31 January 2010

Simple Pleasures Week Day One - My Best Girl


posing with San Diego skyline in the background

It’s simple pleasures week on kalanicut.

All week I’ll be sharing simple pleasures and hope you’ll share some of yours!  It’s just a great reminder to be living our best life today rather than waiting for “some day” when we have time, when it’s easier, when we aren’t so tired, so busy, so whatever. I need that reminder!

Today I want to introduce you to one of my favorite friends in the entire, whole, wide world. My bike. I dreamed my whole, long life for a cruiser bike and finally got one for my birthday 3 years ago. What a splendid gift given to me by someone who really knows me. 

The most important accessory is the beautiful wicker basket I purchased in 1999, yes a whole millennium ago, in Latvia. I carried it home which was no easy feat considering I had only a couple small backpacks with me and it arrived in one piece. The amazing basket waited and waited for me to finally get the right bike to put her on. But when the right time came, it was love at first introductions.

Up until this past year I am ashamed to say I didn’t give my beautiful bike the love she deserved. But a great simple pleasure for me this past year has been riding to the beach on Saturday afternoons after the chores and visit to the gym are done. Luckily there is a bike path just a block north of my house all the way to the beach.


A couple of hours at the beach, playground, pier and beach path are so refreshing and in the winter the sunset is the stop in your tracks lead-in to the dinner hour. There are a million food options once we leave the beach and head back into the city…fish & chips, pizza, crepes, burgers, salads or steak. There’s a spot for every price point and interest.

Once our bellies are full we meander around the walking street for a while then head for home around 9p. The bike ride home feels much longer in the dark, with a significant temperature drop and a gentle uphill slope, but it’s a good way to wind down at the end of the day and the streets are deserted most of the way. Bike lights were a fantastic investment and give us a lot of flexibility to ride when we want to.

There’s no better simple pleasure than riding the bike, in a skirt with the wind blowing through your hair and the sun kissing your cheeks. Now dear bike is also taking me to church, shopping and other errands each week, a real treat. What’s YOUR simple pleasure?

*FYI – In mid-February I’ll be doing a full week of awesome giveaways every day. Spread the word now and get ready to enter!

1 comment:

Dix said...

My husband and I gave each other bikes for Christmas a year ago - we love to ride! After a bike accident about 25 years ago,I'd never been on a bike since, but I'm getting more confident and soon I'll fly along!

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