Bicycle to School Day

May is Bicycle Awareness Month.  As a result, today's holiday is very fitting.  Several years ago, I was a student at Tarrant County College.  For a few of those semesters, my only source of transportation was the trusty bicycle.  I would pack up early in the morning hours, in order to take advantage of the cooler part of the day, and promptly head to class.  Thankfully I only had a few miles to ride before reaching my destination.  The campus was on the northwestern side of downtown, and I lived about two miles due south, a fairly straight shot riding through the streets of Fort Worth.  Excepting inclement weather, I thoroughly enjoyed these morning rides, especially if the wind and temperatures cooperated for ideal weather conditions.  As it turns out, the school had quite a few students who were dependent on their bicycles for transportation.  (Fort Worth does have bus service, but, similar to starving artists and the sort, students might not always have the money for bus fare.)  Student activities on campus were very club-driven.  Looking back, I should have started a bicycle club.  Now that I'm not in school anymore, I do periodically ride my bicycle around town.  Mainly I ride for pleasure and relaxation, with no real purpose other than that.  Eventually I will get a road bicycle so I can take the sport to the next level.  For the moment, however, I will have to make do with the Diamond Back mountain bicycle I currently own.  The summer, along with hotter temperatures, are upon us.  Practice safety when making a trek on your bicycle.  Pack lots of water and wear a helmet.  Doing so will ensure the best of times on two wheels.  Happy bicycling!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Party on the Porch (Amon Carter Museum)

On Saturday, September 30th, I attended the annual Party on the Porch sponsored and hosted by the Amon Carter Museum.  I attended this function about twelve years ago with a friend and his family.  For whatever reason, the festivities fell off my radar till I saw a banner for it a few weeks prior.  Deciding it would be good for me to get out, even if it was alone, I requested a ticket and downloaded it to my phone.  The best part of the shin-dig was it's free of charge!  Yes, you read that correctly.  Both Party on the Porch and the Museum itself are funded by a perpetual trust established upon the death of Amon Carter himself.  (Take that, you other museums who charge an entrance fee!  Because of the lack of admission, I am able to frequent the art gallery as often as I can.)  Free parking for the event was available across the street at the surface lots of the Health Science Center.  (Another plus to showing up for the event.)  There were several people managing the entryway.  On
Read more

Seeking Closure!

Last week I was able to get away from the land of exile in order to visit and spend time with family.  Even though part of our plans for a trip to East Texas fell apart, I very much enjoyed spending three wonderful days with my mother in Yoakum.  During this time, as she still had to work her shifts at the church, I was able to scratch off quite a few items from the bucket list.  Many of these items have been on there for several years awaiting much-needed closure.  On top of the list, but really in no particular order, was to visit the Alchoholics Anonymous group in Victoria where I tried to get sober in 2004.  Even though I didn't recognize anyone in attendance, I did enjoy the time spent in fellowship.  Then a visit was made to Memory Gardens Cemetery where three acquaintances are interred.  One in particular, my friend Amy, was buried there in 2021.  Regretting not being able to attend her funeral services, I made every effort to locate her grave, along with the graves of her m
Read more

Reprieve from the War Front

** This is another letter from my father in Korea during the war of 1950-1953.  My intention in posting these letters is to capture the very personal side of war.  The letter is typed as written.  Any mistakes in grammar, punctuation, and etc. are intentional. 17-Oct-53 Dear Mom & Dad           I have just returned from a splendid seven days leave in Japan.  My seven days were filled with just about everything a person could want in a leave.  Steak, lobster, french fried potatoes, and onions, and many other fried foods.  The special service hotel at which I stayed is the most beautiful in Tokyo, Ga-Jo-En KANKO Hotel.  It is composed of three buildings connected by hallways, five stories high.  It has many facilities such as Grill, Bar, Cocktail Lounge, PX, Game Room, Barber Shop, Dining Room, Wrapping Service, and Dining Room, where meals are very cheap: 15 cent breakfast, 25 cent lunch, 45 cent supper.  The elevators of the Hotel are lined with mother-of-pearl formed into wa
Read more