First Outing
cycling
Tuesday
With a break in the clouds, the unseasonably warm temperatures, and a free day for everyone, there was only one place to go: the park.
First a bit of playground fun. L has been growing more creative in her daring, but still needs a bit of help every now and then. Her grand idea of swinging down from the monkey in one fluid motion ended with frantic calls for help. Her insistence that she could take whatever spinning madness I could produce on the tire swing ended with her begging me, though not in a panic, to slow her down.
Afterward, bikes. It was fairly amazing to see how L has changed with her bike riding. Adjacent to the park we were visiting was an abandoned BMX race track, with only the starting gates remaining. The Girl was eager to try riding down the lower portion, below the gates themselves. Once I showed here how to navigate the lowered starting barrier, she rode down the concrete ramp seemingly countless times. And the Boy, as he always does, imitated her. Yet, also as he always does, his trusted his intuition and didn't even want to try going from the top of the ramp.
Finally, an odd adventure: we've had a leak in the crawl space, and I've tried a few things to figure out what was causing the leak exactly. When I suggested that the Boy could go into the crawl space with me to check the latest effort, he was literally ecstatic. "Daddy, I love the crawl space!" And as L always does, she wanted to join us. I took the camera down to snap a few shots of the damage (which was not as bad as I thought), and of course I had to take a quick picture of the kids in a once-in-their-lifetimes location.
And while that bit of hanging insulation looks awfully close to them, it really wasn't -- an effect of the lens.
Bike
Living in Poland for seven years, I rode various bikes for a total of at least 6000 kilometers. That’s how many kilometers my two bike computers showed when combined. On my road bike, 3500; on my mountain bike, 2500. That total was during my second stay, from 2001 to 2005. It was then that I became something of a cyclist, spending an asinine percentage of my salary on cycling equipment. During my first stay (1996-1999), I had a fairly cheap mountain bike that I virtually gave away when I left. I had no cycling computer on it, so I’d have to guess how much I rode, but I wouldn’t think I did more than 1000 kilometers in those three years, and that’s probably being generous. But that second extended visit to Poland — I rode like mad. One summer alone I did 3500 kilometers, riding in the morning and early afternoon on my road bike then riding into surrounding forests in the late afternoon on a mountain bike.
This afternoon, I dug out the mountain bike, cleaned it up, fixed a wobbling wheel, then took it out for a short spin. It had recently sprinkled a bit, and I was wary to head out on untested equipment more than a few kilometers, but still, I couldn’t resist. I rode paths I’d never done before, ending up in a spot behind the river — the destination of The Walk — that I’d always wondered about.
Two things were different this time out: first, I felt oddly conspicuous. A young man on a bike doesn’t look all that odd; a man in his forties on a bike, clearly riding for recreation and not simply as a means for transport, is a rare sight indeed. Bikes for me of my age are usually just means of transportation, often to the fields to work or from the bar after a binge (though often the rider is pushing the bike in the latter case). The second oddity had to do with the pedals: the first time in probably fifteen years or so that I’ve ridden with regular pedals as opposed to clipless pedals that attach to a cleat on the bottom of each shoe, allowing a rider to pull as well as push. I found myself wanting to pull, especially on the one or two small climbs I encountered, and the result probably looked amusing to anyone who happened to see, adding to my feeling of conspicuousness.
Despite the oddness of riding in this area for the first time in over ten years, it’s safe to say that the quick trip was a success. And in the meantime, K and the Boy were visiting other friends.
And the Girl? She’s at her first summer camp experience. She called this evening in tears, scared at the thought of her first night alone. What she really needed was a hug, and fortunately, a family friend was there with her to provide it. Still, it’s a stressful experience for us as well as for her.
Coasting
More bike riding with some learning: the Boy got a little more comfortable coasting while the Girl learned how to mount her bike while going uphill.
Pavement
Just down the street from our house is another street -- typical of suburbia, I know. But this street is different. It's freshly paved, smooth and inviting, and it has just enough of a slope that anyone can enjoy riding up and down it.
And so of late, we've taken to doing just that: E on his four-wheel pusher, the Girl on her new bike or her scooter, I on my bike, and usually K on foot.
Occasionally we meet neighbors there, either by arrangement or by accident. Some are more enthusiastic about the activity than others; some ride with more abandon than others; some leave me shaking my head in wonder. Up and down, up and down, races and gentle rides, laughing and literal screaming ("That's not fair!") -- it becomes a little microcosm of childhood.
I have my own memories like this -- summers on bikes, hills that are a pleasure (as well as hills that are hellish), riding with friends.
Seeing my own children follow those same paths brings a smile.
Off-road
The Girl has a new bike, with gears and hand-brakes. It's a lot to get used to. Today, she lost control, ran into a ditch, and like a champ, didn't panic but merely let the bike coast to a stop.
Italian Guests
Babcia had some cycling guests from Italy. They’re touring Europe, but in a slightly different style than most: they have a van following them with all their gear. Cheaters.
First Flat
Bike
We've been working on it for some time now: riding a bike. It's something K and I take for granted, one of the shared interests that helped in its own little way to solidify our relationship years ago.
The Girl didn't take to it immediately. She was scared of everything: going up hill; going down hill; turning; going straight; starting; stopping. It all scared her. "I was beginning to think she'd be like Babcia," K remarked today.
It's been a long time coming...
http://www.flickr.com/apps/video/stewart.swf?v=109786
Cycling Afternoon
A new bike, sized right, a quiet cul-de-sac, and an experienced friend who's a wheel-radius ahead in cycling development make for an afternoon of colossal advances in biking. The radius ahead, however, was often a radius to the right, to the left, a radius behind.
Much to the Girl's consternation. Five year olds together, best friends, are often like an old married couple: constantly arguing, but inseparable.
