The Ride

Tuesday, after school, we were in my office. My extracycle was in there, as well as Joe’s bike. He begged to ride home, could we both ride together. I had my doubts. There are three long hills (not steep, just long) and Joe’s bike doesn’t have gears. But I thought, ok, we’ll see. It was Joe’s first time to do more than go around a block, ride in the church lot, etc. So we walked across Limestone and headed down Arceme. Well, that was the first hill, right as he got moving. He was so frustrated, really taking it out on himself. I calmed him down and we walked to the top of the hill and rode down. But then Parkview is more of the same, a hill right as you get started after we walked across Bryan. But he got it and he had those little legs working. Brandon, Joe’s uncle, is fond of pointing out that when little kids walk or climb stairs, they are really strong—stairs for a four-year old is like us stepping repeatedly onto a truck tailgate, he says, aptly.

Well, Joe made it, and he made it up the hill on Highland Park. It was really cool.

I’ll try not to ramble on about how bikes are such elegant pieces of technology, so simple, such a human pace to them. And I won’t let that get me started on how musical instruments are such elegant pieces of technology, how as Mike Cecil says, “Bluegrass is the people’s music”—no amps, no drums, just open up a case anyone can carry and play.

And did I mention that last night Joseph was strumming the guitar and among the many strange noises coming from many attempts at putting fingers down on the fretboard, one of them was E-minor?