The Yankee Clipper

We had a wonderful Christmas here in Winston-Salem. When we arrived on Dec. 23 there was still snow on the ground! It wasn't long before Baikal was interested in her first solo sledding ride. My parents have a sled, but not just any sled. Legend goes that this sled was left by the previous owners of the house they purchased back in 1976. It's name: The Yankee Clipper. One thing is for certain, this sled was made during a time when there were no child safty laws. Made of wooden slats and metal rails, the Yankee Clipper claims to have "power steering" by way of pulling on a flimsy rope, but I believe this to be an advertising gimic only. What it does have it the ability to put any first time parent into a nervous state when they see their first born go flying down an icy hill on nothing more than mere wooden slats and metal rails. And what if they head towards a tree? Will the power steering prevent a head-on collision? Not likely. It was with both fear and excitement that I watched Baikal go on her first solo sled ride down the steep hill in my parents back yard. Her first words after... "Can I do it again?"