Nostalgic Musings On The Value of Fatherhood

I must say I am VERY touched.
At times I question the value of what we do.  It's strange, as we are blessed with wonderful patrons who remind us from time to time of the importance of what we are a part of (humbly, a small part) in our effort to try and "pay it forward" to Mother Nature.
But seldom am I honored with both reverence for our efforts to conserve but also given a part to play in honoring fatherhood.
Such is the case of Lucky.
Lucky is a sweet unassuming man of advanced years, whom we first encountered a couple of months back when he came in to inquire about acquiring a vintage Schwinn.  And he was very specific of it being a Schwinn.  At the time we had not had a chance to excavate the garage, so with a grin we parted ways.  We saw him again two days ago when he came in for a set of vintage wide fenders.  Seems he had found his Schwinn and was undergoing a full restoration.
Here's where it gets personal.
Seems when he was in the shop the first time he was intrigued by the vintage bikes we had.  It started him thinking.  Some time ago in his youth he and his father had customized a Schwinn for him.  It was a long father and son project.  Nights and weekends spent isolated together in their garage pounding on metal and bonding.  he had remembered that time as a simpler, happy time.  So in his twilight years, as I assume a way to rekindle his youth and in his own words "pay homage to his father" he decided to build an "as close as possible" recreation of that self same bike.
We've seen him again to help custom fit, cut and tool the fenders, and as corny as it sounds it's real sweet to see an almost childlike glint in his eyes.  That self same excitement I myself experience in anticipation of the finish project.
I feel very honored that he has allowed us to be a part of his nostalgic journey.
I also must thank all the folks who took advantage of the gorgeous day to come out and visit.  As always thanks for the trust in choosing us to handle your re-pairs, and all the glowing flattery!  We never get tired of hearing it!  (again...I'm a Leo)
Thanks to Billy and his buds for picking up the Magna BMX as well as the Sweet Diamondback BMX that we had just put out.  Also to Chris for jumping on the "DBS" men's MTB, and Scott for knowing a good thing with the Murray MTB.  Thanks to Spanky (yes...that's his REAL name) for letting us do the upgrade on his already sweet Cignal!  And to the anonymous donor/ musician for the SWEET (albeit somewhat rusty) Old School GT mountain bike!  She will DEFINITELY see a FULL refurb!
All in all, met alot of cool folks today!  Thanks for visiting!
See ya on the morn'!