Autumn is almost here (September 23rd is officially the first day of Autumn). With Autumn comes cooler temperatures, shorter days and a hint of Winter (yes even here in Southern California we do have a Winter, of sorts).
One of the benefits of riding my bike by the ocean is that I often have the opportunity to witness some rather spectacular sunsets. With the approaching of Autumn, however, the sun now sets rather quickly. The slow, lingering sunsets of Summer are gone—at least until next year.
I took the first photo in the sequence below at 7:03 p.m. By the time that I snapped the last photo, less than three full minutes had elapsed.
Join me now in watching old “Sol” set over my beloved Pacific Ocean.
Love songs take many forms, from romantic adult ballads to sirupy teeny-bopper tunes.
The following song, "Taxi," from American singer-songwriter Harry Chapin tells the story of Harry, a cab driver in San Francisco. On a rainy night he picks up a woman, his last fare for the night. Harry finds the woman familiar at first, but she doesn't seem to recognize him until after she looks at him in the rear-view mirror and at his license. It is then revealed that she is Sue, Harry's old lover.
In flashback, Harry remembers how he "used to take her home in [his] car" and also how they "learned about love in the back of a Dodge." Sue had wanted to be an actress, while Harry was going to learn to fly. Their relationship ended when Sue "took off to find the footlights" and Harry "took off to find the sky."
For everyone who has loved and lost, here is Chapin’s “Taxi.”
Enjoy!
HARRY CHAPIN – Taxi (video)
HARRY CHAPIN – Taxi (lyrics)
It was raining hard in 'Frisco, I needed one more fare to make my night. A lady up ahead waved to flag me down, She got in at the light.
Oh, where you going to, my lady blue, It's a shame you ruined your gown in the rain. She just looked out the window, and said "Sixteen Parkside Lane."
Something about her was familiar I could swear I'd seen her face before, But she said, "I'm sure you're mistaken" And she didn't say anything more.
It took a while, but she looked in the mirror, And she glanced at the license for my name. A smile seemed to come to her slowly, It was a sad smile, just the same.
And she said, "How are you Harry?" I said, "How are you Sue? Through the too many miles and the too little smiles I still remember you."
It was somewhere in a fairy tale, I used to take her home in my car. We learned about love in the back of the Dodge, The lesson hadn't gone too far.
You see, she was gonna be an actress, And I was gonna learn to fly. She took off to find the footlights, And I took off to find the sky.
Oh, I've got something inside me, To drive a princess blind. There's a wild man, wizard, He's hiding in me, illuminating my mind.
Oh, I've got something inside me, Not what my life's about, Cause I've been letting my outside tide me, Over 'till my time, runs out.
Baby's so high that she's skying, Yes she's flying, afraid to fall. I'll tell you why baby's crying, Cause she's dying, aren't we all.
There was not much more for us to talk about, Whatever we had once was gone. So I turned my cab into the driveway, Past the gate and the fine trimmed lawns.
And she said we must get together, But I knew it'd never be arranged. And she handed me twenty dollars, For a two fifty fare, she said "Harry, keep the change."
Well another man might have been angry, And another man might have been hurt, But another man never would have let her go... I stashed the bill in my shirt.
And she walked away in silence, It's strange, how you never know, But we'd both gotten what we'd asked for, Such a long, long time ago.
You see, she was gonna be an actress And I was gonna learn to fly. She took off to find the footlights, And I took off for the sky.
And here, she's acting happy, Inside her handsome home. And me, I'm flying in my taxi, Taking tips, and getting stoned, I go flying so high, when I'm stoned.
NOTE: Harry Chapin, (December 7, 1942 – July 16, 1981) was an American singer-songwriter best known for his folk rock songs including the number-one hit "Cat's in the Cradle.” Chapin was also a dedicated humanitarian who fought to end world hunger; he was a key player in the creation of the Presidential Commission on World Hunger in 1977. In 1987, Chapin was posthumously awarded the Congressional Gold Medal for his humanitarian work.
Serious bike riders are an obsessive bunch. On weekend days, we (and yes, I do include myself in the “obsessive bunch” group) wake up at the crack of dawn, jump on the bike and then head down the road, listening to the sweet music of the bike’s wheels rolling over the pavement as the miles roll by. During the week, we sit in our offices staring out of a window, daydreaming about our next epic ride. When we have some free time, we clean and adjust every gear and component.
Sometimes, we may even sit on the front of the television and we watch movies about bike riding.
PEE WEE’s BIG ADVENTURE
Pee-wee's Big Adventure, the greatest movie ever made about cycling is a wildly creative, idiosyncratic masterpiece. The film tells the story of Pee-wee Herman, a childlike adult who loves his bicycle more than anything else. After his bike is stolen, he must embark on a nation-wide adventure to search for his bike. The movie, which turns 25 in 2010, was directed by Tim Burton, written by Paul Reubens, Phil Hartman and Michael Varho; it starred Paul Reubens as Pee-wee Herman.
BREAKING AWAY
The story about working-class kids, restless in a small college town, is one of the best cycling films ever made. It is also one of the best films ever made, period! It won the 1980 Academy Award for Best Screenplay and was nominated for four other awards. In 2006, the American Film Institute (AFI) listed Breaking Away as #8 on the List of America's 100 Most Inspiring Movies. In June 2008, AFI announced its "Ten Top Ten"—the best ten films in ten "classic" American film genres—Breaking Away was acknowledged as the #8 best film in the sports genre.
TRIPLETS OF BELLEVILLE
The Triplets of Belleville (Les Triplettes de Belleville) is a Canadian/French/British/Belgian 2003 animated surreal adventure film written and directed by Sylvain Chomet. The story focuses on Madame Souza, an elderly woman raising her young grandson, Champion. Souza notices her grandson is sad and lonely so she buys him a puppy named Bruno to cheer him up. Although he was initially happy, he quickly becomes melancholy once again. After discovering that Champion has a keen interest in road bicycle racing, Souza buys Champion a tricycle. Eventually, Champion enters the Tour de France but during the race, he and two other riders are kidnapped by two French mafia henchmen and brought to the bustling metropolis of Belleville, somewhere in North America. The movie is absurdly bizarre (well, what can you expect when you mix Canadian-French-British-Belgian elements and throw them together in one animated film)…it is also a sweet and stunning homage to Fausto Coppi.
(NOTE: Angelo Fausto Coppi was an Italian bike champion, born on September 15, 1919. Coppi was the dominant international cyclist of the years each side of the Second World War. His successes earned him the title Il Campionissimo, or champion of champions. He was an all-round racing cyclist: he excelled in both climbing and time trialing, and was also a great sprinter. He won the Giro d'Italia five times (1940, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953), the Tour de France twice (1949 and 1952), and the World Championship in 1953. Other notable results include winning the Giro di Lombardia five times and the Milan – San Remo three times. Coppi also had wins at Paris–Roubaix and La Flèche Wallonne, where he set the hour record (45.798 km) in 1942.)
AMERICAN FLYERS
Kevin Costner’s enormous moustache is hard to ignore…but Rae-Dawn Chong’s wheel change is the real stunner in this fun story of two brothers who tackle the Hell of the West through the Rockies. Some of the details are ludicrous—the way the Russian bike riders bob and weave as they attack—but as celebration of the 1980s American cycling scene, with appearances by the 7-Eleven Team and the gone-but-missed Coors Classic, it deserves a place as a bicycling movie classic.
THE BICYCLE THIEF
Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di biciclette, also known as The Bicycle Thief) is a 1948 Italian neorealist film directed by Vittorio De Sica. It tells the story of a poor father and his son searching the streets of Rome for the father’s stolen bicycle, which he needs to be able to work. The movie is a bleak but truthful story of survival; it is also a rebuke to Hollywood’s slickness. The Bicycle Thief ushered in a new era of cinematic realism and is routinely listed as one of the greatest films of all time.
A SUNDAY IN HELL (long version)
If you have ever struggled to explain the consuming passion of bike racing to non-riders, refer them to this film instead. A chronicle of the 1976 Paris-Roubaix race—with riders like Eddy Merckx, Roger De Vlaeminck and Francesco Moser—it’s a transporting documentary that drops you into the cobblestone dust, soaks you in sweat and idolizes all the suffering in one of the world’s greatest one-day race.
STARS AND WATER CARRIERS
A film about the 1973 Giro d’Italia, directed by Jurgen Leth, who also directed A Sunday in Hell. Leth's commentary is perhaps some of the most passionate and descriptive commentary on cycling to be found anywhere. Failed breakaways are referred to as "a beautiful waste of energy.” Leth is a great film maker not a former cyclist; his time trial commentary is arguably the most insightful and artistic narrative of athlete and machine yet written on bike racing--indeed "Pain is an Icon.”
Now, get off your computers, go get your bike, clean it up and take it for a long spin down the road.
