pro shop

A couple members of Richmond Pro Cycling stopped by to do some last minute adjustments to their machines at “Bike Shed” today before tomorrows Jefferson Cup road race in Charlottesville Va.

Gera and Ryan brought their sweet Italian handmade “Alan” race day bikes. Light aluminum, 17lbs at 58cm, with a full carbon rear triangle and a nice fat carbon fork. Best of all though is the motor that each team member has to power these bikes.

Budget Kitchen, just for the fun of it.

We got a good jump on this kitchen renovation thanks to Hannah and her wall patching skills.

We got to pick the colors on this project and went with "orange maple" for the walls, ultra white trim and "acrobat green" vinyl composite tile on the floor. The cabinets are natural maple and will pull this room together well along with the stainless appliances, fixtures and lighting.

As thanks for her hard work I bought lunch at Hannah’s favorite. When we eat here it’s a battle royal.

big wheel fun

Bring Your Own Big Wheel 2008 from Scott Beale on Vimeo.

Gazebo delivered

Just as Julie was leaving for Milan for the week I was hanging the screened door on her gazebo. Hopefully the weather will be perfect when she returns so she can start having her morning coffee while watching the sun rise through the trees uninterrupted by insects. She’s not a bug person.

Next up, a kitchen will go from chicken shit to chicken salad in just 10 working days.

76%LUSH

Bury the hatchet/ In the head of religion

Just kidding, as I joker first and an Atheist second I like to poke fun at what I conceder an archaic belief in an attempt to explain the existence of all that is. I do take seriously the encroachment that religion makes on personal freedom and its dictation of what it believes to be moral, right and the “truth.” That being said, please know that as long as people of “faith” keep their belief private and not dictate to the public their ideals then I feel safe. Other wise I feel that my rights are threatened. As strongly as some people of “faith” feel about their beliefs, I don’t believe in it at all.
So we are at an impass, and I’m old enough and wise, (no comments please) enough to know that peoples belief systems become set in stone as mine are and can not be changed. But that doesn’t mean I won’t point out what I feel is hypocritical and man there is a lot of that to bring up.
But now on you Christians highest of holy days I’d like to show a little respect and wish you all a peaceful Easter and year to come. May we all find our own path with love and tolerance of others. Life is not one way single track, there will always be riders coming in the other direction.

Good Friday

I was talking to the preacher about Jesus and how he [Jesus] had it coming and if he had just chilled out for a little longer we might have been able to celebrate Easter in June when it's a little warmer. He asked what I meant by had it coming so I said, "Everything would have been cool if he hadn't been messing with the money changers, I mean its just business, they had families to feed and the price of lamp oil had gone through the roof what with the Romans causing all that trouble with the Gauls in what is now France. Yep shouldn't be messing with a mans MONEY." It was at this point that he tried to save me but I was all ready heading down the road.
Seriously though, did Jesus die for our sins or did he piss off some powerful people? He saw wrong and tried to right it, he saw suffering and tried to ease it. I’m paraphrasing here, can you tell from what speech? Thing is if you question authority then trouble is waiting around the corner. Do I need to name all the activists that were brought up on false charges or just outright murdered trying to make things better for all man kind? No. Will it ever be different? Hopefully. Am I going to catch some Christian’s bullet because I don’t believe what they tell me? Possibly.

Always after me lucky charms

As many are either hung over or still drunk from yesterdays St. Patrick’s celebrating I’d like to bring up something. Ireland has seemed to get its shit together quite nicely over the past few years, Dublin particularly. Everyone knows how long the killing went on between the Catholics and the Protestants over whose invisible friends were better along with trying to gain independence from British rule. But now with much talk and compromise, tensions have eased and prosperity is being achieved by all who want it. What seemed to be a youth driven peace is taking hold in a city that has long been rocked with vengeance killings. In January 2005, Robert McCarthey was murdered after a pub brawl, by IRA members. After a high-profile campaign by his sisters and fiancée, the IRA admitted its members were responsible and offered to shoot them. The McCartney sisters turned down their offer, but the episode badly damaged the standing of the IRA in Belfast. In April 2005, Gerry Adams called for the IRA to lay down its weapons. It agreed on 28 July 2005 calling for its volunteers to use "exclusively peaceful means". It would not disband, but simply use peaceful means to achieve its aims. Julie was there just this past summer on business and saw first hand that corporations and investors are pouring in cash and products to help with this recent surge in prosperity. So have a bit of the dog that bitcha and throw down another pint of Guinness knowing that the Emerald Isle is shining.

Richmond MORE Building Mountain Bike Trail

While some community’s are making it difficult to keep and maintain multi use trails, Richmond Va. has recognized the benefit of building sustainable trails thru its downtown park system. The city of Richmond has purchased Ditch Witch earth moving equipment, a power “muck truck” 4 wheel drive wheel barrow and designated a Backhoe along with 100’s of tons of clay, rocks and boulders. This along with dozens of enthusiastic volunteers each year brings MORE miles of sweet riding and hiking to our city by the river.

Be careful on St. Patrick’s Day

Irish Ninjas are the worst.

Just like lacing a wheel

Only 12 feet in the air and the spokes are straight gauge; no double butted 2x6’s available.

drops a load

I got a work order this week from the spouse and house hold head of design and planning. So on top of the kitchen that starts on the 17th, building the tool storage shed and the two repair calls I got this week, I’ll be building a screened gazebo just in time for the spring sitting outside weather. So how will I fit in bike riding? Easy, now that the time springs forward on Sunday I have plenty of time to work a little, ride a little and drink a lottle.

While waiting for my good friends at Siewers Lumber to deliver the framing I got the 4 pier holes dug, tamped with granite dust and set the brick piers. Then once the load hit the driveway I hit the road for a quick 40 mile ride up to Ashland and back. It’s all about scheduling.

Bike Shed

How did it get to this point? I’ve had a bike most of my life. Just like every kid it started with four wheels then three wheels then four then two then back to four then back to two. Getting pulled around in the little red wagon gave me the feeling of movement close to the ground, then the tricycle gave me the feeling of self propulsion, next the bike with training wheels gave me the feeling of speed, then when the training wheels came off I got the feeling of distance and independence, then the car came along and for a long time I lost touch with cycling. Around 96’ I got back on the bike with the intention to use it for cross training. I had been racing Jet Skis up and down the east coast in the offshore endurance series for a couple years and along with weight training, wanted something to keep me fit in winter. As the motor sport got more expensive I started cycling more and in 98' I bought a used road bike and never looked back. I immersed myself in all things cycling even leaving my construction gig to work in a shop for a year and a half, learning as much as I could about wrenching and bike culture. Slowly I collected the tools I needed to put together a decent repair/build shop in one of the extra bedrooms but quickly ran out of space.


Bike Shed started as tool storage but it got away from me and I soon realized it would be a better use of space as a place for the bikes. So with the momentum I had toward creating a unique building Julie and I picked out a wall color and I lucked out with a decision on the floor on my own. Now that the shop is loaded in the new space I hope I can get the smell of Phil Wood grease out of the spare bedroom.