The Saltaire Baptism

Who among us doesn't remeber receiving the 'Saltaire Baptism'? For some of us it came as we were first learning to ride bicycles in Saltaire. To some it came later in life, many being baptized in the wee hours of the morning riding our bike (or for that matter, someone else's bicycle) home from Kismet.

I refer to the first time riding into the drainage ditch. Athough my baptism occured when I was a very young boy, the memory is still quite vivid. Mine occured on Marine Walk accross from the Mueller house. Who can foreget being covered with that filthy water and all the slime!

A few years ago I was riding east on Harbor Prom between Surf and Atlantic Walks. Coming the other way were two young boys, clearly Brothers, riding one of those large tricycles made for adults. The older brother was infront at the handle bars, and his younger brother was standing in the rear basket with his hands on his brothers shoulders. The younger brother leaned forward to say something to his brother, and the older brother turned his head to hear what his younger brother was saying. AS he turned, he veered to the right and rode directly off the walk into the ditch. His younger brother sailed over his brothers head, performing a perfect Swan Dive, face first into the ditch. As bad as I felt for them, I couldn't control myself, rolling in hysterics on the walk. They too had now been inititated.

Unfortunately, the ditches have been filling in over the years, and soon there will be no ditches left to be baptized in, but for we 'Old Timers', we will always remeber!