Saturday, September 14, 2013

Saturday's Mix

A potpourri, isn't that what they call it?  Merriam-Webster has two definitions, one that says "makes a room smell pleasant"....that's seldom if ever me.  The other definition is "a collection of different things" and that's the one that describes my day.

Up early, I toyed with the idea of heading up to Mpls for coffee with the Saturday morning crew; it's been all summer since I've seen many of the regulars.  A cool and very crisp morning wouldn't have stopped me though a few other chores that I knew about that needed to be accomplished did.

Normally I'd have made an early pot of coffee; that didn't happen today.  Instead I drove into town to the locally owned diner for breakfast, but not until after I had the car tire with the slow leak dropped off at the tire shop which opened at 7:30.  With our schedule, unless a flat is dropped off as well as picked up on a Saturday, my available hours just don't seem to match normal weekday business hours.

Tire dropped off, breakfast enjoyed, it was off to the building supply store to pick up some lumber to serve as makeshift pallets.  Dad's sister has suddenly been moved from her apartment to assisted living and most if not all of her possessions will soon be moved into our garage for (hopefully) temporary storage.  By the time I purchased as well as figured out how to stuff it all into the car, it was time to head across the river into my beloved Wisconsin to assist Elaine and the guys with one more session of dealing with Walter's myriad of motorcycles, parts, rolling frames, more parts, motors and even more parts.  A couple of autumnal swap meets are happening soon so the guys, with Elaine's oversight, are trying to organize and price Walter's vast accumulation of "stuff".  We made a dent today and hopefully everything that was hauled away with find a valuable home with other collectors, enthusiasts and even other hoarders; whatever it takes.

This is a large, deep building with multiple rooms walled off and this view gives not a clue as to the parts and merchandise contained therein.  Walter never had one project going at once, rather many.



Leaving just before noon to drive back home, I got a confirmation 'come and take a look' call from the owner of a used plow truck that I'm interested in.  Since it was such a lovely day and because the Helix needed some exercise, I decided to head up to our oldest daughter's place for a quick visit and to take her out for an early dinner before the arranged truck viewing early evening.  She lives only a few short miles from where the truck resides.

On 690th, a recently discovered treasure of a road.


While we were finishing up our dinner, the rain began......rain that we hadn't seen for weeks and rain that I'd not ridden in since mid_May when Dave, Justin and I went to the Madison, WI BMW group's Great River Road Rally.  I found Joe's address easily with the help of my GPS, driving easily to his home.  He grabbed a raincoat, I inspected his truck with my helmet off but with my Darien Light jacket and pants on.  I liked what I saw for the price, we'll see what happens.


The two hour trip home was wet, sometimes the rain was only light, other times heavy but it never stopped.  I stopped for a self portrait, not really doing the rain or myself justice :)  Uncharacteristically, the Helix had a few hiccups this afternoon and my guess is that it had more to do with non-use than it had to do with the rain but that will be checked.  It hadn't been ridden since my July 4 morning's ride.

Some of the scooter's bugs were washed off, the dusty dirt on my jacket was aggravated but I stayed nice and dry, making for an enjoyable just-before-dark ride home.




14 comments:

  1. All in a day's work. I for myself also love to get a little two-wheeled fix squeezed it into my schedule. Nice road, and the yellow Helix makes for a lovely eye catcher.

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    1. Sonja, that's really it, isn't it? A quick fix, though yesterday's wasn't all that quick or short, isn't something I normally practice. It's normal for me to get on and spend the best part of a day. The short ones work too. :)

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  2. Coop, that's what I need. Good, truly dry riding gear. My Teknic rain jacket has never failed, but my Tourmaster Caliber pants are no longer reliable, nor are my Icon Patrol gauntlets.

    Darien you say? I have to check that out.

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    1. David,
      Good, truly dry isn't easy to come by; 100% is a lot. My Darien Light gear has served me well though I'm sure there are other combinations that work too. Lots of the Minnesota-made gear around here, a popular choice though expensive. If you look, make sure you pay attention to the full Darien vs. Darien Light, which is what I wear. The material in my jacket and pants is lighter, more flexible and I think is easier and more pleasant to adapt layers underneath. I found the jacket at an online auction, finally giving up finding the right size of pants and got those brand new.

      From my all too personal experience, I can attest to the protection the lighter weight suit provides.

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  3. I've never seen a yellow Yamaha Seca.... was it custom painted? I've always liked the look of the little fairing on the white 550...
    Is the plow truck for your driveway? I used to have an old '78 Ford F-150 with a 71/2' Western plow. I miss that truck and could use it now.

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    1. One of Walter's many talents was painting; his shop a rainbow of colors we didn't grow up with.
      Yes, our 1000' steep in places driveway. I've done it the last two years with a 350 one ton but that old one is literally crumbling apart, to the point I can't even take a wrench to it. Looked at a half ton, think I better stick with at least a 3/4.

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  4. Nice soggy rainy day here finally. Thanks for not hogging it all.

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    1. We really need more but fair is fair. Rain is done, get what you can.

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  5. Quite a mix of things to do in one day. I like days like that, you didn't get bored. And you didn't melt in the rain!!

    It must have been hard to go help sort through Walter's things. Harder for Elaine I know, but still not easy for his friends.

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  6. Walter has 100x the junk I've got but he had a system; many boxes and plastic tubs labeled for the most part very clearly. We made a Guzzi pile, a Ducati pile, Kawasaki H1/H2 pile and so on. No pile for the Yamaha XS650 items, that would have been taller than the building.

    Swap meet is happening now and I'm getting real time updates..... 2 bikes gone, pile is going down. We may need a Carribean address for Elaine soon. :)

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  7. It is nice to get multiple chores done and checked off the to do list, squeezing a ride in is a bonus even if it was a bit damp.
    Nice truck, but I have to agree with you to find another 3/4 ton.

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    1. Brad, agree with all. Looked at first of 2 trucks this afternoon, both .75's

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  8. Coop:

    it's not an easy job to dispose of things accumulated over a lifetime, especially when they are not yours.

    so sorry about the rain but I suppose it's a sign of things to come


    bob
    Riding the Wet Coast

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    1. Bob, that is being firmly driven home. Between a friend's lifetime collection of motorcycling goods and now my dad's sister's treasures, many kept from the 2 generations before, our ability to collect and hang onto is overwhelming.

      I don't think we typically have rainy seasons, rather it happens sporadically. Either liquid or solid, we average something once or twice a week. I actually like rain riding though after long dry spells, painted areas and tar strips get very greasy. You don't get much of that :)

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