Day 2306

 I woke up at 9.  So what, it's my birthday.  I got up after some game playing and did the pet stuff and had breakfast.  Then I went outside to install the new bike rack.

The first step was to unhook the old one.  I wrestled one of the bikes off the old one and Ellen helped me with the other.  I sent her back in with the cover - it needed patching inn several places.  Then I unbolted the braces and unlocked the hitch.  Then I got Ellen out again to help me load the old rack onto the garden cart.  I hauled it to the back storage building.  Getting it inside wasn't easy.  It's heavy and barely fit through the door.

I got Ellen again and had her help me install the new rack.  I put one of the bikes on the rack and adjusted the fittings.  Then I got Ellen out once again to help with the second bike.  I ended having to take the first bike off to do it.  I think Ellen was interested in how the new rack worked because she stayed out to help and watch.

The next hour or so was a symphony of doing something and redoing it.  We got both bikes up, but then had to change all 4 wheel mounts.  Both of post clamps had to be taken apart and put back together with optional parts.  We finally got everything set up.  The rack was still a little wobbly, so I used the four ratchet straps I'd used before to stabilize it.  The result is pretty rock solid.

I put everything away and went inside.  I took a shower because I had grease all over my arms from the bike chains.  Then I surfed for a while.  I was tired.  Eventually I remembered that the cover needed to be put on the bikes.  We went out and did that.  At least that was a quick job.

I also decided that I wanted to salvage some of the hardware on the old rack.  That was about 4.30.  I wanted to go out to eat at 5.  I took some tools to the building and took off about 1/4 of the stuff.  That's all the time I had until 5.  Then we went to the restaurant at loop 1 and Slaughter that we hadn't been able to go to.  It was expensive, but good.  We sat outside in the 75 degree weather.

When we got home we had birthday cake.  After that I surfed and Ellen watched chick flicks.  I didn't get any RC car work done, but I still think it was a good day.