windtogo

I’ve got a new hobby that’s already consuming me. I’ve had musical instruments drifting around me through most of my life, although I’ve never gotten far past the beginner stage. During the last few years my Spotify account has helped my “tune into” my personal tastes. Our house is now full of soft Irish or Celtic music plus my own squeaks and repetitive scales.  I’m having to relearn how to read notes on the treble cleff and teach my clumsy fingers the 6 holes on my whistles. I’ve acquired 10 whistles since Christmas’23 !

My favorite is the brass D session whistle made by M Burke.

Tonight Dec 21,2023 at 10:27 winter begins here in Ontario.

I thought before we either freeze up, get snowed in, or too stressed out from another Covid Christmas that I had best post a couple of recent pics. One looking out our kitchen skylight at the snow and ice crystals and the other of a family usually made of snow and ice crystals but instead of sparkling lights in my neighborhood.

I have been enjoying the red maples in Ontario for much longer than time than normal. September ended with a 4-day summer-like sail in Georgian Bay, complete with a swim!! Driving our new Subie for the break-in first 1,600 km I had a chance to take lots of pictures.

Our new Subie was a special order from Japan made last Feb 14 on Valentine’s Day. Finally, it arrived and it’s great, a perfect car for us.

I didn’t winter very well so this spring is different. I had a couple of stays in hospital and because of the changes to my health I’ve decided that I won’t be able to ride safely. Big bummer; but after many years of safe riding and so many wonderful experiences meeting people all over North America, I’m selling my trusty Suzuki Vstrom. It’s been an incredible touring machine that I’ve ridden 228,000 km.

I’ve collected so many great memories and stories as well as thousands of pictures.

Sometimes beautiful things are right under our nose and my Fuji camera gear had helped me see better.

I took this picture a couple days ago in the evening light. My neighbor has two Magnolia trees in full bloom just across the street.

I’ve got a few issues to solve before my first ride in the spring. There will be plenty more snow this winter but I can count on local roads being ok by mid April. My Vstrom will need new tires, chain and sprockets before I ride any long trips. And I hope to get some serious health problems resolved; Lyme disease and related symptoms are really bogging me down. Now in my 11th year of Lyme I know who poorly our Canadian healthcare works. People with long term Lyme will recieve little or no treatment in Ontario.

Regardless of my health glitches I do looking forward to riding and scrubbing in my new Shinko 705 tires that just arrived today.

I’m ok in fall temperatures and clear cold air is better than hot, humid, bug-infested July. My riding season doesn’t officially end until the roads get salted. So far this month I’ve taken over a hundred pictures of brilliantly colored maple leaves. I really do miss my long-distance adventure trips but the weather has been perfect and this week I’ve been able to have a couple of good rides close to home and my Vstrom odometer just ticked over 228,000 km. I had a most enjoyable tour of Wolfe Island with Julie, and yesterday I parked at the cottage in a leaf storm. Wow … the first time that I’ve witnessed a small gust of wind blowing down so many leaves.

Larry and I often get-together to ride and put our normal lives behind us. Going stromabout is my expression for just wandering around; my GPS keeps us from getting too lost. Larry’s sense of direction and and knowledge of roads is great….except when it fails. Occaisionaly stopped along the side of the road, we debate with my trusty infallible Garmin Zumo 396. Sometimes Garmin will let Larry lead just for laughs! U-turns and wrong turns don’t bother us much. Both of us and our Suzuki Vstroms are capable of riding highways, gravel scenic remote backroads, or perverted twisted pieces of asphalt like hwy #518. We had – 5 easy days – with few commitments to anyone or any need to flog ourselves long distances. Only 1,500km in 5 days is very leisurly, but back roads near Parry Sound, like Orange Valley when freshly graveled with a deep covering of stone marbles aren’t for everyone. The concentration for me to ride 20 km in deep fresh gravel is more tiring than 100km of pavement. I’m more at ease riding on wet rain soaked roads than I am trying to float my tires over gravel ball bearings.

We stumbled upon Mike Moloney’s celebration of the old Parry Sound Sport Bike Rally. I happened to live in PS many years ago when Mike Moloney started it. Good on ya Mike! (Peak Rider Adventure)

in Tamworth Ontario was a great cafe for lunch today. I enjoyed a circuitous loop of backroads today and stopped at a favourite bakery. Expecting just coffee and a snack I discovered that since my last visit there are new owners. The menu got my attention and so I had a wild boar blueberry burger with cheese and sat on the shaded patio. Wow…together with the best coffee in town. Very friendly welcoming service thanks to LJ and her husband Stephen who is certainly a capable chef; as well as a motorcycle rider. Good location to ride some backroads and stop for food. I highly recomend supporting their bussness.

15 years ago Bruce, Tom, Gerhard and Gord arranged to meet for lunch. During the winter we had planned a ride south to go to the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge in North Carolina and the four of us needed to meet one another. Of course Tom and Gerhard were already well acquainted. I picked a spot more or less equadinsant and we met for lunch in early April. That was many thousands of kilometers ago! Today by my count 24 riders continued the tradition. The four of us became the “Road Toads” because of the fact we all had Frogg Toggs Road Toad raingear, and of course Suzuki Vstroms. I was a relatively new Vstom rider, although MC licensed since 1969…ya do the math I’m the old guy with white hair and beard. I’ve learned a lot about riding from these 3 guys and subsequently caught the dreadful long-distance disease. Kudos to Tom especially for yearly keeping us all together and encouraging many of you to join us.

Nice to see you all today, thanks for coming and I hope you all enjoy a safe season.

Beginning in January I promised to look for something each week to photograph and worthy of sharing. I got lucky last night at midnight while I was out walking my dog, although I had only my phone to capture our wintery neighbourhood.

But just now as the sun was setting I got a beauty (unedited) right from our deck.