June 21, 2015

Yesteryear
One year ago today: June 21, 2014, hating MicroSoft Vista.
Five years ago today: June 21, 2010, feeding 50 people.
Six years ago today: June 21, 2009, hacking Karaoke discs.

MORNING
           That two-hour delay over the flat tire canceled any plans we had for a weekend out of town. And the tire is still flat. The problem is the size of the puncture, it won’t hold a plug, so we put two plugs. If it hold until noon, I’m going to chance taking the batbike back home for a permanent repair. The local problem is I forgot it was Father’s Day and no way you are going to get a tire fixed. JZ sleeps in so I walked over to Target for coffee, buying a Popular Science magazine.

           Mulling over this situation with the flat, it was a learning experience. Most if it disappointing, however, like how regular tire shops cannot repair tires below a certain width. That machine thingee they use will take the tire off, but can’t get it back on. Nor was I all that happy that when the batbike becomes immobile, it pretty much means an expensive tow. We have no way to move it.
           Take a look at this place. That’s a double driveway. It’s what I’m looking for and the price is right. JZ and I talked extensively about such a property because I feel he should wait to see how I fare before doing anything on his own. We both understand that city life is not that great for retirement. A small town is a better plan but one must be careful on that. I say he waits until I get something, then lives there for a while before deciding on anything. Remember, he’s always lived in a city and has no concept of waiting until Monday morning to but something.
           He’s a great chef and made us a low-calorie breakfast. Then down to the batbike to notice the plug held overnight. I still don’t trust it, but I’m going to chance it will go the thirty miles down the side roads to my place. JZ says tow it, but my logic is simple. Towing it that far in Florida is a $180 proposition. For that, I can buy a wagon that will tow it and the Toyota has a hitch. If I make it home, we buy the trailer. And any reasonable distance I make it, that saves at least $40 over a tow.

NOON

           “He’s so honest you could shoot craps with him over the phone.” --Texas saying.

           Yep, I got half-way. I’m currently stranded at a Chevron in Hialeah waiting for a tow-truck. Fortunately it has a coffee shop that sells newspapers, so I’m getting ready to wait my turn. For reasons unknown, the tow operators are all backed up six hours. What a racket that is. There is one tow service that cannot be beat. The Road Ranger. They are stationed along the freeway and will tow you off the roadway. And it is free.

           I was already off the road when this guy came along y’day. But it was not busy and here he is shown trying to inflate the tire with the first plug. Very helpful Russian guy who recognized the sidecar. Alas, this plug got me just to the next exit, where the tire shop was closed. So JZ and I put a double plug and pushed it to a carwash for air. The problem is the side bead on the tire pulls off the rim when it goes flat. We’re learning.
           And you need a blast of air to get the bead to seal again. Those gas station 50-cent Mickey Mouse compressors can’t do that. We tried several tire places, including Tire Kingdom. These outfits should put up a big sign that they do not work on motorcycle tires. They claim it is a liability thing, but that claim has been made too often in Florida when it is a job they just don’t want to do.
           Same thing with Glades Honda. They’ve got the $200 tire for sale, but will not fix a flat. So, JZ and I found an excellent Mexican coffee shop and went over our alternatives. That’s Mexican, not Cuban. The Cubans concentrate living downtown. We were miles west, toward the Everglades. This is where I decided to chance driving the unit back home--but the next day to see if the twin plugs held.
           Funny, I used to live in Hialeah and I was stranded in a part of town I’d never seen before. JZ said he wanted to tow with his brother’s trailer, but it turned out to be too narrow. Fact: we do not have any way of towing anything and that ain't right. In the end, we phoned around until between us we found a tow company open. The truck finally arrived seven hours later.

NIGHT
           Here’s the rig on the back of the flatdeck. You can easily see how right down flat the read tire is. And that is the brand new $160 (plus labor) tire I just had installed. I’ve just learned my lesson on needing a spare for the motorcycle as well as the sidecar. I had correctly guess the tow price at $140 so I was home by 7:30PM and glad I had the option to wait for the service. And that I’d pulled into a coffee shop. Kudos to the Chevron at Le Jeune and Hialeah (54th St NW).

           All the time, we are learning. For example, if you really look, the tire is not quite flat on the surface. It turns out the motorcycle is not heavy enough to really pinch the tire on the ground. This makes it possible to drive on the flat quite some distance without wrecking the rubber. But as I think unto that problem, I’m every more inclined from this experience to seek one of those permanent liners. And never get such a flat again.
           I also learned that the sidecar is quite controllable in the event of a flat that would probably send a regular motorcycle tumbling down the freeway. Yes, I was on the freeway, which I usually avoid. But on weekends, that is how you get over to JZs place unless you want to be on the back roads for two hours. That philosophy failed this time. And chances are, we would have gone to Naples or something.
           We got in our meeting time and it surprising what we’ve learned about the system since we decided I would buy a place in the country. He doesn’t have experience and doesn’t understand there are buying seasons—and summer is not one of them. But we had no trouble putting the money together. For clarity, we are not buying any property jointly. We learned plenty from that fiasco with Wallace and his “ensuite”. Some people go half-crazy when they think they have the upper hand. (I'm obviously back on my feet like I said, but that old geezer playing big shot cost me two extra years.)
           Instead, we are considering two independent properties. One his, the other mine. All that’s happened is we have colluded to assist the other with up to a fixed amount if either finds a property he cannot afford outright. That’s what happened with the cottage and that won’t happen again. Ideally, one property will be with easy driving distance of Miami, the other within easy distance to the Alabama border. Hence, should anything go wrong, we have a place near town, if all goes right, the other place is far enough away to make it to Texas.



Last Laugh


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