Whirlwind

I've been neglecting the blog for a few days. It's possible that this will be the only post this week. You can go along in life doing your merry little personal dance and then, like a whirlwind, life picks up the pieces and puts them back down in an entirely different order.

Interesting things have been happening that I'm making notes on and filing away for posts here. If I hadn't been watching out for myself I could easily have been hit by three left turning cars. One guy was coming through an intersection and watching a girl with a, shall we say, interesting figure. Looking right while turning left. Katie and I rode to Salem on Tuesday night for dinner. I'll have to tell you some day about River Road. It's a road that you could almost call motorcycle heaven. Except for one thing. Where is this beautiful road? It's a commuter road between bedroom communities and Salem, the second largest city in Oregon.

Twice I started to roll the throttle to pass a car when they suddenly slammed on the brakes and decided to turn left. I always watch for clues and aborted the pass milliseconds after it started. Twice in one night.

During last weekend I was literally climbing walls and had this sudden illumination regarding motorcycle riding. I'll share it later. For now it will have to stay on the list for future reference.
Like I say, I've had all these ideas and then life has thrown in a couple of hits and a slam dunk.

The reason we rode to dinner was relaxation for Katie. During a physical the doctor noticed some things that weren't totally normal. You know how it goes. Medical people love to use their fancy machines and tests. In this day and age of "cover your ass" they assigned all kinds of tests. Some benign, some invasive and downright awkward for Katie. I've been with her and I'm afraid to say, slighty combative. It all just seems overboard when the medical folks forget they're dealing with a human being with feelings. One test leads to more tests as the doctor is trying to cover all the bases. It will probably turn out all right in the end but we won't know for a while and at least two more procedures. On top of all that we received a call yesterday.

Katie's brother's only son was killed in a fiery accident. He was 18 years old. I gave him his first street bike ride. It was a little after midnight on his way home from work and the police think he crossed the centerline. His Volkswagon Jetta hit an oncoming car head-on. The driver of the other car was also killed. My nephew's car burst into flames. His body was burned so badly that only DNA testing will confirm his identity. The kid didn't show up for work so that's another bad sign. Things are complicated by the fact that Katie's brother lives in Arizona, now. We will probably be heading down there next week. Katie's parents and sister live close to us so at least they have each other near. I'm sure Katie's brother and his wife are going through their own private hell.

All things will pass. We will be all right. This post isn't about us. I just wanted to share this for a couple of reasons. Postings might be sparse for just a bit. also, use it as a reminder to find the joy each day in life. Whether it's riding, a hobby, time for loved ones, or whatever, don't wait for "later". I'm not saying to be irresponsible since we don't know what tomorrow brings. None of us are guaranteed a certain number of days on this earth. "Later" might never come. Make the most of "Today".

Miles but not too many smiles today,

Dan