wheels

I was walking around the Shipyard the other day – ogling mega-yachts and grabbing a snack at Belle's — and it occurred to me, for whatever reason, that there are so many different kinds of wheels, i.e., ways to get places. It's complicated, though it doesn't have to be. And requires resources, though it doesn't have to. Certainly power of some sort. But then my thought process got clipped, as something started beeping, and I had to step out of the way — quickly! That mega 330-ton travel lift with the giant wheels was starting to roll, carrying a racer called RAM.

So I, too, decided to roll ... on two feet, with Mango Tango smoothie in-hand (my idea of power, purchased at Belle's), back along Long Wharf and up the hill toward home, where I dragged my bicycle out of the basement, and went for a ride — a free ride, I might add — around Ocean Drive.

At the risk of making a stupid statement (why not??): both the Shipyard and Ocean Drive are awesome. Truly, they produce awe; they never disappoint in terms of delivering new sights and sounds and stuff to think about ...

Then, an hour or so later, on my way back into town, after seeing whatever-inspiring-stuff-I-saw on Ocean Drive, rolling along bumpy-to-the-point-of-treacherous Spring Street on my bike, I found myself behind a posse of pedicabs. I raced to catch up with them, but they beat me around a convertible Jeep to (and through) the light. So I found myself right back where I started: thinking about wheels, different ways to get places, how to get things done ...

Even Ram's inflatable tender is mega — that logo does say "RAM," doesn't it? Unless it says "RAN," in which case it still applies. And that vessel right there, at the dock, with the beakish bowsprit, is Speedboat. Click "Speedboat" to see her in action, though in this instance she's not too speedy ...