Bicycle, bicycle, I want to ride my bicycle, I want to ride it where I might*

* or something like that, thank you Freddie Mercury and Queen

Yes we are back to stealing lines to songs from long dead bands. The scary thing is I was alive when Jim Morrison was alive and I can remember when he died. And I always thought Freddie Mercury was bi not just gay. Live and learn and yes that is the theme to this blog. The young ladies started to learn to ride two wheelers this spring. I was trying to be a better father and human being, like I talked about in the last blog, so when they asked me to teach them to ride two wheelers, I told them that we would do it on Sunday at three. I thought by that time I would want to get away from yard work and do something else. When they came to me at three I was not ready to stop, but I did. We found Elena's bike had a chunk out of the tire and it was flat. That was actually good, we only needed one bike. Each girl needed me to hold them up and run along side them or they fell over.
They kept asking how I learned to ride a two wheeler? I don't have very many memories of my Dad that don't include working, but when I was young he was involved in our lives. When I say our lives I mean Karl and mine. I don't know if Ruth and Eric have memories like this one.

   I had ridden a bike with training wheels for a few years and one spring day my Dad took the wheels off. I don't know if I asked or he just did. I got one the bike and he told me to peddle really hard. He ran along side of me for a little way and then let go. I peddled as hard as I could for I don't know how long. I was afraid to stop figuring I would fall down. I guess eventually I did slow down and didn't fall because when the girls made a comment that I didn't know how to ride I bike I got on it and rode away leaving them amazed and running after me telling me to stop, which I didn't, would you?
   The first Sunday I got a good work out running up and down the side street near Conger Elementary. Every time I let go they would wobble and if I missed they would fall which they did a few times. The second week Nastia went into some pricker bushes and after that we went over to the field and the basketball courts at the school. Each week they got better. That didn't stop them from saying when are we going to be able to ride our bikes, it's never going to happen. I would point out that last week I had to hold them on the bikes and this week they went a little ways without me touching them. Finally on the third week Elena got off a good ride far into the grass. Then her sister did the same thing.

   On the fourth week they were practicing starting from standing still to going. They had come a long way very fast and I'm sure they did not see it that way. Tomorrow they will go out with two bikes, if I get Elena's fixed and they will need little or no help from me. By the end of June or maybe even by the middle of June they will be going to Rockland lake riding the trail on their own, just not on a weekend when it is busy and maybe they should wear life jackets they will get closer to the water and it was only last week they both ran into the elementary school building. Maybe we don't rush things.

 The Trip, the best part is the trip….

Again Thank You Jim Morrison. And again this time the sentiment still sucks. Trips with the family are not fun. They are long and full of please be quit, get off my seat belt, what you have to go to the bathroom again? You get the picture.

Our adventure started early. The girls went to school and I went to work Teri took Nancy and Amanda to Nyack to do what they do and they were going to take care of the dogs. 

Outside the Consulate for another one of those pictures

   The Girls had lunch at noon and one pm. I figured I would pick them up about one or so and we would leave as soon as possible. I figured about two-thirty or so. I had to go to Chatham after going to Elmsford NY to do collections. I finished in New City about two after going to Wallington NJ to drop off the collections. I pick up the girls at around two and change and we get out of the house a little after three.

  Traffic was heavy and Teri drove. About an hour into the four hour trip Teri asks if anyone has to go and Elena like always needed to. We get off near Princeton and get stuck in traffic. Finally we get to a Walgreens and get to use the bathroom and get some shampoo.

We get back on the road, somewhere north of Baltimore we try to get some dinner.  We leave RT 95 and try to get food at a Cracker barrel. It was packed. We then try to go to Apple bees and Teri misses the turn off so we end up going back on RT 95 south. We get to Washington a little after eight and proceed to try and find the hotel. We drive around a three block area for twenty minutes before Teri says to call the hotel. We get the correct address and then proceed to drive past the hotel four times looking for parking. On the fifth time I get out and ask where parking is. I am told it is valet and only thirty-three dollars a night. It would be cheaper to bring the car into the room, but they caught us so we paid the parking. We then went up to the second floor to check in. That made me wonder what is on the first floor? We ate in the Hotel. Beer was ten dollars a bottle and it was pub food.  Everything in Washington  DC I guess is going to be like this. Everyone in Washington wants to separate you from your money. Elected official or business person. What the  F….

At the Russian Consulate

The second Boston Marathon bomber was caught last night while we were heading to Washington. I wonder in ten years when this is read will anyone remember the brothers who were born in Chechnya and at ten came over to America and at least one became a citizen of America. That is the thing that I will never understand. They were here for over ten years taking advantage of what America has to offer and then so quickly turning their backs on it all. So sad, one is dead and the other will most likely spend the rest of his life in jail if he does not get the death penalty.

Touring the Capital

   The girls and Teri are down at the pool. It is my turn soon to relieve her so she can get ready to do a little sight-seeing before the Russian Embassy.
 I never did talk about the reason for the trip and that was to show solidarity for the Russian orphans that will never be adopted after the Russian government stopped all Americans from future adoptions. It was a tit for tat thing. America commented on Russian human rights and Russia seizes on a nut case who manages to adopt a Russian child and the child dies. I am not taking it lightly, it's just what about all the good adoptions that have happened. Foreigners are the last in line to adopt these kids and a Russian family can step in at anytime to adopt one of these children and they don't. Only the children suffer. Well it's the Russian way. State first, individual last.

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