This past Sunday morning we took a longish walk to Newton Park on the shores of Lake Apopka here in Winter Garden.  This park is about five miles round trip from our RV park.  Barry had already walked here several times this season, but I had usually been busy with laundry and working out in the park's gym when he took his walks here, so this was the first time I had joined him.  I couldn't resist going along this time as it was such a gorgeous day and a pleasant walking temperature.

The pretty spring flags were flying brightly on this breezy March morning.

The seagulls were enjoying a Sunday morning communing...until we spooked them by getting too close.

Two types of Gallinules, Common and Purple, are year-round residents along these shores.  Here's the Common, with his bright red beak and mid-face.  He is also known as the Common Moorhen.

The Gallinules, among other shorebirds, enjoy shelter in these grasses and aquatic plants.  You can hear them even when you can't see them.

As Barry walked on ahead (on the right in the photo above), I dawdled and was rewarded with the sight of this glorious Purple Gallinule searching for his breakfast.  His iridescent feathers of blue and green and bright yellow legs glowed in the sunshine.  So exotic!

He found something good to eat!

It was a perfect day and time for a walk and refreshing to get away from the constant humanity surrounding us at the busy RV park.  We'll have to do this again!

In a previous post, I told you about Barry's new Electra Townie bicycle, perfect for cruising around campgrounds and RV parks.  While I walk, he can make much better time by hopping on his bike to get to and from the pool or park office or to take a leisurely turn around the park on afternoons when we don't do our longer road bike rides on the West Orange Trail in the morning.

I've been seriously envious of his new steed and wanted to join him with my own "camp cruiser", but I was unwilling to give up any of my other bikes to make room for it.  I decided that I would only buy one if I could find something seriously cheap.  In this case I wouldn't regret donating it if we lacked the space to take it along with us when we leave this current long-term RV park stay, courtesy of my orthodontic treatment (i.e., braces!) 

I'd been keeping an eye on Craigslist and the thrift store we often walk past, but nothing had turned up, so I'd pretty much given up until this past Saturday.  That morning our RV park hosted a garage sale.  We need so little (and have room for even less) in our small space, but I was determined to take a look just in case anyone was selling a women's cruising bicycle.

Score!  An older couple was selling this lightly used beauty for just $30, and they'd even throw in a bug-zapping racket -- we have one (they work!) and had wanted to get a second anyway.  I didn't even try to bargain, as I'd pay this much to rent a bike for just a couple of days.  The deal was done, and off I rode!

She's a cute little thing, though I discovered she's a bit small for me with 24" wheels instead of the usual 26", but we put the seat up, and for the price, I can't complain.

Single-speed cruiser bikes with coaster brakes, which I also had when living in Belize and Mexico, take you back to the easy cycling of childhood, where special clothing and gear was not required:  you just picked your bike up off the ground and pedaled to your friends' houses and around the neighborhood, wind in your hair, devil may care.

Most adults stop riding bicycles as they leave childhood behind.  But curiously, or maybe not so curiously after all, some return to the style of bikes they remember fondly from their childhood when they reach "a certain age". 

Being a bit different from most adults here in the US, Barry and I never stopped bicycling and have both owned a variety of bikes as adults, putting many, many miles on sleek, lightweight road bikes, three different tandems, folding bikes that pack into a suitcase, a few recumbents, and mountain bikes over the years. 

​But there's something inexplicable about pedaling a cruiser bike that all the fancy, expensive bikes can't quite match.

​It's just a different kind of fun.  Like being a kid again.