My Aunt Ruth’s house set well off the road as did many farm houses built in the late 1800’s and early part of the 20th century. The long dirt driveway may have even been a half a mile or more. Joe and Frank, my two cousins, were 6 and 8 years older than me. They had an old raggedy 26 inch boys bike and Sometimes they would set me up on the handle bars and they would speed up that long driveway. What a thrilling experience, in the eyes of a seven year old, to bump and rattle up that not-so-smooth driveway. Every time we went there to visit I would beg the boys for a ride. The boys were very patient with me but when they tired of entertaining me they left the bike where I had access to it. I was determined to learn to ride that thing even if it was too big for me. I learned to put my leg through the bars instead of over the top bar, to reach the peddle on the other side and balance myself at an awkward angle. I’m sure I struggled and skinned my knees and elbows a lot but eventually I could peddle a little ways up and down that driveway until I was completely worn out. I bet it was a sight to see a small girl riding that big bicycle. Every time we went to my Aunt Ruth’s house that was the first thing I wanted to do, and the boys would get the bike out so I could ride it. I wish I was that determined about some things now days.
At the end of that summer I was surprised with a beautiful shiny new blue and white Schwinn’s girl’s bike for my 8th birthday. It was a 24 inch but still a little big for me. It was a piece of cake learning to ride it compared to the big boys bike. And of course, there was no need for training wheels. I’m not sure if they were even available back then. I enjoyed riding up and down my driveway which was long enough but not nearly as long as the one at my cousins house. What fun it was to be joined by my neighborhood friends as we circled around my driveway!
As I got older I was allowed to ride in the unpaved street in front of my house. There never was much traffic but I was instructed to stop and get out of the road until the car had passed. It was lots of fun to have the companionship of my friends while playing together. It didn’t take much to make post war children happy in the ’50s.
One day a crew showed up on our street and began putting up stakes and flags. The next day big equipment came and began to prepare the road to be paved. A couple of weeks or so later we had a wonderfully smooth surfaced road to ride on. As time went on we learned how fast we could go. I mastered the art of riding with no hands. Imagine riding with arms stretched out shoulder high feeling the wind race past. One would have a feeling of flying and of course, no one wore helmets then. Those were blissful times that Ralph, Gail and Dale and I would spend in the early evening after supper riding our bikes.
Nancy Shoemaker January 3, 2020
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