2007 International Motorcycle Show

We are at the current International Motorcycle Show with friends in Greenville, South Carolina this weekend.

Below are photos of our 2007 trip (click for larger photo in new window). New ones from this years event will be posted as time permits:



Steve in our hotel room


Demo rides from various manufacturers are usually offered at these events


Buying our tickets to enter


HUH??!! What is it?


Steve LOVES Ducati's!
"Put the checkbook DOWN honey!!"


Engine Cutaway Diagram
There are interesting displays.


Show Room Floor


Some bikes are impractical but certainly creative!


One vender brought his cute little dog "Bear". He was a big hit!


Hey, guys, this is NOT a motorcycle ... !!


I like the vintage bikes personally.


There's always time for lunch ...

Well, that's it for that Motorcycle Show part of the vacation. On the way home we toured the Natchez Trace in Mississippi. Very pretty parkway but not as pretty as the Blue Ridge in North Carolina / Virginia. The speed limits are not being enforced on the Natchez Trace and there were too many speeders. My opinion is that distracted from the beauty of the area.


Start Of Natchez Trace


The actual trail still exists in many areas.

Thanks for stopping by! Hope you enjoyed the tour.

♥ ∞

Postcard Friendship Friday (02/20)

Ok, raise your hand if you scribble notations and do math on the backs of old scrap papers? I knew it! Ah, we're all guilty. Writing on something that may be worth lots of money one day.

Well, my contribution this week is another historical piece.

Interestingly, I am related to some of the Moore and Bird / Byrd family in Georgia. I don't know if these are any of my kin, but I'd be willing to bet even money that we're related somehow. It's such a small world here.


"The front of the postcard shows a 1916 postal mark and the back elaborates on the qualities of the “Boss” cane stripper. Note that this design differs from those made by the Brinley-Hardy Company."

Source: Southern Matters Sugar Cane Operations

Hosted by my friend Marie at Voila! Vintage Postcards.


♥ ∞

Motorcycle Show Preparations

Today we are making preparations to attend the annual International Motorcycle Show. This year the event is in lovely Greenville, South Carolina!! WAHOO!! It's finally here! We've had tickets to this thing for 6 months, no lie.




In years past, these events were held in a very nice area of Atlanta, Georgia. But then the Powers That Be moved the event into the darkest of dark sections and it eventually crashed and burned ...apparently others voted with their feet like we did because last year, we had quit going. We traveled two days to get to Houston, Texas just to attend the show. Now, the one in the eastern USA has been moved to a nicer area in western South Carolina and we are back to staying in the Southeast.

We won't be able to ride to the event due to the fact I am still recovering from neck surgery and they're calling for snow there! [sigh] Oh well. So, after dropping our three 'babies' (dogs) at the kennel, we are free! FREE!!

Then the following weekend, World Superbike starts for the season. The first race of the season is in lovely Phillip Island Australia. I would like to attend that one some day.

Then, American Superbike starts for the season, then my personal favorite, MotoGP. To see some very exciting racing, go to this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sfPM77TsGaA. It's only a couple of minutes. These young fellas are real athletes.

Motorcycle racing is back for the year! Professional racing takes the winter months to rest and train.

The world is turning in greased grooves again.

So stay tuned for photos and updates y'all! I'm so glad that all these hotels have internet access now. I'm so spoiled. :o) And who knows, I may come home with a new Triumph Bonneville after all ... I really like that two-tone green and cream ... uh, just doing my part to stimulate the economy. [tee hee]

Cheers y'all,

♥ ∞

Wordless Wednesday (02/18)

Best served with ACORN squash and pulled pork

♥ ∞

Just Joshin' Around

In honor of my 150th post (wow ... have I been having that much fun!!??) here's a few jokes I found at the Triumph 1050 Forum to lighten the mood. Enjoy! :o)


WHATEVER HITS THE FAN WILL
NOT BE DISTRIBUTED EVENLY.

I have kleptomania,
but when it gets bad,
I take something for it.

FOLLOW YOUR DREAMS!
Except that one where you're naked in church.

Sometimes too much to drink isn't enough.

Kinky is using a feather.
Perverted is using the whole chicken.

Heaven is Where:
The Police are British,
The Chefs are Italian,
The Mechanics are German,
The Lovers are French
and
It's all organized by the Swiss.

Hell is Where:
The Police are German,
The Chefs are British,
The Mechanics are French,
The Lovers are Swiss
and
It's all organized by the Italians.

Suicidal twin kills sister by mistake!

My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be.
Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.

In just two days from now,
tomorrow will be yesterday.

A bartender is just a pharmacist
with a limited inventory

The statement below is true.
The statement above is false.

I may be schizophrenic,
but at least I have each other.

I am a Nobody.
Nobody is Perfect.
Therefore I am Perfect.

KENTUCKY:
Five million people,
Fifteen last names.

Dyslexics Have More Nuf

I LOVE COOKING WITH WINE
Sometimes I even put it in the food.

Preserve the Spotted Owl
(in formaldehyde)

Reality is only an illusion
that occurs due to a lack of alcohol.

I like cats too.
Let's exchange recipes.

Red meat is not bad for you
Fuzzy green meat is bad for you.

I am having an out-of-money experience.

As a senior citizen was driving down the freeway, his car phone rang. Answering, he heard his wife's voice urgently warning him, "Herman, I just heard on the news that there's a car going the wrong way on 280 Interstate. Please be careful!"
"It's not just one car," said Herman. "It's hundreds of them!"

Don't sweat the petty things.
and don't ever pet the sweaty things.

Corduroy pillows are making headlines!

I want to die while asleep like my grandfather,
not screaming in terror like the passengers in his car.

♥ ∞

Another Federal Holiday And A Recap

And, as if you must be reminded, this is paid-in-full by ALL taxpayers.

Is there any way we Americans can renegotiate this 'contract'??



I Want All Your Money

And now for a re-cap of Mr. Obama's first two weeks.

1, The American people elect a black president with a total of 42 days experience as a U. S. Senator from the most politically corrupt state in America whose governor is ousted from office. The President's first official act is to close Gitmo and make sure Terrorists civil rights are not violated.

2, The U.S. Congress rushes to confirm an Attorney General, Eric Holder, whose law firm we later find out represents seventeen Gitmo Terrorists.

3, The CIA Boss, Leon Panetta, with absolutely no experience and anti-CIA leanings, has a daughter Linda we find out, that is a true radical anti-American activist who is a supporter of all the Anti-American regimes in the western hemisphere.

4. We got the most corrupt female in America as Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton; bought and paid for.

5. We got a tax cheat, Tim Geithner, for Treasury Secretary who files his own taxes.

6. Bill Richardson, a Commerce Secretary nominee who withdrew due to corruption charges.

7. A Tax cheat nominee for Chief Performance Officer who withdrew under charges.

8. A Labor Secretary nominee who withdrew under charges of unethical conduct.

9. A Secretary Health and Human Services nominee who withdrew under charges of cheating on his taxes.

And that's just the first two weeks ... but who's counting. Not the liberal news media, that's for sure!


America is being run by the modern-day Three Stooges ~ Barack, Nancy and Harry ~ and they are still trying to define "stimulus". Maybe they could put it in pill form to make it easier to swallow?

Stimulus is where the government gives a smidgen of your tax dollars back to you making you feel so good about yourself [stimulated] that you want to run out to Wal-Mart and buy a new Chinese-made HDTV and go home and watch Telemundo!

One Big Aching Mistake America

♥ ∞

The Chalk Garden (1964)

The Chalk Garden
I so enjoy old movies. One of my favorite actresses is Deborah Kerr and for me her best movie was "The Chalk Garden" (January 1964).

The movie in a nutshell is about Madrigal (Deborah Kerr), an Englishwoman recently released from prison after serving time for murder, arrives at the home of Mrs. St. Maugham (Edith Evans) to apply for the position of governess and companion to the elderly woman's 16-year-old granddaughter, Laurel (Hayley Mills).

She is hired, despite her lack of references, primarily for her knowledge of gardening because Mrs. St. Maugham has difficulty raising anything in the chalky earth of her garden. Madrigal keeps her past a secret, but Laurel, who lives in a partial fantasy world (she hates her mother whom she believes abandoned her when she divorced and remarried) tries to uncover the secrets of her new governess. Maitland (John Mills), the butler, becomes attracted to Madrigal and tells her that Laurel's wild tales are untrue. When the judge (Felix Aylmer) who convicted Madrigal comes to lunch, he does not recognize her, but they get into a heated discussion about the case.

Laurel suspects that Madrigal is the murderess in question but makes a pact with Maitland never to reveal her suspicion. Madrigal realizes that Laurel is much the same as she was at 16 and fears that Laurel might make the same mistakes if she is not told the truth about her mother. She tells Mrs. St. Maugham that Laurel's mother should be allowed to have her, and Laurel, overhearing them, realizes that she was never abandoned. When her mother arrives, Laurel is ready to go with her, and Madrigal remains at the house as companion to Mrs. St. Maugham.

Synopsis Courtesy of Turner Classic Movies



The Chalk Garden is an intense, wonderful psychological game of cat and mouse. It has excellent performances from all involved and the writing and direction is superb. I want so much to order it on DVD. (It's $30 new ... OUCH!!)

"At our last meeting, I died. It alters the appearance." A quote from the character from Madrigal/Constance speaking to the judge in a chance meeting. I can so relate to her character. I've never been jailed, of course, but I was in a mental jail from an abusive parent. My mother died in 1966 and my father tore up his parent card. When I allowed Christ to come into my life at the age of 14, God mercifully gave me the Key to get out ... and I did. I ran to that mental door and freedom!

Anyway, The Chalk Garden speaks volumes to me. Does anyone else enjoy this movie? Or are there any others you'd like to recommend?

I also like the old horror movies from the 1960's and 1970's. It's fun to curl up on the sofa with husband and watch them with popcorn on Halloween. Reminds me of when I was a little kid, mom was still alive, and I would watch those old movies on our 'big' 12 inch console TV that sat on the floor. Such delightful memories. :o)

♥ ∞