In Which Grandchildren Join the Rides

Nov. 28--After a warm Thanksgiving, it has turned colder, frosty grass seen at Collins Aerospace on Monday morning bike ride to work.

Nov. 28--Monday afternoon, ready for bike ride home with lights on.

We had a lot of family at our house for Thanksgiving—more than a dozen people packed into our modest home, enjoying two turkeys.

That day, I didn’t ride at all. But the day before and the days after turkey day featured rides, usually with grandchildren.

A young grandson who has just moved to Minnesota thinks it’s his grandfather’s duty to take him on at least one ride daily, and, honestly, grandad is not upset at that expectation.

Nov. 23--On Wednesday before Thanksgiving, I rode to work in the morning to catch up on some grading. Took a bit of a detour on the way home and headed down the Lindale Trail. After crossing the two bridges there, noticed this toupee-wearing shark beside the trail.

Nov. 23--Another nearby shark.

Nov. 23--My making images of sharks does not go unnoticed. Neighborhood watch at work on Walnut tree.

So the tag-along seat and Clarence, my hybrid bike, got several rides in. The longest was 9 miles.

On that 9-mile ride, the bike-happy grandson actually rode with my youngest son, as his son (the youngest son’s son, the grandson isn’t of reproductive age yet, absent cloning), rode in a bike trailer towed by me on my mountain bike, The Fancy Beast.

Of all the rides I did around Thanksgiving, that 9-mile one was the most challenging. The Fancy Beast is not my fastest bike anyway, and the almost-2 grandchild in back is rather large for his age, a bright, tall, solid, happy boy who could be heard chortling with glee anytime I was headed downhill.

The other grandson—the one who was my bike buddy most days—kept up a constant chatter, commenting on the sights, asking questions, telling tales. He always does that, any ride with him is guaranteed to be a communication workshop.

Nov. 26--Rode bike to Huntington Ridge Park on C Avenue with another grandson to meet family for some find weather post-Thanksgiving outdoor play. Milkweed seeds seen there.

Nov. 28--Rode down the trail to first roundabout in Marion on my way home. City Christmas lights seen there.

For another ride during the Thanksgiving season, I got the ancient tandem out of the garage and rode it with a tall granddaughter. She’s 11, but looks more like 13 because she’s a sapling, a thin, tall girl—one of two older sisters of Mr. Chatterbox biker.

I’ve ridden the tandem with that granddaughter before—and she’s a pretty good natural tandem rider. On a tandem bike, the two riders have to function as a team and must communicate about things like when to pedal and when to coast, when stops are coming up and when to launch the heavy two-person cycle into motion again.

That tandem ride went well.

As November comes to a close, winter is again taking hold. Today it was quite cold—the morning commute was at 18 degrees Fahrenheit, but with a stiff wind that yielded a wind chill of zero. Definitely a day for the long underwear and a scarf.

At least around Thanksgiving, we had been blessed with some warmer days, which made the rides with grandchildren a real pleasure.

Nov. 23--Warmest day of the week, sun low at 3:24.

Nov. 23--Morning views (above and below) of C Avenue pond at Collins Aerospace.

I finished November with 199.34 miles for the month—not bad for this time of year, but a little down from October. For the year, I have 2647.41 miles—about 350 to go to reach my goal for the year.

The weather in the final two weeks of the month, especially in the days after my semester ends, will got a long way to determining if I make it.

We’ll see, but I aim to enjoy the attempt!