It's a Ducati!!

Here's the picture of me at the Women's Motorcycle Conference yakking it up with Kathy Jo Porter, owner of the Ducati dealership from Eugene, Oregon. If you remember from one of my earlier posts about the conference, I had mentioned that Genevieve Schmidt had interviewed me while I was talking to Kathy about the Ducati. I didn't realize she had a photographer with her. But here's the proof! Is that a great looking bike or what!!!

Here's the caption from the article on the WomenRidersNow website.

Kathy Jo Porter (white jacket), co-owner of Bend Euro Moto in Eugene, Oregon, talks to Jan Mikeal of College Station, Texas, about this Monster 696 that Jan is thinking about taking out for a test ride.

Song for today....Rock Me.....Steppenwolf, of course

New Friends and 9,000 S)miles!

The sun finally showed up this past weekend for the first time in three weeks! Fall is in the air and the leathers have come out with the falling temperatures. Friday was chilly with a frisky wind blowing the fallen leaves across the road. It's an interesting sight, the falling leaves and the second flush of wildflowers on the side of the road, thanks to the recent heavy rains. My new friend, Jackie and I scooted up the twisty and scenic 390 to LaGrange for some great Mexican food. It's was a great girl's day out.

Saturday was a lot warmer and an afternoon ride over to the Antique Rose Emporium escorted between two Harleys made it a treat. The two jokesters driving them made the day even more fun. Matt even got to go along riding pillion for the first time on a Harley.

If Friday was the "too cold" day, and Saturday was the "too hot" day, then Sunday was the "just right" day, if you're Goldilocks. The weather was perfect. I rode by myself through the Brazos River bottom and checked out the cotton crop, looks pretty good to me. Looks like one more picking and they'll be done. I'm sure they rain was too late for the corn though.

I met up with my riding buddy Steve, and we went on a spirited ride through the Navasota bottom land and finally hung it up after I turned over 9,000 miles on the bike.

Great weather, great new friends, great riding, as usual, can't wait to do it again!

MotorcycleBelle

Song for today...Shiny Shiny by Amelia White

Ode alla Vita OR Why I Ride

In Bar Centrale in San Miniato, in the heart of Tuscany, on a wall out on the terrace with a stunning view of the rolling hills of Chianti, there you can see this poem painted on the wall. For me, it sums up why I ride.

Ode alla Vita

Slowly dies the one who becomes a slave of his habits
and lets the days become alike,
the one who doesn't change direction,
the one who doesn't change the colors of his clothes,
the one who doesn't talk to strangers.

Slowly dies the one who doesn't turn the table
and doesn't find pleasure in his work,
the ones who doesn't dare to risk his safety
to reach a dream,
the one who doesn't at least once discard all
good advice.

Slowly dies the one who doesn't travel,
the one who doesn't read,
the one who doesn't listen to music,
and find pleasure in these things.

Slowly dies the one who lets the days go by
without searching for happiness,
the ones that complain about their bad luck
or the rain,
the one that abandons his projects before they start.

We avoid slow death because we do not forget that
to live demands more than merely breathing.

Only immense patience will lead to immense happiness.

Martha Medieros

From the Ridiculous to the Sublime

The twice yearly Junk-o-Rama over at Round Top, Texas was held this past week, a veritable smorgasbord of junk, antiques, cast-offs, crafts, and all kinds of craziness stretching for 15 miles along Highway 237 from La Bahia all the way to Warrenton, Texas.

For the rest of the year this area is my favorite motorcycle ride route for some beautiful scenery, but in the spring and fall, this stretch of road comes alive with every kind of "anteek" you can imagine!

Texas weather is as unpredictable as usual, but this day was like early springtime all over again.

After the record breaking heat of the summer, we have had cool temperatures and rains, coaxing the wildflowers back into bloom and the roadsides are awash in coreopsis and gomphrena, along with the goatweed and ragweed.

Like the Hill Country, the crepe myrtles are blooming again, even my own Natchez Crepe Myrtle, which could not muster even one bloom all summer, is suddenly blooming like a champ!

As you can see from the pictures, anything goes!! The outfit of the day is certainly "Texas Chic" complete with petticoat, boots and a t-shirt advertising the bustling metropolis of Warrenton, Texas, population about 5 people on a busy day! But they do have a service station and a great bar with a terrific band! And don't forget your pink cowgirl hat and blinged out guitar!

I saw so many carnival rides like used to be out in front of all the grocery stores. There's good old Donald Duck offering a ride for a nickel. You can have him for the princely sum of $450!!

A vintage christmas wreath will only set you back $275..it's all ready to hang and oh, so shabby chic! The great weather we are having would be a great way to spend some time in the cool vintage cabana rocker, complete with it's own wet bar under the seat. A very nice patio piece!

But please, don't wear the chickens as hats!! Apparently that's become such a problem that it requires a sign!! Words to live by!!

And my favorite sight of the day.....a head lamp, followed closely by a leg lamp. Look closely at the ladies' head. It is actually a lamp. Oh that violet rinse is to die for!! And now, they had two versions of the legs...one was a lamp, surely you saw that in that Christmas movie, but the other version went ahead and encompassed the whole lower torso right on up to the waist, making a very functional table. How very, um, creative. And please don't miss the stripper boots on that model with the 4 inch platforms. Just want you to get the whole effect! It was quite a novel(ty) use of cast off mannequins. FYI, it was not an equal opportunity mannequin booth either, I looked. No MANnequins were being fashioned into lamps or tables, if you know what I mean.

The odds of finding really strange things (and people) to look at is 100%. It a great time and I never miss it and I'm never disappointed!!

It's a trip down memory lane, fantasy lane, strangeland lane and I can't wait to go again!

Song for today....Fireflies by Owl City

MotorcycleBelle