On December 15, 2008 my sons, Jonathan, and Ethan, left to become part of the United States Air Force.  Tonight they returned home!  Looks like we have a lot of catching up to do.

The week leading up to Father’s Day evoked a great deal of emotion for me.  My father died three years ago, and for some reason, my feelings of loss were very pronounced this year. So today I took a solo ride to visit the places that were important in my dads life, and spent this Father’s day remembering him in my own way.

 Stop One:  The cemetery, about an hour east of Springfield.

Stop 2.  The home he grew up in.

“I remember thinking this yard was so huge when I was a child”.

Stop 3:  His High School, Senior Class President.

“The old school is being razed to make way for a new one.  Glad I got this photo!”

Stop 4:  A place he worked.

“Close to my grandmothers home, my dad would often let us visit her while he went to work.  A lot has changed in that neighborhood.”

Stop 5:  A place we fished.

“We parked here and walked the tracks to a fishing hole full of big bluegill.  Great times!”

My father was not a perfect man, but he worked hard, and loved me and my siblings a great deal.  I regret not telling him more often that I loved him, and that I was grateful he was my father!

Today my sons Jonathan, and Ethan, will complete their tech training as crew chiefs for C130’s.  They will say good bye to Texas, which has been their home since December 2008, and be stationed at Little Rock, Arkansas for a brief span of time before heading home in late June.

My mom was a great cook and I must have inherited the gene, because today I am going to whip up a perfect Sunday!  Get your 3×5 card out and write this one down.

 Rick’s Perfect Sunday

Begin with a cool and rainy Sunday morning.

add 8 cups of strong black coffee, the morning paper, 2 eggs, and 4 slice of bacon (crispy)

let rest for an hour.

take 2 new m/c tires and  Ipod to the garage

add a beer at this point (slowly)

place tires on bike  

finally, incorporate 2 NCAA basketball games, and one CAO cigar

place in the easy chair for 5 hours until chilled

There you have it! A simply yet very enjoyable recipe for a GREAT SUNDAY.  I am certain you will love this recipe.  Let me know what you think.

Good Friday everyone!  A mixture of snow and ice has blanketed the Springfield roads over the past few days, and forecasters are calling for a bit more of the same through this evening.  That means the RT will have to wait a few more days before her next adventure, even if that adventure means a brief commute to the dealership.  I will be gone all day Saturday, so here’s an overview of some of the things on my plate…

• Really looking forward movie Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood.
• Taking my Conceal Carry class on Saturday.  (8 a.m.-8p.m.)
• Received one letter from both my sons yesterday  (They are doing fantastic!).
• Be sure and check out the Dakar homepage.
• Oliva Series O is one of my favorite cigars.
• Car biz has been amazing the first week of the new year!  (Hope it continues at this pace.)
• All year rounders should have a sheepskin butt pad.

and from the Hall of Wisdom….   “Always ride faster than the guy behind you!”

The first day of winter is right on cue, as Springfield is in the deep freeze this Sunday morning.  Fortunately, very little snow accompanied these frigid conditions.  My plans for this day include…

• fire in the fireplace
• chili
• football (watching)
• cigars
• beer
• movies: Lord of the Rings 1&2.

Have a lovely Sunday!  I am most certain I will.

On Friday night I said good bye to my two sons; Jonathan, and Ethan, as they left for Lackland Air Force Base, in San Antonio, Texas.  They are both in the Air Force Reserves, and will not be home until sometime in July.    I am proud of them, but will miss them immensely.

This morning, I will say another good bye!  Mike, a friend of many years, passed away this week at 47 years of age, from an apparent heart attack.  I have been asked to do the funeral service.

I will be in touch! 

Looks like a nasty weekend is in store for the residents of Springfield, Ohio. Complete with rain, sleet, and high winds. I guess I got the “man castle” finished just in time… 

•  Two out of the three bikes in the stable have been placed in hibernation.  The Nighthawk, and the VStar classic, will enjoy their rest, as they have served my sons well this year. 
•  The RT is fully dressed in her winter gear and is ready for a myriad of cold weather adventures.
• The man castle has been de-junked, swept, and now awaits my brides chariot. All she has do do is make certain she doesn’t knock the RT over.  “Should I be worried”?

Both boys are home from their respective colleges; looks like a nice weekend to have a fire in the fireplace, cook lots of chili, and enjoy their company.

The past several weeks I have been paying a great deal of attention to the way other men organize their “man castles,” and have discovered most men don’t!  The majority of garages I have seen, are piled full of bicycles, garden hoses, and electrical cords, intertwined throughout last years holiday decorations, and the missing sockets you always need, but fail to find. 

I unfortunately, am not blessed with a large garage (no jokes!) so it needs to be as efficient as possible. It’s not that I am anal about organization, for me, it is a simple matter of function. 

The impetus for ordering my garage aright, is not altogether my idea, in fact, it isn’t my doing at all.  But rather a powerful suggestion from a sexy woman, with dark curly hair, who wants to park “her vehicle” in the garage this winter!

So  I have been talking with friends, scouring the Internet, looking at magazines, all in the hopes of having that perfect garage.  I sure could use some advice!  Help!

I begin this post by saying a big GO BUCKS!  The Ohio State Buckeyes pulled out a close win on the road at Wisconsin on Saturday night. It was a tough match up, but the Buckeyes put an end to the Badgers 16 home game win streak! OK, enough of that.

I have a confession to make make;  “I did not feel like riding today!”  No I am not ill, depressed, hung over, or anything of the sort.  I wasn’t busy, the weather wasn’t lousy, and the pregnancy test was negative,  I just didn’t feel like riding.  This was a weird feeling for me because I always love to ride, no matter the conditions or situation, but not today!  Anyone ever feel this way?  What do you think is wrong with me?

Yesterday we moved my youngest son into his dorm.  It was hard saying good-bye. Today I am just a little off balance!