Metal, old and new, put to use.

Memorial Day: I was getting the grill ready by scooping out the ashes, when I noticed that the ash pan was rusted and ready to give out. This would not do. Without the bottom piece; ashes, grease and hot coals would exit onto the deck while air would rush in unimpeded. Luckily I had a piece of leftover galvanized sheet metal laying around. It turned out to be the perfect size once it was folded in half and the edges turned up to form a new catch pan.

Earlier that weekend I finally got new tires for my bike. I have had the thing for 30 years. It was a high school graduation present--which meant that I only had to kick-in half of the price. My brother had gotten a bike for his graduation too. His was a grey/silver Motobécane while mine was a beautiful light green Peugeot. I think mine was both prettier as well as more sporty looking, but his was a thing of mechanical beauty. When I would move the bikes to clean the garage, I could just set his bike in motion and it would roll along--perfectly balanced and fantastically light.

Slightly shocked at the cost of new tires and inner tubes, I decided to make a point of using my bike. I brought clothes up to work earlier in the week so that I could ride in without wearing a backpack full of gear (there are showers at the office). Today I made the commute, which took about 35 minutes each way. MapMyRun made the distance as about 9.5 miles, but my car odometer gives slightly more than 10 miles. Maybe next time I will use my GPS watch and let it be the deciding third vote.