Bridges, Oceans, and Chocolate Martinis

Fog
Originally uploaded by konaboy.

Where there's water there's sure to be a bridge. Some bridges are more famous than others, though all bridges join worlds otherwise divided.

Motocycle travel, too, joins worlds that otherwise seem divided to one trapped in the cozy confines of a car. Certainly yesterday's wild and wet ride from Newburyport Harbor to home proved that to me once again. I not only drove through a pounding and relentless downpour, I was literally immersed in it.

And it was fun. (I'm glad that a hot shower awaited my arrival, nonetheless.)

Bridges and cruising are just part of the joy of visiting friends and family far and wide. On Saturday evening in Maine, my sister Marie suggested that we concoct a new, untried Martini recipe. So we did.

We made our own version of a Chocolate Martini: chilled vodka, shaken with Coffee/Chocolate Dibbs (little ice cream marvels), squeezed orange rinds, a bit of fresh squeezed orange pulp, and a liberal pour of pure Pomegranate extract, all gently poured into tall Martnini glasses that had been drizzled with chocolate syrup.

I must report that these new liquid wonders are a decidedly undebateable delight.

So was my Sunday morning ride down the coast of Maine to Newburyport, Massachusetts. I was privileged to crisscross ocean bays, a wide river, and estuaries via beaucoup bridges. Some were of steel, others of wood. Each was a joy on a perfect Summer day.

Perfect, that is, until a black wall of rain advanced from west to east directly between me and my intended destination -- home.

All is well. My clothes and motorcycle have dried without harm. My mind and soul are refreshed. The sea and the motorcycle have a way of enlivening the spirit. The Chocolate Martini didn't hurt either.