Wordless Wednesday - Country Roads

Southern Indiana 1980. Infrared Photo digitized ...Copyright © 1980/.. by Rebeckah R. Wiseman

Robert Quillen - An Independent Spirit

One of the most interesting men that I never met, and who just happens to be related to me (first cousin three times removed!), is Robert Quillen. And, in my opinion, as a free-thinker he meets the qualifications as an "Independent Spirit" which is the topic for the upcoming Carnival of Genealogy. Have any of my readers ever heard of him?

A contemporary of Will Rogers, Robert became known as "the Sage of Fountain Inn" and was nationally known as a paragrapher, humorist writer, newspaper columnist, and newspaper editor during the first half of the 20th century.

Born as Verni Robert Quillen on March 25, 1887 near Syracuse in Hamilton County, Kansas (near the Colorado border) he was the son of James Downey "J. D." and Mandella Joslin Quillen. His mother was the sister of my 2nd great-grandmother, Malissa Mariah Joslin Brubaker Bower, and they were two of the fifteen children of Lysander and Lydia Robison Joslin.

Robert's father was born in Missouri, his mother in Indiana. They married in Barton County, Kansas then moved to Syracuse in western Kansas, where J. D. published the weekly Syracuse Independent. In a few years the family moved back again to eastern Kansas, to the small town of Overbrook, where J. D. began publishing the Overbrook Citizen. Here Robert learned the printing trade, setting type and running the presses.

Early in 1904 J.D. decided to move his family to Washington state. But that March, just before his 17th birthday, Robert enlisted in the army, (without the consent of his parents and swearing he was twenty-one) as William Stewart. It was reportedly an attempt to heal a broken heart. In actuality it was probably rebellion against the sternness of his father. Robert was assigned to the 13th Cavalry Regiment and sent to the Philippine Islands. In June 1905, after deciding that military life was not his cup of tea and with some help from his father, Robert was discharged from active duty.

After his release from the Army, Robert traveled for a time, and ended up in Fountain Inn, Greenville County, South Carolina. He had some experience as a printer, gained from working with his father, so he launched the "Fountain Inn Journal" but that enterprise didn't last long. He met and fell in love with Donnie Cox, an "older" southern girl, five years his senior. As can be imagined, her family didn't approve of the young westerner but Donnie was in love with Robert too. Robert moved to Americus, Georgia taking a job as a print shop foreman. Robert pursued his romantic interest in Donnie and when her father finally relented to her wishes, they were married September 2, 1906, reportedly in Atlanta. They lived for a short time at Americus and then Ashburn, Georgia before joining his parents and siblings in Anacortes, Skagit County, Washington where his father was publisher of "The Citizen".

The Quillen family moved closer to Seattle where Robert and his father established the "Port Orchard Independent". In December of 1910, Robert and Donnie returned to Fountain Inn, South Carolina. The following February, Robert published the first issue of the "Fountain Inn Tribune" which he would continue to publish until his death. His parents and sisters joined Robert in Fountain Inn. A brother, LeRoy, had died in 1917. His father died in Fountain Inn on June 6, 1919. His mother passed away February 7, 1943 at the home of her daughter, Della Lucille Quillen Agnew, in Hartsville Township, Darlington County, South Carolina.

It was about 1920 that Robert's writing started getting noticed by prominent publishers and several articles were accepted by the Saturday Evening Post and the Baltimore Evening Sun. His special pages and editorials ran in those publications for several years. In 1922, Robert's wife, Donnie, passed away. By the end of the year he was married again, to Marcelle Babb. No children were born to either marriage, but Robert and Donnie had adopted a daughter, Louise, who became the inspiration for his columns "Letters from a Bald-Headed Dad to His Red-Headed Daughter" that were published in book form in 1933.

In addition to being a writer, editor, and publisher, Robert was also a humanitarian. It was said that if a child in the county woke up Christmas morning with an empty stocking, it was because he didn't know about it.

He was a bit of an eccentric, not only in his writings, but in his actions. Twice he sold his newspaper, only to buy it back again both times. In 1925, he erected a statue to Eve on the lawn of his home, which horrified the townspeople. It was simply an obelisk with the inscription "In Memory of Eve, the First Woman" and carved beneath was an apple with a twig and one leaf. In an editorial in his newspaper, he said: "Eve was a distant relative of mine, on my mother's side. The family has always been proud of her. She was the first lady of the land and the reigning beauty of her time."

Robert Quillen made his living as a commentator on American society. His columns covered virtually every aspect of life in America in the early-to-mid 1900s. Many of his columns were thinly veiled descriptions of the local citizens. One Fountain Inn man warned a new preacher, "Don't get mad at anything Mr. Quillen says. We're used to him and just overlook his queerness."

His opinions were not always widely accepted, in fact, they were often controversial, but his work was published in more than 300 newspapers in the United States and Canada when he died at the age of 61 on December 9, 1948 at Hendersonville, North Carolina. His syndicated features included "Aunt Het" and "Willie Willis," both humorous cartoons, as well as editorials, "Quillen's Quips" and other articles.

He once wrote his own obituary and printed it in the Fountain Inn Tribune, the weekly newspaper he published. He described the service and the last rites at the cemetery. Then he wrote, "When the last clod had fallen, workmen covered the grave with a granite slab bearing the inscription, 'Submitted to the Publisher by Robert Quillen'." The Greenville News added "There will be no copyright. The original work could hardly be reproduced."

A depiction of "Aunt Het", Robert Quillen, Robert with his adopted daughter Louise. Pictures on display in his study in Fountain Inn. Photo taken by Becky Wiseman on March 12, ...

The infamous statue "In Memory of Eve, The First Woman." Photo taken by Becky Wiseman on March 12, ...

Sadly, there isn't much to be found on the Internet about Robert Quillen. This article was compiled from numerous newspaper clippings about him that I received from the Greenville County Library, Greenville, South Carolina as well as an article in The South Carolina Historical Magazine (Vol 102 No 2, April .. pages 110-134 "The Wit and Wisdom of Robert Quillen, 1887-1948" by Marvin L. Cann). After receiving a copy of that article in September .. I was able to contact Mr. Cann. Most of the resources and photographs he used in the article were housed at the University of South Carolina. I contacted them and obtained several pictures of Robert and his family. However, I can't post them here since I don't have their permission to do so.

A recent search of the 'net brought up a new book published last year, "The Voice of Small-Town America : Selected Writings of Robert Quillen, 1920–1948" edited by John Hammond Moore. An article on Wikipedia appears to be excerpts from the Moore book.

A few of Robert's one-liners:

• Acting is not being emotional, but being able to express emotion.
• As we grow older, our bodies get shorter and our anecdotes longer.
• Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; an argument an exchange of ignorance.
• Great art is never produced for its own sake. It is too difficult to be worth the effort.
• If we wish to make a new world we have the material ready. The first one, too, was made out of chaos.
• There are glimpses of heaven to us in every act, or thought, or word, that raises us above ourselves.

Thompson Falls, Cascade River

Above: Thompson Falls



A couple of days ago we visited Thompson Falls on the Cascade River, a waterfall I had never heard of until recently. It turned out to be a gem of a waterfall, with seemingly limitless photo possibilities. The main channel of the river is fantastic as it tumbles over the falls, but I actually had more fun photographing these little side falls on the west bank of the river. The photo belowshows two drops out of what is actually a 3-drop series of falls. The upper two falls were what really caught my eye, though, especially with these beautiful cedar branches framing the right side of the photo. I can't wait to go back and spend more time at these falls!



Below: Double Waterfall and Cedar, Cascade River

Where I walk

One of the farm roads.

The perfect combination of rain, early warm weather, and no late frosts has made for a wonderful wildflowery spring.

I've never seen crossvine in such profusion.




An explosion of ginger.




An embarrassment of foamflower.




Unfortunately the poison ivy is doing very well also.




Maybe it's time to mow.




Summer is hard on the heels of spring. Wood Thrushes are playing their flutes. We've seen lightning bugs!

Yellowstone :: Grand Prismatic Spring

Wednesday, August 31st - - Upon leaving the West Thumb area I stopped to see Old Faithful. I waited a little over half an hour for the old fellow to erupt. I'll just say it was less than spectacular. Old Faithful can have eruptions that last from a minute and a half to over four minutes. I happened to be there during one of the short eruptions in which it does not reach its maximum height. The next eruption, 90 minutes later, would probably have been a long one but I decided to go on to the next site on my list of “must see” things.





This diagram shows the features within the Midway Geyser Basin, the largest of which is the colorful Grand Prismatic Spring.





The water from the springs and pools in the area eventually makes its way to the Firehole River flowing below. Even here you could feel the heat from the water as it passed by. The sulfur smell was quite strong also.





A boardwalk trail meanders through the area giving you an “up close” look at the pools and springs. This is at the lower edge of Excelsior Geyser, which is currently dormant.





A panoramic view of Excelsior Geyser from its northern side (as with all photos, double-click on the image to view a larger version). Water flows from the geyser pool, down the hill, and into the Firehole River.





Water from the Grand Prismatic Spring flows into the Excelsior Geyser.



A view of Excelsior Geyser from its southwestern side.



Looking to the west toward the boardwalk around Grand Prismatic Spring from the boardwalk on the west side of Excelsior Geyser. The water is only a few inches deep between the two features.





The Grand Prismatic Spring. Colorful tendrils are formed by the heat-loving microorganisms where the water flows over the edge of the spring.





Looking back toward Excelsior Geyser.



The Opal Pool. You can just barely see Firehole River in the upper center of the photograph and the mountains way off in the far distance.





It was late in the evening when I headed back to the campground. This photo was taken along the western side of the southern loop in part of the Hayden Valley – that's the Yellowstone River flowing through the valley.



It had been a great day despite a few quick moving rain showers. The temperature was in the upper 60s and lower 70s all afternoon – great weather for sightseeing and playing the tourist!

From Strange to Familiar

For the first time in a long time, I've been riding for transportation along routes that started out as uncharted territories. As it often goes, at first these routes seemed hostile, strange. Unfamiliar towns. Different patterns of motorist behaviour than what I'd gotten used to. But over time, the trips grew familiar, peaceful, and therefore unremarkable. This reminded me why I write so much less frequently now about transportation cycling than I used to: because nothing "happens." Whether my commute is 2 miles or 22 miles, nothing about the process is really novel anymore. With roadcycling, there is still the rush of going a longer distance, discovering a new route, learning a new skill, riding with a new group or partner. But with commuting, things have become automated.




Most of all, I tend to forget the spectacleI make of myselfwhen I - a woman in a long belted overcoat, knee high boots and a beret - ride a weird bike through areas where such sights aren't as normal as they are in Boston Metro. Drivers roll down their windows in freezing temperatures just to get a better look at me. No one has honked or gotten angry with me yet for being on the road; I think they are too stunned to.




The other day I was just riding along, heading homeward, when I sensed a car hovering behind me. I looked over my shoulder and saw it was a white minivan. The sun was in my eyes and I could not make out the driver. I got a little nervous and moved over to the right encouraging them to pass me, but they kept hovering. Finally, the van did pass, only to pull over to the side of the road in front of me. A woman jumped out and started waving her arms wildly, beckoning me to stop. Out of the windows I could now see several children's heads peeking out. So I braked and put a foot down tentatively, hoping this was not some trap to kidnap me and harvest my organs. And the woman shouted "Oh my God, I just wanted to tell you I love your bike and your outfit!" She asked some questions about the bike and where I was going, and was stunned by my answers. What about a bike that could fit her kids? (Just two kids, the others in the van were the neighbours'.) Yes, there are those kinds of bikes as well, I told her, and described the different options. She was so excited, it was really quite marvelous. A little extreme to pull the minivan over to talk to me, sure, but I'll take it over driver hostility any day. What started out as being strange to her became familiar. These are good encounters.

Switzer Land :: Jacob and Catherine sell to Daniel Deemer

There were certain rather interesting reservations(at least I thought so)made in the sale of this land... On February 10, 1847 Jacob Switzer and Catharine, his wife, sold their property in Salem Township to their son-in-law Daniel Deemer for the sum of $... This was the land that was situated in the South ½ of the Northeast ¼ of Section 33 in Township 15 Range 3, which was bounded by the lands of John Bricker, Samuel Wall, Abraham Arter, Simon Arter and Samuel Entrikin and contained eighty acres. Jacob had purchased this land on March 26, 1838 for $2600 from John and Hanna Froth.



The land was sold, with provisions as set forth in the second paragraph of page 777:

“Reserving nevertheless to him the said Jacob Switzer and to the said Catharine & to the survivor of them during their natural lives and the life time of the survivor of them the house in which they now reside on said premises with the appurtenances – also the truck patch which lays North West of said house containing one quarter of an acre & the orchard which lays East of said house and contains one and a fourth acre – also one half of the garden – also all of the rights and privileges set forth in an article of event date herewith entered into between the said Deemer & said Switzer which said article and all the covenants therein contained on the part of the said Deemer, are hereby expressly charged upon said real estate which is hereby conveyed subject to the same...”

And the legalese continues on page 778. In the portion just prior to the signatures is wording that I've never seen in a deed record before:

“And I the said Catharine wife of the said Jacob do hereby, in consideration of the money paid to my said husband, remise, release, and forever quit claim to the said Daniel Deemer and to his heirs and assigns, all my right and title of dower in and to the above described premises.”

The Article of Agreement between Daniel Deemer and Jacob Switzer and Catharine Switzer was made and concluded on the 10th day of February A.D. 1847 (beginning at the bottom of page 778 and continuing on to page 779).

“That whereas the said Switzer & wife have this day conveyed to the said Deemer the South half of the North East quarter of section number thirty three in township number fifteen in Range number three, in said county for the consideration of two thousand dollars & other considerations – fifteen hundred dollars of which consideration is given to the said Deemer who is the son-in-law of said Switzer & wife – And whereas the said Switzer & wife have made in said deed certain reservations – therefore , the said Deemer covenants & agrees to pay the said Jacob Switzer (as the balance of the consideration of said $..) the sum of five hundred dollars as follows – one hundred dollars on the first day of April 1847 – one hundred dollars on the first day of April 1848 - $100 on the first day of April 1849, $100 on the first day of April 1850 – and $100 on the first day of April 1851 – in accordance with five promissory notes of even date herewith.

“And it is further agreed between the parties that the said Jacob Switzer & Catharine his wife, and the survivor of them, shall reserve for their own use & for the use of the survivor of them the house on said premises in which they now live – also the privileges of the yard around the same – also the truck patch North West of said house of about one quarter of an acre – also the orchard which lays East of the said house containing about an acre and a quarter, also one half of the garden – also pasture and hay from off said premises for one horse and two cows, and stable room for one horse and two cows, also pasture and stabling for two hogs – also the said Switzer & wife or the survivor of them to have one third of the chickens, which shall grow from said premises (the said Switzer & wife to feed said one third thereof.)

The said Switzer & wife also reserve as much fire-wood as they need for their own use (they to cut & haul the same) also the said Switzer & wife to have the manure from said farm for their truck patch & garden as much as they may want for their lives or of the survivor – all of which right and privileges the said Deemer covenants to furnish & guaranty to the said Switzer and wife during their natural lives and the life of the survivor of them. And for the security of the said Switzer & wife, all the above privileges rights and covenants of the said Deemer are hereby charged upon the said premises. In testimony whereof we have hereunto set our hand and seals this day & year above written.”

The Deed was Signed by Daniel Deemer, Jacob Switzer and Catharine Switzer (with her mark).Attested by Edward Carroll and Beulah R. Wright Carroll



The legal stuff continues on page 780. However, I somehow managed to miss scanning that page while at the Family History Library earlier this year! Hopefully there is nothing of major importance included on that page!





Columbiana County, Ohio Deeds Volume 38 page 777 (FHL Film 926944)



Columbiana County, Ohio Deeds Volume 38 page 778 (FHL Film 926944)



Columbiana County, Ohio Deeds Volume 38 page 779 (FHL Film 926944)

Alpental Ice ..

So the quest for ice begins. (Earlier this year due to La Nina.) Adam and I were thinking of getting out earlier in the week to check conditions at Alpental. Early reports were not positive, so we delayed. I was hoping to head to Leavenworth this weekend, but that plan fell through, and so a quest for ice at Alpental was planned. I was going with Rod, while Adam, Zach, Steen and Kristy were also coming separately from us.

Rod and I were one of the first cars in the lot and we geared up in what felt like weather that was too warm. We commented that we might be "taking the tools for a hike" as Washington State ice climbers will often say. We donned snowshoes, and hiked into Alpental Falls where we hiked up to the falls.

Hiking up to the falls

Alpental I looked in from the base. There was a bit of a boot track to it, so perhaps it was climbed in previous days. I didn't like the drum like nature of the right side as it seemed not to be bonded to the rock underneath. Right in front of me was a snow gully like feature which I told Rod I'd give a try at. So we geared up and I started climbing. When I got to the first step, I didn't feel comfortable with the thin ice, and down climbed off the route collecting my screw on the way. We decided to head up valley to see if anything else was in to climb.

Around this time our friends showed up and went past us before we regained the trail. Zach and Adam headed back to the car to get their snowshoes for the off trail travel. We joined the women near the base of Alpental IV. Rod and I inspected the possibility of climbing Alpental IV while the other group set up some top ropes in the woods. We eventually joined them as neither of us wanted to lead any of the falls. Way too much running water.

So we all got to top rope three short lines in the woods. A fairly thick line on the right, a mixed (mostly rock) line in the middle, and a mixed (mostly ice/snow) line on the left. After we all tired out and started to get cold we took the top ropes down.

Kristy on the fatter ice

This outing went about how I would have expected it to go. I was happy to use my (new to me) tools and go leashless for the first time. Surprisingly, I did not over grip. But I was very concerned about dropping them as I have yet to build my umbilical. The freedom of going leashless was wonderful, and I was surprised that it did not take much for me. Perhaps because I haven't climbed ice in a while, I forgot about relying on the leashes. I look forward to more leashless climbing.

Saturday's ski...

On Saturday I was lucky enough to do one of the manylocal BC tours. The route has 4600' of climbing and is just over 13k long. I hooked up with one of the local guide serves here for the day to get an idea of what people around my area were usingfor gear. I thought it would be fun to ski with a new group and see some terrain I hadn't yet. Our day tour was close toSeattle andstarted, thenreturned toAlpental's upper parking lot.



The light was flat and we skied in and out of the cloud cover all day. Never breaking into thesunshine. I missed some of the really spectacular scenery I know surrounded us. But thatmade some of the most interesting things I saw in our day's travelthe gear being used. I'd bet during the day I saw 30 or more BC skiers. And it was a nasty, foggy and dampday for the most part. Likely twice that many up there skiing that I didn't see. Every single one of the I got close to wereon skis over 100 to 110+ under foot. Mostly well on the 110+ side. And every one of the skiersin a 4 buckle boot.At least in our party of 4 everyone was on a tech binding. Dynafit being the easy winner here in the US at the moment.



But we were the exception not the rule.



The majority (if not all)of the skiers I saw in groups of let pass me in the track were in some type of plate bindings. Marker and Fritschi were both well represented.



Boots? All four buckle. The lightest a Scarpa Mistral. The most common seemed to be any version of a Black Diamond. But I saw something from everyone in the boot business. The TLTs or even lighter boots,however were missing in action. That surprised me. Even two winters ago, the first season for the TLT, the boots were shy mid winter but by Aprilthere were plenty of TLTs in the trams around Chamonix. I also noted the hurry everyone was to get out of their 4 buckle boots at the end of the day. The real hurry! But then I was able to walk comfortablythe first thirty minutes of hard pack trail on the way in. While they skinned. May be that was the difference in foot comfort at the end of the day. May be it is the difference on how one fits a down hillski boot and the fit of a mountain boot used to climb and then ski in. What areyour priorities?

















Skis? You name it and under 120 they were likely there. Saw more DPS skis in one day than I do at a lift area. 105s, 112s and 120s were represented. I have to admit my DPS Lotus 138s would have been really fun on the two biggest descents of the day. But they would simply be track pigs on the skin even in the "Pure" form.









Poles? The obvious adjustable touring pole was the most common. But standard length ski poles were there as well. I use full on, and long,xc poles.



My guess is there was only one pair of Lycra tights on the hill that day. But to be fair the Movement pantsare hard to obtain most of the year. Lycra is not however. If I weren't in the Movement pant I'd still be in something resembling Lycra. While I played with my upper system the first half of the day, to finally get it right my pants and longs under them were simply superb beginning to end.



A fair percentage of skiers in one or the other of air bag systems. That one surprised me at $500 a pop or more likely twice that. Have to wonder if those same folks bothered with an avalanche class as well. It reminds me of the ski helmet fashion statement. Great idea but would one ever think about not skiing that close to a tree or actually not skiing obvious avi terrain? With 120 under foot? Of course not. I am still pondering that mental equation.



Not a "heavy" set upby comparison to what I saw on Saturday but an idea in the differences of "heavy" and "light". Add in the packs, what is in the pack and your choices in clothing and things change even more.



My105mm under foot and 4 buckle set upweights in at 20# and change with:

Dynafit Carbon Zero 4 boots

La Sportiva Hi5 in a 188cm

Dynafit ST bindings

precut skins

BD Carbon adjustible ski poles



My rondo set (not race gear mind you)is 78mm under foot and 2 buckle weights in at just under 13#

TLT 5 P boot

Broad Peak ski at 167cm

Dynafit low tech Race

precut skins

Salomon Nordic composite145cm pole





I know the difference between skiing "combat boots" and the TLTs. Even the carbon cuffed Performance version. And no doubt a big rocked ski under foot makes child's play of difficult conditions and good conditions pure joy. I only felt at a real disadvantage once on this tour. And that was at the last hour of the effortinthe exit gully. I would have preferred a wider ski for the snow conditions. But a fresh set of legs would have made short work of it compared to a fat ski. Money can buy the fat ski. The fresh legs will take more time.



By comparison though...no one in our party was immune to the tired legs. My legs werejust 7#s less tired for the effort. Thankfully.



The last decent gully inbetter conditions than what we had.



http://vimeo.com/33986867



Of course, I fell down the best bitof it :)

Playing on a Ladder

Steven's Pass ..

Ken and I opted to use our free passes to Steven's Pass on the last Friday of operations. The weather wasn't forecast to be great, but we were going anyway. After all, you can't be a Pacific Northwest skier without skiing in the rain at least once a year.

The first ride up the chair was cloudy, but no precip. The second ride up involved rain that turned into "Wintry Mix" near the top. By the third time up, we had that precip freezing on the outsides of our shell pants.

First chair ride up.

The snow was decent on groomed runs and corn like at times with icy patches and some thicker patches. Anything that was not groomed was heavy, wet and hard to turn in. We stuck to Hog Heaven, and Barrier Ridge for our first few runs then decided to see what the other side of the ridge was like.

We rode the Tye Mill Chair up to the top and then went down Gemini which felt like the best run of the day so far. There was no one on the backside, and the weather was somewhat better. That changed, and the wind kicked up and the rides up the Jupiter Chair had us getting blasted in the face with icy pellets. After 3-4 runs down time was running out on the backside (they close the lifts at 3:15pm) so we decided to get back on the front of the ridge.

We had a few super enjoyable runs down The Crest Trail and Skid Road before making a few last runs down Skyline as the skies turned blue and we warmed up and dried out.

Overall we had a great day. The snow was pretty good where it had been groomed, or where lots of people were skiing. We stuck to all blue runs as the black diamonds were not groomed and not too many people were skiing them. The snow in those areas was not appealing, and neither Ken nor I were looking to get injured on our last day of lift served skiing this season.

Last chair of day.

The secret life of roots

By ashen roots the (fire pinks) blow


Tough roots among the rocks


The parable of the sower


The (gradual) disintegration of the persistence of memory


The dim tangled roots of things


Erosion, so they say, is the root of all evil today. (This is often misquoted.)

Critter cam - new location

We moved the critter cam to a new location that appeared to be on a game trail, and got this shot on the first night.

I felt a little guilty, because from the look of the leaves in the area, the flash really scared the poor deer. The poor dear.

The camera has a little memory card, which I forgot to return after downloading this photo. The camera will continue to take pictures, store them, and write to the card later on. But the quality doesn't seem the same...



...as you can see in this shot of my dear husband, just before he sprained his ankle. He was returning the memory card that I forgot to put back in the camera. Whoops.

Expanding Comfort Zones

Over the past couple of weeks I've had things to do in downtown Boston and the Financial District, so I have been going there more than usual. As I cycle through this dense urban area, my company includes mainly bumper-to-bumper car traffic and bike messengers weaving through it. It was a hot afternoon and I was waiting in the left lane at a red light - a black SUV behind me and a gray pick-up truck on my right - when it suddenly occurred to me: I was quite comfortable. Any moment now, the light would turn green and I would make a left turn in a way that would not conflict with oncoming vehicles. The awareness of this was not one of nervous anticipation, but one of calm preparedness. Perhaps I am no longer quite the "beginner" I still tend to think of myself as being.

I say all of this not to brag (and I am sure many would mock the idea of cycling in downtown Boston as any sort of accomplishment), but to point out that the "baby steps" principle really does work if you are patient and allow yourself to expand your comfort zone at your own pace. Last summer, I wrote this post about overcoming my anxieties and cycling outside my immediate neighborhood. Now those anxieties seem in the distant past, as I cycle all over greater Boston and beyond.

Of course the city's ever-expanding bicycle infrastructure helps as well. Not so much because the bike lanes are spectacular (note the amount of debris on the left and how close the car gets on the right), but because the sheer act of painting all sorts of bicycle signifiers seems to make drivers more aware of cyclists' existence in general. Overall, conditions for cyclists are improving here.

If I wanted to cross the river to Boston last year, I would cycle along the Charles River Trail at a snail's pace. Now I just go right on the roads and cross the main city bridges. It takes 15-20 minutes to get where I need to be, and I no longer feel anxious to cycle in this manner. I make no secret of the fact that I am a neurotic wimp with a poor sense of balance. So, at the risk of perpetuating a cliché: "If I can do it, anybody can." Choose a bicycle you love, take it one neighborhood at a time, and expand your comfort zone.

Just be sure to make way for ducklings...

And don't tease the swans!