I saw this photo the other day and it brought back a lot of memories. I had this same bicycle throughout my high school and college years and it got me everywhere. It was my first "major" purchase as a teenager and became my pride and joy. I seem to remember obsessing over her cleanliness and function, spending every weekend dutifully washing and waxing her into a stupor. I used it to cruise through the neighborhoods being built near our house and learn how houses went together. It got me to and from high school and all over the UofA campus.
She fell into disuse and was cast aside after I moved out of my folks' house, ending up with my sister. I last remember seeing the old girl (the bicycle, not my sister, you bitches!) on a trip back to Tucson in 1989. I wish I'd returned with her, but I'd flown and certainly wasn't going to have the bike shipped. In the intervening years, I believe she was shipped off to Goodwill or The Salvation Army. My sister may have even asked if I wanted to keep her, but I'm sure I stupidly said no.