BIkes, The FBI and Finally Shooting A Dragon...

Today was a good one.

It started with lots of skyping. Then followed sitting a listening to the heavy rain. Cooking tasty pastas and the devouration of the same.

Then began an excellent afternoon. I set out to get to RIB, with the idea being to buy a second hand bike to do up over the summer to then cycle down to Virginia on starting August 12th. I had a back up plan of a bike I'd seen on Craig'sList, which I had asked to go check out.

I first accompanied Sanne (excellent dutch student) over to the nearby lake, so she knew where it was and could have a look about. There, against all odds, I finally found a rain drop laden Dragonfly to photograph. Which is where today's photos came from. I then set off for town...

On the walk down I walked past a house, in front of which there stood a car laden with studential paraphernalia. Mini-fridges and the like weighed down said vehicle and thought I: "Lo! What if these folks have spent some years here in Ithaca and are leaving? They surely will know what time of year Mantids come out in these parts. I shall enquire!"

It turned out that the mother and daughter occupants had no clue about the habits of local mantidodea and were, in fact, ingressing rather than egressing. I offered a hand unpacking the car and ended up being invited for dinner this evening and having various items of fruit thrust into my hands.

Wandering down Buffalo Street sucking watermelon juice off my fingers and with rain dripping from my hair, eyelashes and earlobes, I happened upon a group of tramps. By which I mean vagrants not ladies of negotiable favour. I stopped to ask directions and ended up walking along with one gent on a beautifully rusty old heap of a bike, which, apparently, he had bought at the self same shop to which I was headed.

When we arrived at 530 East Buffalo, I went it for a look about. The place was pretty empty and they had no bikes in my size, so I left my email address and volunteered to work some Sundays if they wanted a spare mechanic.

I wondered on further to meet my mystery bike salesman and test rode his 1998 (-ish) very light road bike. Which, to my great regret was too small. I gave it back to him and we chatted about his time in Edinburgh and how he could make his bike more efficient. Then I strolled back to the ladies with the car to help carry the rest of the gear up the four flights of stairs.

They were as good as their word and we set out for the BoatYard Restaurant. Just before we departed though a mischievous look crossed the mother's face and quick as a flash whipped out a Badge and demanded that I get "Down on the Ground! Now!". Apparently, she was just checking I wasn't the trouble making sort. But she did give me dinner.

And what is more, her hat.

So, I ended the day with a $30 steak, no new bike and a new hat.

Grey

Today's photo:

(click for daft levels of detail. Daftail)