Olympia, Seattle, Spokane

Olympia Posts

We moved to Olympia in fall of 2020. Since that was in the earlier days of the pandemic with no vaccine available we stayed close to home except for walks, takeout, and groceries selected online and picked up curbside. We're still getting to know our new hometown as life has opened back up a bit.

• Keep It Growing: Poems about Gardening (Oct. 5, 2024)
• Go Ahead, Make My Day (Bike Style, April 10, 2024)
• No Thanks to No Sidewalks! (Bike Style, Feb. 7, 2024)
• Thank Heavens for Kind Strangers and Transit (Bike Style, Jan. 27, 2024)
• First Ride of 2024 (Bike Style, Jan. 11, 2024)
• Walking in December: Of Mosses and Memories (Dec. 26, 2023)
• Walking in November: Of Perspectives and Pavement (Nov. 29, 2023)
• #Coffeeneuring 2023: Success! (Nov. 10, 2023)
• Walking in October: Of Travel and Timers (Oct. 24, 2023)
• Walking in September: Of Berries and Bunnies (Sept. 30, 2023)
• Walking in August: Of Sparkles and Shorelines (Aug. 28, 2023)
• Walking in July: Of Findings and Feathers (July 15, 2023)
• Walking in June: Of Habits and Herons (June 30, 2023)
• South Sound Short & Sweet Bike Tour (Bike Style, June 9, 2023)
• Biking in Olympia: Earth Day Market Ride (Bike Style, April 23, 2023)
• Walking in March: Of Woods and Work (March 15, 2023)
• Olympia Bikespedition: Poetry and Art, Eastside Edition (Bike Style, March 11, 2023)
• Walking in January: Of Gloves and Poetry (Jan. 31, 2023)
• Riding Always Makes Me Happy. Yes, Always. (Bike Style, Jan. 28, 2023)

Seattle Posts

I moved to Seattle July 31, 2012, for a career opportunity in a city I had visited often without getting to know much beyond Pike Place Market, really. Within four years I lived in downtown, Lake City in northeast Seattle, and finally Top Hat, a neighborhood near White Center south of downtown. I worked first in Pioneer Square, then at Magnuson Park, and then back in Pioneer Square when I changed jobs.

Most of the posts in my first few years are about biking in the city. Make that all of them, actually. I didn't plug into or write about other local topics the way I did in Spokane. Running a statewide nonprofit had me either on the road or fundraising (or both) too much to leave time for civic participation as a volunteer.

• Walking in May: Of Downtowns and Dancing (May 27, 2023)
• Coffeeneuring 2019: The Bike Date Edition (Bike Style, Dec. 14, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking 2019: The Big Finish (Bike Style, May 12, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Days 15-26: The Twitter Story (Bike Style, April 27, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Days 13 & 14: Bikes to the Rescue (Bike Style, April 14, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 12: Finding a Better Way (Bike Style, April 12, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 11: Commitment and Stopping (Bike Style, April 11, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 10: More Night Magic, with Frogs and Mist (Bike Style, April 10, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 9: A Quick Grocery Jaunt (Bike Style, April 9, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 8: Bikes are So Handy (Bike Style, April 8, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Days 6 & 7: A Little Night Magic (Bike Style, April 7, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 5: Some Days You Just Check the Box. It Still Counts. (Bike Style, April 5, 2019)
• Transportation Reading Round-up April 5, 2019 (Bike Style, April 5, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 4: E-Bikes Make Friends (Bike Style, April 4, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 3: Biking to Breakfast, and Zelda Defies the Wind (Bike Style, April 3, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 2: My Version of a Triathlon (Bike Style, April 2, 2019)
• #30DaysOfBiking, Day 1: Back on the Bike (Bike Style, April 1, 2019)
• Bike Every Day in April -- No Foolin' (#30DaysOfBiking) (Bike Style, April 1, 2019)
• Introducing Zelda the E-Bike (Bike Style, Mar. 25, 2019)
• A Multimodal Multi-Bike Day: How Bikeshare Comes in Handy for a Bike Owner (Bike Style, Mar. 23, 2019)
• Day Thirteen and Done: Anacortes to Southwest Seattle (Bike Style Life, June 6, 2018)
• Day One: Southwest Seattle to Mukilteo (Bike Style Life, May 25, 2018)
• 30 Days of Biking 2018: Rolled All April (Bike Style Life, May 18, 2018)
• Beating the Bus, and Other Bicycling Benefits (Bike Style Life, April 3, 2018)
• Surgeon General Warning: Bicycling Can Be Habit-Forming (Bike Style Life, April 2, 2018)
• Errands by Bike Are a Breeze (and Sometimes Breezy): Errandonnee 2018 (Bike Style Life, Mar. 31, 2018)
• Errandonnee 2018: The Initial Plan (Bike Style Life, Mar. 19, 2018)
• Bike, Transit, Car: Three Transportation Perspectives from Seattle (Bike Style Life, Feb. 25, 2018)
• Coffeeneuring 2017: Did It! (Bike Style Life, Nov. 20, 2017)
• More Coffeeneuring 2017--Past the Halfway Mark  (Bike Style Life, Oct. 30, 2017)
• Mmmm, It’s Coffeeneuring Season (Bike Style Life, Oct. 29, 2017)
• Success: #30DaysOfBiking April 2017 Is in the Bag (Bike Style Life, May 1, 2017)
• Rolling Right Along: Weeks 2-3, #30DaysOfBiking (Bike Style Life, April 23, 2017)
• Someone's Sweetheart (Bike Style Life, April 13, 2017)
• Coming Back: Week 1, #30DaysOfBiking (Bike Style Life, April 8, 2017)
• Biking Is the Spice of Life (Bike Style Life, Nov. 24, 2016)
• Broken Elbow Style Is Sleeveless (Bike Style Aug. 7, 2016)
• Changing Again (Dec. 30, 2015)
• "Click" on Personal Safety and Privilege (Dec. 2015)
• Personal Safety and Privilege: A Vignette (Bike Style Dec. 5, 2015)
• What's That Aroma? #bikesmells (Washington Bikes Oct. 24, 2015)
• 14 Ideas for Seattle Area Bike Rides (Washington Bikes, June 5, 2015)
• #30DaysofBiking 2015: I'm Rolling (Bike Style April 9, 2015)
• Michael Bennett Rides a Bike (Washington Bikes, Feb. 1, 2015)
• Getaway to Lake Stevens and Beyond, Day Four: Back to Seattle (Washington Bikes, Jan. 8, 2015)
• Getaway to Lake Stevens and Beyond, Day Three: Arlington via Snohomish Centennial Trail (Washington Bikes, Jan. 7, 2015)
• Getaway to Lake Stevens and Beyond, Day Two: Marysville (Washington Bikes, Jan. 6, 2015)
• Bed, Breakfast & Biking: Getaway to Lake Stevens and More, Day One (Washington Bikes, Jan. 5, 2015)
• #Coffeeneuring 2014: It's In the Cup (Bike Style Nov, 22, 2014)
• Coffeeneuring 2014: the Halfway Mark (Bike Style Oct. 22, 2014)
• Own a Piece of the Street: Park(ing) Day Sept. 19 (Washington Bikes Aug. 15, 2014)
• Snohomish County Bikes: Seattle to Edmonds--Day Trip to the Salish Sea (Washington Bikes June 17, 2014)
• Cookies and Muffins and Cupcakes, Oh My! A Bike Trip to Lake Forest Park (Washington Bikes May 31, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking April 2014: I Did It! (Bike Style May 1, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 30: Happy (Washington Bikes April 30, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 29: Sun (Washington Bikes April 29, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 28: Morning (Washington Bikes April 28, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 27: Jerseys (Washington Bikes April 27, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 26: Shopping (Washington Bikes April 26, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 25: Don't (Washington Bikes April 25, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 24: Wind (Washington Bikes April 24, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 23: Eyes (Washington Bikes April 23, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 22: Habits (Washington Bikes April 22, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 21: Aches (Washington Bikes April 21, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 20: Purpose (Washington Bikes April 20, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 19: Cookies (Washington Bikes April 19, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 18: Sunshine (Washington Bikes April 18, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 17: Magic (Washington Bikes April 17, 2014)
• #30DaysOfBiking: Halfway Mark Plus One (Bike Style April 16, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 16: Blogs (Washington Bikes April 16, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 15: Taxes (Washington Bikes April 15, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 14: Driving (Washington Bikes April 14, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 13: Sounds (Washington Bikes April 13, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 12: Friends (Washington Bikes April 12, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 11: Home (Washington Bikes April 11, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 10: Snohomish (Washington Bikes April 10, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Nine: Outdoors (Washington Bikes April 9, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Eight: Leadership (Washington Bikes April 8, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Seven: Left (Washington Bikes April 7, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Six: Dates (Washington Bikes April 6, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Five: Racing (Washington Bikes April 5, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Four: Racing (Washington Bikes April 4, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Three: Color (Washington Bikes April 3, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Two: Flexibility (Washington Bikes April 2, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, 30 Words, 30 Pictures: Day One (Washington Bikes April 1, 2014)
• By the Numbers: A Morning Bike Commute (Washington Bikes March 13, 2014)
• Every Bike Picture Tells a Story (Bike Style March 12, 2014)
• Rails AND Trails Make for Great Riding, Train-Spotting (Bicycle Alliance of Washington Oct. 30, 2013)
• Listening to Your Legs--Or Not, As the Case May Be (Bike Style Sept. 2, 2013)
• Faster, Higher, Stronger (Bike Style July 20, 2013)
• Three Women, Three Interactions on the Road (on Bicycle Alliance of Washington June 14, 2013)
• I Suppose It Takes All Kinds: Musings on Human Behavior (Bike Style June 9, 2013)
• Take It Easy: How NOT to Increase Your Weekly Mileage (Bike Style June 3, 2013)
• Bike to Work Week 2013: Quite a Change (Bike Style May 19, 2013)
• 30 Days of Biking April 2013: Final Report (on Bike Style May 1, 2013)
• 30 Days of Biking: 9 Days to Go (on Bike Style April 21, 2013)
• 30 Days of Biking April 2013: Almost Halfway Ride Report (Bike Style April 15, 2013)
• It Is Always Better to Ride Than Not to Ride (Bike Style April 6, 2013)
• Riding More, Riding More Often (Bike Style March 29, 2013)
• 30 Days of Biking 2013: Yes We Can! (Bike Style March 23, 2013)
• Not Even Fully Loaded: Another Grocery Run (Bike Style March 17, 2013)
• Errandonnee with a Twist: Biking and Walking Got It Done (Bike Style Feb. 21, 2013)
• Errandonnee: Winter Errands by Bike! (Bike Style Feb. 15, 2013)
• (Re) Learning to Ride a Road Bike (Bike Style Feb. 10, 2013)
• Seattle Streets Take Two: More Impressions of Seattle Biking (Bike Style Jan. 19, 2013)
• My Mary Poppins Bike: Review of the Specialized Globe Daily 2 (Bike Style Nov. 12, 2012)
• On a Roll with Madeleine Carlson, Seattle (Bike Style Aug. 20, 2012)
• Hub and Bespoke: Worth a Bikespedition All Its Own (Bike Style Aug. 17, 2012)
• First Impressions of Seattle Biking (Bike Style Aug. 3, 2012)

Spokane Posts

I really love Spokane, where I lived for many years. I'm a booster--but not completely uncritical. A lot of these posts praise Spokane, while a few look at ways in which the place could do better as a community. I wrote a few Spokane posts after I moved to Seattle.

For a kaleidoscopic view of Spokane, check out the list of Spokane blogs I created. I haven't done any maintenance on it since early 2012 so I expect dead links and it's incomplete, but it may point you to some more current writing than mine.

• Broken Wrist, Dang It! No Riding for a While (Bike Style, Sept. 24, 2022)
• Street of Dreams: Can We Live the Martin Luther King, Jr. Way? (Bike Style, Jan. 20, 2020)
• I Came to a Fork in the Road (Bike Style Life, March 12, 2017)
• Washington's Great Outdoors: Task Force Meeting June 10 in Spokane (Washington Bikes May 28, 2014)
• 10 Fun Things to Do by Bike in Spokane this Summer (Washington Bikes May 21, 2014)
• Bike to Work Week, Bike to Everywhere: Spokane (Washington Bikes May 19, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 14: Driving (Washington Bikes April 14, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 13: Sounds (Washington Bikes April 13, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 12: Friends (Washington Bikes April 12, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day 11: Home (Washington Bikes April 11, 2014)
• 30 Days of Biking, Day Eight: Leadership (Washington Bikes April 8, 2014)
• Planning for a Bikeable, Walkable Spokane: Finding a Way Forward Together (Washington Bikes Dec. 10, 2013)
• A Small Moment (on Bike Style July 12, 2012)
• 3 Reasons to Roll with Summer Parkways (on Bike Style Spokane June 16, 2012)
• Meet Spokane's Newest Complete Street: Martin Luther King, Jr. Way (on Bike Style Spokane June 7, 2012)
• Bike to Work. Bike to Eat. Bike to Shop. Bike to Everything. (on Bike Style Spokane May 25, 2012)
• It's Time to Bike to Work, Spokane! (Energizing Update) (on Bike Style Spokane May 15, 2012)
• We Get to Complete Our Streets! (on Bike Style Spokane Dec. 20, 2011)
• Don't Settle for Incomplete Streets! (on Bike Style Spokane Nov. 12, 2011)
• Vote for Bikes! (on Bike Style Spokane Nov. 7, 2011)
• Becoming a Bike Commuter, Part II: A Few More Miles (on Bike Style Spokane Oct. 31, 2011)

• Becoming a Bike Commuter, Part I: It's Easy, a Few Miles at a Time (on Bike Style Spokane Oct. 30, 2011)
• Making Soup--Er, Bike Networks (on Bike Style Spokane Oct. 29, 2011)
• Bicycling Rites of Passage, Spokane Style (on Bike Style Spokane Sept. 28, 2011)
• Bikespedition #2 Part II: Exploring SoDo Some More (on Bike Style Spokane, Aug. 26, 2011)
• SoDo Is So Terrific! Bikespedition #2 a Must-Shop (Part I) (on Bike Style Spokane, Aug. 18, 2011)
• Bikespedition #2 Preview: SoDo (on Bike Style Spokane, August 9, 2011)
• Summer Parkways Are Joyful (on Bike Style Spokane, August 7, 2011)
• Bike-Friendly Restaurants (on Bike Style Spokane, July 22, 2011)
• Bikespedition #1: Carnegie Square (on Bike Style Spokane, July 12, 2011)
• Political Scandal? Just Add -Gate (May 14, 2011)
• Making Soup--er, Bike Networks (Feb. 10, 2011)
• A Tale of Two Drivers (Feb. 2, 2011)
• Who Represents Me? The County Commissioners, That's Who (Jan. 28, 2011)
• Everyday Inclusion: Showing up for a Parade Once a Year Isn't Enough (Jan. 17, 2011)
• If You Really Love Your Neighbor, You'll Eat Local Food (Jan. 14, 2011)
• Unmindful Biking by Yours Truly (Jan. 7, 2011)
• Mindful Driving, Mindful Biking, and "Accidents"--Part II  (Jan. 6, 2011)
• Mindful Driving, Mindful Biking, and Accidents"--Part I (Jan. 5, 2011)
• No Rack?! Now What? (Dec. 28, 2010)
• I'm Dreaming of a.... (cue music) (Nov. 18, 2010)
• We Stand United (Oct. 29, 2010)
• The Cemetery Club: A Really Amateur Theater Review (Oct. 21, 2010)
• Spokane Blogs: Help Build the List (Oct. 17, 2010)
• Green Is the Color of Money: Growing a Sustainable Local Business Approach (Sept. 20, 2010)
• Farm to Jar: Happy Kitchen Madness (July 24, 2010)
• In Defense of High School Drama (June 6, 2010)
• Why Should Spokane Settle for Incomplete Streets? (April 3, 2010)
• Bicycling Rites of Passage, Spokane Style (Nov. 2, 2009)
• My Reasons to Vote NO on Spokane's Prop 4: A Really Long Political Discourse, Possibly Verging on a Diatribe, Running into a Rant (Oct. 11, 2009)
• Becoming a Bike Commuter: It's Pretty Easy, One Mile at a Time (Feb. 22, 2009)
• Snow Day (Dec. 18, 2008)
• I Miss Live Voting (Nov. 3, 2008)
• Standing Up for What's Right (Oct. 18, 2008)
• The Future for Our Parks (Sept. 21, 2008)