It doesn't seem like rocket science. One day your mower is cutting just fine, and the next day it's not, so obviously something has happened that caused the change, but how to find out what it was, or is? I think you need a check list. What was wrong with the old blades? Did you hit something? Did you replace the old mulching blades with blades that were just like the old ones, or did you change brands? Did you change the blades because it was cutting poorly hoping that would help? And why would you sharpen new blades? Are the blades installed upside down? Secured tightly? Missing a washer? Is the right pulley key sheared? Is the deck level at the cutting height you use? Is the belt threaded on right? Are you certain the new belt was the right one for your deck? And so forth - It cannot be one of those mysterious things nobody can figure out. It has to be something simple, because a mowing deck is really a simple mechanism.

Good bike shops also sometimes have nice bikes that people have traded in when they upgrade. The staff goes over them to make sure everything works properly, and sell them for a very reduced price. So you might not get the exact color you want - you could always have it painted at an auto body shop (or bust out the spray paint) if it meant that much to you. Also, you can call the local police department and ask if they have a bike auction. Many jurisdictions auction off stolen bikes that were never reclaimed by their owners, with the money going to a police charity (like college scholarships for children of officers killed or disabled in the line of duty). A triathlete I know got a $1k+ racing bike for under $100 at a police auction... he was about the only one who knew what it was and snatched it up. All it needed was new tires from sitting in storage for months. I miss riding a bike, but my balance is shot. There are stabilizer wheels for adult bikes but I think they'd just look too goofy. My PT says adult trikes tend to be tippy.

We pretty much prefer to ride alone but occasionally will ride with a few friends who've we've ridden with for years. We occasionally go on large organized rides, but not too often, and it's usually for some charity event. The largest organized ride we've ever been on was just a few weekends ago. It was a ride for the Make A Wish Foundation out of the Elk Grove Harley Shop (CA). There were in excess of 4500 bikes on the freeway at one time. Man-oh-man, the sound of all those bikes (Harleys, BMW's, rice rockets, Hondas, they were all represented) starting up at one time is unbelievable!!! It was a fully escorted ride and all entrances were blocked off by CHP before the first bikes passed. As cars started catching up with the last quarter of the bikes it got a little dicey but most of the riders said back there said it wasn't too bad...except for all the cars who had drivers on cell phones. :(( Gazania, the Pacific Coast route is awesome on a good day. We've done it several times when heading down to SoCal to visit relatives. I'll ride in rain and hail, but not fog. Jenna

Ran across this old thread and thought perhaps it would be nice to resurrect it and see if any new folks might add to it too. And my bad, somehow I never added my own posting to it either. I've been retired since 2006 and my DH just retired Dec 30, 2009. We're in our late 50's and fortunate to be able to retire so early. We live in the San Francisco Bay Area, close to some of my family. My brother lives in LA, a niece in Boston. My mother's family lives in Seattle, while my DH's mother's family are mostly in Vancouver, and a few in Calgary. So our home is centrally located to most of them, which is great. We love where we live - vibrant (even a little crazy, LOL!), diverse, ever-changing, beautiful, with every amenity and service needed...as long as you can afford to pay for it, which we fortunately can. The San Francisco Bay Area is a fabulous place to garden my roses have already started blooming. Even long-time natives never run out of sights to see and things to do around here. We have started to do some traveling. Nothing lavish or exotic, just a few places that have always intrigued us, or places we haven't visited in far too long that deserve a longer visit. There will be some more small trips but only one last big trip to plan this year  an Alaskan cruise. Not big in itself, but we invited some friends to meet us in Seattle, a city I know fairly well but they have never been to before. I think weÂll have a great time showing them the sights of one of my favorite cities  even if they donÂt drink coffee (which in Seattle is almost embarrassing, being the birthplace of Starbucks with coffeebars on almost every corner). Being foodies, this is one of the great regions to live in. The astounding variety of cuisines at every price level, with some of the greatest chefs in the world, can be found within a 25-100 mile radius of us. We recently had a wonderful stay in Monterey and Carmel, and have a week-long stay in the Wine Country coming up. I've already got every lunch and dinner reserved, an unfortunate necessity when the world is descending upon the area as it does every summer. We own a modest 2bd cottage on a large urban lot, which we've spent several years landscaping. Mostly I hang out at the Cottage Gardening forum. I still play 'plant dominoes' but it's finished and mature, save for one last section. Our garden is an urban refuge, a long sloping lot with two separate back patios, both very private and always full of flowers to look at. We love to Âcocoon at home, for weÂre voracious readers (amazon.com knows us all too well). My DH is finally looking rested and relaxed, although he likes to complain we are more active now than ever! He likes to hike, I prefer to stroll city streets; so half the time we split up and go our separate ways, and the rest of the time we pair up to explore the city's nooks and crannies. It's a wonderful (and cheap) indulgence to be able to stop for a pineapple soda or a cappuccino before driving home (without being in rush hour traffic, what a blessing!). WeÂve always had multiple hobbies so in this early stage of retirement, itÂs no problem to fill up the time. In fact, the days whizz by, and itÂs been great fun so far.