My friend Alice
Bike Trail
The summer we bought our weekend house in a Connecticut community friends invited us to lunch and introduced us to Alice and her husband David.
I learned that Alice had a doctorate in music, had worked in both the music and the publishing worlds, sang in a New York chorus, and was a children’s’ book reviewer. As I had been a high school librarian, that last reveal cemented our friendship.
And we soon discovered that altho we both had bikes, neither of us had ridden in awhile, so one day we decided to take out Alice’s old bike rack and drive to a lovely wooded trail in the area.
As I remember we had a few mishaps getting the rack on the car, and a few more getting the two bikes on the rack, but eventually we got to the trail, bikes intact, and soon we were breezing along.
Perhaps it was the glorious summer weather, or the laughs and the conversation, or just two women of a certain age feeling young and carefree – but despite the fact we did nothing extraordinary, and we certainly broke no cycling records for speed or endurance, we both remember it as a perfect day.
Still River Greenway, Winchester, CT
– Dana Susan Lehrman
Dana Susan LehrmanThis retired librarian loves big city bustle and cozy country weekends, friends and family, good books and theatre, movies and jazz, travel, tennis, Yankee baseball, and writing about life as she sees it on her blog World Thru Brown Eyes!
www.WorldThruBrownEyes.com
Lovely story, Dana. I can feel the wind in your hair.
Thanx Betsy!
What a lovely description of a lovely day and making a new friendship. And I say that even as a solitary biker. Just beautiful in very way, including the photo.
And I agree with you; getting the rack on the car and the bikes on the rack is often the most difficult part. Ironically, with a few flat tires this summer (including one just two days ago), I’m getting better at the whole process.
Thanx John!
We’re actually talking about getting folding bikes that will fit in the car so we don’t have to deal with the damn rack!
What a lovely story! It captures that bike free feeling, and makes us wonder why we don’t make the effort more often. A good friend and a good day.
Thanx Khati.
Indeed this prompt may get those lazy ones among us back on our bikes again!
What a lovely memory Dana! As someone who threw herself into socially competitive cycling, I have no memories of a leisurely time with my bike so I especially appreciate the peaceful nature of your story. It makes me think of shady trees and calming streams. Thank you for that!
Susan
Thank you Susan, and looking forward to your biking stories!
And brava for your competitive cycling! In this life go for whatever turns your wheels!
Cycling with friends sounds fun and refreshing, Dana. Thanks for this beautifully written story.
Thanx Mare!
Applause! A comfortable ride on a bike with a friend, surrounded by attractive scenery, and preferably in decent weather, no matter the quality of your bike handling skills, the equipment, or the regularity of the activity, can easily be a perfect day! I would never argue with that, and I’m pleased to have had so many of them, with a friend or a son or a spouse, or even solo.
Yes indeed Dale!
What a lovely memory of biking shared with a good friend. Your determination paid off.
Thanx Laurie!
Great Story, Dana! Today is her birthday…….what a wonderful gift of such a happy memory!
Thanx Sara!
Alice did like the story and gave me the OK to publish it!