Gary Jackson: Fire When Ready Pottery
A Chicago potter’s somewhat slanted view of clay & play
Categories: bike, sunrise

With dark clouds in the sky, you could literally hear the drama as I pedaled up to the lakefront. Waves crashing in all around. Yet timing is everything… and hard to stop taking photos when there are so many picture-perfect splashes. The challenge is catching them… as timing is everything. So there are still a lot of photos here… fifty-three… but I think I did a pretty good job of narrowing it down from the 169 photos I came home with!!! You’re welcome…

Categories: bike, sunrise

Another morning, another ride, another sunrise. And a perfect chance to work some of that lingering lactic acid out of my legs. A quiet start to the day… plus some “structural” sunrise fun with the set-up for the AVP Beach Volleyball Tournament down at Oak Street Beach this weekend.

Categories: bike, sunrise

Overnight, the temperatures dropped over twenty degrees, the clouds moved in & the wind came with it!!! It was a WONDERFUL TAILWIND… for the first half riding south towards the City. The ride back… a bit more of a challenge.

On a separate note… it doesn’t look so good for Friday Morning Swim Club. As I pedaled past Montrose Harbor this morning on my way home, there were several police cars at the harbor with their blue lights flashing. This comes a week after there was an article in the Chicago SunTimes expressing safety concerns & park district restrictions. Hopefully things will get all worked out & the splashin’ Friday fun will continue!

Click here to read the Chicago SunTimes article.

Categories: bike, nature, sunrise

You know it’s gonna be another hot day when it doesn’t cool down at all overnight! This morning was still just as hot & humid as it was last night… quite the sweaty ride this morning!!! But if you look closely, the huge dragonflies are loving it along the lakefront… hopefully taking out & eating some of those nasty black sand flies!!!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Early morning beauty along the lakefront yet again…
it never ceases to amaze me how beautiful these morning rides can be!!!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Good clouds. Good wind. Good drama. Not quite sure if the the sun would be able to work its way through the cloud-cover or not?! But in the end, it finally peeked through the clouds giving us some beautifully golden sunrise moments.

Categories: bike, sunrise

We started the morning with a beautiful glow… and a lot of sunrise potential. But then the sun “struggled” to work it’s way through a low-hanging marine layer of hazy fog. Eventually it made its way through to give us some shimmering reflections!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Another beautiful morning along the lakefront. Nary a cloud in the sky… quiet & cooler than expected this morning. Great colors, great moments, great bike ride!

Categories: bike, sunrise

Back in the saddle again!!!… thanks to Village Cycle Center in Old Town for fixing my handlebars yesterday! So glad I could get out to pedal into the wind this morning with waves crashing all around… with some pretty dramatic sunrise colors & drama!!!

Categories: bike

But then there’s this?! I “felt” this problem yesterday as I was riding… felt some swiveling movement as I was shifting, braking & climbing hills on my bike. Pretty sure it’s NOT supposed to do this? So my “trusted stead” is currently at the bike shop being fixed.

I asked the bike guy if this is a “normal” thing as I’ve always presumed handlebars were metal and shouldn’t swivel like this. But now it feels kinda like “crusty foam” everywhere below the brake hoods. He said handlebars are an “alloy”… as if great clears it up?! Nope. But as long as he fixes it quick…