Tuesday, May 02, 2006
Had my Dahon folding bike back on the street today; it was stored all winter with a flat tire. I call it a "sidewalk" bike because it's great on smooth sidewalks next to busy roads, zips around people & obstacles & brakes on a dime. I attached a small basket to the rear carrier rack & use it for errands, mostly food shopping, & occasionally take it somewhere on the train, never fold it in half. It's a peculiar-looking bike, kids get curious, people from more bike-friendly places recognize what it is. & I'd rather look mildly eccentric than be mistaken for some middle-aged guy who's riding a bike because he's lost his license on DWI; every town has those, & they're still dangerous drivers. But the small wheels make a hard bumpy ride, so I'm looking for an inexpensive full-size bike for those places where I enjoy longer, leisurely pedaling, like Rahway River Park & bikepath or around the suburban Elmora section of Elizabeth on summer evenings. I'm no athlete.
The modest house Elvis Presley bought in Memphis in 1956 is up for auction on eBay. Apparently, it looks pretty much as it did then. Over the next year Elvis became a worldwide phenom & was on his way to fabulous wealth, so he ditched the middle class digs (which still must have felt opulent to the po' family from Tupelo) & moved to Graceland.
"If a nation expects to be ignorant and free, in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Thomas Jefferson
The modest house Elvis Presley bought in Memphis in 1956 is up for auction on eBay. Apparently, it looks pretty much as it did then. Over the next year Elvis became a worldwide phenom & was on his way to fabulous wealth, so he ditched the middle class digs (which still must have felt opulent to the po' family from Tupelo) & moved to Graceland.
