Warren, an autumn tour in Japan sounds magical. You have some great photos on your blog of so many fantastic riding environments. I envy the opportunities you have.

My bike phase may have passed. I have been looking at one of those Hondas you ride. Nice bikes. In the meantime I’ll just ride the Vespa through the autumn leaves…

I think you’re right about autumn having a special presence in the northeast. A whole culture has grown up around that season.

Your writing about the GTS is spot on. Mirror’s my own feelings. And I love the quickness and nimble nature all within a sane range of speed.

I’ve ridden both the 250 and 300 GTS. Can’t really tell any difference. The new one with ABS would be nice.

Wouldn’t be surprised to see the Pope riding a Vespa…

Don’t get me wrong — I enjoy riding a motorcycle. The entire experience is different. But I don’t crave riding a motorcycle like I do the scooter.

Cold weather riding is an acquired taste but I fear I may be loosing it. My body doesn’t do as well in the cold as it used to. Time will tell.

I’ve been looking for a second GTS. And the Street Twin along with the Bonneville have always been on the dream list. So has a 90s vintage BMW K75 and a late 80s BMW R80. Maybe I”ll pull the trigger on something some day. Who knows.

I love the look of the Vespa GTS 250 instrument cluster. At night it’s like light from a friendly campfire. Makes me feel safe in the night…

I’m beginning to think I live in a special “high skilled driver” area. The roads seem calm here. Sure, there’s the normal nuttiness but generally things are pretty sane.

I’m excited about the cooler temperatures and fog. But sub-freezing…. Not ready for that. Since the heart attack and still on blood thinners I get cold fast. Not sure what the winter will bring this year.

You get it.

I did feel pretty good on that ride. Probably leaked into the writing.

The new camera, a Nikon D3200, does a remarkably good job. The image quality is excellent and the camera is slight and light as a feather. For the kind of work I’m doing personally it’s a fantastic camera. No need to carry around anything larger or “more professional”. As with motorcycles, I think there is a bigger is better mentality in the photography world. There are reasons a person might need something bigger but that need is neither automatic or always requiring the biggest most expensive cameras.

Wait, your question — the new camera is working out fine!