In a previous post, I told you about Barry's new Electra Townie bicycle, perfect for cruising around campgrounds and RV parks. While I walk, he can make much better time by hopping on his bike to get to and from the pool or park office or to take a leisurely turn around the park on afternoons when we don't do our longer road bike rides on the West Orange Trail in the morning. I've been seriously envious of his new steed and wanted to join him with my own "camp cruiser", but I was unwilling to give up any of my other bikes to make room for it. I decided that I would only buy one if I could find something seriously cheap. In this case I wouldn't regret donating it if we lacked the space to take it along with us when we leave this current long-term RV park stay, courtesy of my orthodontic treatment (i.e., braces!) I'd been keeping an eye on Craigslist and the thrift store we often walk past, but nothing had turned up, so I'd pretty much given up until this past Saturday. That morning our RV park hosted a garage sale. We need so little (and have room for even less) in our small space, but I was determined to take a look just in case anyone was selling a women's cruising bicycle. Score! An older couple was selling this lightly used beauty for just $30, and they'd even throw in a bug-zapping racket -- we have one (they work!) and had wanted to get a second anyway. I didn't even try to bargain, as I'd pay this much to rent a bike for just a couple of days. The deal was done, and off I rode! She's a cute little thing, though I discovered she's a bit small for me with 24" wheels instead of the usual 26", but we put the seat up, and for the price, I can't complain.
Single-speed cruiser bikes with coaster brakes, which I also had when living in Belize and Mexico, take you back to the easy cycling of childhood, where special clothing and gear was not required: you just picked your bike up off the ground and pedaled to your friends' houses and around the neighborhood, wind in your hair, devil may care. Most adults stop riding bicycles as they leave childhood behind. But curiously, or maybe not so curiously after all, some return to the style of bikes they remember fondly from their childhood when they reach "a certain age". Being a bit different from most adults here in the US, Barry and I never stopped bicycling and have both owned a variety of bikes as adults, putting many, many miles on sleek, lightweight road bikes, three different tandems, folding bikes that pack into a suitcase, a few recumbents, and mountain bikes over the years. But there's something inexplicable about pedaling a cruiser bike that all the fancy, expensive bikes can't quite match. It's just a different kind of fun. Like being a kid again.
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I haven't been inspired to do a lot of blogging lately, since we haven't been traveling, but I thought I'd catch you up on what's been going on in our neck of the woods...er, RV park! Paisley Celebrated Her 10th Birthday.
Six Months in Braces.Today, February 28, is six months to the day since I got my braces on. Amazingly, the time has gone by pretty quickly. I know I have a ways to go, but I can already see big changes in my teeth and feel improvements in my bite. Here is my first day in braces (left) vs. a photo I took two days ago (right). In the first photo, my molars didn't even meet in the back, giving me an open bite in front and making chewing a challenge. Since starting with elastics in December, the bite issue has improved a lot, my midline is so much better, and both lower and upper teeth are straighter over all. I still have more of an overjet (overbite) than before my accident, but there is only so much that can be done about that without jaw surgery, which I will not be having. So, while perfection isn't a realistic goal, I'm very pleased with the changes so far. My next orthodontist appointment is Monday, March 5, so I hope to get a better idea of how long my "jail sentence" will be continuing. Our lives have been on hold since my bike crash last April, so Barry and I are both anxiously anticipating being finished with its aftermath. Time for Maintenance and Small Improvements to Pearl.February was an overdue "maintenance month" around our motorhome, Pearl. Barry worked diligently on cleaning months of leaf debris and grime off her roof and exterior. He also cleaned both rooftop air conditioner's coils. Finally, he waxed the exterior a bit at a time so she shines as well as an 11-year old motorhome can! I helped where I could, but a lot of what he did ended up being a one-person job. On the "fun" side, we added a second patio mat we found for half price at Camping World over a sandy area of our site. This should help a lot with tracking dirt and lawn debris into Pearl on our feet (and paws!) We also added this colorful windsock, and it's been getting a workout lately with all spring breezes. It was calm when I took the photo! Moving inside, I replaced most of the pillow covers on our sofa. The original covers were colorful, Mexican-style patterns, and although they were cute, the woven synthetic fabric didn't hold up over time, especially with Paisley digging in them to make a nest! With such heavy use, they eventually ended up pilling, picking, and splitting at the seams. The new covers are cotton in bright, solid colors. They should hold up better to washing -- and Paisley's digging. The disadvantage is that they'll also show all her little black and white hairs a lot more -- yes, Boston Terriers do shed! I also just replaced our mildewed shower curtain with this one that matches our tiny bathroom's decor. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that it was about four inches longer than the original, so I had to hem it by hand. Another time I could have used a sewing machine! But the results were worth it, I think. Spring Has Sprung!After a chilly January by Florida standards, spring is now in full bloom here in central Florida. In fact, Barry heard on the Weather Channel that Orlando had its warmest February ever in 2018. No wonder we've had so many good bike rides! Here are some of the photos I've taken on recent rides. The gorgeous yellow jacaranda trees, whose blossoms remind me of King Alfred daffodils, are just about done blooming already, but azaleas are out in full force. If it's not yet springtime in your neck of the woods, we hope you'll be feeling the warmth soon. Recently Barry decided he was ready to divest himself of his Jamis Dakar full-suspension mountain bike. He's had a love-hate (mostly hate) relationship with this bike since we bought it used on Ebay several years ago. He's never felt really comfortable on it, and the disc brakes are so touchy that they seem to get out of alignment if you even look at them funny, causing him many hours of frustration. So even though he has had some fun riding it (including in Colorado at the Dumont Lake national forest service campground in Sept. 2016 in the photo below), we haven't been riding off-road much lately, and he thought he'd get more use out of a different type of bike. We always had so much fun riding around Ambergris Caye in Belize on our beach cruisers. They are heavy and distinctly non-aerodynamic, but the smile factor is unarguable. So Barry did a little research online, and we rode over to a local bike shop here that takes trade-ins. This shop carried Electra Townies, the best-selling bike model in the U.S., we discovered. Barry liked the look of them and was able to take a quick test ride around the parking lot. Riding this bike was immediately comfortable and fun, and he was sold. He actually had to go back a second time as it took a few days to get a trade-in price on his Jamis since it had been upgraded and customized by the original owner. So, he wouldn't be riding his new bike back on our return trip, a disappointment. Once the bike shop got back to Barry with a price, he headed back over on his Jamis and returned to our RV park on his new Electra Townie 7d (7-speed). He loves it! It's perfect for tooling around the RV park and heading to and from the pool. I have to admit, I have a bit of bike envy. I had cruiser bikes in Belize and Mexico and had a lot of fun riding them. But I'm not willing to give up any of the bikes in my stable (road, folder, or MTB) just yet, as I still enjoy all of them in different situations. And there's just not room to carry a fourth bike for me in Pearl.
I have my eyes open on Craigslist and in the local thrift store in case a super cheap cruiser bike turns up. If the price were right (I'm talking like $25), I could pick one up until we leave here and donate it back to the thrift store when we leave. If not, it's no big deal; I can walk to the office and the pool just fine -- I just won't have as much fun as Barry! |
Emily & BarryWe're a long-married, early-retired couple who are currently traveling as nomads with no fixed home base. After years of living in North Carolina (Emily's home state), we spent 18 months living oceanfront on Ambergris Caye, Belize, a year road-tripping the US in a Honda CR-V, a year in Playa del Carmen, Mexico, and are now roaming North America in our 32' motorhome, Pearl, following warm weather whenever possible. Archives
July 2019
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