossed a couple of very busy roads, all safely with no problems.
We rode to a sandwich place and ordered the lunch of our dreams, paid for by the City. Then we had a test, after which we went over and discussed the answers. (I missed 3 out of 30.)
When the class was over, we got a certificate suitable for framing AND a coupon for free stuff from the Ajo Bike Shop on the other side of Tucson. A group of us went there right away to claim our goodies! We got a $30 helmet (which I got before the class, and which I love!), a $40 bike lock, a $25 light set, an $11 water bottle, a nice air pump, a patch kit, and tire tools! Thank you, City of Tucson!
Yesterday was Part II and we had to bring our bikes! For this part, we met in the parking lot at Udall Park. We began by helmeting up, and then riding over to another parking lot. Here we did various drills, riding in a straight line, looking over our left shoulder while holding a straight line, avoidance maneuvers, quick turns, and quick stops.
After some time there, we took to the road, riding in traffic! It was scary for me at first, because I've always been scared riding in traffic. But then, being part of the group, doing it right and seeing why it was right, I enjoyed it! We stopped now and then for debriefing and introduction to what we were going to do next. We did left turns from the far right on a 5-lane busy road, rode on a 2-lane narrow road with no shoulder, crossed a couple of very busy roads, all safely with no problems.
We rode to a sandwich place and ordered the lunch of our dreams, paid for by the City. Then we had a test, after which we went over and discussed the answers. (I missed 3 out of 30.)
When the class was over, we got a certificate suitable for framing AND a coupon for free stuff from the Ajo Bike Shop on the other side of Tucson. A group of us went there right away to claim our goodies! We got a $30 helmet (which I got before the class, and which I love!), a $40 bike lock, a $25 light set, an $11 water bottle, a nice air pump, a patch kit, and tire tools! Thank you, City of Tucson!
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