PMC report
On Saturday the boys took part in the the PMC kids ride here in town.
group ride
It was our fourth year taking part, and excitement was high in the days leading up to the event. Lijah kept asking if it was "this day"; he doesn't always have a clear sense of the progression of time. But eventually the day arrived, and bright and early we joined our neighbors to ride over to the middle school to kick off the festivities.
Zion, riding on two wheels for the first time in this setting, was signed up for the three-mile course. He got to ride with his friend Nicholas, and also with me, the volunteer route leader for his group (plus his little brother; Mama was otherwise occupied for the first part of the morning. It always takes a while for everyone to get organized, and energy started to flag in the hot sun. But our little team stayed focused!
patience required
Needless to say, once things got started Zion did great: he rode with confidence the whole way, didn't crash into anyone, and enjoyed his goldfish and ice water at the half-way point. (A snack stop in the middle of a three-mile ride is maybe not quite necessary, but it does make the whole thing feel more special; so does Mama cheering at the end of our street!)
the finish line
Harvey also rode with confidence, and easily finished his course despite a mechanical problem with his brand-new water bottle cage. Without a friend alongside this year, though, he was a little bored. Riding ten miles takes some time. While he was finishing up, his brothers had time to enjoy the rewards for their morning's efforts.
the real highlight of the day
Besides the cotton candy (Lijah had three) and other free foods, there was also the bounce house, slip-and-slide, tricycle obstacle course (once Lijah completed his one lap it was open to the bigger kids to enjoy too), and hula-hoop contest. And there was face paint!
tiger face
The morning ended with the raffle drawing, and for the first time in history we won something! Committing all our tickets to an otherwise unpopular item really did the trick; though I can't imagine who wouldn't want a free loaf of Nashoba Bakery bread a week for six months! Now we have that thing, plus a $50 gift certificate to a Concord farm stand. So ask us if you ever need any bread.
The ride was just one highlight of what will no doubt be a full summer of cycling. That said, now that it's out of the way Zion at least is wondering if we can, the next couple weeks, put a little more time into canoeing...