Sunday afternoon bike ride with Jo

After getting Mallory and Gloria down for their afternoon nap, Jo and I slip away on on our bikes. We make it to the end of our street before turning back to oil the chains. Are the rusty chains a product of months of non-use? Or else the result of a salt bath from hanging on the rear end of Debbie Dodge for 2200 miles when we took our bikes down to SGI and back?

With our freshly oiled chains and the sun shining in our faces, Jo and I pedal down the street toward the "Dinosaur Park." Jo is giddy and glowing to have a just-me-and-mom outing. We swing on the swings side by side and I spin her on the rotating leaf seat. I time her as she races through the playground, down the spiral slide and sprints back to the green plastic dinosaur. Her first run takes 13 seconds. By the time we leave she's whittled her time down to 7 seconds. She wants me to try running the course too. 11 seconds is my best time. 

Thinking about the leftover treats from Gloria's Red Egg Party, we mount our bikes and head for home. On the way I point to a small brown trail sign across the road. Jo is up for a little adventure so we cross the street and start down the trail, not knowing where we'll end up. 

The trail follows a creek through the woods. There are deer tracks imprinted on the muddy path and the sound of a woodpecker at work. The trail comes out at Armory Park, the park where Jo played Rec soccer last fall. Jo says her legs are tired, so we hop off our bikes and walk through the park. We hear a train whistle and remember our bike rides together in Brookfield (when Jo would ride behind me in the bike trailer). 

At the edge of the park we get back on our bikes and turn up the street. I notice Jo's legs hardly extend when she pedals. Its time to raise her bike seat. We'll have to enlist Dad's help with that. As we turn into our driveway I spot a patch of green shoots poking up through the ground. Spring is coming!