cruisin'

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it is such a gorgeous day. perfect for cruisin' the hood on a three speed. would i remember how? i haven't been on a bike since 1996 when i lived in japan. i had a bike very much like the top picture and it was bright yellow with a black basket on the front. maybe things have changed and people in japan now ride fancier bikes and actually use helmets but when i was there everyone rode a babachalinka (granny bike). people rarely locked their bikes with more than a flimsy skeleton key bar lock. the sidewalks were very wide on major thoroughfares with one side being designated for cyclists. and unlike the folks around these parts (vancouver), cyclists actually used their bells when coming up behind someone. we live on a bike route and it makes me crazy to see people without helmets, not using their bells, with their ipods blaring, and sometimes even talking on their cell phones. kids these days! i should talk - my sister would sit on my rat trap and we'd cruise along the edge of the rice paddies while drinking cans of plum wine sodas we'd gotten at the vending machine.

while i love love love anything alexander girard i don't know if an almost 40-year old needs such a girly bike. it's just asking to get stolen. i would also need to have a baby seat put on the front for my babyman. the asama euro 3 ladies bike is now added to my birthday list - i like that it's canadian made and available locally at cambie cycles. just in case the husband is reading...