Like a kid at Christmas, I am anxious to play with my new toy. Unfortunately, the temperature has been in the 20s, and M won’t be big enough for the baby seat for at least another month, so family riding is out for a while. Riding it home in the snow the other day, just made me itchy to ride more. Today, I took advantage of the fact that Shannon was home, and rode to the grocery store.

It was a beautiful crisp cold day. The ride was short and uneventful.  I used the Baguette panier bags for the first time. A gallon of milk fit easily, with plenty of room for other groceries as well. The ride home was a bit harder with the increased cargo weight, but the bike handled it with grace. I continue to be impressed with this bike and how well it rides.

Today the shop called to say it was ready. It was snowing this afternoon, but it was the only time we could pick it up all week. Shannon came home early, and we drove to the bike shop. I rode home in the snow. Goggles would have been a good idea; visibility was terrible. The bike handles great and was fun to ride. Later this week I will start with A on the back, and once he is old enough M will ride on a seat in the front.

Early in our relationship a friend of Shannon’s was playing at an open mic night, on the other side of the harbor. Driving wasn’t an option at night, because there wasn’t parking on either end. Our mutual friends were taking a cab. We ended up riding our bikes over. The only issue was that it was at night in January, and it was super cold. It started as a challenge posed in jest, but then the challenge was accepted and there was no backing down. We both had the clothes for it, but our friends thought we were nuts. It was our first ride together and I remember it being a great ride on a beautiful crisp, clear, and cold night.

Throughout our relationship we have continued to ride places together. It is our preferred method of transportation to get around the city. Once A was old enough we started taking her with us. One of my big concerns about having a second child was how we would continue to ride. We spent over a year researching and finally decided on a Yuba Mundo cargo bike. It hasn’t come in, and I am getting super anxious even though I know it is coming. We still have to find a place for it, and M needs to be a bit older before we can put him in a bike seat.

On the way to the farmers’ market today, I was almost hit on my bike. I was in the left lane turning left, and I was using hand signals. I was traveling at the same speed as the rest of the traffic. The car in the right lane decided to turn left, from the right lane. I don’t know if he didn’t see me, or thought he could beat me at the pass, but it was really scary. I am really glad Ada was with Shannon. I worry about biking in the city with Ada. I wish people would be patient and pay more attention to what they are doing. I wasn’t holding anyone up, and I was following all the local travel laws.
We had a great time once we arrived. While the fiddlers fiddled, Ada danced in her red boots. She then had her first plum of the season and several cherry tomatoes. She loves tomatoes and yelled every time we passed any.
I have always loved the how connected to the community I feel at the farmers’ market. This feeling has strengthened over the years. Now that I have a family I feel it even more. I love that my daughter is growing up a part of this community.