This afternoon I wanted to reward myself BUT decided that in lieu of heading to the beach and getting everything I had just cleaned covered in sand, or getting all sunburned before a bachelorette weekend at the beach, that I would get my sunshine fix with my pal Daisy.
Yep, that's right. She's not my roommate, a pair of shoes, or a pet. She's a bike.
I have always wanted to be a totally awesome bike-riding chick. Let's be honest, all of the coolest girls are! Who doesn't love a girl who can bike in a skirt, rocking the little bell and white basket or plaid shirt and rolled up jeans? And the lovely lady who handed Daisy down to me last summer is definitely one of those gals.
Katie and Ben are one of my favorite Savannah couples. Katie is a rockin' red head who can sport blood red lipstick, skateboards all over downtown in a dress, sings and looks just like The Little Mermaid, and she is also the best nanny ever. The children I used to call "mine" now spend every afternoon with this awesome Mary Poppins. Katie and Ben got new bikes for their wedding present last fourth of July and Katie asked me if I wanted Daisy. I was SO honored to have even been considered. It was a free bike! All for me!
Yes, they are the cutest couple ever. :)
A few weeks after I went and picked her up, Katie showed me the ropes. She taught me the art of Savannah-street biking. One of the things I learned during our first bike date was that wandering takes true talent. Katie and I swung through the park, headed to the health food store to get chilled smoothies to quench our thirst, stopped and had an impromptu picnic with friends we recognized from afar, changed our route several times, did some window shopping, and made a full day out of it. Since that day I have not made a huge effort to spend quality time with Daisy, but I do love to take her out for a spin, or ride her after work when the temperature has dropped but it's still light outside, and I am especially hoping to get some good rides in this summer .
There are so many great things about riding a bike. There's something magic about it - something that takes you straight back to your childhood. Everyone has a "first bike accident" story and everyone had a bike that was special to them. I will never forget my first huge fall on my bike with my dad in second grade (Zilker Park, new gravel, he told me I was brave, and I got back on and finished the ride with blood gushing down my left knee and still have the scar to prove it), the surprise bike party my parents threw me for my birthday one year (my parents drove me home from school and raised the garage door and to my surprise all of my best friends rode out of our garage on their bikes! woo hoo!) , and all of the times my siblings and I thought it was a good idea to tie all of our bikes and wagons together and ride down our driveway hill simultaneously. HA!
South Padre Island 1990 four-person bicycle!
The Casanova kiddos still LOVE a good bike ride. My mom actually just got a new one (she's red - and I'm sure she and Daisy will do lots of bonding!) and has been breaking her in and teaching our pooch Scout how to run alongside her in the neighborhood.
I do have to say that Kiawah Island bike rentals will always have a special place in my heart. What a great way to spend a vacation - biking to and from the beach and meals everyday and riding on the sand. We especially love to pretend we are the Von Trapp Family Singers from "Sound of Music" and sing songs from the movie as we all ride in a line together. My family is awesome. Basically. We just need matching leiderhosen (how do you spell that?) and about 7 other children. Haha.
Yes, we had matching tshirts made for this trip. Eat your heart out, Julie Andrews.
Today's bike ride was great. What a great Sunday afternoon adventure and a special way to cherish this city. I went out with a girlfriend last night for drinks and she asked me (while we were circling in the car searching for parking for about 10 minutes) if I already knew my way around my new city in Texas. I had to really admit to her that I would be relying on my iPhone maps and the kindness of strangers for the first few months. We talked about how easy it is to get around a small town like Savannah, even though dodging horse-drawn carriages can get old. :) But I do have to say that I take a lot of pride in the fact that I KNOW Savannah. Driving a minivan all over town for a year as a nanny certainly helped, but I LOVE when out-of-towners ask me for directions. I know how to get where I need to go - and I can do it several ways. I know where my store is, where my laundry place is, my nail salon, you name it. I'll only be able to say that for about 4 more weeks.
Today I truly relished in the grid-layout of my neighborhood and rode up and down even and odd numbered streets to my little heart's content.
I saw it all. I saw things I had never noticed before - drove past little hidden places I never would have found in my car during the hustle and bustle of my normal route. I saw kiddos playing with hoses in dress up clothes standing in their front yards, tons of tire swings, plenty of pups and old couples out for Sunday strolls, a little boy reading to his parents in a front porch rocking chair, and I even swerved to purposefully glide underneath the sprinklers I passed a few times.
I was very tempted to stop and snap pictures with my iPhone every five seconds - but it would have ruined my flow. (P.S. you have to download Instagram if you have an iPhone - the way it changes your photos to look vintage is AMAZING! and it's free!) So instead I tried to cherish and remember all of the beautiful things I saw. However, I couldn't resist the Carolina Blue hydrangeas (for my sister Kiki) and my FAVORITE house on Washington Ave. Sigh.
I couldn't help but hum a few of the favorite Casanova tunes to myself as I rode along --
"Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do. I'm half crazy over the love of youuuuuu......"
"Doe, a deer...a female deer...Ray, a drop of golden suuuuuun......"
You are precious Ana! This makes me want a bike!!
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