Thanks to Rita of Toltec Jewels for Jewel School Friends, for hosting this blog hop. Her hops are always such fun and very inclusive. You can follow her creative journey and buying sprees through her Flickr. The idea for this hop was to post anything we love about an element of summer. Not everything is about jewelry (shocking, I know) so I took a different route for this blog hop and thought about: what summer means to me; what my favorite summers were like; and what I think about when I think of summer. I have to say my answer was surprising even to me.
Downloaded 2009-01-17 from F.A. Brockhaus, Ed. (1887) Brockhaus’ Conversations-Lexikon, 13th Ed., Vol.16, F.A. Brockhaus, Leipzig, Germany, facing p.142 from Google Books. {{PD-1923}}
Bicycles! Should I count this as the element Air? Spirit? or be more literal, Metal? Summers were glorious as long as I had a bike. A bike meant freedom; the wind in your hair, and the road beneath your feet. Having over 2.5 months to ride, play and escape from my life. Yes, sometimes there was boredom too, but I had my bike. Sometimes I would disappear in the morning and not return until dusk. (It was a different time.) My bike took me to: meet friends; take bottles to the Jiffy Mart for the refund value so I could buy candy; explore parts of the island I hadn’t been to before; go pet the horses a few roads over; go look at the expensive houses further down Newfound Harbour Drive; go laugh at the houses being built on what used to be water; my favorite pine tree to climb so I could watch the world go by; and finally, hungry and tired, back to my house. Yes, I said island. After my parents’ divorce, I did spend time in both California and Florida for school, but when I think of my summers growing up, all I really remember is Merritt Island, Florida.
Photograph of Merritt Island, FL from an altitude of about 4,000 feet from a Cessna 172. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Merritt_Island_2.JPG
The sad thing is that I remember where I went on my bike(s) and not what they actually looked like. They remain locked in the tunnels of my mind. One had a basket. One was red. One was supposedly a boy’s bike.
With all the moving around, I don’t even know what happened to my last bike. I’d like to think after all the joy she gave me (yes, my bikes were female, because I distinctly remember doing daredevil stunts like wheelies and I could even fully rotate my handlebars while still cycling forward! No stupid boy bike could do that, I’m sure. Girls are cool) that she has retired and is living the good life, still giving joy to others.
I am hardly the first to join in the celebration of the bicycle.
Hmmm, maybe I should make some bicycle jewelry. Here’s some lovely pendants for inspiration.
Thank you for letting me indulge in my favorite childhood memories of summer. Please visit the other participants and see what they’ve shared.
Windbent Art 
I miss long bike rides with my brother and neighborhood friends. Thanks for bringing back those memories. have a wonderful summer 🙂
Fun post, Lennis! And I love the blueberries you made for Rita!
Thank you for the memories! As a child, I too, rode my bikes everywhere – to school, the store, the library, the creek, all over! Those were free spirited fun times!!! 🙂 By the way, love those realistic blueberries you made for Rita. YUMMY! 🙂
So envious of you that your childhood involved biking everywhere. I never did learn how to ride one. I grew up in a 4 floor walk up, so no place to store one. But I could beat the pants off my brother roller skating!!! Great job on the blueberries for Rita.
Yours are great too. I think they look great together. My husband thought I was nuts because I tried to color match the ones in my freezer, lol.
Thank you so much for this fantastic childhood memories, I learned how to ride a bike late but I like our stroll with bicycle of Sunday along the channel. Great post.
I think I will go for a bike ride this evening! Happy summer!
I know what you mean about a different time. I used to ride my bike or walk so many places as a kid that would be really dangerous to do now. Thanks for sharing your favorite thing about summer!
Wait, did you say not everything is about jewelry???
Well, there’s beads too.
The bikes are soo cool
Oh bikes are totally summer! You know, I’ve seen some bike chain-style chain somewhere recently, Lorelei Eurto used it I think. So there is something else to think about! I’d love to see some bicycle jewellery!
That’s a surprise, bicycle jewellery! It made me smile when having my morning coffee 🙂 I loved♥ to reed your post.
I’m spending another afternoon hopping, but jumped to the end cause I couldn’t wait to see your post 🙂
Metal! Why of course! You know, I used to meet with a group each week for “Tai Chi and Tea” and we would hold the position metal. How could I forget that element? I’m so glad you didn’t because I love love love your post about your bike(s). Such wonderful memories! Cool tricks too 😉
You and your bike had such beautiful adventures, happy days. Me and my bike did too. I remember the day I was allowed to ride beyond the stop sign at the end of our street. And the summer my sister and I were allowed to ride our bikes to tennis lessons! We’d ride all around our addition, and bring bikes with us camping. I remember the first time I rode without training wheels like it was yesterday.
The music is so pretty, your photos are fab, and the bike pendants way cool. Beautiful memoir; awesome post. I’m smiling, remembering those times with you. I”d have loved to have been your friend growing up, going bike riding together!
Love,
Rita
My husband picked that song. I wanted to use Bicycle Race by Queen, but the video has nudity and I didn’t want to hear people complain. LOL. Then, after I posted I remembered Bicycle Song by Red Hot Chili Peppers. Dang it! Glad we’re friends now though!
Guess what?! I did the same things on my bike, trick’s wise! LOL! How much fun it was! Thanks for bringing back some happy memories for me. 🙂
<3,
Andrea
What lovely memories. My little island was a block of houses with secret little alley ways to explore. Not as big as your island but full of fond memories too.
Bicycles rule! That was an interesting video. I also checked the Queen video out. I don’t know how those ladies managed. At least they were wearing shoes. Lol. I loved your bicycle stories. I hope you have a bike now, because you are NEVER too old to go for a ride!!!
Queen rented those bikes and when the rental company found out what they did with them, they insisted Queen buy them all. LOL. I was given a bike last year, but it was too big for me (mens) so I gave it to a bike enthusiast in town and he restored it. Nope, I do not have a bike now.