Friday afternoon bike photo.

This is a special edition addition to the post. I'm not sure what he's referring to, but here is an excerpt from a comment by Bobskoot on the last scanning post.

"Just like clockwork, another Friday afternoon post without a bike in sight, just like Conch and his kennel. That's my new term for Cage and I rather like it."

There are two things I'm not sure about. Is he putting me down? Secondly, why should I care? ( to my Canadian friend, please rest assured this question and post are laid out with loving humor, a lot of respect for you, and tongue planted firmly in cheek! )

However, just to show that I can be gracious to a resident of the country that defeated the U.S. in Olympic hockey, I will humor him. Perhaps he thinks that the absence of a photo also means no riding happened today. Who knows? Bottom line: Out of honor and respect, Bobskoot, I present you with a photo from this afternoon. Trying to get some errands done between rain showers.

I quickly ran the photo through some post processing. Due to the rush I made a small mistake. Actually, an editing option got away from me and I didn't know how to bring it back gracefully. Something got included in an edit that shouldn't have been. I'm sure Bobskoot or Chuck will quickly pick up on it. Maybe even provide some useful feedback.

Hope you enjoyed the present, Bobskoot!

Whoa! How did that photo get in here?

Miles and smiles,

Dan

The bottom line.

I was looking through old blog posts for something. Back before I started adding labels. I came across a photo I had posted a long time ago. It caught my eye for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it's funny. The joke is that this is what I tell my motorcycle students in class when we talk about scanning and taking nothing for granted. I tell them I have my tombstone all picked out.

Secondly, it just seems a fitting cap to the recent series about scanning. Call it a summation of why we should care. It all has to boil down to some sort of bottom line, after all.

Some of the long time readers ( and believe me, I really, really, appreciate you! ) will have seen this before. For most it will be new. Without further ado, I present to you my tombstone.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Reading the river.

We've been discussing our scanning techniques and strategies. Since this is such a vital way we gather critical information while riding, it behooves us to get really, really, good at it. Better yet, let's set the dial to "excellent"!

I have a good friend who has been an avid fisherman all his life. This guy can read a stream like nobody I've ever known. Where most folks will simply throw a line into a likely looking spot, my friend studies the water. He'll tell me to work a certain pocket with a dry fly. He tells me to drop the fly in above the pool and let it drift to a certain spot. Following his advice has led to several good sized fish. I'm amazed, but my friend tells me it's simple.

Big fish need a lot of food. They can't afford to spend a lot of energy chasing it. So they find comfortable places to wait for food to come to them. The place he picked out for me is one where the landscape provides both the resting place and the food supply. It's the natural flow of things. Once in a while we'll come across some special event that doesn't fit the normal patterns. Things like Mayfly hatches. These hatches bring a feeding frenzy where the usual flow is out the window. New tactics are in order.

I've often related riding a motorcycle to running a river. A rider needs to pay attention to the flow, the currents, and the rapids. Reading the water reveals to us where we should ride and how we should go about it.

Which brings us to Level 4 scanning skills. There's things we can see. There's a plan of attack to see these things as soon as possible. On a higher plane, there's things we should be feeling and sensing, as well. Based on our knowledge and experience, there are situations and areas that should put us on higher alert. We should be using our intuition, our eyes, and our knowledge of where we're riding to find those disturbances in the normal flow.

Bluekat alluded to this in a comment she left on the last scanning post. Here's an excerpt:

"I'm always watching for all the usual suspects and anything out of place. Sometimes it's just an odd sensation that someone is going to do something unexpected, so be ready for it. "

She's right about looking for something out of place. Fortunately, there are some things we can add to our arsenal so we're not left to rely solely on our intuition.

Eric Trow writes a column for Rider Magazine. In the February issue he talks about knowing what other drivers are going to do before they even know it themselves. No, it's not magic. It's called paying attention. Besides paying attention to other drivers, we also need to pay attention to the environment we're riding in. Specifically, to how the area we're in affects the flow. What will that change in flow mean to our personal vessel? So let's explore this last phase of scanning.

Since this blog ( with the exception of Ryan photos ) is primarily about commuting to work on a motorcycle, I'm going to relate it to that. Just bear in mind that these principles apply whether it's a familiar route or a new one, and to those riding for recreation instead of commuting. In the list of things to scan for, add one more item. Look for where we are, as well as for who is around us.

Here's traffic flow in a big city. It's a route we ride every day. We see the same fellow commuters in their cars. The same people on the same route every day. As mind numbing as it is sometimes, the daily commute is also a sort of comforting routine. Everybody is used to the route and they become a part of the regular flow.

Some things disturb the flow as isolated incidents. Take these examples.

Delivery trucks block traffic and cause temporary ripples in the current. They're a part of the routine but at the same time they introduce random elements. Like this one.

For whatever reason, this truck driver ended up blocking the crosswalk and the right lane of the street to my left during the green light cycle. Drivers were doing strange things to get around it and pedestrians were doing their own strange things. Either way, it's still an isolated, random, incident. Here's another random incident.

Again, the parked ambulance is causing eddies in the flow of traffic. Let's use the ambulance to start the journey into going up a level with our information gathering skills. Or maybe I should say in our being prepared to gather information in the first place.

Back up a step and take a look at a building we ride by every day. Most of the time it's quiet and we don't pay much attention to it.

Truth be told, it's much better for everybody if this place stays quiet, too. However, the reality of the world says the potential is in place for a dramatic event. Not only will we have to accomodate the emergency vehicles themselves, but the reactions of other drivers doing the same thing. What the other drivers do will often make no sense to an intelligent person, either.

Not only do we hunt down the random event, but we go even further. Knowing we are riding through an area where an event could possibly occur should have us on a heightened alert level in the first place even if no such event is happening at the moment. It's like the deep pool in the stream where the big fish are lying in wait for prey. The less favorable side of the picture would be to remain oblivious to the fact that we ride by a fire station every day and be suddenly surprised by an emergency vehicle headed to a call. This is an example of a critical event not actually seen, but we sure know the possibility exists so we prepare. Just in case. One more step ahead of the game, so to speak.

A busy transit mall downtown.

The usual suspects to look out for. Buses coming and going on schedule. We just don't know what those schedules are, usually.

Police cars and pedestrians. Both a source of sudden and unexpected random incidents. Put a whole bunch of people getting on or off buses en masse, and who knows what will happen. If we believe everybody will stay in the crosswalk and wait for the lights, well.................... "All hands, this is Captain Kirk, Yellow Alert, I repeat, Yellow Alert! "

Some places attract a lot of drivers to them. Here's an example.

Cool reflection, isn't it? Don't forget that on the other side of those windows are hundreds of people who work for a very large medical insurance company. Speaking of which, those mirrored windows only mean we can't see inside, not the other way around. So don't stand and use the mirror for any sort of, uh, personal grooming stuff. The workers arrive at and depart from the building in bunches. Usually from a single spot like this.

Certain times of day will see a lot of traffic streaming into and out of the parking structure. It's not a reason to let our guard down, but a lot of these folks are part of the routine stream flow. They drive to and from the same place every day over the same route. Other places attract crowds of people that aren't a regular part of the flow.

This theater draws crowds from all over. Depending on the particular performance, it will also draw different types of crowds. Now we really have the random incident factor working overtime. People not familiar with the area, drivers running late and taking a bit of extra risk to arrive on time, and cars circling the block like sharks to find parking are just a few of the things we'll encounter.

Here's another type of place just a few blocks away.

A conference center will bring in all kinds of people from all over. In large numbers. With most of them driving. Most of them in an irrational manner.

These are just a few of the kinds of areas we find ourselves riding through. Rural roads can mean farm equipment could be on the road just around that corner. Housing developments on the edge of town mean the possibility of soccer moms and mini-vans. The list goes on and on.

So what's the takeaway?

Actively hunt for critical information. Don't be like the big fish waiting for things to come to you. You probably won't like some of the things that drift your way. Have a plan, a strategy, in place for being an active predator. Instead of being passive, go on the hunt. An effective scan should be done aggresively, and with purpose. Take things further by listening to our inner voice. If it's whispering in our ear, listen to it and act accordingly. Call it a hunch or an intuition, but it's our brain telling us it's noticed something me might not have consciously realized, yet.

Pay attention to what's around us in another way, too. Read the river. Be aware of how the the layout of the land around us can affect the water flow. Better to be prepared ahead of time for the potential of rough water than to be caught by surprise. The more skilled we get at reading the river, the smoother our ride will be. I love smooth sailing!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Rider training

I'm still working on the last scanning post in this little mini-series. Photos have been taken. A little post processing is waiting. Progress has been complicated by being summoned to the Mothership for a planning meeting. Yes, Elvira gets to go, too. I ask your indulgence. I'll finish it by the end of the week.

In the meantime, just to keep things fresh here, and to tide everyone over until I get back from Kirkland, I am putting up a quick post on rider training.

Those of us who have a passion for riding naturally want to share the fun with others. First and foremost we start with family members. If you have a great thing, share it with those you love, right?

Of course, the question comes up regarding how young is too young to start. Nothing like a solid foundation of dirt riding in those early years to make for more skilled street riders. It's also never too early to stress the importance of rider training and the proper attitudes.

Some kids are sitting on motorcycles before they can even walk. In my case it was horses, but there are a lot of similarities between steel steeds and flesh and blood ones. Except for the emissions part, that is. Even sitting on a bike takes a certain amount of muscle control. Especially those floppy neck muscles. So how do you start out a youngster who can't even sit up by themselves too well?

A simulator, of course! Nothing like a little radio controlled training to start developing manual dexterity and visual acuity. I'm not sure which of us couldn't wait, but we have started the journey together.

Come on, you're not snickering at Iron(Grand)dad again, are you? What's this, another excuse to sneak in a baby picture? Look, you, don't tell me this isn't motorcycle related. The motorcycle is right in the front of the frame. Plain as day. It's also about rider training. How much more legitimate can it be?

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Hunting for critical events.

So we were talking about planning to scan versus scanning with a plan. I've been thinking of a way to illustrate this. Strangely enough, I thought of a photographic example. Go figure.

Let's say we're attending an NFL football game with our camera and zoom lense. We want to make some photographs of special moments during the game. We've managed to secure a seat right next to the field and pretty much in the middle of the action. It's almost as if we are actually playing.

( By the way, the football photos are from the Vikings-Saints playoff game. I picked them off the NFL's website. I wanted to make sure and specify that these are not my photos and to give credit where credit is due. )

Our approach is to keep our eyes moving. We glance very briefly at the fans. Then the field. Then the refs. Then the cheerleaders. ( come on, keep your eyes moving, buddy! ) Our eyes are constantly in motion, never lingering for very long at one spot. There's no arguing the fact that we are aggressively and actively scanning, is there? However, are we effective in reaching our objective?

With our aggressive scanning we're positive that nothing will escape our notice. This might be a good time to step back and look again at our objective.

Our objective is to capture dramatic instances in time like the ones depicted in these photos. Those split second happenings that make or break a team's effort to win the game. Moments that make a critical difference between a positive or a negative outcome for a team. We could call these moments critical events.

So here's the question. Will our aggressive scanning by itself ensure that we capture these moments and achieve our objective? Are we going to be successful at noticing these critical events by means of our scanning method? Or is there a better way?

I used the word "notice" deliberately. To me, that word implies a degree of chance and probability. There are things in this world that I don't like to leave to chance. One of those things is my personal safety and well being. I admit that we just can't control some things. At the same time, there are many misfortunes blamed on chance that really could have been prevented. So how do we become more effective at scanning?

The adverb "aggressive" is certainly a fitting one for the act of scanning. Let's add another one. How about the adverb "purposeful"?

Going back to our photographic analogy, what was our purpose? Observe how I substituted the word purpose for "objective". Our purpose was to identify and photograph critical events in the game. With that in mind, how do we change our scanning to be both aggressive and purposeful?

Here is the meat and potatoes.

We alter our scanning pattern to prioritize on where these critical events will happen. Note the way I phrased that. "Where these critical events will happen".

In other words, they haven't happened yet, but we want to capture them when they do.

Based upon our knowledge of the game, we look first to critical points. A better way to phrase it would be to say that we are hunting for where critical events are likely to occur. The snap from center. A pass or hand-off from the quarterback. When the runner or receiver encounters players from the other team. And so on. We scan the places where we know critical events will happen. It involves knowledge and anticipation in order to be properly prepared for success.

This is a subtle, but extremely powerful, difference.

To go back and clarify a point, notice that I used the word "prioritize", not "fixate". What we might call "special moments" can happen anywhere on the playing field. Best not to be so concerned with looking some places that we ignore others. We're still scanning everywhere, keeping our eyes moving, but we've added purpose by prioritizing on where we know pertinent critical events will happen. I know there's a degree of repetition here. Let's just say I consider it "critical"!

Come with me, now, back to riding a motorcycle. Let's apply our analogy to the real point, which is surviving on the streets. Actually, I don't really like the word "survive". That somehow implies settling for just getting by. Being lucky to escape with our skins intact. How about using a term like "fully enjoying our ride because we're confident and comfortable"? Less is left up to chance and more comes under our direct control.

Rather than simply aggresively scanning everywhere with no particular strategy, we need to add the other adverb. Purposeful. Think about it. What's the purpose of our scanning?

Isn't it to hunt down and gather critical information as early as possible?

So you know where this is going, now, don't you? Keep up the aggressive scanning of everything around us, but prioritize on where the critical events that affect us will happen. Again, don't fixate. We use our knowledge of the kind of area we're riding in to first hunt down and identify those places where critical events will likely happen. Then we look elsewhere.

I spent some time riding around a big city and taking some photos of different traffic situations. Tough duty, but it was for you all. I sacrificed myself for your sakes! This is not meant to be an all-inclusive list. I would rather have everyone take away the general strategy to be applied to a variety of situations. As opposed to my covering every single contingency. That's the beauty and power of a strategy, after all. A strategy is an adpative and effective tool to be used in many situations as needed.

Simply take a look at some of these photos and think about how we would prioritize our scanning to be more effective at getting critical information early.

Some driveways we can see and some we can't. The ones we can't are actually more dangerous if we don't hunt them down.

Wow! Lots to look at! By the way, that's not my pickup. As you saw earlier, Elvira is in the parking lot behind me. Our aggressive scanning without a specific strategy probably netted us the Firestone Store and the tire rack. We're also probably trying to figure out how to pronounce the name of that restaurant on the other side of the tires. Isn't it getting close to lunchtime? Scanning with a purpose, prioritizing on finding where critical events will happen, has revealed both a hidden driveway and a hidden intersection. Even if we couldn't see the intersection, we look for clues like the overhead traffic lights and the break in the cement curbs alongside the street.

Typical downtown parking. As drivers back out they can barely see around the other cars. We have to ride right behind these people, you know. Look at the next two photos.

They don't show as clearly as I had hoped, but do you see the illuminated backup lights? Take a look at the parking position. The woman driver walked up to the van with the help of two canes. Here's the larger view. The small red pickup to her left might allow some visibility, but the larger gray pickup takes a lot of that away. Look to the right of the minivan.



Not only was the driver of the mini-van backing up, but the white pickup next to her was exiting, as well. Double trouble.

Like I said, this isn't at all meant to be an inclusive list. These are simply a few situations I recorded in a very short stretch of time. There are so many things to watch for that we need to be as effective as possible in taking care of ourselves out there.

To wrap it up, Level 1 scanning skills are comprised of not looking very far ahead of the bike.

Level 2 scanning skills mean looking farther ahead and even aggressively looking around but hoping to notice things instead of having a strategy for how to make the scanning more purposeful and effective.

Level 3 scanning skills mean being both aggressive and purposeful. Our purpose is to hunt down and identify where critical events will happen as early as possible. This early warning lets us make small adjustments that keep us smoothly underway and out of trouble. It might seem like a subtle change from Level 2 skills, but it is extremely important that we make this change.

Level 4? Yes, there is one. We can get yet another step ahead of the game. Keep scanning purposefully for the next post to see what this step is. I hope this post was of value to you. If so, you'll appreciate the next one even more. In the meantime, go hunt down those critical events!

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Filler photos

I will have the next scanning post up tomorrow. I had a hundred and two degree fever Wednesday night. As you can guess, I'm managing to work, but crashing at night. The boss was down and we had stuff to do. He was sick, too. I'm hoping we didn't make anybody else sick. I know there are those who say both of us should have been home in bed rather than spreading germs around. These days you do what you have to do. Some things are too hard to reschedule once postponed.

The boss went home Thursday night. I enjoy his company when he's here, which is about once a month. Friday found me well enough to ride for work after I coughed up a few hairballs. Today dawned sunny and clear so Katie and I went out and about on Elvira. Somehow we ended up at a cat show. Did you know they have those? Just like dog shows but a lot quieter.

Anyway, just wanted you to know why the blog has been quiet and the reason for the delay in putting up the second scanning post. Sorry to be a tease! Here's a photo from yesterday and a couple from the cat show today as a sort of peace offering. Or maybe as a distraction technique.

I had the G11 with me. We were inside a building. As you can imagine, the judges and the owners of the cats being judged don't appreciate flash photos! With the ISO cranked up to 800, the fastest shutter speed I could get was 1/25 of a second. I was far enough away that I didn't want to open the aperature wider than about f5.6. I was worried about keeping enough depth of field. Holding the camera still on my crossed leg was no problem. I love that tilt screen, by the way! The problem was that the cats were always moving. Getting a clear picture of the cats was tough, but a few came out.

This is a photo that Mike will appreciate. Friday was BMW day. Mike rides an RT as you know from reading his blog. Mike and I call on some of the same facilities. In this case, due to a redistribution of duties at the Community College, we are literally calling on the same person. Whom also rides an RT. Later on, I had lunch with a man from the Portland School District. Who also rides an RT. This guy was one of my ART students last summer, too. Hmmm, the FJR was on the road but I didn't see either of the BMW's.

Ok, ok. I'll just post the cat photos without comment. This is getting too long. It was supposed to be a quick filler.

I told you I like taking unusual photos! How about an alien cat? I guess they actually have hair, but it's like fine peach fuzz. The cat got best of breed, best of class, and will compete for best of show tomorrow. She's a Sphinx. In spite of her odd appearance, she was obviously grooving on being cuddled and petted like any other cat with more fur.

See you sometime tomorrow. I promise the next installment of the scanning post. We just got started with the first one. Come back to find out where it goes next.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Scanning strategies.

I'm amazed that many of the riders I talk to don't really have strategies for the various aspects of riding. I ask, for example, what their cornering strategy is. Most can't really tell me. They simply plan to make it through the curve. The same applies to scanning. They tell me that they plan to scan, or look around. That's as far as it seems to go. When I ask if they plan to scan, or to scan with a plan, I'm often met with a blank stare.

Scanning is a critical part of long term success in riding accident-free. I say long term because, in the short run, most riders get by with inferior mental skills. When I see a rider looking just a few feet ahead of the front tire, for instance, I know that strategy isn't going to work well forever. Probably not even for very long. There are bogies out there. A rider might go a long time without disaster. That can be due to a high skill level. It could also be a rider with poor skills who just hasn't fallen victim to the randomness of the world, yet.

Adverse situations happen on their own time schedule. I know a tactical survival trainer I take classes from here and there. One of his favorite lines, always delivered as a shout, is this:

"You can't make an appointment for an emergency!"

When an emergency presents itself a previously developed plan to deal with it is essential. That makes sense, right? Have a plan, just in case. If you talk with the real experts, though, they will tell you the rest of the story. The most effective way to deal with an emergency is to prevent it from happening in the first place. It's like the fire extinguisher in the kitchen.

I know how to use the thing properly should the need ever arise. I don't want to fumble with directions, reading labels, finding Pin A, or whatever, under the stress of a fire. When the time comes, I plan to know exactly where the fire extinguisher is, be able to take it in hand, then put the fire out with the minimum of fumbling.

Even using the fire extinguisher, it's possible that things will get so far out of hand so quickly that I will need to call the fire department. That would be bad. So I have a preferred plan, which is to do whatever I can to prevent a fire in the first place. Which is harder than it seems since I like to cook!

In other words, I'm fully trained to use the fire extinguisher but the plan is to never deploy it.

Riding is similar in that we need to have accident avoidance skills readily at hand. Which means practicing before we need them. Having expert physical skills is required. Think of those skills like the fire extinguisher for a minute. If we get into a situation where we need to use those skills, we are very close to the flames. We might quickly put out the fire. We might also find that the flames have surged and we need extra help. Like an ambulance crew. Again, that would be bad. Better to have stayed away from the flame, the heat, being in hot water, or whatever you want to call it in the first place. Physical skills by themselves aren't enough to accomplish that objective. We need expert mental skills to get there.

Thus we bring it back to scanning while riding. Scanning with a plan. A plan of attack. Find trouble before it finds us. Deal with it on our own terms. I don't know about you, but I'd rather look back on my trouble free riding and think I had something to do with it. I choose not to be a victim of circumstance. It would freak me out thinking I've survived so far simply because I haven't met a fast moving Buick with my name on it.

Having a scanning strategy is the difference between beginning skills and more advanced skills. Level 1 versus Level 2.

( When we're on two wheels, there's a lot out there to deal with. I collapsed the perspective with my zoom lense, but the guy on the bike looks to be in a tight spot, doesn't he? )

Again, the good news is that the length of time we've been riding isn't the main factor in our mental skill levels. Experience helps, as we've noted before. Mostly, though, it's a matter of mindset. Sound familiar?

Riding experience should be like sharpening a knife on a whetstone. We can grind the knife on the stone all day long. If we don't have the proper mental picture of what a sharpened edge should look like the experience of the knife on the stone doesn't help at all. Similarly, our mindset tells us what the "edge" we're looking for should be like. Then applied riding experience hones our skills into that shape. A lot of riders miss the initital mental picture.

Year after year they keep grinding away without ever getting that edge. You can start to see how a rider can ride for ten years but only have a year's experience repeated over and over. On the other hand, you can see how riders can be fairly new but still build progressive experience. It comes back to that mental focus. Strategies are like that knife edge. They give us that clear direction. That direction, in turn, organizes our efforts. It's the difference between following a blueprint and simply slapping boards together.



So much to see. Where to look? Stay tuned. We'll explore scanning strategies in more detail in the next post.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Not me!

Last night I was reading the current post on Troubadour's blog. There was a write-up and some photos celebrating the arrival of his and Trobairitz' new neice, Baby Faith. Nestled among the pictures and text was this little gem.

What is it with motorcycle blogs turning into photo blogs, turning into baby picture blogs? It seems I am following a certain blogging mentor.

While the birth of Baby Faith is a joyful and sacred event, and I wish the utmost happiness, peace, and love to the family, I do want to clarify one little thing in regards to my blog.

I just want to go on record to say that I would never let myself go down this road. This is first and foremost a motorcycle blog. You will only see motorcycle content. You will never see photos like this one here.

You may see photos of motorcycles, motorcycle riders, or examples of hazardous traffic situations. You may even see other pictures that may not exactly apply to a bike but do an effective job of illustrating whatever words of riding wisdom I am dispensing. Which is to say you will never see photos like this other one, either.

You may see other motorcycle blogs turn into photo blogs and then into baby picture blogs. That will never happen here. No, Sir! Not me!

Thank you for this opportunity to set the record straight.

Miles and smiles,

Dan

Scenes from a sunny Sunday.

I'm finding my calling in photography. Urban settings and unusual things catch my eye. Katie and I went for a short drive on Sunday. Sorry, no riding. The plan was to get a bite at a brewery. I have this really firm personal rule about not mixing riding and any sort of alcohol comsumption. That's just my thing. Effects of alcohol aside, I would be horrified to have one of my many students see me drinking a beer with my riding gear nearby.

We parked in downtown Corvallis and took a stroll along the river walkway. Here's a few things that caught my eye and the camera lense.

Look at twin smokestacks through the trees and imagine a fire breathing creature of sorts.

Hang out with your friends and show off your blue underwear. While you're at it, wear pants and shoes that make you look like a girl.

Become airborne when the trick works.

Get a little jogging in when the trick goes sour and you have to chase your board.

Admire the architecture and wonder why anyone would pay a half million dollars and up to live in one of these condos. River view or not.

Wonder why the name on this sign looks so familiar.

Take a photo of an interesting shadow and tree trunk combination that catches your eye. Just because you can.

Bone up on some skeletal anatomy. I hope he studies hard; he's performing surgery tomorrow! By the way, this guy was more than happy to have his photo taken. Getting some attention is probably the point of choosing this location.

If you're feeling artistic like Joe and Ashlee, you can cover a cement wall with chalked graffiti. The top of the wall has written upon it:

"Masterpiece by Joe and Ashlee, give all donations to the charity of your choice."

It's refreshing to see graffiti that's cheerful and positive for a change.

Do you remember the song that the verse below is from? It will date you!

Bee happy!

Ashlee has her own tropical island. I'm thinking Joe feels a bit left out, though.

I guess if you cry enough, somebody will give you "pity power" to make you shut up. I don't know if I'm ready to try that approach, yet. It would be unbecoming a Warrior, I think.

Of course, every tropical island needs a shark. I wonder if Joe wishes it would eat Ashlee? Or maybe the other way around if Ashlee gets too fed up with Joe's crying!

One could also play "hide the bike between a car and a bush". Not sure what is going on here. This is the kind of thing you'd see at an apartment complex. There's only a couple of motels nearby and I don't think they're the kind that rent rooms by the week. Probably not even by the hour. Oh well, somebody knows what's up. I'm just the reporter.

Hope your Sunday was enjoyable!

Miles and smiles,

Dan