Sixth and Cruise

Yesterday I rode my Harley “down” to my brother’s home between the South River and the West River near Annapolis, Maryland, our home state. Great ride with bright sunshine and little traffic. I kicked the Harley up to sixth gear, engaged the cruise control, put my Chippewa Firefighter boots up on the highway pegs, sat back comfortably against my backrest, and cruised for an hour. Soon enough, I had arrived.

My twin great nephews were having their first birthday party, and I enjoyed sharing their joy (and cake!) with them, their parents, and their grandparents (my brother being the granddad.)

Great “time out” for a Sunday. Back to work today… but joy and smiles from this visit will last a long time.

Life is short: show your family how you love them.

Protection From an E-Thief

I want to publicly thank a reader of this blog and viewer of my YouTube videos for contacting me recently to let me know about a nefarious ne’er-do-well who found a way to download one of my videos from my YouTube channel and upload it on her YouTube channel. That was bad enough, but that idiot also allows advertising on her videos, which generates income for her for each video view. Further, she superimposed a web link to some website that sells boots — probably because she receives a kickback on that, too.

E-thieves like that are among the lowest of the low on the Internet. They’re too lazy to create their own videos, so they steal others.
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Does A Choice of Clothing Dishonor a Wedding Couple?

I was reading replies to a “boots on line” post about — once again — what style of boots to wear to attend a wedding in a formal setting. I replied with my usual, “get over it; dress cowboy boots with a suit look fine; no one will notice or pay attention.”

There was one reply to the overall message, though, that caught my attention. It said, “a wedding in a hotel is likely to be more formal and it is nice to not dishonor the happy couple by dressing too informal for the setting of their wedding.”

The full context of the message from this person was that he has attended weddings in locations that were much more casual, and the wedding party and guests were dressed informally.

My opinion?
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Darwin Award Contenders

Readers of this blog know that I am a vocal advocate for wearing proper gear, including sturdy motorcycle boots and long pants, while operating a motorcycle. It’s just common sense. (And a DOT-approved helmet, too, even in states where helmets are not required by law.)

Following are two images that two readers have shared with me about the latest Darwin Award Contenders.

What’s a “Darwin Award?”
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How To Avoid Looking Like A Cowboy When Wearing Boots

This was a real question entered into a search engine and directed to this blog:
I have no idea why a guy from Kansas (a midwestern U.S. state known for cowboys) would ask this question, but I will give an answer (warning: these are the opinions of a guy who thinks the cowboy look is a good one!) Here are 12 rules for how to avoid looking like a cowboy when wearing boots:
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Justin Ain’t All American

This image demonstrates that the boot manufacturer that wraps itself in the American Flag as one of the main supporters of championship rodeo has “gone over” (as they say in Oklahoma) to what makes them money.

For those without much experience in interpreting the printing (or stamping) inside boot shafts, let me explain how Justin has joined many other well-known American bootmaker labels by having products made in China with low-wage labor and cheap materials.
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Partner Update

It has been a while since I have blogged about my partner’s long-term recovery from the consequences of contracting a disease from a tick bite. His illness has been extraordinarily challenging for him, and for me as his primary caregiver, best friend, confidant, and health care advocate.
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Friends and Safe Riders

I had the opportunity to lead a motorcycle ride for my club on Sunday. I was delightfully surprised by the large turn-out. 17 people and 14 bikes showed up. These rides are listed on a website, and people decide if they want to come as they have time and availability.

This was a great ride for me, and let me live up to a self-challenge. I admit, I have problems with…
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