Birthdays are a good thing!

This time of year is always so joyful and hopeful as the daffodils and tulips pop up, the forsythia are bursting with their delighted bright yellow blooms... having been born on May 1st, it makes for a happy backdrop to my birthday each year. 

The weather forecast was for sunshine and high sixties, which is my favorite combination for riding.... I get to wear all my gear, feel cozy and safe and have cool air on my face. I love it!  I planned a ride through back roads of Connecticut.  This state got more than its share of beautiful, twisty quintessential New England roads. My friend Mannie opened his day to ride with me on the 150 mile loop.  Gave Dirty Girl a pre-ride check, the air is good in the tires.  I am happy because I hate to kneel down under the saddlebags to inflate the back tire. :)  All ready to go...

But the first order of the day is church. 

This is where I transform from Biker Chick to Choir Girl.  I always get a chuckle or two as I robe up... I have no idea why!  :)

Mannie arrived and we took off for CT around 11:30

(Mannie's pic was taken from another ride earlier this season) 

We happily set sail for CT, getting almost immediate satisfaction with the beautiful day it had turned into...

The one big bummer of the day, was the shock at the gas pumps!  Look at the number on the pump, I have to use premium... $18.45 for 4 gallons.  $4.59 per gallon...UGH!  

It is a good thing that it was my birthday and I was having a good time. Mannie and I wound our way south toward a little town called Moosup and then headed west to Willimantic. 

We had the usual missed turns as I was happily looking at the scenery, and one spot where my gps, Jack wanted us to turn down a road that was posted with a 'bridge out, road closed' sign.  The road straight ahead was gravel and Jack did not recognize it.  I am willing to ride on uneven ground when I have to, but DG and I are not trailblazers, so we turned around and found our way back to the route on another back road. Jack worked very hard to get us back on track.  After about 70 gorgeous miles, our bikes rolled into Willimantic CT.  An old textile mill town full of history, The American Thread Co gave the town it's nickname, Thread City.  Names of businesses through the downtown harken to this heritage. 

But the most fascinating tidbit of history centers around these guys... something that made my head nearly spin off trying to get a good look at them:

Giant copper frogs, sitting on top of spools of thread, two sentinels at each end of the bridge. The story of the frogs is rather funny.  Back in 1754, the townsfolk heard horrific screams in the middle of the night. Thinking that the native Indian tribe was attacking them, they ran out into the night with loaded muskets. Others dropped to their knees in fervent prayer. There was no one to be found. The sun rose, people went outside and found thousands of dead frogs piled around a drying up pond. The town suddenly had a mascot, one that appears all through the downtown on signs and sculpture. 

Mannie and I stopped at the Willimantic Brewery, a micro brew pub located in an old post office.  The decor was rustic and welcoming, the food delicious.  The fact that motorcycles were aplenty in their parking lot told us that it would probably be a good choice.  Bikers know how to eat! 

behind those glass door are the brew tanks...

I had a most delicious home made veggie burger,big and flavorful, a delight to most vegetarians. A side of cajun fries and I was happy.  Mannie had fish and chips that he gave the thumbs up to.  A quick stop at the frog bridge for better photos was in order on the way out of town after lunch....The things bikers do for a photo... I just HAD to lay down on the pavement to get my bike and the frog into the same frame because it was so tall  :)

Back on the road, heading north east over more lovely roads, most New England bikers are familiar with route numbers like 664, 198, 197 and 169. The never fail to disappoint.  Having ridden across the states, these roads often remind me a bit of Kentucky and Virginia.

 The houses of New England though, are something special... these old towns are built around Victorians and Colonials that simply take my breath away.  Here is one of my favorites, and you only have one guess as to why I might like it.. 

I could not have asked for a more perfect ride... thanks to Mannie for following me and snapping a boatload of photos!!  That in itself was a great gift :)  I got home around 6:30, parted ways with Mannie and sent him on home... he snapped one more as he rode home that I think is lovely...

BUT... this is not the end of the celebration! Monday, my husband Mo and I took the T into the city and spent a leisurely day walking around Cambridge.  My birthday wish list had art supplies on it, so a trip to Utrecht was in order. It is the equivalent of a 6 year old in a toy store to take me to an art supply store. New paints, markers, drawing pencils and a couple of oil brushes were put into my bag and I was a happy girl :)

Cambridge has such exquisite architecture. I grew up in this area and I was snapping pictures today as if I was here for the first time...I love the old brick and stone buildings and churches. 

The next order of business was lunch...Mo got out his new 4G phone to see what was in the area.  Actually, he had this phone out much of the time to see where things were or to find the answer to a question we had... when I turned to look at him, this is what I saw most of the time. He's only had it a week, so he's having a lot of fun seeing what it can do.  I can't say that I blame him.  :)

Lunch.

We decided on Tommy Doyle's pub.  It is right next door to the famous Grendel's Den, which was crowded with patrons. Tommy Doyle's got a 4 star rating and so it sounded great. As we walked up, it looked quirky and welcoming, just my kind of place. How can one not like a burger and beer lunch special for $9.99? 

Inside it was cool and dark, the perfect pub atmosphere.  We order up our brew, Mo got Guiness and I got a Harpoon special wheat beer on tap.  Again, how could I not love this?  My beer was color coordinated with my hair... (no bike riding today, so I could indulge)

And for the second time this weekend, I had another home made veggie burger, with a side of sweet potato fries, one of my most favorite treats ever!  And I remembered to get a photo of it.  This is dedicated to Lloyd, supreme photographer of his food.  :)

We stuffed ourselves at lunch and after walking it off a bit, stuffed home made ice cream on top. The day today was again, perfectly presented to me with bright sunny and somewhat cool temps.  Mo and I window shopped, and poked through some of Cambridge's multitudes of funky stores, finally dropping exhausted into a seat on the trolley home, in time for pizza and birthday cake.  I am not hesitant in sharing what I wished for.. something that I wish for nearly every day, and that is World Peace. Wouldn't that bee lovely?

A happy birthday to me. 

It truly was! :)

Thanks for reading!  

love, bee

It's been a long winter!

I haven't written anything in a long time... I have been buried in snow.  We have had nearly record snow falls this year, the kind that I remember as a little girl.  You know the ones, where the snowbanks were tall enough that you could dig a tunnel through them?

 

If you live in a warm climate, just imagine how much fun that would be for a kid.  In those days, I don't think people were concerned about cave-ins, just as we did not wear seat belts.  I can also remember riding in the 'Way Back' of our ancient Volkswagen Bus...that itchy carpeted platform over the engine.  We would 'hosie' it, or claim it as ours on the way out the door.  As one of three kids, there was plenty of room for us in the bus, but someone had to claim it :)   Now, when we had that tiny little 1963 Porsche Speedster, that was a different story.  Put three kids in the back of that thing, and one poor kid had to sit on the itchy carpeted bump.  The same carpet as the bus, I think.  Even though riding in that was torturous, if I see an old Porsche today, I absolutely covet it. Is coveting your neighbor's car a sin, I wonder?  

Oh, how I digress!  Back to the present...  Punxatawney Phil promised us an early spring this year.  The talk about town now is that he is a story teller, (this is putting it gently) much like the weather reporters.  It is Feb 23, and there is the promise of 40 degrees today.  How excited we get at the end of the winter, when 40 degrees is a heat wave as opposed to the fall, when I outfit myself like Nanook of the North to take a ride in 40 degree temps for the weekend!  I can guarantee that I will see kids in shorts today

I am not taking any monumental rides this summer. The desire is always there, now that the precedent has been set, but I have to temper this desire to wander the countryside all summer. I have a family and a business to consider, says the little angel on my shoulder.  But, your time to ride these rides is in a short window says the little devil on the other shoulder.  So, I seek compromise with these two brats.  So far this year, I have two definite rides planned, the first is Memorial Day weekend to Rolling Thunder again, and the second is to northern Maine with about 50 of my closest friends to ride around Acadia National Park and the rugged coastline that I love so much, about 4 days each. 

I won't be a VIP escort at Rolling Thunder this year.  It was a tremendously powerful and moving experience for me, but with my super sensitive heart, it is a little too moving. I truly had a challenge to deliver my Gold Star Mom to the end of the ride without crying. Not that crying is bad, I do it all the time...but while piloting a motorcycle, it can be problematic!  So this year, I will be joining my friends in Washington DC, we will ride behind the escorts and then pull off to watch the rest of the hundreds of thousands of bikes thunder by.  This year will be special, as a few of my dear friends will gather from across the states and be in the same zip code for the first time.  I will write about it, you can be sure of that!

The ride to Maine, is going to be a very low key weekend in June. There are tours planned to sight see, but it is open. So if I get there and simply feel like sitting on the rocks by the ocean, then that is what I will do. I will go with no agenda and see what unfolds. I am pretty nearly counting the days to that weekend!  Stay tuned...

I do have one more wish list ride and hope to squeeze it in sometime later in the summer. For two years, I have pretty much ridden right past the Harley Davidson Museum in Milwaukee. The first time, it was not on the agenda and although I was told we could go, I deferred because I did not want to seem selfish about making other people go where I wanted to go.  Last summer, it was because of my crazy tight schedule. I know, I know... self imposed of course!  I have no one to blame but myself, but it would have thrown it off by quite a bit to have essentially taken an extra day.  Honestly, it was because I was itching to launch solo. I had it on my itinerary to break loose at a certain mile marker on a certain day and it was making the most noise in my head, so I listened.  But, after I think the 6th or 7th person has told me that they have seen my photo in the museum, I really need to go!  The following photo is what I seek....check out how short my hair is! And a fairly undorned Dirty Girl with her new sparkly paint job- she was black when new. And those pristine white walls...  sigh.

When my bike was new, I submitted it to the HOG magazine.  Imagine my surprise when I got a note from a rider with a photo attached. "Guess who I found at the new HD Museum?"  I am told it it smack in the middle at eye level when you enter the museum.  I figured it would have been replaced by now, but as recently as two months ago, I was told it was still there!  So, if the stars align, I will buzz out there too. 

The most exciting thing going through my little brain right now, as I start to pull out map books and keep GoogleMaps open on my browser, is another big ride for next summer!  I have decided that Santa Fe, NM will be the main destination.  Years ago, a friend of mine told me that I must see it.  That plea has remained with me... and I look forward to telling her that I will be riding my motorcycle there to take in the artistic sacred place.  I was thinking I would push on to the coast of California, but so many friends are recommending sights and roads around there, in the states that border New Mexico, that I will probably tour around that vicinity.  And after many requests to convert my blog to a book, I am going to see what is involved. There is a lot of information for self publishing out there...so with the help of those who have trod that path before,  let's see what happens!

Now... to find a sponsor or two.  That would just bee heavenly. 

thanks for reading,
peace,
bee

The Season is (unfortunately) Winding Down

As the weather turns chilly and the trees turn bright, some of the best riding days will appear. The cool air and bright sun, when you can get it, make for the most spectacular rides! 

For me, it also means that I am running out of the luxury of taking off for an all day ride. Being a self employed gift shop owner, the 4th quarter keeps me busy as I hope it carries me through the slower months of summer sales, a rather double edged sword that I wield, because I do love the time to ride but lament the slow business of the dog days of summer. As mid-October loomed ahead of me, I decided to take one last jaunt for the weekend. It serves two purposes, one being a fantastic ride, the other purpose is to renew my energies to face the soon to be 7 days a week work schedule until after Christmas.  This weekend trip headed to my favorite landscape, the seaside of Maine.

The weekend started on the tail of a NorEaster of the rainy cold variety. Saturday dawned extremely windy and hovering in the low 40s- no rain though, and this was a blessing!  I can take cold and windy, but rain would have made it a bear of a day. My plan was to be quick about getting to Boothbay Harbor that day, and settle in my motel room for the night and get warm. Sunday and Monday were promised to be sunny and warmer, so I did not worry so much about sightseeing on Saturday as I set out on the highway north, with my FastPass strapped to my arm.  Departure time was 8am.

I realized that I had not eaten breakfast or even had a cup of coffee yet...but I was on the road and told myself that I would stop when I needed to warm up.  When I crossed into Maine, the memory of a diner in Portland where my friends and I stopped the year before came back to me. It is Becky's Diner on the water in the old port part of the city.  The website is delightful and the food is hearty.

Be prepared for a wait, but it is worth it. I got a seat right away because I was alone and could slide right into a stool at the counter. 

Peeling off my multiple layers of clothing, holding them awkwardly in my lap while sitting at the stool, I enjoyed nice hot coffee, light and sweet because I was on a mini-vacation, and raisin bread French toast.  I would have taken a photo of it, but the place was so crowded and I was already the topic of many people's interest with my neon colored riding jacket, that I got really shy about taking a photo of my breakfast!

The roads into Maine were in full color, 

as were some of the residents- this was in Wiscassett.  :) 

I did make one more stop on the way to Boothbay Harbor...in the wind that was howling today, the waves at "my" rock at Reid State Park in Georgetown would be putting on a great show for me. I pointed my bike out to the end of the peninsula after going over the bridge at the Bath Iron Works. I love the road going to the park... it is windy and tree lined, then suddenly opening up to a causeway that always makes me smile in a peaceful sort of "I have arrived" way.  

I parked Dirty Girl and started walking toward the water, not even removing my gear because of the chill, and taking the left pathway up the stone stairs.

 I was alone today...there are generally people here year round, but not today. I was alone on the top of my rock...the wind was so strong that I was afraid of perching the camera on the rocks for a self portrait, lest it fall into the water.  I did grab one shot, not terrific, but it shows the kind of day it was. I love this place, it has so much energy and renewal for me. On another kind of day, I would curl up in a nook of a rock and take a nap in the sun. 

Today is a short visit though... Boothbay Harbor is still a few miles away and the weather is challenging. I wanted to get there in time enough to enjoy a stroll around town.  I have a lot of childhood memories with Boothbay Harbor.  

My grandparents kept an antique 36' sloop at the yacht club during my childhood.  It was always a big treat when it was my turn to be on the boat with them.  We would drive up in their little yellow VW convertible bug, always stopping in Portland for sandwiches made with homemade oatmeal bread, and then I always got to visit my favorite store when we would get to Boothbay, The Smiling Cow.  When I was a little girl, this store was the most magical place, I would get to choose some little trinket to bring onto the boat with me.  I often chose a simple little wooden doll, with stumpy feet and yarn hair, elastic made it so that the arms and legs would bend. I think they came from Germany.  Invariably, my dog would get a hold of it and chew it up when I got home. I wish I had them today! 

To my delight, the Smiling Cow is still here...not quite so magical as I look around and see the ceramic lobstermen and lighthouses emblazoned with "Maine."  But, it still makes me wax nostalgic and smile when I see it! 

I stayed at the MidTown Motel. "A true 1950s experience" it says on their sign.

  And yes, it does live up to this promise!  No internet, no phone in the room, no coffee, no shampoo, a tiny TV and a small box heater on the wall with a browned strip of paper scotch taped there, typed with a true typewriter warning, "please be aware of items that might be placed in front of the heater."   It was clean and cozy, so aside from no internet, I had no complaints. 

I checked my gear into the room, which also means that I unceremoniously explode into it, which is attested by anyone who has traveled with me, then went for shopping and supper. Boothbay Harbor is quaint, right off a postcard. 

I poked in and out of little stores, finding stocking stuffers for my family and chatting with shop owners. Then I wandered into the Ebb Tide restaurant.  Another true 50s experience!  The booths are old fashioned pine boards, a chalk board has the daily specials and a sign states 'over 5 million served'.  The food was fresh and delicious, I had fried haddock, mashed potatoes, coleslaw and a roll.  It was served on a simple diner plate, meaning one of those heavy white diner dishes. Although the Ebb Tide's dishes did have a pretty scalloped edge with a gold color in it, I giggled out loud when it arrived and thought to myself that this should just be called the White Dinner Plate- all my food was white. :) 

The next morning dawned with sunshine, not even 40 degrees when I woke up and went in search of coffee. The town coffeeshop was not open on a Sunday morning, which I thought unusual, so the quest continued.  I ended up at the Ebb Tide again of all places. I asked for a coffee to go and then noticed on the chalk board: cinnamon rolls. "I'll take one of those too," popped out of my mouth.  Walked back to my room and opened the container to a baked confection that if I had seen it first, I would never have ordered it... Oh goodness, it had enough sweet frosting in this thing to cover a whole cake- it was a little embarrassing and I was alone!  I ate as much of it as I could, thinking that the day was going to be shot to hell now, starting it with such sweets!

I pushed off at about 9am, and 41 degrees, taking a leisurely ride south toward my next destination, Ogunquit.  I made a stop at LLBean in Freeport, to see what kinds of things I might find and need there.My hopes were to find flannel lined jeans, but they did not work out.  Wandered through there for a bit, bought a couple of little things and continued south, taking some side roads that I had not been on before. One being through the town of Kennebunkport.  This little town is so quaint, small shops and restaurants, full of people shopping on a Sunday morning.  Definitely on my list to return to at some point.  Ogunquit was not a far ride, I wanted to park my bike for the afternoon and enjoy the town, the shopping and the oceanside.  

Meanwhile, I am watching my odometer, as I approach the 50,000 mile mark, my heart starts to beat as I play a little game, wondering where I will be when it flips over to this monumental number!  As luck had it, it flipped all the zeros as I pulled into my next hotel. 

 I thought that was pretty amazing, one of life's simple pleasures.  My rest stop for this night is the Meadowmere Resort.  I generally do not stay in hotels that end with the word 'resort', thinking that they are out of my affordable range.

 But I was encouraged to check them out and joyfully, the Sunday night rate for a king room with a fireplace was within my means.  This was going to be the perfect end of season ride for me... ocean side meditating and then an old good book by a fireplace that night.  Life is good!  

Ogunquit did not disappoint.  Again, Maine has delivered a small town center with nice little shops and food. I spent a few hours and then sat out on a big rock by the ocean for a while. The view was lovely, the waves were nice and loud and I was in heaven. I sat out far enough so that all the other people were behind me and I felt wonderfully alone with the sea. 

At around 4pm, a shower sent me scurrying back to my bike and back to my room.  A supper of cheese and crackers and glass of Bailey's Irish Creme finished off the day.  I settled into the peacefulness of the room and the fire and my book. It was lovely! 

(gotta love the timers on cameras, it is the only way I get into pictures on solo rides!)

Monday arrived, and it was time to head home. The day was bright as I jumped on the highway... just in that 'zone' that motorcyclists often talk about, thinking about the last couple of days, and the day ahead. I was making one more stop, in Marlboro MA at a trade show for my store.  I had to laugh in that sort 'hands in the air' was when I came out of the show 2 hours later to my bike with a very dead battery.  (click... click... ugh!) Thankfully, my husband works not too far away and thankfully my friend Gary had gifted a set of motorcycle jumper cables to me for my cross country trip (just in case), AND thankfully this did not happen when I was up in Maine!

Mo came and rescued me, and I rode the bike directly to my mechanic's garage, here in my own town.  A pretty easy end to a fabulous weekend away. A new battery now energizes Dirty Girl.  Now I feel as though I can face the 4th quarter holiday shopping swell at my store, as I soon will be working 7 days a week until the end of the year. Riding from now til then will be only as I can steal a few hours here and there.  

....today, as I write this, it is one of those most spectacular days!  I hear motorcycles rumbling by, guessing that they are taking hooky rides.  I am envious a bit, but not green with jealousy. I am glad someone is out in it if I have to work! 

So there you have it, another adventure albeit a little quiet one to round out a very good year. My next blog entry may just be about washing this sweet bike of mine. It is going to be an epic challenge!  She is wicked wicked dirty. Lots of great miles to her that way :) 

Thanks for reading!  

love, bee

In a Parade!

Probably one of the lowest mileage rides I have been on, but certainly one of the most fun ones!  

Holliston MA throws a town fair each September to celebrate all that goes on and to honor the citizens of the year. The kickoff is a parade to the park where you will find booths with fun, information, and food. A good time is had by all.  

This year I decided to put my business into the parade!  So I brainstormed as to what could be done with my bike.  I doubt you will find anyone that will argue that it ended up being a reflection of the hippie chick flower child that I am :) 

Parade lineup was at the elementary school and kickstands up at 9am. I mean, start walking and driving at 9am. :)  There were a couple of other bikes at the front, but I had many exclaim that a bike float was a first for them.  

It was  a pretty well loaded parade for a small town, you just have to love the fire engines, antique cars and farm equipment. We also had the National Lancers, a ceremonial cavalry unit as our Color Guard. 

I had my support team with me to toss candy and hand out fliers to the crowds.  None of us knew what to expect, so we were all excited!  I was a little unsure about just how hot the bike would get at parade speeds, but it was fine.... it was a little less than a mile long, so my bike was hot but not too unhappy when I parked her at the end. 

I decided to be really daring and ride without my jacket. Those that know me have teased me, because I think in my five years of riding, I have not ever gone without my riding jacket.  I figured that 5mph was a safe enough speed to risk going without the protective gear.  Today was all about fashion.  :) 

My husband was stationed on the parade route, instructed to grab a photo or two and he did a fine job :)  I had a couple of requests for videos, but I didn't have enough time to locate a camera.  There is always next year! 

All in all, a really fun morning!  I had great feedback from the event, lots of cheers from women who might have missed my message of shopping locally though, I got the distinct feeling they were cheering for the chick on the bike :) 

Back at the shop, all the flowers took on their next job, to fill the flower box in the front of the store. I was off to my next destination for the weekend, a relaxing time by the ocean in Maine.  I mistakenly had double booked myself for this day, my husband and I had this cottage on the calendar for a few months, and I had blindly been thinking that Celebrate Holliston was the following weekend.  Where is cloning technology when you really need it? :)
So, I sent my husband to Maine to hang with our friends and I promised I would buzz up there as soon as I could.  At about 3pm, I jumped on the bike for a quick 110 mile ride. At the fuel stop, I realized that I had not completely undecorated my bike...

Surprisingly, these little flowers stood the test of highway speeds for two hours!  I arrived in Maine and took off my footwear... once again realizing that I am often not like everyone else. This vignette really cracked me up! I don't own footwear that even remotely resembles the other ones at the cottage this weekend. :)

 I made it in time for cocktails on the porch overlooking a fantastic seascape. It took me about 30 seconds to get into relax mode.

  This is the view off the porch, about 30 feet away... I was in heaven! The waves were gently rolling in, speaking in a calm voice as the water splashed on the rocks.

The weather overnight turned windy and cold..the next day dawned with waves that were breaking well up onto the rock wall.  I grabbed a gorgeous handmade comforter (that I coveted very much), poured my coffee and went out into the cool morning air. 

Later in the morning, we all went to Old Orchard Beach to walk around, it was pretty well closed up for the season. I did see one thing that I just had to try... no, not the Fried Twinkie. I tried one of those delicacies this summer. This time it had to be the Deep Fried Oreo.

If it had been more than a buck, I think I would have been disappointed.  But all in all, not a bad little taste treat.  Mine was underdone though, with uncooked batter.... another 30 seconds in the fryolator and I bet the Oreo creme middle would have gotten melty. :)

 So, I have a deep fried Twinkie (back in July in WV) and an Oreo under my belt (literally).  Can't promise that I will try things like fried pickles or other strange things I hear about though, but you never know. It might be my new calling to taste and review them.  However, I might not have to have my arm twisted too hard to try a deep friend Milky Way bar.  Not sure where I would have to ride to in order to locate one, I think maybe Texas... 

We decided to call it a weekend when the weather continued to deteriorate, as we were not really prepared for the cold. My raingear was taken off the bike for the parade and the skies were looking very threatening, reinforced by the choppy waves now pounding on the retaining wall, it was a very different view from the day before.  It was gorgeous, my kind of ocean! 

So at about 2pm, I layered on all my clothing and headed homeward.  The skies were drizzling on me pretty much the whole way, but I did not get wet wet.  Toes were pretty chilled when I got home, it took a few hours to completely warm up.

 

All in all, a great weekend, full of new adventures, all within 100 miles of home.  :) 

Ride Safely everyone and thanks for checking in!

xo

Bee