By Keith Daellenbach | CNA Media Team

Have you wondered about the name of Cat Six Cycles, 4831 N.E 42nd Ave.? It stems from the five categories of bike racing from semi-pro to beginners. “Cat 6,” short for “Category 6,” is a tongue-in-cheek reference to bicycle commuters riding their own competitive race.

Kirk Bernhardt and Tim Wesolowski operate their own race, a full-service bike store. Steve, the gray and appropriate sixtoed cat, is the store mascot in charge of morale. “Steve’s number one trait would be curiosity mixed with an utter dedication to the art of sleeping,” Kirk reported.

Cat Six is an accessible shop. “Bike shops can be funny places and unfortunately they can be intimidating for lots of different folks,” Tim said. “We really strive to not be that shop and provide our absolute best to everyone who comes through the door.”

Cat Six can fix a dilapidated jalopy of a bike for a reasonable price, or it can tune up an expensive racer.

Tim and Kirk sell a variety of proven bicycles that are especially helpful for new bikers. “We’re very hands-on in our test ride process, trying to make absolutely certain that our customers get just the right bikes,” Tim pointed out. They dial in the fit.

On a September night last year, shortly after Kirk and Tim celebrated the store’s fifth anniversary, a car crashed into the shop.

“Thankfully, no one got hurt but there was major structural damage,” Tim explained. He and Kirk soldiered on with a temporary storefront, and the store remained open.

The construction repair was completed in February before the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Open hours were temporarily paused in mid-March to promote social distancing, and gift certificates were available online.

When the “stay home, save lives” order was issued, bicycling was recognized for its noncontact and social distancing. So Cat Six began a modified opening for people to drop by, purchase needed equipment and leave bikes for repairs.

Check with the store – 503.282.1178 or CatSixCycles.com – for its current open hours.

During the autumn and winter, DIY “Neighborhood Nights” are hosted at Cat Six on many Thursday evenings. Kirk and Tim provide helpful advice and generous use of specialty bike tools for personal bike repair.

They charge for parts, but not their time. Although snacks and libations are not required, they are appreciated. In fact, Kirk is known to enjoy a Tecate occasionally.

Those evenings offer an opportunity to get to know your bike better, learn some skills and have fun with Tim, Kirk and Steve.

Editor’s note: Keith has more to tell about Cat Six than fits in the limited space of a CNews story. For “the rest of the story,” visit ConcordiaPDX.org/CatSix.

Keith Daellenbach is a mechanical engineer and outdoor enthusiast who loves mountain climbing, biking and canoeing with wife Amy, and teenage son Micah. An annual summer solstice rite of passage is to bike up Larch Mountain from his home in Concordia.

By Maquette Reeverts | Alberta Art Works

When Portland Flower Market suppliers realized in March that they had to close their doors due to COVID-19 – and that their stock was to be thrown away – Jocelyn Kehrle with Mayesh Wholesale Florist rallied the troops and came up with a much better idea.

The idea? Give the flowers to local floral designers who, in turn, would “flower bomb” the city.

The repurposing of the flowers and greenery honored the hard work of the farmers and workers who planted, cared for and harvested the flora. Instead of being composted, the flowers became a love letter to the city.

Kaitland Menasco, owner and designer of Royal Blooms and a neighbor, designed Alberta Street’s flower bomb and created her arrangement on the northeast corner of its intersection with 21st Avenue.

Her design grew from the corner, disguising the chain link fence surrounding the vacant lot of Volkswagens being repaired.

“I chose that spot because of the mural in the background that reads ‘keep your chin up,’” Kaitland said. “I thought it was a powerful statement, especially now.”

She designed her arrangement organically, allowing the design to ebb and flow like water to symbolize the ebb and flow of the current situation. She wanted to contribute to her community by creating this temporary spot to literally stop and smell the roses.

The project was called #FlowerTourPDX and, with a downloadable map, everyone was invited to take a drive-by tour of the various creations.

But for those on their daily outings who didn’t know the grand plan, there was unexpected color and beauty they welcomed during a strange and stressful time.

Michel Reeverts, aka Maquette, holds a master of arts degree in art education, serves Alberta Art Works as director and Alberta Street Gallery as a board member. She is also a practicing artist. Contact her at Maquette@AlbertaArtWorks.org