On Thursday, we set out to bicycle Davis, notably a bicycle friendly town with well-marked lanes that can take you through a loop around town of about 35 miles. In high traffic areas, people are ultra considerate of bicyclers. They must have had bike riders on their city council.
Virginia and I were riding pretty sophisticated bikes, while Theo, weighing about 60 pounds has a small one-gear hard pumping pedal bike. Our first stop was a school playground for a rest.
The kids at this school have an organic garden. Besides standard fare, they had planted and were learning about swiss chard, amaranth, quinoa, artichokes, herbs and sunflowers.
The bike trail runs by every school in Davis so kids can bike to school instead of bus, and many do. We saw walkers, riders, and kids on the bike paths on their way to summer fun.
Virginia joked that the freeway overpass at Chilies Road is the only hill in Davis.
Our goal was brunch at a favorite Davis restaurant, famous for their crepes and wraps, and fresh pastries. The kids enjoyed rich hot chocolate while waiting for their food. Theo had blueberry pancakes and sausage, but Owen had a strawberry chocolate crepe that was the equivalent of a candy bar for his meal.
This was our turn around point at 6 miles. Davis has bike racks all over town and it is necessary to lock up bikes. We could have taken a different way back to our starting point but the kids voted to return the way we came. We had passed at least four parks with playground equipment and they wanted a shot at one of them.
Within five minutes, Virginia’s tire went flat.
The same tire went flat a second time after another five minutes. It was obvious the tire needed to be changed.
Theo rested in a nearby tree.
Owen gave mom an assist and learned how the job is done. Done quickly, actually. Modern bikes are well-engineered for repairs on the road. Since Virginia has thousands of miles on her bike, she knows the necessity of on the spot tire changes.
And, their playground of choice has one of those (now banned by most schools and parks in California) a self-propelled merry-go-round. They’ve been in parks and schools since I was a kid. It’s sometimes difficult to understand the over protective mind-set of decision makers. It probably has to do with avoiding law suits. (I promise not to rant.)
Later, at karate classes, the boys did some sparring.
Defensive skills are only part of the process. They learn values; courage, attitude, perseverance, politeness, respect and consideration of others.
The littlest kids are a hoot to watch. Pure joy.
Que Sera, Sera... Whatever Will Be, Will Be... 