Update

The truth is that the longer I step away, the harder it is to come back. Like the screw holding up the dusty shelf down in the basement that nobody’s thought to bother with for twenty-eight years, it’s going to take some elbow grease to get things turning smoothly again.

But really. October? It’s been that long?

Well. Merry Christmas. Happy Hanukkah. Happy New Year! I’d been in the middle of talking about how the stories we tell matter when life overtook me, and I have more to say about that (you notice how I didn’t promise a date this time? I’m learning!).

Right now, though, I’d like to tell you about a few things that are happening in my own fair city.

The Holland Area Cycle Coalition is the great new thing I’ve been spending most of my free time on (link is to the Facebook page; the website is to come). Per our mission statement:

Our goal is to make the greater Holland, Michigan area safer for all types of bicycling, integrating biking into the infrastructure and soul of these communities.

Basically, we just want to rider our bikes, and make it so our neighbors and kids can do it, too.

We’ve also been discussing if we want to broader our goals to include broader livability measures, like walkability and working with Safe Routes to School. We’ve elected a Founding Board, which I’m chairing, that has been tasked with getting the organization up and running. The two committees we’ve decided to start with are engineering (addressing infrastructure) and education (addressing public education and outreach). We pulled those categories from the League of American Bicyclists’ infographic on The Building Blocks of a Bicycle-Friendly Community. Both of these have chairs and are recruiting members. If you’re interested, please leave a message on the Facebook page!

There are good things happening in the city already that we’re trying to encourage in a more bicycle-friendly direction. Central Avenue is going to be rebuilt this coming year and will include some kind of bicycle accommodations in one section, either sharrows or bike lanes. Of course, we’d like to see that include all sections with real bike lanes, to make more of the city accessible to more people. We’re coming late to the process so we’ll have to see how it goes, but I’ll say this – it’s been a long time since I’ve felt so encouraged at what I see happening around me. Friends on bicycles – you are not alone!

And that’s all the time I have for today. One of the things I’m learning is the fine art of imperfection – and today, published is going to need to be better than perfect.

The

Room to Breathe

It was summer at its best. Grilled chicken, watermelon, second cousins, fireworks, a toddler belly-flopping off the dock… and traffic, the unsung Independence Day tradition!

On our way home from the cottage, my family was logjammed for over an hour passing through Grand Haven. We were struck by how many people on bikes were crossing the river on the gravelly shoulder of US-31 – many of them children, most without lights, and all without protection from the crazies trying to fly around the traffic jam.

The whole city seemed to be at a standstill…

… and it brought this visual to mind.

Can you imagine what it would be like in our cities if we had more room to breathe?

image courtesy Copenhagenize Design Co.

Bikes in Holland is TODAY

I wish the blurriness was for effect… the toddler’s been using my camera!

Today’s the day, friends! I’m feeling ready and excited. This is going to be fun.

If you’ve been thinking of coming but haven’t gotten tickets yet, don’t fear – they’ll be available at the door for $12 (cash only, thank you) until the room gets crowded.

We’ll be at Fourteenth Street Church (14 W. 14th Street) at 7:00 pm. I hope to see you there!

Winner!

Thank you for playing, everyone!

The winner is… Susan!

I know that Susan has already purchased her ticket, so if you think you know her you might want to bring her a cup of coffee and see if she’ll share.

I hope to see many of you tomorrow evening! Tickets are $10. If you haven’t gotten yours yet, you can pick them up at Simpatico Coffee (714 Washington in Holland), MainStreet Beanery (209 E. Main St. in Zeeland), or online at http://www.bikesinholland.com. There will also be a limited number of tickets available at the door for $12.

Announcing… the Share the Love Flash Contest!

A quick glance at my loaded dining room table – a.k.a., my desk – will tell you that something BIG is happening here.

Hot dog picnic on the porch! Yay for the fun mom!

Press releases, microphone jacks… it’s incredible how many details there are to keep track of in an event like this. But my friends, it is going to be so worth it.

Now, I need your help – I really do. There are still too many people out there who haven’t heard of Bikes in Holland, and that’s just a shame. We want to pack this room out!

So, the contest:

The prize is a pair of tickets for you and a lucky friend to enjoy Bikes in Holland, of course. Entering is simple: share, then let me know that you did.

Here’s what you do to enter:

1) Share the event with your friends on Facebook, or
2) Share the event with your followers on Twitter, or
3) Personally invite your friends to Bikes in Holland.

For each Facebook share you’ll receive one entry. You can leave a comment here that you did it, e-mail me at tulip (dot) lane (at) outlook (dot) com, or share right from the Bikes in Holland Facebook page. I believe in communities with integrity, so this is on the honor system. I trust you.

For each tweet you’ll receive one entry, with additional entries for each time your tweet is retweeted. Tag @bikesinholland in your tweet.

Finally, either leave a comment below or e-mail me the names of each of your friends that you personally invited. I don’t care if you send them an e-mail or talk to them face-to-face, as long as it’s personal. And I don’t need their Social Security Numbers – you can just say, “I called Ron VW and invited him to Bikes in Holland!” and that’s good.

This contest will end on Thursday at 5pm, after which I’ll quickly draw a name and announce the lucky winner.

And if you know that you can’t come but like the idea of being able to get around easily on your bike, will you share this event with your friends anyway?

Have fun, and thank you for supporting Bikes in Holland!

Bikes in Holland bridges Tulip Time and Green Commute Week

Because you guys are my favorites, you get to see the Bikes in Holland press release first. Let me know what you think!

Professor Lee Hardy of Calvin College will present “Making Way for Bikes: The Urban Bicycle Infrastructure of Amsterdam and Copenhagen” at the Bikes in Holland event at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10. Following his presentation, local residents will have the opportunity to weigh in on the Holland-Zeeland area’s new Non-Motorized Plan, which will be presented by Elisa Hoekwater of the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council. Bikes in Holland will be held in the renovated facilities of Fourteenth Street Christian Reformed Church in downtown Holland.

Hardy embarked on a two-week study tour of Amsterdam and Copenhagen in the summer of 2012. He interviewed city officials and bicycle advocates, took measurements, and recorded his experiences with both still and video photography. Hardy then crafted his observations into a 45-minute presentation which has also been viewed by the City of Grand Rapids Design Team (engineers and planners), the Michigan Chapter of the Congress for New Urbanism, and the Greater Grand Rapids Bicycle Coalition. He has been commuting by bicycle from the Eastown neighborhood of Grand Rapids to Calvin College for thirty years.

Hoekwater is the Senior Transportation Planner at the Macatawa Area Coordinating Council. In addition to organizing the area’s popular Green Commute Week program, she is the primary author of the draft Non-Motorized Plan, which was approved by the MACC’s Policy Committee last week. The Plan is a collaboration between local units of government that seeks to allow safe and efficient travel through the area by creating a connected network of bicycle and pedestrian paths. The next phase in the non-motorized network addresses intersection improvements and on-road bike lanes. Hoekwater is currently working to develop the region’s Long-Range Transportation Plan for the year 2040, due early next year.

“Bikes in Holland explores a fascinating aspect of Dutch culture and considers how it could intersect with our own,” says event organizer Meika Weiss. “It’s a great way to both wrap up Tulip Time and begin Green Commute Week.”

Tickets for Bikes in Holland are $10 and are available online at http://www.bikesinholland.com or locally at Simpatico Coffee (714 Washington Ave., Holland) or MainStreet Beanery (209 E. Main St., Zeeland). A limited number of tickets will be available at the door for $12.

Bikes in Holland: Tickets Available Locally!

There are now two GREAT local businesses that you can support when you pick up your Bikes in Holland tickets! Simpatico Coffee (714 Michigan Ave.) in Holland and MainStreet Beanery (209 E. Main Ave.) in Zeeland are both selling tickets for this great event – cash only, so they don’t need to mess with their own cash drawers while doing us a favor.

We’ve talked before about why local businesses are better than chains, but here’s why I love these particular businesses.

Simpatico Coffee is a straight-trade coffee roaster and shop headquartered here in Holland, Michigan. Their claim to fame is a delicious low-acid brew, but I love them for their social consciousness and real-life compassion.

I was first drawn to Simpatico Coffee when I learned what straight-trade means. Simpatico works directly with coffee growers in Oaxaca, Mexico, ensuring them fair prices for their crops in part by cutting out middlemen who all demand a share of the profits. It’s a step up from fair trade. It’s also shade-grown coffee, meaning that it’s grown beneath the rainforest canopy – something coffee plants actually like – so the rainforest doesn’t need to be cut down for the farmers to be successful.

One afternoon when I brought the girls to their shop, Abigail left her lovey behind. She was distraught. Simpatico’s people were actually willing to go back into the shop after they had closed to get it for her! We decided to wait till morning, and when we arrived we found a little pink Buddy all tucked in to a crafted-coffee-cup bed with napkins tidily arranged as a pillow and blankets. I was so, so grateful. A great business to support, grab a cup (or a bag) of their award-winning coffee while you’re there.

MainStreet Beanery in Zeeland has been a haven for many years. This was one of my frequent haunts when I had a flock of toddlers and was losing my fool mind; I could always count on a smile, friendly small talk, and the grace of patience for my little terrors dears and their oft-spilled drinks. They’re right next door to Don’s Floral in downtown Zeeland, which is a fun browse while you’re waiting for your drink. My favorite here is the caramel cream. I don’t know if it’s on the menu, but they’ll know what you mean.

Whether you stop by one of these great local businesses or online, pick up a set of tickets today. I can’t tell you how much I hope to see you there!

Good for Your Neighborhood, Good for Your Soul

From the era. So stinking cute I’ve briefly forgotten how crazy they were.

A few years ago, I started doing what sometimes felt like a really crazy new thing: I rode my bike to work instead of driving.

Since I work part-time, my mornings are filled with laundry, storybooks, and trying to prevent a three-year-old from licking the handrail in the coffee shop bathroom (preferably without dropping her baby sister – true story). When I head out the door in early afternoon and hop on my bike, I feel like I’m getting away with murder … I’m alone with my thoughts (this never happens), enjoying the sunshine and fresh air and subversive satisfaction of getting some exercise without going to the gym. Beautiful.

A few weeks in, Green Commute Week came around and it was just the coolest thing: suddenly, I wasn’t alone in this crazy endeavor.

And speaking of crazy endeavors, we are just THREE WEEKS AWAY from the Bikes in Holland event! Next week I’ll be announcing two new places to buy tickets locally, but you can alreadybuy them online now. I hope you’ll join us!

One image stands out in my mind. It was the end of a beautiful spring day, and I was sitting in my chair under the little tree in the front yard of our old house. Relaxing as it was, I was usually on high alert out there. I felt a little bit like the pacing-and-searching lifeguards around the lazy river at Great Wolf Lodge as I continually herded my toddlers and preschoolers AWAY FROM THE STREET ALREADY! (There was something about the little stones and gravel that built up on the edges of the street that they found irresistible. You’d think it was ice cream with how strenuously they’d scream when I pulled them away. Aww, memories.)

I was used to the sounds of engines and tires on pavement, that growl and whoosh as neighbors hurried home from work and school every other crazy activity. I knew a lot of these people, knew them to be good-hearted and generous, but as they flew down the street just a few feet from where my unpredictable little ones were playing I couldn’t help but feel frustrated at how unaware they seemed to be that the speed at which they were driving truly endangered my children’s lives.

And then one day, instead of a whoosh, I heard a gentle clicking. It was Green Commute Week, and one of my neighbors was coming home from work on his bike. We acknowledged each other with that wave-and-hello that we do with neighbors we don’t know well, and then I kind of stood there in a daze for a minute.

It was one of those moments of epiphany, like a curtain raising or a fresh wind blowing, as in that instant I saw another way forward. It was like an alternate universe with all the anxiety – which I hadn’t even fully realized was present – just wiped away. If my children ran into the street, it was no big deal – they’d get knocked down if they ran in front of a bike, but their lives were secure. They could play freely and without fear.

Plus, I got to say hi to a neighbor who lived further down the street than I would have otherwise known. He probably drove by every day in his anonymous car, but coming by on a bike transformed him into an actual person who was knowable – he became a real neighbor, not a stranger.

This year, Green Commute Week starts on May 12, just two days after Bikes in Holland. It’s going to be an inspiring event, perfect for getting yourself in the mood for biking!

So. Green Commute Week. Good for your neighborhood, good for your soul. Give it a try this year!

Fun Friday Round-Up! BigTents and Great Places

I’ve been super-busy getting the surprise ready, but wanted to get together a little something for you guys this morning anyway! So here are a few treasures I’ve found along the way. Enjoy!

This article from Better Cities & Towns is a great read on the power of gathering in a big tent. There are groups in our communities with very different preferences and goals – or so we think. This article argues that not only do we have more in common than we think we do, but we can accomplish more than we think we can when we figure out how to work together. And it all starts with a new kind of math. An excerpt:

One example of that new mathematics: A 9-foot travel lane on a thoroughfare costs less than a 12-foot travel lane — and it may provide more prosperity, safety, and freedom, all of which adds up to a better life for ourselves and our children. This is so because when traffic slows, more people walk. When more people walk, the stores do better, and builders provide housing. More stores and houses mean there’s more places to go nearby. More places to go means you are freer and you dump fewer carbon emissions into the atmosphere. Fewer carbon emissions means a better future.

The “more is more” version of the American dream has been ascendent throughout North America for decades now, but are increasingly waking up to the possibility that we may have reached the point of diminishing returns. Rather than a bigger house on a bigger lot, we want to be connected to our community – from the youngest to the oldest. From Vancouver (yes, in Canada):

The true value of this decision was crystallized for me one day, when I was at the office, having delegated my visiting parents with the task of walking my son to pre-school. I returned home to astonished anecdotes of his guided tour of The Drive: he introduced them to the many shop owners he knew, from “Auntie Tina”, who sold us fresh pasta (and gave him free cookies), to Michelle, who taught him ballet, and Kelly, who cut his hair. Every storefront had a story and a special meaning; and at the ripe young age of four, he already knew the people and places in his community like the back of his hand….

Our children can comfortably walk, bike, or scoot to and from school every single day; and soon enough, will be able to travel freely across the entire city, without the need of a driver’s license, or a ride from Mom or Dad to get them there.

This is what livability is all about.

Finally, a piece on how the Dutch did it – the beginnings of a bicycle-powered culture.

From November 1973 to January 1974, the Dutch national government prohibited the use of private motor vehicles on Sundays. This policy was meant to prepare the public for the scarcity of oil predicted ahead. The Netherlands, like the United States, was boycotted at this time by the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.

No cars on Sundays meant children could roller-skate down the center of normally congested streets and adults had reason to dust off old bikes. This reclamation of public space happened at a critical time. The 1970s – perhaps like the early 21st century America – was the decade when transportation policy shifted to favor more sustainable modes.

Off for the preschool run with a bunch of tired kids. Whew, FRIDAY!! Have a great weekend!

Why the Winter Bird Sings and How You Can Too

Sometimes all we need is a reminder of just how free we are.

It’s early on the second day back to normal, after that endless streak of snow days at the beginning of the year.

“Mom, can we go to the playground?”

The playground…In the dead of winter?

Well, I guess I could blog about it. Sure, let’s go.

We go potty (or “go potty”) and don 27 pieces of outerwear (I count), some more than once, before crunching down to the end of the block. The temperature is in the mid-twenties, which feels unbearable in November but by January makes hats and mittens seem overdone. I can feel the beginnings of sweat at my hairline as I pull Mae across the squeaky snow and over the street-edge snowbanks in her bright new sled. I tell the five-year-old who doesn’t like to walk, the child who requested this trip, that when I was her age I walked to school every day all by myself.

She isn’t impressed.

The park we are going to is right in our neighborhood, only four or five blocks away. It takes up most of one city block and has a playground, a gazebo, a big open field and a ball diamond. After fighting the shifty sidewalk snow and a recalcitrant preschooler all the way here, my legs are ready for a break. I breathe a sigh of relief as we walk up…

…and see that, of course, the sidewalks in the park haven’t been cleared. Wearily I gaze across the field of unbroken snow and contemplate turning right back around to go home.

I’ve been hooked by the idea of winter cities, places that embrace their climate and celebrate life through every season. I can picture a miniature sledding hill in the middle of this park, sidewalks shoveled to the playground, kids playing on the playground and making snowy igloos in the baseball diamond.

Someday. Today is… different than that.

Abigail is suddenly inspired and leads the way, powering her way through the snow with her strong little legs. She stops in the gazebo, where the snow is shallower, and lays down for a minute before plowing on to the playground.

In the meantime, I have Mae in the sled and am trying to stay upright as I gracelessly drag her through this impenetrable snow bog. I’m scarcely twenty feet off the sidewalk and am beginning to wonder if we’ll even make it to the playground at all.

“WANT OUT! WANT WALK!”

Ignoring her requests is ineffective as she attempts to launch herself out of her wee chariot. So out she comes..

But the snow is “doo deep.”

“WANT UP!”

What have I done? What am I doing here? It’s the middle of winter and we walked to the playground?? What kind of crazy was this? I’m plowing through knee-deep snow carrying a two-year-old who has ever been in the 98th percentile for both height and weight, dragging the sled in which she now refuses to ride. Those prickles of sweat at my hairline have turned to droplets in a hurry. I stop and take a breather.

The sky is feathery gray and blue and has that heavy, steely look it does in winter. It’s like its colors have been put on mute for the season. There are birds flittering around the tree beside me. I can’t tell what they are, but I hear a bluejay across the park.

I pause. You can’t see the birds in this photo but a flock has hidden itself in these trees, dancing through the branches and singing their little hearts out in the middle of this Narnian season, free birds who “leap on the back of the wind,” however cold it may be.*

Their song baffles me. Don’t they know how cold it is? Don’t they long for the spring, iwth its gentle breezes and plentiful food? I think that I might sit huddled on a branch, waiting for the season to change.

And I wonder… am I waiting for an easier season, too? Don’t I wish there were fewer clothes to put on, fewer mittens to find, beautiful clear sidewalks to walk down? Don’t I wish for fewer dishes to wash, fewer early-morning wakings, beautiful little rooms that stay clean once I clean them?

Have you ever put your life on pause until spring? I have.

Maybe life is just too HARD right now. We lower our heads and hunker down, wishing for the storm to pass and waiting for an easier season to venture out.

But there’s beauty in the storm.

How much do we miss if we confine our dancing, confine our singing, to the days when the sun shines warm on our faces? How much of life passes us by if we flee indoors to escape the blowing snow that needles our cheeks?

Abandoning the sled in the gazebo I press on, feet sinking deep into the dense snow.

The playground was amazing. The slide that the girls normally fly off at top speed, landing on the hard ground in a crying crumple, is nearly snowed in. They slide down and then off the end on an invented luge run that extends the ride by a good fast four feet. Abigail faces her nemesis, the monkey bars, now plopping painlessly into the snow when she loses her grip. Every snowdrift is a little fort, piled up around slides and stairs, ready for hideouts and playing bad guys.

Getting there was arduous, but oh, was the journey worth it.

So much of this life is in how we face it. Whether it’s a dark night of the soul, the winter of our discontent, or a polar vortex, we’re birds in a cage with an open door. And sometimes it takes some doing, but gathering our courage and being willing to endure discomfort can make all the difference in how we experience this cold season.

The trip back goes faster. We’ve already broken the trail out to the playground, so getting back to the sidewalk is much more manageable. Over the snowbanks we clamber, cheerfully kicking aside snowplow-flung chunks of ice to arrive back home, to the favored lunch of hot tomato soup and Sunbutter sandwiches.

That thing you’ve been waiting to begin, that thing you’ve been waiting to be over with… will you settle into it this week? Take a little leap into the storm, put on a coat and find a spot of beauty in it? Will you decide this week to sing a song of freedom?*

I’d love to hear. Feel free, as always, to leave a comment or email me at tulip.lane@outlook.com. And stay tuned for an exciting announcement about an event that you will LOVE coming up next week!

Because livable places are better.

*I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou