Tulip Time

Tulip time has a new meaning to me this year.  Henry, aka my new Dutch city bike, rides so smoothly that instead of racing around on a cheap bike,  I actually have time and opportunity to smell the flowers, and since we're in West Michigan, that means the tulips.  I recently read an article in a newspaper that reviewed the cycling culture of Amsterdam.  This typical format - New York city boy goes to Holland and guffaws - is getting old.  This guy actually complains about the cost of a Dutch bike and says he'll stick with his old English racer.  Excuse me, Mr. New York, but the idea here is not to get another cheap bike to add to your vehicular collection of rust, rather, it is to replace your fossil clunker with a new mode of transportation, not entertainment.  A Dutch bike is not something you get for the whole family for $299 down at Target - it is an investment in the earth that will change your way of life, get you away from car payments, insurance premiums, gas, oil, and wasting money on 2 cars in the garage, and move you towards a new kind of living.  The bike is just a gateway to the simpler life. So with that rant, I want to post a beautiful new rendition of the Dutch flag complete with a Dutch bike on it, and shout out, bring on the tulips!