Scooter in the Sticks

Exploring life on a Vespa Scooter and Royal Enfield Himalayan motorcycle.

Thankful for the Small Things With a Vespa Scooter

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Vespa GTS scooter in snow squallSnow Squall

A sunny departure yesterday morning toward a black sky delivered a sudden snow squall.  I’m thankful that I was there on the Vespa, able to ride through the snow, and find my way safely to work.

Vespa GTS scooter on snow covered farm laneVespa and the Slippery Stuff

In minutes the air became white with snow and sleet and just as fast the event swept by leaving a dusting of snow to ride through.  Lovely in appearance and thankfully leaving enough traction to not be much of a safety issue.

Winter rides to work are usually exactly what I think they’ll be.  This one was different because I misjudged the forecast which noted “a chance of a passing snow shower.”  I’m thankful it did not exceed my riding skill or ability.

Vespa GTS scooter under a heavy skyRiding Under a Heavy Sky

It was colder and darker during the ride home from work.  I was thankful though that it was free of snow. If I made a list of the things for which I was thankful yesterday, it would be long.

To say I’ve had enough of the cold weather would be an understatement.  The preparation to ride in this weather has seemed overly daunting this year and the rides themselves flush with physical challenge to a level not experienced in previous winters.  Age, health, attitude — perhaps all have a role in the changing nature of my winter riding life.

But even with the added burdens, I’m thankful to be able to ride through the world on the Vespa — even if it means dealing with a little snow on a cold day.

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

Avoiding Chores

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Vespa GTS scooter is self wash bayAvoiding the Obvious

Almost any chore can be undesirable or oppressive.  The difference between that and something that done with ease, or better, an action that provides a reward, is attitude.  At least I like to think of it that way and not just a matter of laziness.

Washing dishes, mopping a floor, raking leaves — just some of the activities that can provide, when my head is in the right place, a quiet meditative experience.

Not so washing my Vespa scooter.  I never enjoy that chore.  In a post titled Annual Vespa Wash I confess to a “…pathological disinterest in maintenance…”.

I can’t remember the last time I washed the scooter.

Vespa GTS 250ie scooter in snowWhy Clean When You Can Ride.

Riding is the important goal and there are enough things that intrude (health, weather, work) that I have no control over that I don’t want to manufacture more things that will keep me off the scooter.  At least that’s the delusion which animates my spirit. And I accept the genuine possibility that it is a profound character defect that exacts a price in dollars.

But so far, I just don’t care.

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

Special Memory from 2016

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Steve Williams, Vespa rider

Photo by Gordon Harkins

What Do I Remember?

A blogging challenge has me thinking about a special memory from 2016.

Sorting and categorizing memories is tricky business.  What’s special one day if forgotten the next.  The scary, awful stuff seems to forever float near the surface of consciousness while the fun stuff takes work to recall.  This in part fuels both my journaling and photography — an action focused on building and retaining memory.

Riding and Recall

The rides have started to blur together making it difficult to choose one single ride as special.  There’s a subtle pressure to narrow a choice to family and loved ones as if there is a hierarchy of importance when it comes to memory.  I’ve accepted there’s no accounting for what my mind chooses to remember.  When I ride the Vespa scooter the world slips away leaving an open expanse to think and recall memories.  At least when I’m not thinking of the future.

The future — that has something to do with the most special memory of 2016.

It’s a memory about something that won’t happen for another 148 days — retirement.  Or more precisely, the special memory is a recollection of the jumbled thoughts and feelings related to my decision to accept a buyout offer for early retirement.  As early as nearly 44 years of employment can be.

foggy country roadThe Thrill of the Uncertain Road Ahead

The days leading up to to the deadline to accept or reject the retirement buyout offer were painted with dreams of adventure and stained with anxious misgiving of letting go of something that has been a steady beat my entire adult life.  I reflected on those concerns in a post titled Retirement: A New Adventure.

While many exciting and delightful things have happened in 2016, those days in September stand out as unique, strange, and special.

2017 Brave, Bold Blogger Challenge

This post is part of a month long writing prompt challenge conceived by Kathy at Toadmama.com.

Simple Pleasure: Where Do You Find It?

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Vespa GTS scooter along freeway exit in the morning lightA New Day

Took the freeway to work one day this past week.  A crisp clear morning,  a spine pretending to almost be normal, I stopped to enjoy a moment alone on the road.  It’s a communion of body, mind and spirit that sweeps past unlooked for but welcome.  A simple pleasure that can’t be bought or planned.  A gift I’ve opened and received gratefully as a rider.

Simple pleasure of seeing my dog in the garden grassSimple Pleasure – a dog in the garden

Being open to the small moments that flame life takes practice.  Lest I miss them, I need to slow down and transform my eyes from detection devices into tools for introspection and insight.  Noticing Lily stalking through the garden grass, I realize how much there is around me that I don’t want to miss.

Riding a scooter, going forth on a motorcycle, these exercises have cleared my eyes.

Vespa GTS scooter in a pastureRiding Shrine

There are moments when my Vespa ascends from riding contraption to shrine.  It usually happens when it’s standing in some lush promontory where it stands against a wider world.  After weeks of nagging irritation from my back, it was a joy to face the morning and feel good about riding, the job I was moving toward and the knowledge that life was rich as a result of a few simple pleasures.

Tea at a morning call on a cafeTea, Light and Friends

An hour in Saints Cafe, some hot tea and conversation with a friend; it’s a simple pleasure that requires only an investment of time on my part.  Time that, in almost every case, returns far more value than the cost of admission.

Vespa GTS scooter in the blazing sunA Ride Home

My back has recovered enough to ride back and forth to work.  I’ve learned to sit up straight to minimize fatigue to that area of the body.  Still experimenting with the rougher experience of riding on gravel roads as habit leads me to old cow paths on the ride home.  The dazzling light of a low sun at the end of the day is a simple pleasure that I don’t embrace nearly enough.

Is there a good reason why I don’t see more sunsets?

Meyer Dairy milk bottle in a GIVI topcaseMilk in Glass Bottles

Twenty four hours ago the milk in the glass bottle was grass.  At least that’s what I like to think.  Meyer Dairy is two miles from my house and they still bottle and sell their milk to the community, a dying breed of dairy farmers not shipping their milk to a cooperative or factory in return for a milk check.  The simple pleasure of drinking fresh, local milk, hides the hard work and complication of daily production.

Seeing the bottle in my GIVI topcase has me wondering how long they’ll last.  Or my Vespa scooter.  Or me.

For now I’l enjoy the little rides I can take, a simple pleasure purchased with the effort I make to choose the scooter over the car.

Where do you find simple pleasure?

Introspection

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introspection with Canon G15 camera self-portraitIn the Mirror

After weeks of not riding and grumbling over a some back it’s time to step back and appraise the view.  Introspection isn’t always pleasant but does provide some clues for the journey ahead.  I made a first entry in my journal in a month this morning.  What was once a near daily event has faded, much like the frequent flying on the scooter.

A morning portrait at the Pump Station suggests something other than a happy camper.  Or perhaps the chronic reminder that I have a spine is wearisome.

Vespa GTS scooter in State College, PennsylvaniaMorning Vespa

I gingerly pushed the Vespa on and off the center stand this morning in the driveway before making a final decision to ride into town.  Still can’t make any long trips but it’s nice to ride a few miles.  Remarkably, even that short distance managed to brighten a sullen riding spirit. I wonder why I’m so irritated at not being able to ride?

Another pleasant surprise was the quiet morning.  A surprise because all the students have returned to Penn State.  I guess their first Saturday night wore them all out.

Door sign of Custom Shoe Repair store in State College, PennsylvaniaBoot Repairs

Walking to Saint’s brings me past the shoe repair shop that keeps my riding boots alive.  The soles are getting worn down again so I suspect I’ll be paying a visit soon.  Don’t see many shoe repair places anymore.

Broken Stella Artois lager bootlesStella Artois

Despite not seeing anyone on the street there was amble evidence of activity from the night before.  The fragrance of stale beer floated on the morning air; broken bottles littered a section of the street.

Digital OscillioscopeDigital Oscillioscope

At Saint’s Cafe, my friend Paul was showing off a new digital oscillioscope he built from a kit that will allow him the ability to test old electronic gear.

Vespa GTS scooter near Shingletown, PennsylvaniaIntrospection by Vespa

I think when I ride.  About the road.  About other things.  Often it’s the other things that matter most.  Riding on the Vespa keeps me open to new ideas.  I’ve been a bit miserable not being able to be on the road.  Wasn’t sure it would help to go for a short ride but turns out it’s just pretty much magic.  Blue sky, fine view, scooter ready to take me where I want to go.

I’m just glad the destination isn’t Crazytown…