I <3 the Visionary Arts Museum

So, Artscape was loads of fun last Saturday. A steady stream of people from 11:30 am 'til after 10:00 pm meant I didn't have a chance to explore even a fraction of all there was to offer, but there was still plenty to see and experience.

From the DC Craft Mafia's booth, we heard live music, were tempted by yummy food and experienced some great people watching. What does this have to do with the Visionary Arts Museum (as the title of this post implies)? Well, they brought an art car parade down the thoroughfare in front of our booth. Here are a few of my favorites:

Anybody got some butter?

Pop Art that pops

We all live in a Yellow Submarine

Make a joyful noise

Go Herbie, go!Anybody got some film?

Summer? Really?

The water is still pretty frigid along the banks of the Chesapeake, but that didn't stop me from dunking a toe (well toes and ankles) in this weekend. It was great to spend an afternoon at the beach trying out my new kite during the "official" start of summer.

Back home, I could tell it might actually be summer because it was finally warm enough for more than a few hours at a time to successfully pour resin and finish a few of the belt buckles I started months ago. Now I usually try to space out adding new items to Polly Scoots, but I was sooooo happy to have these ready that I couldn't resist sharing them all at once. Enjoy!

More two-wheeled fun than you can shake a stick at...

While the motorcycle show in D.C. is full of all the newest bikes hitting the streets, the motorcycle show in Timonium is a whole different animal. I'll be checking it out in person this weekend (I think for the third year). Sure, they'll be some local dealers there with new bikes, but custom and vintage bikes will far out number them.

While I don't see myself ever owning a motorcycle chopper (b/c they're uber expensive and generally do not look at all comfortable to actually ride), I can still appreciate the time and workmanship that goes into them. It's really quite amazing what people come up with.

What I really get a kick out of is the vintage bikes. Classic BMW, Triumph, Moto Guzzi, Norton, Honda, you name it...I love them all...and there's usually a pleasing assortment of odd-duck early scooters like the one below--sweet. If I'm lucky, I'll also see some artwork made of bike parts (like the spark plug critter above). Rock on handmade goodness.

Bring on the fun. But don't take my word for it, check it: the International Motorcycle Show at the fairgrounds in Timonium (Maryland, hon!).

It's not a scooter, but....

I like riding on two wheels, so I'm pretty sure a motorcycle will be in my future one day. Don't really see it happening anytime soon (unless Ryan all of a sudden ends up with a 500 cc bike and I need to keep up), but if I were buying a motorcycle this spring, I'm pretty sure I'd bring home the Suzuki TU250.

Its styling appeals to me, it has a 250 cc engine (I don't need to go THAT fast), front disk brake, fuel injection, weighs in at about 330 pounds and has a lower seat height than my Stella. I got to sit on one at the motorcycle show and I have to say, I liked it.

Initial Report from the Motorcycle Show

It's a little too late at the end of a work day to give the full report now, but here's a quick recap from our trip to this year's motorcycle show in the nation's Capital.

1. We brought home literally 10 pounds of stuff between us. A few small things were purchased, but most takes the form of free literature to meditate over later with the occasional bit of swag. And we didn't even bring home the J & P Cycles uber-huge catalog (the CD version is just fine thank you).


2. Progressive was smart to hand out nice reusable bags for carting home all your new crap instead of plastic ones with the handles that just aren't up to the challenge (see 10 lbs of stuff referenced above).

3. I did not bring home a jacket OR gloves--I think that's a first.

4. Kymco sure made a heck of a lot of scooters this year--not a bad thing.


5. The scooter pavilion was decent. Not fabulous, but decent. It's nice to see different makes and models of scooters in the same place for easy comparison. And we got a free Scoot! Magazine out of deal.


6. I saw, and sat, on a Vectrix electric scooter for the first time.

7. You can buy "motorcycles" that are bigger than Smart Cars. Why, I'm not really sure...

8. Fuel efficiency is still "in" even if gas isn't 4 bucks a gallon anymore (fyi, this stickers was on a motorcycle..my scooters do better...)

9. I may have found the perfect motorcycle for me. Alas, I'd need to sell a scooter or two for it to be a practical addition...

10. My Vino needs one of these.

how I spent my winter vacation

I've been home from work for 12 glorious days--my longest non-work stretch in more than a year. There were holiday festivities and family gatherings in the mix, and one mini road trip, so I don't know that it completely qualifies as a "stacation" (i.e. an at-home vacation), but it was pretty darn close I'd think.

After all the holiday hoopla, I had time to put together one of my gifts--the mushroom cottage playset by Fantastic Toys. Good thing you're never too old for a mushroom cottage playset :)

Since both Ryan and I were home for much of our time, we made a point of getting out of the house for some type of excursion each day. Among them: ice skating, duckpin bowling, bike rides, scooter rides and dog walks outside the "usual" route.

Our mini road trip was north for New Year's Eve. We stopped along the way to enjoy the holiday displays at Longwood Gardens.

I was highly amused (it doesn't take much), by the scooter-focused signs throughout the Gardens. I'll leave you to figure out what they were talking about and why I wasn't offended by these scooter regulations.
One of our last excursions was a repeat trip to a local lake. The first trip was with the dogs earlier in the stacation and the second was today with our bicycles.
And in the midst of it all, I finally made something brand new for Polly Scoots.

Road Food

I must confess, I love it when there's nothing good for you on the menu. It usually means every thing's darn tasty! Ann's Dari-Creme in Glen Burnie, Md., is no exception.

I tried the burgers and fries this time, but the milk shake and a dog are on my list for next time.

The scooter that started it all

Five years ago today Ryan and I stumbled across this scoot on the second day of our marriage and the first day of our honeymoon in Ireland. Our flight touched down very early in the morning in Dublin and, of course, our room was hours from ready. We stowed our bags and set off, blurry eyed, for a first look at the city. That took us to Trinity College which was littered with bicycles and scooters. This Honda Joker captured Ryan's fancy as did the Chicken Kiev in the cafeteria.

"Um, I like Chicken Kiev," he comments this evening from the chair in the living room while diligently sewing his Charm City 2007 rally patch. I think we both decided that we like scooters...

What's that?

There's nothing better than heading out to a classic motorcycle show on a drizzly Sunday and coming across a bike that makes you stop and ask, "what's that?"

That's what happened this weekend as Ryan and I were strolling the aisles of the 7th Annual British & European Classic Motorcycle Day. While there were plenty of motorcycles that made me drool, there was just one scooter that made us both stop and stare. And had me hitting the Internet when I got home to find out more--the Triumph Tina.

Hints of Green

The sun was shining and temperatures were in the 50s. We gassed up the scoots and hit the road for an afternoon adventure. Not a pot of gold in sight, but we did find hints of green on the shores of a local reservoir. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Exploring on two wheels

Today Ryan and I explored Baltimore on two wheels--but we left the two-stroke exhaust fumes at home. We joined hundreds of other cyclists and walkers in the 14th annual Tour du Port. The event takes you on a great tour of Baltimore's waterfront and surrounding neighborhoods while raising awareness of the benefits of bicycling, walking and mass transit in our communities.

While Ryan was ready for the 22-mile loop, I've only recently returned to the bicycle scene. In rides around our own neighborhood in recent weeks, I'd made it to six miles in one shot, so the 10-mile loop was more my speed. He was a good sport and took the shorter route with me.

The ride started over near Fell's Point and traveled around the harbor to the top of Federal Hill--a lovely spot for taking in a view of the Harbor.

From there, we traveled out to Fort McHenry (birthplace of the Star-Spangled Banner) and hit the six mile point as we circled the fort along the water's edge.

The trip back to our starting point included a drive by of the American Visionary Art Museum. Not wanting to cause a traffic jam of cyclists, I didn't pause to snap a pic. But, if the inside of the museum is anywhere near as spectacular as the outside, I'll definitely be stopping by soon!

The return trip took us past the Maryland Science Center, Harbor Place and the National Aquarium en route to our final destination. Before reaching the end, we stopped for a closer look at the Seven Foot Knoll Light (I'm a sucker for lighthouses).


At ride's end, Ryan's odometer topped 12 miles, but mine read a little under--good to know that my scooter isn't the only thing with wonky technology! Anyway, it turned out to be a lovely day for a ride and I'm happy to say I successfully reached the end.


Ryan's already talking about taking on the 22-mile loop next year--we shall see!

Postcard from the road: odds, ends and oddities

As our journey north began two weeks ago (and finished just a few days after that), I figure it's about time to wrap up this set of entries. Ryan has promised to provide a post about small displacement motorcycles available outside U.S., but in the meantime, I'll finish with some additional images from the road.

A grape squashing frog in North East, Pa.

Great stuff for your yard

A noble chief in Dunkirk, N.Y.Llamas at the Toronto Zoo

Warnings at the local church

Beautiful centerpieces at the reception

Public recycling options in downtown TorontoSage advise at Dunkirk

Postcard from the road: ummmm, sandwiches

When I'm getting ready to hit the road (for business or pleasure), there are two things I generally research along with the usual lodging, transportation, blah, blah, blah. First, where's the nearest scooter shop and, second, will I be able to eat a sandwich from "the show."

And, by "the show" I mean the 2002 PBS documentary by Rick Sebak of WQED, "Sandwiches That You Will Like." In case you haven't seen it, this fun show explores the unique sandwiches available in various parts of the United States. I've seen the show several times and even bought the book which recaps everything, gives you recipes and includes some unseen tidbits from the show.

While we tucked a list Toronto area scooter shops in our trusty travel folder before leaving home, I must admit that I had not done my homework on local sandwiches--we were going to Canada after all and Toronto did not make "the show."

So, I couldn't have been happier when on day two of our journey north, after two disappointments (being unable to photograph the town with the unfortunate name of "Little Hope" and searching in vein for the historic lighthouse of Dunkirk), we sat down for lunch at a place specializing in wings and Ryan said, "they have Beef on weck."

Beef on weck (pictured above) is served in the Buffalo metropolitan area. The kummelweck (roll), kaiser like with pretzel salt and caraway seeds, is topped with slow-roasted rare roast beef and served with horseradish and, in our case, au jus. The roast been on our sandwich was quite tender and flavorful and the roll was yummy (although I'm not a fan of caraway seeds). All in all, I couldn't have been happier with this unexpected find on day two. And, happily enough, the restaurant manager was able to provide us with directions to the lighthouse at Dunkirk (more on this later).

As an added bonus, our explorations in downtown Toronto on Saturday took us to Chinatown and we enjoyed Banh mi sandwiches (pictured below), another favorite from "the show." We've had these yummy sandwiches, a Vietnamese baguette topped with a variety of good things, before, but not since moving from Northern Virginia more than a year ago.

note: travel log not posted in real time

Postcard from the road: Meadville, Pa.

We pulled into Meadville, Pa., at 10 p.m. our first night on the road. Our fun detour in Indiana had us looking for a hotel a little later in the day than was wise. After finding no room at any inn in Grove City, we called around and found a place up the road a ways in Meadville. We were happy to find the hotel in the dark, lug in our bags and crash.

The next morning we pulled out of the hotel looking for a gas station. As we approached the first traffic light, I pulled out the camera and started shooting pictures through the windshield of the amazing sight on our left. We pulled into the gas station across the street for a fill up and I still wasn't close enough. I had to get closer--it was a garden made entirely from road signs! Speed limit, adopt-a-highway, street signs, you name it. Some genius had turned these ordinary signs into a flowers--I was in love.

After a close up look (and more pictures) I knew we had to be on the road, so I finally jumped back in the car. As we drove by the front of the building next to the garden I saw that it was home to the Crawford County Pennsylvania Department of Transportation. It was only as we continued to drive away that we saw the entire diorama made from road signs complete with a town hall and school bus.

If you every make your way to Meadville, Pa., be sure to take a look at these awesome works of art. Thanks to the power of the Internet, you can learn and see more about these Arts and Environment Initiatives on the organization's web site. Click on "Signs and Flowers" for more on what's pictured above and "Read Between the Signs" to see an amazing 1200' x 9' sculpture constructed from signs.

note: travel log not posted in real time