to ride the bike down the coast this morning. Haven’t ridden to the plantation all week due to the inclement weather. Nothing quite like a cool breeze flowing over you with the sun just breaking over the horizon.
Just about have the pool conquered, I think SU is correct when she says that it will have to be refinished soon. Sure is going through the chemicals. But it’s nice and clear now, pH is correct, just jump in and go. Zeus sure likes it.
SU and I stayed in last night rather than go to the remote kitchen. Picked up a pizza and the second part of Eastwood’s Iwo Jimi tale, appropriately titled Letters from Iwo Jima. We had watched Flags of our Fathers back in February and I didn’t like it much. This one was far better, actually very good.
It is subtitled, so that takes a few minutes of getting used to. We normally don’t think much of the other side when we discuss war, especially WW1 and WW2. I thought Eastwood did a good job of peeking in at universal emotions without it being an in-your-face type of lefty movie. Valor is not an exclusive American trait.
Been meaning to ask you, have you ever had a serious accident on your bike?
Funny you should ask that today, I just got back from visiting a guy from our church that wrecked his bike Thursday. Depends on serious, I guess. I purchased a Suzuki GT750 shortly after I we were married, I was 22. Never owned a bike before and had no riding experience at all. I rode it to work for about a year, put probably 2,000 miles on it.
One day I was coming home and a rain shower came. Worst time for slick streets is right when it starts raining because the oil and grease comes up before being washed away. I was going around a sharp turn to the right and the bike just went out from under me. Just like that. As I was sliding, somehow I managed to get my leg out and just rode it into the opposite lane. A blue Mustang II was coming straight at me, I can still see the girls face, she was terrified. She managed to stop about a foot from my head.
I got up, picked the bike up and rode home. Went inside and peeled my clothes off the road rash. No major damage. Bike sat for a year and I sold it.
Fast forward 25 years. Bought the Marauder last September, after taking a rider safety course. I’ve put 6,000 miles on it in 9 months, all kinds of weather conditions, group riding and night riding. Loop 610 and Hwy 225 suck but can be done. I think the key is that I’m older and took the riders course. I love it and have been able to have fun and help others with the Patriot Guard and our riders group at church.
And I always wear a helmet.
This is pretty weird. Growing up I always had dirt bikes almost from the time I learned to ride a bicycle. At about 22 I bought a Kawasaki 650. I had it about six months and one night a lady made a left turn in front of me. I slid my bike into the side of her car and crushed my leg. It was a hit and run too. I asked her to go call an ambulance but she never did. A dozen cars passed me by before another motorcycle stopped and flagged someone down. Last thing I remember before I passed out was picking my leg up and seeing it dangle about four inches above my ankle. I ended up in the hospital for a month and some sort of cast for a year. That was 1979. I sold my bike shortly after I moved to Houston and haven’t rode since. But here lately I’ve been getting a hankering…
Wow, that is a serious accident. I can understand why you hesitate. I’m glad I finally got over it but it wasn’t easy and I still don’t like sharp right curves. Or sweeping for that matter.
But there’s a sense of freedom that is worth it. And everything seems more “real” or vivid. Especially the smells, which you rarely get in an automobile. Easy to tell when a certain type of restaurant is in the area or a back yard cookout. Of course, you really don’t want to get behind a garbage truck or a roach coach unless you feel like taking a grease bath!