Yesterday morning I was out on the road by 8:30AM. The air was still at 25 degrees with a promise of snow beginning around noon. I had a few errands to run but my objective was to drive to Bellefonte to see the remains of the historic Bush House Hotel which just burned to the ground.
The Vespa had just been to the dealer for an oil change and new rear tire. They adjusted the valve lash and generally gave it a good going over to make sure everything was functioning well and the scooter passed with no problems or issues. Bellefonte is about 15 miles north of here as the crow flies so it would be a nice ride. Stopped at a nearby Sheetz market for $3.00 of gas and then on the road to Bellefonte.
Before Christmas I bought a pair of Roadmaster snowmobile gloves to keep my hands warm but they still get chilly so I had to stop once just to warm my hands from the heat of the muffler. I had frostbite a couple years back and that hand now gets cold fast—probably from poor circulation. The ride was beautiful and the air was clear. Coming into Bellefonte I could see the pile of rubble that was once a magnificent hotel. A steam shovel had already gotten to the remains so it was mostly a big pile of nothing. I turned up the street towards the Kool Beans Coffee shop and parked myself there to have a cup of hot chocolate before walking down to look at the rubble.
After leaving Bellefonte I made a stop at “Nature’s Cover”, a place that sells stone, gravel, top soil and other compents necessary for serious garden construction and maintenance. I got some prices on various things and figured this year I’ll need about two dump trucks full of stuff. So much for transporting on the scooter.
I did run some errands that the Vespa was fine for. A stop at Angelina’s Italian food store supplied me with a loaf of fresh baked bread, two pieces of a meat frittata, some cookies, piece of chocolate cake, and a few other little delicacies. Hung the bag on the hook on the front of the seat and rode home.
There is about 3 inches of snow on the ground now and I am not planning on riding for the next few days. I have a lot of work to do in the darkroom so it is probably a good thing I park the scooter. I find myself wanting to ride at the expense of doing other things that have to be done. Like finishing the work for an exhibition coming up in April. I even started to wonder if this BLOG is just a distraction from the things I need to be doing…..
irondad says
Two things:
I hope the scooter can go fast! With all those goodies the neighborhood dogs will be quite interested in you.
Secondly, about the blog. I am finding that mine takes time. Sometimes it takes time away from other things like you mentioned. The cool thing for me is that it has helped me think better. I now follow a thing through looking for relevance. I am more organized in my thinking. Since I want my postings to have some sort of value to readers I think deeper instead of wider. Do you find the same thing? It can be valuable in other parts of life and sort of makes up for the time.
Take care.
Steve Williams says
I’m not sure why I am writing this blog. I’d like to say it helps me think more clearly but I’m not sure. I’m always looking for meaning, relevance and clarity but everything seems a bit foggy now. So until I more fully appreciate what is going on I’ll keep riding…
steve