After a two-year Covid hiatus, Burning Man was back for 2022. We planned this year to stay for the entire event including the temple burn on Sunday evening. The weather was very hot and dusty, but the art was hotter. Our Playa Home The first dust storm destroyed the pop-up shade garage. But the rest [...]
Category: Fun
The DateTrikE goes Electric
When the DateTrike made its debut ten years ago, electric bikes were still just a curiosity. But times change, technology advances, and today e-bikes are the rage. I have been considering adding some electric assist for awhile now. I'm not as young as I was ten years ago, and the hills are just as steep. [...]
Ukulele Movable Chord Scales
If you wish to move your playing up the neck of the instrument, these scales, starting with a few tonic bar chord shapes, will help you to learn the changes required to play in many keys. Below are five "home" positions with changes for a complete chord scale about that home position. Major scale with [...]
Burning Man Art Encounter
I've been slow getting things on the blog for a while now; from September... The DateTrike returned for its second trip to Black Rock City again this year. With smoke in the valley, we headed for the dust. It was a fun time, as is usually the case for the world's biggest art party. We [...]
Totality Awesome
The last time the moon cast its shadow on my part of the planet was in 1979 on a dreary day in Seattle. I noticed that the rain was darker that morning, but otherwise the occasion was uneventful. This time around Ellen managed an invitation to watch the ecplise and make music with some friends [...]
The Uke Case Music Stand
For the last few years, playing music and singing with others has become an important source of joy and connectedness in my life. It might even be one reason this poor blog has had fewer and fewer entries as the virtual online world has taken a back seat to real life! This all started because [...]
DateTrike Meets Burning Man
The blog has been on summer vacation, partly because I've been too busy having fun to write about it. But the seasons turn, and every year around labor day, The Man burns in the Nevada desert. This year the DateTrike made its way to Black Rock City. The original inspiration for the craft rose from [...]
DateTrike Construction
Wherever we go on the DateTrike, our vehicle turns heads, gets smiles, and everyone wants one. I'm won't be making any more of these, but it is no harder than any other mildly complex project, so I'll present a few of the details here for those who are up to the challenge. If you happen to [...]
DateTrike Complete
The DateTrike made its debut last summer. Since them there have been a few refinements, and finishing details that have given the craft a more finished look and some added features. The fenders are a big appearance boost, and also keep arms and sleeves off the rear tires. Tubing chain guards keep your pants clean. [...]
DateTrike Debut
Ellen and I came up with the DateTrike concept after our experience with our Burning Man quadricycle demonstrated the pleasure of side-by-side tandem traveling. What was missing from the quad, cobbled together from a pair of mountain bikes, was performance. The quad was a lot of fun, but it was hokey even before we put the Hokey Spoke lights on [...]
Squash Practice 