[from the STMcC archive: September 15, 2006]
Where would Roy Rogers have been without Trigger? Where would The Lone Ranger have been without Silver? And Pecos Bill without Widowmaker, or Doc Holliday without Big Nose Kate?
The indisputable fact is that every cowboy needs a horse to ride. And what with the price of gasoline and oats these days, is it any surprise that many of us urban cowboys have shifted to the two-wheeled variety of equine transportation?
The other day - just on a whim - I did a search to see if anything would come up when I entered in the name and style of my deeply beloved bicycle, THE HUFFY "GOOD VIBRATIONS" model cruiser. How exuberantly surprised I was to find myself staring at a photograph of my lovely, faithful "steed." It's still being made. Hooray! "Classic" cruisers are still in and I'm still astride mine (even if the "fenders" are long gone.)
Let me tell you about my bike: I bought my Huffy "GOOD VIBRATIONS" cruiser at Pep Boys in downtown Santa Monica, California, circa 1980. (It looks identical to the one pictured here.) I've probably logged over 144,000 miles on mine. I used to pedal it every day before work on the beach bike path for exercise and for just the pure joy of it. My favorite ride took me from underneath the Santa Monica pier, through the human carnival of Venice Beach, around the boat slips of Marina Del Rey, and along the sand through El Segundo, Manhattan Beach, Hermosa Beach, Redondo Beach, to the outskirts of Torrance, and then back again. Or to put it more succinctly: My favorite ride was Heaven on Earth!
And note: With the barest minimum of maintenance, I'm still riding on "GOOD VIBRATIONS." Yeah, uh-huh, that's right. About 26 years after buying my bike, it and I are still the best of friends; I'm still planting my "cushions" on its seat and still pedaling along the canals, to the horse track, or to the grocery store, or to work. Now, how many years have you been driving your car? Think you'll get 26 years out of it? Will you get 26 years out of your job? How 'bout your marriage? Yeah, what I'm saying is that "GOOD VIBRATIONS" last and last...
But I had a real scare recently: The bearings in the doohickey that connects to the thingamajig had gotten wrecked and the handlebars were loose in the whatchamacallit. (Rode it that way for over a year anyway.)
Finally, took it in to a bike shop and "Homeboy" tells me to throw my best friend into a dumpster. "Homeboy" says it can't be repaired. According to "Homeboy" the bike was basically junk when brand new, and that the fork could break on me at any moment and put me in the hospital.
Well, certain that "GOOD VIBRATIONS" could never hurt me, I put my buddy in the bed of my truck and drove it from Phoenix, Airheadzona, to Santa Monica, California, for one last beach bike path ride. I figured that if it broke on me along the way, I'd just leave it on the beach to R.I.P. (Rust In Pieces).
Well, we made it from the Santa Monica pier to Torrance and back, just like the good ol' days! The other riders could hear us comin' up on 'em because "GOOD VIBRATIONS" was loudly going "SQUEEEK - KREEEK - RATTLE - GROAN! SQUEEEK - KREEEK - RATTLE - GROAN!" Other bikers probably thought he was crying in pain, but I recognized those sounds for what they really were: SINGING! JOYFUL SINGING!
Back home, Good Friend Melanie suggested that I take "GOOD VIBRATIONS" to see the nice, old gentleman who owns ROADRUNNER BIKE CENTER in Glendale, AZ. Two weeks later and only $34.59 lighter, "GOOD VIBRATIONS" is as good as new and ready to hit the canals again as soon as the weather cools down! (Why, that dirty dog at the first bike shop! I think "Homeboy" just wanted to sell me some newfangled, multi-geared "horse.")
Only one thing concerns me: My bike is clearly labeled "HUFFY - MADE IN U.S.A." Are "GOOD VIBRATIONS" still made here, or are they now produced in China? I urge you to investigate before buying because "GOOD AMERICANS" don't financially support Coummunist countries that utilize slave labor, threaten their neighbors, imprison the religious, and force abortions on their women. Right?
Sometimes only poetry can express a cowboy's love for his "horse".
O, my Bike, O, my Horse
We've ridden twenty-six years
You have carried me through
Times of joy and times of tears
We've traveled city streets
And journeyed along the strand
I rarely gave you oil
You never bitched 'bout the sand
Leaving California
You never said, "This is bad!"
You never once complained
(Though I kinda wish you had)
You never bucked me off
Never trampled on my hide
Never had a headache
When I said I'd like to ride
You are my "Black Beauty"
You are truly my best friend
I'll shout it from rooftops
Though others I might offend
Because of you alone
I have known excitations
And more than The Beach Boys
You give me Good Vibrations
I feel so close to you
You are almost like my kin
Throw you in a dumpster?
No, I'll throw that "Homeboy" in!
"A COWBOY NEEDS A HORSE"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rIRkjozEFQE
~ Stephen T. McCarthy
I'm so glad you didn't listen to that idiotic Homeboy. Only a rider with a pure heart can decide when it's time for his trusty sidekick to R.I.P ("Rust In Pieces")! Thanks for taking this wonderful story out for another spin, Stephen. Your delightful poem was an added bonus.
ReplyDeleteJulie
GEM JULIE ~
DeleteThanks for your nice comment!
I've been working on a massive 2-bit blog bit about my first 3 months in Reno, but I realized I would be shortchanging it if I posted it now, so close to the July 1st BOTB.
So, instead, I found something else to post as an in-between, and it actually makes good "horse sense" since I refer to my bicycle in my 2-part Reno post as my "horse". And...
...also because my "two-wheeled horse" - the SAME ONE which I STILL ride TODAY (the same 'Huffy - Good Vibrations') actually "bucked me off for the very first time, and I think I have one or two cracked ribs, right NOW, as a result.
Oh, well, time heals all wounds, and I love my horse no matter what - even if his front hooves did go totally flat suddenly and he threw me into 4th Street so loudly that even Renoidiots at the bus stop across the street heard my body hit the asphalt.
"Stuffs" happens, eh?
~ D-FensDogG
'Loyal American Underground'
This is an awesome story!! I loved that your horse was resuscitated and brought back to life. Nothing better than a nice long ride along the coast. I was drooling and green with envy as you described your route. Santa Monica and Venice are on my top 10 fave places in my world.
ReplyDeleteMy very first bike was a pink huffy that I rode all over Dallas for years. It was more of a boy style bike and I was taught how to do wheelies and jump off curbs from the neighborhood boys. I have the fondest memories of that bike. I eventually grew out of it as I got older and replaced the huffy with a 10 speed bike I saved and saved for.
I have a bike now but I'm not close to any bike trails or paths. I need to blow the dust off and get her moving again ( me too).
Howdy, HOLLI ~
DeleteThanks! Glad you liked the post.
Maybe I shouldn't tell you this (and feed your Green-Eyed Monster) but I was raised in "DOGTOWN". That's the southern section of Santa Monica and Northern section of Venice, where they meet at the beach.
My Brother and Sister and I knew some of those guys who nicknamed the area "Dogtown" and became famous as the Z-Boys by starting the whole skateboarding craze in the 1970s. (See the movies 'Lords Of Dogtown" and "Dogtown And Z-Boys".)
So, yeah, I lived there and really did ride my "horse" on the beach bike path about 5 or 6 days a week. To me, that was truly Paradise - best bike route ever! The beauty of the beach, the little curvaceous twists and turns around the boats in Marina Del Rey harbor, the absolute A-list weirdness of Venice Beach... that bike path HAD IT ALL!
Your pink Huffy sounds great! Those were the days, eh?
~ Stephen
'Loyal American Underground'
I'm sorry that you got thrown from your "two-wheeled horse."
ReplyDeleteIt must have hurt pretty badly when you cracked your ribs. I hope you're starting to feel a little bit better. Take good care of yourself, Stephen. Please don't try to get back in the saddle again before you're completely healed.
Julie
GEM JULIE ~
DeleteHa! I was "back in the saddle" about two days later. I'm assuming it's a cracked rib or two (or else a very, very deep bruise) because it's still sore, but I have no insurance and no money to waste on a doctor.
It's getting better day-by-day though. And at the time it occurred, it didn't hurt at all (thanks to the "medication" I was on).
The whole thing was my fault and I don't blame my "horse" at all. See, I knew the front tire was flat already, but it still had some air in it. I was downtown and it would have taken a looooong time to walk it home, so I rode it anyway.
But as I was riding it - slowly - I didn't realize that what little air remained was leaking out. Then at a freeway underpass, I went to turn, taking the horse off the sidewalk, over a driveway and into the street. Well, the horse COULDN'T turn at that point and dumped me right into the street.
I was actually lucky I didn't break my right arm, a bunch of teeth, and get run over by an oncoming car.
But I've learned my lesson: .....increase my dosage of "medication" before riding! :-)
~ D-FensDogG
I knew you loved your bike... but I dare say I had no idea the adoration ran so deep.
ReplyDeleteI read your comment above to Julie about your front tire going flat and the bike throwing you in the dirt. I hope you heal soon. AND, I hope that your trusted sidekick doesn't pull those shenanigans again anytime soon.
It's good that you never quit riding your bike. I got on a bike a while back and thought I'd die. Seriously die. I discovered all these muscles I didn't know I had. Worse, I was horribly wobbly (I have balance issues due to loss of vestibular function in both ears), so I was justifiably worried that I was going to hit the pavement. However, I remember loving my bike as a kid. Just loving it.
I'm not sure when it happened, but I think I've become an "old fart." Officially.
GIRL WONDER ~
DeleteOh, the love runs deep, REALLY DEEP!
While I was packing my 20' U-Haul trailer to move out here, I happened to mention to Brother Nappy that I needed to remember to leave enough space for my bicycle. Nappy says, "You're taking THAT with you?!"
No lie, I replied, "Man, I would take every single thing out of that trailer if I had to in order to get my bike in there. I'd leave EVERYTHING ELSE before I'd leave my bike!"
Don't feel bad because, truth be told, I hadn't ridden my horse for quite awhile and the first time I unhitched him here in Reno and took him for a ride, I was a bit wobbly myself. I couldn't believe it! True, once learned, a person never forgets how to ride a bike. But there are various degrees of competency, and while my bike hadn't gotten rusty, I HAD.
At first I thought maybe there was something wrong with the bike. Even got off and examined it. Nope, nuttin' wrong with the bike. Sumpin' wrong with me! So I got back on and started riding.
You should see me NOW though! It's like a different cowboy and a different horse. I'm up and down curbs, in and out of the street, one side to the other depending upon which lane has cars, I'm riding in tight spaces between fences and lampposts without scratching my knuckles, yelling at the gangbangers as I go by.
I'm an old fart, too, but I ride a great horse!
~ D-FensDogG
I imagine those bicycles are made in China these days since most everything else is. I don't remember what happened to the only bicycle I ever owned, but I'm sure it no longer exists other than molecules incorporated elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteI'd like to have a bicycle again. Actually though I'd probably never ride it. Not around where I live.
Lee
LEE ~
DeleteSadly, you're right. I doubt the Huffy cruiser is still made in the USA. I would be stoked to learn I'm wrong about that though.
Man, you only owned one bike in your life? I would have figured you as a kind of "bike guy".
The first "real" one I had (two wheels - not a tricycle) was in maybe '67 - a purple job with a banana seat and a "sissy bar". Really cool ride for that time!
Then later I guess I must have had 2 or 3 10-speeds, all of them purchased used at police auctions or elsewhere.
Then I bought this Huffy "Good Vibrations" circa 1980 for $100. Still riding it TODAY - the thing is an indestructible MONSTER! Love this bike so much! It's been so many cool places with me... Venice Beach, Turf Paradise, under the famous Reno sign, the Truckee River, just for starters.
Once you find the "right" bike and the right baseball glove, you never need another! I got 'em both.
~ D-FensDogG
I've had a "bike post" in the hopper on my Wrote By Rote blog for quite some time now. I guess I'll eventually finish it up and publish it one day.
DeleteI got my first bike for Christmas in 1960. It was a black and white bike that I think was called an American Flyer. A standard design bike with nothing fancy to it. We were in San Diego at the time--it was a perfect neighborhood for bike riding and I really put the miles on it there.
I continued to ride it when we moved to Indiana in 1963 and once again it was a great neighborhood for bike riding. I rode it throughout jr.high years.
When we moved to Tennessee in 1966 I think I still had the bike as I seem to remember riding around our neighborhood for a while. But during those high school years I stopped riding and I have no idea what happened to the bike after that.
Never had a bike after that. Thought about it, but most of my early adult years were spend on the road and there was little point in carrying a bike around then.
They say you never forget how to learn how to ride a bike so I guess I could still do it, but at my age I think I would be cautious. No strong compulsion to get a bike now though.
My one bicycle served me well for many years.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
LEE ~
Delete"American Flyer"? I know of the wagon called that but...
No, wait! 'American Flyer' was a movie... and a bike brand, too, I guess. But I was thinking of "RADIO FLYER", which was a popular wagon brand and, I thought, a pretty damned-good movie, which I intend to watch again someday.
We "old flyers" tend to get confused, eh, Birdman? Ha!
~ D-FensDogG
I also had a Radio Flyer red wagon. Saw the movie Radio Flyer years ago with my kids. It's a kids movie that I recall enjoying, but back then I enjoyed anything that entertained my kids. I don't think I saw the American Flyer film though.
DeleteI also had an American Flyer electric train set which I sold for a pittance back in 1976 and now regret having done so in some ways, the least being that I could have gotten a lot more for what I sold it.
My bike was so basic. I always wished for a bike with speeds and hand brakes, but I never got anything that advanced. I don't even think mine had a light on it though it did have those plastic tassles that protruded out of the ends of the handlebars. They were showy and utterly useless.
Lee
Wrote By Rote
I remember those tassles on kid's bikes.
DeleteI don't know that I'd call 'RADIO FLYER' a kids movie, although it was about kids. That was kind of a dark story, as I recall, with the kids using their imagination to escape from physical abuse. Haven't seen it in ages but I thought it was quite a little sleeper.
You didn't miss much in never having had a bike with hand breaks and multiple speeds. The breaks are still just breaks, and it's funny that everyone I knew used just 1 to 3 gear speeds despite having 10 to 16. Unless one was really a legitimate racer, it was mostly a lot of overkill on a bike.
~ D-FensDogG
OUCH!
ReplyDeleteGettin' tossed off your steed at YOUR age?? No bueno, mi amigo.
Loved the poem, love the bike. I never owned a beach cruiser. I got a Schwinn Stingray in 1963 or 64 for Christmas and loved that bike. I wasn't riding long distances at that age, so it was perfect and cool. Metallic green with an awesome metalflake banana seat. At 15 my parents bought me a Schwinn Collegiate 10 speed and that was my "hoss" until I finally got a car.
As you'll recall, a couple of years ago my wife had a conference in Santa Monica and I took the opportunity to rent a one-speed beach cruiser and ride ALL OVER your old haunts. Venice Beach, the canals, the boardwalk, the lifeguard stations. I calculated my route afterward and I traveled 20 miles that day. I was rather proud of myself since I'd not been on a bike in decades, and I was not the least bit tired or sore. I even sought out and found the old (long gone, now sumpin' else) Shelby Cobra factory.
I decided that I missed out never owning one of those beach cruisers. And I missed out never living on the beach, too!
SHEBOYGANBOY SIX ~
Delete>>... Gettin' tossed off your steed at YOUR age?? No bueno, mi amigo.
Hey, Hey! Whatchoo implyin' there, Willis?
[:-)}
Actually, it didn't really hurt much when it happened. (I'd been taking my martini medication as prescribed!) It wasn't until the next day, and worse yet the day after that, when I realized how "hurted" I really was.
It's feeling pretty decent today though (for the first time) and I think I'm ready to go back to my push-ups and pull-ups.
Hey, glad you liked the poem (and the horse). 14 of 22 nitwits at Amazon.scum gave this review a "thumbs down" rating, and one person wrote: "Apparently this is someone who thinks they are a writer. Keep it simple next time please, I am not interested in musings."
Gosh! If I had any feelings, that would have hurt 'em!
Man, I DO remember when you rented the bike and cruised my old Venice haunts. I seem to remember urging you to do that while you were there!
Wasn't that great? Six, I miss those years. I was out there most days, covering that bike path like grains of sand. And sometimes on my days "off" I'd do the whole thing, from the Santa Monica pier to Torrance and back (with a stop at Redondo Beach pier for lemonade and a hot-dog-on-a-stick.
Those were some of the best years of my life!
But no matter where I've lived, I've always enjoyed riding my horse and finding new paths to take. That's actually the most exercise I get these days, and the combination of horse riding and 12 ounce curls keeps me young (...at heart).
~ D-FensDogG
Was I the homeboy?
ReplyDeleteWhile I still have my trusty Fuji S-10-S from 1979, around 2004 I had to pay $10 for a small piece for the center pull brakes simply because the bike shop at 59th Avenue and the 101 only had five of the part.
He gave me the same advice (junk the bike), and for sentimental reasons I could not. I was logging 3,000 miles a year during the peak use years (1979 through 1984), built the wheels from scratch, striped the thing down to ball bearings, lubed everything and put it back together several times...rode it from Philly to the Jersey shore several times, from Philly to the Chesepeake Bay,,.Philly to Assateague Island ....this bike was full of memories!
I did, however, buy a newer Fuji, and they are made better. but if I gave you the advice to scrap the old bike, it would been out of sheer frustration of trying to find parts for mine.
Just re-read the post-looks like "Homeboy" is the bike shop guy...I am off the hook!
ReplyDeleteLC ~
DeleteSounds like you're as close to your horse as I am to mine. If this bike ever died, it would be like a part of myself dying, too.
Funny thing is, my Huffy was only about $100. or less in 1980 or so. It wasn't supposed to be much of a bike to begin with - single-speed mess-around-on bike - but after only one $34. repair the thing is still going strong.
Man, we used to build things, and built them to LAST! My Huffy "Good Vibrations" was probably the very best investment I ever made in my life. The joy I've gotten from it, the memories, the places it's taken me... Hokey-Smoke! What a deal I got!
~ D-FensDogG
Huffy was always a brand that was heavy (so not preferred by people who were doing long, multiple-day rides-but they also had a reputation for being built like tanks!
DeleteYep.
Delete~D'DogG
People say you never forget how to ride a bike, but it's not true. I can't ride a bike. Homeboy should be called Assboy. Favorite Young Man is an avid cyclist and often rides a hundred miles or more in a day. I would like to ride a horse again. The last time I was on a horse I was about thirteen. I know I shouldn't ride a horse because I broke my back in five places in 2009. I want to ride a horse anyway. Maybe I'll wait until I'm absolutely positive I'm going to die so it won't matter that I've caused greater damage to my back. Congratulations on knowing that it's not advice unless you ask for it.
ReplyDeleteLove,
Janie
LOVE JANIE ~
Delete>>... Maybe I'll wait until I'm absolutely positive I'm going to die so it won't matter
Ha! That's sharp thinkin'!
And I think the same way.
Three minutes before I die, I 'spect I'll make a name for myself. Oh, I WILL be heard from... in a BIG way... before I die (assuming, of course, that I see it coming).
There are some people (no one in particular, no one personally) that I mean to square accounts with before I go. Hint: politicians and police assifers might want to straighten their shit out!
Whoops! Did I just commit a "thought-crime"?
[:-)}
~ D-FensDogG
I don't want to hurt anyone except myself. I'll even make sure I keep losing weight so I'm not too heavy for the horse. Death, be my lover soon, but give me ample warning so I can ride a horse.
Delete>>... Death, be my lover soon
DeleteHa!
That reminded me of a blog bit I wrote years ago on my defunct 'STUFFS' blog. It was about "the Avocado of Death" and it was titled 'O Avocado, Where Is Thy Sting?' A Biblical reference that I figured a few folks might catch.
~ D-FensDogG
I hope you are healing well. With ribs, you can't put a sling around it or a bandage-it just needs to take longer and no major laughing or coughing episodes. That homeboy is a youngin who knows nuttin.Glad you found the right person to fix your bike. I am sure these bikes are made in China, which is sad plus they are not made like they used to be. Your bike is going strong because of the way it was built and how well you took care of it. Love this cartoon and how typical that he would rather have his horse kiss him than the girl. Hoe did Roy Rogers ever get Dale Evans in the sack? oops did I just write that out loud?? Enjoy many more years with your bike:)
ReplyDeleteWell, look at who’s back…my Internet service. Almost hard to believe.
ReplyDeleteWhat a fun post. Brings back memories of mine. My daddy, being a very practical man, bought me a Huffy, 26” cruiser, when I was 5 or 6, and ready to graduate from a trike to a two wheeler. Yeah, I had about 6 inches of blocks on the pedals so I could reach, but I learned to ride that thing in a very short time, and I still have a very prominent scar on each knee to prove it, too.
I loved that bike and rode it all over the city. Many places that daddy had no idea about. I used to ride regularly over to my cousin’s house, about 8 or 9 miles away and spend the day. I never did own a car of my own (not until I was married) so IT was my most basic transportation well into adulthood.
Later on I replaced that bike with a ten-speed Raleigh, that I loved just as much and rode everywhere, but it wasn’t the same. Lost that bike in the divorce, one of the few things I mourned. Today I own another Huffy. A Mountain-type bike that I ride whenever I can. I have issues with my balance, but I don’t let it deter me. So far, so good, no major wrecks.
I have ridden a recumbent stationery bike almost every day for the last two years, so it really helps to keep me in shape, for getting on the ole Huffy, and cruising around. Although, I do have to say, some of the uphill climbs, where I currently live, really kick my butt good.
Love the poem and adore that cartoon. Brings back other memories, also. I really do miss my real live horse and wish I could have her with me again, but that just isn't in the cards.
BIRGIT ~
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for coming by and commenting! I want you to know that I ALWAYS read your blog bits, but sometimes I can't think of something witty to say. But when it has to do with an old classic black & white movie, you know I'm ALL OVER that stuffs.
[By the way, just today the "Peggy McMillan" and 'Touch Of Evil" connection was made apparent to me. Peggy was Andy Taylor's hot, Hot, HOT girlfriend in 'The Andy Griffith Show'. Turns out she was also Ryan O'Neil's wife and Tatum O'Neil's mother. And she played a role in the Film Noir classic 'Touch Of Evil', which I love and own and now have to re-watch.]
Honestly, I never took care of my "horse". Never did ANYTHING for it unless it was absolutely required. Which makes my "horse" all the more amazing! Yak about tough? Dang, this bike is the toughest thing I've ever known!
Yeah, wasn't this cartoon great? Back when Disney was truly the king of imaginative animation! My favorite part occurs about 2:30 when the cowboy runs out of bullets and he and his horse both look down the barrels and then look at each other with that "OH, SHIT!" expression.
Roy Rogers... you KNOW him! And Dale Evans, too! I am a HUGE fan of theirs! HUGE! Grew up with them... "My heroes have always been cowboys! And they still are".
I even met Roy and Dale once, had my picture taken with them, and that picture can be found in a Roy And Dale book that was recently published, along with a fan letter I wrote to Roy shortly after meeting him..
I LOVE ROY ROGERS (and his stuffed wife, Trigger)!
Oops! Did I just write that out loud?
~ D-FensDogG
Oh wow-you met Roy and Dale? That must have been a treat. I heard they were really down to earth, wonderful people. It's pretty cool that you are in a book along with your fan letter.
DeleteIt was a total thrill. Roy had someone take our picture together and then he insisted a second one be taken just in case the first didn't come out well.
DeleteWe didn't wait to get home to develop those pictures but immediately took the film to a one-hour development shop. Ha! Just couldn't stand the suspense!
~ D-FensDogG
FAE ~
ReplyDelete>>... a ten-speed Raleigh
Oh, hell yes! Oh, hell-hell YES! A ten-speed Raleigh!
In an earlier comment to LEE, I mentioned having owned 2 or 3 ten-speed bikes. Two is more likely, but the one I got from the police auction was a RALEIGH! I never would have remembered the name if you hadn't mentioned it. But, YES, it was a Raleigh, and it was maroon in color, and I rode the crap outta that bike! If this HUFFY "Good Vibrations" cruiser hadn't come along, that Raleigh would have been my favorite "horse".
Even today I was riding my Huffy and overheard two people on the streets say how they'd like to have my bike. (Yep. When I secure that horse, I use two locks - one through the front tire and attached to a pole, and the other through the back tire and attached to the pole... and attached to the OTHER cable. One's a combination lock, and the other is a Master key lock. Who woulda thunk a $100. 1980-bicycle would need so much security in 2015?)
Thanks for the kind words about the poem, and the cartoon. How could ANYONE not love THAT cartoon, eh?
~ D-FensDogG
No,no,no. I'm talking about all the other robbers and thieves and such.
ReplyDeleteHmm, Big Nose Kate was his whore, not horse. Maybe same thing in those days, lol. By her own admission.
ReplyDeleteI think we had Huffy's as kids, maybe this one at some point. I was a wierd one; didn't go riding much with my siblings. I always had some type of accident. My little Sis was always the one to fix my bike when it got damaged though. She still fixes my kids bikes - when my daughter is too busy ;)
I haven't been on a bike in years. Seat would disappear somewhere in my "cushions". Depending on my day, might be the only F** I get.
Howdy, DONNA!
DeleteWell, if you've ever seen any pictures of "Big Nose Kate" you know that she did kind of look like a horse, and Doc rode her hard, so... sounds "horsey" to me. Ha!
>>... Seat would disappear somewhere in my "cushions". Depending on my day, might be the only F** I get.
F**? I assume you meant "Fun". [;-)]
~ D-FensDogG
Whatever you say Saint Mac :)
DeleteI still have my old Huffy. That thing is solid steel, heavy as hell, and just won't let you go up hill. Well, not without a fight. Now I have one of those fancy lightweight racing bikes. Barely give it a push and you'll go flying. I'm all about efficiency.
ReplyDeleteSo did you really buck off and crack a rib or two on (possibly) Thursday? Because on Thursday I went running on the trail behind my house, landed wrong while coming down a big hill, and got a nasty shin splint. Today I still can't even walk properly without hobbling around like an old man. Takes me about 5 minutes just to get up the stairs.
The kicker, of course, is that my wife says "Told you so." She says running is going to destroy my legs. That I should ride my bike instead, because that's much safer.
Maybe I should show her your comments in this post.
~6B
6-B ~
DeleteYeah, I'll admit that hills are not my Huffy's friend (or mine). I usually ride up them, but it's slow going.
Yep, I did get bucked off and banged myself up good. Either a very deep bad bruise or a cracked rib (or two). This wasn't last Thursday though. Could have been the Thursday before, and there's still some soreness but it's noticeably improved.
Yeah, went to turn sharply down a driveway into the street but the wheel, like, buckled because the tire had gone entirely flat. Threw me straight down onto the asphalt.
To be honest, I'm not much for running either. That's a lot of pressure and wear and tear on the knees. Doing it on a trail though is at least better than on cement, where there's no "give" and the joints absorb all of the shock.
When I was on the high school football team, the coaches used to make us run up and down these cement steps... IN OUR CLEATS! What a bonehead thing THAT was! Good thing I had such young legs then, and didn't play football beyond that one year.
~ D-FensDogG
~ D-FensDogG,
ReplyDeleteLike the cartoon song says... 'whoo-wee' - and what a soundtrack of your life! The poem says it all.
>>" We've traveled city streets
And journeyed along the strand
I rarely gave you oil
You never bitched 'bout the sand"
My bike is still going, though as it write this, I don't recall the brand. It's one of the first three speeds, built years ago. My childhood bike bit the the dust in the eighties - I replaced it with a heavier bike, though Huffy was too much for me to handle.
>>" You never bucked me off
Never trampled on my hide
Never had a headache
When I said I'd like to ride"
Life is good when it's simple, right?!
Funny thing about that cartoon - it had a little bit of everything. I might not have turned down the $10,000 reward money, ha! The train scene is pretty amazing. What wonderful things we can do in our dreams. Whoo-wee!
P.S. Take care Cowboy - asphalt can give you a new look when you least expect it.
dp ~
DeleteFortunately, I fell right and the asphalt didn't even leave a mark. (Thank you, 3 Martinis, for keeping me loose enough to avoid real damage.)
I definitely would NOT have turned down the $10,000 reward money. Have you any idea how many Martinis that is? (It ain't the money that matters. It's the Martinis :-)
>>... What wonderful things we can do in our dreams.
Who says we're EVER awake? I think our nighttime dreams are really just dreams within dreams.
~ D-FensDogG
>> " Who says we're EVER awake? I think our nighttime dreams are really just dreams within dreams."
DeleteWell, ~D-FensDogG, you have a point there. I'm apt to agree. Lately I'm watching Asian movies, and the theme of Buddhism, among other things. It's complex on one hand yet simple on the other. I often 'awake' with thoughts I've never had before.
My shore is peaceful and the waves are calm. Why do I feel that I'm a mermaid who's found legs to walk? The earth beneath my feet often, curiously new, and unknown.
Three Martini's you say... will that work for me?
Yeah, there are a number of more esoteric spiritual teachings that accept, at least to some degree, the concept of "Maya" (illusion, or living in an unreal dream state).
DeleteI believe I've even found a few references to it in The Bible. And, really, to me the miracle of Yeshua walking on water almost seems to shout, "Wake up! You're living in a dream". I can't explain it but walking on water, like jumping into the air and instantly flying, just seems like an "ideal" dream-like absurdity. So, I've often wondered if Christ was telling us something with that miracle and not just randomly performing it simply because He could. (His miracles were ALWAYS very purposeful.)
Oh, I think 3 Martinis would work for anyone. If not... try 4. Ha!
~ D-FensDogG