cOnFiDeNtIaL - Only to be read by family members

I am responding to my daughter-in-law's challenge to post "20 things you may not know about me" so here they are - no judging please:

1) I was insanely shy through High School & College (I know, you don't believe it, ask my Mom) I can thank my first wife & my mentor Bill A for helping me overcome this.

2) I have been on TV twice - Once on CNBC and once on QVC
3) I was born in the great state of South Dakota - It's destiny that I own Harley's

4) I never, ever thought I would be good in sales

5) I just read "THE SHACK" I wish everyone would.

6) I would love to live in China, for a while

7) In Jr High I was supposed to fight George Padot in the Butcher Woods after school - He showed up and said he could not fight because of a steel plate in his head (I was Glad)

8) I believe that the "middle child syndrome" is poppy-cock

9) I have only ridden 44,184 miles on 3 motorcycles

8) I kissed a girl and I liked it! Still do.

9) In grade school Debora Prenkie beat me up under the monkey-bars. (and I liked that too)

.................................DEBORA =====>

10) On Devils Night in High School - Kevin, Jeff, Bro Mike and I slept out in Jeff A's back yard. Loaded with a dozen eggs each we headed to Ryan Road to launch eggs @ Jerry Karwowski's house. LOCK - LOAD - FIRE - first 4 eggs tossed - brought the sound of broken glass. Oops - We dropped the eggs and headed for our tents. "My name is Harley Rider" - Sorry Jerry!

11) I am constantly in need of more Cowbell!

12) We grew up in a house with a Fruit Cellar in the basement. My mother would send me to get Applesauce, Pickles, or whatever, and I had to bring a hammer or bat with me because I was scared shit less. You see - my cast aside Danny-O-Day puppet was sitting on the shelf - waiting for me - angry with me - staring at me - judging me!

13) I like Black

14) I hate yard work

15) I occasionally like to cook

16) I miss my WIFE!!!!!

17) Patience comes with age I have always been told. I am past the half century mark and I can impatiently tell you that is PURE 100% Bull Shit!

18) I support P.E.T.A. - People Eating Tasty Animals especially Lamb Chops

19) I used to have a healthy 401K (now my kids will have to take care of me when I get old)

20) I can not think of any more that you need to know - Oh except that I have a watch, bag, leather jacket, boot, briefcase fetish that I can not control!!

Well that's it, hope this sheds some light on my odd "being" and behavior. Happy Halloween!

Today's Funny - for my brothers (& my sister in laws all 3 of them)

Late Fee - 105th Day 5 - Chicago

Wow, as I was looking over my posts - I found this one as a draft from the 105th trip to Milwaukee. Before the librarian charges a late fee I will post it.

Here are some final shots of the days we spent in Chicago ............ I wont explain them all but we had a great time and got to see most of my family.

The Haircut

The Haircut

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut he asked about his bill and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop came in for a haircut, and when he tried to pay his bill,the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open up there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Later that day, a college professor came in for a haircut, and when he tried to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The professor was very happy and left the shop.
The 'thank you' card and a dozen different books, such as 'How to Improve Your Business' and 'Becoming More Successful.'

Then, a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The Congressman was very happy and left the shop.
The next morning when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the members of our Congress.
Vote carefully this year...

$0.35 per Gallon Gasoline

I ran across a photo I took back in 04 while on a ride with my youngest daughter in the Charlotte area. I can't remember what gas prices were back then but no one was talkin' about them. What is cool about this photo is not the 35 cents per gallon price but the fact that the gas pump from back in the DAY could not go over $1.00 per gallon, and the total sale could not be over $10.00. Oh Yeah - there were some good things about the "Good old Days.

Four Tops - passing of Levi Stubbs

I grew up in "De-Troy-It" in the 60's and 70's and the 4 tops were one of MY groups. While my older brother gravitated to the rebellious songs of the FM Stations, I clung to the lighter sounds of Motown until finally joining in the Underground Music Movement - Groovy Huh.

The write up below brings back great memories as I replay the songs in my mind especially "Bernadette"

From the Chicago Tribune:

Originally posted: October 19, 2008
Farewell, Levi Stubbs: His legacy in 3 classic Four Tops songs
“She takes off the Four Tops tape and puts it back in its case/When the world falls apart some things stay in place/Levi Stubbs’ tears run down his face.”
--Billy Bragg, “Levi Stubbs’ Tears”
Bragg’s 1986 homage was just one small measure of how the lead voice of the Four Tops impacted several generations of listeners.
Stubbs, who died Friday at age 72, was not the prototypical Motown singer of the ‘60s. Though the Four Tops scored 24 Top-40 hits, Stubbs ran counter to the suave soul stylings of the Detroit label. Whereas other Motown singers such as Smokey Robinson, the young Marvin Gaye and the Temptations’ Eddie Kendricks were lauded for their agile suppleness, their insinuating smoothness, Stubbs was all about raw emotion. Whereas Robinson, Gaye and the rest served the song, Stubbs sounded as if he was caught up in something that no mere pop arrangement could contain.
He was never better than on a trilogy of songs released within a six-month span in 1966-67. All were written and produced by Brian Holland, Lamont Dozier and Edward Holland Jr., Motown’s elite production team. Each remains a monument of classic soul, with Stubbs’ peerless voice at the forefront:
“Reach Out I’ll Be There,” released August 1966, No. 1 pop hit: Stubbs throws a lifeline to a friend dying of neglect. Realizing the situation is desperate, he sings as if someone’s life depends on it, and it just might; the lyrics hint that a suicide is imminent (“all of your hope is gone”). The three remaining Tops (Obie Benson, Duke Fakir and Lawrence Payton) usher in Stubbs with a wordless “Ha!” as if spurring on a stallion. The beat clip-clops into place, a flute telegraphs the melody, and then the peerless Motown rhythm section locks into gear. The drama elevates each time the band drops out, save for James Jamerson’s driving bass line and a rattling tambourine. Stubbs lands hard on the final syllable of key lines: “… the world has grown COLD … drifting out on your OWN … and you need a hand to HOLD.” Stubbs isn’t just offering help to a friend in a time of need. He is pleading for her deliverance. With each “reach out,” Benson, Fakir and Payton push Stubbs higher, until desperation cracks through the seams in his voice.
“Standing in the Shadows of Love,” released November 1966, No. 4 pop hit: The clippity-clop beat echoes “Reach Out.” The desperate empathy of the previous hit transforms into bitterness and accusation. Now the narrator is plunged into unfathomable heartache: “You’ve taken away all my reasons for living.” The narrator stumbles down a street, bereft, trying to understand something beyond his control. He’s been abandoned by the love of his life. “Hold on a minute,” he cries, as if trying to stop a bullet, and the song veers into a brief but ferocious conga-drum breakdown. The song is the saddest of all battles; the listeners know the outcome before the narrator does. When he finally grasps that there no stopping the inevitable, the effect is devastating. “It may come today, or it may come tomorrow/But it's for sure I've got nothing but sorrow.”
“Bernadette,” released February 1967, No. 4 pop hit: Paranoia runs deep and wide in this classic of lust and jealousy. Stubbs addresses the title character, a siren whose beauty seduces other men and then blithely discards them against the rocks. But the most lovesick of them all is the narrator himself. He is consumed by fear; everywhere he looks there are suitors begging for Bernadette’s affections, and he frets he will lose her forever. He tries to woo her back by falling to his knees and proclaiming the utter worthlessness of his life without her. The horns and backing voices drape a cape of melancholy around Stubbs’ sagging shoulders. “Keep on needin’ me,” he cries. The song fades, and finally falls silent. But Stubbs returns two seconds later for one final outburst: “Bernadette!” It’s one of the great moments in the Motown catalogue, and certainly the most chilling. Sometimes even Levi Stubbs’ tears were not enough.

Cleveland Browns Stadium - Glide

Sentimental Sunday! I was cruising through some digital pics on my PC while watching the Browns game on Sunday and ran across some pics of the Street Glide - that I abandoned for the new Cross Bones. I felt a wave of sorrow as I gazed upon the scooter that took me to multiple rallies including Sturgis in 07. I am happy with my new scoot, but I did miss the old bagger.

Hookers, Basani, V&H, or Bubs

I am looking for pipes for the Cross Bones ............ I wanted Softail True Duals in Ceramic Black, but could not find them in other than Chrome. So I have 4 or 6 different versions pictured below .... any votes on what would look good??? By the way, my CrossBones is Flat Black - or Denim Black is the Official Color.

Hooker - Rebel Darksides (in black)

Hooker - Fourbidden Down Turn

Bassani

Vance & Hines Short Shot or Big Radius Bub Cross Backs

Or Other recommendations _______________ Cast your vote

For me at this point, I think it may be the Hooker Fourbidden Downturns.

Dalian - Policewomen

There is a GREAT city in Northeast China called Dalian. Originally established by Russia, then later occupied by Japan, Dalian has a long history as an international sea port supporting commerce and tourism from Japan, Korea, and other traditional Asian regions for over a century.





The town is known for their fantastic fresh seafood, which I had the pleasure to enjoy on two separate occasions, but one of the coolest things is their policewomen that stand on a pedestal in the middle of the street and direct traffic with their white go-go boots (if you are old enough to remember those). Here are a few pics of this beautiful historic city and their version of the Po-Po, Fuzz, 5-0, Cops, Pigs etc. etc.

3rd Bike - My wife would Kill me - Triumph 50th Anniversary

OK - Hopefully my wife will not read this blog ........ While browsing my October Issue of AutoWeek I came across the 50Th Anniversary 2008 Triumph Bonneville.

I will spare readers here of all the specs - however, I feel that supporting the Brits at this juncture would definitely be of a noble cause. After all the Brits normally support our renegade global spats and other such nonsense.

So TIT-for-TAT & Jolly Good, and all that Proper English Rubbish - this scooter shall be Number 3 in the stable when the time arrives for me to pull the trigger, I would use it to go and hoist a pint at the local pub, so to speak, if you will, as it were, carry on. Chaps!

!

Cider Mills & Northern Fall Days

one of the things we missed about the Midwest & Northeast fall season!

A few pic say it all!

Ryan posted his longing for a CT fall day. Renie & I spent last weekend with some friends exploring the Northern Ohio offerings. The colors are just starting to happen, and the cider mill was "Groovin on a Sunday afternoon, Really couldn't get away too soon Ah-ha-ha. We'll keep on spending sunny days this way - We're gonna talk and laugh our time away - I feel it comin' closer day by day Life would be ecstasy, you and me endlessly . . . Groovin' . . . on a Sunday afternoon, at least until the Cold Ass Winds of Winter come Blowing off the Frozen Lake Erie that cuts your skin like a Dagger!

Shanghai Harley Davidson & others

Well - I finally made it to the New HD Stealership in Shanghai! My riding buddy got me a t-shirt from there back in 2007, but I had a free morning and took a cab to see it. ........... The gal behind the counter was very friendly and she said she would "make me a picture" in front of the shop. From what I understand, you can not even ride a Harley in the center of most major cities.

At one time, not so long ago Volkswagen had over 50% market share in autos in China - Most cabs are still the old Jetta style (must have sent old tooling to China and they are still pumping them out) now as China's rich and middle class grows we have seen Lamborghini, Maserati, Porsche and other higher end goodies spring up in the major cities - so Harley was a natural.

As you travel China you realize that this is a nation of Bikers, their machines may be smaller but it is many peoples only transportation - even in the winter. I will post pictures of the scooters that I took over my 10 visits to this phenomenal country. I am glad that Harley is there, as East and West merge we all become more like brothers and strive for the same things in life. I am just hoping that Harley institutes a Fly & Ride before my visits end to this fantastic country.

I have been to a couple of other motorcycle places while being driven around China, including the ones below. Arlen Ness Shanghai, Honda Shanghai, for the Harley Davidson Rider Beijing ( a knock off HD Stealership). There is the "first" Harley Shop in Beijing that I tried to communicate to a cabbie in Beijing in 2007 and ended up here, at the chrome horse.

Memphis

Off to Memphis for a few days - Blog ya when I get back.