I arrived in Oakland, CA yesterday around 4pm and made my way to Fairfax where I stayed with Jacquie Phelan and Charlie Cunningham. When I arrived, Jacquie was in the kitchen preparing a beautiful dinner gleaned entirely from local Fairfax dumpsters. It has been an impressive four years since Jacquie last purchased goods from a grocery s
tore.We dined in their garden and talked late into the evening... she is an endless wealth of knowledge, energy and creativity and I listened eagerly to the endless stories and quirky bits of knowledge she so graciously heaped onto my plate.
Last night I slumbered in the Airstream while they slept perched up in the trees in their treehouse bedroom... Swiss Family Robinson Style.
This morning Charlie worked in the garden while I built up my bike. Charlie looked over my bike approvingly. He seemed pleasantly surprised with the frame design of my Kona Kula Supreme. It was a rather surreal morning.... french toast and tea with Jacquie, some banjo playing, talking shop with Charlie, talking life with both of them, a little friendly arm wrestling. I loaded up my pimp-ass rental Pontiac G8, they bid me fair well, and I headed south for Monterey. Truly an experience that will forever be in my scrapbook of memories.
So...anyway, I pre-rode the course today. I wouldn't call it technical, but the sand certainly does make for some sketchy cornering. I ate some shit today trying to take the descents a bit too fast. Ok, it's bed time...more later.
4 comments:
Anna - you are the coolest person I know. Who else would have the gumption to go out and make friends with a legend like Jacquie Phelen, spend the night with her, and then not be embarrassed to post a picture of yourself getting beat by someone over 20 years your senior in arm wrestling. And what's up with that? I mean, I just noted how buff your arms look in your WABA dress, and then you go and get taken in an arm wrestling match. I know you told me it wasn't a "real" match only because she took you. She's ripped though, and your climbing well, so I'll let it slide this time.
yeah not sure how you're getting beat; your pipes are 10 times hers. But she's got age, and experience - and technique. Notice she's doing the pull-in. She's a sneaky one ... You'll learn, youngin'. You'll learn.
Things got hectic pretty quick. I lost my composure. When I looked up and saw that fire in her eye...I knew it was all over.
So...you've got a blog now! How exciting! Looking forward to reading your prose and keeping up to date with your latest images! I've heard you wax poetic at times.
Thanks for those pics; it's been years since I've seen or spoken to either of those characters. How great you got to hang out at their home.
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