Sea food... eat food!

How pretty is this?

My eldest niece Liz, has left for home in Alberta after a two week visit to the east coast.  She was last here for barely a stopover while in her teens.  A return visit was long overdue.

Obligatory Bridge shot

Even though the Maritimes is small and PEI even smaller, two weeks is barely enough time to get over the jet lag.  Work and other obligations kept her stay short.

More seafood.

Number one on her agenda (besides seeing family of course, I think) was to gobble up as much  variety and amount of sea food as she could lay her lips on.





We're not talking Captain Highliner here folks, nope this had to be the real McCoy, the genuine article, in the flesh scallops, clams, mussels and of course Lobster.  Now I just want to say one thing about lobster and if you're in the biz, no offense intended.  Lobster is to sea food as Harley Davidson was to motorcycles.  There was a time when these odd crustaceans were used as fertilizer.  Cod, Haddock and other fish species were the catch, but of course over fishing pretty much did all that industry in.

Even more Sea food!

Good Old Fred's... in Cap Pele NB

Using cunning and stealth, somehow, the unworthy overlooked bottom dwelling lobster became the hot ticket on restaurant menu's everywhere.

Rocky and Bullwinkle?!

It's not unusual to walk into a mid level eatery and pay a kings ransom for a lobster plate.  How did that happen? Look at HD.  Run into the ground or at the very least, poorly managed by AMF, near bankruptcy, unreliable, imagine poor HD, has become... through slick advertising, capitalizing on the "Bad Ass MF H-A" image, into one of the most recognizable brands in the world.  I'd venture to say right up there with giants Coca Cola, John Deere and Mercedes Benz among others.  Let's face it, lobster became in the 90's what HD had become.

Anyway... back to the 'kid's' visit.  Barely had she dropped her back pack when we were off to New Brunswick to visit Lisa, Rick and of course William.

Between tides at Alma NB Bay of Fundy

Already learning to drive...

I had thought of us riding two bikes but in her own words, "my legs are too dam short" for the bikes I have.  I could have ridden over with her as pillion but driving the R/T allowed us to gab and catch up on things.

We took the scenic route through Moncton, Riverview and with stops at Hopewell Rocks*, Alma, Norton and Hampton, we arrived duly at 7 in the evening at Rothesay NB.

NB Well known for covered bridges.

Once returned home to the Island the real sea food experience began.

High tide, much more interesting at low tide

I won't say Liz single hand idly endanger the lobster stocks but I'm sure the little beggars are glad shes moved on.

It was a good visit.  We didn't sit around much and if she ever comes back again, we'll en-devour to travel a bit farther afield to view some of the hundreds years old history the Maritimes are.

And she thought Jonny Deep (:) was going to save her...

* Try and arrive at low tide, much more interesting and with the ability to meander on the floor of the ocean being a real treat.

How many people want to do this, wander a cool sandy beach all to oneself.

Moving into riding season, inch by inch.

Overlooking the Okanagan Valley 2015

Ahhh, she's aging but still B E A U T I F U L !

BIG PLANS require BIG THINKING!     

Of course any plan can be shut down cold by the unexpected, ummm, like cold. For example, the spring was looking good but then lately, in June, we began moving into summer at a snails pace.

Disregarding for a moment the responsibilities we have as human, like work or money or family commitments, coupled up with inclement weather and presto, that well thought out good idea, goes up in smoke!

Can't alter the weather (well in a good way) we just give into Mother Nature sometimes and move on.

Shore is purty!

I've had my T Bird out a couple of cool rides, my Citi 300, which actually has pretty decent weather protection for legs arms face and hands, and my XT's which in reality, I ride mostly in country lanes or trails, where weather doesn't affect one as much. 

Cool day at the beach.

We've seen 28C a couple of times and in fact maybe 10 days above 20C... which truthfully "ain't bad"... but it's been inconsistent and rarely falls on the days you don't have an overgrown lawn to cut or people aren't moving in and out of your apartment, or visitors.

Brenda is shrinking year by year...

I had hoped that by now I'd have had several rides under my Prexports, but nope... once again playing catch up.

LS 650 Savage

I've have my eldest niece, who's old Savage I borrowed two years ago to ride back in my home turf * western Canada  visiting for a couple of weeks and because her legs are "too dam short" in her words, she doesn't fit any of the bikes I have licensed, so it's been travel by 4 wheels not two, as of late.  At least its been warmer and of course given us a chance to yak side by side.

Feeding the local wildlife.

Speaking of Liz, she's wolfed down whatever seafood came across her bows, scallops, clams, mussels, and of course, lobsters in a fashion that would make a whale shark gasp!

Never the less, I am still moving ahead (crawling) into summer 2017 with high hopes. 

I have 5 street legal bikes in my garage and I do plan to ride them all...

Cheers!

* Home is where you hang your helmet

Spring has sprung!

... or has it?

MY point in traveling to Arizona in the spring for 2017, was to "test" the waters so to speak. 

When I was a financial advisor most of my work took place during the year end/rrsp season/tax deadline, which meant I didn't have the luxury of staying the winter in true snowbird fashion. Living in Calgary I often drove the Blazer south late in November or December sometimes clutching the wheel with arms and teeth clenched. 

Where would PEI be without Anne...?

I 15, up and down through the Rockies could be hazardous to one's health early in December!

Seeing as how I am now (sort of ) retired, I thought "why don't I just fly down in late March" and stay awhile, you know... it's warmer than December, most of the blizzards that hit the Island in the wintertime are done by mid March (I said most) and I could get my riding muscles that get lazy in the CDN winter, a chance to get honed while riding some spectacular scenery.

Great idea right!  Well of course who could have foreseen my place flooding out from a broken toilet tank...

Murphy... maybe?

While I am still dealing with that, hopefully getting closer finding out I have limits on my policy, I returned to Canada exasperated and frustrated and with weak muscles.  People say 'go to the gym...'  Problem with that is then you develop, 'going to the gym' muscles not 'riding in the desert' muscles!

Lobster season is underway, bet the little green guys are thrilled about that!

True to form, the spring has been slow to start between fits and spurts, and I haven't ridden a whole lot.  Even today it's only showing 6C and of course windy and with scattered rain. 

People ask me what it's like to be 'retired'... I answer 'I'll let you know when that happens.'

I've been getting the Prowler ready for summer, I often sleep out there during the warmer months, plus I am waiting for company, my eldest niece is arriving for a couple of well deserved holiday weeks. 

Gentile hills lots of red roads and green as the Irish.

I have however been out on the two XT's, my 1990 600 and my '92 225.  They are about perfect for the roads which this time of year resemble if not a MX track, but certainly a TT.

I was sitting on some sports bikes this week, including a used VFR, FZ6 and a Ninja 300 and as much as I like those bikes, the ideal motorcycle for traveling bumpy PEI roads is still a larger dual purpose bike.  You can corner like a Ninja and still take that left turn at Cap Pele to see where that trail goes...



Someone asked me this past week which of my bikes I would keep till last, if I had to sell them off?

 At this stage of my life having brought with me those bikes that had significance for sentimental reasons (the Thunder Bolt, Serow or Passport) or simply because they filled a purpose (the TTR's and the TY) I would still keep the big blue XT 600.  That bike and I have covered everything from paved TC highway, Baja, Cape Breton from Calgary... to a Rocky Mountain enduro race course (but only a single lap)

With slightly taller gearing and grunt from the SOHC 4 valve engine it will cruise at legal speeds but is still light enough so I can manage to toss her about in a trail when needed.

This time of year when roads are gravel covered, back roads are still drying out and the aforementioned pot holes are deep and plentiful, it's still my  ideal machine.

MY most favorite???  Maybe, certainly the most practical.

The weather has been sporadic, nice on those days I am doing repair work at the apartment building or servicing the lawn mower, and crappy when I have a day off.  Speaking of which I was in Canadian Tire and asked my long time buddy Louis if he had anything for me full time, when quizzed why I wanted to go back to work (which I don't) I replied that working full time would mean having time off!

Unlike my Banana belt pal Ronnie... living out in BC which I hear hasn't had great weather either I am putting miles on in hundreds not thousands.  Like I say to him... it's all in the Smiles per Gallon that really counts.

In the meanwhile, I am doing laundry, getting the pink stuff out of the trailer tank and keeping the cat fights to a minimum.  Speaking of that... Coco has done well in her transplant and is fitting in very nicely...