My first bike accident.

A little over 23 years ago I went on vacation to Texas to visit my relatives. Our first stop was Dallas, where my grandparents live. We usually stayed there a couple of days before heading south to visit my other grandmother, Alpha (that was her name.) Well, this visit my cousin Matt was there visiting as well. I am three years older than my cousin, so that would put him at about three at the time. In my grandparents exercise room they had a stationary bike. I couldn't really reach the pedals very well, but it was heavy enough to ride on one side and go up and down like an awesome ride (for a six-year-old). Well after enough of that, I decided to spin the pedals with my hands. My cousin Matt was there playing with me and he wanted to spin them too. (Note: This was a very old stationary bicycle, the kind that had a large weighted wheel in the front with a chain connecting it to the chainwheel and pedals. This was also one of those direct drive systems, meaning the weight of the wheel would keep the pedals moving after you started them.) So he started sping the pedals with his little three-year-old hands. The next thing I know he sticks his hand where the chain is and the chainwheel eats it. The above picture is the scar 23 years later. Sorry Matt. And thanks for stopping by on your way to Ann Arbor, Michigan to start your new life as a teacher.