need to schedule a night ride

I need to schedule a night ride
as I am most definitely not riding enough
and I most definitely am excited to get out on some dirt
my brother and chris clark went to wakefield last night
I should have tried to make that happen for me as well

got out after work on the karate monkey single

when I got home from work I found the boys working on the yard out from with lisa
the boys were enjoying their task of tearing the ivy away from the trees
they had been told about invasive species
but I think they just injoyed the power of the experience
there was tearing, cutting, pulling... a certain level of distruction

my arrival distracted the task

the boys were chatter boxes
I learned that they did get me a Chipolte Burrito
I joked that they had eaten it
sure enough they had each had a bite
too spicy for grant
dean admitted to taking two bites

the boys cut through the house as I rode around to the alley in the back
they could have beat me
but there is that path of billy of family circus that little boys travel through
we arrived around back at roughly the same time

grant immediately wanted the blinking lights
dean was finishing a story he had started out front

the boys asked to make a fire in the smith and hawkin style fire pit that I bought at target

we collected some fallen branches and twigs
just enough to give us a fire to look at
seemed like a good enough way to spend the time leading into bedtime

the fire passed with no great excitement
there were the usual dangers that happen with children around fire
but no close calls

inside there was the usual effort to get the boys undress, cleaned up, and dressed for bed
but it happened with little resistence
there was the fight for a bath
but the progression towards pajamas continued

there were going to be stories
but there was a session of cars on the rug
then time for bed
there was a petition for stories
they got their stories
adlib story by dad with puppets
dean got a story and grant wrestled the monkey puppet
demanding that I kept up the action with the squeaky little puppet that was having his tail tugged upon
then a story that mom has been telling and retelling
working and reworking with the boys for some time now
I think they like mom's story better

with the boys in bed I went to the basement
tonight I did a little work on the geared karate monkey
frustrated that I did not finish the work I was looking to accomplish
need a tool to pull the actual disc from a taco-ed from wheel
did not realize that the disc is held on by an non-allen bolt
some sort of star tool that my pile of tools lacks

replaced the front chain ring
put the cranks back on
degreased then lubed the drivetrain
a quick look at the brakes knowing I was stalled on the front wheel swap
in hindsight I could have put my front wheel from the Karate Monkey Single
they are identical and they have been swapped before
but I am upstairs sipping a glasss of red wine and blogging instead

it was good to work on the bike
not the organic bicycle shop experience
but
I had the music playing and I was enjoying myself
and I accomplished some things that needed to be done

oh.... also cut a dowl I got at the hardware store that I needed for a project in the kids room

tomorrow night I should finish the geared monkey and make some modifications to the jamis exile
not sure if I will swap out the bars and the stem... maybe just one without the other
going to check the seat post diameter of the thudbuster from my old 26er
if it matches up I will throw the new saddle onto the old seatpost
already pulled the seat
may trade that saddle for a less narrow saddle

this can all happen tomorrow night
just need to remember to get that tool

wonder if City Bikes has it...
darn
working late....
will have to seek out that tool at the downtown hardware store options
maybe district hardware
maybe candy's