Great Christmas Cycling Post on a Blog - Cyclist drags tree home

The bike lanes are busy with people transporting all manner of seasonal items. Trees, presents, what have you.
Just another day in the life of a cycling Copenhagen.

http://cycleliciousness.blogspot.com/

Christmas Eve at the Koonce Household

Just a slow day in Sellwood. Started off really slow, we had our Milwaukie neighbors over for a breakfast souflet that took two years off our lives. As we were trying to get together to get out and enjoy a little of that sunshine, we were greeted by a holiday elf that helped us decide to go down to the Park for a little play time with neighbors Katy and Lucy. We met Niko and his sister (forgot her name) and had a great old time although it was pretty cold. Susan was a baking queen and I tried to help by ruining some of the bread. Emma came over with Jack and I went shopping at the local shops for some last minute gifts and groceries. We had a good day with the girls, Abby put out treats for Santa and Amelia had fun putting on her new Curious George pajamas, a Koonce Tradition. I am eating too many sweets and Susan is making enchilladas for tomorrow's Christmas dinner at her folks. It was strange that we did not do the Estacada trip today (they were starting too late for the kiddos), but I guess that's what happens when you grow up with your kids.
Listening to some of the old Christmas Carols, Merry Christmas Baby by Springsteen is on and Elvis is always a favorite :)
Surfed a little to my favorite biking websites and found the Bike Carols on the Shift 2 Bikes site (very clever, I like clever people). Planning to ride on New Year's Eve, hopefully I am feeling up for it and the weather is decent (it is a family friendly ride)!

Off to assemble enchiladas...

Bikey Christmas Carols

Bikey Christmas Carols
Written by: Amy Stork, Jim Waigand, and Jeff Bernards


Bicycle Rock(to the tune of Jingle Bell Rock)
Bicycle, bicycle, bicycles rock
Bicycles roll and bicycles go
Spinning and grinning, it’s baskets of fun
Now the biking age has begun
Bicycle, bicycle, bicycles rock
Cyclist whoop and Cyclists hoot
Pedal and revel in Courthouse Square, In the misty air
What a bright time, it’s the right time
To bike the night away
Bicycle time is a cool time
To go riding on a two-wheeled sleigh
Giddy up, iron horse, don’t be a poke
Bicycle round the clock
Mix and mingle with your jingling spokes
That’s the bicycle, That’s the bicycle,
That’s the bicycle rock!

Bikes for the world(to the tune of Joy to the World)
Bikes for the world! The time has come
Let earth receive clean air
Let every heart, beat steadily
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and nature sing
And heaven and heaven and nature sing
Bikes rule the road, with speed and grace
And make our nation free
From oil rigs and corporate greed
So ride your bicycle
So ride your bicycle
So ride, so ride your bicycle!

Climate change is coming to town
(to the tune of Santa Claus in coming to town)
You better watch out, you better not drive
You better ride bikes I’m telling you why
Climate change is coming to town
We’re making it hot, we’re raising the sea
Gonna feel life at a hundred degrees
Climate change is coming to town
If people keep on driving
The poles will soon be lakes
The air will stink like petrol fumes
Ride your bike for goodness sake
We’re making a list, we’re checking it twice
We’re gonna find out who drove and who biked!
Climate change is coming to town


Deck the road with tons of cyclists
(to the dune of Deck the Halls)
Deck the road with tons of cyclists, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Tis the season for idealists, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Don we now our rain apparel, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Call your friend his name is Harold, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Grab your helmet and your u-lock, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Join the sheep who’ve left the flock, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Hitch your trailer to your seat post, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
To the store to get some French Roast, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Pedal til the old year passes, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Cold air fogging up your glasses, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Summer soon will come again, Fa la la la la la, la la la la
Just keep riding with the wind, Fa la la la la la, la la la la

O Come all ye cyclists
(to the tune of o come all ye faithful)
O Come all ye cyclists,
joyful and triumphant
O come ye, o come ye by bicycle\ Come and behold them
See what fun they’re having
O come let us stop driving
O come let us start riding
O come let us start riding
Our bicycles

Ring your bells
(to the tune of Jingle Bells)
Dashing through the rain, on a pedaling machine
Over the streets we go, biking keeps us lean, oh ho ho
Horns on Hondas beep, testing our resolve
But oh what fun it is to ride, cutting down on smog!
Ring your bell, ring your bell, biking all the way!
Oh what fun, it is to ride a two-wheeled Chevrolet!
Hey!
Portland winter’s wet, with puddles everywhere
Splashing cars behind, but why do I care?
I’ve got fenders on, keeping my ass dry
Oh what fun it is to ride, it’s a natural high!
Ring your bell, ring your bell, biking all the way!
Oh what fun, it is to ride a two-wheeled Chevrolet!
People think we’re odd, riding on our bikes
But we know we’re cool, ‘cause this is what we like
Breathing clean and free, letting go of hate
We are riding bicycles because it feels so great!
Ring your bell, ring your bell, biking all the way!

Rudolph the red-nosed cyclist
Rudolph the red-nosed cyclist
Had a very shiny nose
And if you ever saw it (saw it)
You would even say it glowed.
All of the silly drivers
Used to laugh and call him names (like a Masshole)
They never let poor Rudolph (Rudolph)
Take the center of the lane
Then one smoggy Christmas eve
Santa came to say
Rudolph with your healthy thighs spandex tights
Won’t you pull my sleigh tonight?
Then all the children loved him
And they shouted out with glee (with glee)
Rudolph the red-nosed cyclist
Won’t you come and ride with me!

Twelve days of Christmas
On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
A tandem with a spare seat
On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me
Two handlebars and
Etc…..
Three inner tubes
Four pedals shining
Five times the fun
Six pack (or six Pabsts) for drinking
Seven days of riding
Eight bells for ringing
Nine lights a blinking
Ten spokes a spinning
Eleven cables snaking
Twelve gears for shifting.

Bikes in Portland

 
While we were on Peacock Lane, there were two different cycling groups that came through. Even a devoted cyclist like myself thought they were a little crazy on one of the rainiest nights we've had.

I haven't been biking much myself with my health issue. A little frustrating going on the third week.

Peacock Lane: A Holiday Tradition

 
 

One of our favorite traditions is visiting Peacock Lane in inner Southeast Portland. The two block walk is filled with houses all lit up for the holidays. The sad part is that cars run all the way through and it becomes quite congested on the sidewalks.

We enjoyed a rainy night with Herny and MK.

Year End Planning

Another year in the books and there's lots of work to do before the end of the year. Interesting discussion related to PD always makes one more self aware.

I am flying to Tucson tonight to continue discussions related to Professional Development within KAI. I am looking forward to the discussion and am hopeful that the conversations get people thinking.

Milwaukee, yes the one with Two Es and in December too.

I find myself in the City of Milwaukee. Located on the southwestern shore of Lake Michigan, it is the home to Miller Brewing, and formally Pabst. I visited the Pabst Theater on my walk to the City of Milwaukee offices next to City Hall, which was a building covered in scaffolding. Milwaukee has some great architecture with old churches and great old buildings. Home to the Socialist movement in the early 1900s, it had three sociailist mayors from back in the day.

With its normal high being 33 and low of 19, it is living up to its average temeratures in what seems to pretty darn cold to me.

After the meeting, I got a ride from the hotel shuttle over to the Lakefront Brewery, which had a nice informal tour of their premises. Brewing just 9,000 barrels a year (that seams low) it is a decent operation, but as the tour guide said, they spill more beer on one shift at Miller than we make in a year. The tour had ample samples, but walking back I was careful not to partake too much. It was a cold run (did I say walk, no way in 23 degrees) back and I stopped multiple times to get warm and take in a bit of the scenerey. Some of my stops included the Water Street Brewery (seemed small), a book shop (great cluttered store, a little too much clutter though), and Rock Bottom Brewery. I decided not to eat at Rock Bottom and went back to Mo's Irish Pub for the third time (second time on this trip).

Going to watch the Bears game on TV (like a true Midwesterner) and maybe head to the coffee shop for some dessert.