October 2011

Minneapolis is just wrapping up the addition of a crazy number of bicycle lane and bicycle path mileage. Seriously, it's almost doubled in the last couple years, and there is more to come this spring 2012.

This past week, in my capacity as a Minneapolis Bike Walk Ambassador, I helped plan and execute four bicycle facility grand openings in five days. Prior to that it was two weeks with one event each week. My head is spinning. I'm so happy to have all of the event planning wrapped up, and so thankful for all of the support of partnering organizations and bicycle enthusiasts.  Whew.

Here is one of the key websites attached to many of these grand openings: Bike.Walk.Move.

What a whirlwind and seriously, it's October in Minnesota and we were gifted 80-degree weather the past week and barely a drop of rain.

Now we enjoy it while it's last, then I shall hibernate once again until the spring. Though, I hope to pedal myself a bit further into the cold weather this year than years past. Bring it.

What will my next endeavor look like?

I was thinking that over the winter it might be fun to go out and purchase a t-shirt from every single Minneapolis Bicycle Shop. That would be quite the collection. What would I even do with that many t-shirts? I certainly couldn't find enough time to wear them all.

For now I'll just stick with my local fave, Behind Bars Bicycle Shop.

Habitat for Humanity + Bicycles = Awesome.

Since I was a small child I have been interested in home building. Later came architecture, skyscrapers, city planning, and so on. I love watching anything go from bits and pieces to a fully functioning something. Legos were my favorite toy ever, so much to create, limited only by your imagination.

This later, when I was in college, led to a fascination with the idea of Habitat for Humanity, but I have never taken the time to figure out how/when to volunteer: until now.

This week the Jimmy & Rosalyn Carter project for Habitat for Humanity is focusing on rehab'ing and building in a North Minneapolis neighborhood. Local non-profit TLC (Transit for Livable Communities) put out a call for people with bicycles and trailers to form a pedal powered delivery team to deliver tools and supplies to the various sites around the neighborhood. You BET I signed up!

On Wednesday I will finally have my chance to volunteer for Habitat for Humanity, all the better, it's practically in my back yard and I get to participate while on my bicycle. Not to mention this will be the FIRST thing for which I bust out the Burley Honey Bee trailer that was gifted to us at one of our many baby showers prior to Baby Dubs arrival. (Baby Dubs will get his first ride in it next spring!)

Excited does not even begin to describe my emotion over all of this.

hdb,

Mackenzie