Friday Afternoons

     What ever happened to the concept of the 4 day work week?  There are companies that do have such a thing, but it hasn’t caught on quite as much as I’d hope. So here I am on another Friday, when the inbox is stagnant, the phone remains quiet, and I’m scratching my head at how to be productive. It’s tough when one is raised with a strong work ethic. So, I pretend to strategize, plan ahead, and follow all the concepts of Stephen Covey. But let’s get real, I’m looking out the window at the beautiful spring day and dreaming of the weekend and where I will ride.

     We have finally managed to get the bikes out on a few excursions. The last vestiges of snow have vanished and the song birds are out in full force. Yet, winter doesn’t seem to want to loosen its grip. This seems to happen just when I get out on the open road. In addition to the danger of sand at the intersections, and last autumn’s leaves, Andy and I have been hit by hail, if for a brief moment, but still it was hail. So to see a Friday as beautiful as today and be confined makes it hard to keep to my own standards

     I’m going to confess that I had to check up on the motorcycle world. I discovered that Antiques Roadshow will have a special on April 29^th, broadcasted from the Sturgis Motorcycle Museum.

Also at this year’s rally, women who have been influential in the motorcycle world will be featured. These aren’t the big name movers and shakers, but the everyday person who has had an impact on the motorcycle world.

     In addition, I’ve made some decent headway into planning our motorcycle vacation. I’m looking at Kentucky this year. The Daniel Boone National Forest it attracting my attention with everything from waterfalls, natural arches to caves. The roads getting there look absolutely inviting. But alas, my moment of daydreaming needs to end; time to break off here and get back to the work ethic.

Live Life!

Is there something you do or dream about that makes you think “now this is the life!” I have those fantasies too. At other times, I have to pinch myself because I just can’t believe we’re on our dream trip; like our visit to Sturgis for example. Well,  I reached another milestone this week as the two things I love to do most got a bit of a global presence when SafecoInsurance’s LifeLIfeLocal.com site when live this week with its new look and feel.  There on the first page is a story with my byline. 

                There’s more to come too! I’ll be writing for LiveLifeLocal.com in the coming months. What better gig is there than writing about motorcycle adventures? For me there just isn’t anything I’d rather do more.  If you’re looking for some ideas on where to ride and what to see, check out my posts and that of the other contributors.  There’s a little something for everyone from RVing, boating and car trips. The site lets you focus on the area where you live for a narrow focus, or you can broaden your dreams and check out other parts of the country.

                In the meantime, while you’re visiting the website read my posts and check out the photos. There are map points too so you can see exactly where I’m writing about. Take notes so you can visit yourself.  Like castles? Then start with Gillette Castle and the Devil's Hopyard. If the waterfall attracted your attention in this story, then the next one to read is  Letchworth State Park.  Are mountains more to your taste?  Then Grandfather Mountain in North Carolina is a must read, and the photos are gorgeous. When you’ve read these three you might have worked up an appetite. No worries, I’ve got just the place for you to visit. Take a Rib Run to Curtis’ BBQ. Please feel free to leave comments here and at LiveLifeLocal!  Let us know what you think!

 

It’s Spring Already (for pity's sake)

Our snow blower gave us trouble this season, so the driveway has a narrow swatch carved out, big enough for one compact car. At the end of the drive is the storage shed where we house the motorcycles. I can only see half the ramp. The snow on each side is still waist high where the snow was thrown while digging out storm after storm. I pull into the yard after a long day and immediately my brain cries, “its spring already for crying out loud. Start melting!”

Even if we could roll Blaze and The Vulcan out into the driveway, it’s covered with ice. Even if the driveway were clear, the road out of here is nothing but mud. Oh joy, mud season in New Hampshire. While I love living out in the boondocks, it does come with challenges sometimes. I tell myself to suck it up and do something productive. Since Andy needs a new helmet, I take him off to the Kawasaki dealership in the next town over. The sleds are still on the showroom floor. (That’s snowmobiles for those who live in milder climates.) The clerk has to go digging in the storage inventory to find what we want. In the end, Andy finds something he likes and that fits well. One motorcycle related activity done and I’m feeling better already.


When we get home I fish out the box we got ourselves for Christmas and which I haven’t yet opened. It’s a Sena SMH10 Bluetooth Motorcycle Headset. Several rider friends of ours have enjoyed using theirs, and we have become tired of the wires hanging from our helmets while using the walkie-talkies. I start reading the manual. I like to follow instructions. Andy likes to dive right in. We compromise. I start with charging the units. I’m surprised at how giddy I feel watching the indicator light turn from red to blue. Then we move on to installing the clamp to our helmets. After that, Andy can’t wait, and begins putting it all together. I still read out loud, as I know the boom mic will not be installed as his last. Things start coming together nicely.

Then we are back to the manual so we can understand how to work these things. There are so many options that I want to take advantage of, but for right now, we just need to talk back and forth. A few false starts and we have it where we feel we like it. Not the voice activated option. Sometime I like to sing to myself on the bike. Sometimes Andy has a few choice words when drivers cut us off. Neither of us wants to hear the other unless necessary. So we select the tap. Then we put on the helmets and move around the house testing it out. As it turns out the day is not so bad. We’re wearing helmets after all. It’s a start. And the snow can’t last forever.