Birthday Weekend

Saturday morning I went motorcycle riding with Bonnie and Buck. Bonnie and Buck have been so wonderful to let me practice riding on one of their bikes (Buck’s). It really has been invaluable… and awesome. Bonnie and I went out for a short ride one afternoon before and though I drafted a euphoric blog about it in my mind it never made it through my fingers onto a computer.

Bonnie asked me earlier in the week about riding this weekend and I realized that my temporary license was going to expire. Thursday afternoon I beat the buses out to get to Charlottesville before DMV closed. I now have an official driver’s license with an M and a much better photo- I am no longer a zombie and no more long hair. I actually resemble the person in the photo. After getting the license I went to a local park and ran along the Rivanna River, ate dinner, and then went to Monticello High School to watch Adam coach his team into upsetting number one seeded Fluvanna. I think Fluvanna is still number one, but Monticello is closer to beating them and becoming number one. If they win win win they could do it.

Back to Saturday… Buck and Bonnie rode Bonnie’s Harley and I rode Buck’s bike which I think is a victory. I led for a while and then I followed. My favorite speed is 40 mph. Buck apparently does not mind me riding his bike and is laughing at all of my minor mistakes – like turn signals. I didn’t do anything really bad and I am getting much better about shifting up and down. I did well turning at stop signs and lights and parking.

What was the purpose of the outing? Well it was a gorgeous sunny day and not too hot and we went to a bunch of local dealers to look at bikes and gear. Three to be exact – and all in the country near nothing in particular. One also sells lawn mowers, four wheelers, and farm supplies and another sells four wheelers and jet skis. And another is a Harley dealer so it just sells motorcycles. Currently my gear is boots (pink timberlands that I have rarely worn for any purpose (They were gifted to me by someone who would hate that I am riding a motorcycle), but they are tall enough and they work) and I am borrowing everything else. I tried on so many pairs of gloves and jackets and helmets on Saturday. I didn’t buy anything, but I have found a jacket that I like and two helmets. I want a full face clip up helmet and I found one with a built in adjustable sunglass visor. I am still undecided about gloves because the pair that fit the best are yellow and I am not sure I want that color. AND I found a blue Honda 1100 motorcycle that I am really thinking about buying. I am going to do some more research and I think Mom and I are going to go look at it this week.

I really enjoyed riding down the windy back roads Bonnie chose. I kept catching myself smiling at nothing other than the sheer joy of riding. People are saying I have got the bug. So I need gear regardless and probably a motorcycle sometime – maybe not this one and maybe not now – but sometime, and the sooner the better.

All this riding around made me late for my own party. I was supposed be at Adam’s at three, but I didn’t get back to Bonnie’s until three. Oops. I ran home, quickly showered, threw everything I thought I needed into a bag and drove to Adam’s. It turned out that Adam was hosting my family – since just about everyone else we invited was unable to attend. Hopefully those folks can make it to the big party – date still undecided. Adam actually joked that he thought Kelley might be on the way from Arizona since the rest of my family was already there. Adam and I supplied the meat and buns and others supplied the rest. There was a potato salad face off, yummy coleslaw, spicy baked beans, veggie skewers, and two types of cookies… and plenty of icy adult beverages.

The funniest thing at the party was the Bocce match on Adam’s sloped backyard. It made for some interesting pitches. If the little ball (palomino or something) was downhill, the larger balls would roll farther down hill. If the little ball was uphill you couldn’t necessarily see it – you were tossing blind. It was really funny and we spent a lot of time rustling in the leaves along the edges trying to find the missing balls.

I spent the night at Adam’s to shorten my drive in the morning to the book fair. After accumulating a summer reading pile, I headed to Shenandoah for a short waterfall hike. Because I had thrown stuff into a bag so quickly, I was unsure what clothes I had for hiking and I had forgotten my pack, book, and snacks, but it all turned out ok. I changed in the parking area, cargo shorts hold lots of things, and I just carried a water bottle. Plus I only did a three and half mile hike so I didn’t need any other water or snacks besides what I carried.

I returned home to flip the compost pile, transplant some pepper plants, replant the topsy turvy with a new stronger healthier tomato, and sow some chard and radish seeds. My garden is all in pots in the porch. It’s a small garden, but it will be delicious!

I opened my presents and enjoyed a relaxing evening at home. And now it is past my bedtime and I am going to bed – though this will not post until I have internet tomorrow morning. Night!