R is for...

R is for..., watercolor on mixed media paper, December 16, 2011

I remember when running shoes were simply called sneakers, and the tread was simple and fairly standard from one brand to the next. Now, athletic shoes come in very specific types, each highly engineered to fulfill a unique function: running, walking, aerobics, cross-training (which I don't get), etc.  BUT, they all have super cool tread, thoroughly designed to complement the "upper" and to leave unique and wonderful tread-prints when you go from puddle to pavement. Who does that job? Designing soles? I can't look at the A&W Root Beer logo without thinking of a family vacation we took when I was 10. For three weeks, we three kids rode in the back of a mostly un-airconditioned Pontiac as it struggled to pull a leaky pop-up camper from Ohio, through the Rocky Mountains, to Vancouver, BC, and back again. We joked that my dad didn't miss a single A&W Root Beer joint along the way. He loves root beer floats. I do not, but I will never forget that vacation. I hardly ever remember eating rice as a kid. Now I love it. Somehow, it tastes better when eaten with chopsticks. Another favorite of my dad's is rainbow sherbet. I prefer sherbet that is a little less colorful. Our county got its first Red Robin last year. We watched the months-long construction with great anticipation. Now, we hardly ever go there. I'm sure there's a lesson there somewhere. My husband knows to never buy me roses. They die too quickly. I do love the name...which is why it's our daughter's middle name. My husband's wedding band is a simple, thick band of gold, rounded at the edges, like the one here. I love that ring! I love that he's worn it every day for the last 25 years! R is for running shoe, root beer, rice, rainbow sherbet, Red Robin, rose, ring, and Reebok.