Fifty Plus (50+) - A Bittersweet N+1

Last weekend we helped a dear friend pack up her 3000 sq.ft. house, 3 car garage and two sheds so she could move back to KC, after she moved out here in '01 to resume a relationship with her high school sweetheart. Said sweetheart was cgallagh's best friend; they spent hours hang gliding and we wimmens drove the vehicles that tracked their cross-country routes.

The last weekend of Oct. '06 Steve died in a horrible accident (flying an ultralight to pull the hang gliders up to soaring altitude). Our world, and our friend's, were shattered. (Sidebar: Get a will! Better yet, get a living trust. But get a will!)

Two years later and she's decided to sell the hang gliding business her fiance' had, and move back to be closer to her family and his. He was an electrical engineer and never threw away anything. Seriously. He was a genius and holds 3 patents that we know of, took excellent care of all his toys. We found his books and plats from his masters program. We filled a 20 cu. yd. dumpster with "stuff."

Sunday night and all the other help left, so the 3 of us were winding down and made a last trip into the garage. We found a cardboard box with the name of a bike shop on it. We opened it to find a bike box. We opened that to find a gorgeous Simonetti that had been in that box for about 10 years. While I was exclaiming (all I could say was "Oh. My. Gawd. Look at this!" about 1/2 dozen times), she gave it to me. :love: I was rendered virtuallly speechless.

So we finally got time to deal with it on Thursday. I took pictures, and here's the link: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=84586&l=7d713&id=522282597

I rode it briefly. It's a tad big for me. It fits cgallagh perfectly. With a new seatpost I'll be able to ride it but it won't be the fit that the Diva is...but for short rides it'll be fine. It's so pretty. The pictures don't do it justice.

Steve and I used to have spirited debates regarding the superiority of Campy v. Shimano. I can only imagine the groan from the other side when we put Ultegra pedals on the Simonetti. :innocent:

May you two have only happy memories of the loved and lost.

While it's bittersweet, it is a reminder that we are mortal. Be sure your will is up to date, not for yourself, but for those you love.

Within the last three years we have buried two parents, dealt with the estates, and put one parent in a nursing home. The pain of dealing with all the stuff has brought tears to our faces on more than one occasion. Five years ago Mrs. Mono had a very serious bout with cancer, reminding us that life is a limited thing. We now find ourselves wanting to own less and less, rather than more and more. Maybe we're alone in our feelings because I see so many people our age buying more and more...new lake houses, airplanes, antique cars, etc.

Meanwhile I'm giving away tools, books, furniture, and lots of trappings. We've just finished remodeling the house and are thinking or selling it to build or buy something smaller with no acreage.

But if the bike is too bittersweet to retain, and its between a 53 and 56cm seat tube, let me know and I'll give you my FedEx # so you can ship it to me. I'll keep it for you guys until you want it back. :)

I hope that all goes well for your friend.

I wouldn't worry one bit about that bike sizeing thing. Everything in the universe is interconnected and it will work itself out provided you are aware when the opportunity presents itself. For proof check my lifestyle changing bike thread.

Great story on the bike; thanks for sharing.

Incredible, incredible story. Just another way cycling connects in so many ways.

And a special blessing to EE's, past, present and future.......and those that are close to them.

Thanks for sharing, Deb, I look forward to seeing you or Chris on it the next time we hit Winters/Cantelow on a BF ride. Hey, now ya got something to ride on one of the steel-is-real rides, too. :)

Great story, and it makes the bike unique.

Good reminder on the will. Like many, I had never quite got around to handling that. But, after my lung cancer diagnosis, the will, durable power of attorney, medical directives, etc all got handled. Don't wait for that kind of motivation.