First Wheels

 You remember your first wheels, don't you ninos?  That sturdy trike bike I sent you for Christmas when Clam was two and Weezie four.  Wheels set us free, even when we can't go very far. They enable a freedom that is unique.  Whether they are wheels on a trike, a bike, a scooter, a pair of skates, it doesn't seem to matter.  We can move faster and farther than we did just a moment before. And we do it all on our own, no help required.

These pictures are of your mom at 2+ on her first trike and then at 4 on her Big Wheel.  She liked the trike and rode it with vigor.  But the Big Wheel was amazing.  The tires rumbled loudly as she pumped the pedals, thundering down the sidewalk in front of our Tempe house. She went so fast, skidding into the right angle turns, sometimes making a U-turn with only the briefest pause in a skid.  A great kid's vehicle. Perfect for your mom, who loved the thrill of the ride, loved her freedom.  Mame doesn't have wheels of her own these days, preferring the metro and the occasional taxi cab.  Even if she did own a car, I doubt she would drive with the top down, dashing about at high speed, skidding on corners. That's really not your mom.  Maybe she got all that out of her system long ago, owning the sidewalk on that Big Wheel.
By the way, that is your Uncle Judd in the top picture. Look at all the beautiful black hair he has.