A day in the life of Cape Ivy at Slide Ranch

9:55 AM

Dear Diary,

Well, life couldn't be better. What can I say? I love being an invasive species! I spend all day wrapped around this blackberry bush soaking up the sunlight, slowly killing it while I thrive. The best part is knowing that I'm preventing those stupid kids who visit Slide Ranch from using the blackberries that this bush would have provided to make delicious jams, teas, and pies. More later!

xoxo,

Steve <3

10:02 AM

Dear Diary,

It seems like a lifetime ago that I wrote that last entry. I am a changed cape ivy, persecuted for just tryna b me. These two girls (although I'll admit that they are exceedingly intelligent and beautiful), have ripped me and my brethren from our comfortable homes, even going as far as to remove our roots so that my descendants won't be able to flourish there. :-/

-Steve

10:03 AM

Dear Diary,

Can't write much now, it's supa dark in here!

Ruh-roh...

-Steve

10:04 AM

Dear Diary,

Welp, I didn't know how bad things could get until now. I landed in a wheelburrow full of other cape ivies who I can only assume met a similar fate as mine. And just to think, all this happening when my evil plot for cape ivy world domination was so close to fruition! I would have gotten away with it, too, if it weren't for those kids... and that cat.

luv,

*~Stevie~*

10:05 AM

Dear Diary,

I don't know where they're taking me... I'm scurred!

:-(

-Steve

10:08 AM

Dear Diary,

So it looks like I'm gonna be spending the rest of my days in this pile--I mean JAIL--where they keep all the invasive species. What really gets me is those stupid blackberries are living free and thriving while I rot away here. On the bright side... guess who now has an ocean view???!

LOL.

-Steve

~~BONUS FUN!!!!!!1 can YOU find Steve in every picture?~~

(you may have to enlarge the photos by clicking on them)

I met a farmer today!

Today we volunteered at the farmers' market at the Civic Center. Imagine our surprise when right at the beginning of our day (8 AM, ouch!) we ran into Joe and Steve from Slide Ranch buying organic produce! After that, we were asked to help with a field trip of eighty second graders. We led an activity about using all your senses when enjoying fresh produce, using samples of different types of oranges that we bought from the market. Tyler, who works with the Agricultural Institute of Marin, told them all about what they could find at the market and why it's so healthy and sustainable. Ironically, we used today as an opportunity to even out our farmers' tans. It's ironic because we were at the farmers' market. When the kids left we finished the day helping at the information booth where we answered questions and directed people around the market.

Better Safe Than Socrates

Today, we volunteered at Slide Ranch, a sustainable teaching farm by Muir Beach. After a quick introduction to the staff, which included an MA alum named Dylan (he's the one who made that video with the chameleon that Brad Lakritz showed on the first day of school for his senior project) (also he wants us to say hi to Ken Lanik and Bob Schleeter for him, so if you're reading this...), we got to work. We spent most of the day weeding a patch of land where we later planted pumpkins.

For your information:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socrates#Trial_and_death

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=murked

Bike-powered smoothies = nom.com

On Tuesday, we went to Davidson Middle School with Teens Go Green, an organization that encourages teenagers to bike to school, among other things. Lou, a mom of a bike rider of her own, was excited to have the middle school students clean bike parts to make sculptures out of the parts. There was also a bike-powered blender, which was used to make smoothies... nom nom nom.

Untitled I

I spied a bike upon a mountain

Its gears were red with rust

Its handlebars were bent and worn

Its seat was filled with dust

I held the brave old bike aloft

And shouted to all below:

"I said a-boom boom boom,

Now let me hear you say wey-ho."

--Anonymous

As the beginning of senior project looms nearer, we are getting excited to, in the words of Larry the Cable Guy, "gitt'r dun." We've found that poems like the one above help us to keep our energy and spirits high as we anticipate the start of what will surely be a fantastic and fulfilling experience.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ViD0vfGIh50

Oh, hey.

Welcome.

This is our first blog post for the critically acclaimed new blog, www.bikeaboss.blogspot.com

This blog will be tracking our (Talia's and Lauren's) epic hero's quest that is MARIN ACADEMY SENIOR PROJECT. During senior project, we plan to work at several sustainable organizations including Slide Ranch, Teens Go Green, and the Marin County Farmers' Market, and as part of our project we will be giving up our cars in favor of more sustainable means of transportation, namely bikes.

So, if you like bikes, sustainability, and possibly a little sass on the side, then we know you'll LOVE www.bikeaboss.blogspot.com, but don't take our word for it! Here are real testimonials from experts in the field:

"Two thumbs way up!" -Roger Ebert

"Man standing up on his chair clapping!" -Mick LaSalle, The Chronicle

"Better than tumblr!" -Lucy McCullough

xoxo

Lauren and Talia

P.S. The acronym "B.I.K.E.S." stands for "Biking to Instill Knowledge about Environmental Sustainability."

P.P.S. Please follow this blog :-)