Lightning Over Lee Circle

Lightening at Lee CircleI’m back in New Orleans and back on my bike. Rhoda felt so different from the big old cruiser I’ve been riding. I like a high seat, what can I say, and I’m happy to be back high up on the bike. Leaving the Bay Area was a little bittersweet. Continue reading

Geese Napping at Lake Merritt

Geese Napping at Lake MerrittToday’s my last day in the Bay Area, and I spent the afternoon tooling around on the bicycle, running errands for S., who is still recovering from surgery. I went to the drug store, the grocery for flowers, and then the bakery. Oh, the bakery. Continue reading

Oakland’s Cathedral of Christ the Light

Cathedral of Christ the Light in OaklandWhen I moved from Oakland four years ago, there was a big sign on this empty lot at Harrison and Lakeside Drive that read, “Future Home of the Cathedral of Christ the Light.” Well, the future is now, because today I rode my borrowed bike to that corner and took this picture of the church rising up in all its glass-encased glory. Continue reading

Nine Week Old Baby In Oakland

Baby Eli in OaklandI enjoyed another day in frigid northern California today, riding my bike around Oakland. As I mentioned in a previous post, I lived here for years, though it now seems like a lifetime ago. When I lived here before I didn’t have a bicycle, and my life was much, much different from its current incarnation (and not just because of the bike). Continue reading

Scraper Bikes at Lakeside Park

Scraper Bikes at Lakeside ParkI’m in the Bay Area for a week visiting my dear friend S., who is recovering from major surgery. I was a bit nervous to be away from my bikes for that long, but thankfully S. has a bike, and she has graciously ceded it to me for the week during her many naptimes. Continue reading

Flex New Orleans at Baronne

Flex Baths on BaronneTonight I rode down to the Treme for dinner with D. and then over to the edge of the French Quarter for a show at the House of Blues. I of course saw many Lutherans on my way downtown–rounding Lee Circle, blocking traffic at Camp and Carondolet, and marching through the Quarter im their matching Tshirts, or matching sequined dresses. Continue reading

Jesus Justice Jazz at the Superdome

Jesus, Justice, and Jazz at the SuperdomeI finished up a project this afternoon, so I gave myself the night off to do whatever I pleased. I saw crowds of teens in the Quarter yesterday and found out later they were some of the 35,000 people in town for ECLA, the Lutheran youth gathering. I love a crowd I’ve got nothing to do with, so I decided to hop on my bike and head down to the convention center to see what all these teenagers were up to. Continue reading

Holy Trinity Church in the Bywater (Amendment: Marigny–these neighborhoods are all so small!)

Holy Trinity Church on St. Ferdinand Street in the BywaterToday’s ride took me down to the Marigny  in search of a comfortable coffee shop to get some reading done. But my favorite coffee shop is on vacation! The nerve! Actually, I’m glad folks here take real vacations. We don’t do enough of that. Continue reading

Parrot on a Wire at Erato and Oretha Castle Haley

Bird on a WireThe post office closed at 4:30. I got there at 4:39. That meant a ride down to the main post office on Loyola. I wasn’t quite in the mood for that little trip this afternoon, but the bike ride through Central City was surprisingly pleasant and the line at the post office–at 5:00pm, mind you–took less than fifteen minutes. Continue reading

Train Tracks and Ships on Chartres and Louisa

Train and Ship on the River in the BywaterToday was one of those perfect New Orleans Sundays, surprisingly cool and dry, blue sky, light breeze. It started with a lazy morning at home followed by a ride down to the Treme for brunch with friends, sipping champagne on the balcony in J. and S.’s newly-installed hammock. I lay there, staring up at the sky, listening to friends chatter and laugh, and felt damn lucky to be alive. Continue reading