Long Weekend

 It was a full weekend. Friday, I managed to get someone out to fix the air conditioner. $300 later, it was up and running. We also picked up Max's car from the shop. That was another $3300.  An expensive start to a long weekend. After getting all that out of the way, I took the twins' presents and out for ice cream for their birthday. 

Saturday, Max was supposed to come over early and help me swap the Chinese knock-off steel bumper on the Gladiator for the original factory bumper. The steel number is starting to rust around the blot holes and needs to be repainted. I am unsure if I will end up repainting or scrapping it and getting something else.

Chinese Knock-off steel bumper

Original Bumper

By noon Saturday, I had the bumper switch, the Jeep washed, the top and the doors off, all before Max woke. I was ready for a nap after that. Later in the evening, Sam and I went to dinner in the Jeep. After eating, we went to several stores in search of pasta noodles. Alexis planned to make macaroni salad for a Fourth of July party and needed four boxes. I guess macaroni salad is popular on the holiday. The selves were bare.

Sunday, I headed across town to go biking with Tinkerbell and Tech. It was our first ride of the year. Tinkerbell wanted to get some miles in. I suggested being flexible on our route and starting at Kensington Park. That would allow us options for extending or shorting our ride, but Tink didn't like that idea.

We started from their home in Novi and rode into South Lyons for lunch. On our return trip, we took the cut leading to Kensington Park. We rode to Kensington but ended up riding through Island Lake instead.  Island Lake is a state park that borders Kensington Park. I think it is less crowded and more scenic than Kensington.

The temperature was in the mid-eights. We rode a total of forty-six miles and were out all day. It was exhausting. I said this before, anything over thirty miles gives you a diminished return. It is better to ride for one hour every day than five hours in one day.

Sam, Alexis, and I went to a Four of July party the next day. One of their childhood friends is a famous former major league baseball player. His wife has a large family that still lives in the area, so they have never moved. They live in a subdivision a few miles away from Alexis. 

In the large subdivision, a group of twenty homes surround a small man-made lake. The houses are huge million-dollar homes packed close together on tiny lots. They have the party every year. I have only attended once before. I usually know ten people, including the host, but I am not big on crowds, and this party is pretty big.

They serve grilled fillets and chicken instead of hamburgers and hot dogs.  I would call it affiance at its finest, but the hosts are the nicest down-to-earth people. The houses on the lake chip in for a professional fireworks display. Last night the fireworks went on for thirty minutes. The finale was a combination of white bangs and a golden shower of sparks that filled the sky and rained down dangerously on us.