A week from tomorrow my husband and I celebrate 30 years of weddedness. Our marriage has had its moments, seasons and eras. Initiated on a blessed hot day in June 1980 it has gyrated through four children, five houses, countless fiascos and even more good times. All I can say is humor is a lifesaver and it's never too late to try something new.
The newest endeavor in our marriage concluded yesterday - seperate vacations. Well Bob was on vacation. I was home doing two people's work but I've had my share of long weekends visiting my friend Debbie (most recently in Orlando) so he was due.
Bob, his brothers, Skip and William, along with a friend named Gunther rode their bikes to New Hampshire where they shared a very small cabin in a very large mountain range - Twin Mountain KOA in The White Mountains. As I understand the days were filled with hard riding, dodging rain and hitting diners while the evenings were a mix of campfires, stories, excessive snacking and bunking down in sleeping bags. They had a blast.
Not a one of them had a slip, a skid or a breakdown. After a rough highway they would lock down all the loosened parts and feel thankful when the next stretch was smoother. From base camp they road north, east, west and south and even managed a half day at Laconia for the 2010 Bike Week. From what I hear about that stop they saw beads hanging around male necks but didn't see any handed out. Hmmmm. I figure the stories that make it home are filtered but that's one reason we're celebrating 30 rather than dreading 31.
To conclude this post here is a story from the road -
As the band of bros + one rounded a blind curve in a very small smidge of a NH town, a young lady insisted on crossing the street in spite of their impending roar. Her companion, a lanky fellow, was trying to get her to wait but she had a mind that her sashay was more important than any old motorcycle. Gunther, on lead as usual, had to lock up the brakes to avoid the obvious. William in second place, almost hit Gunther. My dearest was next and after quickly assessing the situation brought his bike in close to the heels of the bold young lady who was closing in on her destination. With a squeeze of the clutch and a hard crank on the throttle he gave her the what-for. Bob's pipes are loud. Really loud. I'm thinking that left a lesson in her ears and from Skip's eyewitness report her jump was stellar. Perhaps she'll heed the sound of approaching bikes in the future. It would be awful to stop a bike with your body so I hope she remembers.
If some say that's how bikers get a bad rap - well so be it. Like marriages, we want to keep going for the long haul and not have our lives or the lives of others cut short.
