Hmm ... just stumbled on this link and started thinking that I might want to continue it. As a little update (for the NSA) I now own three motorcycles, a Yamaha 600 and Yamaha 800 in addition to my Kawasaki Concours. I love the Concours and if I was 10 years younger I would keep it for 10 years but it is a heavy (powerful) bike and at slow speeds a handful. Guess I could go to the gym everyday and workout so I could handle it but ... I have other things to do. My Yamaha 800 is the bike I ride the most as it is much lighter and easier to handle. I just returned from a 155 mile ride to find 9 geocaches, another hobby of mine. I hope to give the 600 to an old, old friend of mine in Wisconsin next summer as he rides a 1800 Yamaha cruiser and needs a small lightweight toy. Plus I need the room in the garage as I have been looking for a new, blue 2013 FZ1. :-)
More to follow? Who knows as Fukushima could blow at any time and there are always those coronal mass ejections to worry about. How did I live for so long in a Mayberry RFD world? :-)

Wow, it has been almost 10 months since I last posted.

After months of physical therapy and exercise on my own I'm about 97% back to normal. With over 10,000 miles on the KLR last week I bought a 2011 Kawasaki Concours. What a difference is an understatement. Unfortunately it developed a rear wheel gear-lube leak after only 170 miles so it is sitting waiting for parts. While waiting I have been ordering aftermarket parts that I want on it so it isn't a total waste of time. Since the weather is in the 70s here in southern NM I have been riding the KLR and because of riding the Concours I understand the KLR's problems are not mine. For now I plan to keep the KLR and try new tires on it but may sell it in the future. The KLR is a compromise and as such gives up a lot of on the road capabilities. The Concours loves the road, handles very well and can suck the paint off cars when you pass them. :-) Once I get the break-in completed I hope to do a lot of traveling with it.

Get busy living, or get busy dying.

For now I'm going to keep riding the KLR. Ordered my new helmet Friday; got the same model I had since I've tested it and survived. :-) Got the new tire and tube on the front today and put 15 oz of Slime in the rear just in case I missed a mesquite thorn when I inspected it. Still need to adjust the Happy Trails crash bars and order the replacement part/s from them. Also will change the oil next week as some gas may have gotten into it when it was on its side. Then a quick trip down to DMV for NM plates and we are on our way home (CO). Funny, NM is beginning to feel more like home to me.

Recovery is slow when you are a geezer.

My leg is getting much better but the shoulder is slow to regain its range of motion. I have been doing Yoga daily for weeks now and that helps some. Took the KLR's tire apart and the tube had three holes; two were from mesquite thorns and the smallest from an unknown source. Couldn't get the thorns out so I've ordered a new tire and tube which will be in this week then I can see how it rides after the crash. I checked when ordering the tire but the new Yamaha FJR hadn't arrived yet. Still really want one of those or a Kawasaki Concourse; it has tire pressure monitoring. :-) I remember a small motorcycle shop in downtown Tokyo where an older man with a beard worked on bikes. There was a big green Kawasaki by the front door with "Today is a good day to die." in English on the rear fender. Since it was always there I assume it was his. Sure wish I had learned enough Japanese so I could have conversed with him ... another missed opportunity.

I'm a biped again ... almost

Yesterday I was able to remove the 'boot' as my leg is officially healed now but almost three months of not using it has left both legs weak. My shoulder and left arm will need a lot more time to even begin to be useful. I spent today doing small chores to get back to working on projects but it was slow going. However it was nice to see stuff being accomplished as it gave me a since of getting back to normal. All in good time ... I hope.

First of 2010

We are back in Colorado for two weeks to get caught up on our mail and get more stuff to take to New Mexico. It was nice to visit friends and eat at some of our favorite restaurants but we are looking forward to the warmer weather. I'm looking forward to my surgeon's prognosis of my shoulder and leg on Tuesday. Sure hope I can get back to walking again.

Days of Future Past?

"I've been thinking about our fortune,
And I've decided that we're really not to blame.
For the love that's deep inside us now
Is still the same.

And the sound we make together
Is the music to the story in your eyes.
It's been shining down upon me now
I realize.

Listen to the tide slowly turning,
Wash all our heartaches away.
We're part of the fire that is burning,
And from the ashes we can build another day.

But I'm frightened for your children,
That the life that we are living is in vain.
And the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain.

Listen to the tide slowly turning,
Wash all our heartaches away.
We're part of the fire that is burning,
And from the ashes we can build another day.

But I'm frightened for the children
That the life that we are living is in vain.
And the sunshine we've been waiting for
Will turn to rain...

When the final line is over,
And it's certain that the curtain's gonna fall,
I can hide inside your sweet, sweet, love
For ever more...”

Saw this last night on CoyotePrime's blog and a few of the lyrics seem to apply to our current situation. Hopefully the tide is slowly turn and from the ashes we can build another day. However I think for some it will call for a severe decrease in living standard and 'I'm frightened for the children'. Many of our children have had all the 'toys' their whole life and will be in shock if they don't have access to the Internet, their cellphones, Monster energy drinks ... 'And the sunshine we've been waiting for,Will turn to rain...'