TVC - Day 8 - Real Saturday

Our weekly schedule is not yet set so we're going day to day right now.....we took off Saturday as there were more than enough folks on duty to do what needed to be done on one of our rare dry days.  We will more than likely work Sunday and Monday, then have Tuesday and Wednesday off this week, and then, hopefully, by Thursday Duane will have our schedule set......it looks more than likely that we will be working 5 days a week up through Memorial Day weekend, then settle down into a 4 day per week routine after that.  Once we settle into a four day week our preference would be to work Sunday and Monday with Tuesday and Wednesday off, then Thursday and Friday with Saturday off.....we'll see how that comes down,

I started out the day writing my blog and watching the Premier Soccer league in Britain.  I used to spend most every daylight hour of every weekend on the soccer pitch as a referee back in my workaday life, and that is one of the things I do miss about that life.  My time on the pitch was circumscribed by 45, 5 and 10 minute time segments......45 minutes for each half, a 5 minute half time, and 10 minutes between matches.  I could still be officiating soccer matches every weekend if I wished, even at age 65, but I decided long before I retired that I would hang up my referee uniform while someone else besides myself still thought I was a good referee.  As referees age and the physical conditioning and speed begin to wain they are assigned more and more often to officiate younger and younger players, and the younger referee who can still run like a deer takes their place on the 'under 19' matches.  Watching Premier Soccer reconnects me for a short time each Saturday and Sunday to to a time full of good memories and friends.

One of our new employees here at TVC, Tara, rides her mountain bike to work a few blocks each day. I'm pretty sure it is a GT full suspension bike....I say I'm pretty sure as all the badges, and decals had been removed before she acquired the bike.  It needed to be tuned up so I offered to do so.  She delivered the bike to my trailer about 9 am, and by 10 am I was deep into the weeds on her bike.  The main issue she presented to me was the rear wheel was 'out of true', and it surely was......mainly because there was a spoke missing, which was making it impossible to 'true' properly.  I made a run over to South Shore Bikes with the rear wheel buy a replacement spoke....the bike mechanic measured the length of the remaining spokes and quickly found a replacement for $2.  Once I got the new spoke installed it was easy to 'true' the rear wheel, then I moved on to the shifting issues.  As it turns out the rear 9 speed 'cassette' is worn out, as well as the chain causing the chain to 'skip', plus the right shifter is only a 7 speed shifter, so she cannot access all nine sprockets on the rear cassette.  The left shifter which controls the front derailleur is shot also, so there are a  lot of issues for her to address.  Nevertheless, I found used shifters, and a lightly used 9 speed cassette on eBay for $30 and ordered them for her......I have a lightly used 9 speed chain in reserve that I will donate to her.  I had gone as far as I could go with the bike by 2 and rolled it back over to the office for her to ride home after work.  The replacement components will be here by the end of the week, and I'll finish the bike for her at that time.  Often people put off repairing their bikes because they think it will be expensive, but most of the time it is not, especially when you have someone such as myself that loves to work on bikes for free!

It was a nice day off spent doing something I love, in a place I love.......I'm sure I have said this before, but I'll say it again.......Lake Tahoe has its own unique 'smell'.......the smell of ponderosa pines, and the crisp, clear alpine air are like no other....whenever I smell that bouquet I know I am home.

Thanks for stopping by!