What a way to start off the morning! I took another hour-long hike through Aptos to visit the Cabrillo College Horticulture Center. The fog is heavy here in the morning, but the view was still pretty amazing. Of course, it better be after the steep climb to the top. Sheesh! I climbed it yesterday to get an idea where the center was and the extent of that workout/climb was obvious today - every step uphill could be felt in my butt, every step downhill could be felt in my shins. But a few aches and pains couldn't keep me away from this view. I can only imagine what it is when the fog completely lifts. I'm sure you can see the ocean. Maybe I'll head back later this week to see.
More than view, the horticulture center hosts a wonderful little certified organic garden full of summer goodies like herbs, greens, and row after row of plump strawberries. I have to admit, it crossed my mind to scale the fence and have a quick breakfast in the berry patch. To be honest, just looking at the picture makes we want to throw on a disguise and head out into the dark of night... Ok. Not really, but they looked so juicy!
But most exciting, was that we took Dave's niece to Watsonville to see "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince." Aren't we a great Aunt and Uncle? Ok. Really, I've been foaming at the mouth to see this flick and it just so happened Kacie wanted to see it too. Let me tell you, it did NOT disappoint, although similar to the book, we've gone into overdrive with the whole teenage hormone thing. Any Harry Potter fans out there? I promise I won't spoil it for anyone who has yet to see it. Just go! It was awesome!
Last, but certainly not least, I signed up to do Chile Chews' Park Your Car Challenge. I know, I already do most of my weekly errands by bike, but I'm challenging myself to work just a little harder. The trick for me (and usually the only time I'm in the car) is weekends when I go to the farmers' market (with all my booth supplies) or Dave and I go out together for lunches. We have no public transportation on weekends and in 100+ degree weather, it's tough to bike or walk, but I'll figure something out. Every little thing adds up, right? The challenge starts on August 1 and quite a few people have already signed up to join. I'm looking forward to hearing all the tips from participants who are already car-free, so be sure to head on over and add your name to the list.
That's all for today. There's talk of heading over to the boardwalk yet this week and I still want to catch Food Inc at the theater just down the hill. See ya next time!
10 comments:
The view is beautiful...fog and all.
And I am a Harry Potter fan, although a cheapskate one. Waiting for everything to show up in the library and then waiting for the library rush to subside before I lay my hot little hands on the book.
That is a beautiful view, Heather! Not sure I'd make it up a steep hill right now, though.
I'm intentionally riding in the heat this week to see how much the electric assist helps. With an Xtracycle and assist, you might very well be able to do the Farmer's Market sans car. (What supplies do you need to take?)
Lovely - sounds like a fun trip! I had to share with you that I had my first meal prepped entirely by us - potatoes and green beans from our garden and venison from this past hunting season. I thought of you while I happily ate my local meal!
Beany- We only go to the theater for the movies that are better on the big screen. This was definitely one of them. I'm looking forward to going back and reading the books again before the final film comes out. The end is near...
Chile - The handouts and tote bags (our current fundraiser) would be easy to transport. The olive oil we're selling for a vendor who is out of town (she gives money to our group for every sale) would be ok as long as I don't take any spills. It's the chair that gets me although I suppose I could skip it and sit on someone's cooler, but after 5 hours at the market, I feel pretty crummy if I'm not comfortable (a big deal for my tummy pain). We'll see how it goes. I might just try it one week and see how it goes without the chair.
Michelle - How exciting! That's awesome, Michelle!
Could you use bungee cords to secure the chair to your rack? If you loop it around the seatpost, too, it would keep it (hopefully) from falling off the back.
Don't make yourself miserable! Oh, wait, here's another option. How about one of those flat folding stadium chairs without legs? Might that work on a cooler?
For either non-chair option, I'd suggest trying it at home first or having your sweetie available to run the chair up to you midway through the market day if you start getting sore!
Oh, and for the olive oil, maybe you could eventually make a padded case/box like those for camera equipment.
Chile - I could, but I think it's better to leave the chair at home. I'll have to bungee cord a rubbermaid tub to the top as it is to get all my materials down there, plus I have to leave enough space to bring home all my food for the week.
The olive oil is only an issue for a few more weeks as our vendor returns at the end of August. The bottles are wrapped in bubble wrap and then packed in a box, so they're definitely transportable, they just take up space.
I like the idea of leaving Dave in charge of the chair at home and calling him if I need it. In the end, if that 4 mile round trip is the only driving I do in a week, it's still pretty good. We'll see how it goes.
My real job is to see if I can get Dave on a bike to go out to eat on the weekends. Maybe if we do breakfast instead of lunch (at least while it's hot outside)...
If that is your only car use during the week, you're already doing REALLY good, Heather. Only you can decide whether it's worth the inconvenience to go all the way.
It's going to take me a while to get to that level of bike use. I'm not fit enough at this point, nor is my rear used to time in the saddle yet, to ride 42 miles per week for the self-defense classes in addition to all the shorter errands I have weekly. It's a growing process...
Chile - Yep. That's our only car and Dave usually has it during the week. Even if he decides to bike to work, the car just sits in the garage. I'd rather get the exercise. The only time I use it during the week is if any of the pets need to go to the vet. I've tried to bungee cord the pet carrier to the back of the bike and it doesn't work very well. But they don't go to the vet often, thankfully.
I'm looking forward to tracking how much I actually use the car. How do the rules work? If I don't drive (i.e. being in the car with someone else), does it count differently?
It's pretty loose with no real rules. If you want to track numbers, that's great. Not everyone is into that, though, and I don't want it (the challenge) to be an unpleasant experience.
I will probably keep track of how many miles I bike or walk that I normally would have driven. I may also keep track of how many miles I drive. Over time, as I get more fit and the weather cools off, I hope to eliminate more and more driving. Don't know that I'll ever go car-free but I can aim for car-lite.
Carpooling (2 instead of 1 in the car) definitely halves the carbon emissions per person. :)
Chile - I figure I'll play with it as I go to see what's easy to track without going crazy :) I'm close to car-free as it is (at least during the week) so I'm a bit ahead of the game, but it'll be fun to see where we can pare down.
Post a Comment