Saturday, December 10, 2011

The good life with bicycle

First of all, I don't drive.  I can hear the cries the disbelief- what? No way? It is by choice.  I took driver ed back when I was 17; I was never one of those who drove on their 16th birthday. I never kept it up or even got a license.
 There is a precedent to this behavior-neither my father or mother drove.  In his case, he did drive a tractor but I'm not sure that counts.  My parents came from Latvia to the US in  the '50's when public transport was widespread.  And I spent ages living abroad where a car isn't essential.
That brings me to my bicycle.  When I returned to the US, to Buffalo, NY, one of my first purchases was a bicycle.  For a city with an interminable winter, it's a challenge to see how long into the cold I can ride it.  I usually last until the first snowfall.  This year I may break my own personal record.  It's December 10th and my bike is still locked to a post (covered area) in the backyard waiting for the next ride.

My short story 'Midnight in Barcelona' is in Ride, collection of stories about bicycles!

1 comment:

  1. It's true the bicycle it is something more romantic than cars. I don't drive either and I feel very good about it. My style of life I confess doesn't need the complexity of driving or the long waits in traffic jams. In fact I prefer to take the train instead when I have to travel short distances here in Barcelona to go to the countryside. I respect anyway the ones who really need a car, sometimes it is very necessary but sometimes it is not, and then I ask myself why people have to use it.

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