mid-nineties BALANCE mountain bike -

- Have you seen it? It's a very rare bike, though it doesn't look anything special.

In Savannah, it's only a matter of time before your bike is stolen. My BALANCE was saved once by the maintenance man at the inn near my office when some youngsters rolled up with boltcutters to attack my Kryptonite lock in broad daylight while I was working away inside and my bike was lashed to the parking meter just outside. Thank goodness for Julio. Another time someone ripped my seat off, again, outside my office, while I was inside working, about 9am.

I was hoping my bike would make it, but it was stolen Friday night from Arnold Hall while I was at a lecture. After the lecture, I made my way to meet a friend at DeSoto Row's art auction.When we went to get my bike, all that was left was my basket. It must not have been desireable to the stealer, but that basket carried many a roll of drawings, packages to be shipped, groceries. Now it sits alone where the bike parked for so many years. Incidentally, the predecessor to this bike, purchased at EastCoasters in Blacksburg Virginia just before I moved to Savannah, was stolen about five years ago from this very spot. Someone unlatched our back gate and came up onto the back porch to make off with my Trek!

Ah - it was good five years, BALANCE. But if I see you round town, you better believe I am taking you back.