four hundred five

MARTY

It's been a couple of weeks since we lost Frankie. Marty is becoming an affectionate shoulder bird. In the morning he lets out a tiny squeak when he hears me making coffee so I uncover his cage and let him out.

He looks so lonely but needs time to wake up. He is a grump until he flies into my office to socialize. For the next hours he rubs his beak against the back of my head, rides along as I work around the house, takes naps snuggling my neck and occasionally takes a trip down my arm to throw things off of my desk. He is also attempting to talk.

He is all male but he seemed happy to live in Frankies shadow because she was so dominant. One thing about male birds they are fierce protectors. When she had eggs he was a true loyal warrior, don't try to touch her, the eggs or the cage. As a man I understand his loss.

I think he is adjusting better than we are.

four hundred four

 SEPTEMBER 25, 2024

WE LOST FRANKIE TODAY

FRANKIE WAS A VERY SWEET, STRONG WILLED AND STUBBORN BIRD, SHE RULED THE HOUSE.

WE HAVE HAD MARTY AND FRANKIE FOR NINE YEARS. 

SHE DIED PEACEFULLY IN MY HANDS FROM AN INJURY. 

SHE WILL BE MISSED...

Marty hasn't figured out what happened, the next weeks will be hard on us all.

four hundred three

Pine Tree Beach Kailua-Kona Hawaii

four hundred two

LONG RIDE

I just celebrated my 73rd birthday. I was not happy about getting older but yesterday I turned the corner by taking a long motorcycle ride.

I loaded my camping gear and packed my cooler with food and headed off to the coast of Oregon.

I had planned to camp by the ocean but the camp sites were full and motels were too expensive. The raw air rolled in from the ocean so a night in my tent would be a little chilly. 

I saw several loaded bicycles heading south that brought back memories. This stretch of coast highway is hard because of the endless up and down curvy roads. The motorcycle was much easier.

I left the house at 11 am then headed up Mount Batchelor and on to Eugene. The road was empty with amazing forest and lake views. A coffee, fuel and a bathroom break then off to the coast. 

I jumped on the interstate for a few exits to test the road worthiness at speed around trucks and traffic. The wind was buffeting but the bike was nice and stable.

Heading north to Newport I put "home" in my GPS and saw it was 160 miles away. I had a little more than an hour of daylight so part of my trip would be in the dark.

I reached Corvallis, fueled up and rode off into the coming darkness. My hands were hurting because of arthritic but other then that I was holding up well. Another cup of coffee and an apple I was ready to take on the mountain pass.

It was now completely dark with no moon. The road is very curvy  but the traffic was very light. Several miles were being paved so uneven pavement and the lack of paint caused me to slow down.

After this day of curvy highways I realized I was no longer thinking about how much to lean, counter steering or where to look. My throttle control had improved and the bad gas I got outside of Eugene was finally gone. I usually use high test but they only had regular, lesson learned.

It was cold in the mountains but my gear was working great. Other then my hands things were good as I entered familiar territory.

I rolled in around 11 pm tired but with a smile on my face. A snack and a shower later I checked my GPS and found I had traveled 460 miles. Not bad for an old guy.

I got up early and cleaned up the bike, I was actually ready to ride again. A long cross country trip is now a real possibility.

four hundred one

DON'T DRINK AND DON'T DIE, YOU GET A CHIP!

 

four hundred

ENIGMA

so many memories.....

three hundred ninety nine

SOMETIMES PEOPLE SUCK

 I stepped up to rescue our annual sober men's camp out. That was a bold move on my part because I really don't like to run things but if there is a vacuum I will step up, but we did have plenty of critics.

For many years the camp was filled with camping trailers, tents, boats, plenty of grills and men cooking meat. 

I have pointed out in a previous post; if you give any organization or group of people enough time it always reverts back to high school.

I thought I could promote the camp to a larger area and breathe a little life into it but I had no idea that after a half year of promotion I would be alone. 

I set my expectations low but I thought there would be at least ten and maybe twenty. 

In the past there were more then 40 but a little drama in our group, Covid, rain and cold effected the last few years of turn out. We almost voted not to have it until I volunteered to give it one last go.

Ironically this year it was sunny, seventy degrees, the lake was not crowded and the fish were biting. 

I packed my motorcycle and headed out early. I set up my tent, ate, had a cup of coffee and gathered fire wood. It was just me until noon Thursday when a trailer pulled in. We both waited and waited but no one else came. The next morning no one came so 1 PM Friday I helped him pack his trailer said goodbye and didn't see another soul until Saturday at 4 PM.

We walked to the lake, ate some awesome ribs he brought fo the pot luck, lite the fire and visited until 8 PM. He had to get back to town.

I thought I would spend the night but I packed my motorcycle and rode the 80 miles in the dark. So much for our annual camp out.

I will hear excuses, get a few smart ass smiles and wise cracks but I will never volunteer again.

I did hear a rumor that the cool kids had a campout of their own at a different lake. I think I got what we called "ditched". I think that is what we called it in high school.

three hundred ninety eight

 HISTORY ALWAYS REPEATS....

YING AND YANG

or what comes around goes around.

It seemed like a good idea.....

They look so harmless until you pet a cub....

But who reads signs.....

Honey Badgers are cute until you piss them off....

this one seems to be a little upset.

One thing for certain you can't fix stupid.

three hundred ninety seven

6789 MILES

Don't know when but planning is half the fun.

Practice is the other half.

three hundred ninety six

 ACTIONS CHANGE ATTITUDE

Holidays can bring out negative emotions. The family is not around or perhaps they are around. The news has you worried and frightened. The walls seem to be closing in and life feels like it is slipping away.

Let go and let God take care of all of the bull shit you can't control. 

Simply SMILE and know someone loves you.

three hundred ninety five

 This movie was made in 1973 but the portrayal of the year 2022 is eerie. The euthanasia centers seem like the local news. Oregon was the first state to legalize assisted suicide. Canada has made it one of their health care recommendations.

Crime, poverty, inflation, homelessness, loss of freedom, propaganda are over shadowed by elite privilege.

I doubt we are eating people as of this post but stay tuned, the ball is still rolling.

three hundred ninety four

 DREAM MACHINE

Here it sits with 5 mile on the odometer. I rode it home from the dealer last Friday. I have been receiving boxes for a week under the watchful eyes of my neighbor. 

I spend hours and hours without instructions, not a macho thing they did not come with any. I ran into many opticals but never uttered a curse word, through a tool or punched a wall. 

As a younger man I had a short fuse but with the help of loving discipline and 33 years of AA meetings I'm patient and even tempered.

I must admit this was a true test and I was pleasantly surprised.

This bike is designed for the long haul. It is able to handle freeways, back country roads and some off road adventures. It gets great milage and has the capacity to haul anything I may need.

three hundred ninety three

I MISS OUR BOAT!

Oregon has less than nine hours of daylight but Hawaii has eleven. The colder weather and snow are interesting but the short days really bother me. 

I miss our boat on days like today. The warm clear waters teaming with fish and exotic creatures has to be experienced once. We spent plenty of hours overwhelmed by the beauty of Hawaii.

Central Oregon has it's charm and days like today we get to shovel it.