Did you know...

Did you know that there are only two words starting with the letter "D" that can be used as a Synonym for "repair"?

It would seem the letter "D" has evil connotations, while there are only two words starting with a "d' that can be used to mean repair, correct, compensate, atone, amend, adjust, fix, restore or recondition, those being to "darn" or "doctor".

There are a plethora of "D" words meaning the opposite (antonyms) of repair or fix, there are Destroy, destruct, destruction, damage, derange, disarrange, debase, depress, deprive, and deconstruct.

There may even be more if you put you mind to it. like perhaps, decimate, demolish, devastate, and dismantle.

Any more?

klay

Changing times

I give you Elizabeth New Jersey.

I saw a photo in a magazine once, it was taken from a Central Of New Jersey track looking up at the Pennsylvania Railroad track. I always thought "that would be a great place to visit". Now I know the Pennsylvania Railroad is long gone, it became Penn Central, and Conrail and Amtrak. Somewhere in there New Jersey Transit was formed taking over commuter operations. I know the Central of New Jersey is gone, becoming Penn Central, Conrail and Amtrak. But two four track lines passing over each other is cool.

Cool...but redundant...So I took a trip to Elizabeth New Jersey. I don't know what I was expecting to find, perhaps the Pennsylvania Railroad (Amtrak) four track mainline still soaring above the Central of NJ tracks. I know I expected to find a reduced CNJ track plan, perhaps two tracks, still serving commuters or freights. What I found was Amtrak, Conrail, and New Jersey Transit flying over head, the train quantities were as busy as I thought they would be. What i wasn't ready for was the CNJ tracks...No commuters, no freight. The one remaining track disappears into the underbrush about a block away. The main station still stands (unused) the opposite side station a dirt parking lot.

Time marches on.

klay

The weekend

As I get older (over a half century of breathing air), I find that a few things don't work as well as they used to, OK...nothing works as well as they used to, but some down-right suck. My eyesight is one, annoying but glasses are available, the biggest problem is my memory. Many a day I sit in front of my computer, staring at the screen trying to remember, not only my password, but why I was at the thing in the first place. usually after sitting long enough it comes to me or, I fall asleep, either is OK though, they both are better than just sitting there staring.

So... I have decided to post what I did this weekend, (which was pretty boring actually), which is why the specifics are hard to remember. I woke up to watch Qualifying for the Formula One Grand Prix race in Budapest (Two cities, Buda and Pest, rather like Minneapolis St.Paul). I grabbed a cup of tea (YES TEA, problem with THAT?), sat down, sent a text to Sandwich to remind him of the start and fell asleep. (I do that, everywhere). I awoke at 10:30. Qualifying results would have to wait. I jumped on Jenny and went out for a ride. Jenny took me through Ledyard and North Stonington and into Pawcatuck where I stopped at the Handlebar and Grille for a little Jack Daniels and a Long Trail (they were out of Sam Boston Lager)...

As I exited the bar a few other bikes had arrived and two more were getting ready to leave, I overhead them say how uncomfortable it looked. At that moment I stepped up and sat on the gator seat, the guy did a quick cover..."Nice looking bike". As I lit up my smoke, I heard one of them say, "OK, which way do we go?" I replied "Left, always Left", he looked at me, I told him "A left, followed by some rights will take you anywhere, it's like making a circle." I started Jenny and hit the road...food. In Groton City I stopped at Norms Diner. After eating lunch, I headed to Mikes where I picked up a new Shifter peg and a replacement gas cap (rattle). I took Jenny home, went inside sat down, and turned on the Television. At 11:30pm I woke up. Decided to stay up and play X Box, killing people all night long.

Sunday morning I watched the race which meant that it overlapped the Club ride, not wanting to hold them up with a call, I sat out the ride. Charlene and I went out for coffee, went out for Lunch, went out for Jack and Corona. At 6pm I was home in the chair..sleeping..woke up at midnight, let the cat out / in (thought I was letting her in but when I called her she came up behind me..so..out). Hit the sack...

It really wasn't worth writing this, but because of the earlier blog people expect me to write....so I did.

klay (zzzzzzz)

Bruce W Beebe

Riding with Friends

I don't wanna die, jus wanna ride my...

Thank God for Club Bros.

I rode Jenny to work in the morning yesterday,

and because of the rain, it was chaps, jacket, gloves, and vest, which meant, riding home in the sun with the same stuff. (Jenny doesn't have a lot of storage on her).

Any way she has been running real fine, no problems. I cruised across the Thames out of New London, grabbed 184, the Westerly Chairman was behind me in his car. After passing Colonel Ledyard highway, I hooked a left into the Mobil to pickup some smokes, Doug Jr. continued on.
I pulled up, ran inside, grabbed four packs and was back to the bike. Flip the switch, hit run, light out, start...nope...click,click,click.  Not a good sound. Even worse when it stops going click,click,click and starts going click             click              ckick, which is always followed by...... click......nothing.

I would like to take a moment here to mention the Harley Davidson Swing Arm Bag,

I really looks great and is fairly easy to install, not meant to ever be in the rain though, and it's really a bad place to keep your smokes. The bag is held on with three straps, each strap has two cut outs which are about a 1/4 ' tall and an inch long. Six excellent areas for water to get in. Not to mention there is in no protection in the front as the flap is from the side. Not the greatest design.

So, unlike Charlene which has tools coming out of her wazoo Jenny has none, and what I needed her was a Phillips screw driver and possibly a jump.

I called Sandwich who, on his way out of work, was at 184 and 201, He made a u turn and arrived to help. One screw and we were at the battery, the screws on the terminal seemed ok, So a ride to the house for motorcycle jumper cables, drive back, hook it up and we were back to click,click,click, ah ha...progress!!!

But...no start. A little jingling of the wires around the dealer installed battery tender wire and we found the fuse holder wasn't closed all the way, but still no start. Someone suggested heavier jumper cables to carry more amperage, we decided to give it a try. I  pushed Jenny across the lot to the truck, as I got there I realized the positive wire was loose, probably after tugging on the fuse holder. Sandwich tightened it back up and she fired right up. After that it was a cruise to the house where Sandwich and I were entertained by Old Grand Dad and some guy in Gold named J. Daniels.