At a rest area.
Friday, May 10, 2013
Thursday, May 9, 2013
My very dear friend, Sharon.
I have been incredibly lucky in my life to know some amazing people. I just visited one of them, a friend I've not seen in about 10 years, maybe more. It has been a joy to reconnect in person.
And this morning, I found a treasure in my email inbox. It was a blog update of someone who holds a very warm and loving space in my heart. She was my closest friend for a very long time, but felt she had to stop contact so she could move on, emotionally. The rest of that story is hers to tell. In any case, I enjoy keeping in touch with those I care about, but I do it in ways that are perhaps not common; I am satisfied, usually, with just knowing something about their lives and if they are okay, Sharon was the exception, we actually did talk on the phone. I can usually satisfy this basic desire to keep in touch by use of the Internet, including Facebook. Some people, though, tend to keep a low profile and it is very hard to get information.
I have looked for news of my little friend many times over the past few years but have only found very small bits here and there: mainly that she had moved from the West Coast back to the town she had come from. And that she was continuing to teach yoga and do angel card readings. Well, I had subscribed to a blog that she used to keep and have gone back to it from time to time to seek updates, in vain. Today, I found her name in my inbox and so was able to get a little update. She had asked me not to contact her, and I have honored that wish. I plan to continue to do so, but I'm hoping that she is reading this blog and has done what she's needed to do because I truly miss my little friend.
So, Sharon Denny, if you read this, know that I still think of you often and would love to reconnect with you. I have often prayed that you would find what you seek and that every good thing the Universe has would be yours. If you are ready to reconnect, or to see if the friendship is still viable, please let me know. I'll be in town for a short time and seeing you would be a great joy for me.
I hope she reads this. We used to be so connected, spiritually/emotionally that if I thought she needed to do something, she'd get the message. Hope that is still in place. But... it will happen if it is the will of the Universe.
On the road again.
Left my friend, Yvonne's home a while ago. It was pleasant to reconnect with her again. The visit was interesting in many ways, not the least of which was the fact that she has just been offered a job at Walter Reed Hospital and so the decision of whether to take the job was a primary focus. I have no idea what her decision will be, but I wish her well and I'm sure we will stay in touch. There is more I could write, but she's a private woman so I don't feel comfortable writing about my time with her without discussion first.
The road is treating me well, thus far. The bike is moving along beautifully and it gave me 41mpg on the last fill up. The temperature is nice for riding with my heavy coat and there is only a small chance of rain.
A friend asked for pictures of this area but there isn't much to distinguish what I've seen from any other wooded state. The things that stand out here is buildings, which I'm not interested in, and war history. Again, something I'm not interested in. So, if something stands out, I'll take a picture.
Okay, more later. I need to put more miles behind me today.
Saturday, May 4, 2013
Virginia and DC
Hello all from the far East...US. It is beautiful here! Everything is in bloom, the trees have that new-Spring green and there are bushes literally covered with flowers. I'd tell you what they are, but I really don't care what they are.
The traffic here in Virginia is a trip! Speed limit says 55, but I think that that is the minimum speed. I might be doing 75 and have people passing me right and left and a line of cars on my tail...and that in on the side roads. When I get on the freeways, that's when things speed up! I have no idea what the buildings around me look like because I go by them so fast just trying to keep from being run over by the cars. The traffic in West Texas is slower and the speed limit there was 80 mph. And it may be illegal to text while driving, but every third car has a driver who is texting...especially when the traffic gets heaviest. Seems that the heavier the traffic, the more texting people need to get done. So let's just say that it is thrilling to drive in this area of the country.
The dancing is at a much higher level than I've grown used to. I can see where my own dancing suffers from disuse. I used to know a lot more than I remember. But before any of my past partners think too harshly of me or your own dancing, in my opinion, dancing at a high level is no more fun than dancing at an intermediate level. In fact, I think there is more time for spirit to spirit connection. It is fun, though, to brush up on my skills so that I can carry it on to those I teach.
I now have a new rear tire on my motorcycle. I had no idea how much tread the tire was supposed to have on it...but there is much more tread on this tire than what was on the old one. I needed one, even though there was still tread on the old one, because there was a nail embedded in it. For those who don't know this, motorcycle tires my bike uses are tubeless and with very stiff side walls so they don't tend to blow out. If they get a hole in them, they slowly deflate and the sidewalls are designed to hold the bike up. Now, it is still dangerous to get a flat on a bike, but abrupt flats are very rare. The front tire still has some tread left so I'm thinking that I'll wait a little longer before I replace it.
While I have been hanging around bike shops these last few days, I've had three different mechanics tell me that the knocking/ticking noise that I've been hearing from the engine area of the bike is just an exhaust leak. This confirms what three other people have told me in the past so I think I will stop being concerned about it. Sure, the bike is totally silent, but it is pretty darn quiet, and it runs strong. A beautiful machine! Again, Thank you so much for your gift, Guy Baker of Fontana, Ca. By the way, if you happen to be in the DC area and need motorcycle repair done, I think that I have found the best bike shop in the country: Brooks Motorcycle Repair in Chantilly, Va. Jason, the owner, is very friendly and professional. In fact, everyone there was friendly and professional. The one guy who changed my tire had to work about 75 minutes on my bike and they charged me $83 for the work. I don't know if that price was high or low, but the work, combined with watching such a well-run shop work, was worth the money. I don't feel slightest in the least. Quite the contrary, I am pleased to know that such service still exists!
I had to go to a town about 35 miles away to buy the tire. In the traffic around here, who needs to go to an amusement park?! I saw the tire online for $150 or so, the Motorcycle Factory wanted to sell it to me for $202, (down from $262) and when I asked them if that was the best price they could give me, they dropped it to $187. I was going to have them replace my old tire, but I would've had to wait and they were super-busy. I'm happy I went to Brooks, though.
My visit with my friend is going well. I think my presence might have become a bit stale to her, but then, that might just be my imagination. She has great decorating taste, in my opinion. Lots of reddish hues...and her Christmas tree is still up! Cool! Her kitty, Samantha, is finally starting to warm up to me. She apparently doesn't remember that we were once good friends a long time ago. However, my playing with her via laser dot and string is starting to win her over, I think. She has given me air-rubs twice in two days and is started to look pleased to see me...just before I leave.
I found an unexpected dance student here. I first met her last Saturday at a dance. I had noticed her before and thought she was very pretty so I was very pleased when she jumped in front of me with her beautiful, full smile and asked me to dance. Though she is new to dancing, she is a lot of fun to dance with. Since Iw as interested in seeing her again, I offered her a free dance lesson, but it turned out that she wanted the lessons, but my flirting techniques need work--I'm out of practice. So, she decided that she would rather pay me for my lessons than be the recipient of my romantic interest. That's fine...I'm not here for long anyway, but it was fun having that connection. AND, it is the first time I have ever been seriously attracted to a woman taller than I am: she's 6'1". The logistics of interacting with a woman several inches taller than me is very interesting on many levels. I've dated a couple women the same height as me before, but this stretched my experience. What joy! :-) It would've been fun to explore more with her. But, it is what it is, isn't it?
The plan, at the moment, is to leave Monday for the West Coast with a short stop in Ohio. Truth is, I'm not real sure why I need to stop in Ohio. My family is not a tight-knit family at all. At present, I don't have anyone there to stay with, though to be fair, I haven't actually asked anyone but one niece. I haven't heard back from her yet. Truth is, without my friends Judy (deceased) or Sharon (has chosen to let go of our active friendship so that she could move on), there isn't much reason to stop in Ohio. My son has no interest in seeing me and my dance friends have not shown any real interest in me over the years, but then, I haven't shown much interest in them, either, so I guess we get what we sow.
It seems that I am only interested in people once they let me into their "weird little world" and am not much for the superficial. If we aren't going to go deep, I don't see much sense in the conversation in part because, where is the heart-to-heart connection? Another aspect reason I tend to seek the depth of a person...and am so quick to share my depth, is due to my wandering nature. (My middle initial, combined with my last name, spells Wanders.) I'm not assured of being here very long, nor can I even fool myself into thinking that I'm going to be here long, so why waste time on the superficial? I can see the other side of that, though. Why even go deep? I can answer that one, though: I would like some intimacy. There isn't much intimacy in exchanging, "Hello. Nice day for a ride, isn't it?" or it's like.
I may have put this elsewhere in my blog, but I haven't even kissed a woman since July of last year. Well, not in a romantic way. Friendly pecks don't count as far as this is concerned.
Well, time to get ready to go dance.
The traffic here in Virginia is a trip! Speed limit says 55, but I think that that is the minimum speed. I might be doing 75 and have people passing me right and left and a line of cars on my tail...and that in on the side roads. When I get on the freeways, that's when things speed up! I have no idea what the buildings around me look like because I go by them so fast just trying to keep from being run over by the cars. The traffic in West Texas is slower and the speed limit there was 80 mph. And it may be illegal to text while driving, but every third car has a driver who is texting...especially when the traffic gets heaviest. Seems that the heavier the traffic, the more texting people need to get done. So let's just say that it is thrilling to drive in this area of the country.
The dancing is at a much higher level than I've grown used to. I can see where my own dancing suffers from disuse. I used to know a lot more than I remember. But before any of my past partners think too harshly of me or your own dancing, in my opinion, dancing at a high level is no more fun than dancing at an intermediate level. In fact, I think there is more time for spirit to spirit connection. It is fun, though, to brush up on my skills so that I can carry it on to those I teach.
I now have a new rear tire on my motorcycle. I had no idea how much tread the tire was supposed to have on it...but there is much more tread on this tire than what was on the old one. I needed one, even though there was still tread on the old one, because there was a nail embedded in it. For those who don't know this, motorcycle tires my bike uses are tubeless and with very stiff side walls so they don't tend to blow out. If they get a hole in them, they slowly deflate and the sidewalls are designed to hold the bike up. Now, it is still dangerous to get a flat on a bike, but abrupt flats are very rare. The front tire still has some tread left so I'm thinking that I'll wait a little longer before I replace it.
While I have been hanging around bike shops these last few days, I've had three different mechanics tell me that the knocking/ticking noise that I've been hearing from the engine area of the bike is just an exhaust leak. This confirms what three other people have told me in the past so I think I will stop being concerned about it. Sure, the bike is totally silent, but it is pretty darn quiet, and it runs strong. A beautiful machine! Again, Thank you so much for your gift, Guy Baker of Fontana, Ca. By the way, if you happen to be in the DC area and need motorcycle repair done, I think that I have found the best bike shop in the country: Brooks Motorcycle Repair in Chantilly, Va. Jason, the owner, is very friendly and professional. In fact, everyone there was friendly and professional. The one guy who changed my tire had to work about 75 minutes on my bike and they charged me $83 for the work. I don't know if that price was high or low, but the work, combined with watching such a well-run shop work, was worth the money. I don't feel slightest in the least. Quite the contrary, I am pleased to know that such service still exists!
I had to go to a town about 35 miles away to buy the tire. In the traffic around here, who needs to go to an amusement park?! I saw the tire online for $150 or so, the Motorcycle Factory wanted to sell it to me for $202, (down from $262) and when I asked them if that was the best price they could give me, they dropped it to $187. I was going to have them replace my old tire, but I would've had to wait and they were super-busy. I'm happy I went to Brooks, though.
My visit with my friend is going well. I think my presence might have become a bit stale to her, but then, that might just be my imagination. She has great decorating taste, in my opinion. Lots of reddish hues...and her Christmas tree is still up! Cool! Her kitty, Samantha, is finally starting to warm up to me. She apparently doesn't remember that we were once good friends a long time ago. However, my playing with her via laser dot and string is starting to win her over, I think. She has given me air-rubs twice in two days and is started to look pleased to see me...just before I leave.
I found an unexpected dance student here. I first met her last Saturday at a dance. I had noticed her before and thought she was very pretty so I was very pleased when she jumped in front of me with her beautiful, full smile and asked me to dance. Though she is new to dancing, she is a lot of fun to dance with. Since Iw as interested in seeing her again, I offered her a free dance lesson, but it turned out that she wanted the lessons, but my flirting techniques need work--I'm out of practice. So, she decided that she would rather pay me for my lessons than be the recipient of my romantic interest. That's fine...I'm not here for long anyway, but it was fun having that connection. AND, it is the first time I have ever been seriously attracted to a woman taller than I am: she's 6'1". The logistics of interacting with a woman several inches taller than me is very interesting on many levels. I've dated a couple women the same height as me before, but this stretched my experience. What joy! :-) It would've been fun to explore more with her. But, it is what it is, isn't it?
The plan, at the moment, is to leave Monday for the West Coast with a short stop in Ohio. Truth is, I'm not real sure why I need to stop in Ohio. My family is not a tight-knit family at all. At present, I don't have anyone there to stay with, though to be fair, I haven't actually asked anyone but one niece. I haven't heard back from her yet. Truth is, without my friends Judy (deceased) or Sharon (has chosen to let go of our active friendship so that she could move on), there isn't much reason to stop in Ohio. My son has no interest in seeing me and my dance friends have not shown any real interest in me over the years, but then, I haven't shown much interest in them, either, so I guess we get what we sow.
It seems that I am only interested in people once they let me into their "weird little world" and am not much for the superficial. If we aren't going to go deep, I don't see much sense in the conversation in part because, where is the heart-to-heart connection? Another aspect reason I tend to seek the depth of a person...and am so quick to share my depth, is due to my wandering nature. (My middle initial, combined with my last name, spells Wanders.) I'm not assured of being here very long, nor can I even fool myself into thinking that I'm going to be here long, so why waste time on the superficial? I can see the other side of that, though. Why even go deep? I can answer that one, though: I would like some intimacy. There isn't much intimacy in exchanging, "Hello. Nice day for a ride, isn't it?" or it's like.
I may have put this elsewhere in my blog, but I haven't even kissed a woman since July of last year. Well, not in a romantic way. Friendly pecks don't count as far as this is concerned.
Well, time to get ready to go dance.
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