It took her so long to have the confidence to learn to ride on two wheels. She is cautious by nature and is sometimes reluctant to try new things. But in this case, once she started riding a couple of years ago she never looked back. As soon as the snow melted from the sidewalk, she was begging to get her bike out and go for a ride. I took her up to the empty parking lot at the end of our street and let her ride as fast as she could. Of course, being an eight-year-old, she headed straight for the puddles and whizzed through them, splashing dirty water onto her boots, leaving a splattered, muddy line right up to her pony tail. And she was absolutely radiant. The only time I saw a serious expression is when I made her stop for a quick snap.
I hope she never loses the joy of riding as fast as she can through puddles...
