Busy busy busy spring and summer; so busy living it, no time to write about it. Whew.
But since may main purpose on this blog is to create, for myself, a "kitchen calendar" of jotted doings and observations, I will try to catch myself up. Might take two or three posts, but here we go.
The Engine On the Car Goes 'Rrrr Screeeet Thud' (All Over Town)
Back in May, we lost a car.
The timing belt on the KIA separated, got wound up in the external moving engine parts in such a way as to become one with the internal engine moving parts, killing the engine at 65 on the freeway one afternoon.
This proved to be the equivalent of a stake through the heart for the KIA (the fix was more than the car was worth; there were no active repair bulletins, warranties, insurances or other dodges to get it fixed at lower out of pocket).
So, since May we have been a one car family. Works out pretty well so far.
Driving Bikes to Work, School and Preschool
Most days, Hannah goes to school in the bike trailer (apx 1 mile one way) and the delivering parent (usually Leslie) goes on to school via bike. Kathryn drives her own bike to school (apx. 1.8 miles) riding part way with a parent. This happens most days whether the van is available or not.
I either ride my bike in the early morning, or, when Spencer is with us, ride with him in the van to school in La Verne (25 miles away). He gets himself home on public transit three days a week, and I pick him up via minivan and deliver a band friend to his home on marching band practice nights. Later, Spencer has a bike and we often ride en famille to the park for free concerts, or to South Lake avenue for groceries or just to window shop (especially at the bookstore!
The trailer is parked at school, and both parents have a trailer hitch on their bikes, so either can
pick up. And the trailer folds flat, so in the event that an unexpected car pickup is needed, it pops into the back of the mini-van.We are preparing for inclement weather, and plan to purchase an L.U.V. (or someday maybe two) to get to school(s) on really cold *and* wet days.
What, you may ask, is an L.U.V. ? Its like an S.U.V. only completely opposite. :-)
That is, its is a "Local Use Vehicle:" Small (2-4 passenger), easy to park, low top speed, and best of all a pluggable electric. Although there have been really excellent all electric freeway cars, with 100 mile range no less, since 1998, we do not need that car. We need a car to supplement the bikes -- for when the weather is too cold and/or too wet, or even too hot for Hannah in her trailer (many LUVs have AC). We might want two LUVs because in bad weather both adults might need to go separate places at separate times. But for now, one will do.
Oh we'd still keep the mini-van, but pretty much just for running thither and yon via freeway. or if we needed to go somewhere with the whole family in one vehicle and bad weather.
So, we used Hannah's first bike trailer for the summer (being it's third year in use); it was sufficiently worn, however, that we bought a new, bright yellow trailer for the coming school year, along with a patio chair cover.
The chair cover is exactly the right size to cover the trailer and protect it from rain and UV light when it is parked at Hannah's school. And it only costs $14 instead of $75!
So, we dropped our other car off the insurance and now pay about 45% less than we used too. No gas or upkeep on a second car, and no tickets for forgetting to pull it onto the driveway at night. We aren't car-free by any means, but we get pretty close.
