OUR NEW RIDE

Saturday I took the Fat Boy to Gator Harley in Leesburg to have them check the bike for a bad miss. It was acting the same way it did before I had all the work done on it. While we were waiting for them to look at it we were wondering around the store and found this bike.  After a lot of negotiating we come to a deal. I left with this.  It is a2012 Heritage. It had 2300 miles on it.  I have spent the last couple of days putting on the GPS mount and connection, the seat off of the Fat Boy which I kept and installing the highway pegs. All of this stuff I took the old bike.

This morning I took Louise to the airport in Tampa for her trip to Walnut Creek, CA. to see our newest grandchild. She will be gone for 2 weeks. I stayed behind to cover our work commitment here. I miss her already.
Till next time
Duane and Louise

Big RV Show

Welcome to the Florida State Fairgrounds at Tampa for the big rv show.  This is a view we don't see often.  Usually we are in the lead, but Brock and Leola are leaders this time.  Dick is in the middle.  Paul and Sharon didn't join us.  We were originally attending on Thursday, but with rain in the forcast decided to go on Wednesday.  Unfortunately, their dog sitter wasn't available so they went on Firday instead.

 

 

 

We parked together and went in together, but then scattered--Brock and Leola looked everything, starting with the high-dollar motor coaches, Dick was looking for a replacement for his travel trailer, and we were looking at 2 axle toy haulers.  There were two big buildings of venders.  While Duane shopped (but didn't buy), I watched the roaming entertainment starting with the four-legged fellow below.

 

 

This tall cowboy had no trouble roping his little filly

 

 

This lady either was seriously tired or seriously trying out the reclining patio chair.

 

More roaming entertainment 

 

 

This area was delightful--retro rvers

 

 

Time out for the robot lady constable

 

 

Ok, back to the retro rvers

 

This is like Lucy's Long, Long Trailer

 



 

Sign on the side says "lost in the 60's"

 

 

 

Inside the long trailer--I can see Lucy trying to cook while Desi drives

 

 

 

Fridge opposide the sink

 

Chenille bed spread (remember those?)

 

 

Dinette

 

 

These rigs belong to the Tin Can Tourists RV Club.  How fun is that?!!

 

 

 

Sorry, another pic out of order--this is the furnace in the long trailer.  Can you imagine these appliances in our modern rv's?

 

 

An original 'truck camper' with a shepherds wagon in the rear

 



 

Color coordinated--classy!

 

 

The rest of the club with their Airstreams

 

 

Back to the entertainment--there be pirates

 

more tall people

 

 

a mini conastoga wagon--the very original rv

 

 

a river rv

 

 

barbershop quartet singing to the lady with her back to us

 

 

 

This little fella was pulling his own little wagon.  His little feet moved and everything! ( while his wheels rolled)

 

 

Why didn't I take any pix of rvs?  I did, sorta.  You can see some in the background of some of the pix but the entertainment was way more fun.  After about 6 hours of this we were ready to call it quits.  Brock and Leola stayed a bit longer.  Dick and we took off about 4, stopped for dinner at a Village Inn where we found free pie with dine -in on Wednesday.  We took it to-go, getting home just after dark.  Another fun bike ride in beautiful weather.  Next day was drizzly and cool, then cleared up on Friday with cooler temps.  That's winter in Florida.  Shorts and sweatshirts in the same week.

 

We have been on two other rides since this one.  One included a return trip for steak dinner at Sleepy Hollow with two new gang memers--James and Karen--with a ride to Ozola for dessert before heading home.  The other was to Plant City for Strawberry Shortcake.  Alas, I completely forgot my camera both times!  Sorry! 



We may or may not fit in another ride before I leave for two weeks in CA.  I will be helping out our son and daughter-in-law with their two older children while they care for their new infant.  I will be taking pix of little Melanie and her sibs--for sure! 

 

See you later,

 

Louise and Duane

SLEEPY HALLOW BAR and GRILL

Off we go again to Sleepy Hollow, the (respectable) biker hangout, for a cheap steak dinner.  Along with our original companions, Brock and Leola, our group included Dick and Paul and Sharon.  Paul and Sharon made a trip 'home' for Christmas and came back with their bike so they could join the Sumpter Oaks Biker Gang for wild times.

 

 

 

 

As always, there are a wide variety of bikes.  Here are two bikes with auxiliary wheels to convert them to trikes.  These wheels are removable.  They are used for a variety of reasons, sometines to help an aging biker to keep his favorite bike, sometimes for extra stability to haul a small trailer.

 

 

 

The gang:  Duane, Paul, Brock, Leola, Sharon, Dick

 

Contrast--fully decked out on the left, bad boy "ape hanger" handle bars on the right

 

 

This band is Paydirt.  I liked the other one--Evil Monkey--better

 



 

Our $6 dinner  the steak was very thin but weighs 8oz and is very yummy

 

This guy could use those extra wheels for his mini rv

 

 

 

A Can Am Spyder with two wheels in front, one in back

 

 

 

After our dinner we took the scenic way home along the Withlahoochie River,

 

 

and ended up at Lickety Splits for dessert.  The following are serious ice cream eaters:  Brock and Leola,



 

 

Sharon and Paul,

 

 

and Dick.

 

 

 

With our last empty holes filled in, we were finally full of good food, great company and a very satisfying ride.

 

Come with us next time to the great Tampa RV Show!

 

Louise and Duane

Battle

We admit--we have been bad about blogging.  We have lots of pix, but never got around to posting them.  We were both ill with a bad cold during the holidays, Duane during Christmas and me the following week.  He missed Christmas Eve when we ate Hobo Stew (everybody brought a can of something) and chicken soup.  We ate then played a gift exchange game. The New Year's Eve party was a luau.  Duane went for the eats then spent the evening in the tv room watching football.  I saw a video later of one of the older guys taking a fall where his head bounced off the concrete.  Ouch!  Turns out he neglected his blood pressure meds and passed out.  He's ok, just a few stitches and a few days observation.  The thing about the cold was that we didn't have much energy or appetite.  Chicken soup and rest and we were good as new.  For holiday pix we offer the beautiful Christmas Eve sunset below.

 

 

 

On Jan 13th we rode the bike to the Dade Battlefield Historic State Park for the annual reenactment of the first battle of the Second Seminole War.  This war lasted seven years, claimed thousands of lives, cost millions of dollars and forced the removal of the vast majority of Seminoles and Black Seminoles to Oklahoma, opening Florida to white settlement. 

 

Introduction by park ranger.  The battlefield is behind her.

 

 

An explanation of the dress and accoutraments of the Seminole male

 

 

 

and a soldier

 

 

 

The battle was narrated by a Seminole

 

 

and an American survivor.  Sorry, caught him behind a tree.

 

 

 

Enter the soldiers, the Seminoles arrived earlier via horseback and are hiding in the trees and brush.

 



 

 

The cannon

 

 

 

Taking a stand,  and yes the woods are full of Indians

 

 

 

The battle begins

 

 

 

continues  see the Indian?

 

 

soldiers behind a "fort"--not much help

 

The soldier narrator is wounded under a dead soldier.  The Indians didn't kill the survivors.  They just wanted the soldiers to know they knew their business and should be left alone.

 

 

Their victory achieved, the Seminole go about their business collecting all the guns, believing the whites will leave them in peace. This was just the beginning of the Indians troubles.

 

Next time, a trip to a biker bar,

 

 

Louise and Duane