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8mm Home Movie of Christmas Bicycle

Several years ago, my brother, Mark, converted a bunch of our 8mm family movies to VHS. They weren’t of high quality to begin with, and the duplication didn’t help them any. I recently bought a ION Audio VCR 2 PC USB VHS Video to Computer Converter to copy the analog movies to digital files.

While looking through them tonight, I found this short piece on Brother David getting his first bicycle sometime in the early 1960s. The part I like best is when he polishes the fingerprints off the fender.

I wonder how many kids are going to be getting bikes this week? Lots, I hope.

Magic Carpet

Bikes were magic carpets that expanded our world when we were kids. (Once you got the front tire pumped up, that is.)

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Total Eclipse of the Moon

Nearing totality at 2:29 a.m.

A buddy said he was going to have trouble staying up for the total eclipse of the full moon on Dec. 21, 2010. I said I could save him some trouble if he wanted to duplicate the effect.

  1. Go out in the back yard and stare at the full moon.
  2. Close your eyes.
  3. Open your eyes.
  4. Go to bed
  5. Complain about how hard it is to get up

Total eclipse3:22 a.m.

These were shot with a Canon FS100 video camera set on still mode. I can zoom the lens to a higher magnification than with my Nikon D40. They’re not razor-sharp, but they’re good enough for my purposes.

Light coming back 3:55 a.m.

It was time to head to bed. I stayed up until after 4 a.m., woke up at 9:30 to feed the cats, then went back and slept until almost 1 p.m.

It sure is nice to be retired when you keep hours like that.

We’re serious about Full Moons

Here’s a sampling of some of our Full Moon stories

Frog Dance under the Full Moon

Palm Beach Full Moon bike ride

Fire dancers at Full Moon Drum Circle

LOST opportunity to perform buttectomy

Full Moon rises over Sandia Mountains

The What Else Could Go Wrong Ride

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First Annual Christmas Cruise

When I invited rider friends Anne and Osa to the First Annual Velo’s Cyclery Christmas Cruise, I warned them that we might be the only ones to show up.

Organizer Juan Orellana had the same thought. “I didn’t expect but about 10 people to show up, so that’s all the maps I made up.”

As it turned out, about 42 riders showed up at Phipps Park in West Palm Beach to take a tour of the famous (in this area, at least) decorations around Gabriel Drive in suburban West Palm Beach.

Juan led the charge

Riders of all shape and ages, riding tandems, tall bikes, expensive road machines and beaters, some decorated to the hilt, pulled out of the park shortly after 7 p.m. for the roughly 6.5-mile ride.

Most riders wore helmets

Most riders wore helmets, although these guys opted for style over safety for the evening.

Spectacular decorations

The neighborhood has been known for its extravagant decorations for as long as I can remember. Wife Lila insists that we make a pass through there almost every season. Traffic is usually a hassle, so I’ve considered riding on my bike, but dismissed the idea because I was afraid that motorists would be distracted and would run into me.

As Juan pointed out, “In numbers is better.” It helped that we made such a spectacle of our own with all the blinking lights and strange costumes that motorists were VERY aware of us.

My friends are ready for next year

Anne and Osa enjoyed their rides very much. They’re already looking forward to next year. Both of them managed to come up with excuses for missing the Freakbike Militia Choppernite 30 ride the night before, when temperatures were a bit more on the chilly side.

Juan said the event worked out so well that he’s considering doing other family rides.

Christmas Cruise Video

Photo Gallery

Click on any photo to make it larger, then click on the left or right side of the image to move through the gallery.

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Freakbike Militia’s Choppernite 30

Dec. 15,2010, was the West Palm Beach Freakbike Militia Choppernite 30 holiday ride. Riders were asked to bring a new, unwrapped toy to donate to the Salvation Army. (I noticed a pretty big pile after the event was over.)

This has been an early winter for South Florida. We’ve already had at least two hard freezes. The temperature for the night of the ride was going to be around 50 degrees at the start, and dipping lower as the evening went on.

The nap magnet had captured me late in the afternoon. I was all snuggled up under warm blankets enjoying the sleep of someone who has a clear conscience when a phone call woke me up. I looked at the time and realized that I had a decision to make: blow off the ride and stay all toasty or try to find my bike stuff that was still scattered all over from my trip to Missouri.

Decorated bikes

When I got to the start of the ride at Southern and Flagler, I was glad I opted to ride. The wind was calm and it wasn’t as cold as I had feared. Seeing all the familiar faces and decorated bikes warmed my spirit, too.

Problems cleared up

I missed the June ride because of my high school class reunion, and we were in Missouri for my mother’s Birthday Season in October. The last Choppernite ride I was on was last year at this time and I raised some serious safety concerns.

I’m pleased to say that Wednesday night’s ride was a vast improvement over last year.

  • Most of the bikes had lights fore and aft. Those that didn’t were generally tucked securely in the group.
  • Helmet usage was up and the organizers encouraged their use.
  • Riders were more disciplined: they stayed within the lane and generally rode responsibly.
  • The “corkies,” riders who would block the intersections so the ride could go through as a group, were dressed with reflective vests and did a great job of engaging with the motorists. I heard several of them explaining what the ride was all about and thanking drivers for their patience. I didn’t hear any of the impatient horn honking that happened at last year’s Choppernite.

I did another holiday ride the next night. Look for those photos and videos in the next day or so.

Video of Choppernite 30

Other Freaknite events

Here are some links to other Freakbike events I’ve covered:

Summer of Love ride

Halloween Choppernite XXV

Friday the 13th Ride

First Aid, Freakbike Militia-style

Kenny Prather has a manly kickstand

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December 2010 Bike Rides

This month has flashed by too fast. There are several rides coming up in the next few days that I don’t have a lot of information on, but I’ll try to cover the basics.

Freakbike Militia Choppernite 30 Toy Drive Dec. 15

Meet at the Greek Church near the corner of Southern Blvd. and S. Flagler Dr. at 7 p.m. Dec. 15. Ride starts at 7:30 SHARP, rain or shine. Headlights and taillights required, helmets encouraged (mandatory for those 15 and under). The ride generally passes through City Place, stops for some silly games at the Fountain on Clematis where the old library used to be, then returns to the Greek Church.

You’ll see bikes of every size, shape and description. Despite the name, it’s a family-friendly event. Speeds are a leisurely 10-12 mph.

Bring a new, unwrapped toy for the Salvation Army. (Don’t worry about carrying it. Some of the folks ride cargo bikes with spare capacity.)

Bad news: temperature is predicted to be 50 degrees at 7 p.m.. Good news: winds are going to be light and no rain is expected.

Velo’s Cyclery First Annual Christmas Cruise Dec. 16

This is a new one for me (and a first, so, it’ll be new for everyone.) Here’s all I know about it from the Freakbike website:

Join us in our first annual Christmas light bicycle ride thru Lake Clark Shores. This will be with whatever bike you have, unicycle, your Miami sun trike, your best cruiser bike or even your full blown racing bike. Bring the kids out for this one, have them enjoy a great time on the bike with spectacular views of West Palm Beach best Light show in the world.

You are encouraged to add your own lights to your bike to add more bling and flavor to the ride. You can even dress like an Elf or even Santa Clause.

Date: Thursday December 16, 2010
Meeting location: Phipps Park 4715 S. Dixie Hwy. West Palm Beach, South of Southern on Dixie Hwy.
Time: 6:30pm Bring Lights and helmets.
Distance: 5 miles
Speed: as fast as a snail

[Note: the truck won’t be in the ride. It’s one Bro Mark shot in St. Louis a couple years ago.]