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"Bicycle Moments"
10 years ago
For a change-of-pace, unrelated to 'furry fandom', I thought I'd tell you about my obsession with riding bicycles...
Said obsession goes all the way back to the late 1950s - back when I was living in the Bronx - when my parents gave me my first set of wheels (a tricycle, which I was confined to riding inside our fifth-story apartment). A few years later, they give me a two-wheeler, but with 'training wheels' (for safety's sake). Eventually, when I got used to balancing on the two tires, the 'training wheels' came off... but there were other unsafe incidents I hadn't counted on...
Such as the time I was leaning against my bike - totally forgetting that it didn't have a kickstand - falling over backwards, and banging my head against a wrought iron fence! (I still have the scar, to this very day.)
And I remember my first long distance bike trip, which took place during the summer of 1964 - shortly after the family moved from Ozone Park to Elmont (NY) - when I rode my bicycle from my new home, all the way back to my old home. By the time I got there, it was already too dark to ride back. (My father had to take me and my bike back home with the station wagon.)
In later years, having a bike turned out to be beneficial, when I used it to commute to and from work (but only during the summer months). First, during the late 1970s, when I had a job in East Meadow; and again, during the 1980s, when I had another job in Westbury.
When I'd moved down to south Florida in 1994, there were very few places to ride a bicycle (and riding out in the streets was just outright dangerous), so my bike sat on the back porch for months, where it rusted to pieces. And I had to rely on driving a car to and from the various gigs I had held, over the course of time...
During the next two decades, the infrastructure of south Florida roadways had improved, with the inclusion of 'bike lanes' (on certain major thoroughfares) and individual paths for non-motorists (such as the Cypress Creek Greenway). Even 'mass transit' made accommodations for cyclists, by adding bike racks on their buses and allowing bikes on Tri-Rail and Metrorail trains.
It was inevitable that I'd return to bike-riding... when I became a janitor at the Palm-Aire condo community in Pompano Beach, and I got demoted to working part-time hours for 'Minimum Wage' (which, in my area, is currently $8.05 an hour). I subsequently had to sell my car, when I could no longer afford auto insurance, and was reduced to taking a bus to and from work...
Then, one day, my brother Glenn got me a used bicycle (one of the older models that run on just one speed, that you have to back-pedal in order to apply the brakes). Well, you know the old saying, "It like getting back on a bicycle again!" The big difference, of course, was I can go to work all year long here in south Florida (compared to riding during the summer months back in the Northeast).
Needless to say, I had to deal with my share of flat tires, or even getting my shoelaces tangled with the pedals, but these setbacks were few and far in between...
Then, in early July, 2015, I was riding my bike to a Baskin-Robbins, when I'd found myself 'free-pedaling' (or moving fast, but not going anywhere). At first, I'd thought the chain had slipped off the gear, but (upon close examination) it hadn't. Instead, the gear on the rear axle had completely broken off (and could not be repaired). I eventually had to walk the bike all the way home...
When I'd told Glenn what had happened, he said "Let's get you a new bike."
"But I can't afford one on my salary," I said to him.
"Don't worry, Jed. I'll pay for it." Glenn replied.
We went to a nearby Walmart, which had several new two-wheelers on sale. Glenn found one on sale, and bought it, along with a heavy duty lock (to replace a chain and padlock I had been using). Unfortunately, when my brother tried to readjust the handlebars (to a comfortable position for me), he nearly damaged the bike. Eventually, he had to return it; but he kept the new lock for me.
In retrospect, it's a good thing that I didn't get the new bike; because one week later, I'd lost my job. I would've had a set of wheels and no place to go with them.
Now, 'fast forward' to December, 2015. With the help of Glenn, my sister Rhonda, and my counselor Mr. Cedeno, I became eligible for Social Security, and began receiving large checks - with were deposited in a new bank account (shared by Glenn and myself). In fact, I was collecting more money now, that what I was earning, if I still had my part-time janitor's gig!
Eventually, I was able to afford a new bicycle, using my own money. And, with Glenn's help, we'd found another two-wheeler at a Target store in Lauderhill. It was on sale for $99.99, but Glenn spotted a dent in the rear fender, and brought it to the attention of the Customer Service section of the store. The man behind the counter took an additional 10% off its price, and I got the vehicle for just $90.00 (+ tax). Of course, I had to ride the bike all the way back to my Margate condo (a forty-minute sprint) - because my brother's car (a Mini-Cooper) had no bike rack - but it was still worth the trip.
The next day, Glenn installed the bracket for the heavy duty lock (he'd bought for me months ago), and I began to officially take the first of a new series of long treks all over Broward County. (And I'd already learned about a new series of greenways, opening throughout the county, and I was looking forward to trying them out in the New Year...)
Finally, on Christmas Day (or, actually December 26th, since my bro and I are both natural-born procrastinators), Glenn gave me some appropriate presents to go with my new bike - including a pair of reflective ankle straps (to keep the legs of my denim jeans from getting shredded by the pedaling gear), a set of detachable lights (a white one for the front and a red one for the rear), and a brand new backpack (to carry my supplies and snacks on long trips).
So, if you don't see any new posted material in my "FA" site during 2016, don't worry. I'm just taking the occasional bike ride - getting exercise and fresh air (on the greenways), seeing nature (which you can't really experience, driving 65 MPH in a car), and (most of all) enjoying my new lease on life!
(I'll have new art and 'photo-ops' when I get back home.)
Said obsession goes all the way back to the late 1950s - back when I was living in the Bronx - when my parents gave me my first set of wheels (a tricycle, which I was confined to riding inside our fifth-story apartment). A few years later, they give me a two-wheeler, but with 'training wheels' (for safety's sake). Eventually, when I got used to balancing on the two tires, the 'training wheels' came off... but there were other unsafe incidents I hadn't counted on...
Such as the time I was leaning against my bike - totally forgetting that it didn't have a kickstand - falling over backwards, and banging my head against a wrought iron fence! (I still have the scar, to this very day.)
And I remember my first long distance bike trip, which took place during the summer of 1964 - shortly after the family moved from Ozone Park to Elmont (NY) - when I rode my bicycle from my new home, all the way back to my old home. By the time I got there, it was already too dark to ride back. (My father had to take me and my bike back home with the station wagon.)
In later years, having a bike turned out to be beneficial, when I used it to commute to and from work (but only during the summer months). First, during the late 1970s, when I had a job in East Meadow; and again, during the 1980s, when I had another job in Westbury.
When I'd moved down to south Florida in 1994, there were very few places to ride a bicycle (and riding out in the streets was just outright dangerous), so my bike sat on the back porch for months, where it rusted to pieces. And I had to rely on driving a car to and from the various gigs I had held, over the course of time...
During the next two decades, the infrastructure of south Florida roadways had improved, with the inclusion of 'bike lanes' (on certain major thoroughfares) and individual paths for non-motorists (such as the Cypress Creek Greenway). Even 'mass transit' made accommodations for cyclists, by adding bike racks on their buses and allowing bikes on Tri-Rail and Metrorail trains.
It was inevitable that I'd return to bike-riding... when I became a janitor at the Palm-Aire condo community in Pompano Beach, and I got demoted to working part-time hours for 'Minimum Wage' (which, in my area, is currently $8.05 an hour). I subsequently had to sell my car, when I could no longer afford auto insurance, and was reduced to taking a bus to and from work...
Then, one day, my brother Glenn got me a used bicycle (one of the older models that run on just one speed, that you have to back-pedal in order to apply the brakes). Well, you know the old saying, "It like getting back on a bicycle again!" The big difference, of course, was I can go to work all year long here in south Florida (compared to riding during the summer months back in the Northeast).
Needless to say, I had to deal with my share of flat tires, or even getting my shoelaces tangled with the pedals, but these setbacks were few and far in between...
Then, in early July, 2015, I was riding my bike to a Baskin-Robbins, when I'd found myself 'free-pedaling' (or moving fast, but not going anywhere). At first, I'd thought the chain had slipped off the gear, but (upon close examination) it hadn't. Instead, the gear on the rear axle had completely broken off (and could not be repaired). I eventually had to walk the bike all the way home...
When I'd told Glenn what had happened, he said "Let's get you a new bike."
"But I can't afford one on my salary," I said to him.
"Don't worry, Jed. I'll pay for it." Glenn replied.
We went to a nearby Walmart, which had several new two-wheelers on sale. Glenn found one on sale, and bought it, along with a heavy duty lock (to replace a chain and padlock I had been using). Unfortunately, when my brother tried to readjust the handlebars (to a comfortable position for me), he nearly damaged the bike. Eventually, he had to return it; but he kept the new lock for me.
In retrospect, it's a good thing that I didn't get the new bike; because one week later, I'd lost my job. I would've had a set of wheels and no place to go with them.
Now, 'fast forward' to December, 2015. With the help of Glenn, my sister Rhonda, and my counselor Mr. Cedeno, I became eligible for Social Security, and began receiving large checks - with were deposited in a new bank account (shared by Glenn and myself). In fact, I was collecting more money now, that what I was earning, if I still had my part-time janitor's gig!
Eventually, I was able to afford a new bicycle, using my own money. And, with Glenn's help, we'd found another two-wheeler at a Target store in Lauderhill. It was on sale for $99.99, but Glenn spotted a dent in the rear fender, and brought it to the attention of the Customer Service section of the store. The man behind the counter took an additional 10% off its price, and I got the vehicle for just $90.00 (+ tax). Of course, I had to ride the bike all the way back to my Margate condo (a forty-minute sprint) - because my brother's car (a Mini-Cooper) had no bike rack - but it was still worth the trip.
The next day, Glenn installed the bracket for the heavy duty lock (he'd bought for me months ago), and I began to officially take the first of a new series of long treks all over Broward County. (And I'd already learned about a new series of greenways, opening throughout the county, and I was looking forward to trying them out in the New Year...)
Finally, on Christmas Day (or, actually December 26th, since my bro and I are both natural-born procrastinators), Glenn gave me some appropriate presents to go with my new bike - including a pair of reflective ankle straps (to keep the legs of my denim jeans from getting shredded by the pedaling gear), a set of detachable lights (a white one for the front and a red one for the rear), and a brand new backpack (to carry my supplies and snacks on long trips).
So, if you don't see any new posted material in my "FA" site during 2016, don't worry. I'm just taking the occasional bike ride - getting exercise and fresh air (on the greenways), seeing nature (which you can't really experience, driving 65 MPH in a car), and (most of all) enjoying my new lease on life!
(I'll have new art and 'photo-ops' when I get back home.)
Lia Graf
~hijiki-domo
Safe journeys to and from when you do pedal about!
RobCat
~robcat
OP
Thank you. BTW, 'helmet laws' in Florida are not too strict, but I still have one to wear, whenever I take long bike treks... "Safety first!"
