It’s been a month since my last post on this blog. Sorry. I haven’t been completely absent from the blog realm. I was playing host to my pal ScooterBob, who I introduced you to here. If you’d like to see our escapades, check out these posts on Bob’s blog:
ScooterBob left Virginia last week and is now in New Hampshire. You should be seeing more of me here. I have lots of pics from our latest trip to the Pacific NW and many images from my travels with ScooterBob that I saved for you all.
Here are just a few teaser pics of things to come.
I visited Victoria, British Columbia, Canada while out west. There’s an absolutely gorgeous city park — Beacon Hill Park — where I captured lots of pretty flower pics.
Pretty Flowers at Beacon Hill Park
More pretty flowers at the park.
I have quite a few other pics to share, too. Many are in the category of “weird images I capture just because.”
Weird or cool?
I’m a sucker for fun reflections. I can’t help it.
There are quite a few Virginia pics, too, like this one.
Finally captured a pic of this cool old stone silo.
That’s it for the preview. It’s Memorial Day. I don’t have to work. The sky is clear, for now, so I need to get out there and experience the world instead of sitting indoors, staring at my computer, writing about it.
Hey there! We are back at home in Virginia. While it’s good to be home with the girls, we both miss everyone. I try not to dwell on the fact that most of our kids and all of our grand kids live far away from us, but it does sort of suck. So it was really, really nice being able to visit.
Speaking of visiting… I took a special friend along as a surprise.
ScooterBob and My Toadercycle (Thanks, Fuzzy!)
ScooterBob is a wooden scooter that once belonged to Bob Leong, a moto-blogging friend of mine. Bob was a very well-known and well-liked moto blogger (blogged about motorcycle travel and other stuff). The wooden motor scooter earned the name “ScooterBob” the moment it was assigned a globe-trotting mission to meet-up with other moto-bloggers and see the world.
That nomadic far-ranging mission was one Bob had set for himself. He had already ridden his BMW R1200R from coast, to coast, to coast; from his home in Vancouver to Charlottetown, and back. Along the way Bob met moto bloggers, lots of moto bloggers. Some he had already met, others he met for the first time.
Bob was, like the rest of us, an imperfect human being, with some wonderful qualities. Anyone who met him knew him as gentle, humble, kind, thoughtful, generous, and adventurous. Those are the qualities that endeared him to the moto blogging community.
Bob gave the wooden motor scooter to an east coast blogger, which is how it ended up in Montreal, where it stayed for a time. On a whim, and as a prank, the scooter traveled with another moto blogger to Key West. The goal was to surprise Bob when he showed up there on another leg of his mission, only to find that the lowly wooden motor scooter had beaten him to the destination.
That’s when a special group of moto-bloggers decided to show ScooterBob around the world, sharing places and things Bob Leong would have loved. Sharing those adventures on Bob’s very own blog.
As luck would have it, ScooterBob arrived in Virginia the day before we flew to Washington. I was so excited to finally get my turn!
When I started blogging many years back, I had a blog called Appalachian Tours. That’s how Bob found me. He was one of the first moto-bloggers who reached out to me, and it was Bob who brought me into the fold. He introduced me to an amazing group of like-minded people, many of whom I proudly call “friend.”
The last time Bob and Yvonne were in my neighborhood, we were supposed to meet. I couldn’t get away from work. There were deadlines looming and not enough time. Bob was very gracious and understanding, saying that he’d be back in the area next year, and that we could arrange to meet then.
A few weeks later, Bob was gone.
I will always, ALWAYS regret not having made the time to meet him. That regret is what has inspired me to meet as many of you lovely folks as I can. Bob’s memory lives on in many ways. His quirky, warm, sometimes-odd, charming ways have touched many lives. I miss Bob, and I am truly honored to be able to show ScooterBob some adventures in Bob’s honor.
I was even able to suprise three fellow moto-bloggers. We’d all planned to meet up while I was in the area, but they didn’t know I’d have ScooterBob along. (Of course, I only knew for sure a few days ahead of time!)
It was lots of fun showing ScooterBob around and meeting fellow moto-bloggers face-to-face. If you’d like to read about our adventures and see some fun pics, click the links below:
Holy cow it’s been a crazy week. But GOOD crazy. Fabulous crazy, really.
A couple of posts ago, I said, “More adventures are on the horizon. Could it involve family, friends, a road trip, airplane rides, surprise visitor(s) , a voyage to another country, a boat ride? Or maybe all of the above? One never knows. I do know, however, that exciting times are definitely ahead.”
In my anniversary post, I meant to enlighten y’all a bit and reveal that we are in Washington, which is where that handsome, pancake-cooking grandson lives. But I forgot. Sorry!
I’m guessing if you follow my Instagram feed, you know — or have been guessing! — where I am. We are in Washington State. Our daughter, Amy, lives outside of Seattle with her husband, TJ, and three kids. Our daughter Shannon and her boyfriend, Chris, flew up from San Diego for the weekend. So we were just a son and daughter-in-law short of having a full house for our anniversary.
The Family
It was awesome having everyone together for the weekend.
We drove this route counterclockwise.
Shannon and Chris left on Sunday evening. On Monday, while the kids were in school, Amy and I set off on a little road trip adventure, choosing to take the scenic route to Port Townsend (PT), a historic seaport town on the eastern side of the Olympic Peninsula.
I gave Amy the option of a fast, medium, or slow, scenic ride, with me driving, of course. I was very happy when she chose the scenic route, which involved two ferries and a quick visit to Whidbey Island, one of my favorite locations in the state.
It was really, really nice spending the day with Amy. I don’t get to see her much, since we live on opposite sides of the country and all. 🙁
While we were off on our girls adventure, TJ and Hubby went to the Lemay car museum in Tacoma. Then they went to the Army base to see TJ’s boat (he’s a boat captain). The guys seem to have enjoyed their day as much as us girls did.
I’ll share pics and tell you more about PT later. But first, there’s some other excitement.
Amy and TJ had to go away for a few days, so we are in charge of the kids. Which means we need to be here to chauffeur them around to various activities, make sure they eat, bathe, go to bed on time, don’t kill each other, etc. Hubby and I are both working remotely from here, unless something else comes up.
Most evenings are pretty busy. Wednesday (yesterday) was one of the few days only one kid had any place to be (Brianna had lacrosse practice), so I decided to escape for an adventure.
Selfie in Victoria, BC
I drove into Seattle and took the Victoria Clipper (a passenger-only ferry) up to Victoria, British Columbia, Canada for the day.
Victoria is a beautiful city. I took LOTS of pics. But want to know what the highlight of my day was?
Happy hour!
Not just because it was happy hour, but because of who I got to enjoy happy hour with!
Darlene and Me
Darlene, aka Princess Scooterpie! We’ve been following each other’s blogs for a few years now. I’d been to Victoria previously, but was traveling with friends so wasn’t able to squeeze in a visit. This time, I was very determined to meet this cool lady in the flesh.
She’s every bit as awesome as I knew she would be. Our time together FLEW by. Hopefully, next time we’ll get a couple of days together, instead of two, too-short hours.
I took a ton of pictures in Victoria. It really IS a beautiful city. I’ll share more when I get back home.
But guess what? Tomorrow — Friday — Hubby and I get to meet some more moto-blogger buddies. I really shouldn’t wish my time away, but I have been looking forward to this for quite some time.
I’ll leave you with this for now…
Sunset over the Olympic Peninsula
I captured that pic from the back of the ferry as we headed back to Seattle. It was a beautiful end to a fabulous day.
According to this world population clock (which must be completely accurate because it’s on the Internet), there are about 7.4 billion people living in the world today. Thank goodness they’re spread across the globe and not all concentrated on one continent.
Our world is a big place, but it’s small in some ways, too. There are threads that connect us to people, common ties that bind. Not just blood ties and physical connections, but common interests and beliefs that unite some of us in unique ways.
When I started this blog in 2008, it was primarily meant to serve as a place to document our travels. It’s morphed into something better, broader, and it’s enriched my life in ways I would not have thought possible eight years ago when I began this little endeavor.
Bloggers are a unique bunch. We put ourselves out there on a regular basis, sharing snippets of our lives, pieces of our dreams, pictures of our fantasies, loved ones, and general surroundings, pathways into our hearts and minds. Some are more-revealing than others. Some are more eloquent and/or funnier, heartwarming, bolder, braver, literary, frank, obtuse, reserved… the list of adjectives could go on and on.
Not everyone “gets” the why behind wanting to maintain a web presence such as this. And not all bloggers blog for the same reason. Having this blog has connected me with a wide group of people collectively referred to as my MotoBlog Buddies. Most have blogs, too (see the links in the sidebar). Many are in North America, but there are some in Europe, Australia, New Zealand. I don’t think I know anyone in South America, but it’s hard to tell because not all people who read blogs like to leave comments.
This circle of motobloggers into which I have somehow been adopted is a diverse, fun group of people. I’m honored to be considered one of them. And glad I haven’t been ousted due to my recent lack of motorcycle content!
I have always enjoyed meeting new people. As long as I can remember, anyway. Getting a glimpse into their lives, learning what drives them, what worries them, what makes them happy or sad. Listening to their stories. Sharing their joys, and their pain. Seeing their pictures. Laughing with them. Crying with them, too.
Geographically speaking, my MotoBlog Buddies cover a pretty wide area. Yet we’re all connected through our blogs thanks to at least three common interests… motorcycling, storytelling, and photography.
Every now and then, the moon, stars, and/or some other cosmic forces align and some of us get the chance to meet in person. Yesterday was one of those days.
Richard (of Richard’s Page) Machida and Me
I’d been excited about the event for weeks, but didn’t want to mention it for fear of jinxing the plan.
Richard lives in Fairbanks, Alaska with his charming wife, Bridget, who I also got to meet yesterday. Hubby Mike came along, too. It was brief visit over lunch near the airport from which they departed yesterday afternoon. (They were in the area to visit Bridget’s Dad who is in an assisted living facility in Elizabethtown, PA, which, oddly enough, happens to be MY Dad’s hometown. More small world connections.)
As expected, they were both very nice people. Our “quick” lunch stretched into two hours! It felt like about 30 minutes, though. I probably talked too much, as usual, and asked too many questions. But there were so many info gaps in my mind to be filled.
I first “met” Richard when he served as troubleshooter for our mutual motoblogger friend, Bob (now deceased), who was having trouble posting comments to my blog. Bob was a frequent poster of comment here. Not being able to get his word in was painful for him. And frustrating for me. Richard helped, and I’ve sort of known Richard ever since. I got to know him a bit more during the month of February, since he participated in my do-a-post-every-day-in-February challenge (yes, I failed miserably).
Richard is a hardy guy. He rids his Ural rig (motorcycle with sidecar attached) year-round. In Fairbanks, Alaska! In the COLD, snow, and ice. That must be why he looks like he’s in his 40s even though he’s retired. (Bridget did say she’ll have to keep working forever to pay for all the Ural repairs. LOL.)
When Richard mentioned my lack of moto-related content lately, me saying “it’s Winter!” really sounded like a lame-ass excuse.
I’m still in a rut. But I am slowly, surely clawing my way out. Spring has arrived. That should help. And meeting folks like Richard and Bridget in person go a long way toward perking me up, too. AND, guess what? There are one or two more motoblogger meetups in my near future. Yes, I’m excited.
Years ago, I used to think of my blog followers as the people in my computer. Now I know better. These people are real, and they’re friends. Whether or not I meet them all in person, we still have that connection. We are still part of each others’ lives, even if we’re only connected virtually. We give each other an audience. Other people who care about the same sort of stuff enough to keep reading, keep following along (some through more than one medium), keep cheering each other on, even when we do stray from two-wheeled topics.
Whether you are a motoblogger or not, I want you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you followers. Thanks for following. I look forward to sharing more adventures with you in the future.
My friend Tracey, aka Granny Trace, invited Carol and I to her house — Turtle Tree Farms — for a girlfriends’ sleepover on Friday. Tracey, Carol, and I have known each other for 35+ years. We don’t get together for stuff like that nearly as often as we’d like, so it’s always fun when we do.
Tracey Loves Fall
I left my house on Friday as soon as I finished work and drove to Tracey’s, outside of York, Pennsylvania, arriving just in time for dinner.
Cooking Dinner (hot dogs)
I love, Love, LOVE hot dogs cooked over a campfire. Really.
We had marshmallows for dessert. Some of us had LOTS of marshmallows. 🙂
Like I said earlier, just getting together is always something to look forward to, but this time was extra special. This time, we got to meet some new family members.
Tracey adopted two kids earlier this year. They were a Mothers’ Day gift from her husband. How cool is that?
Carol and I had seen a few pics of the kids, twin girls (not identical), and heard some stories about them, but we hadn’t met them.
They were already in bed when I arrived last night. I was excited to meet finally them the girls this morning. They’re cute, even if they are real animals.
Sugar Maple and Wooly Willow (L-R)
Meeting the kids.
They’re super-friendly.
That’s lounge wear, by the way. I didn’t go out in public dressed like that!
The girls liked Carol and me.
Nigerian Dwarf Goats
Tracey and her girls.
They’re very curious, too.
Wooly Willow and Sugar Maple (L-R)
Sugar Maple and Wooly Willow (L-R)
It was pretty funny just how curious they are. Every time I’d stoop down to take a picture, they’d run over.
“What’cha doing?”
Wooly Willow
Sugar Maple
Wooly Willow
The Kids
Tracey has other animals, too.
Piper (female Chocolate Lab)
Chickens
Big-hair Chicken
She also has three cats, a family of ducks (parents and three babies), and some more chickens who weren’t at all keen to be photographed.
Curious Goat
Carol giving Piper treats.
More Fall Decor
Tracey has a lovely country farmhouse. It’s always very warm and welcoming.
Hanging out with girlfriends is priceless. Really. I’m lucky to have such great friends.
And you know I love Tracey’s critters.
Speaking of critters, my girls were happy to see me when I got back home. They were quite interested in my dirty laundry, too. LOTS of new and interesting smells, that’s for sure.
Inspection Time
Thanks again Trace! I had a wonderful time. Thanks to you and Carol, too, for the goodies you sent me home with (Halloween decor, homemade jam, and frog wine).
I’m already looking forward to our next gathering. Love you girls!