Paint and pedals

Posted by Alaskology

Posted: April 3, 2008 - 10:39 am

Gina rides through the Spanish countryside around Girona last November. A few days spent on the roads north of Barcelona taught us why so many professional cyclists make Girona their European base camp.

Gina's been slaving away over her painting easel for weeks working on her "Tapas on Two Wheels" show that is on display tomorrow. It's part of the monthly First Friday art shows in Anchorage.

While she's been making the paint fly, I've been busy doing what I can to help. Since I don't have an artistic bone in my body, my help has been mostly limited to sorting through our hundreds of photos to try and put together a display for the show.

That's how I came upon the photo at the top of this post. It was our last day of cycling, Gina and I were rolling back into Flaca, where we would catch the train back to Girona for the evening. The next day we started our long journey back to Alaska -- Girona to Barcelona to Madrid to Newark to Seattle to Anchorage.

Gina has already decided we're retiring in Girona. I'm not sure if that will work or not, but based on my memories, I'm willing to give it a try. And until then, the roads, bike trails and dirt paths around Southcentral Alaska will continue to my home. And I'm happy about that too.

Other cyclists: I wasn't on my bike yesterday, but I probably saw 20 people riding around Anchorage enjoying the 50-degree weather. With gas at $3.34 a gallon and going up, it will be interesting to see how many people decide that bike commuting is the way to go this summer. I've already had one friend ask our advice before investing in commuter bikes for him and his finance.

First Friday: Gina and I will obviously be at her First Friday opening show tomorrow, but there will be many others around town. For summer visitors, if you get the chance to be in town on the first Friday of any month, be sure to head to a few galleries around town. Not only will you see some new art, you'll likely meet artist, you’ll get some good food to nibble on and you'll meet a lot of locals who also love art. It's a great way to spend a couple hours.

-- Steve

Gina's First Friday art show will be a chance for us to relive our cycling journey through Spain and Portugal.

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