Weekend in the big city?

Well, Brisbane at least. That's where I've been this weekend. I rode up first thing Saturday morning for the Matthew Coley ride. For those who haven't heard, Matthew Coley was a cyclist who was injured by a "hit and run" driver in Brisbane a little while back. There was a big group ride organised from the Seagull Toilet (a.k.a Wally Lewis statue) outside Lang Park to the side street in the suburb of Kelvin Grove where the incident took place.

Of course, I rode up from the Gold Coast in a "show of defiance" that probably achieved nothing at all -- apart from a very pleasant early section of the ride alongside the Broadwater.



The funny thing was, the wind, which had been blowing strongly from the North all week, did a sudden about-face. This, combined with a dream run of traffic lights into Brisbane meant that I had an hour to kill, which I duly did at the Botanic Gardens prior to the ride. You don't expect to see this in the centre of the city.



A nice spot alongside the river, looking toward the bridge I rode across to get here.



On the ride itself, a couple of comments. Firstly, I didn't like the fact that the whole thing was paced at 14km/h by police cars. Yes, I know the organisers were trying to keep riders of varying ability levels together, but in a ride as short as that one was, I doubt the gaps would develop to great levels anyway -- given the "peloton" was already five minutes long at the start.

Something else that bugged me -- the constant reference to hit and run "accidents" in the speeches given at the even itself. Firstly, this was no "accident". An accident only occurs where both parties have done all they possibly could to prevent the incident from occurring, but it happens anyway due to a quirk of fate, or adverse conditions. This was (at best) a clear case of driver not caring who he collides with, providing that he (or she) himself doesn't get hurt. Hardly an "accident". It may well have been deliberate.

Secondly, even if they nab the guy responsible for this incident, if that speech made it onto TV (Channel 7 were there), any defence lawyer with half a brain will seize on the "accident" speeches in 30 seconds. Pleading accident, in this "accident" culture that we live in, means driver gets a slap on the wrist at best, and probably sent to a counselling session which comprises of being told "oh, you must feel terrible, but don't worry because we're going to ban cyclists from the roads for their own safety soon anyway".

Gee, I didn't intend this entry to be so negative. I guess I'll finish on a positive note, and say that at least the turnout on the day was encouraging -- as was some of the support we received. It seems there might be a few people who are as sick of this sort of behaviour as I am. Perhaps that's the first step to something being done about it.

Crossing the Line

I saw the first hummingbird of .. on Thursday morning – it stopped at a Salvia ‘Nuevo Leon’, then moved to the still blooming Coral Honeysuckle/Lonicera sempervirens. I lost sight of it for a few seconds, before catching its final dip toward a Salvia greggii. He was lucky to find something blooming!

I’ve planted plenty of butterfly & hummingbird plants, but they’ve been slow to bloom this year. If the rain stops and the sun heats up we may rapidly cross over that line from Spring to Summer this weekend. I’ve already cut back the once-blooming pink rose to under 6-feet and shortened the iris stalks to make the plants look neater. Another wave of flowers are budded and ready to take their turn.

Last winter’s cold and ice killed the Salvia guaranitica, the Pineapple Sage/Salvia elegans and the hybrid Salvia ‘Black & Blue’ to ground level here in NW Austin. All three Salvias were hummingbird favorites last summer, but the Pineapple sage is still struggling up from the ground, the Black & Blue has only buds, and the Salvia guaranitica in the photo above just started to open in the last few days.

The first Larkspur flowers showed color on Monday, weeks after they were blooming in South Austin gardens. Larkspur/Consolida ambigua self-seed each winter, and usually grow quickly in April. This cooler, wetter spring seemed to delay their growth at first, then allowed them to grow way too tall and top-heavy. Recent thunderstorms toppled some, and the heavy wet soil is making some plants rot at the base. Whenever we expand our planting areas I move a few seedlings to the new beds, leaving it up to the Larkspur if they want to grow there.

The first flowers opened on the double yellow, fragrant Oleander from Plant Delights. I bought the rooted cutting [Tony Avent thinks the variety may be 'Mathilde Ferrier'] in March .., and grew it on the deck at our last Austin house. It’s lived in a series of containers, with the most recent transplanting done in February .. by my friends the Divas of the Dirt.

This week brought the first flowers on the Achillea 'Moonshine', also called yarrow. Both yarrow and lambs ear look good now, but they're frequently a ratty mess by late summer. I just cut them back severely and hope for new fresh foliage. Those buds to the right of the yarrow belong to a lemony yellow reblooming daylily, ‘Happy Returns’.

Around the side of the house, the shelter of the brick wall has persuaded one Canna 'City of Portland' that it's already summertime. I grew this Canna in Illinois and brought a few pieces with me to Texas in 1999. Since it multiplies easily, it's definitely a Passalong plant... I always have some to share.

This bright pink, tidy native is the Cherry Skullcap/ Scutellaria suffrutescens. The plant is generally evergreen here, although the tips were frozen back this winter. Skullcap grows slowly into a mounded sub-shrub that can take sun, heat and is drought resistant. Ta-Da!

Okay, so it’s only a two inch ‘Juliet’ tomato, and it’s in a container not the ground, but it’s still a tomato!

We also have a “real” tomato almost ready to eat – an ‘Early Girl’. This is actually the second to turn orange - we lost the first to the critters, which is why we've given up on vine ripe tomatoes and I’m bringing this one inside. In another few hours, if the squirrels haven’t taken out a chunk out of it, some bird will have pecked a hole in it.
Where’s the satin pillow?

New Detour, Mana-Swamp Update

Dropped the car at Lyle's for a wheel sensor problem. Killed time at Xtreme Wheels until time to take a bike ride. Still had the hardtail at the shop, so just changed clothes and hopped on the bike.
Rode past the Wabash Trace Trailhead over toward Mosquito Creek. At the end of E. South Omaha Bridge Road I encountered some new construction. Appears they are creating a gravel detour - see photo.
Wind was from the NNE. "Flew" down the Lake Manawa Trail along the creek. Rode on over to the mountain bike trail area. Sections of the trails there are still under water.
However, West Sidewinder was high and dry. Took a spin on that trail. Encountered a couple branches over the trail that will need to be cleared. Trail surface of this trail is dry and dusty.

It will probably be at least a week until the river subsides. Then still longer until the trail dries out and can be ridden.
From the MtB trails, rode around Lake Manawa, up Indian Creek to S. 16th. (The bridge over Indian Creek is still closed for redecking - at least during the day.) At that time, received the call that my car was ready. Continued the ride into town to Lyle's.
A good 15 miles ride in 80 degree temps. Great way to end March.

Rainy Day at Minnehaha Falls

Rainy Day at Minnehaha Falls, originally uploaded by ParsecTraveller.

I got this shot back in June when I was in Minnesota. This waterfall was gushing, more than I'd ever seen.
Anyone have some good waterfalls nearby?

Instagram Fever

I don't know if anyone has noticed, but I've only been posting, at the most, once a week. I was thinking about this and wondering why, and it dawned on me; I've joined Instagram! It's my new obsession. Does anyone reading this post on Instagram? I'll tell you, it's addicting. It's like a mini-Facebook only way more fun.
You take a photo with your smartphone and then post it to the Instagram app. You may write a descriptive sentence if you'd like. People who are following you can see your photo, like it, or make a comment. It's just another way to connect with people in cyberspace. I'm only following a handful of people, because I don't want to be consumed with looking at everyone's new posts all day long. Mostly it's friends and friends of friends that I follow, although I am following a few unknown photographers just to see their beautiful photos. They inspire me.
What's your favorite social media on the internet? For now, mine is definitely Instagram.

Western Historic Trail Paving

This week concrete is being poured on the trail from the Trails Center to S. 24th St. When I rode by yesterday afternoon, the paving work was along the baseball fields West of the Maintenance Building. Paving is progressing West to East.