one is, of course, the wonderful wide web (craigslist, ebay, etc.); but the feature of this blog entry, is my marm. she's gotta sharp eye for neon yellow posterboard, and the proclivity to get up super early on thursday mornings, outfitted with her large coffee - six creams, four sugars. i am not sure how bicycles & garage sales have influenced our mother-son chemistry, but i know and she knows the more bikes she picks up, the more often i'll come back to ohio. symbiotic, no? i should also mention my daddy-o, who once packed eleven complete road bikes into the trunk and back seat of a toyota camry, still allowing visibility out of the rear view mirror. when i am not as endowed, i need to get creative to bring home the proverbial bacon (insert used bicycles if you don't get down with proverbs).
it can sometimes be tricky navigating these bicycles back to wicker park. take for example this beautiful, corrugated shipping container complete with duct tape, coaxial cable, and a couple stickers. in this case, i needed to buy an extra bus pass to qualify for additional luggage. the secret i learned is to never reveal whats in the box. you would think the second you mentioned a bicycle, people would immediately smile and wave you on, but then sometimes you run into the occasional bike ogre, as was the case yesterday, when i tried to drag this on. without too much coercion, the driver realized that the cabin was certainly nowhere near compacity, and let me stow my two new ponies in the cabin. yes! in chicago, the makeshift shoulder strap and the duct tape marveled, and the package fit just right in the trunk of a standard chicago cab. the two bicycles are now in the shop, ready to be resurrected, and live happily ever after. the end.
again, just like the last entry, i won't be surprised if no one posts a comment, speechless on account of this piece.
