THINGS--OVATION GUITARS--FACTORY

 WELL—I WAS KINDA DISAPPOINTED WITH THE WELCOME I RECEIVED AT THE RECEPTION DESK,,  BUT THEN AGAIN,, WHAT COULD I EXPECT?? I HAD ‘DROPPED IN’ ON A WHIM DURING ONE OF MY MOTORCYCLE RIDES—NO APPOINTMENT—NO NOTHING—JUST SEEMED LIKE A GOOD IDEA AT THE TIME..I FOUND THE RECEPTION AREA EMPTY EXCEPT FOR ONE OF THOSE LITTLE ROUND BELLS THAT YOU PUSH A BUTTON ON THE TOP AND IT GIVES OFF THIS ‘SOMEBODY IS HERE’ TYPE OF FRIENDLY RING..I HIT THE BUTTON AND IN ABOUT FIFTEEN OR SO SECONDS THIS MAN APPROACHED FROM SOME INNER CUBICLE..NOTHING TOO FRIENDLY ABOUT HIS MANNER.. SORT OF A “I HOPE YOU HAD A GOOD REASON FOR RINGING THAT *%#%!^ BELL,” LOOK ABOUT HIM..



(BIRTHPLACE OF EVERY OVATION GUITAR)

MY POWERS OF PERCEPTION ARE AMAZING SOMETIMES, AND I KNEW IMMEDIATELY THAT ANY HOPE OF BEING SHOWN AROUND THE FACTORY FOR A FEW PHOTOS OF SOME OVATION GUITARS BEING BORN WAS OUT OF THE QUESTION..HE SIMPLY STATED THAT I SHOULD VISIT THE INTERNET IF I WANTED INFO ABOUT THE COMPANY..(?)  “O.K. HAVE A GOOD DAY-SORRY TO HAVE BOTHERED YOU.” BUT HE DID ASSURE ME THAT I WAS WELCOME TO TAKE PHOTOS OF THE BUILDING..COOL—I RETURNED ON A SUNDAY WHEN THE EMPLOYEE VEHICLES WERE GONE AND GOT A FEW SHOTS OF THE BUILDING WHERE EVERY OVATION GUITAR EVER MADE BEGAN IT’S LIFE..SOME HAVE LIVED IN OBSCURITY WHILE OTHERS HAVE, QUITE LITERALLY, BEEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT WITH THE MUSICIANS WHO CHOOSE THEM AS OUTLETS FOR THEIR TALENTS.

DAVID GILMORE-ROGER WATERS-MOTLEY CRUE-MEGADETH-JOHN LENNON-REO SPEEDWAGON-PANTERA-JUDAS PRIEST-SCORPIONS-JIMMY PAGE- GLEN CAMPBELL-THIS LIST COULD GO ON AND ON BUT THESE ARE JUST A FEW OF THE WELL KNOWN NAMES WHO HAVE SEEN FIT TO SHARE THE STAGE AS WELL AS THE RECORDING STUDIO WITH AN OVATION GUITAR…SO-REGARDLESS OF YOUR INDIVIDUAL TASTE IN MUSIC YOU HAVE, AT SOME POINT, LISTENED TO AN OVATION GUITAR (UNLESS YOUR STRICTLY A PAN-FLUTE FAN)……

THE WORLD'S FIRST TURBINE POWERED HELICOPTER-KAMAN BUILT

AT THE SMITHSONIAN AIR AND SPACE MUSEUM THERE IS ON DISPLAY THE WORLDS FIRST GAS-TURBINE POWERED HELICOPTER BUILT IN 1949..IN A SENSE THAT ANTIQUE MACHINE IS THE GREAT-GRANDFATHER OF THE FAMOUS OVATION GUITAR FAMILY..BUT NOW I’M GETTING A LITTLE AHEAD OF MYSELF..

IN JUNE OF 1919 CHARLES KAMAN WAS BORN IN WASHINGTON DC..LATER HE ATTENDED THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA WHERE HE GRADUATED WITH HIGH HONORS AND THEN PROCEEDED TO A POSITION WITH HAMILTON STANDARD WHERE HE WAS INVOLVED WITH PROPELLER PERFORMANCE AND OUTPUT..WHILE THERE HE BECAME INTERESTED IN HELICOPTERS (A NEW TECHNOLOGY AT THE TIME) AND SECURED A POSITION AT SIKORSKY AIRCRAFT WHERE HE DEVELOPED SOME IDEAS AND VISIONS OF HIS OWN..AND SO, IN 1945, AT THE AGE OF 26, CHARLES KAMAN ALONG WITH TWO FRIENDS WHO HAD INVESTED A TOTAL OF $2000.00 STARTED A COMPANY IN THE GARAGE OF HIS MOTHER’S WEST HARTFORD HOME IN CONNECTICUT..THE COMPANY BECAME KNOWN AS KAMAN AIRCRAFT AND TODAY IS A BILLION DOLLAR COMPANY WITH A WORLD WIDE CUSTOMER BASE..

A MAJOR PROBLEM THAT PLAGUED EARLY HELICOPTERS WAS VIBRATION WITHIN THE ROTOR BLADES AS WELL AS VIBRATIONS CAUSED BY THE ROTOR BLADES THEMSELVES, IN ADDITION TO THE INHERENT VIBRATIONS OF ANY INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE.. A GREAT DEAL OF RESEARCH WENT INTO THE PHYSICS AND MOLECULAR DYNAMICS OF MATERIALS THAT COULD DAMPEN OR ELIMINATE THE DANGERS THAT SEVERE VIBRATION COULD CAUSE AN AIRCRAFT.. AND WITH THAT RESEARCH CAME THE GROWING KNOWLEDGE OF COMPOSITE MATERIALS AS WELL AS A VERY INTIMATE KNOWLEDGE OF VIBRATION ITSELF..NOW—LET’S TIE IT ALL TOGETHER..

AS WE ALL REMEMBER FROM SCHOOL, SOUND IS VIBRATION, AND ANY MUSICAL COMPOSITION IS ESSENTIALLY A CAREFULLY ARRANGED COLLECTION OF VIBRATIONS..AS FATE WOULD HAVE IT MR. KAMAN WAS AN ACCOMPLISHED GUITAR PLAYER WHO ONCE TURNED DOWN AN OFFER TO PLAY IN THE ‘TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA’.. AT SOME POINT IN 1965 HE DECIDED TO APPLY THE KNOWLEDGE ACQUIRED ABOUT COMPOSITE MATERIALS AND VIBRATION DYNAMICS TO HIS FAVORITE INSTRUMENT-THE ACOUSTIC GUITAR..HE ASSIGNED A TEAM OF ENGINEERS TO THE PROJECT AND AFTER MONTHS OF RESEARCH, EXPERIMENTATION AND CREATING PROTOTYPE INSTRUMENTS, A ‘ROUND BACK’ DESIGN WAS IMPLEMENTED THAT WAS BLENDED AND MOLDED WITH A CUSTOM COMPOSITE MATERIAL RATHER THAN THE TRADITIONAL WOODEN-BACK ACOUSTIC GUITAR..THIS INITIAL SUCCESS LAUNCHED A WHOLE LINE OF ‘ROUND-BACK’ ACOUSTIC/ELECTRIC GUITARS AND IN 1966 “OVATION GUITARS” CAME INTO BEING..THE REST IS HISTORY—WE HAVE ALL HEARD THEM—AND WE HAVE ALL ENJOYED THEIR BEAUTIFUL SOUND..

OVATION WENT ON TO MANUFACTURE SOLID BODY GUITARS BUT THEY WERE NEVER AS WELL RECEIVED AS THE ACOUSTIC INSTRUMENTS..SOME OF THESE SOLID BODY SPECIMENS ARE QUITE RARE AND HAVE BECOME COVETED PIECES AS ONLY A FEW THOUSAND WERE MANUFACTURED..I LIFTED A FEW PHOTOS OF A COUPLE SO YOU CAN CHECK OUT THAT OLD GUITAR YOUR DAD LEFT BEHIND..

THIS POST WOULD NOT BE COMPLETE WITHOUT EXPANDING A BIT ON MR. CHARLES KAMAN..IN 1960 HE AND HIS SECOND WIFE ROBERTA FOUNDED THE ‘FIDELCO SEEING EYE DOG FOUNDATION’ BASED IN BLOOMFIELD CT...AN INSTITUTION WHOSE ASSISTANCE TO THE BLIND IS BEYOND PRICELESS.. MR. KAMAN AND ROBERTA WERE INVOLVED WITH THE CAREFUL SELECTION AND BREEDING OF BAVARIAN STOCK GERMAN SHEPHERDS AND ESSENTIALLY CREATED A BREED WITHIN A BREED (FIDELCO GERMAN SHEPHERDS) WHOSE INTELLIGENCE, STRENGTH AND LOYALTY MAKE THEM ESPECIALLY SUITED FOR THEIR FUTURE TRAINING AND NEARLY MIRACULOUS WORK AS GUIDE DOGS..

THE ‘KAMAN HUSKY’ FLEW MORE RESCUE MISSIONS DURING THE KOREAN AND VIETNAM WARS THAN ALL OTHER HELICOPTERS COMBINED AND NOT ONE LIFE WAS LOST DUE TO MECHANICAL FAILURE..IT IS ESTIMATED THAT KAMAN HELICOPTERS HAVE BEEN INVOLVED WITH SAVING OVER 15000 LIVES DURING THE LAST HALF OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY.. IN THE YEAR 1996 PRESIDENT CLINTON PRESENTED HIM WITH THE NATIONAL MEDAL OF TECHNOLOGY, ONLY ONE OF A LENGTHY LIST OF AWARDS AND CITATIONS THAT THIS OUTSTANDING MAN HAS TO HIS CREDIT..

HIS WIFE, ROBERTA, PASSED AWAY IN 2010 AND MR. KAMAN PASSED AWAY JUST THIS YEAR (JANUARY 31) AT THE AGE OF 91..

I AM SORRY THAT I WAS NOT ABLE TO POST A PHOTO OR TWO SHOWING THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS THAT GOES INTO THESE UNIQUE GUITARS, BUT AS I RESEARCHED THE COMPANY I FOUND THAT THE STORY OF OVATIONS FOUNDER WAS MUCH MORE INTERESTING THAN ANY DESCRIPTION OF THE MANUFACTURING PROCESS COULD HOPE TO BE..

NEXT TIME YOU HEAR A HELICOPTER THUMPING AWAY-THINK ‘VIBRATIONS’—THINK ‘OVATION GUITARS’..

DONE WITH THIS POST—TAKING A RIDE TO ANOTHER OF MY FAVORITE SPOTS—NEXT WEEK I’LL SHARE SOME PHOTOS OF THE LOCATION AND ROADS LEADING THERE,, AND INTRODUCE YOU TO THE BIKERS I AM SURE TO MEET THERE OR ALONG THE WAY….SEE YOU THEN….HOPE YOU ALL HAVE A GREAT WEEK….JIM  

(as always click photos for more detail)

BIKERS--'PERFECT STRANGERS'



INDIAN SYMBOL FOR 'FRIENDSHIP'




ARMOND AND DIANE WITH THEIR 2005 ROAD KING-THIS BEAUTIFUL BEAST HAS CARRIED THEM FROM COAST TO COAST--ARMON HAS RIDDEN FOR 50 YEARS





BACK IN 1971 I HAD THE THRILL OF LETTING OUT THE CLUTCH ON A MOTORCYCLE FOR THE FIRST TIME IN MY LIFE..I DON’T REMEMBER WHAT MODEL (IT WAS A SMALL LITTLE BIKE) BUT THAT FEELING BIT ME HARD AND NEVER LET GO..THE WORLD WAS AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT PLACE BACK THEN..VERY FEW BIKES ON THE ROADS (BIKERS WERE CONSIDERED A LITTLE CRAZY- KINDA DIFFERENT)..THERE WERE NO CELL PHONES, CONSEQUENTLY, IF YOU HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF BREAKING DOWN YOU COULD ONLY HOPE THAT THERE WAS A PAY PHONE WITHIN WALKING DISTANCE (REMEMBER PAY PHONES?) AND THAT YOU HAD THE CORRECT CHANGE IN YOUR POCKET..IF YOU HAPPENED TO BE STRANDED WITH YOUR CAR CHANCES WERE GOOD THAT A FELLOW MOTORIST WOULD STOP TO OFFER ASSISTANCE OF SOME SORT..HOWEVER-IF YOU WERE A BIKER YOU WERE TRULY STRANDED (A LITTLE CRAZY-KINDA DIFFERENT)..

I WAS ENJOYING MY THIRD BIKE (HARLEY DAVIDSON SPORTSTER) MY FRIEND HAD HIS HONDA, NICE BIKE BUT I DON’T REMEMBER THE MODEL..WE HAD BEEN PILING ON THE MILES WHEN LATE IN THE AFTERNOON WE CAME ACROSS A BIKER PUSHING HIS CYCLE ALONGSIDE THE ROAD..AS WE PULLED UP WE NOTICED HIS CLUB PATCH (WON’T MENTION THE NAME WITHOUT PERMISSION)..TO SAY HE WAS HAPPY WE STOPPED WOULD BE A SERIOUS UNDERSTATEMENT..WE DISCUSSED THE SITUATION, I WOULD STAY WITH THE BIKES AND HE WOULD RIDE WITH MY FRIEND TO A PAY PHONE AND CALL THE CLUB HOUSE FOR HELP..WITHIN THE HOUR HIS BIKE WAS LOADED ONTO A PICK-UP TRUCK AND MY FRIEND AND I WERE ESCORTED TO THE CLUB HOUSE BY FOUR OF HIS ‘BROTHERS’..



MARGARET  FROM LITCHFIELD-BEAUTIFUL WOMAN-BEAUTIFUL BIKE



OUR ARRIVAL WAS GREETED WITH NOTHING BUT FRIENDSHIP..THE CLUB MEMBERS WHO DID NOT YET KNOW WHAT HAD HAPPENED TURNED CURIOUS STARES AT US, BUT ONCE THE SITUATION HAD BEEN EXPLAINED, ALL WAS WELL—WE WERE ‘RIGHTEOUS’..THE REST OF THE EVENING WAS A UNEXPECTED TREAT FOR US..A PARTY WAS GOING ON AND WE WERE WELCOME TO STAY..THE NEXT MORNING WE LEFT (NEVER RETURNED)..IT WAS THE FIRST TIME THAT I BECAME AWARE OF AN INDEFINABLE LINK THAT WAS LIVING IN MY SOUL AND THE SOULS OF OTHERS WHO THRIVE ON TWO WHEELS..ALL OF US WERE BROTHERS AND SISTERS TO SOME DEGREE-ALL OF US LOVED THE WIND AND FREEDOM OF TWO WHEELS—ALL OF US LOVED IRON HORSES..

I’M NOT TALKING ABOUT THOSE INDIVIDUALS WHO BOUGHT A SCOOTER TO RIDE BACK AND FORTH TO WORK,, NOR AM I TALKING ABOUT THE TYPE WHO BOUGHT A MOTORCYCLE TO FILL SOME KIND OF SUSPECTED VOID IN HIS OR HER PERSONALITY..THOSE INDIVIDUALS LEAVE THE MOTORCYCLE FRATERNITY QUICKLY—A HEART POUNDING CLOSE CALL—MAYBE EVEN A TUMBLE—OR MAYBE THE PASSION OF RIDING IN THE WIND NEVER REALLY IGNITES IN THEIR HEARTS—IT’S NOT FOR EVERYONE AND THAT’S OK..



(SOME BIKERS FROM MANCHESTER & E. HARTFORD)



ALWAYS A WELCOME SIGHT TO A BIKER



I’M TALKING ABOUT THE ONES WHO HAVE RIDDEN FOR YEARS AND YEARS—TAKEN OUR SPILLS—MAYBE BROKEN A BONE OR TWO—CHANCES ARE WE EVEN LEFT MOTORCYCLES BEHIND AT ONE POINT OR OTHER AND THEN FOUND THAT WE HAD LEFT NOT ONLY A MOTORCYCLE BEHIND, BUT A IMPORTANT PART OF OUR PHYSICAL AND SPIRITUAL WELL-BEING WAS NOW LACKING..A UNSUSPECTED AND UNSPOKEN LOYALTY HAD BEEN BROKEN—A FEELING THAT BORDERED ON GUILT EVERY TIME A MOTORCYCLE RUMBLED BY--A MELANCHOLY MOOD EVERY TIME THE SOUND OF A DISTANT MOTORCYCLE REACHED INTO YOUR EARDRUM AND VIBRATED THOSE TINY BONES THAT EVOKED NOT ONLY SOUND, BUT MEMORIES AND VISIONS..A MODERN DAY CALL OF THE WILD..  “COME BACK, RIDE THE WIND AGAIN—THINGS CHANGE—THAT’S AS IT SHOULD BE—BUT SOME THINGS REMAIN THE SAME—COME BACK, RIDE THE WIND AGAIN..”    



CHRIS AND BILL TAKE A BREATHER IN NEW HARTFORD



IF YOU SPEND ANY TIME AT ALL ON THE ROAD YOU’VE SEEN BIKERS TOSS A FRIENDLY WAVE AS THEY PASS EACH OTHER..IT’S AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT OF SORTS,, IT’S A TYPE OF SALUTE TO ONE ANOTHER,, THEY KNOW THE INHERENT RISKS,, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY THEY SHARE THE EXHILARATION AND THE SENSATION OF A FREEDOM THAT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO ATTAIN WITH ANY OTHER MODE OF TRANSPORTATION..THEY SHARE A AWESOME FEELING THAT IS REALLY BEYOND THE POWERS OF DESCRIPTION..

I REALLY HAD NO IDEA AT ALL WHAT I WAS GOING TO FEATURE AS A POST THIS WEEK..SO I FELT ADVENTUROUS AND DECIDED TO SPEND SOME TIME JUST MEETING STRANGERS AND POSTING THEIR PHOTOS, AND IF THEY FELT LIKE TALKING, A SHORT PIECE ABOUT THEMSELVES..OF ALL THE PEOPLE I MET ONLY TWO DECLINED..ONE WAS A MEMBER OF A WELL KNOWN CLUB WHO SHUNNED PUBLICITY, ANOTHER WANTED TO BE PAID (?) ‘I WOULD LIKE THAT TOO,’ I TOLD HIM..ACTUALLY I REFUSED TO PUT ANY FURTHER EFFORT INTO TALKING TO A THIRD--ONE VERY  ATTRACTIVE WOMAN, WHEN SHE TOLD ME I WAS VERY LUCKY JUST TO BE TALKING TO HER (GOT TO BE KIDDING ME)---BYE-BYE..

(TIM TERWILLIGER HAS HAD THIS MONSTER UP TO 160MPH!!--EX-MARINE-NUFF SAID)

ALTHOUGH I LIKE PEOPLE, I AM, BY NATURE, A SOLITARY MAN..BUT I KNOW THAT IF I SHOULD EVER BE STRANDED BY THE SIDE OF THE ROAD AND OUT OF REACH OF ANY CELL PHONE SERVICE THE NEXT BIKER THAT COMES BY WILL STOP AND OFFER WHATEVER HELP HE OR SHE CAN—AND THE OPPOSITE HOLDS TRUE AS WELL..IT IS THAT UNSPOKEN BOND,, THAT SENSE OF LOYALTY TO ONE ANOTHER THAT MANIFESTS ITSELF AND MAKES IT NEARLY IMPOSSIBLE FOR A BIKER TO IGNOR A BIKER IN DISTRESS..



SAM AND EILEEN FROM BEACON FALLS-ENJOYING THE BACK ROADS



UNFORTUNATELY, IN TODAY’S WORLD THERE ARE NOT MANY WHO CAN COUNT ON SUCH BROTHERHOOD WITH 'PERFECT STRANGERS'..

FOOTNOTE::ABOUT FOUR YEARS AGO A HIT AND RUN DRIVER TOOK ME DOWN…MY BIKE AND I EXECUTED A COMPLICATED SERIES OF TUMBLES AND FLIPS BEFORE COMING TO REST..WITHIN SECONDS I WAS SURROUNDED BY PEOPLE EAGER TO HELP—ONE COUPLE EVEN TRIED TO CATCH THE RED PICK UP TRUCK THAT HAD CAUSED THE ACCIDENT BY RUNNING A STOP SIGN..MY BIKE—MINOR DAMAGE—ME A BROKEN WRIST…SMALL MIRACLE—THANK YOU JESUS..



(BILL NOWAKOWSKI (LEFT) 97 HERITAGE--DOOR GUNNER ON A HUEY FROM 1967-68 IN VIETNAM AND FELLOW BIKER JOE GOMES WITH HIS 06 HERITAGE--INFANTRY MAN-USMC-VIETNAM-1968-69)



THANKS TO ALL PEOPLE WHO HAVE SEEN A BIKER DOWN AND STOPPED TO HELP..

TILL NEXT WEEK-TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES AND ONE ANOTHER--JIM

 

(as always-click photos for greater detail)

BIKERS------CT. WOMEN LOOKING FOR A CURE

ON SATURDAY, JULY 2, I HAD THE PRIVILEGE OF ATTENDING A  4^TH OF JULY/ BIRTHDAY/ GOING AWAY PARTY FOR A YOUNG MARINE HEADED TO AFGHANISTAN..HIS MOTHER,(SHOWN WITH HER 2000 HARLEY DYNA-ALSO OWNS A 1978 SHOVEL-HEAD AND HAS RIDDEN FOR 38 YEARS) DEBI “KILLER” HENNINGER IS THE PRESIDENT OF AN ALL FEMALE MOTORCYCLE CLUB IN NORTH HAVEN CT. KNOWN AS ‘CONNECTICUT WOMEN LOOKING FOR A CURE.’ THE CLUB WAS FOUNDED BY 8 MEMBERS AND NOW NUMBERS 42 WOMEN WHO COME FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE..AMONG THEIR NUMBERS IS A PARANORMAL INVESTIGATOR, AN ACTRESS, NURSES, TEACHERS, A WRITER, SALES REPRESENTATIVES AND A NUMBER ARE SELF-EMPLOYED. DIVERSE AS THEY ARE A COMMON DENOMINATOR IS THEIR LOVE OF MOTORCYCLES AND GREAT COMPASSION FOR THOSE IN NEED..

AS I MET MEMBERS AND FRIENDS I QUICKLY LEARNED THAT THESE LADIES DON’T JUST PARK THEIR BIKES AND SIT AROUND THEIR CLUB HOUSE LOOKING PRETTY—THESE LADIES RIDE!  THEY SUPPORT VIRTUALLY ALL CONNECTICUT CHARITY EVENTS-THEY PARTICIPATE IN THE ANNUAL COAT DRIVE (A GREAT SERVICE TO THE NEEDY AND HOMELESS) THE DIAPER RUN (NEEDY MOTHERS), IN 2010 THEY RAISED WELL OVER $1000.00 WORTH OF TOYS AND WORKED WITH THE MARINES IN THE ‘TOYS FOR TOTS’ PROGRAM..(KILLER WAS ASSIGNED AS SANTA)..IN ADDITION TO THESE EVENTS THEY ALSO PARTICIPATE IN NUMEROUS RUNS THAT BENEFIT SPECIFIC INDIVIDUALS AND FAMILIES..THEY HAVE WORKED WITH THE ‘GIRL SCOUTS’--BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MERIT BADGES--AND THE FIRST SELECTMAN OF NORTH HAVEN HAS DECLARED THAT THEY MAY TURN THE CITY OF NORTH HAVEN PINK IN OCTOBER (BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH)..THIS IS A PERMANENT DECLARATION THAT HAS EARNED PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL..

THE CLUB IS PUTTING A CALENDAR TOGETHER FOR 2012 WHICH WILL BE AVAILABLE IN OCTOBER..TO ORDER ONE OR TO LEARN MORE ABOUT  ‘CONNECTICUT WOMEN LOOKING FOR A CURE’  YOU MAY      E-MAIL  “KILLER” AT-------KILLERPINK69@AOL.COM---- OR YOU MAY CALL  203-641-2363..ALSO CONTACT MAY BE MADE THROUGH FACEBOOK—DEBI MUCHA HENNINGER

I DON’T BELIEVE THAT THERE ARE MANY GROUPS OF THIS SIZE THAT HELP SO MANY PEOPLE IN SO MANY DIFFERENT WAYS.. I THANK MY FRIEND ANNE FOR ARRANGING THE MEETING, I ENJOYED THE RIDE OUT-I LOVED EVERY MINUTE I SPENT WITH THESE LADIES (AND THE FOOD) AND I LOOK FORWARD TO RIDING IN SUPPORT OF THEIR CAUSES, THEY ARE TRULY AWESOME WOMEN INDEED..HOPEFULLY THIS POST WILL ONLY BE PART ONE—I LOOK FORWARD TO FURTHER MEETINGS AND POSTINGS ABOUT THIS TERRIFIC GROUP OF WOMEN BIKERS..

  

LOCAL  N. HAVEN BIKER AND VIETNAM VETERAN--JOHNY M. GOT ME TO THE CLUB HOUSE AFTER I GOT A LITTLE LOST--THANKS JOHNY M..(BIKERS CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON BIKERS FOR A HAND)

DEBBI 'KILLER' WITH HER 2000 H. D.  DYNA



MOM AND DAD WITH SON, AL-- U.S. MARINE

 

DEBI AND HUSBAND BOB

 


 INSIDE FOR SOME YUMMY CHOW

 

"WE RIDE"

IS THE TRUTH

SOME OF THE GIRLS FROM CT. WOMEN

A NOBLE CAUSE BY SOME GREAT WOMEN

A FEW OF THE GIRLS WITH THEIR BIKES AND

ONE OF SEVERAL VISITORS  

ALWAYS ASK PERMISSION BEFORE TAKING PHOTOS OF A BIKER'S
COLORS-IN THIS CASE PERMISSION GRANTED-AWESOME PATCH

TO THE YOUNG MARINE- AL –THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE--GOOD FORTUNE TO YOU-MAY GOD PROTECT AND GUIDE YOU AND ALL OF OUR TROOPS OVERSEAS..RETURN SOON—RETURN SAFE… AND GOD BLESS 

STATISTICS CARRY A CERTAIN DEGREE OF WEIGHT AND SOME ARE A RELATIVELY ACCURATE GUIDE OF FUTURE EXPECTATIONS..FOR THE YEAR 2011 IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 230,480 WOMEN WILL DEVELOP INVASIVE BREAST CANCER--ANOTHER 57,650 WILL DEVELOP NON-INVASIVE BREAST CANCER..I TRY TO POST EVERY WEEK ON THIS BLOG--BY THE TIME MY NEXT STORY IS POSTED 5540 WOMEN WILL BE DIAGNOSED WITH BREAST CANCER..
I SALUTE THE EFFORTS OF 'CONNECTICUT WOMEN LOOKING FOR A CURE' AND WISH THEM AND ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN RESEARCH A SPEEDY VICTORY OVER THIS DISEASE..
TO LEARN MORE ABOUT BREAST CANCER VISIT THE --SUSAN KOMEN--WEBSITE

                                                            UNTIL NEXT WEEK

(as always-click photos for greater detail)

PEOPLE------PROFESSOR------ RONALD MALLETT

I BEGIN THIS POST WITH A BOLD ASSUMPTION..I WOULD WAGER A CONSIDERABLE AMOUNT OF MONEY THAT EVERY ONE OF US, AT ONE TIME OR ANOTHER HAS UTTERED A REASONABLE RENDITION OF ONE OF THE FOLLOWING PHRASES. ‘I WISH I HADN’T DONE THAT’ OR ‘IF I HAD ONLY KNOWN’ HOW ABOUT ‘I WISH I KNEW THEN WHAT I KNOW NOW.’ REMEMBER THE SONG, ‘IF I COULD TURN BACK THE HANDS OF TIME’? THERE ARE NUMEROUS BALLADS WHERE SOMEONE, SOMEPLACE IS LAMENTING SOME PAST TRANSGRESSION AND ASKING THEIR BELOVED FOR FORGIVENESS..WE’VE ALL HEARD THE PHRASE OR HAD THE THOUGHT ‘I WISH I HAD A TIME MACHINE.’ BEING HUMAN, WE ALL WISH THAT THE MANY MISTAKES AND MISDEEDS OF THE PAST COULD SOMEHOW BE RECTIFIED, SOMEHOW UNDONE AND SET STRAIGHT..THE ABILITY TO UNDO PAST WRONGS IS BEYOND OUR REACH, SO WE DO OUR BEST TO ‘MAKE UP FOR IT’ THE BEST WE CAN..AND WITH A BIT OF LUCK, HOPEFULLY ALL ENDS WELL..

THE NOVEL “THE TIME MACHINE” BY H.G.WELLS GAVE BIRTH TO A NEW GENRE OF SCIENCE FICTION AND INSPIRED MANY AUTHORS TO EXPLORE THE MYRIAD POSSIBILITIES AND PARADOXES LURKING WITHIN THAT NEBULOUS DIMENSION WHICH CARRIES US IN IT’S GRASP..WHILE SOME OF US WERE CONTENT TO CREATE ADVENTURES AND FANTASIES WITHIN THE TIME TRAVEL REALM, ONE SAW FIT TO RISE ABOVE THE WORLD OF FICTION AND SET OUT ON A JOURNEY TO CREATE AN ACTUAL TIME MACHINE AND MAKE TIME TRAVEL A REALITY..       

ON SATURDAY MAY 21 AT THE CONNECTICUT BOOK FESTIVAL, I HAD THE PLEASURE OF MEETING PROFESSOR RONALD MALLETT AND LISTENING TO A MINI PRESENTATION IN WHICH HE BRIEFLY OUTLINED HIS CONCEPTS AND THEORIES REGARDING THE CREATION OF A TIME MACHINE..MY ONLY COMPLAINT BEING THAT HIS LECTURE WAS LIMITED TO ONE BRIEF HOUR DUE TO THE NUMBER OF AUTHORS WHO HAD BEEN SLATED TO ADDRESS THEIR RESPECTIVE AUDIENCES..I WAS GRANTED THE PRIVILEGE OF HAVING ONE OF MY QUESTIONS ANSWERED BY HIM BUT I COULD EASILY HAVE KEPT HIM OCCUPIED FOR MANY HOURS WITH IDEAS AND PARADOXES THAT HAVE PLAGUED MY MIND IN REGARDS TO TIME TRAVEL..

DR. MALLETT WAS BORN IN PENNSYLVANIA IN MARCH OF 1945, THEN MOVED TO THE BRONX NYC WHERE HE ENJOYED A PLEASANT CHILDHOOD UNTIL THE AGE OF TEN, WHEN THE DEATH OF HIS FATHER (AGE 33) THREW A DARK VEIL OVER HIS OUTLOOK ON LIFE..I HESITATE TO GO INTO SPECIFICS ABOUT THESE DARK YEARS, DR. MALLETT COVERS THAT PERIOD OF TIME WITH VERY TOUCHING DETAIL IN HIS BOOK—‘’TIME TRAVELER’’..HOWEVER, IT WAS DURING THAT UNHAPPY TIME IN HIS LIFE WHEN HE WAS INSPIRED BY H.G.WELLS STORY—‘’THE TIME MACHINE.’’  AT THAT YOUNG AGE HE DECIDED THAT HE WOULD BUILD A TIME MACHINE AND RETURN IN TIME TO WARN HIS FATHER OF HIS IMPENDING DEATH..AND AWAY HE WENT..HIS BOOK IS WELL WORTH READING (I HAVE TWO SIGNED COPIES) AND HIS WAY OF EXPLAINING THINGS MAKES COMPLEX MATTERS EASY TO UNDERSTAND..IS THIS POST A PLUG FOR HIS BOOK?  KIND OF, IF YOU ENJOY READING ABOUT TIME TRAVEL THEORY THIS IS TOP NOTCH AND SERIOUS  STUFF.. 

                                                  (A QUICK PLUG FOR MY BOOK IS COMING UP)

SINCE 1975 HE HAS TAUGHT PHYSICS AT THE UNIVERSITY OF CONNECTICUT. HIS PRIMARY FIELDS OF RESEARCH :: BLACK HOLES-GENERAL RELATIVITY & GRAVITATION-QUANTUM COSMOLOGY-RELATIVISTIC ASTROPHYSICS AND OF COURSE –TIME TRAVEL..HE HAS BEEN FEATURED ON --NPR- HISTORY CHANNEL-SCIENCE CHANNEL-DISCOVERY CHANNEL- GOOD MORNING AMERICA-TODAY SHOW AND MANY MORE AS WELL AS NUMEROUS PERIODICALS..AWARDS AND CITATIONS-FAR TOO MANY TO LIST IN THIS POST..

IF YOU DO DECIDE TO READ ‘TIME TRAVELER’ I FEEL OBLIGATED TO TELL YOU IT IS NOT AN ADVENTURE STORY THAT TAKES PLACE IN THE PAST OR FUTURE. IT IS A MIXTURE OF SOME PRETTY INTENSE SCIENCE AND THEORY THAT BLENDS WELL WITH DR. MALLETT’S AUTOBIOGRAPHY..AN INTERESTING READ ABOUT AN INCREDIBLY INTELLIGENT AND INTERESTING MAN WHO HAS SEEN FIT TO SHARE WITH US HIS FANTASTIC VISIONS ABOUT TIME TRAVEL..A GOOD BOOK FOR THE BEACH AS WELL AS A RAINY DAY..

WILL DR. MALLETT SUCCEED? 

AS MR. WELLS WROTE “ONE CANNOT CHOOSE BUT WONDER.”

 MY PERSONAL OPINION IS NO..PERHAPS OTHER THAN SENDING A SUB-ATOMIC PARTICLE INTO THE VERY RECENT PAST OR THE VERY NEAR FUTURE, I DON’T BELIEVE WE WILL EVER KNOW TIME TRAVEL AS H.G. WELLS PRESENTED IT..HOWEVER, IF SOMEONE HAD TOLD COLUMBUS THAT ONE DAY GREAT SHIPS WOULD FLY ACROSS THE SKY CARRYING HUNDREDS OF PEOPLE ACROSS THE OCEAN IN JUST A MATTER OF HOURS, COLUMBUS WOULD HAVE ORDERED HIS SAILORS TO TIE THE MAD MAN UP AND CONFINE HIM BEFORE HE HURT HIMSELF OR OTHERS..AND YET THAT SCENARIO AND MANY OTHERS THAT WERE ONCE IN THE REALM OF FICTION HAVE INDEED BECOME REALITY, EVEN COMMON EVERYDAY OCCURRENCES.

IN SPITE OF THE MANY OBSTACLES AND UNKNOWABLE DIFFICULTIES THAT TIME TRAVEL PRESENTS AND MY OWN DOUBTS ABOUT ITS POSSIBILITIES--I WOULD NOT BET AGAINST A MAN LIKE DR. RONALD MALLETT..   

(for greater detail-click on photos)

PROFESSOR RONALD MALLETT EXPLAINS TIME-SPACE AND GRAVITY OVERLAP

TIME TRAVEL EXPLAINED AS ONLY DR. MALLETT COULD

"ONE COPY TO READ AND ONE TO PUT AWAY-THANK YOU DR MALLETT



MY BOOK -INSPIRED BY H.G. WELLS-TIME MACHINE



THE STORY THAT INSPIRED PROFESSOR MALLETT AS A CHILD

• ALL THREE BOOKS MENTIONED ARE AVAILABLE AT AMAZON--TO LEARN MORE ABOUT PROFESSOR MALLETT GOOGLE UP HIS NAME --AND BE SURE TO CHECK OUT HIS HOME PAGE..
•  HEALTH AND HAPPINESS TO ALL -SO LONG UNTIL NEXT WEEK
• (DR. MALLETT-IF YOU GET TO NEXT WEEK BEFORE THE REST OF US--WAIT UP)