It’s not that I’m anti-love or anything. And I am certainly not anti-chocolate (you can give me chocolate on any day, for any reason, and I’ll be happy). Hubby and I just don’t celebrate this particular holiday. I’m not sure why. Shannon pretty much thinks it’s a stupid holiday, perpetuated by greeting card companies, florists, and jewelry manufacturers. I don’t completely agree. I don’t completely disagree with Shannon either.
I’ve always said I think it’s silly to spend a fortune on flowers on Valentine’s Day. But I wouldn’t say no to some good chocolate. I’m definitely not one who would want flowers or a fancy (expensive!) diamond necklace. I’d be perfectly okay with a nice high-visibility motorcycle jacket though. (That’s a useful gift.) And some chocolate. Notice I didn’t say “or” some chocolate?
Maybe it’s that getting gifts on Valentine’s Day is just too predictable for me. I don’t know. I could debate this with myself for hours. So I’ll just change the subject. ‘kay?
We did not go to West Virginia this weekend. Gaige, our oldest grandson, had a wrestling tournament on Sunday. They can sometimes last all day. Or at least a big part of the day. They start really early, too. Amy didn’t want to make Joey sit through yet another hours-long wrestling match, so she asked us to keep Joey for the weekend. We’re anxious to get the WV kitchen finished, but we couldn’t say no. Especially since the kids are all so busy. We don’t get to see much of them.
Did I mention that the weather finally got warm? Or remind you that we have two brand-new bikes in our garage saying “ride me”?
Things got pretty quiet in the house at one point on Saturday. I heard some strange noises coming from the garage. When I went to investigate, this is what I saw…
We could have gone for a ride at naptime, but it was only in the low 40s. Hubby opted to take a nap, too. I opted for a ride. I needed to run to the grocery store anyway. It was a little chilly, but not unbearable. Those heated grips make a huge difference. When my hands get cold during rides, they tend to cramp. Hand cramps are never good on a motorcycle.
I only did about 30 miles. You have to ride pretty carefully when riding on new tires. Cold tires aren’t good either. And there were quite a few places where snow melt was running across the road.
Sunday temps were in the 50s at naptime. Wanna guess what we both did?
We were only gone for about an hour and a half. It was awesome. It was pretty cloudy so it felt sort of chilly. But it was still great. I really like my new bike. It is so different than the big, fat cruiser. It’s so much lighter, more nimble, and easy to maneuver. I’ll be really glad when the break-in period is over, the tires are broken in, and the roads are clean and dry.
Shannon was kind enough to take these pictures for us. And stick around to keep an eye on Joey while we were away. He actually slept for a couple of hours. I’d already consumed two nice, warming, Baileys and coffee drinks by the time he woke up.
Now those really hit the spot! 🙂
All in all it was a pretty good weekend.
Look at you! Hooray for acceptable riding weather! 😀
LOVE that pic of Joey with his Pop on the bike. You can really see how much they adore each other.
Sounds like a fun weekend! Jason took his bike out too, he was SO excited. I love the with Joey looking up at his Pop too on the bike, too cute!
Good for you! With the weather thawing, I too took my bikes out this weekend (and resumed riding to work every day). It’s in the 20’s here, but no ice on the road is all the excuse I need.
Those new machines look sooo good. You’re certain to enjoy them. Your remark about their nimbleness reminded me of when I switched from a cruiser (my first motorcycle) to a non-cruiser and discovered how much more fun there can be in riding. You’re gonna love the greater capabilities of your new bike. Enjoy!
Wow, Shybiker, you’re riding in the 20s?? You are one brave (and chilly!) person. 🙂
ToadMama – I realize that my thoughts on V Day put me in the minority and probably make me sound bitter (I’m not! As an adult, I’ve actually always been partnered on V Day.); I guess ultimately what it comes down to is I think ANY day should be a day to show affection for your loved ones, not just one day that “they” tell you to.
Shan, that doesn’t make you sound bitter. Just anti-establishment. Or maybe that’s just because I know you and know you have no reason to be bitter. I love the term “partnered” by the way. My blog pal, Fuzzy, described it pretty well.
Hey! Sorry I haven’t had a chance to drop by in a while – and boy look at what I missed! Your twin babies are friggin’ schweet!! I showed Toby and he gave them a significant look of appreciation and reminded him about how he was lusting over the F800GS. It’s also making me want to go for a ride on some open roads. I still haven’t done that yet (of course I’m riding a scooter, which is probably a lot less fun), but I think T and I will go together soon, him on the bike and me on the scooter. It’ll probably be good for me to spend more time on the open roads because so far I’ve only been riding in town and I’m pretty much terrified all the time after our accident last month.
And now I’m slapping myself because I keep thinking of emailing you when we’re out on the road and forget when I’m home on the computer. But we went to that Alaska Night you sent me! I can’t BELIEVE I haven’t told you yet! It was awesome! They showed a little documentary about the first guys to ride from Alaska down to the Lower 48 to demonstrate to President Roosevelt the need for a highway. It was hardcore. They rode their bikes through crazy wilderness, making impromptu bridges out of logs, running out of gas/food, dealing with battery failure, etc. It took them 6.5 months, but they did it! And convinced Roosevelt of the need and feasibility of a highway. The guy who interviewed them was giving the presentation and then he showed pictures of some of his rides through Alaska today. Then there was a special surprise. The owner of the restaurant happened to meet a couple and asked them to talk about their story for 10-15 minutes. They’re Aussies (a man and wife) who rode together on one bike – the same motorcycle – through ALL 192 UN-recognized countries in the world! It took them about 10 years and over 500,000 kms…but they did it and showed pictures and told stories of how they managed to get into countries like N. Korea, Iraq, the Congo, etc. Simply amazing. They were asked how often they fought on their trip. They laughed and said not much, but 98% of their fights were over navigation. 🙂
Anyway, enjoy your new babies! And post some pictures of your rides!
I love your pictures especially the one of you two on your twins. I’m not a ‘bike’ person but I have to admit they are very cool looking (and so are you guys of course).
Sorry you’re a Valentine scrooge. lol This year we had so much going on that neither of us got out to buy over-priced Valentine cards so we exchanged verbal ones. That was pretty fun.
Anyway, I enjoyed reading about your weekend and seeing your pictures as usual!