"Sunshine Day"

Do you remember that really horrible song, "Sunshine Day" that the Brady Bunch kids sang on the "Silver Platter" episode a few decades ago? Well, that tune could have been played as background music today as Mother Nature painted the sky with brilliant blue, and held the clouds back far enough to have one believe that it really is spring, with summer not far away.

These tasty conditions brought every fair-weather rider out in force, and the newbie scooterists tried their hand at playing in the streets as well. I was amazed at some of the awesome custom iron that I had never seen before, and also some of the rolling junk that folks had stored over the winter without bothering to attempt at least a bit of cleaning. Maybe they were rat bikes? At least they were riding, I was stuck at work trying to earn a buck.

It was great to see new-found friends, Nick and Talitha riding today, and that Nick has customized his C3 with some vinyl graphics that he found on the net. Talitha has a C3PO graphic next to the C3 logo, and it actually looks like it could be a stock decal. Jeff has also added a sweet Bettie Paige sticker to his Vino that has me staring at his scooter for more than one reason now.

The good weather also brought out a long time friend that just returned home from his snowbird residence in Arizona. "Red Sucker Ralph" is probably the one guy that I patterned myself after the most in my years of living in the "biker" lifestyle. In my earliest years of climbing the lifestyle ladder, Ralph was a big influence. How he carried himself, how he endured the elements, how he fought the legal system and won, and how he came back from a broken neck to be able to continue living the way that he chooses, still resonate with me today. And the fact that he still, to this day, treats me well means a great deal to me. Even when he asked me if the rumor was true that I "stepped backwards", and am now riding a scooter. I told him that "Yeah, I'm riding a scooter today, but I still own a Harley Davidson". I went on to tell him of my blogging adventures, and explained that the scooter allows me to ride everyday, and that it is the direction that I'm moving in now as a rider. I didn't want to go into the details of why I moved from that world to where I am now, other than my definition of being a "scooter bum" has changed.

Just like the weather has changed for the better now. As the days get longer, my opportunities to spend time with my Vespa increase. Tomorrow I will try to get my timing adjusted so I won't have to feather the throttle at low rpm. I intend to use the Vespa on occasion as a commuter, and want it to be as trouble-free as I can get it. At some point I want to post a comparison between Mule and Ol' Blue, so I need to have the saddle time to do it right. This should be a fun exercise.

So I'm hoping to hear that "Sunshine Day" tune in my head again tomorrow as I poke around on my "Day of rest". Then friends, I'm going for a ride!

Have fun,
Bill