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The two-wheeled minstrel

BRIAN McINTYRE  is cycling across the US, and singing for his supper as he goes. He describes his journey so far

THIS SUMMER, I decided to create an American adventure by cycling the 7,000 kilometers of the TransAmerica Trail from Oregon to Virginia, coast-to-coast. The trail, usually on minor roads, crosses 10 states, four time zones, the Rocky Mountains, the high desert, the great plains, the Appalachians and the heart of rural America. Perhaps 1,000 cyclists attempt it every year. As I write, I am two-thirds the way through, on the border of Kansas and Missouri, planning to reach Yorktown, Virginia by mid-September. All told, it will be about 75 days in the saddle.

My first visit to America was as a J1 student in 1986, when I worked in a Jewish nursing home. My job was to sing songs and entertain the patients. I noticed that the elderly, even when their speech had departed and faculties were compromised, retained their connection to music. It was their final, and most powerful, language. I was 20, and the experience made a lasting impression.

Solo-cycling great distances can be lonely. In the spirit of American enterprise, I decided to meld music and cycling, and punctuate the trip with stop-offs to sing Irish music and talk about Ireland to any Americans who would listen.

Before departing home, I visited St Agnes’s National School in Crumlin, which runs a music programme giving children and their parents access to violins and classical music tuition. I saw the transformative effect of music in that community, so as I pedal and croon through America – supported by friends in Dublin who are coordinating the gigs – I am collecting some dollars for St Agnes’s.

So far, I’ve had about 15 mini-gigs in all kinds of venues: homes, bars, restaurants, golf courses, community centres, gardens, churches, motels and – in Prairie City, Oregon – on the street. My audiences range from crowds of 80 to eight, drawn by the call of “the old country”, a love of music, or abject curiosity.

In each singsong I explain a little of our traditional music, how it links to our history and tells our story. Overall, this singing and cycling trip has been exciting, tough, exhilarating, magical, annoying, scary and deeply rewarding. And yet, the true value of my self-styled “SingSongCycle” resides in the chats, the stories, the Irish roots re-established and the beautiful people across this country who have helped, supported and sung along with me, a total stranger.

Baby Praying Mantis « Pops & Mojo Photos

Very cool !!!Cody and I got a praying mantis casing this summer I thought there would be a few baby praying mantis in it . There were a hundred. we let some go in the backyard and so we let go @ the Elementary school . We had very few bug problems this summer it was great. They were so tiny its nice to get a closer view of what they looked like.

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