CRUISEN--AND SOME NICE MACHINES

                                                                     

WELL LIKE I MENTIONED IN MY LAST POST, I WAS REALLY DOWNED OUT OVER THE LACK OF VETERAN RESPONSES TO OUR 93 YEAR OLD LADY FEATURED IN THE POST ‘WARRIORS-COMFORT FOR THE WOUNDED.’ SINCE THAT POST WENT UP I AM GLAD TO REPORT THAT SHE HAS RECEIVED A DEGREE OF RECOGNITION FROM AS FAR AWAY AS AUSTRALIA (MANY THANKS TO YOU ROSE)..SHE WAS MOVED TO TEARS..ALSO SIX BRAND NEW SHEETS WERE GIVEN TO MY MOM TO FORWARD TO THE WONDERFUL WOMAN..A UNEXPECTED $51.00 DONATION CAME IN, WHICH I HAVE YET TO FORWARD TO HER..

ON SUNDAY THE 22^ND I DID ABOUT 200 MILES ON THE BIKE AND IN THE COURSE OF MY AIMLESS WANDERING, I NATURALLY STOPPED BY THE GOOD OLD BARKHAMPSTED RESERVOIR..TO SAY IT WAS A BEAUTIFUL DAY WOULD BE A GROSS UNDERSTATEMENT..GOT REAL LUCKY WHILE I WAS THERE..GOT TO SEE A BLACK BEAR HUNTING AROUND AT THE BOTTOM OF A SPILLWAY-NO PICTURE, THEN EVERYONE GOT REAL EXCITED WHEN AN EAGLE CAME SOARING OVER ONE OF THE HILLTOPS..I’VE SEEN THEM BEFORE BUT THIS ONE SOARED THEN KIND OF JUST HUNG IN THE SKY.. BY THE TIME I GOT BACK TO THE BIKE AND GOT MY CAMERA HE HAD LIFTED HIGHER AND TOWARDS THE SUN..TRIED TO PICK HIM UP IN THE ZOOM BUT I JUST COULDN’T GET A GOOD PHOTO OF HIM..

LOTS OF FOLKS OUT THERE (OF COURSE A LOT OF BIKES) BUT ALONG WITH THE BIKER CROWD, THERE WAS A NUMBER OF OLD CAR FANATICS OUT ENJOYING THE DAY ALSO..I WASN’T MUCH IN THE MOOD TO TALK TO ANYONE (JUST WANTED TO GET BACK ON THE BIKE) SO I SNAPPED A FEW PHOTOS AND WAS ON MY WAY..

PRETTY COOL CARS (AS FAR AS CARS GO)..NOT THE KIND OF MACHINES YOU SEE EVERYDAY SO FIGURED I’D JUST SHARE THEM WITH YOU..GOTTA APPRECIATE THE EFFORT AND DEDICATION THAT THESE FOLKS PUT INTO THEIR AUTOS..HOPE YOU ENJOY..

TILL NEXT WEEK (MAYBE)

****************************************JIM****************************************** 

P.S.--CLICK ON PHOTOS TO ENLARGE AND REALLY GET A GOOD LOOK AT THESE MACHINES..

THINGS--EXPECTATIONS & DISAPPOINTMENTS

BACK IN FEBRUARY I DID A STORY ABOUT A TERRIFIC MAN I HAD THE PLEASURE TO HAVE MET..HE GAVE ME DOWN TO EARTH ADVISE AND PRESENTED ME WITH DIFFERENT WAYS OF LOOKING AT THINGS..YOU CAN CHECK OUT THE POST ON HERVE IN THE FEB ARCHIVES..(HERVE’S FARM).

ONE OF THE MANY THINGS HE SAID WAS SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF ‘DON’T EXPECT TOO MUCH FROM LIFE OR PEOPLE BECAUSE YOU’LL END UP DISAPPOINTED.’ WELL THAT IS SOMETHING I HAVE ALWAYS TRIED TO LIVE BY..BUT THAT MUCH BEING SAID, WITH SOME THINGS YOU JUST HAVE TO HAVE EXPECTATIONS--SORT OF THE ‘CAUSE AND EFFECT’ PRINCIPLE..SOME THINGS JUST GO TOGETHER—ICE CREAM=COLD AND DELICIOUS—SUGAR=SWEET—FIRE=HOT—ICE=COLD, YOU GET THE IDEA..STICK WITH ME AWHILE NOW..

THIS MONSTER BELONGS TO ONE HECK OF A MAN.
72 YEARS OLD - A REAL ONE OF A KIND GUY THAT I HOPE TO INTRODUCE TO YOU
"DOWN THE ROAD"

MANY OF THE BLOGS I READ SEEM TO BE OF AN ALMOST PERSONAL NATURE, (I DID THIS—I WENT THERE—I SAW THAT ETC.ETC.) NOTHING WRONG WITH THAT, A LOT OF MY POSTS ARE EXACTLY THE SAME FORMAT..I DO HOWEVER TRY TO BRING OTHER PEOPLES’ LIVES AND STORIES TO MY BLOG..SOMETIMES IT’S KIND OF HARD, SOMETIMES IT SEEMS IMPOSSIBLE..BACK IN MAY I DID A POST ON A WONDERFUL 93 YEAR OLD WOMAN WHO SPENDS HER OWN MONEY AND TIME MAKING AFGANS FOR OUR WOUNDED SOLDERS..(MAY ARCHIVES-COMFORT FOR THE WOUNDED)...NOW BACK TO THE TITLE OF THIS POST ‘EXPECTATIONS AND DISAPPOINTMENTS.’ OUT OF THE HUNDREDS OF READERS WHO READ THE STORY ABOUT HER ONLY TWO SAW FIT TO COMMENT ON THIS WONDERFUL WOMAN’S EFFORTS..ONE WAS A BLOGGER FROM AUSTRALIA (ROSE FROM OZ IS BACK) AND THE OTHER WAS ANOTHER BLOGGER WHO WAS NOT EVEN A VETERAN (PIGZSFLY’S WORLD).

EXPECTATIONS ? MINE WERE TO BE ABLE TO TELL THIS ANGEL OF A WOMAN ABOUT ALL THE VETERANS WHO WERE MOVED AND THANKFUL TO HER FOR HER SELFLESS DEVOTION TO OUR WOUNDED SOLDIERS…

DISAPPOINTMENTS ? NOT ONE VET SAW FIT TO POST A COMMENT OR A WORD OF THANKS..I GAVE IT A FEW WEEKS BUT THOSE TWO COMMENTS WERE THE ONLY ONES I COULD TELL HER ABOUT..WOW!!

JUST THOUGHT THIS LITTLE FELLOW WAS SO BEAUTIFUL AND DELICATE
HAD TO TAKE HIS PHOTO

KIND OF ROCKED ME A BIT..PUT A BAD FEEL ON ME—A MAJOR NEGATIVE WAVE..BROUGHT BACK AN OLD BOOT-CAMP MEMORY..THE DRILL INSTRUCTOR, STANDING IN WHAT WAS CALLED A ‘SCHOOL CIRCLE’ HOLDING UP A M-14 RIFLE AND SAYING SOMETHING TO THE EFFECT OF—‘THIS IS THE ONLY THING YOU CAN COUNT ON..IF YOU TAKE CARE OF IT-IT WILL TAKE CARE OF YOU..UNLIKE PEOPLE, IT WILL NEVER LET YOU DOWN, YOU KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT FROM IT WHEN YOU PICK IT UP TO USE IT. ’

GOT TO ADMIT IT, THE LACK OF ANY VETERAN RESPONSES TOOK THE WIND OUT OF MY SAILS…THEN TO SEE THE DISAPPOINTMENT ON THIS WONDERFUL WOMAN’S FACE BOTHERED ME EVEN MORE..JUST MAYBE NEED A BREAK FROM THE BLOG SCENE FOR AWHILE—DO SOME FISHING, SOME RIDING..GOING TO VANISH FROM THIS BLOG FOR A SMALL WHILE..SEE YOU FURTHER ON DOWN THE ROAD…

THIS HANDSOME GUY LIVES IN OUR BACK YARD

TO YOU READERS WHO HAVE BOUGHT MY BOOK-THANKS SO MUCH FOR YOUR SUPPORT AND YES, I AM WORKING ON ANOTHER BOOK THAT TIES IN WITH “EPILOGUE: TIME MACHINE CHRONICLES” GONNA DEVOTE A BIT OF TIME TO THAT…UNTIL WE MEET AGAIN-HOPE ALL GOES WELL AND STAYS WELL FOR YOU AND YOURS..

                                                                                          JIM