Bikes and Kids....Piece by Piece
I am starting to wonder if I have undertaken a task that is way over my head because I don’t have the required knowledge. I hope that I am not the only parent who feels this way when it comes to my parenting. I have been described as the human equivalent of the dog from the movie UP. I am passionate about lots of stuff and have absolutely no trouble jumping headfirst into a situation before I really understand or have even thought through the entire process.
My current headfirst venture is to build a commuter bike completely from scratch and start riding it to work a couple of times a week. Up until this moment, my previous bike repair experience has been . . . (big empty silence). Yeah, that’s it. As I type this I am beginning to realize it sounds like an even dumber idea the more I talk about it.
Building this bike is much like being a father, I don’t know what I don’t know, but I sure as heck am going to get it figured out as I go along. For each part that I add to the frame, the bike gets one step closer to completion, and each day I learn how to be a better father by taking the lessons previously learned and trying to avoid the same mistakes. Part by part this thing is going to come together. There are going to be mistakes, but like most mistakes that will arise whilst putting the bike together, with a little more practice and elbow grease we will get them worked out.
Thankfully I have a highly knowledgeable friend who has constantly been offering advice on the bike construction (albeit from 2000 miles away . . . thanks AJ). And, when it comes to fatherhood I have some wonderful examples (thanks Dad and Grandpa) and partners (the lovely and talented Mrs. B) to help support and inspire me. Building a bike and fatherhood are possible by yourself, but they are both so much more fun when done with fun people that you love and respect.
My current headfirst venture is to build a commuter bike completely from scratch and start riding it to work a couple of times a week. Up until this moment, my previous bike repair experience has been . . . (big empty silence). Yeah, that’s it. As I type this I am beginning to realize it sounds like an even dumber idea the more I talk about it.
Building this bike is much like being a father, I don’t know what I don’t know, but I sure as heck am going to get it figured out as I go along. For each part that I add to the frame, the bike gets one step closer to completion, and each day I learn how to be a better father by taking the lessons previously learned and trying to avoid the same mistakes. Part by part this thing is going to come together. There are going to be mistakes, but like most mistakes that will arise whilst putting the bike together, with a little more practice and elbow grease we will get them worked out.
Thankfully I have a highly knowledgeable friend who has constantly been offering advice on the bike construction (albeit from 2000 miles away . . . thanks AJ). And, when it comes to fatherhood I have some wonderful examples (thanks Dad and Grandpa) and partners (the lovely and talented Mrs. B) to help support and inspire me. Building a bike and fatherhood are possible by yourself, but they are both so much more fun when done with fun people that you love and respect.
Campfires
Last weekend was a long one and a good one. How do I know this? Because it was a three campfire weekend. The wife and I were at the home improvement store and were admiring the new fire pits. About six years ago I bought a standing fire pit at a garage sale. Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that it was one of the best purchases I’ve ever made. The hours we’ve spent on the patio around a fire roasting marshmallows, telling stories, laughing and simply relaxing have been priceless. There is something almost other worldly about a fire. It produces light, heat, interest, distraction and a little danger. Like our relationships it is constantly changing and needs attention and tending.
Saturday night’s fire was pretty low key, started just because it was a beautiful night. Sunday night my older daughter finally was able to have some friends over for her birthday which was over a month ago. They watched a movie and near the end of it I offered to start the fire for them. They decided to open presents before coming out and it got a little late so I thought they wouldn’t be out for very long. Wrong! When I came out to check on them over an hour and a half later they were still in the middle of stories and laughter. They had fallen under the spell of the fire, and it made me really happy. Early Monday evening I was reading out on the patio when the youngest said, “I sure wish we could have another fire;” to which I simply replied, “Why not?” We started it right away and wrapped it up in plenty of time to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
This past spring our friends’ daughter got married. When I was talking to her fiancé about what they wanted for a wedding gift, he said something kind of interesting. “Anything your family has enjoyed would be cool as we start our family together.” So I got them a fire pit.
Allow me to share a couple of suggestions for maximizing pleasure and limiting your frustration. First, use fire starters. I usually make about 25 at a time by cutting up corrugated pizza boxes and rolling them up into about 3 or 4 inch long tubes that are tied together with some twine and dipped into a coffee can of wax from old candles melted in a double boiler. Nobody wants to have to fight to get the fire started. They are a lot easier to make when you work together (one holds the tube while the other cuts and ties the twine).
Second, use good dried split logs for your main fuel and random yard waste sticks for the kindling. A couple of years ago I bought a pickup truck load of split and dried firewood from a friend from church. I can take four logs configured in a log cabin and enjoy a fire for a good hour and a half without a lot of fuss.
Third, it’s nice to have a good fire-working tool to be able to position the logs around. Fourth, keep it simple. You don’t have to always have s’mores and hot dogs and podgy pies and drinks. Remember that you want to have a fire to relax and relate. You don’t want to avoid having a fire because it’s too much trouble.
Finally, don’t get all wigged out when the kids want to play with the fire. Give them some very clear guidelines and plenty of space to mess about with burning sticks. Your job becomes keeping an eye on them which is kind of why you are having the fire in the first place. (The author and management are not responsible for accidents, but he does recommend a campfire for lots of good memories. J )
Saturday night’s fire was pretty low key, started just because it was a beautiful night. Sunday night my older daughter finally was able to have some friends over for her birthday which was over a month ago. They watched a movie and near the end of it I offered to start the fire for them. They decided to open presents before coming out and it got a little late so I thought they wouldn’t be out for very long. Wrong! When I came out to check on them over an hour and a half later they were still in the middle of stories and laughter. They had fallen under the spell of the fire, and it made me really happy. Early Monday evening I was reading out on the patio when the youngest said, “I sure wish we could have another fire;” to which I simply replied, “Why not?” We started it right away and wrapped it up in plenty of time to get to bed at a reasonable hour.
This past spring our friends’ daughter got married. When I was talking to her fiancé about what they wanted for a wedding gift, he said something kind of interesting. “Anything your family has enjoyed would be cool as we start our family together.” So I got them a fire pit.
Allow me to share a couple of suggestions for maximizing pleasure and limiting your frustration. First, use fire starters. I usually make about 25 at a time by cutting up corrugated pizza boxes and rolling them up into about 3 or 4 inch long tubes that are tied together with some twine and dipped into a coffee can of wax from old candles melted in a double boiler. Nobody wants to have to fight to get the fire started. They are a lot easier to make when you work together (one holds the tube while the other cuts and ties the twine).
Second, use good dried split logs for your main fuel and random yard waste sticks for the kindling. A couple of years ago I bought a pickup truck load of split and dried firewood from a friend from church. I can take four logs configured in a log cabin and enjoy a fire for a good hour and a half without a lot of fuss.
Third, it’s nice to have a good fire-working tool to be able to position the logs around. Fourth, keep it simple. You don’t have to always have s’mores and hot dogs and podgy pies and drinks. Remember that you want to have a fire to relax and relate. You don’t want to avoid having a fire because it’s too much trouble.
Finally, don’t get all wigged out when the kids want to play with the fire. Give them some very clear guidelines and plenty of space to mess about with burning sticks. Your job becomes keeping an eye on them which is kind of why you are having the fire in the first place. (The author and management are not responsible for accidents, but he does recommend a campfire for lots of good memories. J )
