Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Recapping...

I don't know if the price of gas is chasing people to the local scooter shops, or if the fact that scooters are cool is the reason, but the little gas saving fun-mobiles are popping up all over this area.

This past weekend was very nice and warm, and it seemed that everyone that had a motorbike or scooter was on the road. We took a little family drive and stopped at a fast food joint, and I was blown away by how many Harley's and metric cruisers rolled by with the riders in the slouched, bad to the bone riding position. Everybody was posing and looking sharp, and to tell you the truth, I thought it was awesome.

There was also a glut of really sweet scooters rolling through town to the ferry terminal on their way to the Garden City scooter rally in Victoria B.C. Canada. I was amazed at the number of vintage scoots buzzing by, with some folks dressed in garb making the look very authentic. Even Mod Kevin made it to the rally on his Lambretta, and he looked perfect in his parka and puddin' bowl helmet.

My weekend was cut short by having to pull a shift at work on Sunday, so it looks like I'll have to wait till next year to join the fun.

On the homefront, I worked on my current scooter project, and made contact with the guy that has the WWII military Cushman Airborne scooters. I hope to see him on Saturday and have a look at these gems. And as old motorbikes go, Oilcan Kurt has got his Simplex Servi-cycle in the paint shop now, and I have offered to help with the restoration project. There is something about being involved in bringing an old bike back to life that really appeals to me. Maybe its the heavy smell of epoxy paint hanging in the air...I'm not sure.

Anyway, I need to get my camera fixed before I can share some photo's of what I've been up to, and that should be done soon. So, until then...

Have fun,
Bill

Monday, May 12, 2008

Hey, I Was On Vacation Man!

Ha, ha. I blabbed about not letting a bunch of time go by between posts, then I did it anyway. Oh well, I had a pretty good excuse this time.

I gathered up my family and went on vacation to San Diego this past week. Actually, my mother in law was the trip planner, and I went along for the ride. Lego Land, San Diego Zoo, Sea World and all touristy points in between were covered, and as every day except one were overcast, we were able to putz around comfortably and not get scorched or overheated. The one day that the sun shined brightly was the day that we spent at the beach. Perfect!

It really was about putting together some memories for my kids that made this adventure important to my wife and I. It was driven home clearly to me when my 9 year old looked up at me and said "Thank you for bringing me to this place," while sitting in the right field bleachers at Petco Field while watching the Padres play the Rockies Friday evening. My first major league ballgame with my son, and he sincerely thanked me as only a little boy can do. Little fart choked me up. Funny how an entire trip can be made perfect by an innocent thank you.

The adventure was great, and my memories will last, but at 6:45 this morning the realization of the trip being over was made when I slipped my card into the timeclock at work and heard it click. I was no longer in a brand new resort off Camino Del Rio South, I was back at the grind. But I'll tell you something...Work makes things like this trip sooo much sweeter. I work, I stress, I worry. I devote too much time, I try to keep the crew happy and motivated. I burn myself out. Trips like these bring everything back to the starting line. And this my cronies, is a good thing.

My next installment will get you caught up on my scooter project, and we'll get back to the root of this blog. Scooters, motorbikes, and the meatwhistles that ride them.

Have fun,
Bill

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