Reflections in the Pool Cover

Spring-cleaning rarely occurs in the fall, but last week I was rummaging around in the basement and came across ye ol’ cross-country shoes. Ahhh, the memories. I remember traveling to a mall in Flint, quite a hike from a boy growing up on the rugged streets of the Nasty, for the uninformed that’s Saginaw’s guttural moniker, because Fashion Square Mall didn’t carry the newest Brooks running shoe. It was early summer and I talked John Cammin into going along for the ride…and paying for gas. I didn’t know anything about running shoes, I simply saw an ad in a magazine and noted the little heal-cup eyelet and knew they needed to be on my feet for the coming CC season. For some strange reason I never threw these well-worn foot soldiers out. Hanging on the hook with my shoes was the past. Finally a tangible way to connect! I slipped them on and noted the discomfort. What use to be a synthetic plush now felt stiff and abrasive. Immediately, I was transported to a literary understanding of Nick Carroway’s disbelief when Jay Gatsby uttered, “Can’t repeat the past? Why, of course, you can.”With apologies to Yoda, “Repeat the past, can you not.” However, you can fondly remember it.

This week’s caption contest transcends mere captions and asks you to craft fond but brief memories of your first wheeled items: bike, Big Wheel, skateboard or tricycle. Feel free to include the go-cart you hammered together with Darrel Lubben and raced it down the grassy hill on the side of the highway.