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| Ticket to freedom |
I was headed to the train yard to watch the trains go by. After I was saturated with "trainertainment" I pedaled to the receiving door of Wells and Wade Hardware. As I was chatting up the workers, a policeman arrived on the scene. He had me sit in the front seat while he loaded my trike into the back seat. I had my first ride in a police car! What a great day I've been having so far! The policeman brought me home. He handed me to my mom who had no idea that her baby boy was missing. Meanwhile, the policeman is scolding my father -(Dad being the ultimate power in my world) Scolding my father...wait...what?
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| trainertainment |
Nothing of much consequence happened for the rest of that day, but the next morning when I went out to ride my trike, the front wheel was missing. What the...?
At some point in the future, I got my triking privileges reinstated and was back to wandering in no time. Not going any farther than the B&M market over on Lynnwood, or Ernie's by Pioneer Junior High School. Those were acceptable boundaries for the unsupervised 3-year-old.
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| They called the cops on me |
The next year I found that the boundaries were too restrictive and I was growing weary of the limitation. One summer day, I was riding my tricycle on two wheels. when Jeff Sanford said that I was ready for a two-wheeler!
He got Timmy Dougherty's bike and they pushed me down the road, I was getting the knack. I turned my head around to ask what to do next, and they were half a block behind me! I WAS RIDING A BIKE!!! I didn't know how to stop so I went into Dr. Quimby's yard and crashed to stop! That moment defined me.
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| My job. I'm in third position |
I have been on two wheels of some sort to this very day. Currently I own 8 bicycles and a motorcycle. I have toured through 25 countries, made a living racing road bikes and spent about a decade and a half working in bicycle shops. Truly, the Zen of my experience.
