Todays chore

I spent the day deconstructing the store bought Ebike. I used the larger heavier bike frame to install my spare pusher motor. I went on line to order more parts for it but all in all it was a good day's work.

I began getting cutesy Email from my new online admirer. Yes the one I think is Mary. I have also found a couple of message in my messenger chat window. We haven't been on line at the same time yet but It will happen I'm sure.

The one thing I really miss about my store bought bike is that it was the only bike I had to pull my shopping trailer. I could get a couple of days groceries inside it. Now the best I can do is carry a couple of meals in the small basket on my handle bars.

I am probably going to have to build a luggage rack and basket system for the home made bikes next. Oh well I didn't want to be bored this summer anyway.

Best laid plans...

The store bought motor kit died on me. At least it was good enough to die nearer to the park than to the pier. I still had to pedal the dead weight of the hub motor home. It was a hassle both the ride home and the searching for answers. I spent all my spare time for the next day or so looking on line for answers and then getting discouraged by the prices of repair parts. Everything was much cheaper in the kit.

Finally I just gave up. I trashed all the controller related parts and put the wheel on craig's list. I almost gave it away but I had no use for it. I ordered the parts to make my smaller pusher motor. What I couldn't get on line or have delivered, I picked up at home depot. As long as I waited until the maintenance crew left the manager had no problem with me using the truck. I missed my welder but I still had my drill. Red lock tight would replace the welder for a while. The pusher didn't really require a welder but it would have made it easier.

I sat back at the end of the second day and waited for the parts to arrive. Laura and I had dinner on Wednesday night as was my new routine. In between Mary would deliver food and call me on the phone.

Mary was strange for sure... She asked for my email address on the day the bike broke down. An unknown woman showed up on my instant messenger list the next night. Too much coincidence, I thought, especially since the woman wasn't trying to sell me anything.

The bike plan

Unlike a novel things in real life just don't happen all at once. In real life you live a day with nothing significant happening. Like I can sit on that pier everyday of my life and just think about life, but you can only describe that a couple of times. After that it get boring. I spent at least two days at a time riding around the park at night and sitting on the pier during the days. I was not one bit bored.

The more I rode the bike to the beach the better I got at it. After a while I decided that high speed was not what I needed. What I really needed was longer range. I didn't want to pedal a lot, but I didn't mind traveling at 10mph or so. I needed to stretch the battery power just as far as possible. I had the rear wheel already set up, so I just needed to find the right motor for the DIY bike and then switch out.

I knew from my tests at home that the motor would probably be something even smaller than the hub motor I used. The hub motor bike was my compromise bike. It had good range and good climbing ability but was only good not exceptional at either. The 500 watt motor was great at speed and climbing hill, but was also a battery killer. It was time to experiment again.

I spent a couple of days waiting to see if the other shoe would fall. I am happy to say that just like in the majority of altercations I have had, it ended with a wimper. I had dinner with Laura one of the nights and a frozen pizza with a bag of salad the other night...

I even watched a couple of TV shows on the internet. If I didn't mind waiting a bit, I could watch last weeks shows on my laptop. All in all it was a pretty good existence I had worked out. I was careful not to say it out loud though. No sense risking a jinx.

Since I planned to be around a while, I began the perfect DIY bike. Well the perfect one for me. I began by bidding on a 750 watt motor. At 24 volts I would most like have to have a large battery pack to support it. Even that might not be a real problem.

Mary Barker the woman much less than half my age called. She wasn't having any water problem she just wanted to talk. It was a good thing that I had free use of the office phone after 6pm. I had her call me there.

Mary was one of those women who want you to know everything about her. She also wants you to know it whether you care or not. Worst of all she wants you to know it all at once. She obviously had too much time on her hands after the divorce.

a day of rest

After the noisy party incident I decided to take the day off and just hang out at the trailer. If the kid wanted to make good on his threats, I wanted to be sure he had a chance to face me, not burn the trailer because I was at the pier meditating.

Of course he never showed up. "Oh CJ your drunk came by to apologize and beg me not to evict him."

"And what did you decide."

"I told him to make it right with you, then to never have another party. One complaint from any of his neighbors and he is history."

"You know, once I drunk always a nasty drunk," I suggested.

"Yeah but it will be on him not on us. I almost always have to face these guys in small claims court. The are trying to make me pay for their move."

"I hope you documented it."

"Oh yes and CJ write me a statement please. Just as much as you can remember."

"You want the ass kicking comment as well?"

"Damn right I do." She smiled.

It wasn't that she didn't want him out, she just wanted some paper to wave at the judge.

I didn't expect him to 'make it right'. After all he was still a nasty drunk. What I expected was for him to run me off some lonely stretch of road one day.

The day after the great flood..

I could learn to like this job, I thought that after finding the chocolate cake on my picnic table. The note read. I got here to late to catch you. The park manager said you go to the beach every day. I wanted you to know how much I appreciated you turning off the water. Even more for waiting till dad finished the repair than turning it back on. I hate cold showers.

Mom said the best way to say thank you to a bachelor was food. The cake is the best I could do on short notice.

Mary.

Yes, I thought, I could learn to like this job.

All that changed later that night when I was called to handle a noise complaint. I spoke to a group of young people about the music at their cookout.

"Hey who is in charge here?" I asked it of a guy standing at the edge of the mobile home space.

"Who are you?"

"I'm the night manager, who are you."

"I rent this space so I can do whatever I want." It was pretty obvious that he had been drinking.

"No actually you can't. Did you read the park rules?... I know you signed them, but did you read them?"

"What rule am I breaking.

"The loud noise rule."

"It's early I can make all the noise I want till 11pm."

"How can one man be so wrong so often?" I asked. "You are quoting law not rules. See you agreed to abide by the rule that says loud and unusual noises are not permitted and are reason for eviction.'

"What?"

I showed him the rule. "Now if I'm not mistaken they charge about a grand to move and reset a mobile home. Not to mention the wiring and other costs. So unless you want to have to deal with that, I suggest you move the party indoors and keep the noise down to a roar. Then kill it all by 11pm or you can also deal with the Sheriff. I do not give but one warning."

"What if I just kick your ass old man?"

"Then you go from disturbing the peace misdemeanor to assault and battery a class a felony. You get to move from a fine to prison time. Your next party would be with a 300 pound guy named Bubba. A dance in the shower I expect."

I figured him to be a reasonable man, so I turned my back on him. I also ignored the nasty names he called me. What I didn't ignore was him following me to the truck. He was in my face so I did what any good night manager would do, I called the day manager. She shared a few words with him over the phone.

"I might as well finish the party, she is going to evict me. I hope you're satisfied old man."

"You made the decision I just made the call. She would have let you back down anytime. Whatever happens now is between you two. But if this noise is still going on at 11pm, it will be between you and the sheriff." With that I drove away,

I was back doing the on call thing, when my phone rang on Tuesday evening. Since Laura and I had not been able to connect since Sunday, I thought that life might be about to change again. I hadn't put a lot of faith in our relationship so I wasn't really hurt.

"Hello," I said into the phone.

"This is Mary Barker in lot 17. My water line broke. Can you come turn off the water please."

It was one thing I had been taught to do. The park provided water as part of the rent. The Management did not want to be providing it to tenant with a broken line.

"I'll be right down just hold on." The broken pipe thing happened more in the winter but it happened enough so that the pickup had a valve handle under the driver's seat.

I hustled out and drove to lot 17. Sure enough water was dripping from underneath the mobile home. Actually it was doing more than dripping. I found the valve and used the rusty handle to shut the water off.

"Thank you so much," The much younger woman said.

"Nothing to it," I replied. My curiosity was aroused. So what happened to the water line?

"My father," she said with a chuckle. She noted my curious look. "He was trying to move my refrigerator and broke the ice maker line."

"Ah, well let me know when he has it fixed and I'll turn your water back on."

"Very well," she replied.

"Hey, do you have a 3/8" wrench?" The voice came from a man about my age.

"I might have one at the house, Hold on I'll take a look." I found a 3/8" wrench in my took kit pretty easily. It isn't often that I can do that. The drive back to the Barker home was quick. I did wait until the old man was finished with my tool before I left. When I left the water was on and the refrigerator no longer leaked. Mary Barker was busy mopping water when I left.