Daddy Daughter Date: A Vet Visit

Before I get to the daddy daughter date of today, I want to catch everyone up on a few experiences. I posted a Friday Comparison yesterday that showed us having driven 4 miles. I picked up the children and two friends after school in the van yesterday. Six children, one adult is a driving situation. 98 degrees at 3pm, could also reinforce the desire to drive. Three things happened during this short trip, the fuel light came on, there was construction traffic two blocks from school (5 minute wait), and the children had left their bikes at school in the morning and I had to get them home.

The fuel light coming on didn't phase me as it was such a short trip, but I also needed to drive the van today, so I was going to need to fix that issue. Having to sit idol had me moderately concerned, with the fuel light on, but things cleared up quickly. The parking director at school laughed that I was driving and knew about the construction. He commented that I would have made better time on my bike. He's probably right. Bringing the bikes home in the trunk worked well, until I drove the van this morning and forgot they were in there.

Today's To Dos
We were invited to a birthday party today. It was in Lavalette, which is in our neighboring Wayne County (Out Wayne, aka OW, if you are local). I had called the Wayne Express transportation company earlier this week to find out exactly which of their buses went down that road and what times, as their website was very poorly constructed and the information was sparse, but there was a map with a bus line highlighted showing the street I needed. I spoke with a lady in transportation who informed me there is now only one bus that runs five times a day, weekdays only and it would be a $1 for every rider. This bus did not go where I needed. I called our TTA and asked if they provided service to Lavalette, nope. It's not a bikeable road. So minivan it was. This was not a social engagement we wanted to miss, these were good family friends and having an able vehicle in the drive way, was our means.

Coinciding with the party we had a scheduled veterinarian check up for our two cats. This was a divide and conquer situation. Brent and London were going to go to the vet and I was going to take the boys to the party. Seeing that I was driving, Brent took the camera at my request, to document "taking cats to the vet by bike." What I didn't expect was them to turn it into a sight-seeing daddy daughter date.

I mentioned forgetting about the two bikes in the trunk of our van. We left before Brent and London and it never occurred to me they wouldn't have their bikes in the garage. When they arrived home from the vet, Brent said London rode my bike better than she normally rides her Junior Viper. There were no complaints and they had a jolly good time. Glad that worked out well. The worst that could have happened is they missed the appointment, and that's not a terrible thing.

The Date
In my mind's eye, they were going to take the cats in the trailer. Brent decided on his own they would get more fresh air on the rack. He rigged up this cat transport with some ratcheting belts. He was very careful to get them tight and check them for shifting and falling.

Stopping in Ritter Park. Coco and Kit.

 They turned the whole adventure into an opportunity to be a tourist. They stopped often for breaks and actually arrived late to the appointment. Our home thermometer read 104 degrees today, but I doubt it didn't just say that because it was melting.

London and her cats at the Memorial Arch.

They arrived at the vet without issue.

 London has been trying to learn to use the camera. She says she wants to have her photos in the newspaper some day. These next few are from her perspective.

Kit

Coco.

 Everyone made it home, safe and hot. I looked up their route on Google maps and discovered they went about 10 miles round trip. I asked Brent what the vet had to say about his mode of transporting the cats and he reports she had no issues with it what so ever. She seemed to give the impression people usually bike their cats to appointments, but somehow we both doubt this.

Yeah, my garage is on my to-do list for the week. I have been collecting things from around the house all summer for a yard sale. Soon, I keep promising myself, soon.

 I was laughing so hard when he rolled up I was sure PETA would be right behind him. It was something out of a comic book. I chuckled more when we looked up the route he took and compared it to the more direct route suggested by Google. He rode 3.6 extra miles because he couldn't remember how far down 3rd Avenue the office was.

View Larger Map
London had quality time with her dad today. She seem to smile a lot more after they arrived home, I know I was. The boys and I had a great time too. It's always refreshing to laugh with friends and family.

Miles Walked: 6	Biked: 82.9	Bused: 0	Drove: 22.3	This week
43.7	195.8	12.6	422.2	Since August 14, 2011

Test Riding Bikes in Columbus, OH

Miles Walked: 13.9	Biked: 56.9	Bused: 2.1	Drove: 396.3	This week
37.7	112.9	12.6	399.9	Since August 14, 2011

Downtown Mechanicsburg, OH

Flat fields of Champaign county Ohio

 Grandma got settled at home in Mechanicsburg,OH  at about 1:30PM yesterday and I set off in my empty mini van for Columbus. I was meeting my dad at Handy Bikes in Grandview to check out a cargo style bike. I had only looked at their website and found they carried the Madsen brand, but I know now I should have called first. The ladies at the counter didn't know anything about a Madsen and said there were none in the shop, but the owner came out and said he happened to have a used one in the back that he was trying to sell. It was the older model, powder blue and ready to ride.

I do believe there's a hint of fall color here.

I took it for a couple of spins around block, checking out the gears and breaking. I wasn't able to add any weight into it, as all my precious cargo was at home. Over all it was a fun ride. It didn't have some of the features of the newest model, like front cargo rack, front disc brakes and parking brake-lock, but what it did have was good enough. It rode smooth and easy and more upright than my box-store bike or Brent's GT. I am not experienced enough with bikes to give any sort of review, but I did have a great time riding this box bike around Grandview. The owner said he would sell it to me for $1000, and seeing that a new bike retails for $1500 with shipping, it sounded decent, but it was the older model and it was used, AND I hadn't ridden anything else to compare it with.

I was testing out the Madsen

The Madsen in front of Handy's Bikes

When driving to Handy's Bikes, I had some extra time before my dad was to arrive so I went to WholeFoods on Lane Avenue looking for a lunch and ended up a little backwards going from the store to the bike shop. I am glad I got a smidgen turned around because I drove past a shop called Roll:, also on Lane. After Handy's, dad and I went to Roll: to see what they might carry. The shop didn't have anything I was looking to test ride, but was stocked with some beautiful bikes. They also sold the Yepp Mini front style child seat I considered before we bought the iBert. I think the Yepp Mini seat is worth a second look. It had a higher back which might allow for napping. There was a higher cushioned front bar for both comfort and sleeping as well as the seat itself was made from a very dense but modestly pliable foam.

Chocolate cherry trail mix from WholeFoods, aka lunch.

Roll:

The salesman at Roll: told me about a shop in the Short North that sold cargo style bikes so dad and I headed downtown. Paradise Garage had an electric assist Kona Ute bike in the window. The sales-guy gave me a run down on the specs, since I was completely unfamiliar with this long-tail style. Then he mentioned having a Yuba Mundo, something I had been researching. The Yuba Mundo long-tail cargo bike was one of two I had been considering, the other being an Xtracycle.

This Yuba was ready to be fitted with disc-brakes, something that dad, the salesman and I discussed and decided would be most beneficial to my riding situation. Two child seats could fit on the rear and one could fit on the front as well as two extra-large pannier bags for groceries. This bike was ready to haul 600 lbs. I took it for a couple of loops around the block and loved how smooth the gear transitions were. It was more of an upright seating position, something I am realizing is more comfortable for me. It was overall a very well built bike. The deflating moment came when I returned from my ride, had a conversation with my dad about how I might be able to talk the sales-guy into selling me the floor model and was ready to give my pitch. Before I could even make an offer he told me the owner would not sell this bike. He was keeping it around for test rides and as the company "truck" for events. Maybe in the spring, when the new model was released, I might be able to purchases it. Huge disappointment, but it held me accountable to my "I am only shopping, not buying" creed for the day.

Yuba Mundo at Paradise Garage

I came away from these two test rides knowing what a better quality bike looks and feels like. I learned a lot about what I need for my situation, how far my money might go and how long a bike will last post-children. There are a few more bike styles and brands I am looking to ride, so if you have something and are willing to let me give it a spin, I would be most grateful.

Dad and I had an early dinner at the Short North Tavern then we parted ways. He went home and I met up with a great friend who was in Columbus, coincidentally, for the day as well. We met at the Raisin Rack in Westerville and then she drove us to old downtown for some live music and espresso drinks at Java Central. Near 10pm we said goodnight and I drove home to collapse contentedly into bed at 12:45AM this morning.

Jockey style post bike racks were embedded all along High Street Columbus.

Beer bike! in the Short North

We didn't wait in line for Graeter's but I love this Ohio based ice cream

Java Central, Westerville

We stayed till the sun had long since set

Downtown Westerville, OH

Spinning my hypocratic-web

Can you have a car-free month and still drive your car once, how about twice, three times? I know we got off to a rough start, but we have been going great since the 2nd of August. Oh, then there was that one time Brent drove to get Grandma from the Greyhound station. Does that count? I mean, if we really didn't have cars, we would have had to rent one in that particular situation, so driving was relatively unavoidable. Having two cars sitting out front and driving one to the station was sort of like renting a car right? One of the purposes to this entire car-free month was to set out to discover what was possible, for our family of six, without driving a car in Huntington, WV.

If part of our self-inflicted contract was to reduce our carbon foot print, this blog would read more like No Impact Man. While what we are doing has great benefits to the environment, it's not one of our primary purposes, just another great by-product of our efforts.

With two blemishes on our record since August first, I am knowingly committing to another. After spending four days with my grandma she was picked up by her friends from Milton last Saturday, and has spent the past week with them. Before she left our house she was wanting to get her return ticket from the Greyhound station to leave tomorrow, August 27. Grandma is 76. She was obviously slowing down considerably since the last time she visited and I feel that going home on the Greyhound isn't right. I am driving her home tomorrow. She's paying for the gas, at her insistence, and no objections from me. It was a compromise. She doesn't like to have folks go out of their way for her and she really just wanted to take the bus. I told her I had been wanting to get up to Ohio anyway and she would be doing me a favor by providing the excuse. I think we are both happy.

I couldn't let an opportunity to go to central Ohio pass by. I am making plans for an afternoon in Columbus.

While I feel like a cheat and hypocrite, I do feel justified with the next breath. We are still saving enormous amounts of money. We have been able to live without our cars here in Huntington and I am replacing a potential rental with my own van. Yet, obviously I feel guilty enough to lay myself out here to try to assuage my own mind and keep my path honest.

Small Local Grocer & Greyhound

 

Miles Walked: 14	Biked: 21.4	Bused: 6.3	Drove: 3.6	This week
14	21.4	6.3	3.6	Since August 14, 2011

Brent went out for ground beef and bacon on Monday night and I needed a few things this morning. Biking to Kroger 2.5 miles away is not a very convenient option for small trips. When running out for a couple items we have a few other choices from our house. We can stop at Clark's BP gas station a couple of blocks away or Rite Aid several blocks further. There is a mom and pop shop (Ujamma's?) in the neighborhood behind Cabell Huntington Hospital, I think it's on Charleston Avenue, or a street south. Then there is Julian's market on 12th Street and 11th Avenue.

For both of our recent trips we chose Julian's. It's 2.2 miles round trip, less than 1/2 the distance of Kroger and still on level streets. Their prices are a bit higher than Kroger, but nothing outrageous. I paid .69/lb for bananas and they were .59/lb at Kroger last week. 2lbs of popcorn kernels were $1.99 and everything they sell is homemade or name-brand. 

Avery with eggs in the trailer

I did want to get bread today, but nothing whole wheat was under $2/loaf so I passed and will make my own later today with this recipe that just posted on another favorite blog site, 100 Days of Real Food. I also needed soy milk and it was near $3 for a liter, another pass today. The larger Kroger trip will be later this week. We make it stretch around here until we just can't scrape together the basic nutrition requirements.

Helmets and groceries, Oliver and list. Julian's used to be Mansour's.

Front door parking for every one at Julian's.  Yet, no bike rack.

Oliver, Avery and I took off at 10 till 9AM. We stopped for our eggs (4 dozen) first then to get a few provisions. Today's purchases and weights:

4.12lbs bananas
2.97lbs sweet potatoes
2lbs butter (actually margarine b/c butter was $4.89/lb and the margarine was .89, I still feel guilty over the compromise, but my budget won this fight)
2liters (4lbs) of diet Coke
2lbs of popcorn

About 20lbs in total, plus Oliver and Avery, the tools and diaper bag and waters. I think we maxed out the trailer's weight limit of 100lbs today. We were home by 10AM.

Time to Slow Down

Part of the slow journey today was my own physical condition. My throat has been very sore for a couple days and my legs ache. I can work through the muscle aches and pains, but then coming up the first of two hills home the pressure in my chest got to me. I have a history of my heart changing pace and rattling around in my chest like it's trying to jump out, even though my breathing is steady. The Drs say it's a change in pressure. Well, it started up at an intersection and didn't let up till I got home. The intensity of the pounding was making me light headed, so I stopped the bike, drank a lot of water, tried all the breathing tricks I know to get it to stop. Because it wasn't changing I decided to walk the bike home for the last couple blocks. When I reached down to unbuckle Avery in the trailer it quit. Just as quick as it started, it was over. I have been home taking it easy since.

HighSpeed

Did you catch a couple of things on this post? First there were miles listed in the "drove" section of the header. Then there was the diet Coke. We don't drink diet Coke, but you may not have known that. My grandmother took the Greyhound down from Columbus last night to visit with us and friends for a couple of weeks. Her bus came in at 10:45PM and we didn't dare let my 76 year old granny walk home or get on a bike. The local buses don't run that late, so Brent turned over the engine on the van, aka HighSpeed, and puttered down to pick her up.

Grandma been taking the Greyhound bus down here since we moved in. She likes the independence of getting where she wants to go without overly burdening anyone to take her. She enjoys sitting back and taking in the characters she sees on the bus. Now that I think about it, she's a car-lite woman. Her neighbor does her grocery shopping and she gets rides with family for doctor's appointments and errands. Way to go Grandma! 

Our 125 Mile Van Day

With the turning of the calendar, we begin our car free month. We parked our Honda Odyssey (still for sale) and the Cavalier in the drive way and plan to walk, bike, carpool, and bus our way through the 31 days of August. Before we pulled High Speed, a.k.a. the van, into the drive at 10:30pm last night, we managed to give it one more good trip to remember.

Farm Bound
We loaded up our family and our neighbor's son just after lunch yesterday and headed east. We did a few errands in the hilly neighborhood before filling up the tank at Kroger in Barboursville. $53 later, we stopped at Sears in search of backpacks and school clothes, but left without anything. We then embarked on a 60 mile trip north east to Jackson County WV to visit the Four Season Farm where our eggs, raw honey and basil are delivered from. The farmers invited all their Huntington customers up for a garlic tasting and to see where their food comes from.

The hens that lay our eggs.

Going to Jackson County means obligatory visits to see family. Brent's kin all herald from Ripley and Ravenswood, WV. These small towns on the Ohio River are home to his parents and grandparents, aunts, cousins, uncles, and old high school mates. We slipped into his grandmother's for a late lunch and sat with his aunt and dad before going to the farm. We managed a quick stop to see his mom at work before we returned home.

The garlic tasting crowd.

Now about this farm. I have been on many farms. My grandparents are dairy farmers in central Ohio. My cousins all farm hundreds of acres. Hay bales and feed piles were my first playgrounds. My farm roots are strong, but the distance in time and space has let my city girl shine. I pine for a loft space with a fresh market down stairs. Being at Martin and Kathryn's Four Season Farms brought an urge for peacefulness back to my heart.

I think I will let the pictures tell the story and savor the memories of a great space in the hills of WV from which we are proud to purchase our vitals.

Kathryn's gardens.

Roasted garlic varieties.

Martin showing the children the rooster.

London milking the goat.

The farmers have their own saw mill and built the barn from timber on their land. The honey bee boxes are on the right.

Martin and me.

Baby doll sheep and one Icelandic.

Kathryn's favorite meadow.

Martin's favorite meadow.

Bringing Home Brent

We drove to pick up Brent Saturday night. A colleague of his from the Governor's School for the Arts gave him a ride to Charleston, about an hour from Huntington to the east. Knowing we were going to Charleston we accepted an invitation to a birthday party in Proctorville, Ohio that would start a couple hours before. I like to line up my trips to minimize mileage.

The party was for a classmate of Elliot's and was supposed to be at a pool, but it was storming. We went anyway. Who passes up cake? After presents, munchies and some light playing, the rain stopped, the thunder rolled on and they all jumped in.

Rain arriving from the west over Proctorville, OH

London chose her 90 degree weather ensemble herself.

A proud Elliot after the storms passed.

Balloons gone adrift.

The trip to Charleston was mostly uneventful, as I always hope driving will be. We did come across an accident and I silently said a few words of hope for those involved. 

I-64 East bound nearing Hurricane, WV.

 We arrived a minute after Brent did. The state capitol complex was an easy landmark, right off the highway with ample parking. We loaded his gear and bike in with the children and took off for a late late dinner at O'Charlie's. There are plenty of wonderful local restaurants in downtown Charleston, however Brent was anxious to get back on the road, so we stopped  a bit further on.

WV State Capitol.

Oliver, London, Avery. A bike and some gear.

It's embarrassing to say we drove to Target from here.

O'Charlie's was in the same parking lot as Target. I had promised Elliot he could browse for Pokemon, so we ran in for a bit of this and that before driving home sweet home. All six of us back under the same roof again.