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2.05.2013

Letitia Street House

I am from Philadelphia.  Home of underdogs, cheats, inventors, leaders.

Rocky and the Free Spirit.

one of the first things I picked up when I started riding, a mtbike, was look at the path, not the obstacles,  somehow, this and many other things I've learned on my bike, I've taken into my life off the bike.
Frozen muddy ruts.  Needed some skills to stay up right.


I don't want a penny back from this weekend,  In fact, if asked I'd probably donate money to Louisville, to cycling, for putting on such a great event.   Even to the peeps putting on the Masters.

 front door Bashed down.



part of why I love racing cyclocross, is because it is not fair.    It's not cancelled because the mud's to thick, that the temperature is turning our bikes into anvils.

I'd think the oringinators of cross would be laughing at us,  measuring the width or our tires, starting grids, little wood "barriers".   I don't think cross was as much as a race, but a challenge.

we are resourceful, and stupid at times, for sure.  Mistakes.  I don't care.  I don't.  
Mine, errors they are unlimited.  unending.
I want to face the world with what can I give it.
Not what it owes me.




If I want the world to change, I better be the one to step up and whack the globe and set it spinning.
Bricks and mortar paid for by Penn.


I went tooling about,   there's a house, Letitia Street House, stuck on a plot of land that's funny.  In between the park,  76, the Zoo.   I went to see it.   I climb the steep cement staircase and got a glimpse, tore up grounds, brick walk ways of moss and dead grass.   The door kicked in.  The house open.   I went in.  Small two room first floor.  I climb the tight steps to the second floor, very dark, no one home.  another even small staircase, to an open 3rd floor.  Duct work ram shackled.  but nice light.  A sturdy place.     History is not always here to be seen, to touch.  Its rare, we destroy for progress.   It was nice to stand in this house.  To look out its front door.    To think about the past, and the future.

I made a couple of calls, gotta get her sealed up and safe.


ride hard, ride strong, ride with your heart and mind.  dlowe.

http://www.oldandsold.com/articles15/shrines-31.shtml

oh yeah,  when I race cross I always go with something I heard at the Blue Horizon, "always protect yourself"  don't count on the ref to step in, watch for a punch after the bell.

4 comments:

fuzzy said...

"I'd think the oringinators of cross would be laughing at us, measuring the width or our tires, starting grids, little wood "barriers". I don't think cross was as much as a race, but a challenge."

I feel similarly. I really enjoy the challenge and exploration afforded by riding a cross bike. It takes me places that my road bike fears, and my mountain bike laughs at. It's just enough to get me into and out of trouble, but still light enough and fast enough to pile on the miles. I have been finding myself grabbing the cross bike over my other bikes more and more, yet I haven't "raced" it in over a decade.

All in all, it has improved my fitness and handling on the road bike and mountain bike.
Another day, another adventure!

Mike said...

Save the little houses of history in Philadelphia!

d.lowe said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
d.lowe said...

I stopped by the Letitia house today. The house is boarded up, all safe and sound, for now.