Wheeeee!

Ever since P's pals started pedaling around town, the child has had a hankering for a new bike.  Problem was, pedal bikes weigh about eight gazillion pounds more than the kid's featherweight running bike... and the child frequently feels uninterested, er, "too tired," to pedal his little butt up the big hill home, thereby making Mama schelp the child and the featherweight running bike up the hill.  After all, in New York, bikes are built for transportation, not just recreation, and the days of pointlessly piddling about in the driveway are just distant parental memories...

But in Kansas, the grands have a huge, long drive, with nary a cab.  And so the child set his sights on a big boy bike.  We swung by the thrift shop and found a sweet, small (but freakin' heavy - why always the ridiculous weight?!?!) pedal bike with one loose training wheel dangling from its rusty back.  The child made sure the shop kept the training wheel, that was not part of his picture :)  A little grease and a tire pump and the kid was ready to ride.  

I vividly remember my father helping me learn to ride, sans trainers.  Him pushing me down the street as I pedaled my heart out aboard my banana seat with streamers.  I was looking forward to an afternoon of pushing and running, building beautiful memories.  But, true to recent independent form, I was relatively unnecessary.  I gave him a great shove (I didn't even grab my camera, so sure was I that I'd have numerous occasions that afternoon to document the momentous occasion) and.... off he went.  Down the drive.  He even knew how (somehow?!) to brake.  

Fancy tricks

And so the child spent the rest of the afternoon racing around, up and down the long drive, around the circle trees, back to the barn, his little legs pumping madly, his cheeks bright pink.  Unfortunately, the video was only finally thought of once the action had become a bit blase, performed for Papa's sake (on his lunch break) by a  kid who was a bit distracted by Uncle Cash, returning home.  But you can get the general gist, the child feels pretty comfy on his bike :)