Vulnerable on the Open Road

"Vulnerable on the Open Road: Five Pro Cyclists Reflect on Bike Safety" is a new video produced by Peopleforbikes.org, an advocacy organization devoted to "mak[ing] bicycling safer, more convenient and appealing for everyone." Share the road!

"Growing It Here, Growing It Now" on YouTube

"Growing It Here, Growing It Now" is a documentary about real food and the people who make it happen in community gardens. It explores the knowledge, passion, and collaboration of gardeners, both young and old, who nurture and raise their own crops in an urban environment. Of interest to anyone who needs to eat well.

Filmed at the verdant site of two thriving, side-by-side gardens--the Carrboro Community Garden and the Growing Healthy Kids Garden in Carrboro, North Carolina--eight gardeners relate their unique connections to the soil and why it is important to produce one's own food. The youngest, five-year-old Liana, speaks perceptively of the growth cycle of plants, while Bob, who grew up with a Victory Garden in World War II, freely shares his abundant gardening experience and advice with newcomers.

"Growing It Here, Growing It Now" shows gardeners in action, whether turning under "green manure," conditioning seed beds for new crops, transplanting tomatoes, weeding chard beds, or pruning raspberry bushes. The challenges of pests such as deer, insects, and disease are described, as well as the need for participation, cooperation, and simple, hard labor at the height of summer heat. As Alice, a gardening veteran, observes: "It's an important part of life. It feeds the soul."

"Growing It Here, Growing It Now" is a Common Curator production, directed and produced in 2011 by Daniel Smith. The documentary is available on YouTube as well as on DVD for $5 postpaid; email the Common Curator (commoncurator @ gmail.com) for ordering details.

Livin' XL

RAGBRAI XL: The Register's Annual Great Bike Ride Across Iowa 2012: from the Missouri to the Mississippi . . . did that, been there, got the patch:

Total Trip Mileage: circa 500

Top Daily Mileage: 88

Top Speed: 38 mph (momentarily)

Peak Temperature: 102 degrees Fahrenheit

Mountain Bikes: 1.6% (outliers all)

To view RAGBRAI XL videos, click here.