Al's Blog-o-Sphere

After pouring all night and a dark and cold day most of the day, it cleared up in the evening enough for a after-dinner walk. My wife and I walked the usual two and a half mile loop around the canal.

I snapped this picture of a weed that had flowered along the canal banks, on the state-owned “Canalway Trail” side of things. I don’t know what it is, but it was very large and pretty. It also was gone the next time I went bye. Glad I caught it, even if it was just my cell-phone camera.

One of these days, I’m going to carry my good camera along. I often see things I think would make a good picture, but just can’t capture them with the cell. Of course, if I have a good camera, nothing will be seen worth shooting.

Did you know there was a lighthouse at Nelson C. Goehle Marina/Park (Widewaters)? I didn’t. I took this photo a month or so ago. I don’t remember seeing it before, but it might have been there for years.

It’s a scale model of a lighthouse standing maybe 6-8 feet tall at the edge of the canal near the marina docks. Someone put a lot of work into it. I think it may actually light up, but I haven’t been there after dark to see.

I took a ride today on the new bike before it rained. I parked across the canal in the path parking lot near the Cold Springs Rd. Bridge. I wanted to just take a short ride and check the bike out.

I spent some time today modifying my bike rack to handle the much more awkward trike. I had a hitch rack on my truck that held up to three bikes. I did some measurements and found that if I could rest the front of the bike on the rack, I could rest the rear wheel on the roof of the truck against the luggage rack.

I picked up a piece of 1″ square perforated steel tubing. I had used the same material to build a bike rack for the back bumper of my camping trailer in the past. It’s easy to work with because it has pre-drilled holes every inch and it’s like a really strong erector set. Continue Reading…

The Bicycle Man shop

I took a trip yesterday to Alfred Station NY to visit a bike shop. I know I could have found a bike shop closer to home, but not one like this. This was The Bicycle Man, a shop whose simple name gives no clue to the rare and special product they have.

Just as an idea how special this is, I visited the largest bike shop in my area last week, a mini-chain with four stores, and out of the hundreds of bikes they had on display, they had only one model of a recumbent!

The Bicycle Man, you see, specializes in recumbent bikes, those laid-back, weird-looking bikes you might have seen on TV, a movie or rarely in real life. I had been wanting one for a long time and finally decided to try some out. This shop is a rarity in that they almost don’t want to sell you a bike, unless you try several out and are sure it’s right for you. It’s really cool that they spend so much time making sure the customer is happy before they take a dime. I spent most of the day there, and there were several customers besides me who also spent considerable time trying things out. Some went away without making a purchase. Maybe they will be back, but not until they are sure! Continue Reading…

You wouldn’t be surprised to see some waterfowl along the canal, but the Geese at Widewaters and the other parks along Market Street are out of hand again this year.

While they are majestic birds and their goslings are cute, their droppings are a nuisance and their aggressive behavior can be intimidating. They stand around in droves, or packs, or technically, flocks, on the recreation path and act like they own the place. If you challenge them, they begrudgingly move, just enough to let you pass, honking as they do. And whatever you do, don’t approach their chicks! Continue Reading…