With so much time at home lately, we decided we needed a change of pace and a little exercise. The girls have been begging for a bike ride – apparently riding in tight circles around the driveway is boring – so we loaded up bikes and helmets and headed up to Flatwoods. The girls enjoyed riding out in the open, with a few turns under trees and some fun ups and downs over canals. For all of us it was a chance to be away from the house in a wide open space.
We knew it would be hot, so we packed a secret surprise (jellybeans) along with our lunch in case we needed a little encouragement to keep everyone going. Turns out we didn’t need them. We rode for a good mile or two and then turned to head back. Flatwoods Park has a long, paved loop trail, but there are also miles upon miles of off-road bike trails. We didn’t think the girls would like the off-road trails that much, with all the bumps and roots, and it wasn’t our intention to ride on them. But on a whim, Kim jumped off the paved trail and headed down a little trail called Squiggy. Maddy was right behind her and seemed to have no problem making the transition to the off-road trail.
Abby and I were a little behind, and when I saw Kim jump off the pavement, I followed suit. Abby looked at me like I was nuts. I told her, “C’mon, we’re heading on the off-road trail.” She wasn’t sure, but she followed too, and pretty soon we were all off-road. We made it a little way, and not wanting to push anybody too hard, we turned back to return and have our picnic.
I think we had pushed a little further than the girls wanted, though. It was hot out and you could see it in the red color of Maddy’s face. She and I teamed up to make the ride out, and she was pushing herself to get through it. She stopped, and I told her she was doing a great job and it wasn’t that much further to the paved trail. She said, plain and simple, “Just a second, Daddy, my face is raining.”
The things she says always make us laugh. They are funny, wise, and usually accurate. We have now added “my face is raining” to our family’s phrases and plan to use it for the foreseeable future. On this bike adventure all of our faces were definitely raining, but as with gardening, that’s just part of doing anything outdoors in Florida in August. After the ride, we enjoyed cold water, cold sandwiches, and of course the promised jellybeans. It was worth it, even if it meant our faces were raining.
