My Color?

Your Power Color Is Magenta

At Your Highest: You energize yourself and push others to suceed. At Your Lowest: You feel frustrated and totally overwhelmed. In Love: You are suprised by who you attract. You're a love magnet. How You're Attractive: Open and free spirited, people want to explore the world with you. Your Eternal Question: "What is my next source of inspiration?"

What's Your Power Color?

Errrr

This camera business has me flumoxed. No mavens around to help me out when I need them, like I have since my last post. Like HH says, there's been some musical thing going on every night, except when it's a group project homework thing. Everyone trying to get in their final this that and the other for the year, awards, dinners, all needing music. It's either DD or me, so instead of quiet evenings at home talking to each other, we've been breezing through on our way to out and about. Tonight it's an end of school party. The camera is still hooked to the computer, and when I try to unhook it, I get dire warnings. Well, maybe someone has taken care of that, since the camera is now turned off, but I still don't remember what I'm supposed to do. If anyone and I both alight here at the same time, maybe I can get another cameral lesson.

This picture shows more detail of the cool decals on the sidecovers. Well, there's one on each side.

Needs Love

I am inspired by all the photos Avus and Boggywoggy have posted of bicycles, as well as the pictures of Sir Edward Elgar with a Sunbeam posted at Little Corner of the Earth, so here's one of the bikes on our patio, sadly sitting with no wheels, but with a history. It came from the same shop in Massachusetts as the Sunbeam S7, back in 1947. I recognized the photos of Elgar, because we got books as well as bikes when we bought the Sunbeam. The bike pictured here is not a Sunbeam, but a BSA. Poor little thing.

It is the time of year when bands and orchestras play Elgar's music, particularly Opus 39. We're playing No. 1 and No. 4. I feel I should mention that 1 is arranged for band by Paul Sterrett and 4 is transcribed by M. Retford, revised and edited by Alfred Reed. We're doing something else by Reed. Ah, yes. Alleluia! Laudamus Te. Good stuff. All right, quiz time. What is the name of the pieces Opus 39, No. 1 and No. 4 that we are playing?

New Post

It just seemed like time to add a post, and I've been wanting to show off this gorgeous picture HH took while on a ride. We took the tank and side covers up to Oregon City and met at the Oregon City Falls wayside where we can overlook the mills. There we met with a guy who had colorful flame tatoos on both arms and legs. The decals we gave him with the parts to be painted didn't work, so the painted parts were looking rather plain, in a spectacular shiney red way. In other words, plain is not a very good word for anything as glamorous as the painted parts. We got them back by meeting the same flaming man at the same waterfall wayside. HH only recently added these flag decals. The 650 Lightning was made for the American market, thus the American flag. If any of you have advice for this sort of thing, he would welcome it.

Evil Monster Yard

There is a lot of this stuff hiding in my yard. It's poison-oak. I was just trying to yank up a few weeds yesterday, knowing that stuff was in there somewhere, when I pulled one up and my hand drifted back and brushed against some of it. Ack! I put my handful of weeds into the compost bin and went inside to wash wash wash wash wash wash endlessly wash with Tecnu. Ack! Did I touch that with oaky fingers? I don't think anything but the back of my hand was affected, but what if I'm wrong? Worry worry worry. Clean everything off with alcohol. HH and DLD were waiting waiting waiting, because I was waiting for them when I was distracted by the weeds. I should have stood idley by the auto. HH says he'll pour gasoline on the poisonous monsters. Clever Neighbor says "use crossbow" which sounds a lot saner than using gasoline to me. Gotta use something, though, because it can't be pulled or burned. It keeps it's poisonous effects for ages after it's dead...a year or two. I will have to look it up. Clever Neighbor pointed out another big batch of it I hadn't seen yet, because it was in with several other things that had similarly shaped leaves. We have a lot of volunteer oaks, Hawthorns and blackberries. I will have to show DLD the new batch. Ugh! .....worse than Ugh!

Interior Decorating

Here's what I call decorating. I put the red vines in the glass and set the glass on the sideboard. Spiffy. I was inspired by Mrs. Staggs.

I'm pretty pleased that I took a picture and got it into the computer, but now I don't know how to detatch the camera. I'm sure DLD will be able to clue me in when she gets home from school.

Did I Say?

I never saw one of these before. It was just one of the many bikes at the OVM yearly show at Benton County Fairgrounds last Sunday. This bike didn't go on the Saturday ride, but there were over 50 interesting old motorcycles from all over the world that did. They went well over 100 miles, and no one broke down. Yaaaa! Most of the Ducati's and Vincent's took off ahead of the main bunch. Sunday HH was happy to bring home an honorable mention.

Happy Birthday, Loquacious One

As the Girl on the Swing in Ragtime would say, "Wheee!" It's a party. Happy Birthday Darling Girl. I hope you enjoy your day.

Pianos Tuned, Check

Whoopee! The pianos are now both tuned, and I have met the delightful Mr. Stainthorpe. The hammers on the old baby grand are hardened, so it sounds like a honky tonk piano. He played a bit of a rag time ditty on it, which was very entertaining. Such pizzaz! He is a violinist, and played in the Sacramento Symphony, until they put him on viola, which he didn't think was fun. Anyway, he wanted to see Mom's old violin, so I got it out for him, but when he went to play it, he found it was strung as a viola. Oh, right. Loquacious Daughter was practicing viola before she had one by restringing the violin. It all makes sense, but Mr. Stainthorpe and I were dissapointed, because we wanted to hear a violin.

He told me many fine and entertaining stories, but I have already forgotten the details. One was about a guy he gives overflow work to who made a custom organ for Toyota. He had to give up his organ making because the organ making shop where he worked closed because the man who owned it retired. Alas!

My hammers are hard. Did I mention that yet? On the baby grand piano. He says it is very expensive to replace the hammers. He says for a short-lived fix, I could poke holes in them all to let a little air in. That doesn't sound like anything I'm going to do. Hard hammers sound kind of rinky tinky. Anyway, it is sure a lot nicer than it was. Maybe I will add photos later.

Whatever

Played trombone last night. People danced. The guys look so cute in the cummerbunds and bow ties. I get to follow these and mostly other motorcycles around old roads on a club ride next Saturday. I'll be driving the pickup car. Hope I don't have to pick anyone up.

Dr. Not Who drives the Ducati. I've got a story about him, that I've been putting off telling. He's a retired chemist, and he told HH that his wife doesn't listen to him, trust him, or believe him when he says burning candles is carcinogenic. That's my story. I don't like it.

He says Google Earth is free, and now I can find an old photo of my house on the map. HH showed it to me this morning. He said look at this, and the computer screen had a tiny planet earth in the middle. He said push this button (with the mouse) and the earth zoomed closer, and closer until you could see my house.

I went to Garland Nursery yesterday to buy a hanging Begonia basket for MIL for today. Found just the right one. It is fun to go to Garland. I see lots of lovely things I can't afford there. I hope. Then I went to the antique mall to pick up finds for a birthday package. I hope I get it mailed. The mall is fun because there are lots of very pretty things I can afford, and there's a black cat curled up on a pillow, and one of the owners was helping me and cracking wise the whole time. They had a shoe store stool for sale by the front door. Remember those?

Today we're all going to Ragtime. DD will be playing in the pit. They have been having sound system problems, so I hope those are worked out. The sound guy fixes my shoes when he's not doing sound. Maybe I can get the low down on what happened if I get a new pair of shoes for him to fix.

Ragtime

Tonight is opening night for Ragtime. DD is playing for most of the shows, or that's her plan. MIL and I are going Sunday to see her. OK, we may hear her. We're going to see the show. Fluffy Cat is wanting my attention, so I have to go now and give her attention. No one else is home. HH is off getting advice for his map from a guy with GPS on his Ducati. No DD, no HH, just me and Fluff Ball.

The Nighthawk was sold to make room for the Moto Guzzi. I don't know how other people do this. It doesn't work for me. I like these bike pictures, though. I'm coming, Cat.

Out of Tune

Yesterday I was listening to DD playing piano, and thinking "How beautiful. I wonder if only a mother would like this? No, it's got great phrasing and shape and OK, it's not perfect, but it sounds wonderful." She went on from one beautiful piece to another and another, and the last one got more and more dramatic at the end to a flashy finish, when the Whirlwind appeared screeming and demanding the paino be tuned immediately. Well, maybe that's pretty good timing, because a life insurance company that my dad had a policy with sent me a check that should cover piano tuning. That was probably connected to the piece of paper my brother stopped by with and had me sign. I wrote down that tuner that used to work for Liberace on a piece of paper, now where is it? I'll just look it up again. I know a trombone player who used to play for Liberace, and another trombone player who used to trick or treat Liberace. Then I could be a trombone player who got her paino tuned by Liberace's piano tuner. If he'll do it.

Wheeeee

We're motoring down I-5 getting close to LA when we see an unbelievable sight---huge roller coasters, high roller coasters, looping roller coasters--every kind of roller coaster I ever saw in pictures, there in the distance beside the road. We weren't the only people to notice, because we soon came to the exit for this roller coaster paradise, and traffic pretty much just stopped while waiting for their turn to go to this amazing place. We eventually noticed that we could keep going if we just got out of the right side lanes. But not before I drug out the camera and got this picture.

Back from LA

Mission accomplished. We are back, and we have the Moto Guzzi. The drive was somewhat harrowing, us being country bumkins in the big city. We saw three young men in fast heavy LA freeway traffic on sport bikes and one of them was doing a wheelie. I don't know what the other two were doing because they were out of sight when I saw the 3rd up on his back tire, no protective clothing, zooming fast with the traffic. Bikes split lanes in LA. I told him (of course he didn't hear me) to stop distracting my driver. HH did all the LA driving. Yikes. We traded off other places. Big sighs of relief when we left the LA area.

The fellow selling the bike was from Ireland, and is going back for a reunion with all his friends and the Isle of Man tt race. He, and his wife who had just gotten back from her own trip to Ireland, were very fun to visit with, and brought out garage furniture so we could have a little party on the driveway while we watched HH assemble the Trailer in a Bag. They regailed us with tales of LA and Ireland, insurance, universal health care, health care costs, education, and motorcycles.

HH is the first non-engineer owner of the bike, and the prior owners kept pictures, records, diaries. If you scroll down a couple entries here you may see a photo of the car, trailer and bike. I changed out the photos.

Do you see the dark spire in the left quarter of this photo? It is a tree. We started seeing them in Sacramento and south, so I assume they require a warm climate, but when growing singley with various other trees and bushes, they are spectacular. I wonder what they are?

Looking for Cali

Alley doesn't understand why she can't find Cali. She is so confused, and no, she doesn't like dogs. HH is off riding the Harley and expects to eat when he gets home, and DD is hungry. She's going to something she calls "Devising". It's a theater thing. Saturday she has a rehearsal for Ragtime. What fun. She's playing piano now, and it's beautiful. Why is she such a good sight reader? Must be smart.

Goodbye, Cali

I miss you.

Need a Tune

Planned on getting pianos tuned. I had just decided we'd caught up enough financially to tune at least one if not both pianos, and was wondering what tuner to use, but there has been a slight setback. The Moto Guzzi (which I hope will work fine) is the setback. Some friend of a friend in Seattle has one, too. Maybe I should ask him if he's heard any lemon talk from that guy. This one's an 89, so maybe some of the bugs were worked out before it was made. It doesn't matter anyway, because we already bought it. HH won the bid. I'm taking old kitty to vet today. Hope all works out OK.

Vita and HH's Next Adventure

Sometimes a deal comes along that is just too good to pass up, and when such things happen, the fun and smart thing to do is go for it, so that is what we did. It is a 1989 Moto Guzzi Le Mans with low miles, meticulous care and lovely paint. We are going for a fun weekend drive to LA to pick it up. Ya Hoo!

Fun In Sun or Taxes

What a beautiful day. We have sun, there are flowers outside ready to plant, the temperature is perfect, an outside sort of day. I need to spend all my spare moments finding all the tax papers I put off filing so I can do my taxes. HH has a cold, DD has allergies. I'd be wonderful if my head wasn't plugged up.

Scramble

That's like eggs, not a motorcycle race. That's what my head is doing this morning. That and the little Morse code thing that's been going on constantly for several days. I'm pretty sure that's because of my head being plugged up.

Do the rest of you have times when you're smart and times when you're not so smart. Sometimes my brain is just right on top of things, and I can clearly think of several things and keep them all straight. Other times it's all just a muddle...... I had to stop for a minute to turn on iTunes to hear the Bassoon Quartet instead of my head ringing, except now it seems my head is playing along.

I so admire the beautiful gracious manners of my friends. I really enjoy watching them socialize with their great skills. One in particular must have learned at her mother's knee. I think she's brilliant and admire her so! I tell myself to be like her, but when I get in a social situation, I'm just so excited to be around people I forget to think before speaking. I'm so lucky to know such fun people.

I hope Roger isn't mad at me--I told some entire band that he'd had a birthday of which he didn't wish to be reminded. He told the band I was delusional. Ha! I was around people and got excited. Sorry, Roger. It just slipped out.

My MIL tried to deposit a "check" that was just a voucher saying "we owe you money." I carried this and other checks to the bank for her, never thinking to question, as I am used to her being the mom, and me being the subordinate. I feel like I let her down, though. Should I have looked through the pile? Now she thinks she threw away a check, but I think it's possible that they haven't sent the check, just a notice saying they would be sending one. I have to pick her up at 10:30, so I'd better get going so I can get things done before I leave.