Lockdown Day 29 - More Bicycle Building

So after a day of tiring work, I decided to tackle some projects at a leisurely pace.  Here's what kept me busy for most of the day..

• Organized the attic
• Assembled and tuned another Beach Cruiser
• Disassembled and repacked the wheel bearings on a Razor Scooter
• Cleaned up and tuned a fishing rod and reel
• Unclogged the sink in my Master Bathroom

It was one of those days that I felt like keeping busy with enjoyable projects.  Apart from cleaning out the bathroom sink, all of the other projects got me very Zen.

This is my very first fishing pole that was given to me at the age of seven. It's still very much functional and could be used tomorrow.  And.. as long as you didn't try to land a seven pound Bass with it, I'm sure it would still hold up.  I cleaned and oiled it up, and looked back upon some great memories I had with her.

I also tore down and repacked the bearings on a Razor Longboard Scooter, because.. why the heck not? My Son always had an affinity for scooters, and I forgot about this one up in the attic.  He took it out for a spin after I told him I had gotten it in shape once again.  Unfortunately, it was a few inches  too short for him to comfortably ride on.  I don't know what I'm going to do with it now.  Probably gift it to a neighbor whose kids might enjoy it.

And.. I put together yet another Beach Cruiser (That's four of them in my garage now).  This one simply needed to be put back together as it was disassembled and stored in the attic. I only needed to re-grease the front wheel bearings on this one.  I didn't go to hard on it cosmetically, only cleaning it up a bit. Not sure if I will strip it down and repaint it yet. Stripping the decals and a quick polish with my high speed buffer very well make it look like a new bike.

This is actually a pretty impressive bike made by Sun Bikes.  I believe it's got a 24 or 25 inch frame, but is outfitted with 26 inch rims.  It's incredibly light and rides like a dream.  It's the perfect size for someone who is under five and a half feet tall like my wife and daughters. If it starts getting ridden more, I'll give it a little more TLC.

I swear, I think the most zen that I have been through this whole Lockdown, is when I'm working on bikes.  Another lifetime ago, I at one time seriously thought about opening a bicycle shop.  It's probably a job that is perfectly suited to my personality.  I love to be calm and chill, but sometimes have trouble getting there.

Working on bicycles gets me in a good place very very quickly, and is very therapeutic and fulfilling.  I can't wait to get started on my next project, but am quickly running out of space to store any more bikes.  Fortunately, the next build I have in mind will be a space saver in regards to storage.  I just can't begin to look for a bike until this pandemic is over.  I may explore buying the frame and forks online if the shipping cost is right.

That's it for now folks.  Tomorrow will be one month that I've been home from work.  I think I'm going to compile a list of everything I've accomplished in that period of time.  I'll either be very impressed or very disappointed.  It's something I need to do however, as the days are blending together at this point. Until tomorrow..

Lockdown Day 23 - Purging, organizing and decluttering

A chill but productive day yesterday.  Here's what I did..

• Organized the attic
• Went on a short bike ride
• Went on a walk
• Organized my garage a bit more
• Started the decluttering process in my room

I'm a collector.. I collect things.. it's what I do.  It's kind of becoming a burden though if I'm being
completely honest with myself.  It has slowly encroached upon my everyday life. I open a drawer and I can't find what I'm looking for.  I open a cabinet and things fall out.  My closet is overflowing with things and possessions that I can't enjoy. 

And so began the start of purging and decluttering.  My dresser is 80% done and I have at least 30 auctions I can list on ebay already.  I kind of want to look through my dresser a second time.  I KNOW there are items I didn't clean out that I really don't need.  Seeing the progress I've already made has motivated me to be even more diligent in this endeavor.

Maybe it's all of the organization projects I've already been involved in over the last few weeks, that has jump started this next phase of to-do's for me.  I've decided I really need to focus on the hobbies I truly love, and focus on those rather than 100 different things I'm just a fan of.  We'll see just how far I can go with this. One thing's for sure, I should be able to dig some stuff up that will be interesting to share.

Take care friends!  Until tomorrow..

Corona Virus Lockdown Day 19 - Biking and Bike Building on the brain

It seemed like bikes dominated my thoughts yesterday. I thought about them, rode them, and wrote about them for the majority of my day.  Having all of this time off from work is downright unsettling if not maddening, so having a hobby I love so much to focus on is a huge help for me.  Here's how my day went..

• Woke up and worked on the blog for an hour
• Made pancakes and eggs for breakfast
• Went on a six mile bike ride mid morning
• Spent the afternoon tinkering with bikes in my garage
• Spent a few hours in the evening producing bike related content

Oh yeah.. now we're rollin'

So I decided to search through my old bike parts and found a front axle replacement for my old Schwinn.  While I still have a few things I want to do to it, I'm ecstatic that it's completely rideable. I actually took it for a test ride in the afternoon down to the mailbox and back, and it rode great.  I live to see neighbors I know, so I have a reason to lay on that electric horn.

That's about it.  Maybe a slow or even boring day to most, but an awfully fulfilling one to me.  I have bike content I will be posting a little later this morning, so keep an eye out for it if you also love bikes.  Oh, and I was feeling the after effects of my longest bike ride yet.  Nothing bad mind you, just a tender hip when I woke up, but am not noticing it at all now.  Maybe I'll shorten my bike ride today, and replace that exercise with swimming this afternoon.

Not sure how busy my day will be today.  It's the weekend, my bride is off of work, and there's nowhere to go.  I'd grill if I had a grill, but I guess you can say I'm between grills at the moment.  Something that's been hard for me to commit to, is sitting down and catching up on TV shows that I watch. Not sure why that is.  I think I felt the need to use all this free time I have as wisely as possible.  Now that my to-do list is shrinking, maybe it's time to do a little binge watching.  We'll see.  

Take care friends, and have a good Saturday.

Corona Virus Lockdown Day 18 - Biking and Homebrewing Pineapple Beer

Nice day yesterday.  It was a much cooler day which really changed the course of my usual routine.  Here's how it went..

• Ventured out to grab groceries via Walmart curbside pickup (such a blessing)
• Ate a late breakfast (Big bowl of oats w/fresh apples and peaches)
• Started fermenting a new batch of beer
• Went for a 3 mile ride at 1:00 p.m.
• Installed a basket on my Brides Beach Cruiser
• Fixed the axle on my old Schwinn
• Cooked some meat for my wife so she could make lettuce wraps for dinner

Something's Brewing! (well.. fermenting actually)

All ready for a nice nap

So for the first time ever, I've decided to try my hand at making some Pineapple Beer from a recipe my Dad gave to me.  It's a Mexican drink called 'Tepache' (pronounced Tay-Paw-Chay).  It's basically a Pineapple Beer fermented in a similar way to Kombucha, but is done and ready to drink in 72 hours.

I guess Tepache is kind of like a cross between beer and fruit wine.  It's sweet, a little sour, and has a mild alcohol content.  I truly hope it comes out good, and if it does.. I will be dedicating an article to this great drink.

Added a basket to my Bride's Beach Cruiser

I also managed to fix the front axle on 'Olga'.. my 1963 Schwinn.  I found a spare axle buried in my magic box of vintage bike parts, and it fit perfectly on the rim!  I took it out for a quick ride and it rode like a dream. 

I have only a couple more things I want to do to it, and have parts on the way to complete the project. This includes re-installing the head badge and replacing the headset and bearings in the fork tube.  There are definitely other things I will eventually do like replace the cranks, as they are a bit bent, and possibly add some nicer fenders, but that will be further down the road.

All in all, a great day.  I'm so grateful that I have hobbies that help to keep me busy and fulfilled in these trying times.  That's all for now folks.. see ya soon.