Post of the Week – Bill McMorrow

Amy Reese

Ah, are you feeling the loss of that hour yet? Are you still trying to it get back? Is your entire week now thrown off? Will you be scrambling to try to feel whole again?

May I suggest a bike ride? Spring is in the air…can you feel it? There. There it is. I can’t think of a better time than to just hop on that bicycle and go for a ride.

That reminds me, I need to get my bike fixed…

When I read Bill McMorrow, I can’t help but recall memories from my past, memories that for whatever reason, are distant and buried. His posts have this power to draw them out, his words both clever and true channeling through me. My memories reveal themselves as a whisper in my ear, “See, we’re still here.”

Reading Bill’s post about his childhood Huffy, I thought about my own experience which I can laugh about now. My family was so poor we didn’t have bikes. But while my parents’ friends were on a vacation, we borrowed their bikes. No, we didn’t steal them. I had one week, and one week only, to learn how to ride a bike, and you can forget the training wheels. And I did it! I only remember wanting it so bad.

You may find it surprising that I later went to UC Santa Barbara where the bicycle was the mode of transportation numero uno! I’m not exaggerating when I say there was an intersection on campus where, during the busiest part of a day, 20 to 30 bikes would converge in the center for a big CRASH!! On a good day, I got a few bruises and scrapes. On a bad day, my bike was pretty messed up. I would always tense up before arriving at this spot; but even if I crashed, I thought to myself, it wasn’t my fault. No, no…it wasn’t because I couldn’t ride a bike. That intersection was insane.

Never mind the spill I took on the asphalt, all by lonesome, in front of the guy I was in love with. Did he rush to my aid? No, he did not. Jerk! Loser! See, I feel better. And stop laughing.

But Bill’s crash, I won’t spoil it for you…It is not to be missed. I wonder what memories will surface for you. Enjoy.

Bill McMorrow: A Tale Of A Boy And His Bike

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27 Comments

    1. David, I was in total fear of this intersection every time! But you’re right, it’s total comedy. I could hardly believe we tolerated this. Later, the intersection was turned into a roundabout. Problem solved.

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  2. I was very fortunate to have a bike from very early on when I growing up (I wish you would have had that opportunity, too, Amy… I can imagine it must have been difficult – not being able to get into all kinds of trouble, er have fun on one).
    It’s amazing I didn’t do some serious damage. I didn’t have a busy intersection to worry about, but I still managed to fly over my handlebars on more than one occasion.
    🙂

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    1. Oh, it’s okay. You know when you’re a kid you don’t know any different. Besides, we did have a swimming pool, a pretty big one, back in the day when it was probably more affordable. There was six of us so it was probably hard for everyone to have a bike. Maybe my brothers had a bike. I can’t even remember.

      I bet you got into a trouble, huh? Hopefully, nothing that sent you to the ER.

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  3. Thanks for the tip, Amy. I LOVE to ride my bike. When the weather is warmer, it’s my primary mode of transportation. I have a basket on the front and a plastic square box thing bungied on the back to carry groceries. LOVE. IT.

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      4. Cool!! We lots of bike paths here. I need to get my bike fixed pronto. Spring is the best time around here to ride a bike. Summers are hot, of course, nothing that compares to Tucson, huh?

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      5. Hot is hot – I try not to bike when it’s 104+ outside – then it’s just too hard on my body – I can not quite recover.

        Palm Springs and Phoenix beat us for hot & hot/humid! I like a dry heave, I mean heat.

        Enjoy your biking – it’s a great way to get around and feel good (at least for me).

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  8. What an amazing image all those bikes crashing would be. I tried not to laugh about the guy you were in love with not rushing to your aid, but I couldn’t help myself 😀

    It’s amazing how memories like the first time we ride a bike are so incredibly vivid 😉 I remember it and so do my children – it must be the sense of freedom we feel 😉

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    1. Thanks, Dianne. It’s all funny now. You can laugh all you want! They later changed that intersection to a roundabout. That’s how serious it was!! And the guy, not worth my trouble after all. Things can just work out. It sounds like a great memory for you and your kids.

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