Influences

We are, indeed, at times, the sums of our experiences. Experiences and bits and pieces of those persons who knowingly and deliberately, or humbly and quietly made us into their legacies by the examples they gave to us.

I mentioned already my Uncle Andy - the husband of my dad's sister Betty. His having given me a ride on the back of a rented scooter when I was just a small lad stayed with me for over 40 years and contributed to my becoming a rider. I rode this morning to a place where Betty and Andy often took me on Sunday afternoons - to a place in the middle of nowhere where once my dad's uncle and cousins bottled spring water and soda. It was, a long time ago, a place of family gatherings and picnics and cookouts. It was a place of magic to me, maybe and simply because our family came together there.

The bottling house still stands, though it's dormant now. And Uncle Andy, though taken home by the Lord six summers ago, lives with us still in the memories that he made a part of each of those of us whom he loved. I am proud of those parts of me that I can trace back to his beautiful and loving spirit. How I wish I could give him a ride like he once gave to me - and tell him clearly and simply, "Thank you," and "I love you."

Uncle Andy on his last birthday - 2001

scooterscooters
motorcycleVespa
PiaggioWyoming ValleyWilkes-Barre

Smell the Roses

Something that amazed me when I started to ride was that I could smell everything around me as I passed by. It was great in mid May when the scent of lilacs was heavy. Behind a Waste Management truck in August - not so much.

One of the joys of the Fly50 that I little appreciated then was the restricted speed. A slow ride brought the rich smells of fresh cut grass, restaurant fare, and other pleasant aromas right to me where they lingered as I rode by slowly. I don't miss chugging uphill on the Fly at 15 mph, nor the fear that I might get caught by a stray dog, but I do miss those smells that now are all too brief in their pleasure as I zip by.

scooterscooters
motorcycleVespa
PiaggioWyoming ValleyWilkes-Barre

Beginnings

I like this picture of myself because it's kinder than the mirror usually is. I feel younger when I'm on the bike; like I'm still able to soar.

I was never much of a risk taker, generally preferring a quiet, known path to adventure. I don't think of riding as all that risky because I suppose I keep thinking It can't/won't happen to me whenever I read about a bike accident. I try to be careful.

My purchase of a scooter was inspired by Blogger's "Labels for this post: e.g. scooters," example in the Post Options. I read that one day while tending to a defunct blog of mine and remembered my Uncle Andy taking me for a ride on a rented, green scooter when I was about five years old. Something clicked and I started thinking about getting one. Surprisingly, my wife's initial resistance was overcome quickly.

I thought briefly about a motorcycle instead of a scooter, but two major factors came into play. Because I'm not a patient person I didn't want to have to take the time to learn anything - like how to shift gears and the cover to cover contents of a DMV motorcycle manual.

I got a Piaggio Fly50 in May of 2007 and traded up to the Piaggio BV250 five months later. I don't know how much I'll write here. Starting up a new blog was something I wasn't truly sure I wanted to do. I'm still not sure but stick around and we'll see if something worthwhile emerges.

scooterscooters
motorcycleVespa
PiaggioWyoming ValleyWilkes-Barre