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Category: Slice of Life
Monarch Butterfly
“Resting Monarch” Cedar Park, 2021
I spotted this beautiful little dude on the bike/running path. I’m pretty sure he was just resting. There are a lot of Monarch butterflies in our neighborhood lately and it’s so nice to see them fluttering and gliding amongst the flowers. I just hope this guy was okay!
Switching up the Handlebars
“Rossa” Cedar Park, 2021
I decided to switch up the bicycle handlebar situation a bit by putting the Upanbike swept riser bars that were on Mango onto Rossa, then putting the butterfly bars, which were sitting in the garage, back on Mango. Once I replaced Rossa’s flat bars with the riser bars, the riding experience is so much more comfortable!
Rossa is an old mountain bike, and bikes of that era had the handlebars way out front over the front wheel. Modern mountain bikes position the bars farther back (as well as different overall geometry) so the risk of going over the bars is lessened. I don’t take Rossa on any downhills, so for me I just wanted the more comfortable upright position, and the Upanbike handlebars certainly help. It’s so much more fun for me now! As an added bonus, I think they look really sharp. 😁
If you have time, come with me as I take the Rossa’s “new” handlebars for a spin around the neighborhood:
Biergarten and Band
“Krause’s Café” New Braunfels, 2021
Today we went to see Koa’s marching band perform in the UIL Area competition with ~23 other schools. But before that, Mariko and I stopped at Krause’s Café and Biergarten for a late lunch with friends. The beer and food were great, and the atmosphere inside the beer hall was very nice. The weather was just perfect! It was so fun to hang out with new friends. We could have probably hung out for a few hours but we had to get to the band competition for the finals.
“Sausage Plate” New Braunfels, 2021
The stadium was about 30 minutes away from the biergarten and we arrived to find some good seats right on the 50-yard line and halfway up the stands. We’ve seen a few of the bands before, but many were new to us so it was interesting to see the different kinds of shows and music they performed. Texas certainly has an exceptional marching band culture, and we’re fortunate that Koa’s school is one of the best. But what I really think is cool about high school marching band is that all the kids support the other bands and many cross-band friendships are formed throughout the year.
“Ranger Band” Converse, 2021
It was a long day, but very fun to hang out with friends and listen to lots of music. I hope you had a good day too! またね～
Japanese Magazine from 1972
“Old Magazine” Cedar Park, 2021
Mariko had put this women’s magazine from 1972 into the recycling box, but I love the style of it, so I rescued it and have been enjoying looking through the ads and photos. There are lots of cool rice cookers, appliances, and who-knows-what-else! I also love the designs and fonts… they are so cool.
It’s also kind of fun to think that my Peugeot bicycle, Sophie, is the same age as this magazine. They are literally of the same era. 😄
“Rice Cooker” Cedar Park, 2021
“Organ” Cedar Park, 2021
