archive adventures, part 2

It's back to the archive again today, with another old shot that my mother sent me when I mentioned I was looking for photos of myself and the bicycles my family had when I was young.



This isn't me, actually; it's my little sister (on the left) and an anonymous wee friend. (She may be 27 now but she'll still always be my "little" sister.)

This trike was... how do you sum it up in one word? Awesome. It was our introduction to bicycling, but it certainly didn't get left behind when we moved on to two-wheelers. I remember our forays into "cargo cycling" like the photo above (and that wagon deserves a place of honour itself!) and into doubling (a second kid would stand on the back). A bell, those jangly spoke-beads, and oh-- that colour!

Tricycles so have a place in my heart. If I ever have a need for a cargo cycle, I think a cargo trike (2-wheels-front OR 2-wheels-back) may just be considered.

strawberry shortcake

My call has been answered!

Two new old photos of me and my strawberry shortcake bicycle arrived unannounced today, courtesy of my Mom. Mom, you are awesome!



These really show off the bike well. (Or as well as possible considering they are photos of photos, taken with a digital camera because I don't have a scanner and taken hastily under non-optimal lighting.) Love the little detailing on the chaingaurd, the training wheels, and the gumboots.



Here I am older but on the same bike. I look so tall! That one period of growth could likely have been my only brush with anything resembling lanky.

There's something wonderful about remembering carefree summer days of childhood. I may have more cares these days, but one thing hasn't changed: I do have a bicycle.

(Although nowhere near as cute a bicycle as this.)

kids bikes are awesome

Mystery of the day: why are kids' bikes SO MUCH MORE AWESOME than adults' bikes?

In a post a few weeks ago I mentioned the banana-seated Strawberry Shortcake bike that I had as a kid. I thought all the photos were at my parents' place but had forgotten that I did have one:



That's me in the back right (funny face!), my sister Shelley in the middle, and a friend named Amanda on the left.

Really ... just look at them! Way-high handlebars, coaster brakes, chain guards, step through (does that look almost like mixte frames on the 2 outside ones?), fenders, kickstands, cream tires, and a cool style uncluttered by a tangle of cables and levers. Granted, as an adult I'd like at least a few gears (we lived in a flat suburban neighbourhood back then) but otherwise these are rockin'. And we're wearing cute outfits, including dresses and sandals.

Next time I visit my family, I'm going to see if I can dig up some more.