The Crawling Hand!!!

Oh, I know, missed a day!  Sorry! 
No, came in yesterday, sat at the 'puter to do my morning sh....stuff, and was suddenly struck with an idea for a short story.  Beginning, middle and end formed complete in my brain and was burning a whole in it with the incessant need to put it down.  As yesterday, turned out to be, probably the single most deadest day we have had in eons, it allowed me the time to type, undeterred for close to ten hours.   I've only got to wrap up the last little bit then do a final read through (and spell check of course!) BUT, not wanting to get to far behind, thought I'd pop in and bring everyone up to date. 
Aside from picking up a couple of bangers yesterday and one really nice (or soon to be) classic Cannondale triathlon bike, as mentioned it was all but "rigor mortis" yesterday! 
On to Thursday!
A little better (but not by much) as we sent home one new ride and a few repairs, but what stuck me as desperately, sadly, funny is a little thing we'll call "THAT HAS HAPPENED FOR A WHILE!"
In the middle of the day a young gent came into the store,  I gave him the traditional greeting, asked if there was anyway I could help him, and although polite with his response, remarked he was just looking around.  No worries, we get that all the time.  But, as I puttered, keeping one eye out should he appear to have a question, I couldn't help but notice he was taking an inordinate amount of time studying not so much the items, but prices.  He moved from the parts to the bikes, and again, not so much the bike but the price.  Yea, there was one bit of evidence available that informed me of his true intentions, but wait for the dramatic reveal on that one!  So, patiently, I waited, then the expected questions began.  For the next couple of minuets, he struck up what was to appear to be a friendly conversation, then started to question the prices on repairs.  He really was becoming more and more obvious, but I SO did not have the heart to inform him, his ruse was not well thought out.  Now, by the time I had listed the cost of a tune up, bearing repack, and tube change, I have to admit I was getting a tad bit giddy, because he seemed to be becoming more and more, well, concerned.  Once we got to wheel truing, he was clearly agitated and simply stated (and nope, no kidding here) "you cant DO these things so cheap!"  HEH, HEH!  GOTCHA!!! 
Look, I am not to proud to admit, when we first got into this gig, years ago I too, would occasionally "comparison shop" other bike shops (granted, I did it over the phone) but it was because I really had NO idea what to charge for any given repair, that would be a fair price.  We really had never originally intended on doing repairs, just sell bikes.  Thanks to Dave Foot from Canada for changing all that!  What I found, when shopping around was, there was NO way we could or would charge the prices that other bike shops charge.  Two reasons, let's be fair, they use NEW parts (which are bloody expensive) and primarily we use used.  Second "Minimum Shop Hour Charge"?  Come on!  Nope, keep it simple, keep it cheap!  And as far as going into another bike shop to clandestinely check them out?  Nah.  Dem's not kosherized rules!  I have visited several of the local shops, but before even checking out their stock, introduced and identified myself, for one reason only:  we do have folks coming into visit us who want new parts and bikes, and once they realize we don't do that, we need to be able to refer them, in confidence, to someone else.  And there's no way we're going to do that if we don't even know the shop.
So, in an attempt to calm the young inquisitor, I reassured him, yes we could, but for the reasons mentioned above.  We're not in the business to compete with other shops in the area, we're here to represent a portion of the population who are not so at other "new" bike shops.  It's definitely a niche market, but we are very happy to work for them.
And, to any other bike shops in town, who want to know how and what we do, and have the brilliant idea to "send in a scout"?  Well, just tell him one thing before you do,  "At least make sure they remove your work shirt with the company logo on it, before they come in!"  BWA-HA-HA!!!!
OKAY!
On to another "awkward" sit-ye-a-shun!  Pulled in this morning to notice a car parked off to the corner with a bike sticking out the back, figured that was fer us. Opened up, and after a few mo's they came in.  Nice enough couple, but..well, one of the few bad parts about this job is when some folks have a different value system in regards to their own ride.  The gentleman was looking to sell, and even before I got out from behind the counter, he gave me the run down of the bike.  it was an old Murray five speed cruiser.  Now to hear him regale me of it's worth, and how pristine it was, truly, filled me with a bit of dread.  I SO did not want to be put into the position of having to burst his bubble, and here's why:  MOST bikes will only sell for a certain top price.  That's it!  Oh, you have variations in total dollar figure, but only below top price.  For instance (and I'll use one we see ALL the time) Next Power X Dual shock MTB:  Top Price $85.00.  Now that's if it looks NEW!  You could sink $150.00 into it in new parts, replace and upgrade everything, but it will STILL only sell for $85.00, because.....it's a Wal-Mart Next. That's it!  SOOOOO, an older Murray five speed cruiser, in TOP condition will ONLY sell for $75-80.  To hear this man rail on about how perfect, waxed and shiny it was, well....I was looking for an "out".  Fortunately, I had one, or so I thought.  It being first thing in the AM, and not having brought any cash with me, save coffee money, I explained I wouldn't be doing any buying today.  I thought I made it.  Nope.  "Well, would you at least look at it, and tell me what you'd pay?" 
ARRGH!!
*sigh*  "wasn't gettin' outta dis one!  With my most polite "going to the gallows" smile, I said sure.  But not unlike a teasing first date, we got half way to the door and I was given the false hope, yet again, of a way out.  He stated in passing, that he "already had an offer, but it was in Saint Pete"  HO HO!  Looking hopeful I said "How much was the offer?" 
"Fifty Five"
BINGO!!!  "Well sir, I would definitely snag THAT offer!"  And , assured I had made it out, unscathed, prematurely pivoted to turn back to the desk when he said plaintively "But I don't want to drive all the way to Saint Pete, I'm sure you could sell this thing for over a hundred bucks, she's PRISTINE!"
DAMMIT!!!
SOOOOOO close.......!
With what I hoped was not an audible sigh, an unseen rolling of the eyes, and a hidden slumped shoulder, I acquiesced and made the march to the firing squad!
Yep...SOOOOOO wish I hadn't had to go out there!
What I was faced with after a dramatic reveal, and much hype and hyperbole, was in fact, a frame with a variety of chips and scratches in the paint, a chain of burnt umber, with matching stains on almost every inch of chrome and bald white walls with so many fault lines of dry rot they made the surface of Mars look as smooth as a marble! 
ugh.
OKAY, how the heck do I get through this without seemingly insulting the guy.
Well, in a weak attempt, I just smiled and said "you'd be a lot better off taking the fifty five?"
"But how much would YOU offer for it?"
DAMMIT!!!!
Well, propriety out the damn window, I had no other recourse but to give it too him straight, ran through the list of defects then informed him it was only worth ten bucks to me.
Heh....yep.  Completely expected response.  Incensed and insulted, he rallied on about how much work he put into it... "IT WAS WAXED!!!"  and how valuable it was, how much I could sell it for, how "we had parts anyway to fix it" so it "wouldn't cost us anything!" (???????) and of course, how much we were trying to screw him, then drove off in a huff.
ugh.
Great way to start a Saturday!
WELL, recouping, I rallied my strength , and am determined to make it through the rest of the day, without any further scars!
(I'll be hiding under the desk if you need me!)
Here's what we built Thursday!

LIKE NEW!!!
MONGOOSE "MODE" BMX!!
ONLY $85.00!!!

26" LADIES MONGOOSE MTB!
ONLY $80.00!!!

“With every day, and from both sides of my intelligence, the moral and the intellectual, I thus drew steadily nearer to the truth, by whose partial discovery I have been doomed to such a dreadful shipwreck: that man is not truly one, but truly two.” _Robert Louis Stevenson

Well....that happened!!
Ok..so a funny thing happened on the way to the desk...
TEN MINUTE RULE almost gone horribly wrong! 
So, toward the latter half of the day yesterday, after a rather lackluster day of puttering (well, not so puttering. managed to put out two newbies and bang out four EZ repairs!) had a gent come in, we'll say...umm...fourish?  He had noticed a dual shock MTB we had put out the night before, apparently window shopping after hours, and came in to "snag it up". He appeared to be somewhat of the quiet type, didn't say much, but asked if he could road test it.  SURE!  No worries!  He heads off around the block, and I go back to my bay, banging away on one of the hybrids we put together, then about five minuets later, comes back, parks the bike, waves a short salute, says his thanks and leaves.  OK, obviously not what he was looking for, no worries!  Less the ten minuets later a young lady comes in, inquiring about the same bike, asks the pertinent questions (work done, age, would it fit so and so a height man, and the warranty info) and after she seemed satisfied with the answers, snags it up.  Saying our so longs, I went back at it.
Less then ten minuets later (you notice a trend here?) the first gent comes back in, and upon noticing the ride was no longer in the spot he left, inquired as to where it had wandered off too.  I answered simply "we just sold it."  Well, at this point, not unlike Robert Louis Stevenson's literary creation, his timid demeanor shifted to one of contemptuous wrath, and began spatting vitriol about "unprofessionalism" and "he was just going to get money" and "how could we have sold it out from underneath him"!  Calmly, but with my own ID inspired monster broiling beneath my placid exterior, I relented the floor and allowed him his tantrum.  Once I found a moment that opened a question, allowing me response time, I simply stated that he had said nothing when he left so I only assumed that he was not interested.  Well, at that moment I saw the slightest gleam of recognition to this fact, but not willing to relinquish his incensed  high ground, huffed, and with a few choice words...left.
WOOF!  How some people can get THAT wound up, well, the old saying "It's the quiet ones you have to worry about" comes to mind.  Shaking it off (which, at times, can be a chore) I went back to finishing up the second hybrid.
Oh...the story doesn't end there...
About an hour before close, having now shifted into "cleaning mode" I had my back to the store, sweeping out the debris from my bay, when I heard the tell tale "chunk" of the sticky front door opening.  I turned around with a smile to greet who ever came in, only to find the gent standing there.  Oh, for a brief moment I had a sudden chill of "the unrealistic psychopath coming back to seek revenge" but, with relief" recognized the contrite stance he took.  Recovering myself I cautiously inquired "what can I do for you" to which he extended an apology and the almost humorous revelation that, as it turns out, the lady who had come in and snagged up the ride in between his visits, was in fact, his wife, looking to get him a surprise!  So either, he had time to think about his behavior and come to terms with his overreaction, and the subsequent apology necessary OR, upon learning of her purchase, related his story of impropriety to her, and she ordered an "about face" and "go say you're sorry, young man!"  (given her out spoken manner, I am more inclined to believe the latter!)
Well, as mentioned, we banged out two "need a LOT of work, cause they sat in the back yard for far to long" hybrids.  which, in addition to the repairs, took up the better part of the day.  We did get in a sweet little 20" BMX in trade, just around close, so I'm jumping on that one shortly!
Other then that...enh?  Not too sure, but we'll see which way the wind carries us!
See y'all soon!!!

LADIES 18 SPEED HYBRID!!
ONLY $95.00!!

MEN'S 18 SPEED HYBRID!!!
ONLY $95.00!!!

“When you come out of the storm, you won’t be the same person who walked in. That’s what this storm’s all about.” _Haruki Murikami

Oh the Florida skies!
Truth be known, I have always been a big fan of storms.  Torrential down pours, rumbling thunder echoing from hidden recesses within massive slate black clouds.  Even the comforting yet oppressive sheath of humidity, accompanied by the metallic scent of the oncoming onslaught.  Then there is the moment, if your patient enough to wait to feel it, that the temperature drops dramatically, and you realize you have about ten minuets to put your affairs in order, before the oncoming deluge!  This is queerly exciting, if you happen to be riding somewhere.  That sudden shift, and realization that you either better get to where you're going, or prepare to do an unexpected load of laundry!  (I carry a small zip lock bag with me at all times!  A must have for cell phones and other perishables!) 
Yesterdays daily rain, was a little disappointing though, as it only rained long enough to make things unbearably humid!  UGH!  But, in retrospect, if that's all the troubles we have this season, I'LL TAKE IT!  Last year was so bad, we entertained the thought of shifting stock to inflatable rafts and personal water craft!  SHEESH! 
We managed to keep rather busy none the less!  I got a hair across my buttocks, and with nothing else to occupy my time, took advantage of the fact that Terry hadn't come and picked up his table saw yet, and that I had left over lumber from the truck project and put some of it to good use and expanded the video shelves somewhat!  I was getting tired of looking at the jumble of crates on the floor.  We are far from a "pristine" shopping experience, but even that mess was too much.  Even broke down and got rid of the tapes without cases (except for the delightful re-discovery of the BBC's production of "The Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy" and the complete set of "Fawlty Towers") although for a brief moment I contemplated doing an art project of sorts with the older tapes, but thought better of it! 



Ahhhh.  SO much cleaner! (although, ick, I really need to have these floors cleaned!)  Even created more space for MORE videos!  Heh, heh!  Although, at the moment, I have completely abandoned the concept of alphabetizing the stock!  Even got a spot for "Managers Picks!"  Obviously, not new releases, but each week I'll feature a few of my faves! 
Gotta send a shout out to ALL the folks that keep passing our name around!  PLEASE, keep it up!  Not to mention the minor leaguers over at the ball field who are quickly becoming a whole subset of patrons!  These are BIG guys, not at all easy on bikes, who are keeping me rather busy either "swapping out" rides or doing repairs.  Not warranty work, mind you, but....well, I replaced a fifth wheel yesterday.  I have NO idea WHAT they are doing with these bikes, but they are more then realistic in  recognizing part failure from abuse!  Also, had a nice young lady and her mom come in on a referral from somebody who over heard them talking at Kmart while perusing the rides there, and told them they should check us out first.  She had a real hard time deciding between the "Pub Crawler" (she's into kitch!) and the ladies aluminum MTB we had.  Prudence and practicality won out on that one.  Also, the ball player was visiting us with his girl, and as they waited for me to fix up his ride, she convinced him she needed a bike too, and snagged up the dual shock jobby we had, primarily because it had a gell seat!  Hey!  Priorities!  And a young mother of triplets (oh...I shudder to think if we had three of OUR kids at the same time!) needing to upgrade all their bikes, but after her and her hubby had scoured the area looking for something other then a hundred bucks a pop on 12" bikes, was near to giving up when she sent out a plaintive plea to her friends circle on Facebook, and some unknown benefactor alerted her to our presence!  She came in and was quite thrilled to find a cute little girls 12" for $15.00!  She was not shy to exclaim she wish she had known about us first!  Seems her hubby had broken down and bought one of the aforementioned rides for their older boy.  So sorry to hear! 
For today?  Well we picked up a nice set of hybrid bangers yesterday, so I'm jumping on those, as soon as I slam out a couple of minor repairs, post haste! 
So, here's hoping that today brings a lot our way to keep us hopping!
See ya soon!

Break On Through, Too The Other Side....yea.

When the still sea conspires an armor
And her sullen and aborted
Currents breed tiny monsters
True sailing is dead

Awkward instant
And the first animal is jettisoned
Legs furiously pumping
Their stiff green gallop

And heads bob up
Poise, delicate, pause, consent
In mute nostril agony
Carefully refined and sealed over

-the Doors

Nope.  Didn't think the Gary Fisher would last that long! 
Left outta here first thing yesterday morning to one of our new regulars.  This is a HAPPY story!  Gent came in about three weeks ago, new to the area, and is lucky enough to live near the Pinellas Trail.  Quickly after moving in, he was introduced to the local bike culture, and being a younger man, in his early thirties,  saw the benefits in having two wheels to explore some of the more colorful areas abut town. SO much easier to get to them on a bicycle.  After being removed from bicycling since he was in his teen's and of course, achieving the goal of almost every young man hitting the milestone of 16, got his license, parked his bike and never looked back!  He came in and snagged up a "Cheapy Cheap" DBS in the form of a Magna dual shock MTB, just to test the waters. No sense in spending Boocoo bucks on a newbie, if you just get bored with it and shove it in the garage. 
He didn't get bored.
No, quite the contrary.  He discovered that not only was it a lot of fun for recreation, exhilarating to get off the main drag, and take "the road less traveled", but being a single gent, he could run his errands, do his chores AND get to work SO much easier...and FASTER on two wheels!  See, he's one of the smart  ones who moved to the area CLOSE to where he works!  Within a matter of a week he realized "What do I even NEED a car for?"  Well, short of a couple jaunts over to the Tampa night life...really...not much!  His only complaint, after letting the car collect dust, was that the Magna just wasn't "enough".  I do understand this, as the DBS is good for A to B banging about, but once you get serious about riding?  You need something a little more.  He happened to swing in yesterday morning, to have a pedal replaced that was trounced (plastic cheapies, big guy...go figure) and we got to talking and he relayed the above story to me.  However, as we continued to talk,  I noticed the inquisitive gleam in his eyes as they lighted upon the Zebrano. 
Offering him a road test was all it took!
Within ten minuets of zipping around the block a couple of times, we were talking trade-in value!   I'm not what you would call an advocate of the higher end market, we like to deal with the cheaper modes of transportation, BUT, we do hold true to the principle that a bike always finds its rider. And this gent was SOOOO a Gary Fisher man!  Let's face it, there is a difference between a Magna and a Gary Fisher!  I'm just happy that we could hook him up for a relatively small investment, regardless though, seeing the look in his eyes when HE recognized the difference...well....a lesser man could have milked it for a lot more! 
On the remainder of the day?  Seeing as I am all caught up, no new projects to start and everything cleaned and organized (well...except the wheel rack.  Really getting tired of having to reorganize that bloody contraption!) when we got in our standard compliment of repairs, had loads of fun doing the whole "NASCAR Pit Stop" bit! Absolutely LOVE to see the look in folks faces when they bring in a repair, fully anticipating the industry standard of "give us a few days", but instead get a "give me ten minuets and I'll have 'er done!"  OH...priceless!!
One gent brought in an older cruiser with a spent rear and fused chain, and was quite consolatory almost to the point of abject apology, that it would take me "a while" to finish up, and he'd be more then happy to pick it up next week. Next WEEK?!  Nope, go and grab a soda, and we'll have it finished when you get back.  He apparently was not convinced, so lingered a wee bit, returning an hour later.  In that hour we did his and two more fixers!  Sorry folks, yes I'm bragging, but we are proud of what we do!  Well...that...and part swapping is SOOOO easy!  The real challenge is when we rebuild them.  Yes, that takes some time!
At this point we hit the "Horse Latitudes" of midday, so it was all I could do to not snooze.  Rozy was up, so we went to the corner store, picked up a pack of playing cards, and she whooped my butt at War, and Go Fish.  Then introduced me to a new game "ten's" which was elementary, but kind of fun.  That's the one good thing about summers, as I bring one kiddo on alternating day's with me, it affords me a little time (when I'm not to busy) to reconnect.  The chaos of school years limits our interactions to dinner, baths and bed.  And whereas, bath time is relegated to just Izzy and Miranda (the other ones are WAY to big for Daddy to wash up!) and even though the school agers are here in the afternoons most days, that's our busy season so it's more "go in the back room and let Daddy work and stop taking my tools!" time. Of course, when Logan comes up, it's totally different.  He disappears into the back room as soon as we show up, turns on his cell phone and gets lost in whatever video he's watching or games he's playing.  He gets his "technotactics" from Mama.  It's bizarre, that.  Angi recently came across an old photo of herself when she was just about Logan's age, and it was incredible, they could have been TWINS!!!  The oddity in our home, is that the boys, physically take after their mother, while the girls take after me.  Yes...pity our poor girls! 
Speaking of girls.  Last night was "fresh veggie goulash" night soafter I made a trip to the local fresh market, got home,  and started dicing and slicing.  Miranda, not a fan of veggies, caught wind of this fact when she was investigating what Daddy was making for dinner, and as I was a little later then unusual, unbeknownst to anyone, she gathered up her bottle and blankie, snuck away to her room, shut off the light, pushed the side table in front of her crib climbed in and went fast to sleep!  Around 8.30 while passing through the living room I did a head count and realized she was missing. After a brief search, I found her sprawled out fast asleep in bed.  That's ONE way to avoid eating her greens!
SHEESH!
But woe to anyone who inadvertently awakes her before she is prepared to get up!
*SHUDDER*!
Yea, at this point I'm vamping folks.  One side of my brain writing, the other side trying to come up with something to occupy my time! 
Soooo, I think I will wander about the shop, aimlessly, looking for something to do!
See ya! 

Ma and Pa Kettle Go To The "Big City"!

ooooooo.
Mommy and Daddy tired!
Yesterday my beloved and I set out on a mini adventure, and headed down to Saint Pete for the day! 
yay.
No, it wasn't all THAT bad!  As I mentioned earlier last week, when Christophe came and snagged up the truck we built him, the trip back down to the "lower depths" was somewhat, jarring, and busted a few of the rack mounts, and dislodged the chain.  I took advantage of the need to be there and do a rare "house call" (considering what he spent on this beaut, it was the LEAST I could do!) and to take a while to explore, what I have been told is, a rejuvenated Saint Pete.
enh.
True, it has been some ten years since we have set foot in that side of town, (it's a two hour bus ride, so it takes about ten years, I guess, to build up the stamina) and many folks coming up from that area have been telling me it's got a lot better. Well, very little has changed on Central Ave from 34th st East to the water.  Twas a bittersweet trip in to Williams Park.  We lived on fourth ave south, years ago, when I was doing construction and remodeling some of the cute homes down there.  Working for two partners who were doing flip houses (but doing them WELL) in an attempt at gentrification, and cleaning up the neighborhood.  Primarily, it was still a bit rough, but given the fact I'd been working there, at that point, in roughly a 6 block radius, from one house to the next, I had the brilliant idea of just moving the family there, as really, there are some very nice family homes nestled in there.  The thought being, was there were many folks, families and couples who were doing a great job, one house at a time, and I had real high hopes they'd all turn it around.
Then, the rumblings of the recession started, and pretty soon the effort dried up.  The bad element took hold again, and we got the hell out of Dodge.  True, some of the store fronts along the way have been rehabbed, and more little independently owned business have taken hold.  Also, there seems to be a much stronger "Artistic" presence being seen.  I do appreciate that, as many a building is awash in color, and murals and such.  It's got a ways to go, but is definitely more vibrant then the subdued and slowly evolving banality of downtown Clearwater!  ICK!  Although...sitting at Park Street station, waiting on our bus, it's a lot of fun to play "fill in the blanks" with the motivations and intentions of all the "Scientology drones" skittering about! Sorry, but it looks like the whole area is nothing but a training facility for Valets!
ANYWHO!!
Back to Saint Pete.  We got there a little earlier, so we wandered about  from 1st street up to 9th along Central Ave checking out all the little shops which, for some odd reason, most were closed on Sunday?  You'd think with all the folks milling about they'd take advantage of it.  We checked out a couple of "trendy" clothing stores (that would be for Angi folks, My clothes are gathered from donations and thrift shops!  No point in going new, as I'll destroy them first day out!) but once she saw the price tag, got that sour lemon look and a big "NOOOO Thank you!"  Really, she can take anything from a thrift store .50 cent table and make her OWN trendy attire!  Then we happened upon a SWEEET little record shop, "Daddy Kool Records"!  at 666 Central Ave (yes...the address IS a little foreboding!) If you've ever seen the flick "High Fidelity" you'll have an appreciation for the atmosphere, however, the gent running the joint is anything but "elitist" and a really friendly chap!  I was impressed at their professional organization, while still retaining a personal, comfortable atmosphere.  And yes, it's a record store with CD's as well, with the minor addition of new chotskies, but not a "tourist trap" set up!  These guys know there stuff too!  Angi has some very obscure tastes in music, but the owner knew exactly who she was talking about.  Yes folks, if you're into a more tactile experience with music, or the better music quality of vinyl, you gotta check this joint out!  Angi was so smitten, that even though she has all his albums on download, she snagged up one of Marilyn Manson's CD's (sadly...we have no record player...anymore...children, go figure!) yes, Marilyn Manson, like I said, odd musical tastes!  Ever try and eat dinner while his music is on?  Not good for the digestion!
ANYWAY!
After we visited Christophe's evolving juice bar (he's really into repurposed kitch!  LOVE IT!  The furniture is constructed locally from recycled pallets!) at 689 Central Ave, unit 100, and did the quick fix, we bid our farewells, and wandered back down Central , towards the water.  We forgot, however, just how stagnant the air is in downtown.  Even though you're close to the water there is hardly any breeze, and best stick close to the shadow of the buildings, as it was rather sticky.  We ended up stopping for lunch at "Lemon Grass", a real chic little Thai food place (surprising on how popular the color Magenta has become for a decorating choice!) for some Sushi (yea, our Kyptonite!) and ordered up the "Duet", a fine sampling of rolls and Sashimi!  YUM!!!  Although, one particular round, came garnished with fresh slice of Jalapeno's, which...I paid for later.  But it was SOOOOOO worth it! 





Yea, I had already snagged one of the Japanese rolls before Angi got a chance to snap a pic!  What can I say...I was HUNGRY!! 
After we gorged ourselves (and had minimal left overs...I even ate some of the garnish!) We set out, sated, to walk some of it off.  However, being as we are somewhat unfamiliar with a lot of walking, we were both feeling the heat and the day, so opted to head back to the bus depot to head out back home.  We swung down to 1st street and looped around to 1st Ave north and back up.  That corner looked no different than it always did, so at least most of the joints on that block are still alive and kicking.  We had about a half an hour wait at Williams park, and of course THAT place hasn't hardly changed at all!  Still a makeshift camping ground, quite family un-friendly, given the element wandering about.  No, don't label me one of the stuck up anti-homeless folks, but seriously, peacefully occupying the park is one thing, but having a drunk (or otherwise) free for all, with eight people because somebody sat in somebody else's "space"?  A wee too much!  Guess the Police were too busy handing out traffic violations, or something.
Finally, we got out of there and ventured home.  Surprisingly, everyone was in one piece and the house was still standing, so that's a good thing!  Of course, it was early to bed for Daddy!  I was pooped.
Saturday, was a busy, busy day!  Had several of the "I know what I want" snatch and grabs.  That's where folks, who obviously window shopped in the off hours, came in, went right to the ride they wanted and snagged them up!  We like those kinds!  Were quite busy with repairs as well, later in the day, but still managed to put out three newbies!  Two of them, were no brainers, that needed...well nothing, aside from reinstalling a pair of trainers.  These are LIKE NEW Specialized kiddo bikes!  One's a 16" and the other a 12"!  And MAN!  I cannot BELIEVE the prices these things sold for NEW!!  I mean, I know they're Specialized, but  $240.00 for the 12" and $275.00 for the 16"!?!?!  SHEESH!  No, we have them out at a very reasonable $35.00 a shot!  Also, got in a sweet Gary Fisher Zebrano sports hybrid, we got in on trade for the 20" Mongoose.  Sure, she needed some work but SOOOO worth it!
Today, it's been a repair-a-go-go, and sent the Dahon folding bike home with one of our regulars (after the prerequisite discussion about the follies of teenagers!) and intermittently coming back to the blog to try and wrap things up. 
Today...well, don't have anything in the hopper to jump on, so looks like I'll have to get creative again!  Rozy's turn up to bat, and she's been on the floor making "House of Cards" and I'll tell you, she's going to become an engineer!  She WAY has the patience for construction, and definitely doesn't get it from me!  I never had a flair for this kind of thing!





Her next one used all the cards and was somewhat higher!  I put out three...and they fall over!
OKAY!  Guess I have waxed nostalgia enough, and should get back at...something!
Hope to see y'all soon!!

GIRLS 16" SPECIALIZED W/TRAINERS
ONLY $35.00!!

BOYS 12" SPECIALIZED W/TRIANERS!!
ONLY $35.00!!

2005 GARY FISHER ZEBRANO!!
ONLY $180.00!!

Filenes Bargain Basement! Mind the Snares!

OH...the lessons in life we learn...or not.
Before I begin, let me preface this entry by saying, I am aware it may come off as slightly self serving, and perhaps as if I may have taken a wee bit of gleeful "I told you so", but take it for what it's worth, and try to see it in the spirit it is recited, as a "warning tale"
Two days ago, when I was out and about running the gauntlet, Elijah was watching the shop.  As per usual, whenever one of the boys takes the helm, I look for a detailed synopsis of everything that went on in the shop while I was away, upon my return. This particular day, was a relatively quiet morning. He had done a couple tube changes and had a few Looky Loo's.  One gent, in particular, was looking for a BMX for his young son.  We have the older Mongoose we rebuilt, looking quite sharp, but when it was brought to his attention, he looked it over, sniffed and in a rather derogatory tone stated "I'm not paying $70.00 for an old Mongoose! I can get him a bike cheaper at the Pawn Shop!"  According to Elijah (who, yes, may be slightly formulaic and stiff when doing customer service, but is still not a rude boy) he remained pleasant and wished him well, and should he need any help with service on his purchase, to not hesitate to bring it to us.
I met the gent yesterday.
First, as a Side note:  Yes, Mongoose's ARE a Wal-Mart product...now, but back in the day (the tail end of which, being, when the one we have was made) Mongoose's were the BOMB!  ANYONE who was a BMX'er in their day HAD to have a Mongoose!  They were built well, and had competitive styling. 
Anyway.  The gentleman came in, dragging a very ragged looking Hyper.  You know, the TRUE Wal-Mart BMX, black and blue with the el-cheapo nine tooth rear, that holds up for about two weeks after buying it.
Here's the story.
After leaving here that Wednesday, he hit a few Pawn Shops, until he found this "GREAT DEAL!" of a Hyper, for ONLY $50.00!!  Yes, granted, it looked very clean, and almost new (when he bought it), but now, it had some fresh scratches, and a thrashed out front wheel, and slightly bent fork.  Well, of course it had looked new, because, quite frankly we have found, in many of the ones we have rebuilt and sold, that the kiddo that gets one of these rides, may have a week or two to ride it, before the rear end (or any other of the inherent seven weaknesses this bike has) fails.  Therefore, doesn't get to ride it and beat on it any.  However, that's not the truly sad part.  Seems he picked it up and brought it home and presented it to his excited tweenager, who immediately got on to put it through it's paces.  According to him, on it's third trip down the big hill, in the neighborhood they reside in, about midway , the young man stood up to crank...and the rear end locked up, chain slipped and the young man and the bike suffered the consequences of it.
Luckily, the boy escaped with only a couple of bruises and road rash (I say only, because as a father of a reckless BMX'er, if it isn't a compound fracture, you can write it off as lucky!)
The bike did not fare as well.
The story takes an even sadder turn, however.
After cleaning the boy up (who apparently took it all in stride, with admirable strength) the incensed Dad, went to return the bike to where he bought it, only to be told, there was no returns or refunds on bicycle purchases,  especially when the child "beat on it"  Apparently, the exchange became somewhat heated and perhaps colorful after that, however, they remained reticent.  Begrudgingly, he dragged the bike away.  At this point, he had the thought to just have it repaired, so went in search of a shop to do so.  He hit two others, before (I can only assume, reluctantly) came here.  The first place informed him the repairs would be in excess of $200.00, the second shop, refused to work on it, sighting they "don't do Wal-Mart bikes!" (sadly, that is, as I'm sure I've mentioned before, a rather common theme around these parts.  Although...Side note yet again, I will say, I happened upon an opportunity recently to talk to the owner of one of those shops that doesn't work on box store brands, who sighted the consistent failure of components on those bikes. I will acquiesce, that if your working on, say, a drive train, where the derailleur has failed, and replace only that, then two weeks down the line the chain gives way, their experience was, the customer retuned complaining it was their work that was the cause.  They avoid working on them to avoid the inevitable liability) So, he trudged it to us, as would appear a last choice (I think pride was tugging at him there!) I checked it out, and in order to get it up and running it was going to cost $83.00 to replace the rear wheel (with a standard size freewheel) upgrade the chain ring to normal size, replace the front forks and wheel  and put on a sturdier chain.  He paused for a moment looking at the Mongoose, but opted to just pick up the parts and fix it himself, in respect to the money he already had invested in the bike.  Hey, were all about promoting DIY, so no worries. 
The lesson here, folks, is clear and concise, and I feel a little pandering to even denote it, but "sometimes a Great Deal, is not all that good"
ANYWHO!
Thanks to all the repairs that came in, post haste, and snagged up their rides yesterday, even given the state of the weather!  ICK!! More rain and dark gray skies!! Even got in another two just before close, and the poor souls bringing them in were drowned muskrats doing so! 
Of course, there are a couple hangers on, but that's not their fault, as is the case, in too many summers, having a kiddo each day with me, a couple of them are prone to walk off with pages from my notebooks for drawing, and sometimes fail to check and make sure there isn't anything written on the pages they swipe!  ARRGH!! Needless to say, I can't find their numbers! 
As we are surprisingly back up to speed on all that needs a doin', I took the time to do the pedestrian chores of parts sorting and cleaning  (STILL finding pockets of sawdust everywhere!) and banged out a few kiddo bikes (like we need anymore!  SHEESH!) and Boy, if it's not looking like Toys R' Us around here!  Also, had to do a "Bone Row" return yesterday.  Had a gent come in over a month ago, paid for a bike, then asked to have a couple modifications done, and he would be back later that day to pick it up...and we never saw him again?  Yes, oddities happen, my friends!  I sure hope nothing bad happened! 
OKAY, well going to jump on the last couple repairs in hopes that someone, some kind soul, brings me more to do today!
Here's a Hoping! 

18" BOYS BMX!!
ONLY $40.00!!

GIRLS 12" TREK!!!
ONLY $30.00!!

GIRLS 20"
ONLY $20.00!!!

Back To Normalacy! *Shudder*

First, an apology for "not doing my job"!  Twas brought to my attention, via E-mail (luckily, today was one of the rare times I actually CHECKED our E-mail!) that a young lady was interested in one of the rides we had listed in the blog's "Still Here" column!  A bike that was sold yesterday as it turned out.  This sparked my memory that it had been a few days since I checked the listings, and when I did, realized how WOEFULLY out of date it was!  Granted, it's only been a few days since I updated it, but a few days around here can bring about a full stock turn over!  Not to mention a whole world of excitement!  SOOOOO, it is now brought up to speed!  Luckily, for her, since the ride up herEwould have been for naught, that she thought to communicate before making the trip!  But a side note folks, call or text with any questions, as Yahoo is SOOO bloody slow and frustrating, I rarely check it! 
OK, so after my trip into State funded lunacy yesterday, came in and got right back on the horse!  The Alley Cat I had put out, sold likety split to one of our regulars, who professes "he buys ALL the cool customs we make that he can get his hands on"!  WOW!  Thank YOU sir!  I know we've seen him MANY times!  He must have one heck of a full garage!! 
Also, sent the Raleigh Big Boy to a new home, finally!  Surprising how that one held out for almost two weeks!  That's...old man status around here! 
As I had mentioned, yesterday was pretty much all about the repairs, as just over the two days I was running about "higgley-piggley" they stacked up...HIGH!  Most came in and snagged them up, although I have a couple hangers on, and one, for the life of me...I can't find their number! ARRGH!  Hope they check in soon! 
Then it was on to newbies!!  Put out a sweet Cannondale F500 MTB (got no idea of the year, although I speculate early 00'S (TAKE THAT Mr. Y2K!!) because these suckers are hard to date!) lightweight alloy hopper!  Also, a very unique Dutch Collapsible 20" adult "Pub Crawler" with an integrated rear rack, perfect for carrying a 12 pack!  LOVE the cute handpainted "lizard" head badge!  Today seems to be mounting up to be more repairs as well, having gotten two in first thing!  Just taking the time to imbibe enough caffeine, as last night was M. Knight Shamalayn time again, with a late night viewing of Sixth Sense that didn't put me to bed until around 1.30am!  WOOF!
Well, best get started and make use of myself!
Hope to see y'all soon!

SWEET 20" "PUB CRAWLER!!"
ONLY $80.00!!



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CANNONDALE F500 MTB!!

ONLY $290.00!!

Well...at least I got my tool's back!

So, yea...had to go back in this morning and give them another deposit on the taxes.
Ugh.
The frustrating thing about this was, they made SUCH a big deal that I HAD to be in BEFORE noon time, like some paradox would form and all life as we know it would vaporize in an instant if I was a second late.
SO, this morning, even before the sun was up, I got up, shot to the bank and waited.  As it turns out, fate wasn't quite done with us, and in my own stupidity, realized...I forgot a check! 
SOOOOo, had to jet back to the house, wake Angi, have her sign another check, which she was gracious enough to do, having been awoken by me with a modicum of panic, then I shot back to the bank, only having to wait, after the last bus had driven past, because, even though we have been banking at the same branch, for over two years, with the same tellers, doing deposit and cashing checks three to four times a week, only to be told...her signature did not match what they had on file!?!?!
SERIOUSLY?
Standing at the drive through, having to wait for the home office to open, so they could fax a copy over and have them check it against their records only to find....yep, it's good! 
Really.  Fate and the Cosmos, sitting over a cup of Joe, just hadn't had enough fun with us yet!
Needless to say, in order to get there by the deadline, I had to call a cab.  Be thankful I averted the destruction of our Universe.
ONLY to find, once I hurriedly ran into their office...the agent I met with yesterday...had the day off!  It was simply a matter of me handing the money over to a teller and getting  a receipt! 
SHEESH! 
All that?  And I didn't even have to SIGN anything?
GAWD!
ANYWAY, at least that trial is behind us, and thankfully, being forced to take a cab, was not necessarily a bad thing (excepting the driver was a recruiting Scientologist...Clearwater....go figure!) as it got me back to the shop a lot quicker then the bus, and given the pile of repairs that have backed up, I need the extra time! 
However, I'm taking this time to just recoup.
Last night, after doing the nighttime thing and the girls in bed, we acquiesced to Logan's desire to watch the M. Knight Shalyman film "Signs".  Now, when I watched this the first time, I was not all that impressed, as I felt the pacing was a tad bit plodding, not your normal "alien invasion" film.  But, the second time around, perhaps with the distance of age and altering sensibilities, I enjoyed it much more this time around.  The focus on a more personal reaction and character interaction in the wake of a world altering catastrophe set against the backdrop of a personal tragedy, earlier on in the characters lives, and how all the subtle coincidences melded into the conclusion of the story, not to mention the more subtle (and truthfully scarier) visuals of the aliens, made it all that more entertaining.  Definitely a film worth revisiting, if you reacted the same way I did, first time you saw it.
Okay, now, with my meandering thoughts down, I best get a move on and get some thing done!
Oh, by the by, did actually manage to put two newbies out yesterday!  One is a lightweight, alloy frame Mixie single speed custom jobby, and the other is a Fuji Silhouette Sports Hybrid, small frame!  Real sharp looking!
OK, that's it!

CUSTOM SINGLE ALLEY CAT!
ONLY $170.00!!

2005 FUJI SILHOUETTE
ONLY $280.00!!!

THIS is why people climb to the top of a watchtower with a semi automtic and two days worth of ammunition!!

UGH!  What an ordeal! 
Today was our special trip down "red-tape lane" as I needed to meet with the tax people, YET AGAIN, for their bi-annual paper work screw up!   The letters they send are so ominous, I imagine them recruiting a firing squad, awaiting my arrival!  Getting up early, pensive and shaking with fear, I underwent the grueling bus trip in (thank GOD for LG phones and the plethora of video game entertainment to make the trip quick), sat in the outer offices SO wishing I could have a smoke, waiting for my name to be called, feeling a little like Sean Penn in "Dead Man Walking", trying to look comfortable in a collared shirt and slacks (SOOOOO not me!) only to be eventually led into a little side conference room to be informed that the whole thing was nothing more then a shifting of departments, and in fact they were lowering our monthly payment!
LIKE, you couldn't tell me that SIX WEEKS AGO when you sent me the damn "Mcarthy-istic" Letter!?!? 
SHEEEESH!!!
Tell ya what, set up a defribulator and a cash bar in your waiting room and you'll make a KILLLING!!
Needless to say, I'm back at the shop SOOOOO trying to get my pulse down!  GAWD! 
Elijah came in (like, I had another option!) and minded the shop from opening.  Nothing much was happening, because of course, Fate knew I had enough on my plate and figured the Cosmos lunch lady needed to put a heaping helping of gray clouds on as a freakin' side dish! 
GAWD!  I am SOOOO agreeing with Danny Glover right now, "I'm gettin' too old for this $#!+!!"
I mean seriously I've been working with an inept office, and bureaucratic system for THREE BLOODY YEARS, JUST to pay taxes...That we never collected in the FIRST PLACE!!!  And WE...went to THEM!!  It's not like they had to send out the leather clad, thigh high boot wearing Stormtroopers to find us!  We realized we screwed up, and went too them to make it right, when we could have simply lied, and every time they shift our account around in the office, things get invariably screwed up, and they treat US like criminal! 
GAWD!!
Sorry folks, I know I am on a tirade, but this just really chafes my willy!! 
Poor Angela, who could not be there, lets face it, with two babies at home and nobody to watch them, she's pretty much stuck, but she was sweating bullets all morning awaiting the outcome, because her names on the paperwork!  This just aint' right! 
And then they act, at first, like some hooded wearing sociopath is in the back room sharpening some battle-axe on an old millstone, cackling incessantly to himself in anticipation of lopping your head off, until they are content in the secure knowledge that you've left a puddle on the uncomfortable chair your currently squirming in, then they break out with the "no need to be worried, everything's fine" bit! 
AHHHHHHH!  It's moments like that, you really wish you were not as civilized, and could take advantage of the fact that there are no security cameras in the little box, and eviscerate the smug smile with your teeth! 
Hmmmmm?  Did I go to far just then?  I imagine several of our readers visualizing that act right now, and I can imagine, some may very well sympathize! 
When I arrived, of course, you have to go through the metal detectors.  As it turns out, yesterday when the new trucks owner came to pick it up, he rented a panel truck. Well, "contents MAY shift"! They did.  Busted one of the hanging racks and dislodged the chain, so I offered to go down to Saint Pete to remove the rack and bring it back to the shop to fabricate a new one, as well as to demonstrate how to reset the chain.  Of course, tools are required, so I had them in my "bikers bag"  Well...Screwdrivers and wrenches are SO not allowed, so I had to bring them outside and stash them.  I was so shook up when I left, I forgot to bloody grab them!!  So I guess I'll be going to the hardware store.....
Who knows, maybe they'll still be there the NEXT time we have to endure this!
ARRGH!!
Okay....okay...I'll get off the subject!
On to yesterday!  Aside from the aforementioned Truck pick up, kept pretty busy the majority of the day.  Had an unfortunate "ten minute rule" that I do feel a tad sorry for.  A very nice couple, shopping for a gift for their daughter, came in and spotted the Classic Free Spirit three speed, the day before.  They were very intrigued with it, thought it would be perfect, but I hadn't worked on it yet.  I gave them the offer I have extended many times before, that we could take a down payment to secure it for them, but the opted to wait until it was done, to check it out.  I informed them it would be finished in a couple of hours, and they said they would return later in the day, but failed to do so.  First thing the next morning a regular of ours came in and snagged it up, along with another of the MTB's we had.
....Twenty minuets later.
The nice couple came in to inspect the finish product.  I was dismayed to have to inform them it was already gone, as I had no other "vintage" piece at the moment. 
Sadly, this may have created a rift, as the husband was all for putting the deposit down but she declined to do so.
Thanks to all the folks for keeping us jumping with repairs, and once done, did manage to put the one freebie from Bullet into paint.  She's going to be a peach!  The wheels in Magenta look SHARP!!!
Hopefully have that one done, right quick.
OKAY! 
Home time was quiet last night, as I got home, ate dinner then unceremoniously passed out in bed.  So, not much new to report there!
All right, I best get my tail moving and try and save the remainder of the day and do something productive!
See ya soon!!

Talk about "just over the line"!!

OKEY DOKE!
Before I get going with yesterday's fun and frivolity, a couple SHOUT OUT thank yous I forgot to mention yesterday in regards to the Truck, amongst the Hullabaloo of the Internet crash! (ARRGH!) First, a warm thank you to my lovely wife for being understanding this weekend about us having to work late.  It's a rule in our house, Daddy doesn't work past closing, but she understood the importance of me not being capable of letting something go undone, so was very understanding.  And to Uncle Chippie for the gimme of the three speed rear hub!  We didn't have one with the right spacing, so he graciously dug through the recesses of his garage and found me a good one!  Thank YOU sir! 
OKAY!  Now, on to yesterday (and by extension this morning).  Well, actually, I'll wind the clock back to Friday for a funny tale I neglected to share, in lieu of the more pressing mind crunch, and that's a feature I like to call....
IT ALWAYS FREAKIN' HAPPENS!!!
If you recall, while waiting for parts to come in last week, I was keeping myself busy on what was here.  In light of that, I ended up pulling out the classic Fuji "Mt. Fuji" MTB , that had been left here for over six months after some extensive repairs and replacements.  It's something we LOATHE to do, but after the customer had reneged twice on picking it up, then did not respond to my calls for two months, I had to give up the ghost and consider the sweet ride, abandoned.  Cleaned it up, and put it out, priced at what the total of the repairs were.  That was Thursday evening, I posted it, then closed the doors for the day.  The next day, we came in, opened up and had just put the outside stuff up, and began to clean my bay, when in walks a slightly familiar looking man, smiling, and nonchalantly states "I'm here to pick up my bike."  My brain, not fully in gear,  had to ponder just which  bike was he here to pick up, as the only one we had outstanding was a little girls 16" tube change.  He looked at me as if I should know, but I had to stammer out "Which one is yours?" 
Of course....it was the Fuji! 
seriously?
Six months has passed, and it was like he brought it in yesterday.  When I told him it was behind him, on the sales line, he looked momentarily incensed and inquired as to why it was up for sale!
seriously?
It rarely happens, but there are times when even I am surprised at the way some people think!
Now, on too the next feature, you may all be familiar with, one of my personal favorites!
THE TEN MINUTE RULE!!!!
And yesterdays was a TRIPLE!!  OH YES!!  Had a gent call earlier in the day, stating he had just bought a road bike, from another shop locally, but then stumbled upon the Puch we had on Craigslist and loved the look of it, so he was going to return the one he had bought and come grab ours.  No worries.  He showed up about an hour later, road tested it, loved it, but then for some inexplicable reason decided to wait, as there was one more he was going to look at. 
Okay?
No worries.  About fifteen minuets later, another gent came in and the moment I saw his serious riding attire (no, not full spandex but cut off shirt, riding shorts, biker gloves, ear buds and tattoo's) that this guy was a road bike man.  He was banging about on a beater MTB, but as suspected, wanted something a little more serious and aggressive.  Even before he asked, I pointed his attention to the Puch, which he test rode, loved... BUT, as he had JUST moved to the area from Washington State (hence the MTB) he wanted to "check out" some of the other local shops.
Here's where I take pause, in any similar conversation, and am so eager to just, honestly, inform the shopper "don't bother" as he had already made his budget known (under $200.00) and there was NO WAY he was going to find a road bike, anywhere else, for that investment. 
BUT....
I SO do NOT want to appear the pushy salesman, so I inevitably let it slide with a genuine "good luck"
NEXT UP!  about 5 mins after he leaves, another gent, similarly attired, strides in and even before I can say "boo" asks if he can take the Puch out for a test run.  He's not gone 90 seconds before he strolls back in, sporting a wide grin, and leaving the bike on the side walk, hands over his credit card.
Now HERE'S the funny part! 
About an hour later, the first two gents, returned at the same time!  The first one even held the door open for the latter!! Banging away in my bay, I looked up to watch them enter, both turn to find the Puch, realize it's gone, and like something out of one season wonder sitcom, turn at the same time to look to me, inquisitively and I KID YOU NOT, say IN STEREO "Where's the Puch?"
Oh my GOD it was HILLARIOUS!!! 
They turned to look at each other, in mild surprise, then back at me.  It was all I could do to not burst into jocularity!  Composing myself, quickly, I simply responded that it had sold just a bit ago. 
They looked thoroughly kerflumexed.  I felt a twinge of sympathy for their situations, as I see it FAR too often.  Sticker Shock.  Especially to folks new to the area, when they realize just how much similar styles sell for in this town.  They AINT' cheap!!  Of course, I took their names and numbers, for when we get in similar rides, but it didn't seem to soften the blow any, sadly. 
The remainder of the afternoon was quiet, as expected in the heat of summer, but we had a slight surge towards the tail end of the day, and sent home the sweet looking LIKE NEW boys BMX to a visiting grandson and his VERY doting grandmother.  It's always sweet to see generations together, interacting for the child's best interest!  He was quite excited to have such a cool looking ride!  Even Grandma liked "all the skulls on it"!  You GO girl!
Wrapped the day up on time, and went home and we did all the house chore things, dealt with whatever insubordination that was up to the plate at the time (this time around it was Elijah, and me being DUMB enough to lend him MY Greedo to go to work the previous night (his is still in the back with the thrashed out rear wheel, that he hasn't bothered to fix yet) had decided, when he got off work at 4am to go hang with his buddies (no call, no text) and not show his face until 5.30 pm the next day!  It's lucky for him we had brought the truck home that night, or I would have had to walk to work and NOT been a happy camper!) then it was early to bed.  I was pooped and in a wee bit of pain, as yesterday I let the drill, with a wire wheel get a wee bit too close to my belly while cleaning a wheel (although, my expanded midsection can be a bit of a road block at times!) and it bit me, BAD!





So, a little Advil and it was off to bed for Daddy!
Now, during the summertime, all bedtimes are pretty much out the window.  The kids are allowed to stay up until they drop.  It does make it a little easier in the morning, as Angi is by nature, a night person and it allows her the luxury of a little more sleep in the AM before the raucous starts.  This morning I got up, in secluded silence, got dressed and was having my coffee, when I heard the tale signs of Miss Miranda waking up, in the form of standing in her crib and banging it against the wall.  She was in good spirits, surprisingly for her, who is so not a morning person. I met her outstretched arms, signifying she was prepared to get out of bed.  As she knows the routine, she took my hand and led me to the diaper changing stand, pulled out the diaper and wipes and laid down for me to change her.  We talked as I did so, well... I talked and she giggled and muttered things in Miranda speak.  I finished, helped her up, and she gave me a hug.  Then, pulling away, open her mouth and pointed, the universal sign for "feed me".  Okay.  I went in made her bottle and cereal brought it out to the coffee table, pulled up the foot stool for her.  Then she grunted and pointed at the TV, I popped in "Atomic Betty" and went about finishing getting myself ready for the day.
Now, to understand the cuteness of what follows, you need to know a little bit about one of Miranda's peccadillo's.  At times she can get upset about, well, something, and starts throwing fits, which degrade into coughing which inevitably turns to...well...I already grossed you out with my belly, but suffice to say, what inevitably follows coughing requires the quick retrieval of a bucket, towels, cleaning the floor and a bath. 
This morning, after her needs were met and I was going about my routine, I was passing through the living room, and started coughing.  She was SO cute!  Her face became one of wide eyed concern, said "Oo Daddy" then she dropped her spoon, ran into the kitchen and returned quickly with a sympathetic look and a bucket in her outstretched arms!  OH she is just so DAMN cute!!
Yes folks, it's moments like that which make all the other bull$#!+ melt away! 
WELL HUZZAH!!!  The new owner of the truck, Christophe, just came in, Budget rent a truck in tow and grabbed up the newbie!  I'm not sorry to see it go, only for the fact that, once done, it was a behemoth to move around and those hanging hooks got us a few times!  Although, it was a tad foreboding when he said "we'll probably be in touch in a few months to have you build a second one!  AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!  I'll need the time to recover! 
OKABY! 
It was a little weird, oddly enough, packing up the wood working tools yesterday and re-shifting direction back to bike building, I'll tell you!  Once going though, managed to put out three newbies.  One, granted, needed nothing but a pair of pedals, as it is a LIKE NEW little 16" girls bike with trainers, real cute!  The other was a very fine looking example of a vintage Ladies 3-speed, Free Spirit.  I say "was" because it got snagged up first thing this AM.  The last is, what I thought would be, a tear down for parts BMX, but I said "What the Heck" and tried to see what it would look like with a good cleaning.  Turns out, it was mainly just filthy, and the scuffs it did have were nothing more then rubbings, and not scratches, easily removed with a little mineral spirit and elbow grease.  That rounded out our day, and we left ON TIME!!  YAY!
SO, today, thanks to our buddy Bullet, we picked up a few more "gimme's" of "need-to-much-work-to-save" rides abandoned at his shop, and although two were really beyond help, and just good for a few parts, the third is an aluminum frame road bike that now sits in my rack, tore down, and ready for an alley cat refurb!  Got some left over magenta paint, to accent the wheels, and then flat black all around!  She's gonna be a PEACH when she's done!  HUZZAH!!
During our conversation when we arrived, he informed me that sadly, within a few days, he is going to have to go in for surgery, and once out, was going to need a couple month of recovery time in which he can't exert himself or do any heavy lifting.  The upside, at least for Kaleb is, that Bullet wants to hire him for the summer to help run his shop!  WOW!  For those who don't know him, Bullet may be a little gruff  (he's a New York style Yankee) but there is NO ONE in the business who knows more about bicycles than this man!  After he left, I informed Kaleb, if he does in fact get the job to "PAY ATTENTION" and LEARN!  He is a fountain of knowledge and unlike me, has the patience to teach!  Given Kaleb's current level of experience, and working knowledge, he's got a jump, and this could truly be a blessed turning point for the boy!  Here's hoping!
With that, I'd best get a move on.  Been a busy morning already, and I got some chores to do before I can get back to work on the alley cat!
See ya!! 


PS!  Another Shout Out to Uncle Chippie, ever looking out for me, who recommends I wear a helmet, to which I responded my dislike for them, but in passing joked that I would wear one, ONLY if I could find a black one with a hot pink Mohawk on it!  
Well......







Guess I'm wearing a helmet!  Thanks for the "Uncle Chips Garage" original, sir!  Although it begs the question, from what, exactly, did the man get furry pink fabric scraps from. Hmmmmm?  Chip, are you living a secret life that lends itself to downtown Saint Pete on "Drag Night" perhaps? 
The mind reels.....

SWEET VINTAGE FREE SPIRIT!
GONE!

GIRLS 16" WITH TRAINERS!
LIKE NEW!!
ONLY $35.00!!

20" MONGOOSE BMX!!!
ONLY $70.00!!!

No, No....SERIOUSLY! Slap Me Again And Tell Me...It's REALLY DONE!?!?

Oh My FREAKIN' GOSH!!!!
What a bloody chore!  It's Sunday, and after staying late last night until around eleven, we got the truck 98% done!  Couldn't go all the way, as I had to fabricate the hook racks for the crates that will be dangling off the sides, then stain them.  Plus, have to mount locking latches on the main lid as it has an annoying rattle when you ride.  Kaleb came up with a good idea to use left over foam handle bar tape as a buffer, but it still knocks a bit.  I was going to cheat and just go to the hardware store and grab a couple gate locks BUT that would go against the spirit of "RE-Purposing" that is the cornerstone of these projects.  Yes, believe it or not, we got guide lines!  I already broke them SERIOUSLY in lieu of the wheels and tires (and axle!  Still fuming about THAT one!) BUT , as this rig is going to be in heavy service as a delivery vehicle, I figure best to give 'em a nice set of road meat and a heavy duty steel, 12 gauge spoke wheel set.  Those, unfortunately, I just didn't have! Nope, used the last set of three wheeler rims to rig out that Schwinn conversion I did a week back!


SIDE NOTE:  While I'm thinking about it.  MOST folks who visit us, or pick us up on Craigslist or Offer Up are really reasonable, appreciative folks who respect what we do.  Oh, sure, many folks want to get the best deal possible on a ride or service, and I can completely respect that!  I am so inclined myself, with almost everything we shop for, always wanting to save as much as possible, therefore I am always willing to wheel and deal with anyone who, follows TWO simple rules of common sense; Respect and Appreciation.  That's it, nothing you wouldn't want yourself.  BUT, there are a scant few...who make my nostrils flare and temples throb.  I had the misfortune of dealing with one such the other night, when we were working late, and I had my hands covered in grease.  See, it's not a good thing to have to answer a LG phone with greasy hands, or respond to texts, BUT I hold true to the principle that a business must ALWAYS answer a customers inquiry, post haste, I loathe machines, automated responses, or putting someone on hold or to wait.  SO, when my text alert went off, I didn't hesitate to clean my hands and respond.  What followed was a twenty minute back an forth with a gent that had the NERVE to offer $30.00 for a fully customized three wheel conversion!  Not only that, but to denigrate not only the product but the fact that we were asking WAY to much, and that I PAID to much for the bike in the first place?  PAID!?  I BUILT the sucker!! Heck, the bearing packs in the rear cost us $48.00 alone!  Add everything else PLUS labor, and truly, we're loosing money at $160.00!  SHEESH!  Contrary to what my lovely wife may think, it takes a LOT to turn me into an A-Hole, but this guy succeeded!  I had to end the confab, quickly, before I said something I would have REALLY regretted!
ANYWHO!  That's my diatribe for the time being.
Oh, but one last thing, the funny part is, the next morning a lovely lady came up from Saint Pete to snag it right up, as SHE knew a good deal when she saw it!


Where was I?  Oh yes, so aside from that, we have kept true to the reusing (well, paint and stain too, can't forget about that) so I'm going to rig up a set of locking handles to clamp it down.  Oh GOODIE, I get to dig through the "what-not box"!!
ALL-RIGHTY-ROO!!  Let's get on with Show and Tell! 


Ok, so in the search for a classic design tandem (wanted something COOL) stumbled upon this one in Saint Pete!  Luckily, as that's where the finished product is going the Soon-To-Be owner swung and picked it up and delivered!  YAY!  THAT was the EASIEST part of the project!  This is what it started out as!


(OH, don't get confused, but some of the pics were taken after the work was in deep, so it may look finished as opposed to what I'm writing...sorry)









Not to shabby looking a rig, hunh?  Trouble is, as it turns out, this was some sort of a contest give away, therefore, some of the components were a little less than up to snuff!  BUT, we pushed on, and after a full tear down (and the acquisition of the majority of the parts she had that WERE good) we came up with this!!!









Primed up and with the rear end bolted secure (we utilized two seat supports for reinforcing the rear.  One, strapped with a what not box fabrication, the other acting as support for the center beam on the box)








At this point, we were waiting for the wheel set, and to try and find the right paint, so we went on with prepping the lumber.  After all the nail and screw pulling, ripped it down to size and ended up with this









of course, even as the box was being assembled, I realized a few measurements were off, so some tweaking had to be done.  I hadn't decided on the final type of lid to be done...so...needed to tweak some more!







This is my first attempt at a tongue and grove for the lid supports.


  It was at this point I realized the table saw blade was not exactly 90 degrees!  ARRGH!  Oh well...it worked anyway!!


The main box finished, I went on to do the front compartment, so I could assemble and mount the lids, which you see resulted in my poor attempt at gull wing doors!!!










We lucked out TOTALLY when Elijah visited the hardware store and found the perfect match for the paint the customer wanted.  I was quick to get her into paint once that happened, even though the wheel set wasn't in yet! 







Waiting for the paint to dry, in between coats, I went to sanding the box as fine as I could get it, then put her in stain.  At first, the stain came out as thick as orange/red paint, and I was tad bit concerned, but it soaked in real nice, and helped accent the wood grain.


At this point, we paused again (anyone visiting the shop for that week knows this, as they kept seeing the "coffin" blocking the videos!)  waiting on the wheel set.  Once it came in....OY, then the real troubles started!  The original axle was a 3/8 and I dug and dug and dug to find enough bearing packs (8) to make it work, trouble was, the axle wasn't long enough for the modern wheels!  ARRGH!! SO, back into the corner while we waited on the NEW axle to come in!!


Of course...once we got the axle, and hardware...and discovered NO STATIONARY COG!!! "Fer the love of......" Of course, Fate always wanting to play with us, decided that the following week would be a good time for my supplier to take a week off!!  Not wanting to stop the momentum, we decided to go ahead and try and fabricate something!  We shaved down a bendix single speed cog, slipped it over the axle adaptor then locked it in with two rings!





 Sounds good, right?  NOPE!  Didn't work!!  It just kept loosening up (although I'm not surprised, sadly) so, back to the buckets, we searched for a solution.  In the end, we cheated, and mounted a 3/8 cog and hoped for the best!









( you can see the scratches on the new axle from the amount of times we tried different solutions!!!)   But THIS led to a whole NEW problem!  Balancing the chains!  Both rear cogs were the same tooth count and  the tensioner on the original bike was a real cheesy weak set up of a derailleur cog on an itty bitty screw.  Totally bogus for our needs.  We needed something bigger to get the bottom of the chain off the frame and make everything tight.  It was at this point, we were losing our collective minds trying to rig something up.  It was Kaleb who came up with the idea of using an old metal training wheel!







We actually went through three before settling on this one.  We found a NEW use for a table saw, and cut a grove through the rubber to keep the chain snug and NO rattling or grinding noise like other tensioners!  WA-HOOO!!!   A little coat of paint to clean her up, and she looks like she belonged there!





Of course, the real challenge was being able to line up the two separate chains so they had the right tension.  This process took a stubborn couple of hours, as with how the rear end sets on the frame, there is minimal room for the three speed hub to move!





 In the end, we had to redo the tensioner to drop it even LOWER to take up the slack!  Looks somewhat odd, but it freakin' works, so don't judge me! 







Once all was said and done, and that was finally tweaked, turn my attention to the center support.  That was an easy enough job, and actually had a straight two by four this time!!
Then it was on to the rear cross support, and thankfully TOTALLY lucked out that the down struts were JUST barely long enough! 










Of course, had to bore holes in the bottom of the box to nestle down over the exposed nut and threads, which took us dry mounting, lining up and hoping that I got the measurements right!  HUZZAH!!  Got it perfect the first try!  Will wonders never cease? 
Once that was set, had to sand down the center support, brace it with a couple of seat post clamps (and a wee bit of wood filler to clean up the hole!  Thank HEAVENS someone invented "Screw-Up Cover!) then run some stain over it.  Actually, here we are able to "re-purpose" as the accent black stain is really black oil paint watered down with paint thinner.  I LOVE the way it really accents the grain!!







At this point, went back to the mechanics.  Set up the front end, simple linear pull brakes in the front with coaster in the back (this sucker NEEDS stopping power!) Then....hooking up the three speed,


UGH!
Here, we step back into the whole "losing your mind" thing.  My stock of three speed parts is dwindling, sadly.  I had NO three speed cable (that annoying crimped cable you slip into the shifter) and the old school rear barrel, that NEVER works with the new style!  Not to mention, given the length needed, I was kerflumexed!  Back to the buckets!  Lucked out, and found ONE shifter cable for a recumbent that gave me enough length, but still had to deal with that freaking crimp.  I ended up grinding down the traditional shifter nob to a fine line, and it fit snug enough with no slippage!  Then, had to get creative with a pick up for the rear.  Dug through the box again and came up with a funky L bracket, and took the barrel arm from a nexus three speed to make it stable.





 Once that was done, took her out for anther run around the parking lot, and after about 20 mins got second gear to stop acting like neutral!  Once that was said and done, took her for the first real test drive!  WAHOO!  I SOOO wish we had set ours up with a three speed!  This ride is a little lighter then ours


(MAN!  The ghost of screw ups is STILL alive and well in this project, as I had finished the Blog entry, but discovered that freaking Internet crashed, never saved anything, and I LOST half what I wrote!! ARRGH!!!!!)


(TAKE FREAKING TWO!!)


and as it sits on all 24's lower to the ground, lending it more stability.  Of course, you still have to turn it like a bus, and LEAN way into the corners, but still handles and rides a lot better! Those two rear supports are so going on the next one!! 
At this point, it was late enough in the day, we were tired, and unfed, and I was feeling like this....





Next morning, being Saturday, was WAY busy, thank you very much, so we didn't get back to it until late in the afternoon, so ANOTHER late night.  Mounting the box, and setting the reinforcement screws was a bit tricky as we went up, and that took some finagling with the drill, but, she held well, and is surprisingly stable.  Took her out for another test drive, testing the top heavy, which surprisingly was no more an issues then without the box. I was a little concerned about that, as this sucker is ten inches higher then ours, but it worked out fine. The only real problem was the fact tht the lid rattled and knew that would have to be dealt with!  Thought of using an old inner tube as a sound dampner but Kaleb came up with the idea of using some scrap pieces of foam handle bar tape (never throw ANYTHING away!).  Glued those sucker on and it was off to the races!  Unfortunately, there was still a wee bit of rattle, so we needed to lock the lid down, and I had originally thought of just cheating and picking up a couple of locking clamps at the hardware store, but that would go against the reusing thing, BUT, again, we were pushing ten oclock, and I still needed to build the hanging hooks for the side.  The joint that this is going to be servicing is hanging some carry crates off the side, so where it would be easier to, again, just cheat, I opted to build a couple of "coat rack's" out of scrap.  After that, threw on a little more of the black stain and called it  night.





Sunday came around, too quick, and after luxuriating in some sleeping late, we hit it anew.
Mounted the coat racks, discovering it's not a good idea to measure when you're tired!  ARRGH!





 The finished product was off the side supports 4 inches each side, so I used some chain ring male/female bolts to secure it to a side rail, with the center support really anchoring it down. 
Now, it was time to make the lid locks!  Poking about, I fixated on using a pair of front wheel axels, an assortment of nuts, washers and spacers, along with chunks of scrap and wood glue,





 and created "handle latches"




that twist and lock the lid to the inner lip.  They look a tad big, but really fit in with the whole "tramp art" motif! 





  Some more black stain (with a rag, not a brush so no drippage!) and that's done.  Then we take a step back and sigh a collective "WHEW!!!"
All that was needed at this point was a good thorough cleaning, some touch up paint (surprisingly little this time around) and she is done and done!  Now...we just wait for the gent to rent a truck because there's NO way this sucker is fitting in the back of his BMW!!!









And that's it folks!  I use the term "tramp-art" not as an egotistical declaration of it's status, but more in the tradition of the art style popular in the latter half of the 19th century to the mid 20th.  A style that began among the artisans within the working class, world wide, in fabricating intricate wood carving's out of readily available materials such as cigar boxes and packing crates.  True repurposing, that had more to do with the working class than tramps and hoboes as the name implies.  Granted, we're using slightly more sophisticated equipment then a pocket knife, but it's in the spirit of the genre. 
OKEY DOKEY!  This later half of the entry may not have been a eloquent as the first draft, but it's now a tad later then I had hoped to wrap this up, and we have gotten busy and I gotta scoot! 
Hope to see y'all soon!  

Adrift, Lazily, On Calmer Waters.

WOOF!!  Grizzly Adams never had to wrestle a bear like THIS!!
Yesterday was all about the Truck.  Oh sure, had a smattering of repairs come in, no worries, they were done likety split (except one awaiting parts) then it was right back at it.  Of course, I'm going to do a special spread with pics and a walk through as soon as she's done, so I'll save all the whining until then.  Let's just say, during the assembly yesterday, almost every aspect of the bike needed to be modified, in some way, shape or form to make it work!  Getting the chain to run the length and NOT hit the chain stay took three hours!  The tensioner had to be replaced as the original was a small cog from a rear derailleur set on a tiny screw!  No WAY that was holding the tension!  Just keep an eye on the special entry for the solution we came up with for THAT little pecadello!  I must say, it was a truly inspired and BRILLIANT solution!  I can say that...because I didn't come up with it!  All in all, the only thing that DID NOT give us trouble was the neck and handle bars! 
We ended up staying until almost ten pm banging her out.  I wanted to get to the point that the box was ready to be set, with all supports in place, before I walked away from it.  I would have stayed and finished, but...Mommy and Daddy need their down time!
Other then making a big mess of the place working on this sucker, it was, sadly, quiet yesterday!  Quiet is SOOOOO not what we need!  Several Looky Loo's passing through, which is good, but nothing sent home  (*Sad Face*) .  The upside here, though, is we got a lot of goodies for folks to snatch today, if they are so inclined!
On The Homefront!
Well...either it's due to the fact he is genuinely sorry for his behavior of late OR he realizes he's being denied a life and he is trying real hard to put on an alligator grin, and glaze over it all, but there has been a slight shift in Kaleb's attitude over the last 48 hours.  The dynamic is as such; I can only assume that in most modern families, with children, it is sadly the primary caregiver who gets the
$#!+ end of the stick.  They're the one's who clean the messes, break up the fights, do the dirty work and dole out the punishment.  Therefore, in a childs mind, they are the ones to pummel with disdain and disrespect, or out and out disregard.  Hence is the lamentable position for Angela.  It is represented in all the children, to some degree, but when it comes to Kaleb?  Regrettably, there are times where I have to "take him to the woodshed" to reaffirm the position of "Alpha Male" as it were, as was the case of his older brother (who, not unlike the Ant's in a "Bug's Life", should he ever figure out how much bigger he is, I may not survive THAT battle) The odd paradox here is, sometimes, you have to revert to a more primal state in order to obtain a more civil living environment.  Sure, we'd all like to think that, as a society, we have evolved past the more instinctual "grunting and rooting" of our primate brethren, but no, we are all animals by nature and not unlike training a dog to toe the line and conform to "pack mentality", every now and then, you have to grab an unruly pup by the scruff, push them down into a submissive position, reasserting your dominance, I'm speaking metaphorically, of course! Yes, it's a base perspective, but just look at the state of a lot of the later teen, twentysomethings out there who have not been put in there place by parents too afraid or too busy to do so.  I hear it every day, one or more times, by bewildered parents from my generation, dealing with unruly, lazy, disrespectful kids who think the world owes them everything.  We, unfortunately, have been parents in a time where, so much as raising your voice to a child was tantamount to "child abuse", and woe to any poor soul having to endure the crushing heel of the American Nazi Regime hiding behind the "fluffy" moniker of "Child Welfare Services"!  An organization who, by their actions, inform every child "YOU have the power!  You don't like not having to eat your vegetables, or take a bath, or do your homework...just report your parents and we'll shove spikes under their fingernails and put them through the ringer!
Oh...WOW!  Some latent hostility there, sorry! 
But the truth of the matter is, for the last couple of decades, we as a society, allowed a small group of dysfunctional thinkers to tell US what it means to be a parent!  All the guidelines of common sense were abandoned in the art of raising good children in lieu of a "kinder, gentler nation!"  and now...we are dealing with the aftermath of negating the basic, WISE principle "spare the rod, spoil the child". 
Nope.  Angi and I figured out, some time ago, we would rather endure the rigors of a microscope, then allow our kids to rule the roost. We actually DO give a damn of what will happen to them when they eventually leave the nest and have to cope in the "Real World" of life's trials and tribulations in a reality that does NOT cater to the whims of whiny, spoiled children who have no concept of what it REALLY means to be a functioning member of society!
OK, OK...Yes I apparently have "issues".  Every time we go down this road, with each child, there is a moments hesitation in reaction time, giving ourselves the time to contemplate the severity of any reaction, and the resultant consequences it may harvest.  BUT, we hold true to our convictions that saving ourselves the headache now, will result in  having to deal with the backlash of NOT toeing the line, in the near future.
Prudence wins out, every time.
So now with Kaleb, he is actually calmer, knowing NOT to push Dad and has been, relatively, on his best behavior.  Last night actually, when we got home, the other kids were sitting at the table playing cards and instead of his normal routine of disappearing into his room to avoid interaction, he sat down at the table and all in good spirits, joined in!  And with Owen no less!  Those two are usually like Israel and Iran!  But here, they were actually getting along!  Will wonders never cease! 
Yes folks, I look at every small victory for what it is, and just enjoy the moment of peace.  I live under no false pretenses that this is a permanent "cease fire"  but more like Christmas Day in "no-man' land"! 
I joined in the fun, after the game was played, and Owen, Izzy, Rozy and I engaged in a raucous round of wrestling for a while.  A frenetic Miranda tried to take part, BUT she may be a stocky baby, but baby none the less, and these wrestling matches are prone to turn physical.  I made it up to her, though, with some more belly bumps.
All in all a fun evening that, once the kiddo's went to bed (at 12.30!?!),  I plopped down on the couch and actually passed out, controller in hand, driving around in "need for speed".  Funny thing is, when I woke up in bed this morning (how the heck did I get there?) I went out to shut off the game, and discovered, that while I was engaged in a police pursuit, I apparently "fell asleep at the wheel" and my brand new 280ZX was impounded! And I JUST repainted it!  ARRGH!!!
OK, now the weekend repairs are flooding in, so I best hop to it!
See y'all soon!!