»In which we play by ice-cream-parlour rules

I spotted a stunning boneshaker at Crissy Field, and the owner indulged me with a couple of rides. I had never even considered riding a pennyfarthing bicycle, and had not the foggiest -- but Christian kindly and patiently helped me out. His pennyfarthing was a relaxed model, with a slightly smaller wheel (48") and more clearance, made by Rideable Bicycle Replicas in Alameda. It had a gorgeous (and comfortable!) sprung saddle.
I was like hell on wheels, careering all over the place, and I was very grateful that the many people enjoying a respite from the rain indulged me while I swerved all over the path.
This happened after the nice folk at the Blue Bottle kiosk told me they played by ice-cream parlour rules. I had just spilled a gorgeous, fresh macchiato, but they saw me pout and hooked me up.

Looking again at the illustration of the "Invincible" Bicycle, I wonder: who thought that a combination of the push-bicycle and odd-sized wheels was a reasonable idea? The modern bicycle, with two equally-sized wheels, seems a work of engineering genius.
And as we were leaving Crissy Field, we saw a unicyclist on a huge wheel -- it must have been 27" or larger.