Last February I got a really cool Valentine's Day gift...an old Schwinn bike. It was in great shape, just needed new tires. The tubes kept popping each time we tried fixing the tire. So after the bike sat unused for over a year, George fixed it for my birthday and got a child seat for Gavin to ride in so we could all go on family bike rides. We had a great time on our family rides, all two of them, before the tire popped again. There it sat for another few months until today. I got the tire fixed again. Apparently you're supposed to pump them up each time you ride.
I took the boys on a short bike ride this afternoon after lunch. I was inspired after reading
Tami's blog about her five year old riding TEN miles! This is the first time I've done this alone, without my much needed hubby. It was fun, but...we had to cross the main street near our house on our way home. This is always a hair raiser, whether we have bikes or not. The light changes too fast to make it across with 3 small kids. Daniel did fine (lost the attitude from the previous street crossing when I told him he had to hustle.) Vincent, on the other hand, headed out diagonally into the center of our huge intersection while 6 lanes of traffic watched this helpless mother shout directions at him while "trying" to hold onto my bike with Gavin in the child seat. I say "trying" because I actually dropped my bike with Gavin in it (no tears or injuries). After getting about 10 feet into the intersection, I realized we weren't going to make it in time. Daniel was almost all the way across, so he stayed on the other side while I backed up to the sidewalk while sounding the retreat to Vincent. The light had turned red by the time Vincent got back to the sidewalk. A kind mother got out of her car and waited with Daniel across the way until the light changed for us again. My, my, it might be awhile before we do anything more than circle the block! And that was my third bike ride in 2 years.
I went dumpster diving today. Okay, I wasn't planning on it, but I happened to be on the back side of a framing store walking past the dumpster, so I peered in and found this beauty. Is that legal? That's what they told us to do as art majors in college. I think it will make a fun prop for some family photo shoots. Should I paint it black or white or leave it as is?
Last February I got a really cool Valentine's Day gift...an old Schwinn bike. It was in great shape, just needed new tires. The tubes kept popping each time we tried fixing the tire. So after the bike sat unused for over a year, George fixed it for my birthday and got a child seat for Gavin to ride in so we could all go on family bike rides. We had a great time on our family rides, all two of them, before the tire popped again. There it sat for another few months until today. I got the tire fixed again. Apparently you're supposed to pump them up each time you ride.
I took the boys on a short bike ride this afternoon after lunch. I was inspired after reading Tami's blog about her five year old riding TEN miles! This is the first time I've done this alone, without my much needed hubby. It was fun, but...we had to cross the main street near our house on our way home. This is always a hair raiser, whether we have bikes or not. The light changes too fast to make it across with 3 small kids. Daniel did fine (lost the attitude from the previous street crossing when I told him he had to hustle.) Vincent, on the other hand, headed out diagonally into the center of our huge intersection while 6 lanes of traffic watched this helpless mother shout directions at him while "trying" to hold onto my bike with Gavin in the child seat. I say "trying" because I actually dropped my bike with Gavin in it (no tears or injuries). After getting about 10 feet into the intersection, I realized we weren't going to make it in time. Daniel was almost all the way across, so he stayed on the other side while I backed up to the sidewalk while sounding the retreat to Vincent. The light had turned red by the time Vincent got back to the sidewalk. A kind mother got out of her car and waited with Daniel across the way until the light changed for us again. My, my, it might be awhile before we do anything more than circle the block! And that was my third bike ride in 2 years.
I went dumpster diving today. Okay, I wasn't planning on it, but I happened to be on the back side of a framing store walking past the dumpster, so I peered in and found this beauty. Is that legal? That's what they told us to do as art majors in college. I think it will make a fun prop for some family photo shoots. Should I paint it black or white or leave it as is?
6 comments:
Oh my gosh, Becky! How scary AND weird. Some day it will be a funny story the boys (and hopefully you!) will laugh about. And as for the dumpster diving thing...how come it doesn't surprise me that you were told that in college?
Wow! YOu are so brave to be biking with 3 boys and 2 of them loose. I'm glad you made it safely across the street.
Props to you Becky! that was quite the adventure! I know that intersection and you are brave!
I LOVE that frame. I have always seen pics that use the big frame and now i must go out and try to do some dumpster diving of my own!!
Becky - remind me to get one of those cart thing that attaches to the back of the bike :) I can only imagine what our lives will be like in a few short years as these kids get older and more independent. Glad everything worked out fine. I vote keeping the frame as is... gives it a little pop! :) Cool find!
wish we were still neighbors. Then we could have at least had a better ratio. Cool frame! I say leave it too :)
i LOVED the bike story-so hilarious b/c i was totally there with you as i read it. it is something i would do too. i love that a stranger helped out...restoring faith in humanity. oh, and the frame-beautiful. what a great prop. i kind of like it as is, but i bet in black or white it would look good too. i guess it depends upon the background color!
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