Posts by Beth Adams
November 3, 2009
Montreal’s BIXI Bike System: 1 Season, 1 Million Rides
By Beth Adams | Posted on November 3, 2009
For me, the bike represents both exercise and freedom - it’s so wonderful not to have the hassle of a car, having to find parking spots, and then being tied to that spot rather than able to roam around freely. We’re going from owning two cars to one that we use fairly infrequently, and saving substantial amounts of money as well as feeling like we’re doing our bit for greenness. In spite of being a city where cycling is difficult or impossible for four months out of the year, Montreal does a great deal to support and encourage it, extending bike paths and this year starting the BIXI program for short commutes, and I’m grateful.
May 25, 2009
Dark Corners and Passing Storms
By Beth Adams | Posted on May 25, 2009
Imagine the torpor of a July morning, already humid at 8:30 am. The sun hasn’t reached beyond the tops of the tall pines, so the grass in the village park is still covered with dew that soaks through the toes of our white cotton sneakers. The warm smell of coffee and homemade doughnuts mingles with the musty air inside the old carriage barn, so seldom opened; it’s usually the dark undisturbed home of pigeons and bats. On the concrete floor inside the barn are rows of several long folding tables and more, perpendicular to them, have been carried out onto the grass in front of the tall, dark green barn doors. Piles of cloth cover all the tables, and haphazard stacks of cardboard boxes lie underneath them.