SUGAR SHOCK!!!

You can keep all other Holidays!  Give me HALLOWEEN!! 
Through the (dis)advantage of age and wisdom, plus the limitations of my current geographical location, I can't help but be slightly jaded to other Holidays.
Thanksgiving.  In our house this holiday consists of eight hours of cooking $200.00 or so worth of food, with a wife, bless her loving heart, who is a bit of a perfectionist in regards to this meal.  Having been born of  Yankee Dad and Southern Mom she was always surrounded by family on this Holiday, in New England.  Her mother, the quintessential Southern hostess and chef, required every recipe be by scratch and perfect.  It rubbed off on Angi.  So needless to say, her propensity for perfection, with a household of curious, squabbling children, detracts from the necessary patience required to make such a monumental meal.  Then, when the final meal hits the table the majority of traditional fare is lost on young pallets.  SO much so that at the end of the meal, the refrigerator must be rearranged to accommodate a mountain of left overs.  Ones which at the end of two days receive groans and rolled eyes by unappreciative children lamenting having to eat them "AGAAAAIN?"  ME?  Personally I could survive on nothing else but my wife's pearled onions if given the opportunity! 
Then there's Christmas.  Let's face it, this is a holiday built for Kid's and commerce.  Nothing else. I do remember when I was young the joy I felt around this Holiday.  Growing up in New Hampshire, it was the perfect locale for such celebrations.  And for many years my parents did it right, with the traditional New England flare.  Tasteful decorations, mulled cider with real apples and cinnamon cooked in an iron kettle over an open fire.  Tree trimming including hand sewn popcorn and cranberry garland.  The traditional family sojourn into the woods to cut down the perfect tree, then dragging it back to the house, on a REAL sleigh.  Yes, all these things were Norman Rockwell memories of my youth.  Making it all the more difficult for me to get into the "Holiday Spirit" in Florida.  I'm not knocking it down here, it does have it's advantages, but that time of the year, hunting for a tree in the Wal-Mart parking lot while adorning shorts and a t-shirt while watching a very uncomfortable "Santa's Helper" dying of heat stroke, doesn't say "Merry Christmas" to me.  Nor does the abundance of tacky decorations emblazoned on every house and the curious practice of setting off fireworks to celebrate the birth of Christ. 
Nah!  Give me Halloween!
This year, once again, Angela did a great job coming up with the kids costumes, per their requests.  $20.00 of accessories, a scant couple hours preparations (which much to her credit, she performed with a relative air of calm and patience), creative application of available materials, and then a few photo's later we were out the door.  With the thrill of adventure and exploration we wandered about the neighborhood while people spent THEIR money to give OUR kids, stuff!  Then, after a flurry of fun and the children sufficiently exhausted, we return home, where all candy sacks were quickly gathered together allowing for the traditional "choose FIVE pieces only!" (don't think us grimaces, Ok.  Our children NEVER get sugary snacks except at Holidays and Birthdays.  Their systems cannot handle the load, and they either become dangerously wired or physically ill) then it was undress and clean up, and off to bed, where everyone passed out without pause!  Now THAT'S a Holiday!  The kids look forward to it every year, enjoy and have fun being out as a family, with minimal fuss and muss, and limited financial investment!  What could be better?
ANYWHO!
My grand scheme of pumping out bikes yesterday had to take a back seat to the influx of repairs.  NOT that I have a problem with that!  Only managed to put out two new goodies yesterday,  couple sharp looking ladies 24"er's, one of 'em brand new, only rode twice!  And also got a 26" Schwinn Sidewinder on the block, ready to go back together post haste!  As well as picking up even more goodies yesterday!  And WOW!  Thanks to all the DONATIONS we got yesterday!  Folks finding out about us, occasionally stumbling upon discarded bikes, have been bringing 'em by and dropping off, cause "They like what we're doing"!  You are SOOOO sweet!  Hey, if we can't rebuild them we at least can recycle them! 
SO!  With that, I'd best get a move on and get back at it! 
See ya soon!

LADIES 24" SCHWINN
ONLY $65.00!!!

LIKE NEW! LADIES 24" MTB!!
ONLY $65.00!!!

Left to right: back row, Kaleb (homeless guy), Logan (archer), Elijah (?), Miranda ( Scarlett O'Hara) Aiden (Superman), Rozlynd ("Little Monster 1") Izabella ("Little Monster 2") Owen (Ninja)

The Group enroute! 
I went dressed as a befuddled, well worn father!