I didn't find it in the basement of the Alamo

Love at first sight. When you see that one in a crowd. And all the others fall away. And all your hopes, your dreams, your desires are focused on that one. That perfect one.

I bought a bike at the big church garage sale. I couldn't even tell you what the other bikes were. The second I spotted this one, it was like we were alone in that parking lot. Just me and the sweetest little ride on this or any other planet. Girlie bike with gorgeous swoopy lines. Straight up cruiser. If I had to guess, I'd say it' probably an early 60s model. Pedal brakes. Big fat seat. Metalic gold paint - original. And kicky gold hand grips with - wait for it - sparkles!! It is THE perfect bike for anyone too uncoordinated to use hand brakes, and too lazy to figure out how to work gears correctly. Plus it has a bicycle license plate from Scottsdale - how cool is that?

I took it out for a practice ride with my niece on Saturday. And then road it over to a friend's house on Sunday (and hey, how green am I?). If there's a feeling any better cranking really fast on your bike, then sticking your feet out at the side and just flying down the street with the wind in your hair, I don't know what it could be.

There are relatively few repairs that I need to make. The tires probably have one more summer in them. And somebody replaced the kickstand with one that's too big, so that the pedal bangs it every it goes time past. That's a pretty easy fix. Otherwise there's nothing that a little WD40 and a few jazzy new reflectors won't fix.

The big question is, do I let my new bike (tentatively named Bella the Bike. I have some sort of weird obsession with B names for my possessions. Barney the Wonder Truck. Betty the Bat, my Louisville Slugger brand home security system. Bella would fit, but it's also my niece's middle name, so I'll see how she feels about it before I make anything official) stay in it's pristine original condition, though the paint has fadded and the chrome is stained, or do I go full on re-hab and trick this baby out? I could do a new paint job (green, pink, blue, red?), put in some fly detailing, a front basket, a bell, streamers, the works. Do I let this beautiful relic of a simpler time age gracefully, or go the full Pee Wee on it? It's a deep philosophical question that I shall have to contemplate very seriously before making a decision. Feel free to give me helpful guidance in this most critical issue. I'd appreciate all thoughts. I'll post pics tomorrow so that you can get the full "most wonderful bike in the world" experience.