Singing on the side: Geneva teacher, songwriter releases new CD

The Geneva High School family has become used to hearing Dina Bach sing on occasion. After all, the fifth-year Spanish teacher at Geneva High School has belted out the national anthem at many of the school's sporting events, and she's joined the Geneva Jazz Band for a concert this year.

Bach doesn't limit her singing to the high school campus. She's performed all over the region, and has plans to do plenty more of it this summer to promote her new CD "Kiss Me Like That."

She was featured on WGN radio yesterday morning talking about her CD, which features six songs she wrote, but you can get a chance to hear her live in Geneva.

Bach will perform at 7:30 p.m. Friday at EvenFlow Music & Spirits in downtown Geneva at a CD release party. If you miss that, she also sings at Aurelio's Pizza, with dates there June 2 and 18, and July 16.

Bach has a songlist covering current and past pop stars that is easy on the ears with its strong emphasis on love ballads.

Bike path discussion

After raising the question a few weeks ago about whether more designated bike lanes were needed in parts of St. Charles, it is not surprising that it triggered a significant number of responses.

The comments ran the gamut from extremely favorable in terms of wanting more bike lanes everywhere, to wondering how some narrow roads could possibly add bike lanes, to saying bike riders feel they own the roads anyway, so it didn't matter.

In summing them up, it is not surprising the world is not ready for bike riders, walkers/runners and motorists to coexist in generally the same spaces without at least slightly annoying each other.

But think about it for a moment. Each move at a decidedly different speed and tend to do it on parts of streets or sidewalks they feel belong exclusively to them.

Using that reasoning, one should never see a walker strolling down the middle of a busy highway or even a side street. And a car should never be taking a detour along a neighborhood sidewalk. Those are fairly safe assumptions.

That leaves us with the bike riders, who, depending on their routes and connecting trails, could end up in either of those spots - on our streets or sidewalks - with some regularity.

It's been that way for many decades, folks. So we can't just say they don't belong. After all, at some point in most of our lives, riding a bike was one of life's great pleasures. For some, it is a vital lifestyle.

But it seems obvious from the reader comments that drivers don't like worrying about bike riders being in their way, and walkers don't like looking over their shoulders constantly to make sure a bicyclist isn't right on their tails. Bike riders don't like motorists or pedestrians not being aware of what is going on around them.

One reader pointed out that roads are essentially made through taxes on gasoline, but bike riders aren't using gas when they are on those roads.

In that regard, it does make sense to call for more designated bike lanes and just discover how many bicyclists would actually use them for their own safety. My guess is, more than we think.

A visit to El Rayo

As promised a few weeks ago, even though a Chipotle in Geneva is right down the street from my house, I had it on my list to go to the east side of St. Charles to try the new El Rayo Restaurant.

Because my time in Spanish class in high school can be defined as pretty much an implosion, I didn't really know what half the stuff on El Rayo's menu meant. Gordita? Chilaquiles? Tampiquena? Forget it.

But that's to be expected when a place is serving authentic Mexican fare.

After having the taco dinner, I was glad to have made the trip. It was quite good.

Obviously, there is nothing fancy about dining at this former Tastee Freez site, but after having spent plenty of time there when it was "Pop's Place" years ago, I knew what to expect.

"Talk" takes break

You all get a break from me next week, as I'll be spending time out west to celebrate my mother's 91st birthday.

She says she can't believe she is 91, and I suppose most people in their 90s and beyond wonder about such longevity. For my mom, the physical part has been a challenge at times, but her mind is sharp, for which we are thankful.

So, unless I am still in a line at airport security, "Talk of the Town" will be back on Sunday, June 5.

And, no, I generally don't complain about security lines at the airport because I would rather be safe than sorry. However, the recent chaos and three-hour lines at Chicago airports stems from a lack of security workers. That just seems odd to me, based on the fact that there are few, if any, other places in our country in which extra security people would be extremely critical.

dheun@sbcglobal.net