In this case, the three Rs would be “Reunions, Relaxation, and Repairs.” Let’s start with what seems to be the least sublime of these–repairs. I was able to connect with Paul Nye at Back Street Bicycle in Walker, MN, which bills itself as perhaps “the smallest bicycle shop in Minnesota, maybe the U.S.–probably the world.” Although he operates out of a mere 190 square feet behind his home, Paul is a very talented bike repair guy who has the credentials and years of experience to back that up. He is also a very talented multi-instrumentalist professional musician and singer/songwriter who performs regularly with his music partner, Jeff Menten (violin and mandolin), creating music they describe as “Funky Folk,” “Punky Polka,” “Cool Celtic,” “Caffeinated Classical,” and “Gypsy Jazz.” Paul has recorded and produced five independent recordings of original music that include children’s music and acoustic hymns. Talk about versatility!

Paul and I spent three hours together in his shop during which he not only repaired my flat tire but re-trued my wheels, replaced my chain and cassette (the cluster of sprockets on the rear hub that are a part of the bike’s drivetrain), and replaced both my front and rear brakes. My old chain had several thousand miles on it and had become stretched out, so it was time for it to be replaced, and the other parts were also due for replacement. The best part of all this is that Paul and I had a very interesting conversation during the entire time he was working on the bike about all kinds of topics–bikes, music, families, religion, careers, humanity, you-name-it. As it turned out, this bike repair turned out to be pretty sublime after all. Here is Paul with my bike in his shop.

This photo shows Paul looking for the cause of the flat tire. I got to hold the flashlight.

Of course, even once we found the cause of the leak, we checked the whole tire to make sure there wasn’t anything else awry.

Here was the cause of the leak–a very thin wire that had deeply pierced the tire. It was difficult to remove even with the proper tools–I have no idea how I would have done this if I had attempted a tube replacement by the side of the road.

Here is Paul attending to some of the other work after the tire was fixed.

Here is Back Street Bikes from the outside. Sadly, Paul will be retiring from the bike repair business later this year, but he plans to remain active in his musical endeavors.

I knew I was in a good bike shop when I saw this Lemond sign.

Paul took a selfie as I was leaving. I am sorry he is needing to leave the bike business behind, but he is also leaving behind the memory of an afternoon of great conversation and of course a sampling of his highly original and eclectic music. (I left with two of his CDs in addition to my repaired bike). I hope to be able to come back soon to hear him play in person.

As for the other two Rs for the weekend–I was able to “relax and reunite” with Trudi; our son Joe, daughter-in-law Kelsey and grandkids Jenny, JoJo and Tilly; and our son Billy. It has been chilly up here for this time of year (50s and 60s), so swimming was not an option, but it has been a great time to gather and celebrate Jenny’s 8th birthday next week.

On Monday morning, I will head toward North Dakota, where I hope to arrive by Tuesday afternoon.