the tinker
Cruisin' on my Bluebird
Which one to ride?
The Merc. An easy rider, for sure.
Great morning for a ride. Intended to ride all of them this morning, but much too humid for the old tinker. As I pulled these bikes out , I was reminded of earlier times. The summer of '62, a kid on the next block was selling his older brother's bikes. I knew his older brother, Howard. Went to grade school with him. He had a whole bunch of old bikes and was a nice guy. Anyway, Howard went into the army and his brother sold off all his bikes to me and another kid. I think we paid 2 bucks each. They were all rideable boy's bikes. I got an early 50's Schwinn [with a springer], a J C Higgins, a Rollfast, and a pre-war Ranger out of the deal. I don't recall what the other kid got, but we stripped them down to fender-less bombers [throwing all the sheet metal in the trash]. We're going through some weird times right now. Some folks are really hurting financially and with this covid thing raising it's ugly head all around, who knows what to think. It's nice to have these old bikes. Reminders of better days and better days to come. The "old days" are looked back on with fondness, and as I ride this tired old Mercury around, I recall them, but the old days weren't without their turmoil and hardships. I heard that Howard was later wounded in some far away place named Vietnam. That's what it was back then, just a far away place that was waiting for lots of us kids, back in the summer of 62. Better days will come. Keep having fun.
The Merc. An easy rider, for sure.
Great morning for a ride. Intended to ride all of them this morning, but much too humid for the old tinker. As I pulled these bikes out , I was reminded of earlier times. The summer of '62, a kid on the next block was selling his older brother's bikes. I knew his older brother, Howard. Went to grade school with him. He had a whole bunch of old bikes and was a nice guy. Anyway, Howard went into the army and his brother sold off all his bikes to me and another kid. I think we paid 2 bucks each. They were all rideable boy's bikes. I got an early 50's Schwinn [with a springer], a J C Higgins, a Rollfast, and a pre-war Ranger out of the deal. I don't recall what the other kid got, but we stripped them down to fender-less bombers [throwing all the sheet metal in the trash]. We're going through some weird times right now. Some folks are really hurting financially and with this covid thing raising it's ugly head all around, who knows what to think. It's nice to have these old bikes. Reminders of better days and better days to come. The "old days" are looked back on with fondness, and as I ride this tired old Mercury around, I recall them, but the old days weren't without their turmoil and hardships. I heard that Howard was later wounded in some far away place named Vietnam. That's what it was back then, just a far away place that was waiting for lots of us kids, back in the summer of 62. Better days will come. Keep having fun.
