At Last . . . a Doot-doo!

Through no special effort of our own, Hawk has expressed a decided interest in all the typical male activities: music (especially rock 'n' roll), sports (especially basketball), and girls (especially redheads). But foremost on his mind the past several months, the thing that trumps all other pursuits or objects of awesomeness, is that amazing chariot of freedom, the bicycle. Or, as Hawk puts it, the doot-doo. ("Vroom vroom!")

This past weekend we finally scored Hawk one of his very own, the elusive Wishbone Bike. We'd seen them at all the parks, where he would abscond with the unattended vehicles of other children. We learned that they are "balance bikes" that grow with the child, so that the initial trike can be reconfigured to a two-wheeler, and then finally, when the main bar is reversed, a taller version. An environmentally friendly bike that would last Hawk until he was five or six? I was sold.

Getting one wasn't so easy. A recent newspaper article had extolled their virtues and ensured that the current lot at Burkes Cycles, the only local dealer, was sold out when we arrived for our first attempt at a purchase over a month ago. And that lot was apparently the last to be produced in a house in nearby Lyall Bay, which meant that we had to wait until the new plant in China was up to speed--disappointing on a couple of levels.

The wait was worth it. Hawk with his new doot-doo and bright dinosaur helmet, well, it was like Christmas in June. He's been wearing his helmet all day since he got the bike and has been very reluctant to go to bed each night. He's even woken up in the middle of the night to tell us, "Doot-do, ride." Proud kid, proud parents. Doesn't get much better than this.

(Re: the video. Your volume controls are fine; for some reason there's no sound with the video function on my digital camera. Flip HD is on the way!)