This image perfectly sums up our weekend of riding…
Sunshine, blue skies and big, puffy, white clouds.
And here’s a sample of some of the color we saw.
Buttercups!
We were a happy little riding pack for sure.
Bertha, Me, and Mike
Hubby has been testing the Spotwalla tracker app for his upcoming BIG ride. Here’s a screen shot of our tracks from this weekend. The upper portion was Saturday, and the lower was Sunday. Click on the pic and you’ll go to the actual map (I have no idea how long it’ll remain active, though).
Weekend Routes
I think the “F” is for first and the “S” is for second.
The weekend was fabulous. Really.
Sorry about the dirt on the camera lens.
More pics and info to follow. When I have more time.
My Aunt Bertha, age 69, achieved a milestone on Friday. She completed her longest solo road trip, about a 200-mile trek from her house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, to our home in Virginia. She’s been wanting to do it for a while, but fate has conspired against her. So, even though the timing wasn’t perfect — this being Mother’s Day weekend here in the US — it was the only weekend we all had free for quite some time.
It did mean we couldn’t visit with Mike’s Mom on Mother’s Day, though.
Mom and Mike
We’re hoping she understands and knows how much we both love her. She’s always been a wonderful mother to both of us, and she’s the strongest woman I know.
Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!
As for Aunt Bertha, she’s a Mom, too. But her son, Brian, lives far away in North Carolina. I’ll be seeing my son and his wife tomorrow, but my girls are both out West.
Bertha and I with her 2014 Can Am Spyder
She’s only had her motorcycle license since 2008. How cool is it for a 62-year-old woman to get her motorcycle license? Very cool, if you ask me. She usually rides with my cousin and/or a group of friends on day treks around Pennsylvania. I’m proud of her for riding down here alone.
I think it’s safe to say she’s having a good time.
Bertha (we were at a red light)
We are, too. We had a fabulous ride yesterday. Hubby made us a WONDERFUL dinner. And there’s more riding on the agenda today. Hubby says he’s got a surprise dinner for us, too.
More pics and details later. It should be another lovely day.
Happy Mother’s Day to all of you Moms. Pet parents count, too!
Yesterday marked 22 years of marriage for Hubby and me.
Twenty-two years! Sheesh. Where has the time gone?
April 17, 1993
We don’t usually make big hoo-ha to-dos over stuff like this. Not that it’s not important. It is! We just celebrate quietly.
Last night, we went out to dinner. There’s a cute, little, delicious Italian restaurant here in town — Cafe Torino — that serves up some fine Italian fare.
Of course, I took a picture of my meal, which was absolutely mouth-wateringly good.
Braised Pork Shank
It was huge, too, which made the girls quite happy (leftovers to share).
As for that Hubby of mine. He didn’t enjoy his meal as much as I did, but at least he’s learning how to act properly when dining with me.
Hubby the food photographer.
It’s been a lovely 22 years. Full of love, laughter, and quite a few interesting adventures.
It’s that time again… the very first day in a brand-new year.
One of the cool things about having a blog is that it makes it REALLY easy to look back on major, and not-so-major, events.
I had to laugh when I read my pal Fuzzy’s annual re-cap and saw that she said “…it often feels like I never go anywhere and I never do anything…” She does a lot of fun stuff. I found it funny because I feel that way often, too. And I also did a lot in 2014. I didn’t ride my motorcycle nearly as much as I’d hoped to, but I got around.
As much as I appreciate being able to work from home, I think it makes me feel like I never go anywhere. On a day-to-day basis, my scenery doesn’t change much. Not that I’m complaining. I just want y’all to understand where that “I never go anywhere” feeling comes from.
For me, 2014 was an interesting year. More ups than downs, fortunately, but some of the downs were pretty low. Fuzzy and I really are kindred spirits in many ways. She said something else that rang true for me, too… “Much of 2014 was spent learning lessons about dealing with people and dealing with myself.”
Some of those lessons were harder than others, but I learned. I know I am not perfect. I try to be a good person, I do. (Of course, “good” is relative.) I can’t make everyone happy. Honesty is not always the best policy. People are complex creatures. I just need to live my life the best way I know how, for better or worse.
Anyway… here’s my look-back at 2014.
There were a few things I said I’d be doing that actually happened.
1. Hubby, Mike, and I took his Mom out to Washington State to visit Amy and her family (February).
2. Eric, our youngest kid, and his wife moved to Spain. But not until the end of September.
3. Hubby and I enjoyed another visit to Europe with our friends (September).
There were some things I’d hoped to do, but didn’t. Like get out on my bike more. Perhaps 2015 will be my year.
And there was a LOT of stuff I didn’t anticipate or plan. I hope you enjoy the re-cap.
January
Let the Cleanup Begin
We suffered a broken pipe at the WV Place. It was an oogy mess. Really.
It could have been much worse. It was sheer luck that Hubby discovered the break when he did.
The place actually cleaned up much better than we’d expected. There was only one broken pipe and it was really easy for Hubby to fix. Also, the contractor we found to do the major, labor-intensive repairs, eventually did a great job. It just took him a while to get around to doing the work (weather was the biggest factor).
February
On the whole, February was a quiet month.
The biggest event was that trip to Washington State to visit Amy and her family. You can read about it here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).
Then there was the visit with my girlfriends, Carol and Tracey. We’ve known each other for close to 40 years. The older I get, the more I appreciate these gals.
Friends are the family you choose. Good ones are worth keeping. It takes effort, though. There have been ups and downs over the years, of course, as we all lead different lives and have grown into people with very different interests. But our hearts will always be connected. We live in separate states, have widely varied responsibilities, schedules, hobbies, etc., but we make sure we stay connected.
Speaking of connected, my friend Brad came for a visit at the end of March. We’ve been friends since high school. We are both horrible at keeping in touch, but that connection runs deep and will always be there. I hope we are able to get together again soon.
April
I had a very nice surprise in April when my employer invited me down to Texas for a sales meeting. I hadn’t been back to Texas since joining the company in January of 2012. I’d never had a chance to explore much, so I stayed a few extra days and moseyed around the state a bit. It was lots of fun. It helped chase away those winter blues, too.
Post and picture links are provided below, if you’re interested:
The biggest event in May was Hubby’s unveiling of Grandfather’s Clock. If you haven’t seen that post yet, you should take a look. It’s all about the clock that talented Hubby of mine built completely from scratch, using black walnut harvested by his grandfather. There are lots of pics, too.
Oh, and I shared a video in a separate post., which includes even more images. It’s Mike’s finest woodworking project to date. It’s also one of the reasons we didn’t do much on weekends… he spent MONTHS making that heirloom.
I finally got some motorcycles rides in, too.
The most memorable for me was my long-anticipated yet sorta impromptu meetup with my friend, Rachael (aka FullyGalore). I wrote all about that meeting here. I’ve been following her blog for quite a few years and had been wanting to meet her in person for a long time. We really are kindred spirits. But she lives on Long Island, which isn’t exactly close or easy to get to from Virginia.
I compiled a neat little video using some of the footage I captured while riding with Dottie. Watch it if you dare. It made me want to get out and RIDE. Like now. But with temps in the mid-30s and no heated gear, I decided to just finish working on this blog post.
The biggest event in June was Meg’s 15th birthday. We don’t usually celebrate our furkids’ birthdays. Heck, we don’t make much fuss over birthdays in general.
But we never thought Meg would make it to her 15th birthday. That’s like 105 in dog years.
Her health had slowly but surely been declining, so we felt that since she’d made it that long, it was a milestone we just HAD to celebrate. She got cake and ice cream in addition to that awesome hat.
Oh, and our eldest daughter Shannon got her motorcycle license!
We finished of the month in high style with a sorta last-minute trip to Texas. My company celebrated it’s 15th anniversary that month. Since we had a pretty good year, they decided to fly all of the remote employees and their spouses in for the party.
Hubby hadn’t been to Texas since before we were married. He’d spent a lot of time there early in his career since the company he was working for built the Marriott Rivercenter hotel.
It’s funny how things turn out. July started as virtually a blank slate, other than work. But cool stuff can happen unexpectedly.
I FINALLY finished another major furniture makeover. See for yourself.
I squeezed in a brief motorcycle ride AND our Canuck friend Alain stopped in for a visit. We met him back in 2010 when we did our first motorcycle tour in Europe. He was part of the group, and is one of the nicest and smiliest folks you’d ever want to meet. I hope we get to see Alain again soon.
I also enjoyed a morning ride with Dottie, which is when we discovered the Blue Ridge Country Store, which isn’t really a store, but the coolest yard decoration ever.
That ended up being our very last road trip together on matching motorcycles because shortly afterward, Hubby bought himself a brand new touring motorcycle.
Then we went on a trip to Europe. It wasn’t quite two weeks long, but we packed a lot of stuff in. I still haven’t finished posting about the trip, but here’s what I have so far. The first six posts were either written while traveling or shortly after we got back to Virginia. I tried to at least keep y’all somewhat updated, but I didn’t have a ton of time what with traveling around, limited Wifi, and spending times with friends we rarely get to see.
We were a little scared about going, due to Meg’s health, which had been declining even more rapidly since her birthday in June. But she was still hanging in there when we got back.
Then, at the end of the month, Eric, our youngest, and his wife, Kelsey, moved to Spain.
Our “Hasta Luego” Lunch at El Toro
On September 15, I learned that my moto-blogging buddy, Bob, had passed away. It was very sad, and hit me harder than expected, which is why I didn’t do a blog post about it until early November.
That pretty much covers September.
October
The month started off nicely on Mike’s birthday weekend with a visit from our friends, Kathy and Barry. They came down from Maryland for the day. Kathy and I enjoyed a shop hop/wine tasting event while Mike and Barry went for a motorcycle ride. Sorry, I don’t have any pics to share. Did I mention that my new camera had broken and was at the shop for repairs (under warranty, thankfully).
We also managed to squeeze in some local riding. Together, but on separate bikes this time.
The last weekend in October, when a previously planned trip for me had to be postponed, I did a long, solo ride on Saturday.
It was awesome.
Then, on Sunday, Dottie and I did a much shorter trip into West Virginia.
November
Things started getting sorta hectic in November.
We lost Meg on November 13. She’d fought the good fight, and was with us much longer than either of us ever expected. When her health had finally deteriorated to the point that I knew she was in pretty much constant pain, I knew it was time.
It was the right thing to do, but it was very, very hard. Even though we’d known for so long that it was coming. We both miss our crazy old girl.
I did travel to Rehoboth, Delaware with another friend from childhood, but haven’t done a post yet.
Meg’s passing, Thanksgiving, and the scattering of Meg’s cremains, among other things, sorta set me reeling.
So the month of November was a bit of a blur.
December
December started off with a bang, too.
First, we went to San Diego December 5 through 9 to visit with Shannon for her birthday.
Amy flew down from Washington to join us, so it was a mini-reunion with 66.6% of our offspring.
It was a lovely visit. I haven’t done a post about that trip yet — I was too busy getting ready for Christmas — but captured some cool pics I’d like to share. I’ll do a post one day.
December 15 was a busy day…
Eric and Kelsey came back from Spain. They hope to return in the Spring. I haven’t seen much of them — they were sick, too — but am glad having them back on the same continent.
It was the day of my annual Chickmas gathering with Carol and Tracey. This year it was at Carol’s house in Southern Maryland.
AND it was the day everything we were shipping needed to be boxed, wrapped, and delivered to the post office or UPS store.
Tracey, Carol, and Me
On December 17, Shannon flew here from San Diego to join us for Christmas. She was here through December 27.
My Dad and mother-in-law were here for Christmas, too (Dec 23-27). Hubby and I both fell ill with bad colds mid-way through Christmas Day.
The holiday was hectic, but good. We had a very low-key New Years’ Eve — we both needed that! –and I’ve spent quite a few hours today compiling this annual re-cap.
It’s for me, just as much as it is for you. I find l looking back at previous year in review posts is kind of interesting, too.
A brand-new, big-ass motorcycle, that is. And he couldn’t be happier.
Victory!
It’s a brand-new, 2013 Victory Vision Tour.
Nice Lines
Wide rear end.
Ta Da!
106/6 V-Twin Engine
He has been wanting a Victory touring bike since he first saw them in 2008.
He used to have a Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad 1500cc touring bike. Which he traded in and instantly regretted when we bought our BMW F650GS bikes in early 2011.
Don’t get me wrong, he always enjoyed riding his GS, but they’re not the most comfortable bikes. Especially over long periods. And Hubby does enjoy long-distance motorcycle excursions.
A Very Happy Hubby
I’m so excited for him.
Speaking of excited… the guys at the Victory dealership sent a t-shirt home for me.
My New T
And I’m a t-shirt girl. So, yay!
Wanna see something that’s more exciting than the shirt, but not at all Victory-related?
Our daughter, Shannon, enjoying her ride.
Yep, that’s our eldest, Shannon, carving up the turns on a California highway.
I don’t know the name of that road, but it’s one of those “gotta-ride” routes so popular among motorcyclists.
Unbeknownst to Shannon, there’s a photographer there who takes pictures to sell to riders. A friend of hers, who did know about the shooter, went on-line a bought this image for her.
Seventy-six years ago yesterday, my Dad was born. As luck would have it, I was able to finagle a day out of the office and ride to Pennsylvania for a lunch-time celebration.
Dad and Me
I was tickled to be able to spend the day with him. For months, I’ve been wanting to go up for a visit. Timing just hadn’t worked out. What with all the stuff I’ve had going on lately — nothing bad, just busy — and his part-time work schedule.
It’s so nice visiting in his “new” home. He’s been there a little over a year now. He’d moved from Pennsylvania, his boyhood home, to Baltimore in 1969. After Mom’s passing in 2012, it seemed like getting him back to the country was the right thing to do. It took until June of 2013 to make that happen, but it was worth the wait.
His new home is in the perfect location, a mobile home park surrounded by farmland, minutes away from the area where he grew up.
Morning View from Dad’s Porch
Now, he can sit on his large front porch, enjoying the breeze, watching Amish buggies ride by. Pure bliss.
Dad’s Yard Art
The frogs belonged to his home’s former occupants, but I think he keeps them around for me.
Two of his sisters, Pearl and Bertha, live in the same mobile home community. They joined us for a celebratory birthday lunch yesterday at Dad’s favorite restaurant, Gus’s Keystone Diner in Mount Joy.
L-R, Aunt Bertha, Aunt Pearl, Dad and Me
Gus’s doesn’t look like your typical diner, but, like most diners, it has an extensive menu and good, home-cooking-type food.
Gus and Me
Daily Specials
Pennsylvania Dutch-style home cooking that is. Note the “pig’s stomach” special. Ugh.
And that Chicken Pot Pie isn’t the stuff baked in crust that most of the world eats, it is boiled chicken pot pie. Essentially it’s very thick hand-cut noodles cooked in chicken broth with chunks of chicken and potatoes. Aunt Bertha asked Dad before he ordered whether he knew if Gus puts “carrots, peas, and that other crap” in his pot pie. She says they don’t belong in pot pie.
As much as I love peas and carrots, I have to agree. But Dad said it was good.
Boiled Chicken Pot Pie
Ham Steak with Pineapple Sauce
The aunts both got a ham steak.
Grilled Ham & Provolone on a Pretzel Roll
I had to chuckle when my sandwich arrived. It was heart-shaped. Can you see it?
Delicious Beet Salad
I absolutely LOVE this red beet salad Gus’s serves. It is simply red beets, onion, and parsley in a sweetish red beet juice. YUM.
Lunch was delicious. The company was pretty good, too. Those three together are a hoot.
Dad took me on a little detour after lunch. The last couple times I went there, shortly after my arrival, he asked, “Did you see the tobacco?” Both times, my reply was, “I don’t know. I don’t know what tobacco looks like.”
Nearby Tobacco Field
Now I can say I know what tobacco looks like. I know where the field is, too, so I can be on the lookout on future trips. According to Dad and Aunt Bertha, those plants are ready to be harvested. Their parents farmed tobacco when Dad and Bertha were young.
Very Tall Corn
I asked Aunt Bertha to take a picture of me near the cornfield so y’all could see how tall it is. The picture doesn’t do it justice, though. The scale is wrong. I bet that stuff is 12 feet tall!
Shortly after we got back to the house, I set off for home. On the way up, I took the fastest route. On the way home, since the weather was perfect, I took the scenic route.
On several occasions, I felt like I was riding through a corn tunnel.
My first stop was in Dillsburg, Pennsylvania, the home of the Pickle Man Statue. He’s carved out of an old tree stump.
Pickle Man Statue
Pickle Man and Me
I sent Hubby a text while I was stopped. With the above selfie attached.
His reply cracked me up.
Text Exchange
After that, I made my way home, meandering south and west along two-lane roads down through Pennsylvania, through Maryland, and finally into Virginia and then home.
I hope Dad enjoyed his birthday as much as I did. 🙂
I had to laugh when I read my 
March
Friends are the family you choose. Good ones are worth keeping. It takes effort, though. There have been ups and downs over the years, of course, as we all lead different lives and have grown into people with very different interests. But our hearts will always be connected. We live in separate states, have widely varied responsibilities, schedules, hobbies, etc., but we make sure we stay connected.
I had a very nice surprise in April when my employer invited me down to Texas for a sales meeting. I hadn’t been back to Texas since joining the company in January of 2012. I’d never had a chance to explore much, so I stayed a few extra days and moseyed around the state a bit. It was lots of fun. It helped chase away those winter blues, too.
The biggest event in May was Hubby’s unveiling of 
The most memorable for me was my long-anticipated yet sorta impromptu meetup with my friend, Rachael (aka FullyGalore). I wrote all about that meeting 
The biggest event in June was Meg’s 15th birthday. We don’t usually celebrate our furkids’ birthdays. Heck, we don’t make much fuss over birthdays in general.
Oh, and our eldest daughter Shannon got her motorcycle license!
It’s funny how things turn out. July started as virtually a blank slate, other than work. But cool stuff can happen unexpectedly.
It was awesome.
Things started getting sorta hectic in November.
