Well, tonight was our 17th wedding anniversary, and we decided to do something different—experience the nocturnal city scene on two wheels! Although I commute regularly on my scooter, I’ve never taken Lizbeth anywhere on it except around the block once. So whose idea was it to go two-wheeling on our date? Chloe’s, actually.

Once in awhile I will give the kids a little ride around the block at 10 or 15 mph. Today I was giving Chloe such a ride when she asked whether I’d ever given Lizbeth a ride beyond the neighborhood. When I said no, she said, “You should. You should get her a helmet and do that for your anniversary.” Out of the mouths of babes…

So that very afternoon I secretly procured a helmet and goggles for her, and presented her with the idea shortly afterward. She was apprehensive but game. In fact her greatest objection was that the helmet appeared, to her, to be unfashionable. The kids heartily agreed. (This happens when you have three females in the house.) I had picked up a half-helmet and goggles and I guess they were expecting a full-face helmet. I had picked out what I had partly because they would fit in the scooter’s small trunk but also, frankly, because I thought they looked kind of cool. Here’s Lizbeth getting ready to ride. Doesn’t she cut a dashing figure? I think so. Check out that long curly hair cascading down under the helmet. She ROX!

In fact, later that night, two tattooed guys in a car at a stop light were cheering and giving me the thumbs up. No doubt, my brothers!

Tucson summer nights, especially early in the summer like this, are dry and mild and perfect for this kind of outing. We started out first at Dolce Vita, our favorite neighborhood Italian restaurant, then wheeled on down to the eastside Bookman’s to wander among its eclectic stacks of used tomes, then finished up at a local dessert lounge called Something Sweet. All three places are Tucson local, and the night was a perfect picture of the urban Old Pueblo—warm, quirky, and beautiful.