Today is my mother's birthday. You haven't heard a lot about my mother yet, but it's coming. My mother is a quiet steady engine that keeps this family well fed and motoring right along. She always turns out great meals except on her birthday which has become synonymous with going out for Chinese. When my mother cooks, she usually has a stick or two of butter at the ready. One of our family's favorite recipes is Greek chicken- like Yiya used to make. My non Greek mother is not particularly fond of this dish, but she patiently churns it out by request. As the saying goes in my family- first you take a chicken... then you bake it in a pan with tomato sauce; cook the macaroni, drain the noodles and add a stick of butter. Then you pour all that chicken dripping tomato sauce on top of those buttery noodles and.... I can't even stand to write about it, it's that good. Another specialty is fudge cake, not to mention Aunt Mary's Hot fudge sauce, and chocolate muffins, but don't get me started.
My mother was born here at the old Sibley Hospital which was on North Capitol Street. She weighed seven pounds, and was the first child born in the family. Her parents, Bernice and Roger Calvert had just gotten married the year before on Bernice's eighteenth birthday. They named my mother after her mother, Bernice Bailey, and so she became "BB" which morphed into the Bebe we know today. My grandmother wrote: "Baby's first ride was from the hospital in Dr. Molzahi's car. After that she had numbers of auto rides, street car rides, baby carriage rides, but I think she loves best of all to ride in daddy's arms."
Too sweet.
She was born a blond, and to this day, through the miracle of modern means, she has stayed a blonde. She is so beautiful that she became a model AFTER she raised three children and before she had one more. She is still a looker and still on the go, planning the next cruise as soon as this one is over. She even drags herself to exercise class and does Thanksgiving for forty of our closest relatives- all on my Dad's side. (That includes a turkey AND a ham and about 5,000 pounds of mashed potatoes)
So this is it- the one day a year she doesn't have to cook. I have to go round up the kids. We're off for Chinese somewhere in Rockville.
So Happy Birthday, MOM, and thanks.
Earlier today, Daryl and his crew, or as my MIL says "Daryl's" and Austin went to visit the Cherokee Nation. I'm hoping Austin will blog about it since I wasn't there so I can't. When they returned back to our campground, they invited us to do some Go Kart racing.
Because there is some crazy person detecting device here. Nathan always says you can't fight with crazy, because crazy always wins. I see now why. I mean who could beat someone who is willing to do this. Willing and actually PAY to do it. I forfeit right now. You win!
Now we're off to the track. Let's get ready to rumble!
We do the first race. I ride with Josh to help offset that lightness factor that Nathan worries about. That and Josh asked me to ride with him, and I can't tell Josh no. Daryl and Lauren ride together. Everyone else rides alone. I don't know much about the singles, because they left way before us so it was just us doubles fighting for the lead. We won't discuss this race. Let's just say I came in dead last. Hmmm....maybe there is something to that lightness factor. We still had fun.
If the other boy gets upset...well, that's just part of the game.
In this game, you just gotta do your own thing. Josh takes first place. Further supporting Nathan's theory. The other boy cried a bit. Which broke my heart. But not so much that I didn't high five Josh for beating him.
At some point Aric tries to lap Austin. Austin doesn't let him. They are content to do this for a few laps. Aric bumping into Austin. Austin letting me know that they've got nothing on him. Then they catch up to Lauren. It's the end of the race. She's in front. She doesn't understand the concept of "they already lapped me a few times". She just knows..she is in front. She won!
My guys are so gracious, they let her believe she won. Now that's real love. Of course, once you are married...it's a whole different tune. You only win if you win. And it's still real love. Just a different kind.
Mostly, we were going to see some special friends. We were in the Peace River TT and they were still in the Orlando TT, so we met in the middle. We met up with Kati, Auvi, Zoe, Kelby and Conner. Zoe is Austin's non-girlfriend. We can't figure it out. He wants to spend all of his free time with her and yet still gets mad when we say she is his girlfriend. I guess we can just say she is his friend that he deeply admires in every.single.way. She told me that he lets her think she is in charge. I think they are off to a great start!
Aren't they cute?
I love this picture of Zoe. Great work, Auvi!
Living the life in Florida!
(I own mittens but so seldom use them I'll leave them out of the conversation)
Thomas Smiley photos: www.smileysmtphoto.com 
I used the Mtn Hardware Typhon this winter as my back up, warmer glover to the Hydra. Dave was using the MtnHardwareJalapeno when he got cold or wet enough. I thought the Jalapeno easier to use and justas warm as my wool lined Typhon. Typhon's liner comes out, the Jalapeno's doesn't.
Entering the Brooks booth at Interbike was an experience that I can only describe as "trippy." Not only did I feel as if I'd stepped into a Skittles commercial - or at least a Brooks + Skittles "collabo" (Ride the Rainbow...), but I was seeing objects that, at first glance, distinctly resembled gun holsters - in a variety of lollypop shades.
Upon a closer look it became apparent that these were in fact tiny handbags shaped like Brooks saddles. The representative cheerfully explained that Brooks had the idea to make leather saddle covers to class up bikes that came with plastic saddles. But the project did not work, so they turned the would-be saddle covers into handbags - and thus we have the Victoria bag.
And lest you be wearing trousers on a bike with no chaincase, a leather strap in a matching shade could be just the thing.
As long as it all matched your handlebar tape. And your apple-green saddle.
Of course if you're not a fan of colourful accessories, Brooks offers the subdued "paratrooper" look in tasteful shades of gray and beige.
Okay, I really don't mean to tease Brooks so much. They had "normal" stuff too, like their regular line of saddles, a promising rain cape and their new city leather grips (which I would buy if they didn't have those cold metal sections at the ends). But something just felt a little off about their booth - as if they were on the verge of losing perspective.
Taking the classic route to fetish-appeal, Klean Kanteen draped itself in caramel leather, for a look suggesting vintage flasks. I like it. But the one problem I see with this, is that the outside of these bottles tends to always get wet and the leather is bound to get discoloured and misshapen as a result over time - something that does not happen with shellacked twine, because the shellac waterproofs it.
This particular Klean Kanteen had a wooden inlay on the lid with a Brompton logo on it, and may have been a limited edition model made especially for Brompton bicycles.
Sculptural bicycle pumps from Lezyne in stainless steel and wood. People couldn't stop touching them, running their hands against the surface.
A bicycle pump that makes you want to use it by appealing to your sense of touch? Okay, I admit I want these. You got to me, Lezyne.
Po Campo's new "self-referetial" print is really too lighthearted to be truly fetishistic, but deserves a mention. Obsessed with bicycles? What a better way to show it than to get a bicycle bag with pictures of, well, bicycles on it. Should leave no doubt as to your love of cycling.
Alternatively, you could opt for the new Logan Tote - a pannier shaped like a dainty doctor's bag and designed to carry anything from diapers and formula bottles to camera equipment and the i-Pad. The myriad of belts and buckles that come with Po-Campo bags contribute to the visual curiosity factor, particularly when a tiny bag ends up capable of securing things like heavy jackets and yoga mats.
The Brompton "Oratory" cycling jacket has gotten both praise and slack in the press for being useful/ unnecessary (pick one), sparking debate as to whether urban cycling-specific designs overcomplicate matters and undermine the whole idea of being able to ride in regular clothing.
Not sure where I stand on that issue, but regardless - the Brompton jacket has a number of fine details that appealing regardless of whether one even needs a jacket at all.
The jacket is corduroy, with a wicking bamboo lining depicting a drawing of the Brompton Oratoryby English graffiti artist, Kid Acne (Get it? Graffiti for an urban jacket? Graffiti of a building instead of on a building? Oh the cleverness of it!..).
But no tale of accessory fetishism is complete without a visit withBerthoud. I have an odd relationship with Berthoud bags, in that I tend to lose my mind when I see them - especially several in the same place at the same time. The shades of gray fabric and caramel leather are just right, the straps are perfectly proportioned... But when it comes down to it, I cannot bring myself to actually buy one of the bags. It's not just the price, but something about the look would make me self-conscious to have it on my own bike. 
A case of being too perfect? Maybe!
And then there are the panniers. These are available in many sizes and use the R&K Klick-fix system, which I love. But I can't get over the "corset" look of the side expansions - which, although obviously purpose-driven, to me seem to be the ultimate symbol of our tendency to fetishise bicycle accessories. It's not a bad thing per se, if it makes us happy and makes us ride our bikes more. But we each have different comfort levels. I'll go for leather, wood and twine, but will stop short of holsters and corsetry.