The other day my friend 
He really got me feeling nostalgic. The 'better time,' for me, was what seems like an eternity ago back in Calgary.
I had a particularly lonesome childhood. This isn't a complaint, just a fact. My parents divorced before I can remember, there was no family nearby (it was at least a two day drive to get to the nearest cousin), and I never had more than a couple of friends. For the most part I was on my own. This was back in the day when kids could leave for the day and come back for supper. There was a river near home with a bridge to get the park on the other side (the Trans Canada Highway, in fact). We'd spend afternoons in the park, under the bridge, skipping stones and doing what young boys do. Not far beyond the park was a Dairy Queen. A Dairy Queen! And an arcade. That was fun.
When my couple of friends go to the age to play sports they did. I did not. I was simply not an athlete - skinny little white boy that I was - so I ended up a little more on my own. I'd make up my own solo games in the park. And then I got a bike! As
Calgary is built around the confluence of two rivers - the Bow River and the Elbow River. This is important only insomuch as the city has built bike paths along both shores of both rivers which snake throughout all the city. I could literally ride my bike from one end of the city to the other. And I did! I'd ride my bike to the zoo in the morning, about 10 miles away, and back again in the afternoon (stopping at Tim Horton's on the way! Very strategically placed on the bike path). Occasionally one of my buddies would go with me and we'd explore the city on our bikes - we'd go downtown, or one of the other parks and ride all over.
(Google Map)
(My approximate bike ride to the zoo)
My family was all sort of messed up, and I ended up moving out on my own at 17 to go to college. Still had my bike; it was my primary transport to work and to school. Kept me skinny! When I finally got a car I'd drive to see parts of the city and province I hadn't seen yet.
We're all the sum of our past, and I suppose this leaves me a lot of where I am today. I still ride my bike all over, and I still like to road trip for no other reason that to go somewhere new.
(My bike on an adventure with me, exploring an abandoned house)
I like to bring the boys along when they're willing - sometimes they are - but mostly they like to be in the house, so I still end up on my own a lot. I hope that one day they end up with a positive feeling of nostalgia as well, though theirs will probably be around how they pooled their mental resources to beat a video game.
(c) All images and photographs, unless otherwise specified, are created and owned by me.
