January is a time for reflection — looking back on the year just passed. So I could offer you a list of my favorite posts of 2011, like some bloggers do. But I’m not going to do that. In my relationship with you, dear reader, we will not rest on any past laurels but will move forward with relentless fury.

But we will stop to recognize our outstanding 2011 nominees for …

Best Improvised Bicycle Cargo Device of the Year

We had to pause a minute and cock our head sideways like a dog as we considered this one …

And then we realized: My god, it’s an old dish-drying rack! Brilliant. Simple. Frugal. And you could load your wedding china in there and ride around the block on a sunny day to dry it faster.

Our second nominee, by contrast, looks to have required considerable work, basic carpentry skills and at least one hair-raising trip down Willamette Street to patronize True Value Hardware:

The sign on the back says “The Sorcerer’s Scone Bakery — Taste The Magic”:

So, it’s either full of scones, or Voldemort is locked up in there.

By the way, the first time I noticed the Sorcerer’s Scone Bakery Plywood-Box Trike, I was on the sidewalk chatting with someone. Over the shoulder of the person I was pretending to listen to, I noticed this thing sail past.

It was all I could do to stay focused on my companion, not grab for my camera and take off running after the trike. But “Emily Post’s Etiquette for Bloggers” suggests that we let not our passions compromise respectful human intercourse. No, not real intercourse. I mean talking intercourse.

And then, sure enough, a week or two later I happened upon the Plywood-Box Trike again, on the sidewalk outside Perugino. Fortunately, it’s a small town, Eugene.

Nominee No. 3 is an unorthodox bucket pannier, offering full waterproof lockdown:

I thought it was remarkable in that it was “for sale.” Yet there appeared to be no phone number or contact information. So you’ll just have to ride around until you find it.

Don’t worry. Eugene’s a small town.