The moon tonight is waxing 99% full. The sun, tomorrow, will be brilliant. Spring is here and Summer is soon to follow. Alas, another cosmic circle commences again.
Now: Ride the rides you dreamt of all Winter. Seize each day and make it perfect. Work hard -- play hard. Settle for nothing less than the best.
Everything else will take care of itself.
I'm quite excited about the upcoming Figawi Race from Cape Cod to Nantucket. The legend of Figawi is huge, so this year I was elated to be invited by friends to attend on their gorgeous Little Harbor sailing yacht.
When I joined them a few years ago in Bermuda for Race Week it was certainly educational and, well, downright fun. I expect Nantucket to be no less so. Herman Melville aside, Nantucket is one of my favorite salty haunts.
Montaukrider is up to the task: The pirate in me says "Arrrrrrrr."
Spring sneaks in slowly in the Adirondacks. By mid April the air warms and the ice disappears. Birds chirp louder -- flowers poke up from the forest floor.
Like a migratory bird I hope to return to The Park as soon as I can. The ride through the Green Mountains and on into the Adirondack Park is simply breathtaking.
The Montauk and its rider are ready.
No more peaceful place exists than the riparian shore of a languid canal. We can search far and ever without finding more tranquility.
To the rivers and canals of the world Montauk Rider salutes you. Thank you for bringing such balance and calm to an otherwise hectic world.
Were I a painter I'd want turquoise on my brush day and night.
Were I a poet I'd craft an ode to the finest Hue of Blue.
Were I a mountaintop lake I'd wish to be as blue as blue and as deep as deep can be.
Alas I am none of these, but I am one who adores happening upon mountain lakes and tropical coves where sunlight and aquatic realm zenify into my favorite blue, the color Turquoise.
Life undulates around us; friends circle about our realities. No matter how you analyze it life moves, curves, slides all about our otherwise planned activities.
I enjoy seeing symmetries in all this motion. A road bends, a Puffin dives for fish. Everything is in balance.
Beyond each turn is an experience we've not yet encountered.
Still waters, blue skies and shapely trees -- a perfect mirror of life's perfection. Like friends who know each other's thoughts, these elements complete one another.
This is living; this is reflection. This is perfection.
With warm weather returned I was able to ride this weekend. Maine drew much of my attention.
On one particular ride I found myself beyond paved roads and in the midst of a what appeared a managed forest. A vernal pool caught my attention, so it was off the bike and into the woods for exploration.
Sometimes dirt roads offer attractions beyond those we find on the highways and byways of our land. The woods are full of life and blessed with an abundance of stories.
A tree falls and dies. Its decaying wood suddenly hosts an army of plant and insect life that feed on its banquet of carbon and nitrogen. The circle is complete and ready to begin again.
Yes, riding into the woods is well worth the trip. Just remember to park the bike and walk a bit. We see more when we slow down.
Finally the sun is shining bright in the Northeast. Spring Fever is upon us.
The byways find motorcyclists appearing faster than the soon-to-be abundant spring flowers. Ahh, their scent and colors will be spectacular.
It's a joyous time of year for all. Happy Spring everyone. May the next Full Moon find flowers sprouting from every nook.
We witness moments when all time is suspended; magic is in the air. A child's smile, a dog's wag, a man's pause.
There are times when we simply feel alive and well. Our feet seem inches off the ground. We are in a state of elation. Perfection is at hand.
"I'm thinking about when I was a sailor"...ahh, Loggins & Messina sang that in their song Vahevala. And like them, I'm thikning about nights in Jamaica.
How we all love peaceful days and evenings. That is all I crave tonight; peace amongst all people. It is quite simply the way it should be.
No more violence - no more hurting one and other. No more should we allow evil to dominate our days.
Just say no to evil.
What a ride! Life offers twists and turns galore.
I attended a nice fundraiser for hunger charities tonight. Local restaurants offered a huge array of goodies for all to enjoy free of charge (other than the entrance fee of course). All proceeds went to the charities.
Stopping by one booth I met a friendly man and woman dressed in traditional German/Austrian garb and touting their Inn at Danbury, a fine country Inn set amidst the hills of New Hampshire and featuring German, Austrian and Swiss cuisine in the "Alphorn Bistro." (See them at www.innatdanbury.com) I made a mental note to someday spend a weekend there.
I returned home and discovered a recently released album from one of my fav Jazz guitarists, Jeff Golub, called "Grand Central." Fabulous music indeed.
Then I happened upon this moving photo from Dear Henry on Flickr. Well, the night is complete: great music, food, wine, and a photo that takes my breath away.
It may be raining outside but in my little home all is well.
Twilight, the gloaming: a time whence dreams meld with reality and diffusing light brings peaceful tranquility.
The advance of Spring, the approach of Summer bring a building anticipation of twilight walks, sails, and rides. Such are moments to treasure forever. I shall.
I'm thinking of European cruising and that, as always, brings me back to memories of Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Those countries host some of the most scenic ride possibilities one could imagine.
Frankfurt is a city I only cruised through. If I could visit again I would actually slow down and visit. I was only 20 then, and slowing down at age 20 is not such a high priority.
I must go again. I want to meet the people and feel the place for what it is and for what it has been. One must stop to feel the true sense of a place.
Wisdom is finally sinking into me.
It's Easter, and people around the world celebrate Spring, renewal and faith in all manners of practice.
Peace be with all.
There are those who see clouds and forget that a fine moon is shining brightly down. Clouds are just puffs of vapor; they move on as quickly as they came. The moon, however, is immutably omnipresent.
Our perspective is important to living well. When rain falls upon the ride, don raingear. When snow falls, go skiing. When Spring returns, get on that bike again and ride again.
That's a healthy perspective on life, no?
This is an outstanding photo of one rider, one desert, and the reflection of light so bright.
Waves crash upon rock and sand is born.
Rains drop upon soil and green growth is caressed.
Sunshine falls upon us and a smile is seen.
Adventure comes upon us and life is renewed.
There was a time I reveled in solo travel. Continents slid beneath the wheels of my motorcycle; miles melted into other miles and all was well.
Lately I've realized that experiences unshared are experiences unperfected.
Even jellyfish know enough to share a current and live well.
It's time we learn this too. Find your perfect soulmate and float around the currents.
Our human lives are so very short. Mother Earth , however, hosts other species, like trees, that live very long lives.
"Methuselah," a Bristlecomb Pine in California, for example, is over 4,700 years old. She was alive and growing when the pyramids were built in Egypt.
Trees have witnessed so much of life. They've hosted families of birds, insects and mosses. They've endured childrens' hatchets, lovers' carvings, earth's storms, and every extreme of temperature one can imagine. Yet they thrive; they grow ever upward toward the sun.
We can learn a lot from these wooden pillars of knowledge. Perseverance in the face of adversity might be lesson #1. Improvement in the face of threatened failure might be lesson #2.
I like trees.
There truly is art in life. Birds on the wing, wind in one's hair, a tree poised on a mount: all are art in action, art in life.
Truly gifted photographers, like BlueDjinn, have an eye that see such moments in just the right time and frame to capture them for us. What talent!
Fly bird, fly with the gusts that rise from the water and lift our souls high into the heavens above.
Yesterday was just about perfect for a first day-long cruise. Sunshine was abundant, and though the air never warmed above "chilly," the riding gear (full leathers) kept the riders quite comfortable. I was so pleased that my old friend Bill had agreed to make this run wiith me.
Our route to the ocean took us through sweeping farmlands, still-snow filled woods, and even past iced over ponds. Passing through the historic town of Exeter, we rumbled amidst row after row of Phillip Exeter's ivy-covered brick facades.
Sculls were on the Exeter River, rowing down toward the River's convdergence with Great Bay. Colorful birds jarted about in the gloriously blue sky.
On reaching the ocean, we stopped to watch the waves gently crash along the shore. The air took on acooler feel: the seabreeze was building.
We drove north toward Maine, stopping for more panoramic ocean and island views in North Hampton and Rye. A song bird flew into a bush only feet away. He sang and sang happily, even as I approached quite closely to snap a photo.
Later, as we crossed the Marshes of Rye, we saw several pairs of Swans resting, preening, and eating in the still waters. (I've never seen swans in Rye before.) They were likely in a migratory manner, stopping only for a bit. My they were lovely.
Rounding the twisting southern Maine coast, we rode the fabulous routes 103 and 236 up around Kittery Point into York, Maine. From there we moved north to Ogunquit to visit another friend.
Late in the day, we rode south for the return home. Yet an entirely different route was choosen, this Route 91 through the Berwicks and down into Dover, New Hampshire.
From Dover to Durham, where we stopped briefly to say hello to my sons at University.
Our final leg brought us through farm and field again, and finally back to the City around 6 pm.
Sun and wind burned from our 150 mile March Road Run, Bill and I smiled broadly. "That was a great day," he confirmed.
"Yes, a great day indeed," said I.
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