Coyote

How a Grocery Store Won Me Back

There is a grocery store nearby that I've always neglected despite its proximity. They did not have a great selection of foods. They often sold stuff that was spoiled or expired. At thethe checkout, the cashiers would argue with me when I declined plastic bags. And the bike parking outside was iffy. This store is so close I could easily walk to it, butcarrying bags of groceries is just easier on a bike. And since I did food shopping by bike anyway, I figured I might as well shop at the stores I preferred, even if it meant riding further.




I suspect that other residents of our neighbourhood felt similarly, because about half a year ago the nearby store began to aggressively reinvent itself. They cleaned up, reorganised their merchandise, added an organic foods section. They expanded their selection ofproduce. The quality control is much improved. They now sell reusable shopping bags and don't argue when customers decline plastic.




But best of all, they allow me to roll my Brompton inside and use it as a shopping cart. No questions or comments, other than the occasional "Look, it's a bike and shopping cart in one!" Considering that othershops have thrown me out even when I've walked in with the bike fully folded, the permissive attitude of this store came as a pleasant surprise. Walking in with a small-wheel shopper is really no different from pushing a huge shopping cart; they get it. Now I shop there almost exclusively. Not only have they improved their store, but they've made shopping by bike a breeze.




While those of us who ride small wheel shoppers are in the minority, many cyclists report that their shopping preferences are guided by the store's bike-friendlieness. This can refer to a number of things, from adequate bike parking, to the parking lot being safe to navigate, to the location itself being reachable via a bike-friendly route. Do these considerations play a role in where you do your grocery shopping?

Ironweed gathering

Pipevine Swallowtail, Battus philenor

I stopped to take a picture of this butterfly flittering over New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis).



Then I started noticing just how many other bugs were enjoying the only non-wilted plant within eyesight.


Female Eastern Amberwing, Perithemis tenera



I could swear she was smiling at me.


Ailanthus Webworm Moth, Atteva punctella.

Ready for Halloween.



Then there was this bee. Or fly. Or bee-fly. He was lovely but I got trapped in a bee/fly-mire when trying to identify him.



Same with this skipper.

There were at least 3 or 4 other insects too small or too fast to capture. Even tinier bees. Ants. A white moth.

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Please feel free to suggest IDs if you know them!

Darwen Jubilee Tower, Lancashire

Led by Mike. With Eddie, Barry, Gordon, Maureen and me. A short morning walk before the drive back. Fine and sunny.




Just the job for a fine morning's leg-stretch before we travel home. But first we have a small pilgrimage to make in Chorley to celebrate a local resident who rides a bicycle.









We set off from the café and car park atRoddlesworth Information Centre, Tockholes. We go past Hollinshead terrace - a row of weavers' cottages, and follow the bridleway until we reach a junction.

We turn left and almost immediately leave the bridleway for a steep track uphill, with a stone marker for the tower.























We follow the track to the edge of the plateau, then turn right before circling back round to the tower itself. We take a small track as a short cut and have to leap a ditch.





The 85-foot high Jubilee Tower was built in 1898 to celebrate Queen Victoria’s Jubilee. It was paid for by local people and represents the victory of an 18 year long legal battle where local people re-established their ancient rights of access to the moor.





We climb the 82 steps of the spiral stairs to the windy viewpoint. You can see the Yorkshire 3 peaks, some of the Lake District hills and the Isle of Man on a clear day. We're not quite convinced today.















Then it's complete the circle of the plateau and down the way we came up. We call in the café for a pre-journey snack. Their bird feeders with one-way glass offer a great spectacle, mainly tits and a grey squirrel today!

Wordless Wednesday :: Schooldaze ~ Eleventh Grade

Fire Tower Star Trails

Here is a 43 minute exposure of the night sky taken last night, May 18, . There was supposedly a 40% chance of minor geomagnetic storms last night, so we went out to watch for the northern lights. We never saw any northern lights, but the stargazing was amazing. There also was a line of thunderstorms moving across Canada about 20 miles north of where we were. Since we were on top of a large hill with a good panoramic view, we were able to watch the lightning flash on the horizon while the sky directly above us was flooded with stars. No northern lights, but still a beautiful night!



(P.S. The lightning was all to the north, and this photo was taken looking to the west, which is why you cannot see any of the lightning in this photo).

Mystery Photo #4

This is the third in a series of unidentified photographs from the Charles Wiseman Family Bible. See this post for background information. Click on the "Mystery Photo" label at the bottom of the post to see all of the photographs in this series.

Paper Photograph on card stock 2 ½ x 4 ¼" Somewhat faded. Is the photographer J. R. Gocgas? Taken in Madison, Indiana. ** Update **footnoteMaven identified the photographer as J. R. Gorgas. Apple found this page on J.R. (first name Joseph or John) at Craig's Daguerreian Registry of American Photographers 1839-1860, which appears to be a good resource. Much Thanks to both fM and Apple!!