June 24, 2007: Biking into the past

OK, I'm actually going to start posting regularly now -- I promise.

One of the things I enjoys most is biking, and today I biked 52.7 miles with Bust (my Dad) for the annual Eco Ride. To pass the time, I asked Bust lots of questions about his past. I love listening to him tell stories about his childhood. I love learning as much as possible about what he was like back in the day.

Among the things I learned today:

Bust went to the same high school named T.C. Williams that "Remember the Titans" is named after his freshman year in Alexandria, Va. It was integrated then. Bust actually doesn't remember anything about that supposed football story. Then he transferred to a predominantly white high school for his final three years. He remembers seeing just a single black student.

Bust and family only lived in Birmingham, Michigan from when he was 3 until he was 6. Grandpa Bart moved them back to Alexandria because he really didn't enjoy his job as a minister. It was too consuming. He had to do way too much. Also, Bart caught flack for owning the area's lone Volkswagen during the auto industry's boom in and around the Motor City.

I've got to mention the incident.

When Bust was in third grade, his older brother Buzz, who was in ninth grade, convinced him to ride on Buzz's shoulders down a steep hill, which Bust equated to Spring Street -- long and steep. Yeah, that's right. Buzz was standing up and Bust was sitting on his shoulders. Somehow they survived, and Bust isn't sure if Grandma Roz even knows about the incident to this day.

Bust also gave me a rundown of his family's pets. There was "Tiger" the cat, who predictably had the countenance of a tiger. There was "Sparky" the dog, who was a little feller with some bugle in him. Sadly, Sparky's existence came to an end when he was hit by a car (which made me realize that my aunt Vicky has witnessed two dogs -- also Gus -- die in car accidents). There was "Gloria" the cat, who was black and had several litters of kittens.

Finally, there was the famous "Georgia," a dog who could open the front door of Bust's family's front door. Man, I wish I could have met these pets

Still, it was great learning about them. As it was learning how Bust turned from sports to music around the beginning of high school. The three reasons he gave me?

-- he got cut from the freshman baseball team

-- he became good friends with a guy named Keith, who was a musician but also was "connected," especially with girls

-- he became immersed in the radical movement of the 1960s. In other words, he became a hippie. Sports figures were generally conservative during that time, and Bust was liberal -- so he kind of gravitated away from the sports world.

Not only was the bike ride great exercise, it was also very educational. Nothing is more enjoyable than learning about my elders' past.

Other highlights from the ride:

-- We biked through "Hell," a tiny town in the middle of Michigan that boasts a single morgue of a store and a bunch of motorcyclists.

-- There were lots of Cliff Bars to eat.

-- Strawberry Lane is a great road to bike on.

When we got back from the ride, we took Copp to Barton. Copp, who suffers from cancer, is on his last legs. So we have to make the most of our time with him. He definitely doesn't lack energy. He led us on a long tour of Barton this afternoon as we videotaped him.

I'm pretty sure we're going to put together a movie of Copp. Should be fun. He's so photogenic.

Funny anecdote: As we were entering Barton, Bust found a cell phone on the ground. When he said the owner was a "Malcom," I instantly knew that it was a kid's who we had just passed who I knew I recognized from Albion. I ran toward Malcom's car and got it to his friend right before they drove off. The kid was disappointed when I handed him the phone.

He thought it was a joint.