Driving Lesson, etc.

Yesterday the girls and I did a little shopping, inland. I dropped Katharine off at rehearsal in the canyon on the way back to town. Traffic is a nightmare since the annual festivals opened. Pageant of the Masters too. All right in our little canyon, the main artery in and out of town.

Coming up the hill, I asked Zoe if she would like a driving lesson at an empty parking lot. She was not too keen on the idea, but agreed, I think. We switched seats. I explained the pedals and what they do. Taught her how the steering wheel doesn't need to be touched much to turn. I boast about my car's steering ability often, it is simply the best steering vehicle I have ever had. Turns on a dime, does U-turns better than little cars! Anyhow, Zoe was very brave. She was understandably nervous, being her first time ever. I told her to push the button that moves the brake and gas pedal up and down. She moved it up to be more comfortable. Then it was go time. I had her put it in third to start. She asked how she would know how much to turn the steering wheel to get around the curbed corner. I told her I could not tell her that, she would have to go slowly and get a feel of how it is done. She got the hang of it quickly. She did several laps around the parking lot, turned, straightened out the car, stopped, signaled, parked, backed up, looked for cars coming (humoring me) around corners, the whole nine yards. I figured it was best to get my pet peeves from loser drivers out of the way on the first day. I hate when people don't signal. I am a good driver, we will see how good I am at teaching. When I wanted her to step on the brake, I didn't want to say it, so I made so strange, eeeeeeeeh sound. As if she had decided to stop on her own. In the end, she did great and did stop and go on her own. I suppose it wound not be as daunting if I had a smaller vehicle, but if she can drive my Navigator, she can drive a small car easily. Next, using the gas pedal a little more.

One of the reasons I am teaching Zoe to drive before letting a driving school intervene is simple...My niece was taken the very first day she drove with an instructor, onto a very busy road and then the freaking freeway! Zoe will have some experience before she goes out on the roads. This is beneficial and a must for us and for anybody else on the road. I wish they still had driver training in schools. Nope, now we have to pay for a special school. It would be helpful if she could use the simulators we had back in the seventies. Those were cool. Kind of like the video games of today, I guess. Zoe will be sixteen in September and she does need to learn to drive, but she doesn't have to get her license on her birthday. I did, but I needed a car a lot more than she does at this point. We have a great little bus system here. Up and down the hill, all over town and all for free right now. David took it to work last week and liked it very much. He can do that on days when he stays in town.

The Fourth of July was unspectacular. Instead of watching fireworks from our deck, or from our normal vantage point, where new homes have been erected, we went somewhere new. We ended up on the back field of the middle school Katharine just graduated eighth grade from. We were right on the canyon, watching the goats do weed abatement for us. They leave it looking like Lebanon, but it helps keep the parameter of town in better shape in case of a fire. With less than two inches of rain this past winter, that is a real threat. Anyhow, the goats of all different shapes, sizes and colors were fun to watch until the fireworks began. Then the poor things were scared and huddled together in some trees. The booms echoed throughout the canyon from various locations of colorful explosions in the sky. It was nice for us, scary for the goats and all over in about fifteen minutes. Seemingly fast to us and probably and eternity for the goats. Probably a lot like the first driving lesson for Zoe, from her mother.