Memorial Day Weekend - So Far

While I didn't have a trip planned for this weekend, I knew that I would be far from just sitting around, bored.  I didn't want to do any big bike rides, since I am still recovering from last week's debacle, so I planned on doing some chores around the house.  Two years ago, I built the fence around the back yard so that Oswald could come to live with us.  This year, I worked on the bathroom.

I  pulled the linoleum flooring up, then removed the concrete backer board that the previous owner had laid down instead of plywood.  Then, I removed what plywood was under that (which wasn't even attached to anything), repaired a broken floor joist, added some cross-bracing, and screwed the plywood down.  On top of that, I fitted a single piece of 3/4" Marine Grade ply, cut to fit the countours of the room and tub, then screwed it down to the underlying surface.

I fitted a new wax seal to the toilet, reinstalled it loosely (to make sure my plywood wasn't so thick that the toilet wouldn't seal), then laid down some bamboo-finish laminate flooring.  It comes in 36"x4" pieces, and they adhere to each other with a tongue and groove style attachment.

Now, the floor doesn't bounce like a trampoline when you walk in, and the toilet no longer rocks from side to side.

I also turned this:

into this:

through the magic of Craigslist.  I put the big amp on Craigslist with a price of $150/or trade for vintage Japanese guitar.  Obviously, I made the trade.  My thinking is that, if I don't use the guitar, they are easier to sell (for more money) on eBay, since they are easily shipped.  (For more details on the guitar, check out the 52 Card Pickup blog, in the next day or two.  I will be doing a more detailed post about it, there.)

I also sold the Yamaha XS-650 to Mark.  The two or three of you who have read the blog since I started it may remember that I originally started blogging about the XS-650 project in 2006.  I had it rideable, and used it to teach Tyler Max how to ride a motorbike, then it sat for quite some time.  I had big plans for it but could never quite get it finished.  I ended up selling the Streetracker tailpiece off of it, and it sat for a year, or so, in the storage building.

I threw in a bunch of spare parts, including this "Mad Max"-style seat/tailpiece.  I hope that Mark gets it in good shape, and enjoys it.  I had one of these for about ten years, and really enjoyed riding it.  i just don't have the energy to keep it going, in addition to the Trident and the Suzuki.

This afternoon, I installed high-rise bars and new cables on Tony Gallagher's 3-speed Schwinn Collegiate.  Along with the banana seat, the bars really make the bike feel like an adult-sized StingRay.  Unfortunately, I forgot to get a picture of it.

Tonight, I sat in the backyard and had a little fire in the firepit.

Temperatures in the low 60s, clear skies and a nice hot fire make for a nice evening.

So far, it's been a nice a weekend.

x