Greetings campers and groundhog haters
Safely back in the hibernaculum after a funfilled day yesterday dodging wayward tractor/trailers in the snow. Miserable stupid groundhog says 6 more weeks of winter, and it's just about that long until the State College PA swap. Hibernation. What a concept. When is somebody just gonna eat that flea bitten little mange bag?
Not a particularly successful foray into the light of day, or into the used bookstores on the way home. A little slow on the draw most of the day. Found some SLJ ders, and a few other odds & ends I'll probably never use, but mostly watched from an arms reach away while other listers grab the loot. Even struck out during the "junk boxes under the tables" bottom feeding phase, and left the bargain wheels and freewheels behind at the end of the day. The People's tool bag saw more action than the wallet. Opportunities missed. Boo hoo. Maybe deep down in my subconcious I just know I have what I need. (oh please no, say it ain't so!). But a day with the bike kooks will always beat the heck out of watching football, or snowfall.
Most of the swap has already been described by other listers, so I don't have much to add. However:
Tom W, how does that old saying go? Three frames in the hand, are worth.......... juggling. Practice before the Cirque. I'll bring the chainsaws.
Tom Hayes came from several hours farther away than I, and unto him I bestow all my accumulated "frequent driver miles". And by the way Pal, that was MY stuff I gave away to good homes. Really! Well, most of it was mine. And I did actually sell a couple things.
Special thanks to whoever had the foresight to bring the box of the latest Riv Reader. My mailed copy didn't arrive until today. Grant, I promise to put a couple additional copies in the hands of needy individuals. Never would have pegged Sheldon as an Oyster Band fan, but I don't fit the profile either. Have to agree. Best thing to hit Celtic/trad music in a long long time. Great fun. Oh right, sorry, this is a bike group.
Off on a slightly different tangent, adopted some new riding companions last spring. Ti, Al, and Rolf (the names have been changed to protect the innocent), but still good company out there. During an early ride together, one muttered quietly, "We certainly do have our little quirks don't we". Not sure who in the group that was aimed at ..... (As if obsessing over matching water bottles, or matching wheels, or keeping a bike spotlessly clean don't count as quirks. Who am I to argue.). But we are who we are, each with our own little ride rituals to perform, and our own line to ride. The important thing is that we keep each other on the road and laughing. Almost got them to their first swap Sunday, but unfortunately real life intervened and they had to bail out of the expedition. So I'm still looking forward to the day they meet some of the bike swap buds. That experience should very quickly redefine "quirk" for them. Hey, not being critical. Not pointing any fingers. You know who you are. Giving them copies of Riv Reader 25 will have to do for now.
Blah blah blah. Nap time. Larry "hey, I was gonna buy that!" Osborn In quirk-free WV