NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 7

Posted on September 16, 2023 by ehurst

In passing here Paul refers to the rising threat of Roman persecution for Christians. It was the same warning Christ issued to His disciples in Matthew 24-25, the same events, which eventually took Paul’s life. It persisted for another two centuries before it stopped. This warrants Paul’s rather extreme position that the church did not need to grow by physical birth, but grew quite strongly merely by spiritual birth. What follows is my previous commentary on this chapter…

The Corinthian church forced Paul to write in terms of God’s Laws because they could not handle grace — they still needed milk. God’s Laws are the path to grace and spiritual understanding. Once you internalize the demands of the Laws (specifically the Covenant of Noah here), you are in a position to reach a more spiritual understanding that transcends mere principles of Laws. It should surprise no one that marriage and sex is a major issue for the still carnal Gentile Christians, particularly in a place such as Corinth, the imperial capital of sensual pleasure.

It would seem their letter to Paul suggested he declare sex itself a sin on some level. This heresy was already ancient in Paul’s time, so he clarified the issue. Sure, it’s great if a man can do without sex. But humans weren’t designed for that. Sex is a gift from God, and mere procreation was not the only purpose, else the wiring in our bodies would not make it so irresistible. The Fall did not create sex, merely ruined it. There’s nothing wrong with getting married, because it provides the one valid sexual outlet ordained by God.

Paul goes on to explain a vital principle ignored in almost every culture throughout history: husband and wife in marriage equally own each other. That is, each has full legitimate claims on the body of the other. Paul teaches from the unspoken assumptions that appear in almost no other culture except the Ancient Hebrew. Sexual passion does not rule, but is merely icing on the cake, and will most certainly follow your commitments. If you are committed to obeying God, then you can take just about anyone suitable in marriage, sight unseen, and the heat of passion will naturally follow. But once awakened, passion tends to be rather indiscriminate. God smiles if you keep it within the marriage bed. Otherwise, it can destroy your loyalty to Him. No one should be surprised that Satan uses that passion to break our loyalty to God, so prepare your mind to keep the marriage bed busy or Satan will offer sinful substitutes. This much comes from the Laws of God on the matter.

However, Paul’s personal preference is total abstinence. Realizing that is actually a minority calling, he cannot pretend it’s what God requires of all. Everyone has to find their own peace with God on such things. If one has never married, or the spouse has died, Paul encourages them to stay single, if they can bear it. Prostitution and even rare casual sex are sinful. If you must have it, make it lawful in God’s eyes.

Carrying on in terms of God’s Laws, Paul reminds them that marriage is sacred, even when it was entered before spiritual birth. Your spouse may be dead spiritually, but divorce is not an option in this life. If they find your faith intolerable, let them go. If they aren’t bothered by it, let them stay. But by no means can you now seek to drive them away as an excuse to replace them. You only get one shot at this until God calls them away from this world. To our undying shame, we find this very harsh in our modern world, but we see Gentile Christians of Paul’s day struggling no less with it. Within the context of God’s Laws, we find the blessings of the Laws attach directly to lawful conduct. Thus, in this context, Paul’s use of the terms “sanctified” and “clean” refer to purity under the Laws. The spiritual element comes in the possibility that your lawful conduct may draw your unbelieving spouse to repentance.

So, Paul’s teaching is that we can’t throw away everything from our previous life when we enter the Kingdom of Heaven. God calls us as we are, and it remains His alone to require changes. Using the figurative language of circumcision, Paul notes that a Jew in Christ should not go pagan and a Gentile should not attempt to ape Judaism. We are entering the Realm of the Spirit, where the details of this life are simply the circumstances in which we reveal Him. Slaves can live in the freedom of the Spirit, and freemen can act as slaves of Christ. If you can get out of your earthly slavery legitimately, do so, but don’t obsess over it. There is no spiritual gain in struggling to fix your circumstances as men measure such things, since this fallen world cannot be made somehow good by reforming.

In the Gentile world, a great deal of superstition is attached to virginity. It’s not magical; there’s no particular power in a physical artifact either way. Paul says there were no Laws from God, nor deep spiritual principles on virginity, only pragmatic suggestions from a man whom God had called and used. Given the difficult circumstances of Corinth in that day, and at that time in the Roman Empire generally, it was a good idea to remain a bachelor. If a man is married then let him prepare to face the days ahead in that condition. If she leaves him, he shouldn’t seek a successor. But going through with a planned marriage is fine, though the costs could be high. It’s not as if Paul is deluded in thinking Christ was coming during those days, but he states something hard to put in any language: God was moving in ways that would bring sudden changes. Keep your eyes on Heaven, and on the God who granted marriage among humans, and who can take it away from anyone He chooses. His words paint a picture of keeping a very light hold on every part of this life, because nothing is permanent. This whole fallen existence is actually a delusion, from which all Creation will awaken quite suddenly, and not even the Son knows when that shall be.

Marriage, while terribly important in God’s plans for this world, enough so that He places very high demands on it, can still be an impediment to serving Him. Unmarried people only have to worry about pleasing God directly, but married people have to consider the spouse in everything. Even without children, marriage looms quite large on your mental horizon, and naturally comes with tons of frustration even for the most spiritually minded believers. Still, marriage is a covenant, and God takes a dim view of covenant breakers. Keep this in mind when you consider whether to go through with a planned marriage. Again, Paul emphasizes that it’s not a sin for guys to grab the bride before she gives up on him and marries another. But if he’s strong enough he can afford to keep his own virginity, it’s not about magic, but simple pragmatism.

The same can be said for the father of the bride. If he can’t afford to keep her at home let him give her hand in marriage. But never forget such decisions are binding for life in the eyes of God. If a widow can shed the burden of a husband, she would be wise to consider staying a widow, never mind the fragile position such women maintain in this world. We too quickly let ourselves be managed by common secular assumptions about things in this life, instead of looking to God and questioning in our hearts those assumptions. Paul has found God faithful against the sorrows of this world, so his opinion should count for something.

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The New WHO Treaty

Posted on September 16, 2023 by ehurst

On the one hand, I can’t imagine that folks who read my blog aren’t aware of LewRockwell.com. I’ve referred to that site too often, and so have others. Still, it seemed important enough to point out this article posted there: Global Takeover Advances to Final Stages.

None of this is particularly new to us, but this is a very good wrap-up of the current situation. I predict that, if our ruling regime tries to bring the US under this treaty, some states will rebel. This will provoke a constitutional crisis. We already have several other explosive issues facing the US, any of which could precipitate some kind of civil war, but this one is now more volatile than the rest.

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A Little More about the Forte

Posted on September 15, 2023 by ehurst

Today I headed north along the North Canadian River Valley, my first road ride on the Forte. Three years later there is still no work done on Midwest Boulevard at the Crutcho Creek bridge. However, folks who got tired of waiting have moved the barriers just enough to make access for fishing a little easier. It also made it very easy for me to ride through the barriers on both ends.

Repeated rain storms have caused the sandbars on the North Canadian River to move quite a bit. I’ve never seen that concrete slab rubble in the middle of this image. It was previously covered by a sandbar. Now the sandbar has moved quite a bit off to one side. I’m not able to get down closer and see if there are any other changes; the foliage is too dense and loaded with biting insects this time of year.

In all of its glory, this is the Zizzo Forte 2023 parked on the turn-around point of this ride. We have this view from the NE 122nd Street bridge over the North Canadian River. Because it comes with the “pig-nose” mount built into the frame at the front, I was able to craft a way to mount the kind of bag I typically hang on all my bikes. It carries stuff like a spare tube, some tools, my camera, snacks etc. Notice the three cables hanging down from the handlebars.

Those three were originally wrapped together, but the front brake cable was already binding just a little. Once I added the bag, it was really bad, so I had to set the front brake cable free from the wrapping. You can see where it connects behind the bag. Now it works without any binding. Indeed, the brakes were the single biggest headache I had on this thing.

I had forgotten how well V-brakes could work, but they do require some knowledge of how to adjust them. In the case of the rear brake here, I had to move one of the pads around; it didn’t grab the rim squarely. But most people have no clue how to get them to center themselves. That little screw indicated with the circle is the arm spring tensioner. Turn it in to make arm pull back harder. Most V-brakes will tend to pull too hard to one side or the other coming from the factory, so you just increase the spring tension on the weak side and they should rest more or less in the center and not rub.

I have gotten used to the twist grip shifter. First, I had to remember that it’s the opposite of a motorcycle throttle, because you twist upward to go faster. Second, I had to learn how to keep a light grip to avoid bumps causing me to accidentally shift into another gear. Out on the roads I used 6th gear lot more than in urban riding, when 5th is most common. I still say the range and ratios are just about right.

I plan on ordering the travel bag into which one packs the bike for public transport, a pair of better pedals that pop completely out of the crank arms when you fold it down, and a large shopping bag made to mount on the pig-nose fitting. That pig-nose was something they got from a competitor, the very much more expensive Brompton folding bikes. Whatever fits on one fits the other; the pig-nose is becoming a standard fitting.

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NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 6

Posted on September 9, 2023 by ehurst

If it is our duty to discern who is and who isn’t covenant family, then why do we breach that boundary for personal disputes?

Corinth was easily the most cosmopolitan city in Greece; sailors from the whole known world passed through there, and a broad mixture of them stayed. If there was one place in the Roman Empire where the sense of tribal identity would be difficult, it was here in Corinth. Then again, Paul had stayed longer in Corinth than almost anywhere he traveled. It was a real challenge to bring the Hebrew mindset of Christ to such a strange mixture of folks. They were slow to absorb it.

Thus, Paul confronts them on the matter of taking each other to court before pagan magistrates. Do they wish to be judged by pagan standards? Why have they not already appointed judges for petty matters within the church? Taking it outside the church is a failure before anyone can state their case. It’s better to suffer financial losses than to win on false terms that reject Christ as Lord. It is tantamount to cheating, defrauding Christ Himself.

Using the pagan court system against your brothers and sisters is making peace with the world. Paul rattles off a list of repulsive sins to highlight the issue here. If you leave all of that behind, what does it say when you then go back to it? What does it say about the work of Christ on the Cross, and the power of His Spirit living in you?

There is a sense in which no material object can be forbidden believers. A tool is a tool. If you can find a way to bless the Lord’s name with it, then don’t fret about physical objects being sacred or profane. But by the same token, any material thing can become a trap, a means to enslave you. Paul cites the example of food. Jesus Himself said that food itself could not defile you. God gave us a stomach to process food, and then food to put in it. It serves the purpose of keeping us alive in this world to serve Him, but at some point, all of this would go away, both food and stomachs.

However, sex was in a different class. Without discussing the finer points of modern medical knowledge, Paul knew from Scripture that sexual experience changed us permanently. Food passes through and out the other end, but sex affects your body forever. More to the point, it involves another soul, and changes them forever, too. It’s not just a fleshly appetite like eating; it leaves an eternal mark. One mistake is permanent.

Two bodies merged in sexual union is noted in God’s Presence. You are now one flesh in His eyes. If you dilute that by pursuing other sex partners, you have poked God in the eye. He’s not going to ignore that. At the very least, it trashes one of the single greatest divine blessings that you could ever have. This is the one form of self-abuse that can destroy everything else.

God owns you. Don’t act contemptuous of His claims on your life.

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Urban Journey 03

Posted on September 8, 2023 by ehurst

Oklahoma County is notorious for failing to budget in weather damage and replacement of infrastructure that was worn out long ago. It’s now a couple of months since a collection of very heavy rain storms damaged the Vickie Drive bridge over Crutcho Creek. This is a critical artery for truck traffic, but the county can’t be bothered. They brought in sufficient dirt to fill the hole, but simply used it to block traffic, dumping it across the road. Who knows when they’ll finish the job?

OKC can be slow about some things, but it has more to do with the politics of who notices, and who gets public credit. This image is the North Canadian River alongside the West River Trail. I chose Thursday to test myself, and to some degree, the new Forte bicycle by taking a 50-mile loop around the Metro. The bike did fine. It’s slower than riding a conventional bike, but it’s not much harder in terms of the physical challenge. I managed it well enough, but I was very tired and very hot before I got back home.

The West River Trail runs along the shore of Crystal Lake. This is the first year I can recall seeing homeless people camping out in the open by the lake. You can’t really see it, but they show up in the upper left of the image, out on a spit of land. They weren’t causing any trouble, but it’s a symbol of just how many there are, and their numbers are increasing significantly this year. The entire river portion of the ride saw everything from sleeping rough on the ground to really nice tents all properly set up and neatly kept camping situations. A surprising number were sleeping in or next to vehicles.

This OG&E’s Mustang Road generating plant. It’s so imposing, a jarringly huge structure in such a beautiful setting. At least the structure isn’t inherently ugly; it’s no worse than the picturesque railroad bridge, giving the view some character. This point is about as far west as the massive loop of bikeways goes. I’m just a few miles from where the North Canadian River passes through Lake Overholser. The generating plant doesn’t use water pressure; it’s gas fired and uses the lake as water supply.

It took longer than a year to build this bikeway overpass above the Northwest Expressway in OKC. Then, they kept it locked up for a few more months until the right people were ready to let it open to public passage. That came during the past two months, and I don’t think it even made much more than a blip in the local news. I took this shot after riding over it. This end is one long slope parallel to the roadway, but the other end is a jagged corkscrew because there was no place to put a long ramp.

After this point, I was getting too hot and tired to think much about taking pictures. I don’t regret it, but I’m not likely to try it again.

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Social Expectations and Cycling

Posted on September 5, 2023 by ehurst

This was mowed just a few weeks ago. Technically, OKC should trim the margins of the sidewalk, but I’m guessing that they won’t do it until they have served the private landowner with the process of condemnation for nuisance. The whole property is overgrown like this, and until this summer, had been mowed regularly. Sooner or later, some prissy middle class dweeb is going to complain and then we’ll see it done.

This was once a cow pasture. I took lots of pictures, and the place was quite lovely. Someone decided this was perfect for development, and starting sometime back in the winter, heavy equipment has been tearing away at the original landscape to flatten it out for several acres of concrete. I’m guessing it will be a massive warehouse for something related to Tinker AFB (just a mile away), or perhaps something along the lines of an Amazon facility. Middle class marketing builds this kind of stuff and destroys natural beauty.

By no means do I hate the middle class. Whenever technology lifts beyond a certain point, the middle class will always become the dominant life form. Without them, an awful lot of stuff we like can’t happen. Even if we find their crass materialism annoying, we still get nifty stuff like this little municipal park in Midway Village community because the middle class push for it.

They are the reason cool stuff like this gets built. What we have here is the Reed Convention Center in Midwest City, attached to some kind of Marriot Hotel property. My wife’s employer has used this place a few times; it’s very nice just to sit around outside it on one of the many benches under big shady trees. Yeah, the rates are expensive for any part of this operation, but that’s why they can afford to keep a very nice park-like area open to anyone for free. And they do roust out the homeless really quickly.

Thanks to the silly pandering of the middle class, Del City has rebuilt the old trail that once ran around Eagle Lake. At some point a decade ago or so, it was washed out and quickly became forgotten under the weeds. This past spring, a construction crew came out and began working on it. There is now a concrete bikeway all the way around again. Just a few more weeks and it will all be connected and finished. This shot from the eastern shore was impossible until recently.

But I will take issue with anyone — usually prissy middle class — telling me I need to wear a helmet. On a conventional bike, there is some risk of crashing from all kinds of things, so a helmet is a good idea. Wearing one has saved me a headache a couple of times. But on a folding bike, the risk of falling is almost nil. Instead, the biggest threat is being run over by drivers who aren’t paying attention. The second biggest risk is sunburn (I’ve had stripes sunburned into my scalp from helmets). So, I wear this high-visibility hat that keeps the sun off (and a mesh that allows my head to breathe). You can just make it out in this ad hoc selfie.

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NT Doctrine — 1 Corinthians 5

Posted on September 2, 2023 by ehurst

Here we run into a very potent example of the continuity between the Old and New Covenants. Granted, what Paul talks about in this chapter is disturbingly not a sin in to western minds. But even among Gentiles of his day, Paul knew that this issue crossed boundaries well established even outside the Law of Moses.

In the background of our awareness, we know that Leviticus 18:8 prohibits a man cohabiting with his stepmother (or any other woman in his father’s harem). When God made that command at Mount Sinai, it was already a major taboo among most pagan nations, as well. It was considered utterly repulsive for a father and son to have sex with the same woman, regardless of the context. At the least, this was a grave insult to the father. Even the filthy Canaanites would do something like that only as a sacred pagan ritual, not as routine domestic behavior.

It was scandal enough to do this even in Corinth, the capital of self-indulgent hedonism in the Roman Empire. But the offending couple were members of the church! Somehow, at least a portion of church leadership were standing up to defend this, as if it were something God favored, when it was patently obvious He forbade it.

This was such a flagrant breach, such a horrifying defilement of the Body of Christ, that Paul was compelled to demand strong sanctions. This fellow and his woman must be ostracized at a minimum. Then again, that was the most extreme punishment a church body could lawfully exercise under Roman authority. Paul was firm on this; it didn’t matter if he was there in person to conduct any ceremonies. He was there in spirit, and they must agree as one body that this grave sin cannot be ignored.

Paul refers to turning their flesh over to Satan. There are whole books on the implications of this. The point is that God has appointed someone to be His Left Hand to enslave/imprison anyone who walks by the flesh. Satan can’t touch your spirit. Paul emphasizes the point that the flesh must die so that the spirit can be redeemed and rescued from this awful defilement. As long as the man still wants this woman in his bed, he is walking by the flesh, and not following Christ at all. As long as she is willing to be with this man, she cannot claim Jesus as her Savior. If their spirits were reborn, they would be repulsed by the whole idea.

Think about it: Christ Himself would denounce the two of them. He will offer no covering for such people who serve the flesh.

Then Paul refers to the church using this “acceptance” as some kind of public boast to the outsiders. Christ calls us to take up our cross, not to drag every sin we can imagine into His Presence. Referring to the symbolism of leaven, Paul warns that this kind of sin can destroy the church. We need to celebrate the Sparing (AKA Passover) again by cleaning our lives so the Lamb of God can be present.

On the other hand, it’s not as if we could avoid sinners outside the church. Paul had written to them to disassociate from church members who couldn’t be bothered to admit the sexual sins were sin, but that didn’t mean to avoid sinners who didn’t claim to be Christians. The whole point is that sinners are not family. Family might sin, and there was plenty of teaching about how to handle that, but the point here is to discern whether someone was spiritual family or not.

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Riding the Zizzo Forte

Posted on September 2, 2023 by ehurst

This is what it looks like when I ride the Zizzo Forte most of the time.

The truth is, I almost never fold it up. It’s small enough as is that it fits just fine in my apartment, parked in front of the bookcases where I unboxed it. Having seen myself in reflections of store fronts (that never turned out for the camera), I realize I look like a hog on a skate. It’s okay. Being a comical figure is just my style; it’s my public default.

This is the only model Zizzo makes that is heavy enough to carry me. The other models are lighter; this one has heavier tubing in the frame and gussets to make it stronger. The tires are fatter. It’s enough to carry me and some cargo. On top of that, it’s just the most fun I’ve had riding in a very long time, and I ride thousands of miles every year.

Conventional bikes had become almost a chore. Much as I love cycling, the limitations of my aging body combined with the riding posture to steal away some of the fun. The folding bike posture makes me feel like a kid again. I can’t wait to find an excuse to ride it.

It’s just possible I may reconsider whether I could feasibly do some bikepacking. I can tell you that I would need a bike trailer for that, and there are several models made just for folding bikes. Still, they are almost as expensive as the bike itself. It would be a while before I took the idea seriously. The only reason I began looking at folding bikes in the first place was because I really wanted to take one with me the next time I traveled on a bus. My knees aren’t so bad that I need a wheelchair right now, but I really do need to avoid walking too much. A folding bike hits that spot in between, taking me just about everywhere me feet once did.

I’ve noticed something where I have ridden it so far: Pedestrians feel a lot less threatened by someone riding this kind of bike. Further, people in general hold different expectations. They expect a playful, childlike behavior pattern, in part because I do look ridiculous. I don’t wear a helmet, but my old madman hat. It’s not serious business any more.

And yet it is; most of my rides are as before, seeking out good prayer chapels. I find more of them in more places than I did on a conventional bike. If I need a reason to ride, that’s it. It does me so much good. I’m not trying to sell you on getting one of these, but I can declare what it has done for me, giving me back the sheer joy of riding just to be riding.

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Urban Journey 02 (continued)

Posted on August 31, 2023 by ehurst

Continuing from yesterday: This is a view of southwestern OKC from the Portland Avenue bridge over the Oklahoma River (AKA a highly developed section of the North Canadian River where it runs through OKC).

The thing about a folding bike is the necessity of smaller wheel diameter. Mine features 20-inch wheels. While the typical high-end bearings and axles aren’t offered at that size, there is a different advantage altogether: smaller diameter wheels are far less fragile. Spokes don’t break as often, and everyone who rides folding bikes will affirm that they’ve never had a wheel go out of alignment (called “true” in bicycle technology).

OKC continues to upgrade or build new bikeways throughout the city. This one runs right along Interstate 44 as part of the Grand Boulevard Trail. They did a lot of work to clean up and widen a former sidewalk that was just a temporary answer to a rather sudden rise in recreational bicycle traffic since the 1990s. While this makes it more comfortable for conventional bicycles, and now a large number of three-wheeled recumbents, it’s just huge on a folding bike. When switching to a folding bike, riders call it “squirrely” but that’s just another word for “responsive” once you get used to it.

The engineers are giving thought to the implications of higher traffic loads for these bikeways. Here we see what was once an impossible obstacle smoothed out. Trains still use that track, unlike others in the city that have been decommissioned but not removed (the railroads are notoriously resistant to removal), so it has to work for both. The bikeway is now much better than the motor vehicle crossing. Previously I had to ride some very rough asphalt through here.

Last year’s model of the Zizzo Forte suffered a lot of complaints from users for cheap components that didn’t mesh well. This year’s model has 1×8 gears, and the front chainring is the right size. I don’t use 7th or 8th much, but I was able to ride over this steep arch in 2nd with comfort. I mostly run in either 5th or 6th, which indicates a good balance. I don’t need more gears. This is the bikeway overpass on Interstate 44, which cuts through a very old city park. The arch joins the two halves.

It’s called Woodson Park. The bikeway is supposed to run through that area, but for almost a year now it has been under reconstruction. All the pavement and facilities — rather substantial previously — were ripped out and everything is being rebuilt new. While it was like many other parks around the turn of the century as a center of gang activity, the city has done a good job of reclaiming that turf for the public. It was already pretty safe; now it’s going to be a lot nicer. Meanwhile, it’s a lot easier taking the various ad hoc detours on this bike than it was on the old one.

This is a view of the Grand Boulevard Trail in southeastern Capitol Hill area. The smaller wheels, lower center of gravity and shorter frame make this thing very easy to dodge around obstacles. On a regular bike, there were places where I was extra careful because the high center of gravity found me often rolling not exactly where I wanted to go. This bike allows me good comfort in close passage of bollards, sharp turns for badly engineered sidewalk ramps, broken pavement, etc.

I’ve always loved this view. Some years ago I surveyed Lightning Creek. It’s always been a safety issue in OKC because of the vast amount of paved surface that feeds this creek. It’s notorious for flash flooding in storms, even brief ones. This is Oliver Park, which hosts one of three major catchment basins for Lightning Creek to give floodwaters a place to go. Just beyond the foreground trees is a five acre basin about eight or ten feet deep, and as the third basin on the watercourse, it still gets nearly full during storms, to the point the streets on the far side are still underwater at times. But the OKC skyline is beautiful from this angle.

Farther along the Grand Boulevard Trail, over near the suburb of Del City, this image juxtaposes two structures that represent roughly half of Oklahoma’s whole economy: energy. If it’s not liquid petroleum, it’s electricity from natural gas. We export a lot of all three to other states. We still have active oil and gas wells in some of the oddest places, including right up next to state government offices, and even the Governor’s Mansion in OKC.

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Urban Journey 02

Posted on August 30, 2023 by ehurst

I got so many good shots today that I’ll have to divide them into two posts. First up is where Interstate 40 overpass along the Eagle Lake Trail, with the North Canadian River below, all in the light of dawn. Far in the background is the First Americans Museum with all sorts of new construction. This will continue blocking the old bike route for years. Yes, it’s still under a curse. I navigate around it because the new Greenway Trail is open on the opposite river bank.

That Greenway Trail at one point runs very close to Interestate 40. This is my first long ride on the Zizzo Forte, and I really enjoyed it. It’s a whole different way to ride, and brings a different mindset for me. This little thing is much lighter and closer to the ground. It feels like I have far more control than on conventional frame bikes.

The Greenway Trail connects to the North River Trail at the Boathouse. While I didn’t get a shot of the Boathouse, this is the canal alongside the Boathouse where all kinds of watercraft are likely tied up at any given time. I’ll get the Boathouse itself on another trip; I was seeing too many attractive shots. Riding this new bike made it so much easier to notice them, and to stop and shoot. Cycling becomes the tool for something else, not something that absorbs you with itself.

This is Walker Avenue crossing the North Canadian River and the bikeway. The city did a really nice job of landscaping when they turned this area into a park. Because the frame geometry of the folding bike is heads-up, you see the world more like you would walking. Thus, while it’s not nearly so ergonomic as a conventional bicycle, it’s far more efficient than walking. It was less hassle to stop and see things. I stopped several times simply because mounting and dismounting this thing is much easier than other bikes I’ve owned.

The Wheeler Ballpark makes a good foreground for the OKC Skyline. The ballpark is seldom in use during work hours; it’s always evenings and weekends. That makes is easier for Parks and Rec to maintain it without disrupting events. There were crews all along the north bank of the OK River when I rode through, and the mowers were out around Wheeler Park at this point. The grass was fresh cut and the air was a little dusty.

Only around early to mid-morning will you find this seating stone shaded. I took a shot of the bike with the Wheeler Ferris Wheel and Wheeler Addition in the background, across on the south bank of the North Canadian River. The river was clear today and didn’t stink as much as usual, so we aren’t getting a ton of sediment right now. It’s not like the smell of stagnant water (rather like sewage) or pollution when it’s bad, but the stink from sediment is it’s own kind of thing. You’d recognize it as a natural smell, but not pleasant.

The temperature today was not yet up into the 80s. With clear skies, this sweeping view of the river and trail together caught my eye. Most days, even this early, I would expect to see the occasional rider or walker. It was oddly vacant today, all the more so being so nice outside. Keep in mind that there is the constant roar of Interstate 40 in the background, running parallel off to my right. It’s quite heavy right now, but more with passenger cars, because it’s morning rush hour. In fact, just about every major artery I encountered was pretty busy. Crossing these was pretty slow.

The homeless camps along the river were busy, too. This is a collection of dozens of “borrowed” shopping carts. It started with a couple of abandoned strollers a few years ago, but almost neatly parked along the edge of the shrubs in the grass. The mowing crews avoided them; no one’s in a hurry to clean up the mess. Since then, more and more shopping carts have shown up. I get the impression they leave them for others to use. There’s a very large collection of tents off in the trees just off camera in the background to the right. I try to avoid provoking them; most are friendly until you start aiming cameras at them.

More tomorrow.

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