Color Me Mine, Glenview, IL

Well, with the new reality that this year has brought, we have all had to find creative ways to see others and celebrate the holidays. Now, I happen to live above a local Color Me Mine ("CMM”) location in Glenview IL. 

What?! You don't know what CMM is? Well, it's a place for anyone to come and make a ceramic craft. Essentially, you choose your ceramic piece, pick your paint colors, paint the item, then hand it back for glazing & firing. Once it's all completed, you have a one-of-a-kind decorative (e.g. tea candle holder) or practical (e.g. stovetop spoon rest) item for your home or to give as a gift (think of your child giving grandma a cherish, hand-painted serving platter). 

I'd passed this location many times on foot in the previous months and noticed how many different holiday ceramic pieces they now had to choose from, as well as the fact that they were still open for painting in the store, and that they had designed to-go kits for painting the items at home. To get some holiday cheer going, on a small scale, and as a way to gift a sibling a present and an experience, I thought a sister and I could make a night of it. We decided to get together in early December for painting, pizza and beer on a cold rainy night. (Note - gotta love that $10 Costco pizza to-go!)

I picked out and paid for our pieces and to-go kits in advance, then went to collect them at lunchtime on our crafting day. Everything worked out well. And the to-go kits were pretty legit - your ceramic piece, paintbrushes (to keep) and up to six paint colors were all pre-packaged and ready to go (see below). Plus, all the paper it's all wrapped in can be laid out to cover and protect your painting space at home. Tip: save all this paper to wrap your dried pieces back up and safely transport to the store for the finishing process.

We laid everything out that night and got to work on our pieces. A tea candle holder Christmas Tree for me, and a tea candle holder Gingerbread House for my sister. We found it quite easy, enjoyable and relaxing. Like how coloring books for adults are all the rage. We spent about 45 minutes giving our items up to three coats - do follow the CMM Tip sheet included with the to-go kit. Then we had our pizza and liquid cheer. 

The items do dry to a rather dull color and sheen, but that's why you take it back for their finishing steps...

The next day, I hot-tailed it back down to the CMM location and turned over our items for glazing & firing - and yes, this is included in the price of the ceramic you choose. I will note though, because the to-go kit brushes are yours to keep, there is a $12 charge for the brushes and paints for each piece you choose. I thought this was a reasonable expense, and they give you a LOT of paint too.

Around the holidays, you will wait up to ~5 days to get your items back from CMM's finishing process, but I have to say, it's worth the wait. I went back down to pick-up our items 3 business days after I dropped them - easy. Now I suppose I'm biased, as the artist, but I thought our items turned out very nice. See for yourself...

I have not seen my sister's finished piece yet as I've left it wrapped and wrapped that with festive papers and tissue papers to give to her for the holidays.

Well, if you can't tell, I think I'm a CMM convert. If you have one nearby, or need a unique and memorable gift idea, I think this place could be a real fun alternative for your holiday. Make a afternoon or night of it with their to-go kits or schedule an in-store time for yourself. Either way, if your item turns out suckie, I think you only have yourself to blame. I mean, we're not all Picassos.

Happy Hollydays, Everyone.

These boots were not made for walking, Cheyenne, WY

Having fond memories of Chicago’s art cows a couple decades back, I relished the chance to find all the artist-painted cowboy boots in Cheyenne. Evidently there were 24 originally, and you can still find most of them, and new ones added, in the city today. I thought I’d captured most of them, 7 boots on a long walk, but it appears I’m no where close to the total. 

If you’re in Cheyenne, def try to seek these out. I also don’t think you’ll miss them as, did I mention, they’re like 7 or 8-feet tall. They’re pretty massive and so colorful. Maybe they’re cowboy boots for Paul Bunyan. I’ll check with Minnesota. 

Can you beat my count!?

"What's the Best Bike Company You've Worked At?"

The question in the subject of this post - "What's the best bike company you've worked for?" - is one I hear relatively frequently. It's usually due to the fact that I'm meeting up with a former coworker that I haven't seen in a long time, or when people find out I've worked in the industry most of my career. As I write this I'm not in the cycling industry, but it's hard not to think back often... especially when people ask me this kind of question.

It came up again a couple weeks ago and I've been thinking about it on and off since that time. I thought I'd try to make some sense of the question, for myself, and if others are thinking about this industry for their career. The more I think about it, I also think this kind of analysis would show similar patterns in other industries. Industries with a variety of similar companies in the same space, vying for the same customers and using pretty standard products (the bike hasn't changed too drastically in its 200+ year history - unless you're seeing it every day from the inside).

So for those that don't know, I've worked for the following 5 cycling companies in my career, in chronological order - SRAM Corporation, Hayes Bicycle Group, Quality Bicycle Products (QBP), Trek Bicycle and Specialized Bicycle. The last two being the largest US-based cycling companies in the world and both ranked roughly 2nd & 3rd globally. As far as I know, these two major brands only trail one company in annual sales, Giant Bicycle. This formidable, long-running and competent brand is not based in the US, but in Taiwan. They have often produced bikes for both of the other brands, and may still today. Side note: I've also worked for some regional/local bike shops (or independent bicycle dealers (IBDs)) - I would not trade this experience for anything and think it was a great place to start my career in bikes.

Back to the main question - "Who's the best?" My answer to this question is not an easy one and please don't feel bad if you get bored reading this and come back later (or not at all). 

If we simply look at my length of tenure the best company would be QBP. I worked there for 8 years, straight through (never leaving and going back, which seems pretty common, in the cycling industry at least). The 2nd best company on this list would then be SRAM. I worked there for about 6 years, one stretch of 4 years (leaving for an MBA program) and then going back for about 2 more years. My time at the other three wasn't necessarily shorter because I didn't enjoy working there, sometimes life gets in the way and the employer-employee relationships doesn't last as long. 

At this point I'm going to veer a bit off-topic and review some of the things that all or most of the companies on my list have in common. It's pretty interesting to realize how much they do share:

Hippies - not all but most of these companies were started by hippies or people outside of the normal business world drudgery who embraced bikes for themselves and wanted to share this passion with others. Steve Flagg, Dick Burke (who I never met but worked for his son, John) & Bevil Hogg (who I also never met but I know he started a whole different bike company later on), Mike Sinyard, and the four guys at SRAM. Steve was a true hippie and I think I would put Mike in the same boat. It suited them all very well and I only mean that term in this context as a complement to their desire to forge their own paths, er, trails. It's not a slight at all. In fact I'm not sure a regular business person (whatever that is) could have even started these companies in the US in the 1970s.

Vision - many of the men have a type of vision I rarely have seen in others, in or out of bikes. Steve proved this through his company's history, and when I've heard him speak or bring ideas to fruition, that he simply thought broader, more inclusively and down the road further than anyone. I suspect Mike is the same way, in slightly different facets of the bike word. I think most of these men are, whether I got to witness them firsthand or not... you sort of have to be to get some of this now large companies off the ground, with the shared values & vision that they started with.

Passion - I won't pick a winner here. Having worked at these places it's clear to me that all of these founders have major passion for the products, health benefits and incredible camaraderie in this industry.

Start-Ups - These guys started with nothing. One pulled a bike trailer behind his own bike to sell tires from shop to shop throughout the Bay Area. One started making bike frames out of a barn in the middle of Wisconsin (the winters get pretty chilly!). And another literally started out of his garage, selling spare bike parts to bike dealers around the country. In a certain twist of fate, these three companies all started about the same time, rode the gas crisis cycling boom straight to the MTB bike boom, through the Armstrong years, and now into what we have today. Of course, not all the men were involved the entire time, but they set-up their companies for lasting success, in my opinion.. whether the next leaders could keep it going or not. You can also find similar stories at other US bike companies, I've just not worked for them (yet).

Having discussed those shared traits, I think it clear to see that many of the companies in the bike world start out similar but I also know that every one of them changes a great deal and never stays the same. If they did I would probably still be at QBP. Of course, I am not and I've also recently seen and heard that's it's not really the same company as when I worked there. Their president has changed, the industry & companies have to change in some ways constantly and this year, all are dealing with the pandemic.

I will end this long diatribe simply by giving some awards to my former employers for things noticed by me as the best thing they did during the time I was there. They might be different now. If you're looking at cycling for a career, I'd encourage you to check out any potential employer for yourself, heck, maybe even try a few like I have.

Best Employee Engagement & Career Advancement - QBP

Best Vision for Cycling Globally & Embracing Technology in Bike Shops - Trek

Best Product Development & Passion for Racing - Specialized

Best Underdog - Hayes Bicycle Group

Best Growth Story to Witness Over Time - SRAM

To be clear, this is all simply my opinion, and I'm not even handing out any actual awards. One other thing I will point out, that all of the companies I've worked for share, is amazing coworkers. People who have passion for bikes, people who are smarter than me and teach me new things, people who are willing to lend a hand to anyone, people who I still consider my friends... and people who, in some ways, I still consider my coworkers to this day. 

Madeline Island Pt. IV - Tom's Burned Down Cafe, La Pointe, WI

This place was all light up on my first night, even with the 'Vid, I had to check it out. Turns out to be pretty eclectic, and really just a place to gather and drink some beers or other options. But, it was kind of cool, and in keeping with their overall island vibe...

Madeline Island Pt. III - The Sun, La Pointe, WI

I will admit, the Sun isn't normally deserving of its own blog post, but on Madeline Island... I don't know what it is, it's just spectacular. Part of the fun is that the part of the island I have stayed on is facing west each evening, so the sunsets are pretty legit. 

So that's it... some shots from the trip, mostly involving the awesome sunlit views...

Part of it is that within moments, you can watch a full sunset and see how the light, cluds and water all change during it. it really is worth just sitting and watching. I found myself going back outside to get pictures every 10 minutes or so. (It had gotten a bit chilly in the early Sept air). The images below are from a couple nights of sunsets. The second set wasn't eeven going to happen until the clouds broke and the sun was low enough to peek through.

Sunset 1 - I swear these are in sequence...

Sunset 2 - 

This last one is simply a sun shot from about 9am, on a different spot on the island. Oh, the island is not very big and you can drive, ride, or moped around really quickly, seeing all kinds of views and sights at almost every turn.

I think another important part of this "sun worship" is that it's a place that really allows me/us to relax. To sit back, think of less, do less, and unwind. If you simply watch the sunrises and sunsets, maybe that's a great day. I think it's golden.

Madeline Island Pt. II - Boat Tour, La Pointe, WI

Time for the boat tour!!! For a relatively modest amount of money, you can find yourself on a 2.5 hour tour of some of the islands most interesting history, lighthouses, and ship wrecks. Oh yeah, plus the rocks... which means the Brownstone cut out of the islands to make some of the largest buildings in Chicago, at the time.

Let's start at the dock with the view of the boat...

And now for some of the sights along the rather fun route they've developed for this tour...

" 'Merica! "

These are the shots of the "famous" brownstone. It was placed there during the Ice Age from compacted sediments. At one time, Ashland WI was the 2nd busiest port on the Great Lakes, only deferring to Chicago, due to their exporting of all the brownstone. It was accessible on the islands, and could also be loaded onto ships and transported to places like Chicago with much less effort than other stone alternatives. Chicagoans will also know that this term, Brownstone, is what people call many of the two-family structures built in many of the city's neighborhoods.

One of the nice little surprises on the tour was that the boat was equipped with two viewing galleries, or wells, that allowed the folks to peer right into the depths. This came in very handy as we went over wrecks just below the water's surface. You got to literally see the old wooden sunken ships. Kind of cool really...

It seems one can also try their hand at some serious fishing off this island area - get yourself strapped in real good, and wear a windproof jacket. 

This touring company, Apostle Island Cruises, is right near the docks in downtown Bayfield. They offer other types of tours, one going as long as three hours. I would recommend them without hesitation. They were also selling out the boats to a max of 50% capacity, though mine was much less full than that even. Deckhands were also wiping down common touch points multiple times during the tours.

Madeline Island Pt. I - Ferry Me, La Pointe, WI

It only took about 5 years, but I finally got back to The Mad Isle! It's the largest island in the Apostle Island chain, and the only one not now owened by the US Government (there were too many private residences on it to afford the buy-back when they converted the island chain to a federal area).

For me, some of the most fun of this trip is getting to this island, because... it's by ferry! It was great to pull up and get across within a very reasonable amount of time. I left the car on the island for my stay and simply walked back to the very for a day-trip back in Bayfield.

See how the get across part works here...

This is not my set-up, but they take all manner of vehicles, big & small...

They don't usually waste space on these ferry trips, so it fills up!

More to come from the Island - including a peek at the boat tour I took part in, plus a real wacky night spot.