This is the first day of my April challenge to ride each and every day of the month. It’s an office day; a commute day. When I went out to the shop for my commuter bike, I discovered a flat back tire.
“F**k!” he said.
I had time to fix it but, instead, I went back into the house, put on my road cycling shoes, headed back out to the shop and, pulled down one of the road bikes.
During the winter months, I have used the commuter mostly because of the wet weather. The rides are shorter and I don’t like getting the road bikes wet and dirty. I had forgotten how much fun it is to commute on one of the road bikes. I take a longer, more difficult route home and, think of it as more of a workout.
What began as a disappointment, ended with nothing but superlatives. This will become the norm now that the warmer, dryer weather has finally arrived.
Coincidently, I cycled past a new sculpture that was erected early in the morning. And, it wasn’t an April Fool’s joke although, it had many a passerby laughing. It has cars atop a giant tree stump in the heart of the city where two heavily travelled arteries and a high volume bike path intersect. Five recycled cars with solar powered head and tail lights that, apparently, illuminate at night. I do not know what the artist intended but, I love it. It is an appropriate use of cars. Is it encouraging drivers to cycle instead? Perhaps it will inspire others to recycle autos in more creative ways.
What do you think? What does the sculpture say to you?
PedalWORKS 
It tells me that someone had a lot of money to spend. It’s expensive to hire a crane to lift that stuff!! It IS cool though.
I’ll bet. I later learned the cars and tree were donated and, the artist put up $10,000 of his own money to complete the project.
I’ll cycle by it every morning on the way to the office. It will make me think that is a better place for the cars than on the roads in my way.
I quite like it too and I hate cars. Maybe that’s why I like it?
Hate is a little strong for me. They serve a purpose but I generally walk and cycle. The challenge is to design communities that require fewer cars.
We just saw it 2 days ago. 🙂 My partner asks me. I said that I don’t want to spin a complicated tale on this artwork. Maybe it’s the tree of cars that’s dead and its roots don’t go anywhere to give life. Or elevation of something cherished but dead.
I think you are right. There is no need to over think art work.
That sculpture says to me that I don’t get paid enough to build stuff that actually looks good. What an eyesore.
That’s interesting. There has been a lot of positive response locally. Art is subjective and, what appeals to some, bothers others.