liveSTRONG baby

Comfortable?

I have to say this has always been one of my more cherished straight
lines. It never fails to bring back that boyhood grin listening to the
giants of Borscht-belt comedy.

Today, I had a physical therapist work with me - what a Starr (really,
that's her name). When she was wrapping up I heard those immortal
words come my way like a fat juicy meatball mistakenly thrown flat down home
plate.

"Are you comfortable?" she asks. (Yiddish pause) "I make a living."

Wonder if iTMS carries the movie Crossing Delancey.

Sent from my iPhone

Declan in SW

He made it to Santa Fe NM and is enroute to stay with family in
Arizona before heading to LaLa land.

Sent from my iPhone

Old School or what?

Ok - I hope I'm not being punk'd here. This southern lady is just too
much. (This truly isn't Kansas anymore).

Had to share.

Thank you Jenn - thanks all

Blue Ridge Mountain

Breathless for a least a good 30 to 40 seconds

Who'da thunk it. One moment you're taking in some majestic scenery
then next you become the scenery.

Experience should have prevailed. Then again I was also supposed to be
Swiss and rich.....

Here's how it happened: Basically, I was riding lead through a series
of rolling turns through the Blue Ridge Parkway. Declan and I would
take turns just to mix and even it up. The road was dry in open
sunlight but damp (understatement) under tree cover. Well a big left
turn came up and I just didn't react properly - I guess. I leaned left
and my left footboard caught the pavement. Declan was far behind and
didn't see very much but he did say he saw me rolling a bit in the
distance. For me it was a flash of time between footboard hitting and
my being down. Luckily I hit the apron of the paved road then slid
into dirt and grass. From what little I can recall the bike got a
little scuff on front fender and left front turn signal snapped off.

I've since been in hospital in Lynchburg VA where I'm currently being
monitored. The extent of my injury is broken left collar bone and some
bruised/fractured ribs. Complication (there always seems to be one
theses nowadays) is damage to my spleen. Seems the little sucker was
bleeding but appears to have since stabilized. Needs few more days to
be more certain. Choices if this went bad was feeding arterial blocks
through femoral artery to surgical removal. Hope I get to keep the
little guy.

Shout out to Declan, Steve M, Jenn, Marco, Adam and all my dear
friends who found out and offered support. In GS fashion initial
dissemination was kept tight but I know you are out there.

At my encouragement Declan picked up the trail after hanging around
the hospital with me for while. As of yesterday be was facing the
rains of Texas as he was making his way towards Amarillo. Go Declan!

Gordonsville Health Food

On the road again......

A disconnected fuel pack and $90 later we're back in the game. Stopped
off at the Innwood Restaurant in Gordonsville, VA for some viddles
(that one's for you Hanulec). Say hello to Courtnay!!

Declan, btw, just keeps shakin' his head.

Declan's new ride?

"Oh, those non HD parts are real flakey". We're still waiting on the
final diagnosis before we get back on the road. Worse comes to worse,
I think we may have plan B.

Touched by the hand of God

We're sitting at Waugh's Harley Davidson customer lounge in Orange, VA
having Declans bike looked at for sputtering (my Jap bike, btw, is
running just fine -thank you).

Earlier we rode through some beautiful VA country. We passed horse
farms, corn farms, sheep farms (more on that later), all kinds of
farms. The landscape at points opened up to reveal eye watering beauty.

And to think I hesitated so on going on this trip. Awful are the
restrictions and limitations we imposed on ourselves.

Btw, nothin' but McCain-Palin signs as far as the eye can see.

Catch you all a bit later.

Sent from my iPhone

And now I lay me down to sleep...

Good first day. Goal was to clear congestion of NY to Wash. DC traffic
- Mission accomplished.

I guess some call Turnpike "95" because of the Interstate's name. We
simply call it average MPH. 8^)

Riding temperatures were moderate except for some cold and damp patches
at night. Mist got so heavy I could only barely see Declan's tail
lights through it all.

We're staying over night in Warrenton, VA (wherever that is). Looking
forward to some fine riding and sightseeing tomorrow as we head toward the
Dragon through the Blue Ridge Mountains by Saturday morning.

G'Night all.

Catch u l8r

'I think we'd better stop now and zip up"

Fantastic these new fangled motorcycle jackets outfitted with zip up
vents.

Just had dinner at the Golden Dove diner in New Castle Delaware. Their
other restaurant, the Shitty Pidgen, was closed. (thankfully).

Ok towards Washington DC.

Sent from my iPhone

"Ohhhh, that smell"

Topping off the tanks at a Garden State petrol boutique

Starting out

Not sure if this is supposed to be Declan and I or what we'll run into
but we're off to see the Wizard in a few hours.