Are there many, some, a few of us over 50??

[Lise]

It was a hot summer night but it was July 20th. I remember it because it was my 12th birthday and we were all having birthday cake as we watched Neil Armstrong take those steps.

You are so right! Where did I get the 9th? My birthday is the 19th (I was *9* that year, maybe that's where I got that number). I'll bet we did have Drumsticks at the pool that day. That's the kind of treat we only got for something like a birthday! Thanks for clearing that up. We're nearly birthday sisters!

[newfsmith]

While Biking Goddess beats me for age, I'm only 59, I grew up on a farm in Wisconsin. My childhood memories seem older than hers: Our telephone was a wall-mounted, wooden, hand-crank model. There was a "peeping Tom" latch that let you pick up the ear cone to see if the 18 party line was clear (or to evesdrop) before you cranked out your call. Our ring was 2 shorts, my cousin's was long-short-long. To get the operator (a real person) you cranked 1 long, she then manually connected you to a phone not on your party line by connecting bananna plug wires on the switch board. She was the only person that wore a headset. I also went to a one-room country school with 8 grades and 1 teacher. She had to start the fire in the furnace in the morning (coal), there was one big floor register. Cold days the water that was piped across the road from the farm next door got there fine, but we couldn't use it to wash our hands because the sink drain just went out the wall and onto the ground. Any time it got below 10F (which was most of the time from mid-December to mid-February) the drain would freeze. Since the rest of the plumbing was two 4-hole outhouses, we all developed strong bladders and tending not to drink anything during the day in the winter.

I was in high-school, waiting for after lunch history class to start when one of the kids came in saying President Kennedy was shot. Several kids in the class that were Kennedy supporters attacked the president of the high school Young Republicans club, saying things like "Are you happy, now?" I never heard any of them apoligize to the poor kid, for venting their grief on him.

I was a newly-wed, visiting friends for the moon-walk. My husband was thrilled to the core (he went to MIT at 16, with advanced placement and was fascinated with space travel although he ultimately became a computer geek).

Although we didn't get television until 1959, I do remember "Rocky & Bullwinkle".

[Bike Goddess]

nesfsmith- Well,you see, I grew up in the urban Bay Area. We had long since graduated from one room schoolhouses and manual telephones.

My partner Dave, however grew up in South Wayne Wisconsin - he lived and worked as a kid on the family dairy farm so he had lots of similiar memories to yours! (He's 56 - not far behind you)

[PinkBike]

this is an awesome thread!! i'm 51, started riding again in '97 because i was trying to quit smoking and didn't want to gain weight. i quit smoking and didn't gain weight, well, until i turned 50. and what's up with that??
i loved the 70's. you never feel your age. the kennedy assassination and first moonwalk are probably all of our age-group's most memorable single events. my phone number growing up was whitney5-9222, and it still is, but a lot of area codes have been added. wasn't much into the beatles but definitely the monkees, bobby sherman, paul revere and the raiders and the cowsills. profanity was shocking. remember twiggy??? laugh-in?? thanks for this thread guys, it's fun!
nowadays i just wanna ride. . . . . . . .

[Bad JuJu]

Speaking of the Beatles, anyone remember their first trip to the US and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show? My best friend and I were such Beatle-maniacs!

[SouthernBelle]

Speaking of the Beatles, anyone remember their first trip to the US and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show? My best friend and I were such Beatle-maniacs!

I remember it distinctly. They were on 3 weeks in a row.

[tulip]

With any luck, I expect to make it to over 50! Thanks for the inspirations, everybody!

[mimitabby]

Speaking of the Beatles, anyone remember their first trip to the US and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan show? My best friend and I were such Beatle-maniacs!

Yes, and i was on the phone trying to get tickets. All 3 events were completely "sold out" immediately!

So we watched them in black and white....

[esther231]

Bike Goddess, you're warming my heart. I was also raised in the bay area. I'm 54 and, even though you're ahead of me a bit, seems like we were doing some of the same stuff at the same time.

I remember Country Joe and the Fish playing at a park in Berkely. lol

Did you ever bike with the women at the Full Moon Coffeehouse in SF? That's where I fell in love with biking. Stopped except for little rides with the family as the kids were growing. Then stopped completely. Rented bikes on vacation this year and fell in love all over again. I couldn't figure out for the life of me why I ever stopped biking.

Feel lucky to have rediscovered it.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I'm 52. Just started biking again last month, after about 37 years of not getting on a bike once. I feel like a kid again!

[towanda]

Your question prompted me to finally register at this site after reading around the discussions for about 2 weeks. I'm 57 pushing 58 and just started with my first adult bike 2 weeks ago - a frighteningly childish Townie 21. I too road around as a kid back in Jersey and am learning handbrakes for the first time - not to mention gears. Y'all give me inspiration down here in Georgia. With only about 8 miles/day under my belt for the past 2 weeks, any suggestions for a novice re: how often to ride, how long, what to reach for as I go?

Thanks.

[Bike Goddess]

Esther- to answer your question about the Full Moon coffeehouse- no, I didn't ride with any of them. I was working on my master's degree then, and not doing any cycling! I think I mostly did camping and backpacking back in those days.

Towanda- Just find what works the best for you with regards to how often and how far you go. Sounds like you must have an "around the town" bike. Perhaps you can be a "spare the air" gal, and use your bike for those errands you'd usually do by car. I use my bike as a my mode of transportation to the doctor, the dentist, the bike shop, etc. Yesterday when I went to my doctor's they put my bike in a special room- wow- I had explained to them by phone the day before that I wasn't about to leave it outside!

[mimitabby]

Your question prompted me to finally register at this site after reading around the discussions for about 2 weeks. I'm 57 pushing 58 and just started with my first adult bike 2 weeks ago - a frighteningly childish Townie 21. I too road around as a kid back in Jersey and am learning handbrakes for the first time - not to mention gears. Y'all give me inspiration down here in Georgia. With only about 8 miles/day under my belt for the past 2 weeks, any suggestions for a novice re: how often to ride, how long, what to reach for as I go?

Thanks.

Hey Towanda, welcome to TE!
please look around, introduce yourself on the getting to know you thread
http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=2001
then find the entire "room" for newcomers, a lot of your questions will be answered there. I am 54 and when i'm on my bike when i'm not feeeling pain, I FEEL LIKE A KID!!

so please introduce yourself and let's get acquainted.

[SouthernBelle]

Who is the eldest among the posters?

We need an example!

[mimitabby]

Who is the eldest among the posters?

We need an example!

i think it was Bike Goddess