Suddenly it was late July...

It's July 25th as I write this. We have been back from Ireland since the 22nd. I started to write this on July 15th sitting at a pubic access site in my hotel lobby in Dublin but vacation time didn't allow for me to keep up. Summer back in St. John's started with great weather, albeit somewhat windy for riding. I did get a few rides in and spent part of the week one painting the deck.  Also, for part of week one and week two the house was in upheaval with painters and plasterers. This is part of our seven year plan. Each year for the coming seven years, including this summer, we have a project with the house  as we ready it for market prior to implementing the grand retitrement scheme of living as gypsey bikers. This summer it's covering the stucko ceilings, a mjor and expensive undertaking. Also having some painting done and putting up some new fencing. That's about as much as the pocket book will absorb for this year, especially given the cost of our excursion across the pond...speaking of which!

Dublin, Part One
We arrived in Dublin on the morning of the 13th after departing around 11:15 from St. John's on the 12th. With the timezone difference it was about 7:00 AM when we arrived and craving sleep. We stayed at a hotel close to the shopping district on Grafton Street and they were great about getting us checked in as early as possible. After a few hours nap we did as much touristy stuff as we could. Supper was at gourmet burger kitchen or GBK. Holy smokes, what a fantastic burger place. We have to get one of these in St. John's. We ended day one with a lucky break, stopping into a pub called the Store House where we were treated to  a free show of Irish song & dance. Pub prices weren't to bad either.

Day two started off sunny enough.The weather was similar to Newfoundland. The similarities go well beyond the weather. A three hour walking tour of Ireland gave us a great summary of the countries' history. The parallels between Ireland and Newfoundland are quite strong, not only culturally but historically/politically too. The people of Ireland are quite conscious of their history and it's not possible to tour the place without touring the history. In a word...sombre! After the tour we did some shopping and eating, got caught in a rain shower and finished off the day with the younger set heading off for a pub crawl while Sherry & I , along with our youngest who was not of age to go pubbing with her sibs, took in an evening of food, fairies and folklore (http://www.brazenhead.com/story-telling/. ) The traditional Irish menu was a bit bland for my taste, not that I'm a culinary adventurer. I'm not sure how much child # three, Erin, enjoyed it, but I found the evening interesting and enjoyable. The host covered some of the historical piece we'd done in the morning but also spend a lot of time giving background and plenty of examples related to Ireland's rich history of story telling. The motto is, never let the facts get in the way of a good story, and they don't.  Their was a traditional music piece to this as well. We took a cab to the pub, the Brazen Head which dates backs to the 1100's but by the time we finished, after 10:00, we were able to wind our way along the Liffy river and find our way back to the hotel.

Day three started off with a bit of a dud, a poor choice for breakfast stop but we soon got over that. The coffee here is great, though, Americano espresso. We did the Kilmainhan Gaol (jail) tour today, another grim and sobering reminder of the struggle of the Irish people and for me, as a proud Newfoundlander, the parallels keep hitting home. Day four saw us head out of Dublin to Cork County and the surrounding attractions including an old castle/church on a hilltop called Rock Cashel as well as Blarney Castle. Ireland's history is very much told threw its ruins. I didn't bother with the line up to kiss the blarney stone. If you've read this far you know I don't need any help in the blarney department.. Sherry and I did walk the grounds and they are really picturesque. It was nice to see more of the country side and it is very much like we'd seen in pictures of Ireland. Sherry & I are already planning to return for a couple of weeks somewhere down the road and tour the country on motorcycle. Day four finished with a great meal and a few drinks at Harry's, a pub/restaurant around the corner form our hotel.

London--It was Something to See

After four days in Ireland we flew via Ryan Air to London. Ryan Air is something one must experience. I'm not sure if they are a publicly traded company but if they are, they would be a sound investment as the making of money is of far greater priority than anything related to service. However, they did put enough fuel in the plane to get it to London and supplied capable pilots for the round trip. We stayed at a hostel in London. Apparently that is more the norm than hotels, which can be significantly more pricey than here in North America. It was very clean and we did have private rooms for about $140.00 Canadian per night. We were on the 5th floor and London is in the middle of a heatwave. There was no air conditioning and with temps hitting over 40 with the humidity,well....

For me the highlights of the London stay were the shopping excursion to the giant artisan market know as Notting Hill. I didn't buy much (except for a fan to clip to my bed) but just wandering and picking & poking at the various stalls was entertaining enough. The only store that I thought might have something I'd buy was a western boutique specialising in ornate bracelets and bangles for men and women. The had some really nice ones, with cool engraving and turquoise stone. However, when a fairly simple designed one I was looking at turned out to be 500 pounds (nearly $1000.00 Canadian) I said my thanks and went about my business. Other than that I had a visit to the Ace Cafe on my must see list. Amongst motorcyclists the Ace in London is pretty significant dating back to the late 30's as a starting point for bike racing anywhere in the world. It was a pretty good trek to get there, involving a ride on the subway, called the Tube, and and also a train ride, plus a bit of a walk from the station. That is pretty much the norm for most things you might want to see in London. It's a huge city and so public transit is essential to getting to where you plan to go. I had also hoped to get to the National Motorcycle Museum, but that was even more of a trek than the Ace, so it'll have to wait.

Our oldest daughter, world traveller that she is, co-ordinated sightseeing for the trip. She made sure to include a show at one of the theatres in London's famous west end, after which Broadway is modelled. We saw a Beatles musical revue called Let It Be...very well done.

We did do the typical London tourist stuff too, such as Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park ( quite a nice stroll) and the London Eye Ferris Wheel. But London was more for the kids to do some shopping than anything else and shop they did. We were near Oxford Street, the main shopping area, and I do believe the phrase teeming mass of humanity may have been invented for this place. Suffice it to say, there are a lot of people in London.

We left London after four days and headed back to Dublin, as that is where we were scheduled to fly home from. The last day in Dublin was very leisurely. I had a great time doing a tour of the Jameson's whiskey distillery. I sampled some of the different varieties and ended up buying one called Distillery Reserve, available only at the distillery. Smooth is an understatement, although at 60 pounds for a bottle that is to be expected. For our last night in Dublin we took in the Irish Kitchen Party. The meal was great, the service as good as you'll find (which was typical of Dublin) the musicians were proficient, but I have been to kitchen parties in Newfoundland that would have put that one to shame. That was a minor blimp, however, on what was a very entertaining evening and and overall visit to Ireland.

Pictures: I'm not much of a photographer and generally I find photos don't capture the spirit of the scene, but for what it's worth, here are some pics. The ruins of Ireland and the monuments of London are best seen live than via photo.

Busker on Grafton Street, Dublin. We saw/heard many talented performers

Typical street scene in Dublin

City Hall, where we began a three hour walking tour...I highly recommend this and it's free

Tour Guide, James

Dublin Castle. One o f the few old buildings pics I took. My photos don't do them justice

Veronica Guerin monument.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veronica_Guerin

Just an alley way on the tour

Christ Church, Dublin

Not sure what's up with everyone having to have a different coloured door

To the right, the hotel U2 bought after they "made it" Before they were famous the manager kicked them out for looking to scruffy and Bono vowed he'd someday own the place. The actually bought the whole block.

Art school where U2 met and were formed.

More of U2's block.

Original Temple Bar...now it's a whole section of the city, like George Street in St. John's but much bigger

Hay Penny Bridge on the Liffy

Liffy, main river running through Dublin

Plaque clandestinely placed on bridge by two brothers as a ruse. Government refuses to remove it because it's such a good story...The Irish love their stories. ( http://www.museumofhoaxes.com/hoax/weblog/comments/in_memory_of_father_noise )

O'Connell statue. This guy is revered in Ireland http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_O'Connell

Entrance to Trinity College

Memorial to rebels who fought for Irish independence, across from Kilmainham Gaol

Housed many poor as well as Irish independence rebels over the centuries. The death of 16 Irish freedom fighters during the Easter Uprising of 1916 (shot while imprisoned at this jail) finally lead to formation of Irish Free State

Corner gate of St. Steve's Green, near Grafton Street

Rock Cashel... http://www.cashel.ie/

Blarney castle. The grounds are stunning and very tranquil.  http://www.blarneycastle.ie/

Sherry walking along the river, Blarney

Just saw this place on the grounds of Blarney Castle. Don't know if it is still inhabited.

Tree in huge horse pasture

wild poppies

The family business...no discount for our trip to England :(

London from the London Eye

I just liked the art work on the front of the building

Busker at Notting Hill in London..love Gretsch guitars... the next few are just some random pics from my stroll through Notting Hill, which has a giant artisan craft section that goes on for blocks.

'nuff said..they had Cap'N Morgan dark too.

Getting to know the London subway is a must.

token red phone book... gross, people pee in 'em!

Plenty of pubs and shopping in this section of London

This one and the next few are from my visit to Ace cafe in London. Birth place of motorcycle racing in England and a significant landmark in motorcycle circles.  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ace_Cafe_London

with my son, Steven

My oldest, Emily, who planned much of the trip. This was her third trip to Europe and she is only 21

War memorial...Canada Monument, next to Buckingham Palace

Newfoundland Column on the wall surrounding Buckingham Palace http://www.royalparks.org.uk/press/factsheets-on-the-royal-parks/monuments/monuments-in-green-park

Me and London Bobbie

Next few are of St Steven's Green In Dublin

My tour of Jameson's whiskey distillery

I was selected to for a comparison taste test at the end of the tour..Johnny Walker Black, Jack Daniels and Jameson's. Having had three rum for lunch, a whiskey while waiting for the tour to start, and then being provided a complimentary Jameson's as part of the tour, I had a pretty good buzz by the time I got to the tasting. I voted for Jameson's.

Chip Truck on Grafton Street, Dublin

GBK.-- Gourmet Burger Kitchen...fantastic burgers..and milkshakes

mural in Dublin

street in Temple Bar section of Dublin

From our first night in Dublin. We happened on these Irish step dancers in a pub...great show and no cover.

They label their pop cans a bit differently.

The whole crew in Dublin

me and the missus

my youngest, Erin. She was thrilled to find a store with her name, and thought it was pretty cool too, that she could get into  a pub.

Enjoying an Americano at The Breakfast Club, just one of the great cafes we found in Dublin and London to grab a delicious meal.

These are all over London. Very nice restaurant.

Selling homemade ice cream. It was quite good. We also had genuine gelato...delicious.

This pub/restaurant was just around the corner from our hotel in Dublin and the server, Trudy, was always friendly and helpful. Most people we encountered in Dublin are really helpful and easygoing.

Last night in Dublin

me and da b'ys...my son Steven to my left and his buddy Thomas who came along for the trip.

Back To Reality But We'll Go Back, For Sure

We arrived back in St. John's on July 22. Painters/Plasterers had been in while we were away and the house was covered in plaster dust, so we hit the ground running. There is still more painting to be finished and then the lights that were taken down from the ceiling to accommodate the new gyprock have to be put back; Electrician in on Monday, July 28. 

For 10 days it was great, no schedules, no "'to do" list. Ireland is beautiful and the people are very friendly and helpful. London has so much to see that four days wasn't near enough, but you have to go with a plan and an idea of how you're going to make it happen. I prefer the pace of Dublin/Ireland but both places have so much to see and do.

Life in the Moment

OK, as you can probably tell from the title, this is going to be one of those what does it all mean type posts, so be forewarned. Stop reading now if it's not your cup-o-tea. Still there??? Anyone...

 I was riding my bike yesterday. It was one of those sporadic warm summer days we get here as the season desperately tries to gain a foothold. I was thinking. I do some of my best thinking while riding. I used to write songs too. My son once suggested that if I ever released a cd it should be called "Songs from me Arse" as I was often sitting on me arse riding as the lyrics came to me...but I digress. Anyways, the thinking I was doing yesterday was not good thinking. It was about work and as I'm driving up water Street it hits me...It's a beautiful sunny day, I'm cruising on my motorcycle and here I am thinking about WORK!!! In that moment of realisation, a eureka moment I call those, it occurred to me I was missing a more important moment, indeed a bunch of them. I pushed work aside and took in the pleasure of that sensation of freedom that riding gives me.

I often talk about, think about, read about, claim to believe in, the importance of living each day as if it were your last and finding happiness where ever you can. However, as much as I do this talking, thinking, reading and believing, when the rubber hits the road, I often find myself caught up in the plans and worries that are part of the "big picture" Why? Hmmmm... Well the answer to that is probably several years of therapy and more time and space than this blog would allow. BUT in that one eureka moment yesterday, what I believed and what I actually did came together and it was pure freedom, peace and happiness. It set the tone for the rest of the afternoon and what a great ride I had

Now, I'd be a hypocrite if I claimed not to believe in big pictures. I do. It's important I think to have some semblance of a plan and seek to follow a path toward it. However, and this will sound cliche...that plan is the destination. Life is the journey. It's important to look out the window and enjoy the view along the way.

That moment on the bike spawned this post, but I think that moment stuck with me all the more so because of a couple of recent occurrences. One was out of the blue when a woman I'd known in high school, who was from my hometown, connected with me on FB. I hadn't spoken to  her in over 30 years. Her name is Verna and she has an awesome blog where she promotes many of the values I believe in. She actually does the life coach gig for a living.http://www.allwaysinspired.com/ I thought that was pretty cool and since I liked her FB page I get a stream of positive, inspirational quotes that serve to keep the whole notion of being happy on the front burner.

The second thing is I have begun promoting my annual Terry Fox motorcycle ride fundraiser, which I call 24 Marathons in 24 Hours. People like Terry Fox inspire me. To me he represented the best of what people can be. Making a positive difference in others' lives during the brief time we are here on the planet is something I believe in. I have dedicated nearly 30 years of my professional career to it. It has, however, taken me a long time to realise we don't all have to undertake huge initiatives and become famous national icons to make a difference. That wasn''t Terry Fox's plan. He just saw a need and decided someone should do something, so why not him? It is in that realisation that I come back to the moments. It is in seizing the moments when those moments present themselves,  it is enjoying the moments when life serves them up, that is how we find happiness and that is how we can make a difference. Little victories Bob Segar called them.

I used to get frustrated a lot because many people didn't seem to want to achieve the kind of change I felt needed to be made...to do what I saw as the right thing. Even five years ago, when I first started doing this ride, I figured I'd just send out a bunch of e-mails and people would naturally support a cause associated with Terry Fox. It doesn't quite work that way and it is in appreciating the moments that one learns to accept that not all difference making is going to be achieved in a giant fell swoop. Bob Dylan, who pretty much has a line for every occasion, once wrote: people don't do what they believe in, they just do what's convenient and then they repent ( Brownsville Girl--1986). That may seem cynical at first, but it really isn't. It's just reality. Most people do care, and given a choice most people want good things to happen, but not everyone is going to automatically jump on your bandwagon  because it's the right thing to do. If one is to avoid becoming cynical and also avoid going completely nuts, one must learn to accept this about people.It sure makes for a lot less frustration, let me tell ya! Appreciating the moments helps this acceptance. If you see them, if you seize them, if you enjoy them, the change you want, the happiness you seek, will come! Perhaps slowly, but...little victories said Mr. Segar, another fine purveyor of rock 'n roll quotes by the way.

So there ya go. No pics with this post. Just taking a moment to share a perspective...oh and to remind you that if you do want to be the change and support me in the 24 Marathons in 24 Hours, all ya have to do is click the link below: https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/FundraisingPage.aspx?registrationID=2467243&langPref=en-CA

 Until we connect again...here is an extra special treat; a song about moments. I wrote  this several years ago for a Remembrance Day assembly at my school. Be forewarned, this isn't "produced"   :o

 ...Until next time See You Out There!Ride On...

It Was Just Like Summer

Here on the rock, we have plenty of cliches related to the weather. A guy I met at a gas station on Saturday said to me "...some day for riding. This is our summer, enjoy it while it lasts" And like summer it was indeed! Friday came in sunny but a tad cool, but Saturday and Sunday were dead on summer days...and then it was over! Enjoyed it to the fullest while it was here, though. My ride Saturday was about 750 kms round trip to a little outport called Embree in the north central part of the island. It started with a conversation with my neighbour on Friday night. As we chatted in the driveway, I mentioned to him I was planning a highway run and said in passing I might head for Gander. For CFA's Gander was once know as the crossroads of the world because it was the last point of land before many flights embarked on a transatlantic journey and so they stopped in Gander to refuel. That was an era of aviation that is long past and with it, so too went Gander's glory days. Anyways, back to my neighbour...so we started chatting. He was doing a charity group ride called Ride for Dad, a prostate cancer fundraiser. It's a great cause and they had an banner turnout with over 800 bikes, so good for them. I'm not much for group rides but I did support the cause... I mean I'm a guy with a prostate, right.

I've been pretty lucky with neighbours in the 18 years I've lived in my neighbourhood. The folks on one side have been tolerable enough and the guy has a cool muscle car ('74 Plymouth Duster) that we've spent many hours chatting about, working on and generally admiring. My new neighbour, the guy I was chatting with on Friday night, is much younger and moved in a little over a year ago. He is actually a former student of mine from about 15 years ago, he and his lovely wife. He currently teaches French at the same school where I work. So far we get along pretty well...it's hard not to like a guy who is kind enough to mow one's lawn just because I jokingly suggested he ought to. I felt kinda shitty  'bout that for a minute, but then I just put in down to his good nature and moved on.

I'm rambling aren't I. I think that may be a hallmark of this post. Anyway, young Caleb (neighbour's actual name) says "well, if you're going to Gander you should go to Lewisport". I'm not sure why he thought that was a good idea, and now having driven through Lewisport, I'm still not sure, but I know he had the best of intentions and indeed it worked out fortuitously. When I mentioned it as a possible destination to my frequent riding buddy Frank a.k.a. Furry G, he got excited and said well we have to go to Embree, but he would not tell me why. "OK" says I, because really I didn't care that much as long as we had a good long ride on a sunny summer day. So, off we headed,west, and at a good clip. It was indeed a great ride, therapeutic as they all usually are. It was warm, traffic wasn't to heavy the further west we went and police sighting were limited (and fortunately came when we were in traffic and at a more respectable pace). The bike ran well and with each joyful mile the stress of a long work week disappeared on the wind.  We finally arrived in Embree and the big secret was revealed...it was the Newfoundland navy. Actually, it was a rusting hulk of metal and some rotting wood that once had been the HMS Calypso, the pride of the Newfoundland Navy in the early part of the 20th century, when Newfoundland was an independent nation and, as a coastal state, we had a navy. Sadly, this derelict hulk, such an important artifact of our proud ocean going history, has not been preserved. However, to an avid scholar of Newfoundland history,as Furry G is, it was a pretty big deal. I did appreciate, if not share, his enthusiasm. Here are a couple of then and now shots.

HMS Calypso under full sail. She was a  full sailing ship with an engine to boot

Naval trainees

The hulk on the left in the background is the remnants of Calypso, which had been renamed Briton by the time she was decommissioned. The hulk in the foreground on the right..well, that's me.

Now, getting to Embree took a few hours and close to 400 kms. A body does get hungry. I try not to have too heavy a meal while riding as it just kind of sits in my stomach and that's not all that comfortable. I do have an affinity for coconut cream pie, though, and I have rated the quality of this particular dessert dish at various stops across the island. The best, hands down, is at the Big Stop Irving in Deer Lake. The Irving at Gander, where we stopped for a late lunch, holds down the # 4 spot. Frank is a fan of fish and ships and we have talked about doing a motorcycle tour guide for Newfoundland and Labrador. We figure we'll criss-cross the province, check out the local grub and report back, both on the riding and the food. Tentative name is: Fish & Chips and Coconut Cream Pie: a motorcyclist guide to Canada's tenth province.

Looks like a big plate of custard but there is a huge chunk of coconut cream pie under there...some good!

Well, with the tidbit of Newfoundland history examined, the pie sampled and the day thus far enjoyed, we turned around and headed home. We initially had planned to do a loop heading back to along the coast before hitting Gander and the TCH again, but time prevented that on this trip. It was almost 4:00 and we wanted to make it home before dusk and the moose were hard to see. Also,by this time I was feeling kinda sore, still feeling the effects in my neck and shoulders of the fender bender in May, and the advil I was popping were not helping.

We made it back into St. John's just a bit before 8:00 PM. I was pretty tired having driven over 750 kms since 9:30 that morning, but I savoured every mile of it. I have had a head cold since last Friday, and I don't know if it was that, maybe combined with being tired from the ride but I could only mange one drink of Cap'N Morgan before it was lights out for the day as the VOCM cabin party lulled me to sleep.

Sunday arose as brilliantly sunny and warm as the previous day. It being father's day, I was looking forward to some family time. Other than having the good sense to hang on to their mom, my three kids are the best thing I have ever done, or will ever do. There were nice cards and presents, a great BBQ steak courtesy of my lovely wife and the day ended sitting around a fire, another of my stress reduction strategies. The best part of the day was sitting on the deck with Sherry & the kids, just talking and listening to music on my son's laptop. At one point America's "Ventura Highway" came on. I thanked God my kids don't totally hate me and they have decent taste in music.

Cape Spear, eastern most tip of the North American continent

For part of the afternoon Sherry and I did take a walk along the south side of St. John's Harbour out to Fort Amherst at the very entrance to said harbour. Again for the benefit of CFA's like the person from Ukraine who stops by to take in my musings, this part of St. John's Harbour is called the Narrows, so named because it is where the coast line narrows coming in from the ocean before opening out into the Harbour. We also got out for an hour or so on the bike, just around the city. It's been a great season for icebergs and the tour boats are loving it. Here is a sampling of yesterday's views

At Fort Amherst, St. John's Harbour Entrance

Cape Spear

The light house grounds at Fort Amherst

So, it's Monday as I write this record of the weekend that was. Today featured a return to the cool spring weather with rain and temps around eight degrees. But, if this weekend was indeed summer, it was a great one. Until the sun shines again, See ya Out There! Ride On....

Freedom & Peace

The title of this particular post sums up my feelings about motorcycling. It's been a few weeks since my last post...haven't had much to say. Truth be told, I'm not sure if I have alot to say now, but on I shall go. Spring continues to nudge along toward summer at a painstakingly slow pace. May ended with a week where we had three solid days of rain and temps down around 3 or 4... more like March than May. June has been a little better. Perhaps if the weather would improve I could ride more and thus have more to post about but as is often said about this place, we don't live here for the weather.

I actually started this post last Sunday after a great ride out the TCH to Goobies but then I got distracted. I left St. John's with temps around 7 or 8 and when I was drinking my coffee on the parking lot of the gas station at Goobies it was showing 19  degrees on my dash gauge. For the benefit of those not familiar with the geography of the island, Goobies is a junction point about 150 kms west of St. John's. There is a small community off of the highway but for motorcyclists it is useful as a refuel & coffee stop. There are  three gas stations/restaurants serving traffic heading west and also coming up off of the Burin Peninsula to the south.
It was at Goobies that I met Ken & Ken. I can't remember last names but one guy sold cars and the other real estate. They had been on the go since 6:00 AM and had left St. John's when it was 1 degree. They had been south down the Burin Peninsula to do some salmon fishing and were  heading back to St. John's on their bikes when we crossed paths. That is the nature of motorcycling; you meet someone in a parking lot and the bikes give you a common interest and some great conversations are had, as if you are the best of friends, then off we go again. In this case since the b'ys were heading back in the same direction as myself we headed out together. For non riders, there is a benefit to riding with other bikes as it makes us more visible to sometimes heedless car drivers. I can't tell you the number of times I have been cut off and nearly run over and the response is typically the same.. "oh, I didn't see you".

So we headed back to St. John's and it became quickly evident that these guys liked the northern range of the speedometer and I was happy to keep pace. I have an had a few speeding tickets over the past three years and that has gotten expensive, so I am cautious with when/where I open 'er up. However as these guys were happy to lead ( and thus risk the tickets) I was happy to follow. Unless one rides I'm not sure I can explain the rush from leaning into a curve at high speed or opening up on a straight-away. It is pure freedom. In that moment when I am concentrating on the ride ( and staying alive) nothing else matters: Peace!

The day ended with another coffee stop downtown St. John's. The bank of fog just outside the harbour had the temps down around six or seven but there were a few guys around to chat with. So, thus ended another great riding experience. We have had a few warmer days this past week, so I did get out over the highway for some short runs after work. The school year is coming to an end and that will give me more time for some extended runs. Until next time, then, See Ya out There! Ride On....