To all those who dream of bikes

I've become a little more insane with every passing week. Let me explain...

I moved out to MPLS in 2004 with my husband. I fell in love with the culture, and became a bike-a-holic. It's OK, and I don't mind. I love the feeling of perspiration on my face when it is only 50 degrees. I love that I am breathing more heavily when I arrive at my destination, instead of stepping out of a car unphased. There are many more things I love, but we will get to those later.

Last year (2006), I adopted two very important attributes into my life. One is my lovely little kitty, Jude. You will see plenty of pictures to come, but it has been super fun with her. I have even started taking her to Lake of the Isles for maxin-relaxin time.

The other important addition to my round life, is Marie. A 1970's Schwinn Le Tour III. I found it at the lake cabin of my husband's parents. The converstaion went something like this:

Me - "Wow! Whose bike is that, it looks brand, spankin new?"

Diane (my mother-in-law) - oh, Milt (my father-in-law) bought it for me when we first got married, I think I only rode it a couple of times, I hated the skinny tires."

Me - "Really, does anyone use it here at the lake?"

Diane - "It probably hasn't been rode in 30 years."

Me - "Do you think I could borrow it, if I cleaned it up?"

Diane - "you can have it"

Pure Bliss...

The next day I took it to Penn Cycle on Lake for a tune-up. All it needed was a new chain and air in the tires. LOVE.

So, in honor of it's French influence, and the middle name of my mother-in-law, the bike took on her name... Marie.

To be continued...