BONB!

On the last Friday of every month, the good folks from SHIFT serve free coffee and pastries at the Hawthorne and Steel bridges. They call this Breakfast on the Bridges (or BONB) and it was a good deal of fun. I rode up with a stupid grin on my face as a man wearing a tea kettle for a hat said, “Ah, you’ve come for the coffee.” Indeed I had and, as soon as I had my bike leaned against a railing, I had a pretty little mug filled with coffee and an oat/bran muffin.

I ended up mostly talking to the tea kettle fellow, who had come down from Vancouver, WA just to take part in BONB. He’s self-employed so this wasn’t a commute for him, just something fun to do with other bike people. We talked about bikes and he called out a hearty “Good morning!” to passing cyclists and joggers. One jogger declined his offer of some coffee or a pastry, telling us that if she did, it would undo everything she’d just jogged. I briefly imagined her eating a bit of a scone and then disappearing, instantly transported back into her bedroom, back into her pajamas, her whole jog undone. But then I was distracted by a bakfiets (events presented here may be out of order).

Bakfietsen (a brand name) are wonderful cycle-trucks; long bicycles with a large cargo box on the front in which one may transport groceries, children, dogs, friends, or most anything else, really. In Portland, one can buy them at Clever Cycles. Very cool, utilitarian bikes, I daydream of someday owning and riding one.

All in all, a very fun little event. My thanks to Shift, those who donated the coffee and pastries, and to everyone who showed up for making this happen. See you there next month, I hope.