![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihNUA_iiUZ6dYebi3TlgO7FUNBaBF5rJSJOWzAyzgjxrsnYuvS_g5e-YjFQThv7J3t7AH2Sxm49ZdOezc3d4A3P-G_GPvKPE98eAp4MEJzVGUYEeQgWbuWRt6SKmPA1Gb-dtKouLtNRtea/s400/01Lola.jpg)
This is Lola.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioU0iEjV_HChjytiL0KfncABeL96GR9Rf_giLR3F1A-xV9jhIf4DZIWcmuO0NcLILJQggu5Nqt29SsCVW29gzBOoZcHXsCMv6dGfylv4NqJZOM-H_UG3amEJ7OnSGFFMnp5QyhVw2lNspX/s400/Lola.diffuse.jpg)
I heard you gasp.
Once at her breathtaking beauty, and again as you thought, Wait a minute, that's Lola?!
I encourage you to click on the photos for a larger view - all the better to really witness her glory.
Yes. This, is the original Lola.
The other evening a dear friend rang me up for a sip in her garden. It was lovely and balmy, a perfect glow after a bluebird day. It has become a tradition on such days, that this friend and I meet for a spell in the garden with the cats and the trickle splash music of the pond. It is a seasonal pleasure, happily indulged. I roused Lola from her winter's rest and rode swiftly (if somewhat rustily) over to her house for a sweet evening of catching up in good company.
As I was riding along the backstreets, wind whistling through my helmet, I thought it might be high time y'all met.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCChniaz5tGtm1JAHw3QAA1bxMXW5DieKO4OgnXGxaCFLZPXk2eHiUqg3jQ_6r0MV8iztZP-kZ81hgIEvwqy4N38ApWkBiIWK9tI1otgxod_YjgX4mgzxtM3oA-3suzK0YZ0BkjKiHAtNm/s400/Lola.wheel.jpg)
A few years back, when I was trying to give a name to these things I make and do; I was enjoying a nice bicycle ride, just me and Lola The Super Nova (She's actually a Schwinn Collegiate) - and it came to me. The first logo was a stylized rendition of the lovely Lola. So, there's the story.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4d_l0Rr2LpqtSRsyIrqE_uYZH-AwwEJAw69xtRT7wNBEG_xiK52G7EImC-_H67hsGZBf1qqprkHRS30I5uhD0zAnhbEoZMxEKuqD7BAJFP9LyAMo3d9efhAIXoxaskqX5W6WYVB71nG3t/s400/Lola.bell.jpg)
For the story of Lola herself, we must go back another couple of years. Lola was given to me by my brilliant husband one Valentine's Day. I was completely done for and madly in love (with both the bicycle and that man of mine). The antlers on the basket - I found in an abandoned homestead in Wyoming. And for you bird enthusiasts, that is a chickadee perching there on the edge. She has a green bell to match her enthusiastic green paint. She has chrome fenders, a little dented but, still shiny. Oh, how I adore this bicycle.
The naming of this bicycle is a different story, for another time.
There is often a story behind the things we love so. I thought I would start up a semi-regular article on this blog called Strange Love, all about the things I love for some strange reason. A little bit photo essay, a little bit rambling and a whole lot of strange love. I am going to try to coerce you to play along. If you want to join in, let me know...or just post on your blog about something you adore - some trinket from the past, a moment in time, a silly bottle cap - whatever. Tell the story and send me a link. What is your Strange Love?
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiichSYSgfso2orvGmtE_FO-C65Pq5oK-7Eqy6nJjkA80HOe4jFW1j8CFV3q4KATnEROcbB_4O9hvrw7q3Dr1t_aZV_A7Om6fFHnz4ayTOG_peJZP7mKG9KqiuyORMbtJECK1gTkNwbaAI/s400/Lola.basket.jpg)
5 comments:
I always flip through blogs at night to unwind for a few minutes. The series of bike photos made me happy. They're beautiful and unusual. And seem to evoke another world and a world very familiar at the same time.
In any event, a nice bedtime find.
lovely tale thanks for sharing. Nice pics.
You are such a good writer! I loved the tale of the bike. I'll have to look around for a "strange love"
I love it!
very nice pics too :)
What a lovely post, and such a special bike. I'm in the process of contemplating a name change for something a little more permanent and "me," and this gives me hope that I can find inspiration in something along the way. :)
Post a Comment