With a new controller on order, and a loaner controller hooked-up and working well, the 'cool kids' escorted Allan (Punisher) and me back to Clinton, TN. The Veterans Day Ride was over and the next chapter in this ongoing story of gypsy wandering was about to begin.
The closet thing I had to a plan was to hang around with Gordon (Lucky 13) for that just ordered controller to arrive... I had given his address for a shipping destination, so... That would be five days at least, maybe more with a weekend coming up... Without the heated gear, however, I was stranded, as the temps were more than a bit towards the cool end of the thermometer.
Allan had traveled with us, but he had a week of vacation to use, and it was fairly certain he wasn't going to spend it hanging around with us! Who could blame him? He is a free spirit, too, and he is an accomplished solo rider... He'll no doubt find plenty of adventure once he puts his kickstand up and heads for parts unknown!
We went out for breakfast the following morning, and we decided upon Shoney's... Now, those who know that place are well aware they have a killer breakfast buffet! I don't go there very often myself, however, even though I do like the grub... especially the scrumptious endless biscuits and gravy plus the inexhaustible mounds of irresistible bacon!!! I usually hurt myself when I go there, and I really tempted fate on this visit, too... as I typically do...
We all have our little idiosyncrasies, of course. For example, I usually drink sweat tea when I have breakfast out. That's because I drink all the coffee I care to early in the morning, so by the time I get around to eating, tea just works better for me. Gordon, on the other hand, has a different little thing that distinguishes him from the rest of us... He really, really likes grape jelly... a lot... a whole lot!
Yes, boys and girls, that is indeed grape jelly on his biscuits and gravy, grits, eggs... and, not surprisingly at all, he even puts it on his toast of whatever. I've never seen him eat Raisin Bran or Cornflakes, but if he were to grab a bowl of one of those... well, my money would be on the jelly finding its way on there, as well, even before he added sugar and milk! There is more...
Gordon raises grapes himself, and he actually makes grape jelly! Large quantities, too! He gave me a jar once upon a time... I had no idea at the time that he was making far more than a little gesture of hospitality... No sir, that, I now realize, was more likely a serious sacrifice (he was reducing his own on-hand stock!), and he was in fact making a sincere, generous statement of friendship... I look back on that nowadays, and I'm humbled to realize I do have such a dear friend in this world...
Gordon on the left
Truly a renaissance man, this amazing example of ‘Mr. Everything’ not only makes jelly, but he also studied music in college... he even has a baby grand piano in his living room right now! On top of all that, he is one of the best 'wrenches' I know!
Yep, he can go from the piano bench to the work bench in his shop, then jump over to the stove top with equal aplomb and dexterity, and all without ever breaking stride. And, after doing all of that, he can jump on his Interstate and do wheelies up and down the road!
There is so much more to this amazing gentleman, but I’m not sure how much I should say about him publicly… His face is probably red already, so I’ll leave it for later, or better yet, for you to discover yourself! Suffice it to say, he is a most interesting and good man with great, albeit deceptive, depth. So much more there than meets the eye, but peeling back even a few layers of that onion reveals one of the more worthwhile individuals it has been my pleasure to come to know…
Hanging out with good folks is truly one of the major benefits of living the life I do. Allan is such a good person, as well. Maybe a bio on him would be a good subject sometime… hmmmm… Well, for now let me just say that he is a kindred spirit, and he is prone to up and head out on the spur of the moment… and he did just that the next morning… but first...
After leaving Shoney’s, where we'd extravagantly, even sinfully, grazed at the grease bar, we stopped by a bike shop in Clinton, and guess what? They carried in stock the very controller I needed! I bought one, including the wireless gizmo that simplifies hooking up and using those Gerbings, and…
You know I couldn’t figure any of that out myself, of course, but good ol’ geek Allan easily explained it so even I could get it… Allan has a set-up like that for himself, so the combination of his endorsement, the simplicity of application, and the quality of instruction convinced me to go that way, too.
Allan (Punisher) & Jackie (Butter Britches)
Now I have a loaner controller, one to be shipped to Gordon’s house, and a 'new good one' in-hand of my own… feast or famine, I suppose… Anyway, not having to wait for the one being shipped completely changed my circumstance, and I could then focus my thoughts on other important matters… like where to go next… and when. Being able to leave immediately changed everything for this reclusive wanderer, and I was able to answer the call of the open road sooner than I was expecting… which I did… The morning after Allan hit the road, I decided to go, too…
“Time’s a wastin’,” it’s been said… “and I have places to go and things to do.” True, I don’t have any idea where or what those might be at the moment, but… you know… It’ll all sort itself out in time.
DDT
