I did depart the old homestead and head towards my daughter's house... Her birthday was the next day, but it was being celebrated that Sunday... She is a teacher, and Mondays for her are... well... much like they are for all working folks!
She has been such an amazing kid to have! Throughout her life, she has never disappointed us or given us any of the grief many others I've known have had to endure with their own children... my parents included!
I once told her that God never gives us a challenge we aren't capable of handling... we may not handle it well, or at all for that matter, but we are, at least, capable. In my case when it came to parenthood, He took one look at me and decided not to take any chances... He gave me an angel! Yes, I am proud of the woman she has become...
Part of the celebration was going out for dinner, so naturally I wound-up staying the night. I'd taken the precaution of bringing along enough stuff for such, so no real biggie there... What a wonderful time we had! I always feel a twinge of guilt at such things, though, as I'm convinced I have more fun than anyone else! Life can be so good...
A lovely lady, who is even more beautiful on the inside...
I got a late start the next morning, as I was in no hurry at all, and I only had the short one hundred miles or so to ride to make it ‘home’... No plans, of course, so I just bid farewell to the members of her household as they departed in turn, and then I spent a wee bit of time chatting with my land-lady, who was staying over a couple of more days... I also made a couple of phone calls to different friends...
During one of those conversations, I learned that Lucky 13 and Wimp were in route to Florida to pick up a couple of outboard motors from Flask... in Inglis, FL. The recent hurricane had caused one of Rick’s boats at work to capsize. The boat was toast, but the motors seemed OK, so now those motors were being sold… Gordon did offer a possible replacement boat ad for Rick to consider…
Well, before you could say, "Donald Trump tweeted... whatever", I had an invitation to join in. And, since I had no plans anyway... I left Winter Springs with one developing as I rode away.
Riding back through the Ocala National Forest towards the house mostly to kill some time and attend some chores, I pondered this new development and its implications... Since I’d already decided I’d probably embark upon a road trip in the next few days anyway, I thought I’d just go ahead and do some laundry and load our bike for a road trip, while Gordon and Paul made their way south.
I advised my land-lady I would be swinging over to Inglis, so I might not be home if she returned the next day. On top of that, I may just leave Inglis and head out to parts unknown… This was just so she would know, of course, as I neither need nor seek permission or agreement…
WOW! This day and the one before had been perfect for riding! Cool, but not cold, sunny, light wind, tolerable traffic, especially since I've now learned an easy route via a toll road in order to miss the nastiest of the traffic in that Orlando area mega-nightmare... it just doesn't get any better!
I'd even drug out my leather jacket to wear for the first time since last winter. It had felt good, too, early that morning, and opening the vents had made the last leg of the ride just right. I'd also worn my chaps.
I've taken to wearing a denim jacket most of the time the last couple of winters, though, then adding my Gerbings when that proved to be inadequate... I'd made the selection for that ride based upon... hmmm... I suppose I just wanted to see and remind myself how it felt.
Once back at the hacienda, the few things I needed to take care of were soon addressed, and then I spent a little time just reflecting on this and that... I loaded ALI for a long ride, then headed towards the 'Flask/Gabbie Lair' and the anticipated hook-up with some dear friends...
Gordon and Paul had arrived half an hour before I did, and Gordon had left with Rick to run an errand. Paul was there, though, and he and Kristie were already enjoying the fire in the backyard pit... I joined right in!
Gordon and Rick soon returned, and our group was complete. After a fab meal prepared by Kristie, we reconvened at the fire pit for further deliberations on the state of affairs in the world at large and our Valk community in particular... Agreement on things discussed came rather easily, but no breakthroughs were found for resolving global issues... We did have a most enjoyable evening, however!
Since I was the last-minute, odd-person in this assembly, I was set-up in the overflow guest quarters... a camper in the backyard. Actually, that proved to be quite comfortable, and it did isolate one potential source of irritation, you know, so no annoying nocturnal adenoidal resonance issues would arise.
I was seated on the back porch the following morning having a most enjoyable, and necessary, cup of freshly ground coffee, when Gordon made his first appearance… I couldn’t resist capturing that indescribable image…
A sumptuous breakfast came a bit later, followed by a well-deserved nap for yours truly… While I was enjoying some 'in-flight movies' on the back deck, Gordon and Paul accompanied Rick on a work run replacing some channel marker signs damaged during the storm… I awoke to the sound of audible flatulence, and soon enough I was engaged in conversation with Kristie… She never let on if she had heard me or not… Do I have a built-in alarm mechanism?
A lazy day was followed by a most enjoyable dining experience at Cracker’s Restaurant in Crystal River that evening… I had been persuaded, rather easily, to stay another night for this event…
A resumption of firepit discussions followed our more than ample meal, then it was time to shut things down once more. Soon enough we were back at it again, however, and this time we dined at Aunt Sally’s for breakfast… Rick was sleeping during this outing, though, as he had been called into work the night before… Regrettably, no pictures were taken at this meal, but I can assure you several biscuits were indeed harmed during the making of that adventure!
On the way back to party central, we made a couple of stops at fishing supply stores for the ‘kids’ to window shop and browse… I didn’t participate in that however, as my interests lie in very different areas of recreational pursuit… That afternoon, we rode down to a neighbor of Rick & Kristie, who has an unbelievable eclectic collection of… stuff… The sort of stuff that would have made Fred G. Sanford green with envy!
Back in the woods, this guy had carved out his own little fantasy world with an assortment of… well… exotic and varied… stuff! I just can't bring myself to use the word 'junk', though, because one person's junk, as they say, is another person's treasure... My buds found all of this to be more like a dream playground for rednecks and eccentrics, and they seemed to feel right at home!
On his many acres of land, he also has a couple of horses that have a feral hog who runs with them… no kidding, that hog had become ‘one of the guys’! There were also fork lifts, drill presses, drag lines, bulldozers, trucks and buses, even a 1955 Ford sedan in his carport that he occasionally drives! A gi-normous shed with an amazing assortment of antique motorcycles, bicycles, truck engines, generators... you name it! A ‘pickers’ paradise!!!
I rode off the next morning, after Gordon and Paul had already departed… What a wonderful, totally unplanned, even unforeseen, gathering of friends it had been my pleasure to participate in! Gotta love these folks… and I do…
I reached the turn-off to head back to the homestead, but ALI asserted herself in unmistakable fashion… She simply refused my efforts to make that turn… So, we continued on… towards someplace yet to be determined…
DDT
