A Blog Funk

I have been a really bad blogger lately and I am choosing to blame it on the weather :) It has been really sunny here and the last thing I want to do is sit inside starring at my computer screen and uploading photos.  Plus the mother-in-law was in town and we were busy shopping, movie watching and walking the pups.

For that I apologize, but I will not apologize for my beginning signs of a sun tan.

What have you been up to?  Is it sunny where you are? 

Charlie Pants has been loving his walks.  He still looks fat from his winter hibernation and we are working on that.  I cut back on his food and he is ticked at that. At about 9:30 pm every night he climbs on my lap, puts his front paws on my shoulders, and barks in my face.  When I ask him what he wants he jumps off my lap, runs in several circles and sprints to the kitchen pantry which houses the dog treats.  What a chubby little sucker.

Anyways we are all good here at the Stone house. How about you?

PS. Did you see that Boulder is listed as one of the top Healthy cities thanks to Sunset Magazine. Love that mag.

Here is CP being lazy on one of his walks/bike rides.  Did you know that I won this Madsen Cargo bike because of a blog contest. Well I did and you should check it out here, here, and here.  I sat in the back of the bucket today with Charlie while Paul peddled us to the library and the grocery store. It was a blast.

Bikes and Dogs

Peopleforbikes.org blogged about how the dog lover/ bike lover uses the bike to tote around their best friend. Charlie and I made the post.

Man’s best friends

Posted on Jun 16, 2011

While it has traditionally been posed that the dog is man’s best friend, we know many of you also reserve that honor for your two-wheeled companion—your bicycle. Like a good dog, a good bicycle is quiet, a provider of comfort during rough times, and easy on your carpet. But for those who have both a special canine and a special bicycle in their life, a common dilemma is how to give both of them attention at the same time. We’ve experimented with this extensively at the peopleforbikes.org office; here’s what we’ve learned.
There are a number of ways to include your dog in a bike ride, whether it’s for utilitarian or recreational reasons. It’s possible to tote small, well-behaved dogs in a basket or a messenger bag. One of our Twitter followers, Zak, sent us this photo of his dog riding in his rear bike basket. Another follower, P.J., has a photo of his adorable pup riding in a front bike basket set as his profile image. PFB supporter Timbuk2 even makes a backpack designed to carry dogs called the Muttmover.

PFB dog Churro liked riding in a basket as a puppy.

Angela won a PFB messenger bag and used it for her Yorkie.
For larger canines or for those who can’t be trusted to sit contentedly in an open basket, you can use a bike trailer like a Chariot or a Burley. Again, there are dog-specific options on the market—the Tail Wagon and the Croozer Dog are two examples. These enclosed trailers keep frisky dogs safe while you’re biking and can haul larger mutts (and groceries too!).

PFB dogs Sadie and Ryleigh getting ready for a spin in Denver.

After PFB dog Churro outgrew his basket, he moved to a Burley Tail Wagon.
Cargo bikes are another option. There are bakfiets for carrying children by bike; why not “barkfiets” for dogs? Blogger Leah Stone carries her therapy dog, Charlie, in a Madsen cargo bike. Below, PFB dog Wylie tries to hitch a ride in our office cargo bike.


Read full article HERE.

Madsen Cycle's Post: Cargo Bike Winner

MADSEN 2010 Link Contest Winner Announcement

You're going to like this story. You're going to be sad that you didn't win, but you're going to like this story.

First - let me tell you that when we do these drawings, they are 100% random. We take every site who links to us during the period of the contest, we put them all on equal footing (each link is one entry into the drawing), and we randomly select one winner. And whomever it is - is the winner, period. We don't sift through and find the one who likes us the most, or whom we like the most - only the random number generator determines the winner.

Which makes the story of today's winner a little extra special.
Today's winner is Leah Stone. When we drew her name, I pulled up her blog and was immediately struck her blog header talking about "a Bicycle Made for Two." I thought - oh cool, a bike lover won the bike.

But the story gets better. You see - Leah wants a bicycle made for two, but not just any bicycle, and not just any two. She has a very special friend.
I'll let her tell the story:

I have never won a contest before so I feel like all the stars have aligned, the heavens have opened, and today is my day. I have been dreaming of owning a cargo bike since I went to Berlin, Germany this past summer.  I saw cargo bikes everywhere and would make my group stop every time I saw one so I could take a photo of it.  I have wanted a cargo bike so badly and was so determined that I was going to rig a wheelbarrow to the front of my bike if necessary.  

Then I saw the Link-Back Madsen Bike contest and my heart fluttered a bit when I saw the picture of the girl with the basket and the lab in the cargo bucket because I thought "Hey that could totally be me." The reason is that I have seizures.  Luckily, I have a service dog for my seizures and he goes with me everywhere.  His name is Charlie.  He is a slightly pudgy min-pin who can give me a 5 min warming before I have a seizure. Anyways, I have wanted to take him on my bike with me when I go to the store or on a ride,  but he is too big for a basket on the front. I even bought one of those kid bike trailers to stick Charlie in, but it totally didn't work as he felt trapped and was tossed around a bit.  This bike is going to rock mine and Charlie's world.  I can now be oh so green.  I can finally take Charlie and my bike to the grocery store.  I can even put my other dog in the back too. 

Thank you Madsen Bikes for making my whole year.  Having seizures is a bit of a bum deal, but the fact that I get to ride my awesome bike with my service dog really helps to make it better.
I can not wait for the package to arrive. Merry Christmas to me and to Charlie!

Merry Christmas indeed, Leah. We're really excited for you and Charlie.
For those interested, Leah tells the story of when she started having seizures here.
Here's some more information on the amazing Charlie.
And to end, we share a photo of Leah trying to find a way to combine a bike and Charlie.


It didn't work.
But that's about to change.
Big time.

PS. Here are the pictures of when the bike arrived.