Bike Ride

 

I went on the bike ride yesterday morning. The temperature was right at 69 or 70 degrees and overcast at starting time - perfect weather for a bike ride. The old Raleigh performed well, as always. I did, however, manage to pull the wire out of the sending unit on my speedometer. Since I was riding in a group, I didn't need the speedo or the odometer to follow the route sheet - just follow the crowd for twenty miles. I stuck the wire for the speedo back down in the sending unit after unloading the bike at home and it works still. I'll get some silicon or something and glue it back in place. As long as I'm careful in the future, should be good for a 100,000.

The "Rec Center" is planning on a few more rides this summer. If they are like the one yesterday, should be fun. Nice pace, good distance, and good people.

I put the decals on old Allis the other day - kind of like putting lipstick on a pig, as they say, but the old girl will look pretty nice once I paint the gas tank and battery box. Since the original lettering had the black letters outlined in white, I considered painting a rectangular white box where the lettering was going. No way I was going to try and outline the lettering. Just paint the tank and I'll call it good.

I modified the exhaust pipe on the trials bike to get it a little farther away from the float bowl. I need to dress up the welds a little still and then repaint the pipe. I'm going to order some pipe wrap for it and that'll keep everything on the engine safe from the heat and likewise my leg.

I cut up an old inner tube and glued a piece in the tunnel of the tank where it'll be hitting on the frame backbone. One more thing off the punch list. I need to fab up some type of return spring for the rear brake yet, but it'll be done one of these days.

Plan on getting back out in the shop a little bit today and maybe start cutting up the big branches in the yard before the heat returns this week.

Scrambler

 

 

I came across this on an Aermacchi Owners Group. Looks like what would have been called a scrambler back in the day. It appears to be a stock frame with the addition of a couple of extra tubes running from the steering head down to the top motor mount. Also, the forks have been swapped out. The stock forks had the axle mounts on the bottom of the tubes. Nice looking rig.

Another storm last evening and more hot weather coming in next week. Not only is the grass growing like crazy, but it's being taken over by a broad-leafed variety. The front yard was looking really nice earlier this year but big changes in just a matter of a couple of weeks. The back yard is worse. I'm not sure what the best approach is to reclaim it. I had spread some weed & feed this spring - no dandelions now, but the invasive grass is growing like hell wouldn't have it. 

The "Rec Center" where I was walking indoors after the heart attack is having a bike ride in the morning. No charge, various distances, 6:30 start time. Not sure I want to get up that early, but I'll load the bike up later today and if I can get my lazy fanny out of bed at 6:00, I'll give it a shot. The weather should be nice starting that early.

Going to do a little work in the shop today, finally, but I've got some "lumberjacking" to do as well. There's a couple of big limbs down in the back that have come down in the recent storms I need to clean up. I'm not having much success keeping up with the outside work while being cautious with my health. The ninety-degree temps with humidity to match can be tough on an old guy with a history of cardiac issues. I rode my bike down to the mailbox last evening after it had cooled down a little and had worked up a sweat by the time I got back. It's a long driveway, but not that long.  

Anyway, I'll keep on keeping on. Get done what needs to be done and play with the toys as time and weather allow.

Bike Things

 

If I was to contemplate working on another Sportster, I'd go this route. I saw one of these in orange and black at the Springfield Mile a few years back. Cuzzin Ricky and I stopped there on our way home from watching Silver Crown cars race at DuQuoin. There was certainly no shortage of bikes at Springfield, but I did a double take when I saw the XR1000. Cool as a jewel. Good racing both there and in DuQuoin. Even though I'm a die-hard bike guy, the Champ cars on a one-mile dirt track are the best.

Took the bicycle out for a spin yesterday morning and did a little sprint work. I hadn't planned that, but when the St. Bernard started chasing me, seemed like the thing to do. The dog was chasing me and the lady was chasing the dog. I didn't want to pepper spray the dog, but I don't want to get bit or knocked down. I've been through that before and that resulted in a broken collar bone and some serious bruising. The problem now, however, is I go past that house on every ride. 

I need to finish repairing the ceiling in the shop and maybe spring for a portable AC unit. The weather was beautiful yesterday but that won't last. The Missus' ankle is much better, so I can leave her alone a bit more now - time to get back to work.

Music Post

 

Hot again yesterday - not quite as bad as it was the previous few days, but not the kind of day an old cardiac patient should be doing much outside during the heat of the day. I did make it out on the bike early and put in six miles, though. I spent the rest of the day reading and watching television. The morning and afternoon shows were the usual programing - cowboys and cooking shows. Later in the day it became 250th celebrations and another rainstorm. I wasn't too impressed with the ABC affiliates programming, but the PBS show from Colonial Williamsburg was quite good. The Big Cheese from Williamsburg did a short speech tying the founders and the Declaration to what we should be doing now. I'm a big fan of history, but as they say, if you don't learn from history, you're doomed to repeat it, or words to that effect. 

The music above has a vague tie-in to yesterday's celebration, but mostly I picked them because I like them. The blog is my start page when I log in, and I'll usually play a tune or two before I check my regular spots every morning. I good tune is always a great start to the day.  

Cooler weather is forecast for the upcoming few days, so I'll be looking to get some things accomplished before it heats up again. The days are flying by now. Lots of work to do in the shop but with the rain and the heat there'll be lots of yardwork to do as well. No rest for the wicked.  

250 Years

 

Garden

 

"Knee high by the 4th of July" - that's from the days before the hybrid varieties hit the fields. This is the corn in the front field. I took the photo a couple of days ago and it has grown a couple of inches since. It's about 5 feet tall now, meaning we're pretty much isolated here being surrounded by trees or corn and humidity. The corn being the main culprit. I worked in the garden a bit last evening and it didn't take long before I was dripping with sweat.

Speaking of which, the tomatoes, peppers and cukes are doing well. The corn and peas have taken a hit from the rabbits and/or deer. The corn is an ornamental variety that I planted on a whim from an ear I had picked two years ago. It sprouted right quick like but mostly disappeared shortly thereafter. I'm going to replant it but I doubt if it will have time to reach to maturity. The peas have a fairly short time to maturity, so I should be OK there, as long as the wildlife stays away. However, the place is lousy with rabbits this year, but the grocery store always has peas in both the frozen food department and in the canned goods aisle.

Nothing much going on otherwise - just life as I know it. It'll be cooling down this coming week, so I'll be able to resume project work both in the shop and yard work.

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Since it's the 250th anniversary of our country, you might want to watch the movie about our founding by Hillsdale College. The Missus and I went to the theatre to see it, but now it's available on You Tube.

Also, since we're talking movies, I watched This Land is Mine yesterday on TCM. The movie stars Charles Laughton as a meek school teacher living in a Nazi occupied country who is put on trial for a murder he didn't commit. I couldn't find the complete movie but I did find an audio version. If you click on the link, skip ahead to 44 minutes and you can hear Laughton addressing the court. It's not as powerful a speech as it was with the video, and it loses quite a bit of the forcefulness without the set-up, but it's quite relevant to what's happening today just the same. If you get a chance to see the whole movie, I'd suggest you do so. 

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Wishing you and America a very happy 4th of July. 

Things Are Heating Up

 

My two coaching buddies and I went walkies on Sunday. One of them lives about 20 miles south of me, the other the same only north. We normally meet in the park by me but this time we went north to a recently remodeled park in the town where I lived before moving to the farm. It's a beautiful little city park with a paved walking path and trails through the woods. Unfortunately, the wooded trails were too muddy due to all of the recent rains and storms.

The Missus and I went to the grandson's open house on Saturday. Nice party and the kid is already gainfully employed in an apprenticeship program. While there the Missus' sister handed off a piece for her windmill that's needing repair again. A branch came down on it during the last round of storms that passed through. 

She was fortunate in that that was all of the damage at her place. A tornado went through not far from her place. Lots of tornado damage all around me this year. Houses, barns, cars - gone with the wind. I feel bad for those poor souls. Everything you own just gone. 

And now, we're looking at ninety-degree heat with heat indices over 100 for the remainder of the week. My plan is to get out early for my bike ride, do a little something outdoors or in the shop later in the day and then hide in the AC during the mid-day heat.