Not Today

I got into town late last night, my plan was to ride the bike to Raleigh today for some more work....and then return this afternoon. But after looking at the weather I decided............not today. Next week!

The rain set in today, looks like a wet dreary weekend, notify the Johnnie Walker distillery ASAP, a second shift is needed. 

Good week in KY, OH, and WV; I even got to visit with some old co-workers in Marietta for a bit Thursday morning, and then of course tried to sell them some fans. You know, it never turns off. 

Pictures! This one is for our grand-dog Daisy:

Be the ball Danny, be the ball............................

While going through the mail today I found a flyer from the local Hospice; I was remembering how well they took care of Dink in her final days. What a great service to our community. Let's see,,,where is the humor here? Actually if you were around there from early November through early February there was a lot of laughter and reminiscing, all the while being mindful that not everyone in that building was in a cheerful mood. As you know we have a dark warped sense of humor....anyway, I remembered going there one Sunday afternoon: when I got out of my car I saw a man staring skyward at a balloon going off to higher altitudes. Being a big dumbarse I looked and him and said "oops,................. looks like it got away from you" Yeah, not exactly. But then once I got inside I had a good laugh at myself. 

While surfing the other night I found this picture:

It is still hard to believe that group of guys, and some very good coaches won the 4-A championship in football, basketball and baseball in one year, and darn near did it the next year also. Wonder if anyone else has ever done that..............and how many 4-A schools were in North Carolina 50 years ago? Pretty rare occurrence anyway you look at it

Seen over the University of Richmond/VMI football game last week:

I'm not going to get political in this blog today, and I might have a little more at stake than some of the readers of this drivel, but if you are planning on pulling a stunt like this, and I don't recommend it, at least use spell-check.

My new rep in the northwest:

BTW, he is on his way to a fishing hole, this isn't just whitewater rafting. I think I'm going to have to spend a lot of time in this territory.

SWMBO and I ran away last Sunday and tried to hide for a day. It didn't work out, but we had some fun in the Alligator River/Albemarle Peninsula area. Let her know if you want to go there, she can't wait to go back.

That was in Swan Quarter, we overheard a couple of mosquitoes talking; they were trying to figure out if they should eat us at the picnic shelter or take us home, but then worried if they took us home the big ones would eat us.............no, that didn't really happen. That might be called a high-per-bowl, or something like that, my pronunciation might be off a bit.  

Rainy, cooler, I hope we can fish and catch some soon, and it is about time to start thinking on the subject of reducing the oyster population around here:

Excuse me, the YouTube video calls it the Three Stooges clam video.....I have a hat like that, I know, hard to hide class:

Alphabet soup: On AMTRAK to DC for HVI Sunday morning. I mis-booked that trip by:

• the DC/Alexandria station I should have used and was able to change to
• by the departure date
• and by the return date

I can't believe how accomodating AMTRAK has been as my stubby fingers mis-typed time after time on this one particular trip. If this was done on an airline I would have bought three tickets by now. Thanks AMTRAK

I plan to be home all day Wednesday, got to get a flu shot, need tires, car service, inspections, motorcycle repair........................want to buy some fans?

Ever Watch A Dog Ride Down The Road With His Or Her Head Hanging Out The Passenger Window?

Live from the Charlotte airport: As for the dogs: Do they look happy? Ever see one that looks sad while doing that? Wonder why they do it? Wonder why they look as happy as happy can be? More on that subject later................

Do you remember, the twenty first night of September? (Earth Wind & Fire, never have I felt so out of place at a concert......) Anyway it is next week, remember and sing a song.

In Dallas/Fort Worth this week working with reps and manning the booth at the RCAT show in downtown Fort Worth. A productive week.

Next week I'm not in airports; I'll be in KY, OH, and WV meeting and greeting and interviewing. Maybe I should run for president? No, way too many skeletons, however for your viewing pleasure I offer this from the first GOP debate:

No, that really didn't happen.
But this summarizes how I feel about politics:

I talked about the slingshot last week, coincidentally I saw one this week in Fort Worth, much to the relief of SWMBO I didn't really like it. There were some things I liked, several I didn't. Most notably the seats appeared to be the cheapest part of the package, not safe and not comfortable. So if I sell the bike maybe I'll get one of these:

Yes that is me in the cockpit and I know what you're thinking and no, I can't believe I got my fat arse in and out of that thing either. But I did and without assistance.

On that subject ..............................I went out and caught a few waves the other day, looks like someone caught me on film

No, that isn't real either
But this is, a rare sighting at Loch Ness

Later three unicorns were seen riding Nessie but there is no film.

All true? Some true? Any true? You decide.

Back to the dog and the window thing......that's kinda what it is like to ride a motorcycle off from a green light with no one in front of you and then down through a series of twisties at speed. Try it.

Why?

Some people ask why not? Others ask why ask why, drink Bud Dry. I tried but they kept making more................ba da boom and we're off.

Pictures? Yes, lots, I cleaned out my phone and found some from the last month

I saw this creature in Portland a few weeks ago, Polaris makes it and it is called a Slingshot. It is categorized as a motorcycle. A four cylinder GM engine produces 175 HP, top speed is 130 MPH, a lot slower than my bike with 0-60 in 6 flat, but it could work as an eventual replacement to two wheels, if that time ever comes. More on that subject later. If you have a few minutes to explore, take a look at their website:                         http://www.polaris.com/en-us/slingshot

No pictures from this past Sunday night but we went to the Carteret Speedway Sunday night for their grand opening. The first race was a four cylinder event featuring mid-80's Mustang type cars. I told SWMBO that I could easily build (and of course drive) one of those cars. She squealed with unbridled glee and offered to park her car on the street so that I could use her garage stall. Or something like that. The Late Model class (real race cars) were impressive, we left after their main event. Standing room only crowd, and if you're ever wondering where people go when they leave the Wal-Mart....................

Oregon scenery, on a crystal clear afternoon.

Pygmy on a dove hunt last Saturday, I really had my heart set on some breasts for dinner. Great picture, no doves but I'm sure they had a lot of fun. 

But we had crabs instead. Well, Jackson and Elizabeth had crabs. I re-baited for Monday night and was disappointed, and then the nice lady at West Marine gave me a replacement for my defective pot and then I was able to re-engineer the old one. So now we have two pots with which we can not catch crabs. Maybe another set this weekend?

She is such a lovely young lady

NK in the news:

And back to the "why?"
A biker friend sent this to me, get a hankie and enjoy:

Texas, yes, Texas again next week, one day with my rep, another in the factory, and then two days at RCAT, a Texas roofing contractors show. Should be fun, home on the last plane in on Friday night. 

Phoning It In

In Charlotte waiting for another plane and decided to drop one in quickly.

Great Saturday last week fishing with a steely-eyed American hero. Unfortunately Andrew, Gunner and I didn't catch what we wanted, but I got a neat Commander's Coin

Sorry about the poor photography.
Good picture of Pygmy's boat though

If you really want to sense the excitement of fishing here you go, there might be some nose-picking going on, I kinda forgot the camera was on

You were warned

Very productive week in Texas, planning for 2016 and beyond.

Happy birthday Mama, hope everybody stopped doing everything in heaven and paid attention to you all day, as I recall you grew to expect that.

Has anyone else noticed the migrants going through Europe? Doesn't seem to be big news, but if history is true it should be. 

Love the smell of gunpowder on a hot Labor Day weekend, hope my brother and his son knock a few out of the sky and come home with sore shoulders.

Home next week

Friggam Fraggam

I'm just glad these children were here to listen to what old Gabby had to say; it's been an up and down week.
I may have used that title before, sorry. 

NK turns 35 next week and is featured in this month's Our State magazine; I'll post a copy when I can get one. First time a Riley has ever been in a magazine, I should add in a good way. Happy birthday Kevin, we love you and are proud of you. Don't forget the deal we have................

Too much time on your hands?

Bruce Springsteen's Born to Run is forty years old. Let that one sink in.......

Thanks to the FO I got my bike back this week, although with a bent side stand. Looks like I'll have to replace it so the bike is safer when stationary. $$$$$$ Happy birthday and merry Christmas to me!

Each year the Mullet Bucket goes to the winner of the West Carteret-East Carteret football game. Here is an old picture of Jackson holding it with the score 65-3. West won it many times in a row but tonight they will have to be mighty lucky not to be run off the field. Good luck to all and behave!

We ate with the Combat Warriors group tonight and will take a few of them fishing in the morning. I don't deserve to be in that room.

And now for those whacky pictures you like:

Guess who lives on this street?

 Central Park pond, I forgot to post it earlier

 A long time ago in a galaxy far far away, with a mustache!

The mini-split industry is the fastest growing segment in HVAC. Everyone in it sells a lot, and other suppliers are developing accessories to go with it. We are always at the mercy of the installers in any products we build. Here, Moe, Larry and Curly use a ladder to counterbalance the person who is the foreman on the job; they call Moe their leader. 

We had a lot of rain last week and the Atlantic Beach causeway got flooded. Now you know where all of the sharks went.

And a video that I took Wednesday night, so wrong:

Hurricane Erica is heading our way and of course I'll be out of town. But, no one knows where she will go, especially the weather forecasters. Here is their summary of projected plot lines:

"But do you know what is wrong with your blog?" I hear these words each and every week. no pictures of my grand babies!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! So here you go:

Cooper and Keelyn on their way for the first day of school. It was 40 minutes before school time and Cooper was worried he might be late, sound familiar? Oh, did I leave the oven on? OK I'm back. 

Next week: Texas early Monday morning through late Friday night. 

Sometimes The Magic Works

...............and sometimes it doesn't. I posted that video of Chief Dan George some time ago, this week it was very true.

With SWMBO away and a room in the mountains I planned to ride last weekend. A suspect battery forced me to change my plans, I started for Chesapeake for a replacement and oil change, only made it as far as Little Washington (Original Washington). Since I would have to remove tubberware to jump it I asked for a free BMW MOA tow. Five hours, yes five hours later he came, fortunately Pygmy was in town and offered to come get me. I really appreciated that, and the fact that he only charged me $50 for the ride.

A sad sight, and she is ready now and I have to go get her. Logistics!

FO came down Sunday morning and we went waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay offshore. Beautiful day, saw some beautiful scenery, but no fish to bring home. Dang. 

Good week in Oregon with a major customer, and was able to hire a rep. It was 100 degrees Tuesday and Wednesday evening I went down to the coast and saw some beautiful scenery. I'll post some pictures some day, but not today, I'm off for more important things:

A baby who digs LedZep, specifically from the second album:

Stupendo! No, that might not mean what you think.

The King has been beaten up pretty well throughout his career and I know he is in a lot of pain at his age. To help him deal with this daily condition he uses Blue Emu; listen carefully to the last line about the product he promotes:

Get ready customers, that's going to be my new closer.

You've heard me mention how my parents taught me how "to swim" and some of you questioned if that was their motive. Someone posted a recap of that day, or those days (they had to teach me a lot since I was such a good student) on Facebook:

Daddy loved his movies. And fish can see your shadow, that's why two 30 pound plus cobias came up to the back of the boat Sunday, just to look and see. You have to be smarter than the fish to catch him (who said that?)

And while on that subject, Daddy saw this when it happened.

I have no idea why I was thinking about the USS Mount Hood this week (I was in Oregon and looked at Mount Hood for a couple of days) but it certainly was in his memory bank for a long time. He told me the explosion killed a lot of sailors on other boats who happened to be facing that way when it blew. Yes, getting home 5 hours late was really hard Saturday.....and Friday. 

When they built the WW II memorial in DC Daddy's comment was something like "well it is about damned time" Something like that...but following that line of thought:

Say hello to the new Ventamatic promo: buy 6 fans and get one of these!

Pardon me while I refresh my drink.

There, much better and now I can't read my writing. where was I?

There are some other notes here but I can't make out what I wrote. I make notes throughout the week for this and sometimes I can't read my writing from late at night or early in the morning.Oh well, sometimes the magic doesn't work.................

Ran into a lower class man (woman) from high school Thursday night and it made my delay so much better. She was a nice young lady and lives close to me now; I told her that people my age tell one another that "you look great" when we see each other, but I really mean it when I told her she looks great. Come to find out we have a lot of mutual friends. 

The Ken Burns War of Northern Aggression series (Civil War to you yankeees) is 25 years old. And he still believes it was only about the slavery of one race over another. We can make tons of excuses as to why it wasn't, and that was not the only reason, but without the war and solidification of the union, Hitler takes Europe.......................give me some backup here Jackson. But that makes me feel really old, seems like yesterday.

I really need to write gooder. 

It Is Late

And I'm tired and have zero energy level, so this week you're getting what you paid for........

A friend told me once that free legal advice is worth what you pay, good point, but I do hope you're amused by some of this.

Welcome dingbatters, school is getting ready to start and I've never seen so many dit-dots riding down Arendell, and that was yesterday on Thursday. Be careful.
As I write this I just heard a report on my antiquated police scanner that a bicyclist on highway 58 called in to report that he was accosted by three women on the road who threatened they were going to take his bicycle and make him walk home. They were in a lime green Honda Element, OK, that narrows it down a bit, and they were all "at least six feet tall and looked like Amazon women." The responding LEO said he would keep an eye out for Amazon women.

My plans changed this week and I stayed in town; kinda nice to be around SWMBO for one more week before she starts back to school. Monday night we went out for an evening booze cruise towards Swansboro, beautiful night and very relaxing, all the way up until I started cleaning the boat when we got home (no, no booze for the captain). You see kids, I went out late Sunday evening and caught some dinner.

If you're not sure, that is Spanish mackerel grilled with a mixture of butter and sweet BBQ sauce, very tasty and of course the best ingredient: FRESH.! Anyway it was a little sporty outside Sunday and the boat had a nice coat of NaCl and I waited until Monday night to clean her, ergo the late night.

The yellow butterflies are here, do you know what that means?

After a subscription which lasted from 1986 the Raleigh News and Observer and I called it quits this week. It started last year with more travel in my new job, SWMBO never reads the paper, and when they quit publishing baseball box scores..........well that was it! I praised our carrier but ended the long ride. It was just fine until about 5:30 AM Thursday morning when I walked out to get the paper, yes, I forgot........and it wasn't there. Not to worry, I can go online and get nearly everything. It worked out well until breakfast and coffee had been shall we say "digested" and I looked around for the sports section. EGAD! Is this how civilized people live? I improvised, but the Morehead City paper is only published three times a week, I'm concerned I might be a bit irritable, OK more irritable.

And I stayed up Wednesday night until 1:30 watching the meteor shower, thank you Lord, that was impressive. Strangely enough one of the prettiest one was at 5:30 AM when I walked down the driveway, oh yeah, you already know that part.

My life partner took off for Ocean Isle for a girls only weekend so I planned to ride the bike to the mountains, but I had a lot of obstacles which have now prevented that. Maybe a long weekend in September, you know, when the fishing cranks up...............oh well. Part of that scenario was the premature passing of the bike battery. I did get her cranked last night and went for a ride, afterwards as a test I turned the trickle charger off and she wasn't feeling very perky today. So instead of a beautiful drive along the Blue Ridge Parkway I'll go to Chesapeake to get a new battery tomorrow. BUT, fishing Sunday? We'll see.

Probably just as well I don't push it on the bike this weekend, my workout regiment (insert eye-roll here) hasn't been too good lately, much to the delight of one JW Red from Scotland. Anyway this from the BMW MOA magazine ON this month in an article about some middle aged guys riding the Blue Ridge Parkway, I should mention the article said every morning they had a big hearty (pun) breakfast and a huge "local" lunch, dinner was normally wine and appetizers which at some point "undoubtedly overstressed the senior member of our group, later at dinner he reported a very high pulse rate which progressed into extreme nausea and profuse sweating-----three signs of cardiac distress. Before long our companion was prone on the floor unable to sit upright. No pain in the chest or elsewhere, we summoned the local EMS." They suggested we change clothes into something very comfortable, we were going to be in the hospital for a while..............................no, that happened to someone we know while he was having a stroke. But anyway, figured out what was wrong with him?

Simple dehydration, very common with motorcyclists.

Now on to silliness, I mentioned Jim Parsons as God in New York City, here is a clip:

I hope that didn't offend too many of you.

So as you sit here reading this dribble I know in the back of your mind you're probably thinking "I wonder what the worst toy of all time is?" I'm glad you asked

Who was the marketing guru who came up with this?

I've got some more stuff but my goodness I am a bit tired, and up early in the morning so I should end this. But I've got some more stuff so tune in next week (hint: after 50+ years of promising that we will have these in the future: flying cars!)
Happy 64th Pygmy; when I'm 64...............................

Maybe I'll bring something good back from Portland OR.................and we'll leave it at that.