"I prefer to go by leg power."

In seeking inspiration, I was thrilled to discover the incredible grassroots work of Brazilian artist Valdinei Calvento, known in his country as “Cabelo.”  His work and his words evoke the strength of connection between self, community, nature, and cycling. Tom (my awesome hubby, who is an intrepid cyclist) just discovered Cabelo’s work, and published a series of three posts about it on his blog Bikejuju, featuring Cabelo’s illustration, street art, and posters.  So yes, this is a bit of family blog nepotism, but I couldn’t resist sharing a couple of my favorite images, which are followed by the artist’s lovely thoughts.

What is the noise of the cities today?  It is the noise of car engines, right?  It is not the noise of the birds nor the wind, it is the horns, the accelerations, and the brakes.  A city that validates bicycles permits the exchange of courtesies, of looks, of experiences, of contemplation, of gratitude.

Bicycles have a magical effect on their riders. There are moments of reflection that only the pedals can give to us–bicycles point out a different way of looking at the world, a cheap technology, non-polluting, that humanizes and harmonizes the city and its inhabitants.

And while I posted a couple days ago about handmade gifts as a way to lift dark winter spirits, Tom was addressing the same issue on Bikejuju, teaming up with Go Means Go to offer the Dark Days Photo Contest, designed to “celebrate riding in the darkest part of the year, when our motivation flags, the danger increases, and the temperatures plummet.” Submit a photo with bike-related content, taken outdoors, after dark.  Bike Glow and Planet Bike have stepped up with amazing prize packages.  Details, links, and contest rules at Bikejuju.  Go for it!

Meanwhile, find a quiet moment to enjoy more of Cabelo’s beautiful work on his blog and online portfolio.

Original enough for me, in spite of the artist’s protestations, and a reminder, in a society focused on the visual, to listen in ways I’ve never even thought of.  But I can’t definitively identify these birds in silhouette.  Any good South American birders to help me out?  I’m thinking an Icterid, perhaps the Shiny Cowbird?

Meanwhile–Peace, love, and birdsong.

We made them from Speedy Carve–an eraser-like art medium for creating your own rubber stamps. Our friend Audrey showed us how, and this was one of our first efforts.  We think they’re pretty darn cute. If you don’t have a crafty friend to teach you, check out this nifty tutorial at Geninne’s Art Blog.  It’s easy as pie.  (Strawberry pie.)

We love this little bicycle–it’s about six inches long, and the handlebars and pedals turn.

Tin cans are one of the primary materials for sculptural artists on the streets of East Africa.  Metal cans there tend to be painted, rather than covered with a paper label, so the sculptures  often show off colorful images of tomatoes and ingredient lists.

Sometimes the paint is burned off in the welding process, as with this bat mobile:

In Zanzibar, Tom became fascinated with the process of farming seaweed for toothpaste–the work is done mainly by women when the tide is out in the morning.  Jambiani village where we stayed is Muslim, and the women’s long skirts would float around their ankles as they worked.  One morning, Tom met this young boy, who had made a model dhow boat entirely by himself with found materials.  You can see on his face how proud he is of it, and rightfully so–it’s just beautiful.  The dhow boat we rode out to the reef was similar–hand carved, lashed together with rope and wire, and with a patchwork sail of rice bags.  Tom took this lovely, peaceful video.  Enjoy.