She's Gone...

No more riding my own Harley. Daisy Deuce went to a new home yesterday.

We had a great ten years, but it was time for her to go where she'd be ridden

more often than she was with me. No more Teddy Bear Runs, no more ice cream

rides, no more trips to Hog Valley (there really is a place called Hog Valley in FL!).

At least not with me.

I have to admit I shed a tear when she left. I don't know why I thought she'd

be rolled onto a trailer and towed away. She's better than that. Her new owner

gave her the once over, handed me a tidy sum, and then threw a leg over her seat.

She started right up for him and before I could pat her on the fender, she was on

her way down the driveway. I didn't know I'd be so emotional when the time came.

  Have a good life, Daisy. We shared some great times and I really will miss you. Remember...keep the rubber side down and ride like the wind.

Tuesdays With Tag - I Wanna Ride...

Hi, Everybody!

I bet you're wonderin' why I'm wearin' my Harley hat today, aren't you?

This is a very special week, 'cuz I'm havin' a BIRTHDAY.

Mom told me that I can write more than one blog post to celebrate, too.

So, today, I wanna tell you about Mom's bike - that I really wanna ride - and

then I'm gonna come back on Thursday so we can celebrate me turnin' three

years old. I'm pretty excited about it, so it's gonna be a little hard to concentrate.

H-D 100th Anniversary '03 Deuce for sale on Ebay

  You probably saw Mom's bike before, but if you haven't, this is what she rides  when she and Dad roll out for a little sightseein' in Florida. She hasn't been able  to ride it for about a year ('cuz the doctors told her she couldn't ), so it's just been  sittin' in the garage where she starts it up or polishes it to keep it nice and pretty.   Well, I can't tell you how much I like the sound of Mom and Dad's bikes. I run  around like a maniac when they start 'em up! I really wish that Mom had a  special back seat or carrier for me so I could ride along with her every stinkin'  time she rides, but I always have to stay home. It's borrrinngg and highly unfair!   Then, she tells me that she's sellin' her beautiful Deuce. Wha? Are ya kiddin' me? Ya mean I'm never gonna get to ride on her Harley? BARK BARK BARK! (This is no April Fool's prank either. This is for real.)

BARK BARK BARK! That's how serious I am about his! I was hopin' for a sidecar for my Birthday this year...and my own helmet and doggles...and maybe chaps... Instead, she's  probably gonna get one of those stoopid carts to pull behind her bicycle when she exercises around our block. (I bet she'll even repeat "potato, potato, potato"  like the noise Harleys make, but it just won't be the same.) Oh, well. What's a guy to do? I know! I'm just gonna look on the bright side. More car rides for me!   So, I'm lookin' forward to Thursday when we'll actually have a celebration. I'm thinkin' cake and vanilla ice cream, more sweet potato rawhides and a toy or three... Maybe I'll have a real Birthday hat instead of my Harley one?   Mom said we're gonna have another giveaway, too! Wonder what that's gonna be? She won't tell me 'cuz she says I talk more than Duke from Bush's Beans.   Who? me? "Roll that be-u-tiful bean footage." Muahahahaha! I'll be back Thursday. 'til then... "Bark Like Ya Mean It."  (I sure will!) 

By The Light Of The Moon...

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Happy October, everyone!

Unless there were clouds in your skies this weekend, I know you saw the incredible Harvest Moon. It was large and bright here in south Florida, and the weather is starting to turn here, too. It's not as humid as it was all summer, and cooler evenings have us anxious to roll out the Harleys. Saturday was perfect for a dinner ride, so we backed the bikes out and went to a new local barbeque restaurant to give it a try. (It was great, by the way.)

Our Harleys l-r: Donna's Deuce and Handsome's Heritage Softtail Classic

No pictures of us in our jeans and favorite Harley shirts, but here are our bikes in the parking lot. As you can read from the caption, my Deuce is on the left and Handsome's Heritage Softtail Classic is on the right. People always stop him to tell him how much they like the colors of his bike...frequently they are women. Our joke is that he tells me, "It's ok, honey. I tell them my wife picked the colors." Uh, huh.

I've only been on my bike once since May, so it was nice to take our dinner ride. I'll be riding a lot more this winter, because I really miss it when I don't take the bike out.

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I think the most wonderful thing was that, as we rode home, that beautiful Harvest Moon rose over our shoulders to light our way home. I looked in the rear view mirror at our last turn before reaching our driveaway. What I saw were huge, fluffy storm clouds beneath that moon. I wished I could have captured it to share with you, but it's burned in my memory, and that's the next best thing.

I have lots planned for October. This week will start out slowly because I have another procedure (Phase II) tomorrow, but after I get over that, I'll be rarin' to go...more Farmer's Wife blocks, a lap quilt finish, working on the guild block and who knows what else? What do you have planned for October? Do tell!

Rolling Thunder and Feminine Pursuits...

I know. You can't even imagine this creative grandma on two wheels. It doesn't fit the image you have of me. I've tried to break it to you slowly, and I know it's difficult. So, I'm not going to show you a picture of me actually riding quite yet...or even sitting on my bike. I'll just stand next to it for your first image of me with my '03 Deuce. Next time, I'll show you one of me actually sitting on it!

On Monday, the weather was beautiful - even if it was a bit chilly - and I hadn't been on the bike in months! I was anxious to get out and ride again. Being the faithful blogger that I am, we had to commemorate my first ride of 2010 with a photograph. (Handsome took the photo, of course!)

Ok, so that's enough for now. Are you ok? Hope you'll be back to visit again tomorrow when I show you what I've been working on in the studio. Until then, I'll leave you with something to dream on...My newest issue of Jeanne d'Arc Living arrived from The Beautiful Life yesterday. It came wrapped in tissue paper with lengths of beautiful dove grey ribbon. Swoon-worthy. There, there. Feel better?

Get Your Motor Running...

Sunday was a beautiful day here in southern Florida. A perfect day for a motorcycle ride, in fact.

We rode out late Sunday morning for brunch in Sarasota and then enjoyed a leisurely ride home. We also stopped along the way to check out some toy haulers. All in all, our ride was about sixty miles round-trip.

When we got home, we parked the bikes in the shade so they could cool off, and I snapped this picture to show you what our bikes look like. Both of them are Harleys.

Mine is the bike in the foreground. It's a 2003 100th Anniversary Softtail Deuce. They quit making them this year, so I guess I may eventually end up with a "collector". I love this bike. Riding it's a ball!

Handsome's bike is the beauty in the background. It's a 2004 Heritage Softtail Classic with a custom paint job. He tells me that ladies frequently approach him to tell him they love the colors. He says that he always replies, "Thanks! My wife chose these colors." (Yeah, right, Honey!)

By the time we got back home, the temperature had risen into the high 80's or low 90's, so a dip in the pool was in order. We swam, floated, tossed a couple of retrieves so Kes could cool off, too, and then just hung out until we were both prune-y. That was the extent of our exertion today. Tough, right? Not at all. It was a thorough day of rest. Sometimes, you just need to do nothing.

Hope your Sunday was perfect, too!