Oct 14, 2001...Time moves along, like it or not, gotta cut back the frosted plants, put away the picnic stuff, dig out the dahlia bulbs, save seeds for next year, mulch the leaves, all part of the ritual, season's near end, always a sad time, that dream gets the best of me and I'm sadder still, changes occur, you keep your memories forever if you preserve them, but you have to move toward the future always....somehow a comforting but sad feeling when all is tucked away....
Oct 13, 2001...A POIFECT weather day for a fall foliage ride! Hot even! those blazing bright colors, complimented by the evergreens and sky blue, how beautiful! We are so lucky to see nature's art!...A nice ride with friends to the scenic overlook at Shikellamy State Park...only what happened at Cracker Barrel? They took forever with the food!...Mr D & I get our signals crossed and ride home solo, how'd that happen?
A dream awakens me suddenly..is something wrong?...How real dreams can be sometimes...I hope all is alright...
Oct. 12, 2001..Happy B-day to Steven today!: )..another motorcycle lesson for Justy while no school today, she's up to third gear already, sheesh! she's doin' great! Not bad for a girl, huh?..hehe...
Oct. 11, 2001...one month later, the world has changed tremendously; there is more fear, there is more generousity, there is apprehension, there is compassion, there are questions, there are few answers, there is patriotism, there is grief, there is gratitude...and we continue to live, day by day.
A sad day, thoughts & prayers for Lee Lurio and his family, President of our company,...He was struck by a car in Philadelphia and is in very critical condition...our future is more & more uncertain...
Later... I give up!..I get out of work early, the weather is A-1, my first instinct is to go for a ride--naa-a!, better do some things I've been neglecting, well after spending more than an hour on the phone with the county courthouse, burning a pot, not quite getting one thing completely accomplished, still waiting on a call back from a lawyer that probably won't return my call--bahumbug! I'm thinking how I'm gonna miss Justy's VB game because I have a meeting I don't want to go to...ba humbug AGAIN!..oh and not to mention the Federal Jury Duty Summons I got! EEKS!...I QUIT! I'm going for a ride on my bike in this beautiful weather, gonna see at least part of her game, and tough if they don't like me arriving to the board meeting on my Harley, (maybe just a teeny bit late) I'm just gonna do it! Seeya! Now I'm starting to feel better!
Oct. 10, 2001...Thanks Cathy, you're a ray of sunshine in a sometimes gloomy place, at least where we spend too many hours of our precious time! Keep smiling and I will too..: )
Today I missed an opportunity. If I had got up at 4AM and headed north on my bike to near Rochester, NY I could have met up with some new gal pals on bikes, now I would have loved to do that, especially how spendid the day's weather turned out but I'll just have to make up my mind to do it next time. The 4AM part and the temps in the 30's at that hour scared me off, but next time.... I am looking forward to meeting all these ladies who love to ride as much as me, hopefully we still have some Indian Summer weekends to plan for...
"Real" motorcycle web pages have girls with bad hair! not like the easyriders kinda gals but real, stickin-out all over da place, flat as a pancake--helmet shaped hairdo's...
Oct. 9, 2001...Happy B-day to our beloved son! Now that he's a "Yalie", we couldn't let him get too big for his small town-britches, we sent him this down-home greeting from Ma & Pa in rural PA. "American Gothic", Schuylkill County Style...: )
Oct. 8, 2001...next best thing to being there; a "party-in-a-box" I hope you like the surprises, Carl! We love you!
We get annoyed that the deer eat our apples, blueberries and most of all the rhododendron leaves in winter, but they sure are beautiful animals!
Everyone's saying, Br-r-r!! Cold! It's only 52 degrees, well if it were January that would be a heatwave, so remember, it's all in how you look at things, and things aren't always as they seem...
Oct. 7, 2001...It has begun and there is no turning back---Things will never be the same,pray for strength, perserverence, understanding, and peace, We can't live in fear, looking behind our backs, over our shoulders, always afraid...we must stand by what we know is right, what we know as true, a clean heart; a renewed spirit, those things are promised for the future, if we follow what's right and God's will. Sometimes, I am a coward, but I try my best, I must try harder...sometimes I am weak, I must strive to be stronger, I feel guilt when I haven't been there....We all have a free will, like a loving father, God has given us that, we must make mistakes and learn from them otherwise we are destined to repeat the past...God, please watch over us...and remember in the bottom of Pandora's box after all the troubles, there was Hope...
Oct. 6, 2001...I love biker-mom stories...
Dave gets his ear pierced, eeks! What does this mean? What next? : Þ
Oct. 5, 2001..My Dyna gets a good check-up, Justy gets her first 15 minute motorcycle lesson between school, volleyball practice, and working, she did GREAT! Put me to shame! no screams even! Two plops and lotsa laughs! hehe...going to get her permit tomorrow, wooHoo! she's ready! : )
Oct. 4, 2001...Tis the season, the leaves are changing, getting just nice, hopefully this sudden changeable weather won't interrupt the colorful enjoyable transition, there's something odd about a forecast of possible snow flurries before we've even had a frost or hard freeze, personally I think it's much too soon for either, but this wonderful place we live has to have both eventually...it also is the season for deer hunting and confused deer running outta nowhere, Mom hit one on the way home from volleyball, luckily, all is ok, but a major inconvenience, a REAL hazard to a motorcyclist!..oh and those wet leaves can be awfully slippery, Beware!..Maybe wingsnite this wekend, maybe not, we'll see...
I love Friday's on Thursday! Tomorrow my baby gets her 5,000mile checkup, gosh those miles are adding up quickly!...also, a wonderful phone call, I am so-o very glad to hear that voice! We miss you, Carl! a day for pleasant surprises!
Oct. 3, 2001...Today I overhear someone say to someone else, "You DO understand my confusion, don't you?", now is that an oxymoron or what? like if the confused person doesn't understand their own confusion, how's anyone else going to?...I just had to laugh, good thing too, because it was one of those down-in-the-dumps kind of days, just when I needed it, I stumbled upon this, and I found my smile all over again, at least for a little while...You know, even though I'm usually chipper and happy and trying to get everyone else to cheer up, we're all entitled to an "off" day once in awhile! : )
This glorious weather we're having while we're all at work better appear one of the weekends! John Lennon songs playing more prominently, getting closer to his birthday, and my first-born "not a baby" anymore, also another baby having a b-day shortly, since I know the actual date my Dyna went through the assembly line, pretty cool huh?...Lotsa October birthdays comin' up, and one other special October Day and I don't mean Halloween...
October 2, 2001..October! Jumpin' jeepers!..time to move on, certain things are not worth worrying about, time is too precious. Riding is getting a little chillier and just when I start thinking it's getting too cold to ride, I have to look back at this day, oh, and I figured out what was setting my bike alarm off unknowingly, the rubber key chain thingy from Schaeffers would press on the "activate" button when I put the key in my pocket, who'd a thought?!!..anyways I'm proud to say I rode in every month of the year, maybe not long distance but I have and I plan to this year as well...: )
Abate fall foliage "toys-4-tots" run this Saturday, Get in Gear!
I'm officially a "prospective" member of the Motor Maids, Inc. Woohoo! Now I gotta meet up with these gals and ride and hopefully in 3 months I'll be a full-fledged member! : )
Sept. 30, 2001...Oops, I'm wrong, the Discovery Channel feature "Birth of the V-Rod" is scheduled for October 14, 9 PM, sorry, I said it was scheduled for tonight, gotta get my facts straight, which speaking of...
All this fuss about the V-rod, and now I can actually have a valid opinion, because I Took a demo-ride on one today! WooHoo!! after seeing them yesterday, and sitting on that demo, I got the bug, so did Mr. D., but yesterday the rides were all booked,so early this morning we headed on back to York to sign up early for a demo ride. I LOVED it, It doesn't look like the traditional Harley's but the ride is amazing, not only the smooth ride, but the "manageable" power, the longer front-end, and that odd "in-between" size tire all seem to work, because it handles GREAT! Here's more York Open House Photos.
I just have to say, any girls wanting to learn to ride and maybe thinking it's impossible, think again, when I started learning I never expected to ride as I am now, actually I wanted to learn just enough to say I could, maybe a few rural miles around my neighborhood, that was my goal and that was enough, it kind of evolved later, so start small and take small steps, nothing is unattainable if you set your mind to it, just do what's in YOUR heart, at your own pace, and for the RIGHT reasons! You know I'm sure most guys have those "Hairy-scary" moments, they're just too m-m-male to talk about it....
Thoughts and prayers to HD dirt bike racer Jennifer Snyder, injured in a crash, and in critical but stable condition, also a speedy recovery to Big Neil's father, We missed you yesterday, Big Guy! I count my lucky blessings daily...
Sept. 29, 2001...An eventful, fun, & chilly ride to the 17th Annual Open House at the York HD Plant...all's well that ends well...
Ted & Roseann, we missed you guys, with thoughts near & dear...
Sept. 28, 2001...Me & Mr. D, can't keep a secret this good, seems we have a new baby in the family!...A 250 Honda Rebel for Justy to learn on! Isn't she cute???.. a deal too good to pass up...
Sept. 26, 2001..Lesson for the day: where I work anything logical doesn't work, simple as that, if it makes sense, Don't believe it, do the opposite!
Sept. 25, 2001...A roadtrip planned to York Open House and now a call about a benefit ride to Harley Cafe in NY..What to do...*sigh*...
Sept. 24, 2001...Yup! It sure is a'raining out there...
I just get done telling Mr. D that HD oughta combine the counter-balanced motor with the rubber mounting, and here the V-Rod has'em both, how 'bout that? and water-cooled too, hmmm?, it does kind of grow on ya, doesn't it? Just gotta wait until they come out with some colors...which speaking of the V-Rod, [Harley's new family of bikes], next Sunday at 9PM on the Discovery Channel, "The making of the V-Rod", looks like it 'll be good. What marketing savy, just in time for them to hit the dealers in October as promised...Anyway, they got my attention...
If there's at least one good reason to visit the fair, it's the "Wall of Death" motorcycle riders--- "California Hell Riders", a sweet little 90lb girl named Sandra Dee riding an Indian Scout totally sideways perpendicular to the ground!, Wow! Was I impressed! The guys were really cool too, but I couldn't help but be in awe of Sandra Dee....Go Girl!
As for the rest of the fair, bike parking su*ked, (not enough for all the bikes!) junk food is only good for so long, the batter-fried oreos won for the best new thing, and the crowds became quite claustrophobic after awhile, So-o now I'm good for another couple of years....: )
Talk of a road trip to York Open House, hope the rains over by then...
Sept. 23, 2001...It's Bloomsburg Fair Week, so like I said get ready for rain but today's sunshiny so a bike ride to the fair sounds good, and next weekend is National Open House at the York Plant with activities planned for three days at the Plant, downtown York, and the Fairgrounds, Click on York Open House and checkout the schedule.
Sept. 22, 2001...Happy B-day to my forever young & beautiful Mom, I love you, Mom!
A nice road trip to White's HD, fall open house, and I take a demo ride on a FatBoy, Woohoo!, I still love my Dyna best and I discovered I like the insurance of a tachometer, especially when you haven't got loud pipes and can't hear your engine ROAR! hehe...anyways, I'm keeping mine for sure and all those sore-a**--oops I mean, butt, Fatboy riders haven't got a thing on me, oops sorry, not meanin' to be offendin' anyone, actually, Dave did say I looked pretty cool on it and they are an awesome lookin' bike...Hey, take a look at what else I was demo-riding recently--all by myself!!...Click here!
Sept. 21, 2001...A nice ride in the afternoon with good friends, thanks Bill & Cathy, lesson for the day: When you plan to bring home a passenger on a bike, "Don't forget the helmet!" sheesh!...at least in Pa...Did we feel stupid!..
Sept. 20, 2001...Let's not forget simple spendid pleasures...Fall in PA.
The weathermen are all puzzled by next weeks weather, a low pressure something that's hard to predict--Well Wake up guys! It's Bloomsburg Fair week! I can tell you it's probably gonna rain most of the week! Sheesh! ...Also, better be careful if you're out hiking or biking and you have an emergency and ya gotta pee, seems there are webcams in the Pennsylvania woods! EEKS! : Þ
Sept. 19, 2001...Just when some time passes and I get courage to attempt to write some thought for these difficult days, I hear on the radio "songs that should not be played", American Pie, Stairway to Heaven, Anything burning or on fire, C'mon! They're just songs!...Then, I read where a local prison worker is reprimanded for displaying a flag when being told not to; it might upset certain inmates...well, excussss-e me, but hasn't the nation been asked to display their patriotism and support?? What have we come to? Are we so paranoid and fearful that we must stop "living"? I am a caring and sensitive person, but I believe healing comes in many forms, for some it's through laughter, happiness, and if we give in to fear then we are crippled by it forever and we might as well crawl in a hole forever....Live & Let Live, and forever let their be songs....
God Bless America!
Sept. 11, 2001...A Devastating, Tragic day for America...Deepest prayers for all. How do we begin a new day?...How do we pick up the pieces, so many lives have been taken or changed forever, and what is yet to come?....Give blood if you can....
Sept. 10, 2001...I have no extracurricular life until volleyball season is over, seeya then....
It takes alot of patience and strength to move huge mountains,
and even though I like to think I'm "one of the guys" when it comes to riding my harley, I continually find neanderthal men are not yet extinct...
But not all men act like that, thank goodness! there are the sensitive new age type---Which reminds me, I heard "Bill & Ted had an EXCELLENT adventure" at the Wildwood Bike Rally..Good one guys! (and girls!) : Þ
Sept. 9, 2001..Happy B-day to my little sis, Have a good one, Barb!
Sept. 8, 2001...Open House at Schaeffer's, Lansdale Bike Night and the Boom Bah Bar...
Sept. 5, 2001...Jumpin' Jeepers, Bill! I didn't even get to send condolences about your bike burning up, then I hear it was just a cross wire guffaw!..and Beavis or Butthead did it?? Which is it??, oh well, coulda been worse, I supose..glad to hear your up & running again, and so quickly, watch out for those chrome accessories...last I knew the same colored wires get attached to each other, I dunno, I'm just a girl...: Þ
Gotta Go, meetin' my baby, in Phoenixville...hey isn't that a song?....sounds familar, now just where the heck is it??????
Sept. 4, 2001...Okay! Okay! It's my birthday, and one of the big ones!
Happy B-day to brother Ralph too, who shares this special day with me.
Sept. 3, 2001...A sunny, pleasant kinda day, yet the unsettledness in the air signals the threat of summer's end, the beginning of autumn, inevitably the dormancy that winter brings...and that makes me just a bit sad....
Hey! that's Justine riding on the back of the bike with me driving! WooHoo!..now I feel better....
Sept. 2, 2001...a Sunday gospel lesson about humility, a sermon about paper napkins or fine linens, we've truly been paper towels in a cloth linen drawer this weekend, and it felt good to be the quicker-picker-upper...: Þ
Sept. 1, 2001...My first baby is officially a "Yal-ie"...and can still ride a bike!
August 31, 2001...Arrival in New Haven, Conneticut, thousands of freshman arriving all in one day, parking is horrendous, Dave finally manages to park our huge truck and trailor to unload on the street and the manager of the dining room service entrance we were blocking, comes out and says, it's okay considering we're one of the "family" not the Yale group but the "Harley" group...turns out he saw the Harley Davidson logo on the trailer, he rides a low-rider and left an open invitation to park our bikes near his office when we come to visit, what a warm welcome to New Haven!! Thanks Mike!
..and when the unpacking was semi-done, Dave & I rested...Carl & new room mate Mike got acquainted...(Schuylkill County!?!..)
...And these lucky cops that ride Harley's when they're not directing traffic, smiled big! when I yelled "Nice Bikes!" out the window and snapped a pic...
August 30, 2001...A day of packing worldly belongings, amazing how easily that can all be narrowed down to what's important...We all need to downsize occasionally, helps us prioritize what's really important...
Thanks to my co-workers for helping make this move a little easier..
August 29, 2001...It's a wonderful feeling when things finally start to fall into place, a smile of contentment and anticipation, excitement about what's to come...thanks to everyone for all the great suggestions for what you need to survive "dorm-life", Daryl's wins most funny, "blank checks signed by mom", best deadline saver, Cathy, "Huge Desk Calender", many practical tips, rain gear, light bulbs, extension cords, waste basket, bike with a lock,(umm, not our kind but two wheels..hehe) etc...thanks all it's been fun!..
My sincerest prayers for Roseanne, who's had more than her share of worry lately...
August 28, 2001..Okay, I'm starting to panic--it's getting closer to that moving deadline...have we remembered everything?..is everything else I'm responsible for in order? will the brochure get out on time???...Don't sweat the small stuff, Don't sweat the small stuff, don't sweat the small stuff, don't sweat...
I'm on sabbatical hiatus (hehe)for a little while...no time for thoughts or thinking but I'll be back! : Þ
August 27, 2001...Summer's coming to an end and the School Season's back ...: ( Can you just hear the school bus pulling up to the bus stop, the cool, crisp fall-morning air, the hint of football games, volleyball, emergency forms, lunch money, schedules, AND homework, homework, homework...
August 26, 2001...What a great ride! A friend offers Dave a Harley (a 97 wideglide!--woohoo!) while his is in the shop and we get to participate in the largest group ride for us yet, Thanks Ed! (and Lester) The stop at Hooter's was a hoot too! Happy B-day Kevin!
a ride in rememberence for the Mia-Pow's not forgotten...over 1,000 bikes participating in the 8th annual Ride for Freedom...
August 25, 2001...The 1st Annual Crab-Fest at our place. Thanks everone for making it a great time! Good food, good music, good friends, what more is there?...
August 24, 2001...It's smelling awfully fishy, 'er I mean crabby in the household tonight, and I don't mean the men-folk, even though they are all males--and some have been known to be crabby, one thing--- that bay seasoning sure smells good, even if I'm not a seafood lover, somehow memories of Pap and Virginia Beach come to mind....
Hey, Bill! This one's for you...have fun! : Þ
