PLACES--MIDDLETOWN--MOTORCYCLE RALLY



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 THE FIRST WEEK OF AUGUST HAS BEEN A TRICKY ONE FOR ME..WRESTLED WITH SOME WILD GRAPE VINES THAT SEEMED DETERMINED TO OVERPOWER THE CEDAR TREES THAT SERVE AS A BORDER TO OUR YARD,,THEN HAD TO BEAT BACK A PARTICULARLY NASTY CLUMP OF A PLANT THAT I CALL 'DEVILS WEED'. IT'S THORNS ARE SHAPED LIKE SNAKES TEETH AND I WOULD SWEAR IT HAS A MALIGNANT INTELLIGENCE..WHEN CUT  IT ACTS AS IF IT'S SPRING LOADED AND INVARIABLY THOSE THORNS WRAP  AROUND YOUR ARMS, LEGS OR ANY OTHER BODY PART WITHIN REACH..JEANS DO NOT OFFER PROTECTION AND EVEN LEATHER WORK GLOVES WILL NOT GIVE ME 100% PROTECTION AGAINST THAT UNPLEASANT MASS OF VEGETATION..IT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT I HAVE SHED BLOOD EVERY TIME I HAVE PRUNED THAT UNHOLY MONSTROSITY BACK TO A SOMEWHAT ATTRACTIVE GREEN WALL OF SORTS.

WITH THE FRONT LINE OF GRAPE VINES AND DEVIL WEED BEATEN BACK (FOR NOW) MY NEXT WEAPON AGAINST THE UNRELENTING FORCES OF NATURE,WAS THE WEED WHACKER..WE HAVE A VERY LARGE YARD AND IT IS NOT AN EXAGGERATION TO SAY THAT I SPEND MORE TIME WITH THE WEED WHACKER THAN MOST PEOPLE DO MOWING THEIR ENTIRE LAWN..FINALLY CAME THE EASY PART--STARTING THE LAWN TRACTOR AND WRAPPING THINGS UP..WELL, AFTER FINISHING ABOUT THREE QUARTERS OF THE YARD A BELT SLIPPED A PULLEY AND DERAILED MY PROGRESS..WHAT SEEMED TO BE AN EASY FIX TURNED INTO A NIGHT MARE AND BY SATURDAY AFTERNOON I WAS IN THE EMERGENCY ROOM WITH SEVERE BACK PAIN AND MUSCLE SPASMS..SO BETWEEN SPIKES OF PAIN THAT LEFT ME BREATHLESS AND LIGHTHEADED, A RECURRING THOUGHT KEPT COMING TO MIND--"MAN, I HOPE I CAN MAKE THE MIDDLETOWN MOTORCYCLE RALLY.."



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AFTER MISSING A DAY AND A HALF FROM WORK AND SOME SERIOUS PAIN MEDS AND MUSCLE RELAXERS THE 10th OF THE MONTH ROLLED IN..I CUT EACH OF MY MEDS IN HALF, WASHED THEM DOWN WITH A CUP OF COFFEE, MET UP WITH SOME FRIENDS, AND AWAY WE WENT..THE RALLY BENEFITS A FEW COMMUNITY ORGANISATIONS AND IS JUST A GREAT TIME--LOTS OF FRIENDS-MUSIC-CHOW-MERCHANDISE-EVEN RAFFLE TICKETS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COUPLE OF SWEET BIKES..KIND OF IMPOSSIBLE TO PUT ALL THE PICTURES THAT I TOOK OF SOME OF THE MORE EXOTIC SCOOTERS INTO THIS ONE POST, SO WHAT I'M GOING TO DO IS PUT ONE OR TWO PHOTOS IN THE UPCOMING POSTS..SOME OF THESE BIKES COST MORE THAN A HOUSE DID IN THE LATE SEVENTIES AND EARLY EIGHTIES-REAL BEAUTIES..BUT FIRST A COUPLE PICTURES OF THE CROWDS AND ALL THE IRON HORSES-CHECK IT OUT...

FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT HAVE BEEN READING MY BLOG ON A REGULAR BASIS YOU MAY RECOGNISE THE PINK HARLEY FROM AN EARLIER POST I DID ON AN ALL FEMALE MOTORCYCLE CLUB CALLED 'CONNECTICUT WOMEN IN SEARCH OF A CURE'..REALLY AN AWESOME GROUP OF WOMEN..TAKE AN EXTRA FEW MINUTES TO LOOK UP THE BLOG ABOUT THEM AND MEET SOME OF THE MEMBERS.DEBBI "KILLER" HENNINGER IS THE PRESIDENT OF THE CLUB AND THE OWNER OF THE ONE OF A KIND 'STANDS OUT IN THE CROWD' PINK HARLEY..SOME GREAT GIRLS!!! 

FOR ANY BIKER THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO SPEND A FEW HOURS..LOTS OF WELL KNOWN CLUBS WERE PRESENT AND MY PICS CANNOT GIVE A FAIR REPRESENTATION OF ALL THE PEOPLE AND BIKES THAT WERE PRESENT..OLD-YOUNG-WHEELCHAIRS-CRUTCHES-EVERYBODY JUST HAVING A GREAT TIME ADMIRING THE BIKES AND MEETING ONE ANOTHER...



IF ALL THESE BIKES WERE TURNED TO CASH
IT WOULD PROBABLY CUT THE NATIONAL
DEFICIT IN HALF

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WELL-SOMEONE HAS TO KEEP THE PEACE

REALLY--CLICK ON THE PHOTOS--THE ART WORK IS UNREAL AND THERE WILL BE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS RALLY IN WEEKS TO COME--REMEMBER TO CHECK OUT THE EARLIER BLOG ABOUT 'CT. WOMEN LOOKING FOR A CURE' THEIR POST IS IN THE JULY ARCHIVES

SEE YOU NEXT WEEK

***JIM***