sometimes you need an old man

naked goldwing final drive

2012-01-30T18:09:00.000-08:00

The final drive must be one of the most overlooked parts on my naked goldwing motorcycle. The oil in this poor stepsister part smells putrid. At least the Kawasaki Gear Oil I'd been using stunk pretty bad. The other reason for my blatant neglect is the infrequency of service required. My Haynes Manual says to change the hypoid gear oil every 2 years or 24,000 miles. Woops, it's been 8 years so I best get to it.
I had actually checked the hypoid (don't you love that term, a combination of hyper and paranoid, which describes a few people I've known) gear oil often over the past eight years and the level never budged by one drop that I could tell. Now that I'm reminded about the proper service interval I'll do better.
Also, I'm going to be using a different product this time around.
The Lucas family is well known around the Circle City and since they sponsor the stadium where one of my favorite NFL teams plays I think I'll give their HUB oil a chance. It sure doesn't stink like the Kawasaki product and it is almost a gel so it squeezes right in where it's supposed to go. After waiting for the HUB oil to settle and for the bubbles to disappear I sealed the final drive up again. It is such an easy job. Why did I neglect this little chore before?
I sure do have a lot of product left over. Does anyone want to come over and get their hypoid gear oil changed?

shocks for 75 Naked Goldwing

2012-01-25T07:22:00.001-08:00

The shocks on my 75 naked Goldwing are leaking. Why shouldn't they? They've done their job for 36 years.

So I checked online and found Progressive Suspension but I read a review on them that the damping may not last for more than a year and a half and that they're kinda stiff.

I liked the idea of the Hagon shocks because they want to talk to their customers and build each shock to the customer's specifications.

I called my local independent shop and they recommended Progressive.

I then called Mother Honda and the parts girl said they had some aftermarket products available, namely Progressive.

One other product that came up in my search with a good recommendation was The Works.

All of these products run about $300 depending on whether you want the more expensive chrome, or the black springs. New springs are recommended on a vintage bike that you'll be riding because as a friend pointed out, the old springs have already bounced down a lot of roads and they're tired and they won't do the job as well as something that is new.

The final piece to add in this story is the link I got from a friend who suggested the NOS (New Old Stock) shocks available at Liquid Chopper. These shocks were made in the seventies so they are going to provide the stock look but they are brand new, never been used. I couldn't resist. I ordered two and then later wondered if I had ordered two shocks or two pairs. I'll find out if I get them, as there is always a danger with NOS that the supply will be depleted. The price on these shocks is...also...right around $300 for (2) (?).

Barlo's Pizza

2012-01-21T04:37:00.000-08:00

Back in the old days when I was in college I worked in a pizza place. As such I'm always interested in how pizza places make their product including crust, sauce, meats and spices used, and so on.

I was talking to some guys about pizza at the Brownsburg Fire Territory and one of the guys said, "I own two pizza restaurants." So we began to talk about their gourmet pizzas and that they even put their gourmet pizzas on the buffet unlike most pizza joints that only place the bland pizzas on the buffet. Very cool. So I made a mental note to try Barlo's Pizzeria. Later on this same guy handed me a gift certificate to his place and that sealed the deal.

We drove about 30 minutes from the West side to the Barlo's on Southport Road, which isn't bad for a Friday date night with my wife. I had read online that Barlo's is one of the elite pizza shops in Indy and that the pepperoni breadsticks are wonderful so that whet my appetite in a big way. After starting in on our Diet Cokes our friendly waitress brought us the best pepperoni breadsticks I've ever eaten. These breadsticks were so big they could have been a meal by themselves. They were crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside, and the pepperoni was addictively delicious.

There are many enticing menu choices but we went with half Margarita and the other half Meat Market. I always tend toward the massive amounts of meat pizzas and this one had a tastiness that is unequaled. However, and this surprised me, I liked the Margarita (no alcohol), which is meatless, even better.

Now for the technical. I love Barlo's approach to sauce. They are appropriately stingy with

the sauce. Too many shops use so much sauce the pizza takes on a spaghetti sauce flavor and hat is not good. Sauce should not be noticeable, it should just mix in and add to the overall taste. The crust was beautiful to the eye and a crispy, chewy star all by itself. Some shops have crust that is a handy vehicle for delivering the "pie" portion of the pizza to your mouth but isn't tasy enough to relish on it's own. Barlo's crust is primo.

Yes, this pizza gets a big REV on my varooom meter.:-)

the best thing about my naked Goldwing...

2012-01-03T18:56:00.000-08:00

The best thing about my naked Goldwing is not the bike. It's the friends I have made along the way.

I often read and hear about people who have done beautiful restorations, built imaginative bikes or meticulously maintain their motorcycles and they do it all by themselves. Some folks even make that a badge of honor and take great pride that they have done everything themselves. I'm happy for them.

When I think about my naked Goldwing I think of the friends who helped me, encouraged me, advised me, and volunteered to do some of the mechanical work. My two year project would have lasted ten years if I would have done everything myself. I'm not even sure I would have finished it.

I started out with almost no tools, no mechanical background, and no experience with motorcycles.

I had never heard of a "naked Goldwing." I had never owned a motorcycle before. I didn't know that 75 was the first year that Goldwings were offered. I didn't even like the looks of Goldwings, and still don't like the stock look. I didn't know what year my Goldwing was for sure and I didn't know that my Goldwing was probably made on the first day of production. I wanted to learn about motorcycles by working on one and the unexpected blessing was that there were other guys who became interested in my project. By the time I was done I had some friends that I now consider among my closest.

Yes, I like my Goldwing. I've never seen another one just like it. When you work on your own motorcycle you really get to know it. When you work with other people on something of mutual interest you feel a great sense of shared vision and accomplishment.

Since the time that the bike was completed I have spent a lot of time in my garage by myself working on improving and maintaining my bike. It's fun to figure something out and bring a repair to completion. I like what I have learned and the riding time I've enjoyed but the friendships matter the most to me. The friendships will be there long after the bike is gone.

putting the bikes away for the winter

2011-12-31T17:54:00.000-08:00

The Harley and the Naked Goldwing are not quite tucked away yet because it has been such a mild winter so far. Christmas Day was so nice I had to take the naked Goldwing out and then the Harley Street Bob as well. On Monday my youngest son and his wife came for a late Christmas so he and I took the bikes out for a ride. AMH rode the 2012 Harley and I rode my naked 75 Goldwing.

But now it's time to get serious about putting them away.

Gasoline. I already filled the tanks up and put in the Stabill.

Oil. I took my Harley in for the famous 1,000 mile checkup just a few miles back so it has fresh oil in it. So now I need to change the oil in my Goldwing even though I have only put about 1500 miles on it this year. No need to let old dirty oil sit there all winter long.

Wax. I try not to let my bikes get dirty so I never really wash them, only use something like Wizards Mist and Shine about a thousand times throughout the riding season. The guys who painted my bike gave me that bit of advice.

Carburators. I ran my naked wing up into the garage and turned off the petcock to let it run out of gas. I don't like the noises it makes as it is dying but I suppose it's okay. I will probably run it a few times during the winter so I suppose I don't really need to do all that.

Battery. My battery in the Goldwing is somewhat suspect so I'm not too optimistic about how good it will be next year. I will trade the battery tender back and forth between the naked wing and the Street Bob all winter long. My brother brings his battery into the house for the winter but I'm sure if I did that I would spill battery acid on the carpeting.

Covers. I know a guy who shrink wraps his hobby vehicle during the winter but all I do is throw a bedspread or sheet over the bikes. That seems sufficient.

But then if it's nice on New Year's Day I might take them out for a spin after church.

My December Greeting

2011-12-06T11:29:00.000-08:00

I am aware that many have switched over to Happy Holidays in December out of a desire to be politically correct or sensitive to others.

However, I got to thinking...

I doubt if Christians have a problem with Christ, that accounts for 2.1 billion people

worldwide.

I doubt if Muslims have a problem with Christ since they consider him to be virgin born and sinless; add another 1.5 billion.

Buddhists don't have much to say about Jesus but the Buddhist I used to live by decorated his house for Christmas and Buddhists are supposed to eliminate all desire from their life so I don't think they would have a preference one way or the other about Jesus. That's another 400 million people.

The numbers are stacking up here.

There are people in animistic and folk religions in remote parts of the earth but they probably don't have the internet yet.

So I'm going to go out on a limb and say what I love to say in December;

Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

orange shoes, an infantile quarterback and da Bears

2011-11-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday's game between the Bears and the Lions was fantastic. The Bears gave us fans something to get excited about. Devon Hester ran one back. The defense outscored the offense. Special teams did great. There was even a fight, not that I'm a violent person, but it was a lot better than some of the predictable, boring, run of the mill games that never live up to the pre-game hype.

I enjoyed seeing Earl Bennett in his orange shoes again. Personally I wouldn't be caught dead in those shoes, but he likes them, and orange is the Bears color. Bennett got fined $5,000 for wearing the shoes, so what does he do? He wears them again so he has now been fined $10,000. It kinda reminds me of a certain "punky QB" who wore his headband even when Pete Rozelle told him not to. The NFL organization can be pretty stuffy sometimes, and besides, those shoes look better than some of the other ugly stuff that the NFL makes the players wear. If the NFL commissioner had the idea that the Bears should wear orange shoes it would be a fantastic idea, but when one of the players wants to do it, well, that's a different story.

I'm happy. The Bears are playing better, and they're giving the suits something to sweat about.

Then of course there was the infantile, sissy, poor sport, helmet grabbing incident by Matthew Stafford. He was frustrated, feeling sorry for his embarrassing play and so he took a cheap shot to make his hurt ego feel better. That was one fine I was happy to see the league hand out.

I'm not happy to see our Colts bleeding like they are, but the Bears are putting on a show. I'm even happy for the Packers, momentarily, until hopefully, they are dashed to pieces by the Bears.

Street Bob in Mace, Indiana

2011-11-06T16:03:00.000-08:00

I got the naked Goldwing out to take a ride, but it had a problem, so I took my Harley Street Bob instead. It was a beautiful day and I wanted to take advantage of the warmth. Before long the nice days to ride will give way to snow drifts. As I was riding I came across this simple gem of yesterday architecture; the roadside gas station. The massive self service gas station/convenience stores commonly seen along the road elicit only ambivalence from me. Exaggerated pricing on everything from a bottle of soda to a dreamcatcher to hang from your rear view mirror is enough to create a major hit on your bank account if you linger very long.

On the other hand, I love these nostalgic roadside reminders of the days when people didn't have to drink pop and eat Slim Jims while they drove.

I believe this prim and proper former gas station serves as an office for some rental property but whatever its use my compliments to the owners on a nicely maintained building. It also serves as a nice frame for a photo opportunity.

Naked Goldwing Vs Harley Street Bob

2011-11-01T15:54:00.000-07:00

For nearly a decade I have been the owner of a 75 Naked Goldwing motorcycle. For two of those years I, with some help from my friends, brought it back to life. I have continued to maintain, repair, and improve my Goldwing.

This year I won a 2012 Harley Street Bob. A Street Bob is a big engine and a minimum of everything else.

When the Naked Goldwing and the Naked Harley are sitting side by side in the garage they seem a lot alike. I call them kissing cousins. Both bikes are black with just enough chrome. Both bikes have lots of power. Both bikes insure a lot of interaction with the environment since neither has a windshield or fairing of any kind. Both bikes encourage getting away from everything since there is no place to put anything on the Street Bob and the only place to put anything on the Goldwing is a compartment inside the faux gas tank or shelter as it is often called.

The Harley even discourages taking a friend along since it has a solo seat. So get on and ride, go fast, go loud, cast aside everything that so easily entangles and enjoy God's masterpieces that rush by in the constantly changing scenery.

The Goldwing encourages a friend to ride along behind on its two person seat. You can still go fast, and shed the cares of the world, but there's someone doing life together with you. The Goldwing is even quiet enough that you could talk to each other a bit at a stop light.

When I ride alone I ride the Harley, when my wife goes with me, I take the Goldwing. It seems perfect, until I consider that maybe I should sell them both and get a bike that can provide the best of both bikes. But what would that be?

a joke a dream and a reality

2011-09-19T10:22:00.000-07:00

When I was in high school in the seventies I dreamed of owning a Honda 350 and riding to Colorado with my friend. Years later my father-in-law bought himself and his son Harleys but I never really imagined or deamed of myself on a Harley at that time in my life. Other things had my attention. When Harley Davidson motorcycles hit their peak of popularity a few years back I began to joke in sermons about Harleys and Corvettes whenever I gave examples of things that people want, or dream of owning.

Over the years I began to dream of owning a Harley but I really didn't think I would ever have the money to buy one. Labor Day Weekend changed everything. I was one of four finalists to compete in drawing for a 2012 Harley Street Bob. The event took place at the U.S. Nationals in Indianapolis. The National Hot Rod Association gave the Harley away and I am the extremely happy recipient. I can still hardly believe it.

Lots of people in our faith community have congratulated me and commented that they were glad that I won the Harley since I have an interest in motorcycles. I never prayed to win the Harley but I did speak to God about it. I acknowledged to Him that I really didn't deserve it, but that if I did win the Harley I would know that it was a tremendous gift of grace from God.

Naturally, I have been very excited. Since I received the Harley it has rained almost every day. It's funny how we can go through a drought all summer long and then on the day that I could have gone to pick my motorcycle up, it was pouring down rain. On top of that I have been so busy I haven't had any time to just ride it, only to commute with it a few times.

That's good though. I am honing my skills at deferred gratification and I am putting the bike in it's place, which is not even allowed near my number one priority which is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.

Naked Goldwing history

2011-08-13T02:26:00.000-07:00

This old 1975 Goldwing of mine has an interesting history. It started out in the Panama Canal Zone having been purchased by an American soldier stationed there. He traded it to anther soldier for his new CB 754. It seemed like a good trade since they were both new bikes. Owner #2, Bruce Q. paid an extra $400 in the trade and ended up having about $2,200 in the Goldwing. When his tour of duty was done Bruce Q. decided to ride the Goldwing all the way home to Central Illinois. Unfortunately a bad earthquake in Guatamala knocked down some bridges he would have been traveling over so he had to have it shipped home.

Enter Owner #3, a shop teacher, Tom H., in Streator, Illinois. Tom said that he and his wife felt like they had really arrived when they got this Goldwing since they moved up from a 500 cc Honda. They took it on vacations to Colorado and as far away as the Pacific Northwest. Tom had some chrome work done, timing belt covers, intakes, valve covers to mention a few. He added a fairing, air horn, sissy bar and other odds and ends that displayed a lot of love for the bike.

Eventually Tom and his wife sold the Goldwing to owner #4, Dwight G. and his wife who mostly rode it around Central Illinois. Dwight's wife told me that it ran so smooth it wasn't unusual for her to fall asleep while they were riding. Thankfully, she wasn't the one driving when she was napping.

For one reason or another they parked their Goldwing and it sat for about 20 years according to the license plate that was on it when I got it in 2002. I just mentioned to Dwight one day that I thought it would be fun to get an old motorcycle that wasn't worth anything and learn about motorcycles in the process of taking it apart and putting it back together again. He said, "I have an old motorcycle I'll give you."

I had my doubts when I saw this old wing, but it's been a lot of fun bringing it back to life. The parking stickers for the Panama Canal Zone are still on it from 1976 so it's nice to have that piece of history to look at.

A couple of years ago I happened upon Pistol Pete's website and read up on the history of the "Naked Goldwings." I'd never heard that term before and I was fascinated to read about the early pre-production Goldwings that were made in 1974. I also learned from his website my Goldwing, based on the serial number, was one of the earliest Goldwings made, either a pre-production bike or one of the first to come off a fully operational line on the first day of mass production. I like that.

So I'm the fifth owner of this naked Goldwing. I never could have brought this old wing back to life without the help of three friends; Bob S., Rod G., and Ed A. A short time after I found Pistol Pete I also found NGW Club. Both Pistol Pete and NGW Club have helped me tremendously in the maintenance and improvement of my bike.

a favorite place to break fast

2011-06-05T19:34:00.000-07:00

One of the best meals to eat out is breakfast. Whenever we are on vacation we always look for a place of character to eat our simple eggs, bacon and toast. Good coffee is optional since we really don't expect any place to have better coffee than what we can make at home with our cold process coffee.

On our recent trip to Florida we went to a place we had scoped out a few years ago called the Blue Dolphin Cafe. This little cafe has a very friendly staff that proves excellent and speedy service and their breakfast food is mostly great. I say mostly great because the bacon leaves something to be desired, namely TASTE. Great breakfast bacon is so easy to find at lots of chain restaurants such as Cracker Barrel, so it's surprising when bacon is bland. Still, we love the atmosphere at the Blue Dolphin, their coffee is decent, even for "coffee snobs" like us, and they have never let us down with all the other menu items we've tried.

I had to take a picture of all the different varieties of hot sauce on each table. As one of the waitresses said, "Our customers like their hot sauce." That statement is indicative of this little hole in the wall cafe. They dote on their customers, who often wait in line for a chance to dine in this tiny breakfast hot spot. And if you have to wait, well, it's Florida, it's St. Armands Circle, it's shopping nearby, it's the beautiful Gulf of Mexico a few blocks away. Relax, you're on vacation.

the many lives of a brick

2011-05-07T19:35:00.000-07:00

A brick is a simple thing. It is a tiny block of hardened, fired clay that is a most basic building material that has been used for thousands of years. I have several around the house and used to have many more. Most of the bricks I have are 2 inches thick, and are a 4 inch by 8 inch rectangle.

Bruce, my neighbor when I lived in Illinois, managed the Streator Brick yard. On one trip to the brick yard in his pick up truck he told me that a brick has many lives. It is made to be used in a construction project. If it is mortored into the building it may serve its usefulness for many years. But if the building is torn down, it often is not discarded in a landfill. Many bricks are cleaned and used for patios, fireplaces, pathways, borders, etc. As a loose brick in cooperation with other bricks it can have many lives, change possession many times, be useful to many generations. Even as a single brick it can serve as a nostalgic decoration, doorstop, paperweight, or collector item, just to name a few.

Old bricks, like the ones which form the building behind my naked Goldwing motorcycle are still serving their purpose as building materials. Somehow the patina of these old bricks is much more pleasing to my photographs than brand new bricks. Old bricks are a beautiful backdrop to movies, wedding pictures, and are limited only by our imagination.

Out in front of my house I have a stone on which my wife painted "Welcome." Holding that stone at just the right angle is a 4x4x8 BARR brick. It had many lives before it came to me.

Incorporated into my landscaping at our previous house was a brick that was hand made in Williamsburg, Virginia. On a visit to the historic village of Williamsburg I was admiring the bricks that were being made there and the workmen told me that I couldn't have one because all the bricks are used in their buildings. Funny thing though, later on, one of the brickmakers found me on the street and handed me a brick, which traveled with me from Virginia to Illinois. What a life.

My neighbor, Bruce made me a brick before I moved from Streator. Right now it holds down my stack of printouts of instructions written by fellow members of NGW Club, on how to fix my naked Goldwing. What a life.

naked Goldwing modification

2011-04-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

I can finally justify my Dremel. A year or so ago I was doing some work on the front end of my 75 naked Goldwing. I was having trouble getting all the bolts out, which is a common occurrence from what I've read. I thought I was going to have to cut one of the bolts off so I bought a Dremel, a tool for which I had often longed. For years I admired Dremels, and I thought I could use one in a myriad of ways.

Unfortunately, I couldn't even get near the bolt with the Dremel because of where the bolt was located. So my Dremel sat in my workshop for a year, silently mocking me for being so unimaginative as to not know how it could be used.

Until last week. I put a Dynatek DS1-3 electronic ignition in my beloved GL1000 and the Dremel was exactly what I needed. The DS1-3 is appropriate for the GL1000 except for the fact that the slots or notches in the modules aren't long enough to achieve proper timing. If I had a 78 I would have been fine but the 75-77 need a longer slot.

Enter the Dremel. Truthfully I'll have to say I started out with a regular old hacksaw because by extending the notch I was probably "modifying" and thus voiding the warranty on a $133 component. Yikes. I also got out my old defunct DS1-3 to look at the notch in it and to practice cutting on it since it was already shot and I couldn't ruin it any more than it was already ruined.

The manufacturer's instructions seemed fine but they don't show you a picture of how you have to modify their product, so I'm supplying that here.

Also, take a look at the pretty chrome plate behind which you install the thing. I had installed the plate before I noticed a slip of paper, almost as an afterthought from the manufacturer, saying to make sure the little wires (my choice of words) weren't touching the rotor. I removed the plate and sure enough mine were. Good thing I checked.

The tech guy at the place where I bought the Dynatech was good. I called and mentioned that I was wondering whether I should change my stock coils to get better performance. The guy said that if the stock coils were still good I ought to get my money's worth out of them before replacing them. He said new coils wouldn't improve things that much. He also said to clip off the ends of the spark plug wires for better performance because they can erode. I thought that was pretty cool of the guy who could have just said, "Yes, spend lots of money on more of our products."

Now I'm wondering if my shop could use a motorcycle lift. Yes, I think it could. Can I justify a tool like that? Well my old knees are getting pretty bad....

going to church by walking through the churchyard

2011-04-22T08:13:00.000-07:00

I've been pondering a sentence by N.T. Wright in his book, "Surprised by Hope." He said, "...there is something wonderful and profound about entering church through the churchyard, where are buried those who worshipped there in centuries past."

That is an experience which few of us in most of America can relate. If you Google "churchyard" you will come up with images like mine here in this blog. We know the look. We've seen "the churchyard" in movies, mostly Westerns and horror flicks. But, what would it be like to to to church by walking through the churchyard?

A few years ago my wife and I traveled to Wales with my sister and brother-in-law. We were fortunate enough to meet up with a distant relative in Wales and he took us around to some of the places where our family had lived, farmed, were baptized, married and buried. It was a wonderful visit and it was those churchyards that had for me a great "sense of place" to them.

Oh sure, the great cathedrals were wonderful. Famous kings and queens were buried right inside the walls and under the floors of the cathedrals. The stained glass windows, especially at Notre Dame were fabulous.

The cathedrals often were just tourist attractions, but these village churches, with real worshippers attending each week had a special attraction for me. My ancestors made their wedding vows there; promising to love, honor and cherish, till death do we part. In death they parted and left the loved one in the churchyard, ashes to ashes, and dust to dust.

They confessed their faith in those churches and chapels, they were baptized in those churches. As children they probably also played hide and seek behind those stones.

Each Sunday we walk across acres of concrete and asphalt. We hurry past hundreds of cars in parking lots and then enter spacious lobbies. We talk, we drink coffee, we sign up for missions trips. Along with these other good things I believe it would be encouraging and inspiring to us to walk past the graves of our saintly ancestors of old and remember their faithfulness. Maybe we wouldn't be so afraid of death if we walked through churchyards each week. Maybe we would have a greater sense of family if we had more churchyards in our lives. Maybe we would want to stay closer to the Lord and the church in life if we knew our bones would find their resting place in the churchyard at death. I think I'll try to find a place where I can attend church by entering through the churchyard so I can get a tiny taste of what that might be like.

Naked Goldwing glamour pics

2011-04-16T05:50:00.000-07:00

I decided to take some nice pictures of my naked Goldwing motorcycle. I was dissatisfied with all the others I had taken for various reasons, namely:

1. I can see me in the reflection off the chrome or paint. If you look at photos by amateur photographers you often see the photographer, their reflection, or their shadow, or maybe even their finger or feet in the photo. I wanted to do better than that.

2. Extraneous material. I don't like seeing other objects in the photo besides my subject matter. Often when taking snapshots you end up with other motorcycles, other riders, signs, ugly pavement, etc. in the photo. I only want what I choose to be in the frame.

For months now I have been on the lookout for a suitable backdrop for the glamour pictures. I saw an old barn with peeling paint that I thought would work well. This was just a part of good planning, I told myself. Yes it was. The only problem was, I didn't plan other aspects of the shoot so well.

I finished up my repairs and polishing on my motorcycle and out the garage door I went with my camera in my pocket, and my destination in mind. I asked for permission to take my pictures by the barn, and rode out to the exact spot I had spotted. Here is where my lack of planning revealed itself.

The ground was so soft that neither the kickstand, nor the center stand would hold the bike up for more than a second before starting to sink into the ground. I have little plastic plates to rest the kickstand on to remedy this situation, but I didn't think to pack one. So I used my billfold. My credit cards may have been bent a little but they still work, so all is well.

My next blunder was when I tried to start my bike. It wouldn't start. Over the winter I had forgotten that my bike has "tired starter syndrome." There are some things that are good to forget over the winter. It is good to forget all your bad golf swing habits. I am a great golfer the first two or three times I golf each year because I have forgotten my bad habits. After that I begin to think too much, try to compensate, and correct, and then my golf game goes belly up. But I digress.

I have read that "tired starter syndrome" is when your bike will start fine in the garage at home. But after you've ridden for awhile you decide to stop and have an ice cream cone. The bike is hot now and when you go to start the bike the starter has no umph.

More lack of planning.

I however am in the proud possession of a 75 Goldwing which had both an electric start and a kick starter. I thought to myself, "I will just use the kick starter," which I had done successfully in the past. The only problem was, I had removed the kickstarter to make some other repairs and I hadn't put it back in it's little home in the bike. More lack of planning.

I thought, "I'll just call my wife on my cell phone. I'm only a couple of miles from home, she can bring me my kickstarter." The only problem was, my cell phone was on the charger in the kitchen. I hate cell phones and use them as little as possible, but sometimes they are a good thing to have.

Fortunately, when I tried my starter again, it fired up and I made it home without further difficulty. So here are my glamour pictures. Except I think they could be better, so I'll be taking more. Next time I will plan better.

Love Wins by Rob Bell....my comments

2011-04-07T18:39:00.001-07:00

I like Rob Bell. I don't know him and I don't listen to his sermons or read all his books, but what I have read and heard I like. Some of his short films have been electrifying in their insights on Christian living.

I read his new book this week. Tuesday night I read the first 101 pages and it was unsettling. Still, I didn't try to draw conclusions until I finished the book, which I did tonight, reading the last 101 pages.

Comment 1. The book wasn't electrifying like some of his other stuff, save for parts of Chapter 7, "The Good News Is Better Than That." The part of that chapter that I thought was the best was his retelling of the story of the Prodigal Son. That was excellent. For me, that was worth the price of the book and the time it took to read it.

Comment 2. Rob Bell wants to reach people whom the Church has been unable to reach because of a view of God and hell that people don't believe, or can't accept, or think is cruel. He's trying to communicate that the Church is a "big tent" if I can borrow a political term, or "a wide stream we're swimming in" to use his terms.

Comment 3. The book is frustratingly vague and often seems like double talk. He talks about people turning to God after death, and everyone coming to God eventually because "love wins" but he also says, "God extends an invitation to us and we are free to do with it as we please. Saying yes will take us in one direction; saying no will take us in another."

Comment 4. Rob Bell doesn't believe in the most common view of hell, what I would consider the traditional view of hell. If I understand him, hell, in life and in death, is of our own making. Hell is not eternal. Some people will have to go to hell before they can get to heaven. Rob Bell doesn't like the phrase "Turn or Burn" but his view of hell seems to be, "Burn Until You Finally Turn" because "love wins."

Comment 5. There is wheat and chaff here. In my opinion it is mostly chaff, but I still like Rob Bell. I worry about what he has written though, because people could read this and conclude, "Well, okay, I'll live however I want, then I'll go to hell maybe for a few days and then turn to God so I can end up in heaven." I'll get to heaven eventually so it doesn't matter really what I do now."

Comment 6. He seems to be saying that no matter what religion or faith you believe you will be saved by Christ whether you realize it or not. So if you believe Muhammad, you'll be saved, but you'll be saved by Jesus. If that's not what he's saying, he should have written with more clarity, because that is sure what it seems like.

Comment 7. My copy seems to have some bad typing errors in it. The last one is the worst because it's the very last line of the book. "And may you know, deep in your bones, that loves wins." Shouldn't that be "love wins" the title of the book?

Comment 8. There is a lot more that I could write. I may add more on another day. It's getting late and I want to go to bed. Nobody will probably won't read this far anyway.:-)

My naked goldwing vocabulary

2011-04-01T08:37:00.001-07:00

Nine years ago when I began my venture into learning about motorcycles I had no idea how much my vocabulary would expand. I knew there would be the obviously familiar terms like tires and engines, and unfamiliar words like "tappet" but I wasn't prepared for all the specialized terminology I would encounter in just the world of naked Goldwings. In some ways this reminds me of learning another language. I don't suppose it's as bad as what beginner bass fishermen go through but it probably comes close.

Naked Goldwings: I didn't know there was such a thing a motorcycles described as "naked"; motorcycles without fairings and bags and such. I just knew I didn't like the looks of all that luggage, plastic and bling. So I set about the task of removing and throwing away everything that I could from my 1975 Goldwing, within reason. See picture of naked Goldwing and not-naked rider.

Tupperware: All the plastic that you see on "full dressed" (not naked) Goldwings.

Snotter: I'm still not sure I know what this means. I know it's not a good thing.

Jiggle pin: When you change the thermostat there is a little pin that is loosely attached to the outer rim on the thermostat. I've seen it most often called the jiggle pin. it's also called a bleed orifice but I think Jiggle pin is more fun. The thermostat is installed so that the jiggle pin is located on the top, not the bottom.

Wiggle test: When you suspect a bad water pump you remove the pump cover and see if you can wiggle the pump. If you can wiggle the water pump, you should change it.

Bobber: The idea here is that the motorcycle has been shortened in some way. Just like a Bobcat has a short tail, a Bobber is a shortened motorcycle. Some motorcycles have had the rear fender and everything on it removed, shortened or bobbed. The license plate is often then positioned vertically, near a rear shock. The tail lights are minimal. The bobbers preceeded the choppers. Bobbers were sometimes, often times, chopped. I won't define choppers, since everyone knows what a chopper is.

Cafe style: The emphasis here seems to be fast and minimalist. Everything that you don't really need is taken off the bike, even things like the front fender. Wikipedia has a great article on the origins and culture around this.

Rat: This seems to me to be a motorcycle that has gone Goth. Everything chrome is blackened out and the look is reminiscent of the motorcycles in Mad Max.

Castellated nut: Yes, that sounds painful. It's a big nut with one one side that is a normal smooth nut but the other side looks like the top of a castle wall with the indentations. See picture above.

Prise, tyre, boot: Reading a repair manual that is written by a British subject you will come across many terms like these. I suppose this is the Queen's English but it translates into: pry, tire, trunk.

Happy trails. That's nothing, except just me saying goodbye.

naked Goldwing communication

2011-03-24T05:36:00.000-07:00

I'm always amazed at how just one word can inspire, illuminate, engage, inflame, defuse, or in some other way alter comprehension. I was reminded of that when I decided to save myself $200 and change the timing belts on my 75 Honda Goldwing GL1000 myself.

One thing you have to do is get the engine flywheel to Top Dead Center. You look through a peephole in the top of the engine and line up two notches on the rim of the peephole with a line on the flywheel that says 1T. The problem I had was in knowing at what angle to view the notches in relation to the 1T line on the flywheel. If you looked in from directly above the peephole, the marks lined up differently than if you looked in from the side of the bike. I did a lot of reading on the subject but the light bulb wasn't coming on for my brain. The thing that clicked for me finally was the single word "perpendicular". I lined up my vision perpendicular to the flywheel and that helped me get unstuck.

Similarly, a picture or diagram is exactly what is needed for those of us who are visual learners, and aren't most of us becoming visual learners these days, even if we didn't start out that way?
I belong to an online forum called NGWclub where I get most of my help for working on my motorcycle. They have a detailed write-up on how to change your timing belts. One of the diagrams wasn't showing up on my Mac computer. When I mentioned that problem, I was directed to a PDF file that had been made of the instructions and there was the missing diagram that helped me comprehend what I needed.

The picture above of the wrench with the zip tie holding the pulley in place was a nifty idea that I got from the NGWclub site. I love the way that people get ideas about how to solve a problem and then they freely share them with others. This little trick of the trade keeps that pulley in place while you finish putting the belt on. That pulley wants to move but the wrench won't let it. If you're working by yourself it's ideas like that that give you a third or fourth hand and solve the problem.

What does a person get out of passing on tips and tricks and timely information? A thank you perhaps, or just the fun of being valuable and useful to another human being. Sometimes it doesn't take much, maybe just a single word.

Say ya to Rib Mountain

2011-03-07T18:49:00.000-08:00

It's early March and all the snow has gone away in Indianapolis, but the snow is still flying in Wisconsin for late season skiing. TRH and I had planned to go skiing earlier in the year but I fell in my driveway like an uncoordinated oaf and then there were other conflicts so I began to wonder if we'd make it to the slopes. Never fear, Wisconsin is here,...or there,...or way up north in the frozen tundra.

I left on a Wednesday morning for a casual 8 hour drive. I stopped in Yorkville, IL to pick up TRH and we made a quick visit to Culver's for some butter burgers before setting off to Wausau, Wisconsin, the highest point in Wisconsin and our ski destination.

Arriving at the inn where I had booked our reservation was a happy surprise. In fact, here is a summary of what I liked about Wausau in ascending order.

3. Michaels Restaurant. It was hard to find, buried behind big snowbanks but it was a much finer quisine that I ever would have expected judging from the old grocery store exterior, the multiple ratty looking sets of doors which could have been "Get Smart" rejects. There were linen tablecloths and napkins. The menu was diverse and interesting. The owner was attentive, and our waitress was excellent too.

2. Rib Mountain Inn. This little inn had the most comfortable bed I've ever slept on in while away from home. The complimentary breakfast was made to order individually and served in a quaint dining hall with a real fire crackling in the fireplace. $79.00 for the night might have been a steal but it was freely offered. The Inn was staffed with genuinely friendly and helpful people and we were only about a snowball's throw from the slopes.

1. Granite Peak Ski area was a grade above other ski areas I've visited in Illinois and Wisconsin. For a midwestern ski experience it had a nice variety of runs for multiple skill levels and a scarcity of moguls which suited me fine. Colorado it ain't but for a quick trip in late season it was nearly perfect. We started out at 10 am on freshly groomed trails and then it started snowing so we finished up five hours later on 3 inches of fresh powder.

We skied into the afternoon, which made for a long and late drive home, arriving at 2 am, but what a satisfying day with my son.

Zen and motorcycles?

2011-02-08T18:45:00.000-08:00

From the movie, The Princess Bride..."I don't think that word means what you think it means." Inigo Montoya to Vizzini after Vizzini repeatedly uses the word, "inconceivable."

That's one of my favorite movie quotes of all time, particularly because there are so many times that it applies to things I read and hear. Specifically, I often read or hear people using the word "Zen" in relationship to motorcycles, cars, basketball, home interior design, and so on. I want to say, "I don't think that word means what you think it means."

I used to think I knew what Zen was. Maybe the word is being redefined by popular culture. Maybe I am once again, out of it. So I mentioned this to my oldest son JDH who is more informed than I am about all things in contemporary philosophy and theology. He laughed and commented about how interesting it is to see terminology from other religions (other than Christianity) being redefined by culture. He mentioned that Karma is another term that is being changed by popular culture.

I agree. Karma is used selectively by lots of people to basically say, "What goes around comes around" or something similar. This is a topic for a future blog but my subject matter today is Zen.

I'm in the process of changing the timing belts on my 75 naked goldwing. I say process because what would take two hours for other people takes days or months for me due to lack of experience, knowledge, "gumption," or manuals that conflict with statements by mechanic friends, or by my own contrarian thoughts because something just doesn't look right or seem logical.

Maybe I should apply Zen to my situation, or maybe not, since I follow Christ not godless Buddhism. Still, what do people mean when they apply Zen to motorcycles?

So I've gone in search of the meaning of Zen. I have googled Zen, I looked at Zen for Dummies, I read the chapter on Zen Buddhism in Kingdom of the Cults by Walter Martin, I surfed the internet. I realize that this flurry of activity is not very Zen-like. I should just meditate and let the meaning come to me out of my own mind. According to (The Sayings of Master Linchi, cf. Ogata, Zen for the West) "Smash whatever you come across, smash Buddha, smash your parents and relations. You will be in real emancipation!" Or put another way, "Zen teaches nothing. Whatever teachings there are in Zen, they come out of one's own mind. Zen merely points the way. (Suzuki, Introduction to Zen Buddhism).

I am a researcher at heart even though that is the antithesis to Zen. Zen doesn't accept any external authority. So forget manuals, clubs, mechanics, those more studied, knowledgeable or experienced. You have to have faith in yourself alone. You shouldn't obey any rules, just make up your own rules because your own inner being is the only thing that matters. You are all that matters, and as such, you can't do any wrong, there is no wrong.

I won't even begin to get into the moral reasons why that philosophy is totally irresponsible in a world where unethical, immoral and evil things happen all the time. We have the power to do something about injustice in the world if we will take action. Zen feels no compassion for those who are hurting or suffering. Zen says that suffering is the result of craving. Just meditate and let things happen.

In the more superficial context of motorcycles and interior design I suppose the idea of doing your own thing is attractive. But the minute you try to pass on what you have learned or your preferences or wisdom to others you are violating the very essence of Zen. So you basically need to design your motorcycle without any help from anyone else, if that is possible, because Zen would say that "only ignorance, laziness and cowardice can lead us to seek outside aid." And then once you've created your own thing that completely comes from your inner self you need to keep your mouth shut about it. Just sit in a corner or stand on your head and detach until one's real self begins to bubble along, floating over the world's confusion.

No thanks. I choose community, collaboration, and companionship. I choose truth and instruction. I choose research and development. I embrace morality and ethics from a living God.

And, so, can anyone share with me the finer points of changing the timing belts on a 75 Honda Goldwing? I have most of it down but there's just a couple little things about Top Dead Center that elude me. The answer is with someone who has done it before. I'm not lazy, I am a little ignorant on motorcycle mechanics, and I am cowardly to the point that I don't want to make a mistake with my timing belts and ruin my engine. I'm okay with that.

That pesky PO

2011-01-22T06:03:00.001-08:00

Everyone laments the "previous owner" or PO. The previous owner of your car, your motorcycle, your house, your motorhome, or even your dog, is notorious for doing the worst possible things. I however am more concerned about the "present owner." It's amazing sometimes how much damage I can do when I set out, with good intentions, to make a repair or an improvement. Ruining something or making matters worse seems to be almost a prerequisite. My rule of thumb is that I need to fix something three times in rapid succession or even slow succession to get it right. Even spelling the word succession in that last sentence took me three attempts. Of course all this is accompanied by several trips to Lowes or Mother Honda or O'Reiley's Auto Parts. I think I am the mother and father of all botched jobs.

I realize though that I am not the only one to fall into this loathsome mold of the "present owner." Sometimes I witness others doing the same thing. What is really discouraging is when I give into the illusion that I can pay someone else to do the job and then discover that they aren't much better. "And I'm paying for him to do this?" I don't like to see someone "learning as they go" on my dime. I don't like to see them reading a book on home repair. No, I want you to fix it now, in 30 minutes like an episode on the HG channel. How many "takes" do the TV people get I wonder.

So I guess the cycle of home/car/motorcycle moanership must continue. I will also continue to practice my cliches. If at first you don't succeed.....the third time is a charm...if you're going to do it, do it right....there is no try, do or not do... Thanks Yoda for that last one. Or my personal favorite, the first year it sleeps, the second year it creeps, the third year it leaps. Maybe that only applies to the plants in your landscaping but I like that first part about sleeping. Yawn. the repairs can wait.

Naked Goldwing

2011-01-01T17:08:00.000-08:00

When I graduated from high school in 1972 one of my fantasies was getting a Honda motorcycle and riding it from Iowa to California and back. But I was driving a 1940 Buick Special at the time and when I went to college I sold the Buick and bought a 1965 Mustang. Every time I thought I would buy a motorcycle I needed a better car a whole lot worse. So I never did buy a motorcycle and still haven't nearly 40 years later.

But I have two motorcycles that were given to me. Yes, they were given to me, as in free. My 1975 Goldwing is my main ride but it took me two years to get it up and running and I had a lot of help from friends. I never could have done it without my friends.

When someone gives you a motorcycle you don't look a gift horse in the mouth, but a Goldwing was the last motorcycle I wanted at the time. My impression of Goldwings was that they were an old man's motorcycle, a luggage rack on wheels, a motorized couch, and so on.

My gift Goldwing was a faded red, with a white Vetter fairing and it was as ugly as sin. My goal was to make it look nothing like it's former self. To this day I'm still not real fond of the stock Goldwing look on the early wings. I do like how mine turned out and I get real excited about the custom jobs that people have done on early Goldwings to turn them into cafe style, bobbers, street fighters, and bulldogs. The custom paint and fabrication along with the muscular look of that big engine, intakes and carburators gets my adrenaline going. Just google images for naked goldwings and you will find a feast for your eyes.

My Goldwing has been the making of a cyclist. I didn't know if I would like motorcycling or not but I wanted to try it and resurrecting an old cycle seemed to be a good way to start.

Is this interest something I'll give up in a few years after the newness wears off? I have talked to plenty of guys who have had motorcycles for a year or two and then moved on to other hobbies. I don't see that happening to me. My motorcycle opens doors for me and gives me something in common with people who I'm glad to meet. It has paid off for me many times over in the things that matter most to me, which is talking to people about what should matter most to them.

snow shoveling arsenal

2010-12-25T15:30:00.000-08:00

No wimpy shovels for me. I used to own a plastic snow shovel. It wasn't bad, it wasn't good. It was alright when the snow was light and fluffy, but when snow and ice begins to play hardball, plastic won't do.

Enter my trilogy of snow shovels. There is a common theme here. They are all old. All of them have wooden, metal or a combination of wooden and metal handles. All boast a metal blade.

For most shoveling in Indiana the long handled curved blade shovel handles the majority of it. The blade gets sharper every time I push it over the concrete of my driveway. It could probably sever a limb. Snow and even some ice gives way to it's powerful persuasion. I came by it in a strange way. We bought a home in Illinois and this shovel came with the home. It made the move to Indiana and I will never let it retire.

Next, is the classical aluminum snow shovel. This lightweight shovel has a sturdy wooden handle and is great when the snow needs to be lifted and thrown. This shovel came from my mother-in-law's house. No one else wanted it. It is easy to overlook the usefulness of a shovel like this in the fall when you're raking leaves, but when a heavy snow falls this is the baby you want.

Finally is the wonderful antique aluminum grain scoop. Some manufacturers have tried to mimic this by putting out the same basic design only in plastic. They don't measure up to this baby. If you have a drift in front of your driveway this is what you want to move a maximum amount of snow.

I don't need a snowblower with this three shovels. Why hassle with another gasoline engine to maintain? Why struggle to find a huge spot in the garage for a snowblower. They have so many limitations you can probably be done scooping the driveway by the time you get one of those things gassed up and started.

Where can you get a trilogy of shovels like mine? Try auctions because they would be pretty hard to find in your typical Lowe's or Menards. In most auctions tools like this don't sell for much. People have forgotten the power of a metal blade with a wooden handle.

Winter projects

2010-12-13T14:34:00.001-08:00

What are your winter projects? Every year I will tell myself repeatedly, "Don't worry about 'that', save it for a winter project." Well, winter is here. Snow is drifting, cars are sliding in ditches, I have a deer in the freezer, I've hung the Christmas lights outside, and Christmas shopping is nearly done.

So what are my winter projects?

I want to put the finishing touches on two children's books that I've partway written. Don't misunderstand, no one wants to publish these books, they're just ideas that I'm working on that I'll eventually send off to publishers so I can be ignored by them. But in the meantime I will have stories I wrote for the grandkids. The titles are "Under Pawpaw's Fountain" and "The Goodbye Book."

A second winter project is a collection of projects that center around my 1975 naked Goldwing. I need to change the belts, the brake fluid, and the fork oil. I don't know how to do these things but that's part of the reason I have a motorcycle, to learn about motorcycles.

I was in the garage this morning and observed that it was extremely cold out there. Maybe I'll do the children's books first.

Don't forget the seat

2010-12-05T11:39:00.000-08:00

One of the most important parts of riding a motorcycle is sitting. When you are riding a motocycle you spend most of your time sitting. You sit more than you shift, more than you brake...and so forth. So it stands to reason that you would want a high quality seat almost as much as you want high quality brakes. At least this is the way I see it, but I may be in the minority.

I've noticed that a lot of show bikes don't have much of a seat. I understand that they aren't going to mass produce these bikes, they're one of a kind. I understand that they are going for engineering, design, art, style and a lot of other things that appeal to the eye and the emotions. I like that, and I notice that too. But please, put a good seat on the thing. A lot of the really cool bikes that I enjoy looking at have a seat problem. Some of the seats look like nothing more than an antique shaped tractor seat. Some of the seats look like a piece of plain leather or vinyl stretched over a board and stapled with no style or artistic quality. It looks like a six year old kid did it. Some seats are so short and basic they look like a mini bike seat.

So I say, design a beautiful bike and design a beautiful seat to go with it. Build it so a person would actually be comfortable sitting on it for an hour or two at a time. Build a seat so it fits with the flow of the bike but is comfortable and attractive. It doesn't have to be a sofa, or a Lazy Boy, but it could have some comfort and still be pleasing to the eye. Use some nice stitching, chrome pieces, silk screen logos, patterns, rivets, bones, beads, braids, whatever. Just don't slap an ugly nothing seat on a frame. Some of the really beautiful custom bikes are completely predictable with the seat. It's always the thin sliver of a seat, just like all the rest.

The stock seat on an early Goldwing fits the bike. Later versions let comfort get involved too much in which case you have a sofa and a stack of luggage on wheels. Comfortable and convenient, but not as much for the eye or to get the adrenaline going.

I'll still admire the other bikes but I thankfully have something reasonable to sit on .

Kentucky Bourbon Trail

2010-10-10T18:12:00.000-07:00

Let me say right up front that I don't drink alcohol and I think the world would be a better place without it. However, the Kentucky Bourbon Trail is a fun trip to take because of all the beautiful Kentucky scenery, stately horse farms, stone fences, and historic sites.

Recently I went on a trip with a fellow member of my Naked Goldwings Club. Naked Goldwings were made by Honda from 1975-1984. They have no bags or fairings etc. hence "naked." Even though I think the trip is probably best on a motorcycle or in a convertible, I plan on making the trip again with MKH in our Camry.

Clustered around Louisville are a handful of bourbon distilleries that make 95% of the world's bourbon. We stopped at the Four Roses Distillery, took the tour and found it to be a beautiful location and an interesting tour.

If you go, make sure you travel the roads around Versailles, as they were the best, in my opinion. The area is loaded with historic sites with everything from Daniel Boone to historic Christian revival spots.

Naked Goldwing

2010-09-21T17:54:00.000-07:00

Roughly eight years ago I happened to mention to a friend that I'd like to learn about motorcycles. I thought it would be fun to get an old motorcycle and tear it apart and work on it and learn as I went along. He said, "I have an old motorcycle you can have." That began a two year project to get the 1975 Goldwing repaired and running. I don't know if it will ever be a finished product but it's real close to what I had in mind eight years ago.

About a year and a half ago I had some major problems which a shop said would run me at least $1,200 in repairs. I knew I couldn't afford that, so I decided to try to fix it myself, and if I couldn't, to part the motorcycle out and sell it on ebay.

In the process of looking for advice on fixing the "stator" I came upon a Goldwing club that was dedicated to Naked Goldwings. I had never heard the term, didn't know what it meant, but these motorcycles looked a lot like mine. It turns out that Honda Goldwings were born naked from 1975 to 1984. After that they were born with clothes on.

I had never seen another Goldwing like mine but here was a whole community of people who actually knew how to repair, modify, and really get creative with the old wings. If it weren't for that club I don't know if I'd have a motorcycle today.

With all the recent repairs on the Goldwing, my other project was put on hold. Now I need to find a similar club for my 1967 Suzuki.

"Indian Village" The Best Food I Ate in Arizona

2010-05-03T17:09:00.001-07:00

One of my favorite things about going out of town on vacation is trying out new restaurants.

Recently, we did some vacationing in Arizona and found a little gem of a place called "Indian Village" on the main drag through Cave Creek. The inside joke we heard on the town of Cave Creek is that "it is a biker town with an artist complex."

I wanted to stop at the Indian Village because they had a big sign out front that said "Indian Fry Bread." MKH and I laughed because we said, "Fry" and "Bread", what's not to like? Well not only did they have cool Indian and Western souvenirs, but they had a whole menu of food items including the Indian Fry Bread. MKH had a huge tamale that she rated at two thumbs up, and I had the fry bread with honey on top.

While we were enjoying our meal we saw another couple eating something called Navajo Tacos. When I saw the Navajo Taco I knew I needed to come back for another visit to The Indian Village.

The Navajo Taco starts out with Indian Fry Bread, (which is way better than a tortilla) then a layer of red bean chili on top of that, then shredded beef, and finally your other more conventional taco ingredients.

The Navajo Taco is wonderful, but the Indiana Village offers more than great food. It's a regular circus. You meet Bear, the guy behind the counter who will sell you some neat Indian made jewelry. You also meet Bart, the owner of the place. Bart is a riot. He will entice you to try his food, which he claims is the best around. He teases, taunts, smiles, laughs, brags and boasts and suddenly you find yourself ordering something to eat.

After you place your order, you have to walk through the kitchen to get to the dining area. On your way you meet the cook, an American Indian (I think) who is working her magic. Bart, a former Hoosier, will entertain you for as long as you want with stories about Gila Monsters, Mountain Lions, Indians, cowboys, history, religion, politics, Arizona, and on and on. He's a great talker and is a lot of fun.

Now don't expect a fancy dining room, I think the tables were formica. The place is a little gritty, to be sure, but it's wonderful as far as I'm concerned, and I highly recommend it. Prices are more than reasonable and the food...well, it's the best I had in Arizona.

Mechanics for the Non-mechanical

2010-02-28T13:39:00.001-08:00

Alright, I don't claim to be mechanically minded, or to have a knack for "fixing things." However, you can pay to have someone do it for you or you can learn to do it yourself. In order to save more than a thousand dollars in labor costs on my 35 year old motorcycle, I decided to do three repair jobs myself. a. Stator (like an alternator in a car), b. water pump and front engine renewal (the water pump is the thing on the bottom right of the picture of the motor that looks like a fan) c. temperature switch, the arrow is pointing to it. (This tells the fan when to come on to cool off the radiator, like in a car).

These are some of the things I learned:

1. You need space. I bought a cheap, flimsy shelving unit for my garage to hold the parts I would be taking off my motorcycle. When you take anything apart you run out of floor space real fast.

2. You need spray bottles and foam bottles of stuff. Bolts and gaskets get stubborn after a few years. Old stuff gets very dirty and grimy. Carburetor cleaner is good for a lot of engine parts that need cleaning. Brake cleaner will cut through grime like nobody's business but be careful because it will eat away paint, plastic and your lungs if you let it. Gasket remover might or might not work, I'm not sure. WD-40 is great for loosening up bolts but PB blaster seems to be better. You also better have some anti-seize to put on bolts if you ever want to take the thing apart again. You're helping yourself in the future if you do this, sort of like the show "Lost" and you wish you could go back to the past so you could put some anti-seize on the bolts that won't come off in the present. Light oil also has a lot of uses. Finally, Gasgacinch is a treatment for when you're putting on gaskets. It dries tacky and helps keep the gasket in place while you put the parts all back together again.

3. You need tools. For these jobs I bought three new tools. I never thought I would need a torque wrench, but I did for two of these jobs. This was an inexpensive one, but it seems to have done the job. The Dremel wasn't as necessary as I thought it would be. I sort of wish I could take it back. The hand held Impact Driver saved my skin by breaking loose some super tough screws. You could get a power one for a lot more money than this cost, but this one did just fine. All three together cost me about a hundred dollars. Beyond these three I mostly used just a basic set of wrenches.

4. You need zip lock bags and cardboard diagrams to keep the nuts and bolts straight. The parts go in the zip lock, you label it and you're in good shape. You draw a diagram of your job on a piece of cardboard and put the bolts or screws in the appropriate spots. It works great. Pictures with a digital camera like I've taken here also help immensely.

5. Website of hobbyists. I have a Goldwing site where I can get the most amazing how-tos and advice. If you have a question, any question, no matter how stupid, just type it in and someone will read it in seconds. Within a minute or so you will start getting answers from people who actually know how to fix things. And they're not smart-alecs about it either.

So fix things. At least give it a try. At a website I looked at, the host said, "Learn to fix things, don't be an embarrassment to other men." I was already fixing things, but it made me smile and I took it as encouragement.

Gumption Trap

2010-01-30T15:32:00.001-08:00

Today I broke through a major gumption trap. If you're not familiar with gumption traps you must use different terminology for what is a common experience to mankind. We get stuck, hung up, stopped, etc. I came across the term in the book entitled Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance. His section on gumption is very good and I'm happy to say I got moving today.

Recently I tore my motorcycle down further than I have ever disassembled it before. This is an attempt to save $1,200 in motorcycle repairs. We'll see if I'm successful.

I've been at this for a long while because I hit a gumption trap. Taking the motorcycle apart was not so hard. What you see pictured here is now in pieces and occupying a 4 shelf shelving unit. I did have to have some help once from someone more knowledgeable than me, and I had to buy some tools (not such a bad thing).

My gumption trap has been a gasket, yes a simple gasket. I had the idea that I would take a scraper and remove the thing in a couple of minutes. Not so. I have scraped, and scraped and bought gasket remover and scraped and scraped and reapplied and reapplied the gasket remover. Naturally the parts of the gasket that have been the hardest to remove were also the parts that were the most difficult to get to. But today, due to utter boredom with other activities, nothing on television, nothing on the computer, my wife being busy with other activities and no friends calling me up with more interesting tasks, I finally gritted my teeth, turned on the heater and lights in the garage and applied a lot of elbow grease to the situation.

The gasket is now completely removed and the surface beneath is cleaned with brake cleaner. I turned the part over and there, before my wondering eye did appear, another gasket that had to be removed. Uuggghhh.

Yes, I tackled it immediately. Yes, I removed most of the gasket. But my feet were getting cold. My stomach was calling out for Monical's Pizza. And my mind was writing this blog.

The part is now soaking in gasket remover. Is this another gumption trap? I'll find out tomorrow.

What is still fun?

2009-12-21T18:00:00.000-08:00

It occurs to me that there are a lot of things in life that used to be fun, but are no longer fun. Our circumstances have changed. Our time schedule has changed. Our interests have changed.

But there are some things that are still fun:

Blogging is still fun, can't you tell by how often I blog?

Reading other people's blogs is still fun. Too bad more people aren't writing.

Doing crazy stuff for the camera with your kids is still fun, note the accompanying picture.

Going to the State Fair is still fun.

Tasting too much food at the State Fair is still fun.

Throwing rice at a wedding is still fun, waiting for the couple to come out of the church building is not.

Popping bubble wrap is still fun.

Fireworks and anything that involves blowing something up or burning something in a campfire, such as styrofoam cups, is still fun.

A man and a woman in love is still fun.

Wiffle ball in the backyard at a family get together is still fun.

Anything to do with water, water fights, water skiing, and so on is still fun, with probably the exception of waterboarding and drowning.

Anything to do with frozen water is still fun, such as sledding, skiing, iceskating. This is applicable unless the frozen water is on a road on which you are driving or sidewalk on which you are walking.

Finding 20 dollar bills is still fun. Really, finding paper money of any denomination, $5 on up is a lot of fun. Finding change isn't fun, unless there is a lot of it, or it leads in a trail to paper money of $5 on up.

An unexpected day off of work or school is still fun. That is why snow days are so popular since you can combine them with frozen water fun.

a man, a woman, and Dean's Rent All

2009-09-09T15:16:00.001-07:00

MKH and I wanted to deliver a piano from grandma's house in Illinois to our son and daughter in law, (A and B) who live on the east side of Ohio. I read testimonies online on how to move a piano and found almost nothing but warnings of death, destruction, and dismemberment for anyone except professional piano movers who would attempt to put a piano in the back of a pickup truck. The internet told of musclebound men whose muscles were torn and bones were crushed in failed attempts to move a piano. So I concluded that since neither my wife nor I are musclebound, we could surely succeed with the help of the local equipment rental.

We rented a piano dolly for $25 and 8 foot long ramps for $8. We also packed my straps and some straps we borrowed from our children's minister at church and set out for Illinois.

I had to cut down half a bush to get the truck in the right position, but once that was completed the ramps fit nicely from the tailgate to the threshold of grandma's house. The piano loaded easily onto the dolly and with the four handles, and excellent wheels of the dolly we were ready to roll.

Putting the piano in the back of the pickup was the easiest part of the whole move. The piano dolly was the star of the show, well, except for my wife who is always the star of my show.

We strapped the piano down using a two strap system I read about online from a man who said he had moved 600 pianos in the back of a Toyota pickup truck. I assume he meant one at a time. His system was great, but I added five more straps just because I have a tendency to over prepare. After all, if a little is good, a lot is better.

In Ohio our son had some extra muscle to help so I used my home made ramps and we had no problem wheeling the little, but heavy, Wurlitzer into a beautiful spot in their dining room. Mission accomplished. If we can do it, you can do it, with the help of your local rental place.

One bit of advice. My wife and I agreed that if at any point the piano started to tip and fall, we would just step back let it go. There was no way we were going to try to catch it. After all, we may be crazy to try to move a piano across three states by ourselves, but we're not stupid

comic relief

2009-08-02T18:47:00.000-07:00

Everyone needs a little comic relief in the office. In the garden it is called "whimsy." In a movie it might be called a "sight gag" but on my desk it is "comic relief."

A lot of us have very serious offices where important activity takes place reflecting the years of study in properly accredited institutions. We've studied the books, written the papers, learned massive amounts of information from professors that were as serious as a heart attack. Now that we're in our own offices we need something to lighten the mood.

Some people choose a funny screen saver. Others drink their coffee from funny mugs. Me, I'm amused with the oddity of a mummified cat replica. This is an image whose makers intended to be serious. After all it is originally from Abydos, Upper Egypt, perhaps 1st Century AD. This is one of several artifacts from the British Museum's collections. We all know that the British are a pretty serious bunch.

Listen to this description of the mummy, "This cat is associated with the goddess Bastet, whose cult centre was at Bubastis in the Delta. The cat was very elaborately wrapped. A lot of effort was frequently spent on the wrapping and external appearance, while the remains inside are often incomplete. It seems likely that many cats did not die a natural death; many are aged less than one year old. The burial of an animal mummy in a specially designed catacomb was seen as a pious act."

While the British have a wonderful, albeit wacky sense of humor, I doubt if the Egyptian mummy makers had any sense of humor. Anyone who could dream up a way to stick an instrument in a dead person's nose and drag out their brains has taken "morbid" and "disgusting" to a whole new galaxy. And to mummify a cat, well that's a completely alien notion to most normal human beings.

So combine a demented culture, a sick religion, an overly obsessed death culture, and you end up with very weird relics that land in a British museum; and now I have a replica of said item on my desk simply because it makes me smile. It is my favorite cat. My grandson, Little Zee, broke one ear off and in my estimation that makes it even more charming and humorous. Hopefully something on your desk makes you smile.

What we feel and do without thinking

2009-07-29T19:24:00.000-07:00

I am very intrigued by what Dallas Willard wrote in Chapter 8 of his book in Renovation of the Heart. I suppose I've read a lot of things about character over the years and there is an accumulated knowledge that we all share. It has often been quoted that "we are what we do when no one is watching." A related thought is that mentally handicapped people do in public what others only do in private. There is a lot of food for thought as we apply that conventional wisdom to ourselves.

Dallas Willard has a similar but very deep and interesting take on this subject. He says that, "will is not the same thing as character, but character does develop from it, as specific willings become habitual and, to some extent, "automatic." Character is revealed most of all in what we feel and do without thinking."

And then here is the part that really intrigued me, "But to a lesser extent it is revealed in what we repent of after thinking and what we then do as a result of repenting. Thought, feeling, and will give rise to character."

How many times have we heard someone or our own selves say, "I have no regrets." "Or I'm not sorry for what I did."

When we hear other people say these things we often find ourselves observing that if that person could bring themselves to be more objective, they probably should have "regrets" about what they said and did.

For what do you have regrets? What can you do about it?

PS I wrote this post back in March but never published it until now. As usual Dallas Willard helps clarify my thinking about the inner life of people. I've been in a search process, along with others, for a new staff person. I realize after reading this tonight that I am always in a search for "character" in a staff person. I'm not so interested in performance, but character. What does a person do automatically, without external stimulus or motivation? Left to ourselves, what do we do?

Anticipation

2009-06-24T10:46:00.000-07:00

Building within me is a deep desire to make it around Lake Michigan on a motorcycle. There are a few scenic spots I want to see along the way, such as the Painted Rocks by Lake Superior and the Tunnel of Trees in Michigan and so forth.

This will be the third attempt by my brother and me and hopefully the old Wing will hold together for another 1,200 miles. Unfortunately, it broke down on both of the other attempts. I have a couple of maintenance issues to take care of before I leave and one that has been completed is pictured here in this blog. I have brand new, very cool looking tires. That is excitement enough for me but these tires represent something a little deeper to me.

I am not a spontaneous person. Spontaneity robs you of anticipation, and the anticipation of something good is a most wonderful part of the whole experience.

I have new, cool looking tires but I bought them in preparation for my trip and that is much more fun to talk about with other cyclists than just going to the shop and buying some new tires simply because the old ones are worn out. I have a new air filter, a new oil filter and other sundry items and they are all waiting to be installed with the annual Bro Ride in mind.

Half of the fun of a date with my wife is anticipating it. Planning all the fun things we'll do with our grandkids makes seeing them that much better. Isn't this a deep principle of the universe? In fact, I think God must have invented anticipation, He sure seems to like to use it a lot.

So excuse me while I go down to the garage and soak my new air filter in oil. I plan for it to be sucking a lot of dirt in Wisconsin and Michigan on the Circle Tour.

And don't those tires look great?

What we feel and do without thinking

2009-03-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

How many times have we heard someone or our own selves say, "I have no regrets." "Or I'm not sorry for what I did."

For what do you have regrets? What can you do about it?

bald eagles

2009-02-26T12:29:00.001-08:00

A trip to see mom and dad now includes eagle watching. At least during the winter months the eagles seem to like my mom and dad's little town of Havana, IL. We spotted two eagles. I don't know if you can see the eagle in the pictures, but it's there.

For someone who grew up being reminded that the bald eagle might be extinct someday it is nice to see them thriving.

ice

2009-02-25T13:32:00.000-08:00

What would it have been like to live in a world your entire life without any knowledge of or access to ice? Jungle living is not for me. I'm glad to live in historic times rather than pre-historic times when ice had not yet been discovered.

I like ice. When I'm on a long road trip the lingering pieces of ice in my Panera cup are often the only things keeping me company, and keeping me awake. Ice is such a wonderful improvement to beverages. Almost anything can be made better by putting it "on the rocks." A notable exception to that rule would be milk. There were many times as a happy child growing up in Nebraska when my mom, in an effort to maintain the coolness of the milk in our cups on a hot summer day would put ice in the cups. That was only slightly better than warm milk but not much.

The British don't care for ice in their Coke. Other than that one small detail, the British seem pretty normal.

Just think of all the fun times we would miss out on if we didn't have ice. Certainly, donning hats, coats, and mittens and plunging out onto a skating rink would be much less romantic without ice.

winter interest

2009-01-31T08:59:00.000-08:00

During the winter it's easy to forget what the garden looked like in the Spring and Summer. Looking at the summer picture makes me ask the question, "And why do we live in the North?"

I do enjoy the shapes, sticks, shadows and other odd visual effects that are a product of winter conditions. I call it "winter interest." Some plants are in my garden just because their red bark or oddly shaped or twisted, branches contribute to the snowscapes and provide for some visual stimulation while sipping a cup of coffee at the kitchen table.

Birds also provide some mild entertainment when the garage is too cold to comfortably tinker on mechanical projects and reading becomes tiresome. This year we have robins wintering over in our neighborhood. Several times we've seen them in our yard by the dozens, devouring the bright red and blue berries that grow on trees and bushes in our yard.

One robin in particular can be seen daily. You can see him in the second picture if you click on it to make it bigger. He has gorged himself on the red berries which grew in abundance on our ornamental cherry trees this summer. He's down to the last few berries in hard to reach tips of branches. He can also be seen digging down through the snow to get at the berries knocked to the ground by greedy birds a few months back when food was more plentiful. He is so industrious I am half expecting him to start constructing an igloo. But why? He has a little pocket of protection in the arborvitae behind the garden bench.

Still, I know he has a long cold winter ahead of him and a foot of snow now covers many of his food sources. I'm beginning to think in terms of a heated bird bath and trips to the "Wild Birds Unlimited" to get berries for him. No, surely I wouldn't do that, would I? No, he needs to fly south for the winter. That's what robins are supposed to do, so that when they come back, I can get excited to see the first robin of the spring.

Best buddies

2009-01-12T17:56:00.000-08:00

It's been a long time...decades... since I've been "best buddies" with anyone. Now it's true that my wife is my best friend, but as far as male friendships, I have friends but not best buddies. There are guys I hunt with, ride motorcycles with, who help me when I need a friend. There are guys I could call at 2 am and I could count on. There are guys who I would trust with my life. Still, "best buddies" is a unique and awesome statement.

Last week my 4 year old grandson Little Zee and I went to some woods owned by a friendly farmer. We put on the 4 wheel drive on my truck, slogged through the mud, crashed through an icy stream, looked at cows, climbed hills, drove through a field. Little Zee was duly impressed with the power of 4 wheel drive. As the rednecks say, "Bury me in my truck cause I ain't never seen a hole it cain't climb out of."

We got out of the truck, found a dozen nice rocks for my landscaping, looked at wild turkey and coyote tracks and just had a great time hiking, and being in the woods.

On the way back home we stopped at Casey's and soon were munching on crackers and cheese. I was sipping a diet A&W Root Beer and Little Zee was sipping fruit juice out of a Buzz Lightyear juice container.

He looked at me and said, "We're best buddies aren't we PawPaw?" Just freeze that moment. What a wonderful treasure. He told me that he was best buddies with his daddy too. What a wonderful father who teaches his son about best buddies.

These moments are fleeting. I know I won't always be his best buddy, but for now I'm flying high.

paying attention to children

2008-12-03T17:50:00.000-08:00

Set no agenda. Have no expectation. Set no boundaries except what common sense would dictate. Let everything else go...and just pay attention to children. Listen carefully to each word and try to answer their questions. Listen to their observations. Look into their faces and eyes. Let yourself go into their world.

If you can do that, it seems to me that those moments will be healing, cleansing, refreshing, and richly rewarding. It is sheer joy to hear their little voices ask, "Pawpaw, will you play with me?"

now something civilized

2008-11-22T14:10:00.000-08:00

Now that the public election has officially come to an end, it is time to get back to my main Fall activity, clinging to guns and religion. I like that phrase.

Today I was out with my 12 gauge shotgun trying to rustle up some venison for my hungry family members who love venison jerkey. I watched as several deer fed in the recently harvested corn field. They were 150 yards or so away from me on another property. I tried two of my calls in an attempt to persuade them, in deer language, "come on over here, it's great over here." They looked my way but showed no sign of checking things out.

Then I heard some rustling in the leaves as an animal crossed the ravine behind me. It was a coyote, and he was stealthily moving closer to the same deer I was watching. I thought, "If this coyote takes off after those deer he'll chase them into the next county (literally I was hunting very close to the Putnam/Hendricks County line.

What should I do? I decided to shoot the coyote. He was unaware of my presence and I had a good angle on him. Chances are the deer would be undisturbed due to being quite a distance away.

I shot, he kicked a couple of times and then slid down into the ravine. The deer looked up momentarily from their meal of field corn and went back to minding their own business, eventually walking completely away from my line of sight.

About 20 minutes later I saw a buck coming my way from the direction where the deer had disappeared. He was on a line toward me that would lead him very close to the dead coyote. He came closer and closer. He stopped and looked and saw the coyote. I thought for sure he would turn and run but instead he walked right up to the coyote as if to take a sniff. I thought, "that is a dumb deer", and decided at that moment to shoot him.

Predator and prey lay in the back of my pick-up truck. The family will snack on jerkey when they visit for Thanksgiving Day.

check out my new linc... BBH

2008-11-21T03:51:00.000-08:00

I am excited to have a new blogger on my sidebar. BBH has written a great story about the sorest loser in history. I am getting to know this blogger beyond the blogging world because she is the newest member of our family and one of my two favorite daughters-in-law. BBH has a wide range of interests and capabilities so I'm expecting an eclectic offering of topics on her blog. She has already found a special place in my heart because she wrote about history in her most recent post. Aside from her blog she is not afraid to ride on the back of my motorcycle (that was last Thanksgiving), she is a great cook, loves to be outside, is interested in people and new experiences. She's a lot of fun to have on a hike or climbing rocks, and is a great traveler (reference to Toronto, Canada where I missed so many turns that I think I had the car in reverse more on that one trip than the whole time I've owned the car. So welcome aboard BBH.

2008-10-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

Why I can’t vote for Obama. (I am not speaking for any organization. This is my own personal opinion.)

Subtitle: the innocents, gay marriage, kleptocracy, naiveté.

I have dual citizenship, earthly and heavenly and the latter trumps the former in my loyalties.

I can’t turn my back on “the innocents.” Many Christians have tried to rationalize support of Obama by saying that they don’t want to be a “one issue voter.” When the one issue is this important it can’t be ignored. Psalm 94:21 talks about how the wicked condemn “the innocent to death” and how God will repay them. A couple of years ago I heard a young woman speak who was a survivor of abortion. Yes, her mother went to an abortion clinic but they botched the abortion and this girl lived. This happens more often than you would think. Obama voted against giving little babies in that situation any kind of help. He thinks they should die. He also voted in favor of partial birth abortion, a procedure which delivers the baby except for its head and then the doctor reaches in with a tool and crushes the baby’s head. In the campaign he said that he wouldn’t want his daughters to be “punished” with an unwanted child. I don’t ever see, under any circumstance, a child as punishment. The girl who survived the abortion was glad to be alive. I can’t turn my back on the “innocents.” I will not vote for Obama.

Obama favors gay marriage. If someone wants to live the gay lifestyle that’s their business but again my dual citizenship prevents me from supporting someone who wants to legitimize what the God of the Bible says is wrong. A New Jersey gay couple was denied a wedding in a United Methodist building. They cried discrimination and that church has now lost tax exempt status on that building. If Obama gets in he will support the legalization of gay marriage and we will see that kind of thing more and more. If a gay couple wants to be married in a church building where I serve I could not allow that without violating my conscience and convictions. There is no way I can vote for Obama.

Obama wants to “spread the wealth around.” If someone works really hard and takes some risks and prospers because of it, Obama wants to take their money and give it to people who don’t pay taxes and in many cases don’t work at all and don’t intend to. I realize that some people need help and they should be helped but Obama’s plan is a kleptocracy. As civilizations develop in different ways, some governments begin to unfairly take money away from the citizenry and use it for their own purposes or how they see fit. For a good analysis of what a kleptocracy is and how it develops see the book Guns, Germs and Steel. Obama’s plan would be harmful to our economy in many different ways and because of this I can’t vote for him.
I can’t vote for Obama because he seems to be naïve. He is a good speaker. He is likeable. In my opinion, he is no match for Putin of Russia, or the leaders of Palestinian terrorists, or Iran, or even those who are supposed to be our allies but who secretly undermine our policies and aid our enemies. If I was China I would invade Taiwan the day Obama took office. If I was Russia I would take more territory. The Russians have already shown the world that they are ruthless enough to do it and nobody is going to stop them. If I was Iran I would blow Israel off the face of the earth. If I was any evil person in the world who has been slightly restrained in the past by America’s military might I would choose Obama’s presidency to do whatever I wanted. In my opinion he underestimates the reality of evil in our world. He also said that if he knew that Osama bin Laden was in Pakistan he would go in and get him even without Pakistan’s permission. That would be ill-advised since Pakistan is a country with nuclear bombs.
Obama’s naiveté also extends to his associations. He says he sat in church for 20 years and never heard Rev. Jeremiah Wright’s hatred of America. He says he sat on boards and worked with William Ayers, and didn’t know what he was. Obama’s wife worked at the same law firm as Ayers wife and never knew who she was and that she had been on the FBI’s ten most wanted list. If he’s that naïve how can we trust him to look out for America’s interests when he is in talks with other countries?

Recently I read an article by a Christian author, in which he stated why he was going to vote for Obama. In his article he was guilty of age discrimination but more significantly the author dismissed McCain because of his belief that McCain has a warrior narrative. He also spoke dismissively about Bush because of his go it alone, cowboy mentality.

This author and many other people in this country and around the world seem to have forgotten all the United Nations sanctions against Iraq, 17 or so if my memory is accurate. The last two United States Presidents and their administrations were in agreement along with most of the rest of the world concerning the threat of Iraq. Before the war, President Bush was criticized for not taking action sooner. The United Nations and Congress gave their approval. Cowboy? Go it alone? People are either forgetful, biased or just plain liars.

I personally have been very disappointed in some things that have happened in the last eight years but that doesn’t determine who I’ll vote for. I vote for the person, not the party.

Who will I vote for? I don’t know, except I know for sure I’m not voting for Obama and I hope you don’t either.

rants about the church

2008-10-07T10:24:00.000-07:00

Occasionally on my regular trip around my favorite blog spots I will discover that no one has written anything new. In disappointment I sometimes click on someone else's links and venture out in the realm of unknown bloggers.

It's in this realm of the unknown that I often (too often) see a disgrunteled Christian's rant about the Church. Will people ever get tired of writing those rants? I don't think so. As long as there are miserable people in the world, those miserable people will find misery in their church, school, restaurants, neighborhoods, etc., etc., etc.

That's not to say that the Church and these places aren't deserving of some criticism. No matter what we do we could always do it better, at least in someone's mind.

However, I've been following Jesus for nearly 50 years now and I've never found anyplace better than the Church, even with all its human imperfections. And as long as there are humans involved in it, there will be some degree of failure. From Vacation Bible School as a youngster, to Youth Group as a teen, to a parent with children in Children's church and on up to Bible College for me and my kids, there is no place where I have found more people who would accept me, encourage me, invest in me and my family than in the church. People have loved me, given to me, sacrificed for me, challenged me, corrected me, and prepared me. I could go on.

Rants against the church seem to only increase anger because the person writing the rant starts out angry, then they get angrier as they spill their bile, then other people agree with them or argue with them and it all gets messier and messier.

Maybe people who want to write rants and condemn the church or evangelicalism or some other broad segment of the believing population should follow the example of the Apostle John who in Revelation wrote his letters to specific churches. It would seem that he had an actual relationship with those churches, had firsthand knowledge of them and tried to correct specific problems. It would be interesting to see what would happen if the internet ranters would be more specific instead of speaking in broad generalizations. What churches have they attended? Who specifically is a money grubber? Who is egotistical? Name some names. List some churches. What evidence do you have for your statements?

The impressions I have of the Church come from the following churches I have attended regularly at some point in my life: Galena, KS; Arapahoe, NE; Council Bluffs, IA; Lincoln, IL; Rutland, IL; Streator, IL; Brownsburg, IN. Maybe I've just been lucky to hit good churches in five different states. Maybe there are thousands of other messed up terrible churches out there that aren't worth the paint on their walls that I haven't stumbled upon yet. If so, name some names, how many churches, or television ministries or Bible Colleges, or ministers are you basing your comments on? Be specific.

I doubt if ranters will ever do that. In the meantime I will spend time worshipping with my fellow Christians, I'll attend Christian classes and learn from the teacher, I'll share in a Home Group, I'll serve as best I can and I know I will be blessed by this wonderful, imperfect group of people. I hope the ranters will eventually come around.

look below

2008-09-20T16:55:00.000-07:00

my new post is underneath "lipstick on a pig" because I had a rough draft of it written and then the lipstick thing happened and I had to say something about that right away.

So look below, down, page down, scroll down,

does that make sense?

lipstick on a pig

2008-09-11T04:04:00.000-07:00

Much has been said about "lipstick" recently. Sarah Palin gave a speech that was talked about on TV and radio and in restaurants and coffee shops for days. A really big deal was made out of her ad lib "lipstick" joke. Then Obama gave a speech in which he used the old expression about "lipstick on a pig." Coincidence? Maybe, but in watching the video of what he said, and more importantly, how he paused, made me interpret it otherwise. His pause and the length of his pause, until the audience starting laughing and cheering, seemed to me a verbal "wink." It was a clever way to call Sarah Palin a pig, and then claim that the expression is used by many politicians.

If you read Obama's speeches, you will find much to like in the way he addresses subjects that are important to many people. He is skilled at subtleties and nuance. I've liked that up until now. Now he's behind in the polls, Palin is a threat to his campaign.

Over the last week I've paid careful attention to the way democrats, celebrities, Hollywood types and liberals have treated Palin. I don't know much about her but I know as much as these others do. She is supposed to be a Christian, pro-life, a reformer and change agent. She has been treated with great contempt and horrible things are being said about her and her children. Politicians may talk about how they want to represent all the people but they must mean only those people who agree with them and vote for them.

be nice or just drive?

2008-09-08T05:25:00.000-07:00

I live in a community where a lot of poeple try to be nice in the way they drive. They let other people into traffic when that person is waiting, they motion to you to go first at a four way stop when it's really their own turn to go. You get the idea. Granted there are times when it's nice to be let into a long line of traffic when you're sitting in a parking lot waiting to go. Still, what I prefer though is that people just drive. People, just drive. Follow the rules of the road. Don't make up your own rules--flashing your lights to signal to someone that you are doing some nice traffic related thing, motioning people to go, to turn, to go first, or to do some thing that you think the other person wants to do.

I prefer that people jsut follow the rules of the road. The rules of the road are perfectly good rules (laws in fact) that are tried and tested and work well. If someone has the right of way they should just go about their business and forget all the nice little traffic inventions that thwart safe and sane driving.

Half the time I miss out on someone else's nice gesture because I'm minding my own business, observing the rules of the road and I'm not reading someone else's mind who has a desire to do something nice.

Also, it amazes me how often someone wants you to do something and they don't even know what you have in mind. Our turn signal doesn't reveal everything after all. What if someone's turn signal just burnt out. I've seen many times when if you followed the directions of the kindly person motioning to you to come on ahead, you would get into an accident because the kindly soul hasn't taken everything into consideration.

What would the officer say if you told him, "I wasn't gonig to go but this person motioned to me to come on ahead, and that's when I got T-boned by that other car who had the right of way."

So just drive. Just follow the rules of the road. If you have the right of way do what you're supposed to do. If you don't, wait until it is safe to proceed. We'll all get along fine. We'll be just as safe if not safer.

speeches

2008-09-04T15:58:00.000-07:00

I'm somewhat in the communication business. I give a lot of speeches and I'm interested in politics so I thought I'd give some brief comments on the political speeches I've heard at the conventions.

From best to worst

Sarah Palin- charming, funny, devastating to those who were so against her and unfairly picked on her, good attack on Obama, no nonsense. I especially liked the part where she talked about people in little towns.

Obama-eloquent, Obama sees a bigger picture than most, he is loved by many in our country but seems naive about evil governments in this world who hate us, I wonder if people who listen to him realize the intricate nuances in what he is saying.

Rudy-the best concept with his analogy of two resume's in your hand, and who is more qualified for the job. He had good energy and reacted well with the crowd.

President Bush-strong, believable, a little awkward, he should have given the speech in person. He is not a great speaker but he is still the most powerful person in the world and his words are significant.

Joe Lieberman--best character reference for McCain. Lieberman is one of the most honorable people I know of in Washington, his words were made more powerful and significant considering he was the Democratic candidate for VP with Gore.

McCain-his life is a great story and it lets everyone know that what you see is what you get, he is believable in that he wants to change Washington and will do what is right for the people instead of following the party line, it's consistent with what he's been about his whole career.

Hillary-radiant, supportive of what her party wanted but didn't it seem like she still wanted the party to switch to her? I would have rated her higher if I thought her speech influenced anyone or mattered that much.

Bill Clinton-didn't see it, didn't want to see it

Cindy McCain-she's believable but has an artiificial speaker's tone, too melodramatic, she's much more likeable when she speaks off the cuff.

Michelle Obama-defensive, unconvincing, not believable, she's much better smiling at Obama's side

Thompson-he went on and on about the McCain family's independence and demerits in the military but Fred, be more specific about how this does the American people any good.

Biden-tied with Thompson for last place. What a drag.

a new challenge

2008-08-29T19:15:00.001-07:00

*note* our hard drive crashed and we're saving money for a new computer which explains why I've gone so long without posting.

Someone in my faith community asked me Sunday if I was a motorcycle enthusiast. After pleading "guilty as charged" this person said she had a motorcycle that she was trying to get rid of and did I know anyone who might be interested. Said motorcycle hadn't been started in about 20 to 30 years.

I mentioned some motorcycle junkyards but then she mentioned that it was a 1967 Suzuki 125 and my interest began to stir. Then she said it would be free to whoever wanted it because she just wanted to get it out of her garage. My interest stirred a bit more. A small, simple, vintage, motorcycle to bring back to life could be interesting. I said I'd stop by and look at it. The next evening I was pushing it up a ramp into the back of my pick-up truck.

When I saw it I just couldn't resist. It is such a cute little motorcycle. It will never be super pretty but I think it is very nice.

The gas tank and lines are really gunked up but I think it has compression, and most of the parts are there, and the moving parts seem to be moving. It was in running condition when it was parked, in a barn, in perhaps the 1980's...so here we go.

annual bro ride

2008-07-13T17:18:00.000-07:00

Several years ago, when my brother, TJH and I decided to do an annual "Bro-Ride" on our motorcycles, the main reason for doing it was to enjoy each other's company. After all, what good is it having a brother if you never see each other?

This year's ride was planned to take us on the famous Circle Tour around Lake Michigan. We were going to go clockwise around the lake with a side trip to Pictured Rocks on the Lake Superior shoreline. We were going to hit the Tunnel of Trees, the Dunes, the famous restaurants and other sites. Scratch that idea.

When my motorcycle began to overheat and create problems we had extended stays at my brother's house in Illinois and our sister's house in Wisconsin. It was ixna on the Circle Tour but ended up being a wonderful trip because we spent so much time visiting, sharing memories, and talking about the future.

Riding motorcycles and enjoying scenery is time well spent but family time is the best!

Here are some additional highlights of the trip:

Best scenery:
Lapham Peak in the Kettle Moraine area of Waukesha County, Wisconsin. Lapham's Peak is the highest point in the county and you can't really appreciate the ancient glacial action of the Kettle Moraine area until you've seen a panoramic view. A close second would be the Great River Ride near the Mississippi Palisades State Park just outside of Savanna, Illinois.

Best food: The Reuben sandwich at Popeyes in Lake Geneva. On the negative side, no free refills on your Diet Coke even though they charge as much as restaurants who give free refills. Next time I'll just get water--the crooks. An honorable mention goes to "The Spot" in Marengo, Illinois. The place is a dump but the burgers were exceptional.

Most unique city we visited: Sabula, Iowa, the only island city in the state of Iowa.

Best motorcycle museum: The National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa. This was also the only museum we visited... but it was well done. The ones in the picture are the gaudiest motorcycles I've ever seen...which is why, I suppose, they were in the museum.

Scariest bridge: The bridge at Savanna, Illinois over the Mississippi River to Sabula, Iowa. It was all metal grating so that you could look down through the bridge and see the water below. Metal grating pushes your tires around and makes you feel like your motorcycle is out of control. I could just imagine hitting the rather low guard rail and flying over my handle bars into the Mighty Mississip. Your imagination can do a real job on your head when you're on a motorcycle trip.

Best church building: Basilica of Holy Hill National Shrine of Mary Help of Christians. From Lapham's Peak we saw a structure on top of the tallest hill in sight. We had to go see what it was. We got to the church building and my motorcycle had the worst overheating of the two days that we had been riding. Water and antifreeze seemed to be gushing from everywhere. I thought I had cracked the block. But I filled it up with water and it seemed fine. As a special measure I got another bottle of the water from Holy Hill and poured it over the entire motor as an attempt to...I don't know...why did I do that?

Best passenger: My brother's 11 year old daughter wanted to come along with us on our trip to Anamosa, Iowa to the motorcycle museum. She was a lot of fun. I love a visual image I have of her on the back of her dad's motorcycle reaching out to catch cottonwood puff balls as we were riding through the Mississippi Palisades State Park. She also ate chips out of a bag while riding on the back of a motorcycle at 60 MPH without losing a single one.

Maybe next year we'll do the Circle Tour and a side repair excursion. Hopefully my brother will continue to be patient.

welcome new blogger

2008-07-11T19:39:00.000-07:00

At a time when it seems bloggers have not been doing a lot of writing or even commenting much there is a new blogger who has become my favorite. MKH has said for years, "Maybe I ought to start a blog. " Well she did. Click on MKH on my side bar and read some well written and entertaining stories. MKH has always been a great storyteller and not only that she is one of the smartest people I know. She is my best friend and I can easily say that a bad day with MKH is better than a great day with anyone else. (Not that I can remember a bad day, I am quick to add.)

great freedom

2008-05-11T12:44:00.000-07:00

I enjoy great freedom in three areas of my life. One of those areas of freedom is my motorcycle. This is a motorcycle that spent 20 years rusting in a pig barn. It is not generally known that pig barn rust is the worst kind of rust. Not only that, the wiring was continually being nibbled on by local pig barn mice who suspected that there was something good inside those wires.

Someone gave the motorcycle to me. Yes, it was free. When you get something for free it is very liberating. I found that I could take things apart on this motorcycle and have no fear of ruining it. After all, it was free, and free gives me freedom. If I messed it up I wasn't out anything. There's a lesson to be learned there about owning things that are worth so much money that we're terrified to try anything with them. Be free, own junk; a statement that regrettably does not have universal application.

Well, now, after 6 years of tinkering around with this motorcycle, and after a lot of help from people who actually know something about motorcycles, it's a pretty nice motorcycle. Except a mechanic called "Grumpy", at Grumpy's Goldwing Service told me that my carburators on my 76 Goldwing GL1000 are junk compared to the 82 and 83 Goldwing 1100's. So I bought a set of 82 Goldwing carbs off ebay for $141. That's a good deal, by the way.

They are supposed to fit right on my motorcycle. So I took off my carburators and as I'm inspecting the 82 carburators I see a little tube that I can't identify. What the heck is that little tube? It's the one I'm pointing to with my thumb. I'm pointing at the gas line with pointer finger. The little tube by my thumb has me wondering.

Any ideas? I'm just about ready to put these carbs on and just see what happens, but if anybody out there has a guess about what that little tube is, I'd be interested in hearing it (reading it). The "little tube" is to my carburators what the "little horn" is to end times Biblical eschatology.

One final thought. Be free, own at least one piece of junk that you aren't afraid to mess up.

manure I have known and .....appreciated

2008-05-05T19:03:00.000-07:00

This is a disgusting post so you may want to stop reading now. I'm serious.

When I say "manure", I'm not talking about "movie manure." My favorite "movie manure" bit is seeing Biff getting a mouthful of it in "Back to the Future." That manure had the appearance of being fresh, so it would be considered "hot" by gardeners. Hot manure can burn your plants and I never use it. Plus it stinks.

I'm also not talking about "literary manure" which would be stories in books having to do with manure. These stories are intended to be gross or funny depending on the story teller. The most memorable literary manure I read about was in "Seabiscuit" where a race track had mountains of manure from all the stalls. Jockeys discovered that tremendous heat was generated by composting manure and they would go immerse themselves in the manure up to their neck to "sweat off" some pounds.

Old people have a lot of funny stories about outhouses. Any story that has anything to do with an outhouse is bound to be funny.

This post is simply a commercial to encourage you all to use real composted manure to fertilize around the house.

I recommend finding someone who has one or more horses and asking the owner if you can have some manure. Any self respecting horse can produce tons of manure every year. Horse owners usually have a pile of it that they are more than happy to get rid of, especially if you are willing to shovel it into the back of your own truck. Get manure that is a couple of years old because it is dry, fully composted, looks like wonderful black dirt, has no smell and it will have wonderful microbe activity going on.

I use "the stuff" on all my flower beds, around my trees and even on my lawn. I recommend using a lawn aerator in the fall and then putting down a layer of manure on your lawn. Rake the manure a little bit so it goes down into the little holes that the aerator makes.
In flower beds it is best to work the manure into the soil around your plant material if you can do so without disturbing the roots.

I don't recommend using what's called "sludge", which is human waste that has been treated and composted. I used it for two years and it worked great, looked like rich black dirt and had no smell. It was dry and less compacted than horse manure and thus it was more "springy" to step on or work into the soil. However, I didn't like finding the occasional toothpaste cap and other small items in the sludge. I also wondered about all the medicines that people take, the possibility of it being toxic, and here I was growing my tomatoes in it. It lost favor with me.

Chicken manure is great but you have to be real careful with it or it will kill your plants. If you want bird manure it's better to have bird feeders, trees and bushes in your yard to attract the birds to your yard where they can make their little deposits, eat bugs and add interest to your garden area. The only problem is they make deposits on other things like your cars and your favorite chair on the patio.

So don't go out and buy some lousy $30 chemical mixture fertilizer in a bag that will pollute our waterways when you can go shovel some manure for free. It will work great, you'll help the environment and you'll get some exercise. I think you'll like the results.

expelled

2008-04-22T17:58:00.001-07:00

Ben Stein, Richard Dawkins, Nazis, cartoons, old movies, Intelligent Design, neo-Darwinism, Creationism and more all rolled up into one movie. Yes, for real.

I don't usually watch documentaries but the premise of this movie was intriguing. Ben Stein going to bat for scientists who think that scientists should look at everything, not just Darwinian evolution for answers. That sounds logical. After all, aren't scientists supposed to be openminded?

High point: Ben Stein does a pretty good interview.
Low point: All the funny old movie cuts were distracting to me and made me think less of the movie; and yet others thought that the old movie cuts added interest.
Scary part: How the Nazis used Darwin's ideas to justify killing millions.
Amazing part: Ben Stein got Richard Dawkins to say some ridiculous things.You won't believe it til you see it.
Sad part: How much hatred and foolishness there is in the heart of man.
Unfortunate part: The movie will probably be polarizing on an already polarizing subject.

This is an important movie and although I don't recommend movies it is thought provoking and a discussion starter. It won't convince you of ID. It won't even define ID to any large degree. It does identify an injustice.

flat earth -- climate change

2008-04-10T18:21:00.000-07:00

Al Gore was recently interviewed by 60 minutes and in talking about "Global Warming" the interviewer stated that not everyone, including the Vice President of the United States, is convinced that global warming is caused by man. Al Gore snorted disdainfully and scornfully asked, "Dick Cheney?" He went on to state that to deny global warming is the same as believing the world is flat and that the 1969 moon landing never happened.

I've done a survey lately and out of ten randomly selected college educated people only two of them thought that global warming might in part be caused by human beings.

The others made various comments about the lack of conclusive proof at this point and the inadequacy of the science used to draw the conclusions that Al Gore has so dramatically stated.

I'm all for fighting pollution. As a Christian it is part of my obligation to be a good steward of the earth.

Here's what I object to: Taxation to solve the problem of "climate change." Los Angeles is considering a "climate change tax" that would cost the average driver about $90 a year. How would those millions of dollars be spent? How would they know if they were doing any good? Who would determine if they were doing any good or not? What is the optimum temperature? In my opinion this is just another way for the government to take our money and waste it.

Hypocrites. People who fly around in private jets and drive Hummers but then buy "green credits" so that they can say that they're "green." These are the rich and the politicians who are telling other people to alter their lifestyle but they themselves have a huge carbon footprint. California Governor Arnold S. said he doesn't consider it hypocritical when people like Al Gore say one thing and do another as long as they inspire others to change their lifestyle.

What caused climate change before there were so many people driving cars and cooking out in the back yard?

First the talk was of global warming but since scientists have noticed a more recent ten year cooling trend the terminology has had to be changed to "climate change." If it's called "climate change" politicians can tax us if it's too hot or it's too cold.

Global cooling would kill lots of people. Global warming would create some problems but we could grow a lot more food on this planet. I wouldn't want the polar caps to melt but at the same time I'd like to see what might be preserved in all that ice.

An "Inconvenient Truth"? More like a "convenient ploy" to get more of the taxpayer's dollars.

ma and pa stores

2008-03-31T18:46:00.000-07:00

In the seventies, when I was in high school, a huge mall was built in Omaha, Nebraska. That became "the place" with all its shops and it even had three levels. That was the first mall I ever experienced and I still don't mind walking through a mall and looking at the clearance racks. But I have always had an appreciation for the little ma and pa stores.
The picture with this post is of the inside of an amazing store in Indianapolis, in the Broad Ripple section of town. It is a two story home and every inch, floor to ceiling, including two attics has been turned into an extension of...Bob... or Bob and his family. I've only been there twice but he has shown me all around the place including the ladder that he climbs to get into the attic where he stores Birkenstock and Earth shoes.
Last time we were at the "Good Earth Natural Food Store" there Bob was, out in the street with a bag of asphalt patch making a repair, because, as he said, "His standards are higher than the city's."
Inside he has organic food, bulk dry goods and herbs, medicines of all kinds, natural remedies and medicines galore and cosmetics that are, I assume good for you. There is too much to take in even after two visits. Neither of the guys in the picture are Bob, he was still making road repairs and wasn't available for the picture. He did find us in the parking lot as we were about to leave and inspected what we had bought.

Another recent discovery is Laughlin's Menswear in Brownsburg. The owner will find you a shirt, a suit, blue jeans, cologne, or hat. You name it, he either has it or can get it for you. He recently sold me a long sleeve shirt for half price that I liked, but it was too big. He told me to take it home, wash it in hot water, dry it on the highest dryer setting and if it's still too big, bring it back and he'll shorten the sleeves for me or give me my money back.
Nobody will give you the service that a ma and pa store will give you. No one has ever offered to shorten the sleeves on my shirt before. He said they do it all the time. These ma and pa stores are a dying breed. We need to preserve them if we can.

vegan from toe to ankle

2008-03-23T13:29:00.000-07:00

When you live long enough to be an old man your feet hurt, so you're always looking for a better shoe. So I bought a reverse incline "Earth" shoe yesterday. The company motto is: "Different. Like You."

They have no idea.

The box my shoes came in also had the word "vegan" printed on it. I asked the salesman what that meant. (I thought I knew what a vegan is but I didn't see the shoe connection). He said, "That shoe is made without any animal products or by-products; that's important for some of my customers." Hey, if the shoe will keep my feet from hurting I'm all for it.

When I got home from my animal respecting shopping experience I saw a long anticipated package waiting on my doorstep. Inside was my Russian style hat made from a beaver pelt I had tanned and made into a glorious headpiece. I'm wearing it, even now, as I type.

There is a sort of odd balance and counterbalance in my personal existence.

things I learned from my grandkids

2008-03-19T09:05:00.000-07:00

Little Z and The Princess came for a week-long visit. By the way, those are their online designations, I never call them that in person. Little Z is about 3 and 1/2 and The Princess is 1 and 1/2 years old.

This is what they taught me:

Little Z taught me a new word...Kewl. "That's 'kewl' pawpaw." He didn't spell it but that's how it sounded every time he said it.

Repetition is wonderful. We had the Disney cartoon version of Robin Hood in the car video player. Whenever we went somewhere, which was about every day, we had to start the video from the same spot. Little Z loved the part where the rooster sang a song about Robin and Little John. Pawpaw said, "But we've heard that five times Little Z." Little Z said, "But I like that part when the rooster sings."

Water ONLY in the car from now on. We have an overpowering sour milk odor in our car now that is unbearable. I think it came from a carton of milk from Culver's that I discovered upside down and empty on the floor in the back seat.

Toddlers look unsteady on their feet but they really have incredible balance. The Princess climbed four or five steps to a platform, then one more step to another platform, then one more step to a slide, all the while clutching a sippie cup, and wearing stylish tight blue jeans that forced her to swing her little legs to the side to get them up on the next step. She did this each time she went down the slide which was 40 or 50 times and she looked very cute every time.

Stall memaw's plans to take her morning shower until both of the grandkids have had their morning BM.

You don't need toys. To entertain grand children you just need to have some ordinary things lying about the house that you'd just as soon the grandkids didn't get in to.

Don't expect to pop into the office to get a few things done when you have the grandkids with you. Don't even think about going to the office. Take vacation time.

Just pay attention to them and enjoy their innocence.

Lost ... ?

2008-03-14T09:31:00.000-07:00

I enjoy the Lost episodes. Unfortunately writers and producers seem more interested in creating more mysteries than they do in giving any answers to questions we've had for years now.

I think the name of the show should be changed now from "Lost" because they are no longer lost. They are "Trapped" or they are "Stuck" or they are "Indecisive" or they are "At Someone Else's Mercy" or they are "Pawns" or they are "Liars" or "Killers"...or ...

I read the news today...oboy...

2008-03-10T15:07:00.000-07:00

On the same day in the news I learned that Southern Baptists and Roman Catholics are against climate change. At least they can get together on something. The new terminology of climate change instead of global warming is more comprehensive since the universe is unpredictable and the term climate change allows us to be against whatever it takes a mind to do...warm, cool or whatever. For the record I don't drive anything with more than 4 cylinders. I also do not have a patio heater of any kind.

I also read today of a public official in Boulder, Colorado who wants to get stricter on cats roaming around outside. He doesn't like it that they kill birds and small animals. So cats should be made to stay indoors. I agree, but mostly I object to them using the mulch in my flower beds for nefarious purposes.

I read that the Democratic candidate running second in the primaries would like the leading Democrat to be their vice president. This race is really getting funny.

There are also some new mortal sins according to the #2 guy in the Vatican. He didn't say it quite like it's been reported in the mainstream media, surprise, surprise. Still it's good to know that the same old sins that we've had for years are being updated. Some of the old sins are getting pretty worn out so it's nice of the church to think of some new ones for us.

Every day I read the news. It's really pretty entertaining.

an interesting gun show comment

2008-03-04T16:56:00.000-08:00

I was so surprised. I was scanning back over some old posts and I saw a comment I hadn't seen before. I've copied and pasted the comment below. The comment is in response to a post I wrote about a gun show which you can read in full if you scroll down the page.

Anonymous said...

I dont understand what your trying to say? Do you understand that this is one of our rights? Do you realize that a lot of the people who participate in Gun Shows are collectors? I frequent gun shows, and I'm a female. You wont find a group of more honest & concerned people anywhere.You may have thought you saw a lot of easy sales going on-but, believe me-a sale is not taken lightly at a Gun Show.It doesnt matter if its an individual (selling a part of his collection ) or a Dealer-its all taken very seriously. Your article sounds very damaging -I dont like it.

9:58 AM

Dear anonymous,

Thanks for your comment. Maybe the reason you didn't understand what I was trying to say was because I wasn't trying to say anything positive or negative. I was just making some observations which I thought were amazing to me since it was my first time at an Indiana Gun Show.

Yes, I do know that the right to bear arms is one of my rights, one that I value highly. I hope others do too. I pay close attention to political candidates which I believe might take away my rights and unfortunately there are plenty of them this time around. I have a few guns which I use for hunting and target practice. I would own more guns if I could afford them.

Yes, I know that a lot of people at gun shows are collectors. I met several collectors at the gun show and found them to be very nice people. That didn't surprise or amaze me.

As far as "easy sales" I wouldn't know about that. The only sale I saw was the one I made.

Sorry, you thought my post was "damaging" and that you "didn't like it." At least you are honest, right? And maybe a little overly suspicious. And a little secretive... "anonymous."

Thanks for your comment. At the next gun show I'll be the guy walking around with two shotguns and an antique leather gun case for sale. The leather case is real nice. You could probably use it.

Obama and Hillary

2008-02-27T18:27:00.002-08:00

Last night I took the time to watch what may well be the last debate between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama. This was more of an exercise in political discipline than a true interest in either candidate. I don't think I could ever vote for either one because of various positions they hold which I find reprehensible. The only thing I like about either one of them is that Obama is for nuclear energy.

But for what it's worth this is what I saw:
I saw a woman who was sarcastic and petty.
I saw a man who displayed grace toward his opponent.

I saw a woman who seemed desperate to be right and wants to win at any cost.
I saw a man who was willing to state that he agreed with his opponent or that she gave a good answer.

I saw a woman who whined about what she described as false and dirty politics.
I saw a man who seemed to take similar tactics from his opponent in stride.

I saw a woman who was quick to blame the Bush administration for her own failures.
I saw a man who spoke of his disagreement with the Bush administration.

I saw a woman who has been very unlucky with her Bill Clinton baggage.
I saw a man who got lucky with his vote against the Iraq war which just happens to be popular in the current mood of an undisciplined, self centered and fickle nation.

I saw a woman who seemed dishonest to her very core.
I saw a man who seems honest although gravely misguided (from my point of view.)

I saw a woman who has the inner cruelty to torture the whole nation.
I saw a man who is determined to blunder his way into socialism.

I saw a woman who is unlikeable but could finish us off as a nation.
I saw a man who is likeable but could finish us off as a nation.
Neither seem capable of dealing with Putin.

If America is so foolish as to elect one of these people we will deserve whatever disaster they bring on us.

4 generation picture

2008-02-17T19:14:00.000-08:00

I am not a great fan of video games but this was a lot of fun. JDH was playing guitar hero, grandma was clapping to the music and Little Z and The Princess were dancing and I was taking the picture. One day we'll have to teach that girl to keep her shirt on.

God's compensation

2008-02-05T11:51:00.000-08:00

I'm sure that skiing is God's compensation for cold winters. Skiing has come a long way since my dad, who grew up in Wisconsin, would nail his shoes to wooden barrel staves in an attempt to fashion makeshift skis. Snowboarding looks fun, physically demanding and strictly for a younger generation than me. I'll stay with skis. These pics are from a recent trip with LAM and his dad and TRH and me. It was great, wet, but not cold until we got back to Chicago.

would you eat at this place?

2008-02-02T18:03:00.000-08:00

A picture conjures up a thousand tastes.

couch time

2008-01-25T05:52:00.000-08:00

I heard Doug Pagitt speak at a gathering of the Indianapolis Center for Congregations. He's an author and the pastor of Solomon's Porch, a Christian community, or you might say, "hippie church"(that's what he calls it). I found him to be quite interesting, well read, humble, self effacing, and the more he talked the more I agreed that Solomon's Porch is truly a "hippie church." I've known a couple of "hippie churches" in my time. There will always be a place in the world and in my heart for a "hippie church."

At Solomon's Porch they sit on couches. He explains that they considered theater seats, pews and couches. The theater seat has the connotation of being entertained, the pew has the connotation of a lecture, a couch has the connotation of home. Naturally they chose home. When you put it like that, who wouldn't. The only thing I wonder is if people over time have their favorite couch they want to sit in. I know I would. I wouldn't want the couch with the musty smell, or the one with the floral pattern, or the one that looks like grandma's couch. I also wouldn't want the one that is hard as a rock because it's really a sleeper sofa. Can you imagine what a great nap time you could have if you could sit on a couch at church?

Indiana gun show

2008-01-12T12:11:00.000-08:00

Today I went to my first Indiana gun show, the Indy 1500. I paid $3 to park and $9 to get in. I carried in one hand my Remington Nylon 66 22 rifle, and in the other hand an antique leather gun case. I was hoping to sell both and based on my experience in the parking lot things looked promising.
These things amazed me:
Upon arrival and stepping out of my car I was almost immediately approached by anther guy carrying a gun and he asked me what what I was asking for my Nylon 66.
I was amazed that four or five other guys asked me what I wanted for my Nylon 66 before I got to the front door.
I was amazed that as I walked around the show I had 40 or 50 other people ask me about my Nylon 66.
I was amazed to see hundreds of people walking around with all kinds of guns looking at and buying guns of all description.
I was amazed that there seemed to be as many deals going on between the customers as the dealers.
I was amazed that after awhile it seemed odd if someone was NOT carrying a gun.
I was amazed that I saw Dave Rieck, someone that I knew from Illinois.
I was amazed that I saw a guy from my faith community.
I was amazed that when I said, "How come you're not carrying a gun, he said, "I am" and pulled out a pistol.
I was amazed that I sold a gun that I bought for $50 over 30 years ago.
I was amazed that the guy who bought it from me had a wad of money in his pocket as big as your fist.
I was amazed that he peeled off $175 without batting an eye.
I was amazed that as I walked away from the gun show there were many more people carrying guns on their way to the show.
I was amazed to see men and women and people pushing little kids in strollers.
I was amazed to see a very classy looking elderly woman proudly carrying a rifle.

The whole thing was amazing. Thousands of people over three days at the Indiana State Fairgrounds walking around carrying guns, looking at guns, buying and selling guns. None of the guns were in cases. Everything was just as casual as if we had been carrying around ice cream cones. Amazing.

regrets

2008-01-10T13:05:00.000-08:00

Recently I've taken up trying to play the guitar....again. Don't laugh. In the process I remembered a song by Don McLean from 1972 or thereabouts that had some nice acoustic guitar work on it. I have the album (an actual LP "long play") but I thought I would like to download it off itunes. The name of the song was "Narcisissma." Not only wasn't the song there, but the whole album was missing from the itunes store. Bummer. No Beatles, no Led Zeppelin and now no Narcisissma on itunes.

In the process of a google search I read somewhere that Don McLean regretted making the album. Well Don, if I had recorded a song like Narcisissma or some of the others from that album I would be pretty proud of them.

Some of the words to those songs have stuck with me for over 30 years. "On the Amazon" was as creative as anything the Beatles wrote about an octopus's garden. The More You Pay (The More It's Worth) is a story of a boy who bought an old horse at an auction for two bits and has a lot to say about what has real value in life. In Bronco Bill's Lament there is an old man reminiscing about his life.
"I coulda been most anything I put my mind to be
but a cowboy's life was the only life for me
it's a strong man's occupation ridin' herd and livin' free
but strong men often fail
where shrewd men can prevail
I'm an old man now with nothin' more to say
but oh god how I worked my youth away
You may not recognize my face I used to be a star
a cowboy hero known both near and far
I perched upon a silver mount and sang with my guitar
but the studio of course, owned my saddle and my horse
but that sixgun on the wall belongs to me...."

It's some really good and memorable philosophy set to music. I have the album, but regretfully no record player.

bag for marbles

2007-12-17T16:33:00.000-08:00

When I was in grade school, I'll take a guess at eight years of age, my mother made a marble bag for me. Us boys would play marbles at school and if you played "Pots" for "keeps" and you were any good, you had to store all your winnings, which consisted of other kids marbles. I remember having a lot of marbles and I must have mentioned to my mom that I didn't have a bag for my marbles so she took a sturdy piece of material and some thread, and with her sewing machine she made a bag for me.

This bag wasn't fancy, it didn't have anything so luxurious as a drawstring but it did the job. The marbles eventually were placed in a glass top Mason jar and the bag was laid aside. I still have it.

A few years ago when I started archery hunting for deer I needed a distinctive place to put my paperwork when I went to the timber; my license and deer tag (an adhesive backed printed label in Illinois and a piece of paper with your name written on it in Indiana). The funny thing is I somehow happened upon that old marble bag and I turned it into my paperwork bag and it has served me well for the last ten or so years.

The bag goes in a pack with various knives, calls, a drag rope, flashlight, and other sundry items and it has faithfully performed well in all kinds of weather. I got to thinking recently, how many things does a person own that you have as a child, and you're still using in some manner when you're an old man? That bag has to be somewhere around 45-50 years old

What do I have that dates back to my childhood? I don't have my first Bible, although I still have a Bible concordance I bought when I was in junior high. I have a few odds and ends that I bought in high school that I still own. That marble bag may be the oldest piece of personal property I own and still use, not counting of course family heirlooms or antiques. What a throwaway culture we have become.

Funny things is, I'm not sentimental about the bag. I could throw it away today. But why? It's still doing the job.

cafeterias

2007-12-14T04:31:00.000-08:00

Why is it that older people like cafeterias? Last night MKH and I spent the evening with an older couple that we know from our faith community. When we were discussing where to eat our evening meal the older gentleman suggested a local cafeteria.

I never think of going to a cafeteria. Cafeterias have never been an option for me except when I am in the company of an older person and they suggest it.

Some observations about cafeterias:
1. They do a good job with meat.

2. They do a good job with fried things.

3. They do a lousy job with gravy. "Practice saying, "Hold the gravy" on your way to the cafeteria. The servers are quick to the punch so you might want to say it as soon as you walk in the door. Keep saying, "Hold the gravy." "Hold the sauce, too."

4. The serving spoons are enormous. This means...
The portions are enormous. In one fell swoop there are more green beans on my plate than I usually eat in a week.

5. The servers slapping food on your plate move quickly. Before you have a chance to say, "Hold the gravy" you have an olympic size swimming pool of gravy on your plate.

6. Cafeterias are not the healthiest places to eat, with all the gravy, sauce, buttered beans, breading, fried things, desserts, etc. However, you should take encouragement from the fact that you are eating there with an older person, so the food must not be too unhealthy or they wouldn't be sitting across from you.

7. The company is great. That's the best part of eating at a cafeteria. You have the opportunity to participate in a conversation with a person who has a wealth of life experience. Here is a person with real wisdom, and a connection with history. This person has been there, done it, and lived to tell about it.

8. Cafeterias don't have televisions to distract, or fancy wall decor, the focus is on the people. I have always found the service to be great, in fact the servers pretty much dote on you.

9. And finally, at cafeterias, unlike school cafeterias I ate in while growing up, you don't have to scrape your uneaten food (and all that gravy) off your plate into the trash.

if only I had a movie camera

2007-12-11T10:48:00.000-08:00

As I tromped across the snow covered cornfield, in the dark, I had no idea that I would be treated to one of the greatest nature shows I have ever seen. It had been extremely hard to haul my aching, sleep deprived body out of bed at 4:30 a.m. I was hoping it would be raining, like the forecast said, so I wouldn't have to go hunting. "Have to go hunting", I must have really been tired to think like that.

It was a perfect morning. What little wind there was came from a favorable direction. There was snow on the ground. The deer had had a week to rest up from shotgun season. It was now the first morning of muzzle loading season.

I got in the treestand and became still. As legal shooting light arrived, so also did a buck, eating berries off a bush, taking a drink from the creek. He messed around for about five minutes getting as close as 10 and 15 yards from me. He wasn't teasing, just lingering, but he was safe. In the dim light I couldn't see my sights well enough to get off an accurate shot.

Next, a group of four, a doe with ....triplets? Maybe. They were close enough, at 10 yards, still there wasn't enough light for me to feel comfortable. And, after all, a mother that can take care of triplets deserves a pass.

A half hour later, with more than adequate light, a large doe came tearing out of the cornfield and through the woods, leaping over logs, crashing through the creek. I started whistling, trying to get her to stop and perk up her ears. Deer are curious, you know. Nothing doing, she was scared. What was the problem? Then I saw him, hunting alone. A coyote. Running and watching and strategizing. The doe stopped eight yards from my tree and looked back at the coyote. She had no idea there was a gun pointed at her ribs. Off she went running to the southwest. With the doe off and running I swung around and the coyote now had a gun pointed at him. He tried to cut her off. It looked like she escaped...for the moment.

A half hour later I heard an animal coming from behind me making a strange bleating noise. It was a young deer, a yearling, bleating for it's mother. It was about 20 yards away. I see deer that size that hunters bring in to the check in station. Still, I'm not so desperate as to shoot a baby crying for its mother.

Another half hour or so goes by and I saw a group of three does coming my direction about 150 yards away. They walked toward the field, then back to the creek. They did this two or three times. Finally it looked like they were moving away from me. I began to grunt (using a special apparatus designed for this, of course). They got curious and start coming toward me. Occasionally they would look my direction, apparently they were trying to spot the buck that was grunting. They veered off to the side of me and in the line of three passing by at 60 yards it seemed the middle one was the best to fill my tag.

I saw four more deer before I had mine loaded in the truck. Two just walked in on me and got within 15 yards before they turned tail and ran. I've never had a day in the woods quite like this one. I saw at least 11 deer.

frail

2007-12-05T18:26:00.000-08:00

Weak and fragile they are, standing there, every person putting them under the microscope. They are people, just people, mistake prone, foolish at times, unable to let their guard down and yet their guard is down. All their garbage and dirt examined, every choice for a lifetime second-guessed. Today all of our political candidates seem so frail to me.

Can anyone lead this nation that is so divided, so selfish, so self destructive? Is there a way to throw them all back and try out a new batch? Iowa, Iowa, Iowa we hear so much about Iowa and yet isn't that two months away?

One nation wants to develop a nuclear weapon so they can wipe out another nation. Have they considered anything even so simple as prevailing winds and where the nuclear fallout might land? Can any of our political candidates deal with crazy rulers, wicked rulers, power hungry rulers, greedy rulers, satanic rulers, or even just frail, fearful obsessive rulers?

We will need a leader with strength. We need a leader who is good at the very core of their being. We need to pray.

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii...

2007-11-25T18:32:00.000-08:00

...I never thought swinging a controller around like a tennis racket or bowling ball could be fun, but I have to admit it is. It also allows people who can beat you at video games to beat you at every other thing there is....bowling, tennis, fishing, hunting, playing guitar, and on and on.

Disc golfing. We got a foursome together and went to the disc golfing course and played holes 1,2,3,8,9....I think. It was fun but I can see now why you need more than one disc. We played with just the mid range disc and it wouldn't fly very far. My arm is still sore from the strenuous activities of throwing a disc and waving a Wii controller. How can I be that sore? Because I'm using muscles in a different way than I used them before???!!! Really? Muscles were involved?

What strange, but fun, Thanksgiving weekend games. But I am so thankful for such a wonderful family.

Shoddy's Sporting Goods Store

2007-11-21T05:48:00.000-08:00

"Come to Shoddy's to buy junk that will break the first time you use it."

Yesterday I was in a tree stand in the woods and when it came time to leave I lowered my unloaded gun, barrel pointing down, like you're supposed to, with the typical string arrangement. I had a new string for just such a purpose that I had just purchased at Shoddy's. It had a plastic clip on both ends for easy attachment to the gun at one end and the tree stand at the other. This allows you to climb up or down the tree without having to hold your weapon.

I was holding onto the plastic clip at one end and as I lowered it the plastic clip broke off of the string causing my 12 gauge shotgun to stick about five inches into the soft dirt at the base of the oak tree I was in. Nice, now I have to clean five inches of dirt out of the barrel or have the barrel blow up in my face next time I use it.

I had nearly given up buying anything at Shoddy's, otherwise known as D___k's because everything I buy there is junk and breaks the first time I use it. In recent memory there was the deer dragging harness. This harness consists of straps you put on your shoulders like a back pack and there is a rope with an attachment at the other end that you hook onto the deer so you can drag the deer out of the woods. Mine broke the instant I began to pull. It's like the manufacturer didn't really expect you to drag a deer with it, only store it in your back pack.

The other piece of junk was a scent dragging apparatus where you apply scent to a pad. This pad is then attached to a rope which you attach to your ankle. This allows you to apply doe scent to the trail where you hope the buck will come. The first step I took, the scent pad caught on a weed, of which there are many in the outdoors, and it broke.

So beware of Shoddy's, otherwise known as D___k's, or other stores such as K___t, or W_____t who carry products they sell for profit but which don't really work.

Wasn't it Plato who believed that everything on this earth was just a representation of the perfect item in heaven? So your table is a representation of a perfect table in heaven, etc. If I'm understanding that right, Shoddy's is a great example Platonic thought. Whatever you see at Shoddy's is just a representation of real sporting goods that actually work in some other store.

guitar hero

2007-11-14T05:37:00.000-08:00

Yes, she is my Guitar Hero. "Slow ride, da da da, take it easy, da da da...

plink, plink, what? I was robbed.

slow ride, da da da, take it easy, da da da...

casual shot

2007-11-07T18:52:00.000-08:00

A few nights ago I took a casual shot. I should warn you... this post may contain some graphic language that will not be suitable for some. I was standing on a small metal mesh platform 20 feet above the forest floor. It was "prime time"... those precious moments just after the sun disappears over the horizon when the forest comes alive and every animal in the woods is poised to act or react in their role as predator or prey. I held in my hands a compound bow capable of releasing an aluminum arrow at a speed of 260 feet per second. Less than 15 yards away was a coyote, scanning the timber, unsuccessfully using every tool at his disposal: instinct, sight, hearing and especially his legendary sense of smell in an attempt to discover what was wrong and what he needed to do to survive.

I had already drawn back my bow. All that was needed was to touch the trigger of the release. I was finding the right dot of fiber optic, preset pins that indicate distance...25 yards, 20 yards, 15. I didn't have a good broadside shot, just a spine to shoot at. The coyote was looking my direction, not seeing me standing motionless above him. Now I'm hearing something else trotting down the trail. Could this be the buck I've been waiting for? I'll have no chance at the buck with this coyote standing here. Maybe it's another coyote. Should I wait for a better shot, should I just let the arrow fly and nock another arrow for the deer? What if I stick the coyote and he runs away with my arrow? Is a coyote worth losing an arrow? Do I really want to kill a coyote? Maybe the coyote is the reason I haven't seen a deer yet this season. The footsteps are getting closer, I'm running out of light, I still don't have a great shot, I could dull or break my broadhead. What would I do with a dead coyote? Skin it? MKH would love having another dead thing around the house. All those thoughts and more come like the hundreds of leaves falling around me.

Two seasons ago I was standing in this same spot waiting for an eight point buck to step out from behind a tree. He was cruising fields and timber looking for a date for the annual rut. Instead of a receptive doe waiting in the bushes there was a broadhead, a hardened steel point followed closely by four razor blades on the end of a feathered shaft. Ingenious bit of death flying through the air, passing through both lungs and out the other side. Something happened. What happened? He took four or five steps and stood there looking around and in a few minutes seemed to get sleepy, he laid down, still puzzled, and now gone.

That was a careful shot. "Aim small, miss small" as the saying goes.

I released the arrow and in a split second it was buried in the dirt. The coyote took off like a rocket, as did the other coyote that was trotting down the path.

Disappointment and regret came over me as I retrieved my arrow. I did want the coyote, now I was sure. It was a casual shot, a hurried shot, a half-hearted shot, just to chase the animal away because it was in the way of perhaps my real prey. I won't make that mistake again.

How many regrets do we have in life because we are not intentional enough? In relationships, in work, in hobbies, with God. We just sort of fling an arrow at something, pointing at something, aiming large and missing.

Tonight I was back in my stand. "Prime time" came again. An animal came down the trail. It was a coyote hunting along the fenceline. He is downwind of me so he should smell me and run away like crazy. He doesn't. I'm complimented. Before I go to the woods, I shower and use scent killing soap. I wash my clothes in scent killing detergent. I spray scent killing liquid on my bow, my shoes, everything. That stuff must work.

He must be the reason I am not seeing any deer. Next time I'm in my stand I'll have a "rabbit in distress" call. That should draw him in. The challenge is on.

Orthodox

2007-11-03T19:11:00.000-07:00

Today I went to hear a lecture by Frederica Mathewes-Green at the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. A friend invited me and I really appreciated the invitation because otherwise I wouldn't have known about the lecture.

Frederica Mathewes-Green is a pretty famous person in her own right, author, sought after speaker, etc. and I probably wasn't very aware of that when I went to the lecture. Mostly I enjoyed the opportunity to spend some time with my friend and I wanted to take advantage of a chance to learn more about the Orthodox Church. I'm not attracted to the Orthodox Church, it just bothers me that I don't understand it.

The lecture demonstrated that our speaker really did know a lot about pop culture. Bottom line...we (Christians) can't change culture except in the way that we interact with people on a personal level. Culture is bigger than one person, one movie, one great book, etc. But culture does change all the time, discarding things that don't work. Society wants to be better and healthier but about the time you get one thing corrected, something else goes wrong.

I thought Mathewes-Brown was pretty astute when it came to culture, but I came away with the usual frustration regarding things Orthodox. I don't get the fascination with icons. In the section of her speech about culture, which was mostly discouraging, but when she got around to talking about "the good news" and I wrote down one of her phrases..."the secret power of icons." "The secret power of icons." That's a part of the good news about Christians and the Church in our culture.

She talked a lot about icons, one in particular which showed the three visitors who came to visit Abram and Sarai. She got a lot of meaning out of that icon. I just didn't see it.
What is the secret power of icons? It's totally a secret to me.

leading the blind

2007-10-28T18:49:00.000-07:00

Today I assisted a blind person getting up on our platform to speak and then back down again. I realized that even though I can see and I have two college degrees I'm not a very good guide. I'm not even as good as a seeing eye dog, although I realize that such a dog has more training.

Going up on the platform wasn't so bad, but part of my responsibility was to place his braille sermon notes on the music stand. We got up there and I set the notes down, only to realize I had put them down sideways. I was glad I had taken note of what the bumps on the top of the page looked like so I could get them right side up, but I wasn't totally sure I had them right.

We use a music stand for the speaker and I noticed that when he touched the stand it was twisting slightly to the right. Apparently he didn't realize that because I noticed that he was lining up at a right angle to the music stand which meant he was shifting too. He kept shifting more and more. I began to worry about that so I started to laugh out loud at his wry humor. I was hoping he would remember that I started out at about 1:00 to him and maybe he would correct his stance. He did correct it a little but he definitely didn't continue in his rotation.

The worst part was when he came down off the platform, he stopped in the middle of the main aisle. I thought he was going to stand there facing the crowd with me during the invitation and then go to his seat. I was wrong. He turned around so he would be ready to sit down when the invitation song was over, but there was no seat behind him. So I told him that his chair was several steps to his left.

I doubt that anyone else was aware of all these little details and he did an absolutely amazing job of preaching. However, I will never apply for the position of guiding the blind. I think I'd get someone hurt. His sermon talked about the problem of the blind leading the blind. I'd say the sighted leading the blind isn't so great either.

a week at memaw and papaw's

2007-10-15T20:20:00.001-07:00

When the grandkids come for a visit we have a full schedule. Aside from the usual naps, cartoons, feedings and stroller rides there are plenty of other exciting things to do. The visit would not be complete without a trip to the Children's Museum, the park, McDonalds, games at Chuck E. Cheese and the new attraction....fishing.

I find that watching my grandchildren play is very relaxing. The water table and sand table at the Children's Museum is very popular and I can watch them in their complete absorption indefinitely. They pour sand from one bucket or sieve or cup to another for a half hour or longer and I can tirelessly watch them do it. For one thing they are so cute, for another thing I have cleared my schedule so I have nothing else to do but devote my time to them.

The fishing was fun. The Princess is too young to fish but Little Z would get excited and forget to reel the fish in. He also at times got very distracted with the ducks who apparently thought there was food in this activity for them. They did eventually get the leftover bait. Once he had the fish landed he was a little startled with all the flopping about. He was always quite happy to see the fish released. Later the thing he talked about the most was that the fish swallowed the hook. I guess that is pretty dramatic.

Now that the grandkids are gone...what to do? Nap, enjoy the quiet, and go back to Chuck E. Cheese to play skee ball. I'm sure I can improve my score.

nonsensical lyrics

2007-10-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

From time to time I've wondered how hard it would be to write songs. After all, I'm a person who spends a lot of time crafting words for communication purposes. If I spent 40 hours a week working on lyrics could I come up with a few decent songs?

When I look at song lyrics stripped of the music I have to say they're not all that impressive. Maybe it's just that the music and artists I listen to are not that deep.

I think writing lyrics would be a lot harder than a person might think but there is a part that I think would be most difficult. I don't think I could come up with the nonsensical parts.

I can rhyme, and I can compose creative ideas, and if I was writing scripture based songs, I could copy down words out of my favorite version of the Bible. Here's the problem. I don't think I could come up with stuff like this:

Mrs. Robinson by Simon and Garfunkel
Koo-koo-ka-choo, Mrs. Robinson
Jesus loves you more than you will know
wo wo wo
God bless you, please Mrs. Robinson,
Heaven holds a place for those who pray,
hey hey hey hey hey hey

I don't think I would have any trouble coming up with the theological portion of that song but the rest of it would never occur to me.

Here is another example:
Obla di Obli da by The Beatles

Obla di obla da life goes on bra

lalalala life goes on

The philosophy on the Beatles song is easy, simple, and basic, but the nonsensical part of it would never enter my head.

Or, how about this one?
Can't Get You Outa My Head by Kylie Minogue
I just can't get you out of my head
la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la
la la la la la la la la

It isn't that I couldn't come up with la la la or lu lu lu or do do do. But how many do's la's or lu's?
Maybe I'll just hang out more with my granddaughter. She's only 1 year old and says a lot of nonsensical things. I'll just write down everything she says.

the electoral college

2007-10-03T17:42:00.000-07:00

Isn't it odd. When Bush beat Gore there was such an outcry about what a rotten deal Gore got. People said, "The electoral college isn't fair. The electoral college should be changed. The electoral college shouldn't be what matters, it should all be based on the popular vote. Al Gore should be president."

Isn't it funny how you never hear anything about getting rid of the electoral college now? After all we have a Democrat controlled Congress. Even if Congress wasn't controlled by the Democrats, if the electoral college was so bad wouldn't you think that there would be a lot of clamoring to get the election process changed?

Did anyone notice that Gore's award winning global warming movie will distributed in England with a warning label because it contains political bias? Ya think?

I'm really not against Gore. He's probably a pretty decent guy. It's just that I don't like all the sore losers who complained about him losing.

most beautiful town we've visited

2007-10-03T14:50:00.000-07:00

Niagara-On-The-Lake is an amazing little jewel of a village that a lot of people have never heard of or visited. It is located in Canada, a short drive from Niagara Falls. It is on Lake Ontario and has some nice restaurants and shops. I've included a few pictures. There may be some other little towns that are more beautiful, but if there are, I haven't visited them.

The way I figure it, if you're going to be somewhere, you might as well be someplace beautiful.

The same goes for your own yard, patio, windowsill or front door. If you can make it beautiful, especially if you can do so without huge expense, why not go for it.

Granted some of this Niagara-on-the -Lake type of beauty may not be your style and I understand that. Some like a sleek modern look with lots of glass, metal, concrete. Fine, go for it but for your own mental health do it well.

It is much better to come home to something that looks cool that an ugly grape juice stain on the rug, water stains on the ceiling and holes in the drywall. Beauty can be downright inspiring or calming or energizing.

Okay, that's enough of the travelogue, HGTV style post. Have I mentioned my grandkids lately? Little Z and the Princess will be coming for a visit this Sunday and we're going to have them for a week. I decided I'd better do my blogging now because the little geniuses are going to keep MKH and me busy next week.

last chapter

2007-09-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

My brother and I started doing the Bro Ride because we felt a need to spend some time together and since we both rode motorcycles it seemed like a natural. I give Tom the credit for the idea, and the name "Bro Ride." He's a great brother. With him I'm not the "pastor" or the neighbor, just the brother. That is very freeing.

I never know if my motorcycle will run from one minute to the next. After all it's 31 years old. This year it overheated occasionally but that was manageable and our trip wasn't interrupted by mechanical failure like last year.

We got as far south as Corydon, Indiana 12 miles from Kentucky and discovered that the roads along the Ohio River in Indiana were "scenic" so we opted to just look at Kentucky from across the river instead of ride our cycles into the blue grass state. I thought the spot pictured here was especially scenic. Enjoy.

Something I realized on this trip: When I'm riding along, occasionally I will feel tiny droplets of (water?) or something hitting my lips. I realized that these are tiny airborne droplets of water from automobile air conditioning that is thrown my direction if a car is in front of me.

Something else: I'll bet you haven't noticed this. A lot of towns have funny names, like French Lick. A few miles away there's a town named English. Apparently there is no licking going on among the English. Seriously, who comes up with names like: Paoli, Ina, Oolitic, Cuzco, Lick Fork, Gnaw Bone, Needmore, Loogootee?

Here's to you bro. Next year what about the 1,000 mile Circle Tour trip around Lake Michigan?

where to stay

2007-09-04T13:39:00.000-07:00

Unless you're doing one of the famous 24 hour "Iron Butt" 1,000 mile tours around Lake Michigan, there is always the matter of where to stay on a motorcycle trip. I tend to favor small, single story, sleazy motels along the side of the road.

A few years back one of the highly publicized chain motels had an advertising campaign that boasted "no surprises" at their motels. I can appreciate that. When I am traveling with my wife and we're tired and want to rest before driving 12 hours the next day I want everything to be perfect. If there are any surprises I want them to be along the order of free ice cream in the lobby. When I'm on the Bro Ride I don't want a "no surprises" type of motel. In fact I want lots of surprises, the type that would horrify most motel managers. When we're on the Bro Ride, for some reason it's hilarious to me when I turn on the air conditioner and the front falls off or when I can park my motorcycle six inches from the door to my room, or there's no lock on the room, only a cable and a nail.

This year we stayed at a Comfort Inn. No surprises. Nothing to write about. But let me tell you about the place we didn't stay at. We saw this old hotel and spa that had been gloriously restored in West Baden Springs, Indiana near French Lick. It was so cool looking that we decided to take a tour of the hotel, the spa, the gardens and grounds. Wow, wow, wow and wow. $180 for the cheapest room. Pictured in this post is the driveway of the hotel. That says it all. For $180 you can drive up this spectacular driveway and check into a fabulous room and walk through a lobby that is so spectacular people take pictures of it. I resisted the urge. This place has an elegance of a time that has passed us by. Click on the picture to enlarge it.

My criteria for the Bro Ride; clean sheets, a working shower, an air conditioner that cools. Nothing else matters. I don't need a leaded glass window in a rotunda looking out over the lobby.

Next year I hope some surprises happen... like some doors falling off the hinges, or the ceiling falling in or a moose deciding to walk through the lobby. Yeah, that would be something to write about.

little towns

2007-08-29T05:29:00.000-07:00

Staying off the interstate and other heavily traveled four lane roads is a prerequisite for having a good time on a motorcycle trip. This means that you go rolling through a lot of little towns. While I wouldn't want to live in a little town I'm glad other people do so they can provide me with an enjoyable experience. I find a lot of entertainment in stopping at a ma and pa owned restaurant or gas station to stretch my legs and catch glimpses of Americana.

My favorite kind of town is the county seat town with the courthouse in the square and little shops lining the street on all four sides. I've found that you can park your cycle, find a decent locally owned restaurant, and a few interesting shops to stroll around in, which makes for a pleasant break from the road.

I buy Shell gasoline if I can get it, but my favorite kind of gas station is the kind where you can pump your gas, go inside and buy a Coke, sit down at a makeshift booth or table, kick back and look at some newspapers and magazines. Local people come in and make small talk with the owner who is also somewhat of a mechanic and is working on someone's car in an attached garage off to the side. Those kinds of places are disappearing from the landscape, which is too bad because when you're on a motorcycle trip your goal isn't usually to just "gas and go". I like to linger, stretch, and plan the next section of road which is always better than stopping along the side of the road like we did in the picture above. That was actually because I got cold and had to put on my jean jacket . My brother is very patient with me.

Small business owners have a rough go of it these days and so they try to put a lot of hooks out in the water to maybe snag a customer or two. That explains the combination library, restaurant and photography shop in the top picture. It's funny, and you can't blame a guy for trying.

wow, I didn't know how much you cared

2007-08-28T05:46:00.000-07:00

Notice the new linc on the sidebar, LM. Earlier today I was looking at his blog which has a new improved, Beatlesque look and I clicked on "Friends". I was surprised to see a linc to "sometimes you need an old man." What a compliment. It is always much better to see that someone has included you with their friends than to realize that you've been removed ... ouch.

LM's site is called "Rooting for the Underdog." That's a pretty good description because when someone is ranting on and on about some self-abosorbed subject, LM will give the underdog perspective. I need that sometimes when I'm making fun of girls with tattoos at funerals, and other such nonsense. He is an expert at placing orders at Taco Bell, would enjoy having a motorcycle that doesn't run, and can effortlessly make you feel like a fuddy duddy when you deserve it.

LM and I worked together for awhile in a faith community. Those were some fun months for me. It was one of my greatest disappointments when he decided to leave. So, check it out.

Bro Ride bugs and grub

2007-08-25T19:13:00.000-07:00

Your face does not make a very good windshield. My brother and I finished the "Bro Ride 2007" which consisted of 800 miles in three days stretching from Donovan, Illinois throughThorntown, Indiana, the Indianapolis Monument Circle, Nashville, Salem, French Lick, Bedford, Terre Haute, Perryville and Danville, Illinois, just to name a few.

This year I used an open face half helmet because of the heat. The temperature was in the nineties and even one hundred so the idea of having my whole head in a plastic bucket 6-8 hours a day didn't appeal to me. Of course I don't have a windshield on my motorcycle so all the bugs plastered on me. I caught a big flying grasshopper in my forehead above my right eye and it stuck. I had to turn my head to one side and then the other to get the wind to blow it off my forehead and then clean the bug juice off the next time I stopped. I caught another enormous flying grasshopper on my lip and that really hurt. Yes the bug juice was gross but I was spitting like crazy trying to keep from swallowing any. I was successful. Sometimes I would see a Monarch or Swallowtail about to cross my path and I would cheer for them, "Go little Monarch, fly high little Swallowtail.....oh...too bad.

Best Restaurant on the trip was "The Good Table" in Kentland, Indiana. For $5.25 I got a chopped steak as big as a platter, green beans, mashed potatoes and gravy, salad, rolls, crackers, aaaannnd a bowl of ice cream for dessert. Honorable mention goes to Monicals Pizza in Danville, Illinois. You can't beat Monicals for pizza.

More to come on the Bro Ride

it's okay if it's my idea

2007-08-05T19:04:00.000-07:00

Obama says that if there are terrorists (like Bin Laden) in Pakistan and the president Musharraf won't do anything about it he would send in troops.

Those words sound pretty strange for a guy who berates other lawmakers for voting for the Iraq war. I ask, what's the difference between Bush sending troops to Iraq and Obama sending troops to Pakistan?

potential plot spoiler

2007-07-25T12:24:00.000-07:00

I'm on page 612 and I won't have time to read until about 11:00 pm tonight. Is it possible that Harry could die, but live on as a good Voldemort if Harry turns out to be a horcrux. Could it be that the snitch, opens at the close, i.e. end of the story to be the final horcrux/Harry/good Voldemort? okay I'll quit speculating but that could be an interesting end to the story. Both Harry and Voldemort could end up both living and dying. Or is it possible that the snitch could be a Dumbledore horcrux? okay I'm really going to quit speculating.

page 489

2007-07-24T05:25:00.000-07:00

I woke up Friday night...no actually Saturday morning at 12:30 a.m. in my chair with a book on my chest. I had been reading and fell asleep as usual. Since Kroger was having a 40% off sale on the latest Harry Potter book starting at 12:01 Saturday morning, and since we live close to three Kroger stores I decided to go get the book.

So I'm on page 489. It's a pretty exciting part. Someone has just been buried. I want to read more but I'm at the office now so I'll have to wait til lunch.

I like the book. I like the story. Here's my complaint. I don't like the practical atheism that I see in this book that I didn't see in the others. Scripture is quoted but not referenced as scripture, God's name is used but they're not really referring to God--at least I don't think they are i.e. "Thank God you're alright."

A double header softball games tonight for me so I probably won't finish it today but after making it through a rather slow section the story is starting to get intense. In fact I think the scar on my arm is hurting.

who will die?

2007-07-18T05:22:00.001-07:00

Two important characters will die in the new Harry Potter book. Who are they? Hermione? Longbottom? Harry? He-who-must-not-be-named? Voldedork? Malfoy? Ron?

I think it would be interesting if Harry and V died. That would certainly end the series. If the author doesn't want anyone else picking up the characters that would be the way to do it. Hermione is a good candidate for death, she would make a good sacrificial lamb and evoke a lot of sympathy. So, Hermoine and Harry is a possibility. From what the author has said it would seem that Harry has to die so I choose Hermione to go with him. I see Longbottom emerging as a hero of sorts in this book, the real prince, as it were.

I can't see any of the evil people dying except maybe V himself. V and Longbottom or V and Hermoine and Ron.

So here's my guess. Harry and Hermione dying, V shriveling to non-existence because of the death of Harry, and Longbottom emerging in some important way.

funerals

2007-07-13T05:58:00.001-07:00

I've officiated at somewhere in the neighborhood of 1,000 funerals in part or in whole. That's not counting the funerals I've attended just as a friend, family member or church member. That's a lot of funerals, believe me.

I think about what my own funeral should be like. After all, I am an old man, I have a stent in my heart etc. etc.

If you have to have a service, and I think everyone should, I think the graveside is the best part of the whole process. I don't mean a graveside service held in a gorgeous chapel with stained glass windows and wooden pews, near the entrance of the cemetery. I like a graveside service where the mourners drive back through the cemetery, under trees, past other tombstones. Mourners stand on the grass, they see the casket ready to go into the hole in the ground, the minister says a few words. There is Scripture and prayer and the people stand there in the sun or shade, rain or snow, good weather or bad, breeze or calm. There is a reality and a finality to the graveside that is very powerful and meaningful and helpful. As a pastor, I know what I would choose if I could only have one aspect of the whole process of visitation, service in a church building or funeral home, and graveside service.

One of the worst things that has happened to the whole funeral process is the internet. Because of the internet, people now have more access to a lot of sentimental death culture literature that is theologically wrong, unBiblical or antiBiblical, Muslim, New Age, Hindu, Budhist, etc. and Christian people don't even realize that the theology is wrong. It's frustrating when a service is conducted for a Christian and there is a proper emphasis on their life in Christ and the hope we have as taught in the Scripture and then a family member gets up and reads a poem that is based on godless philosophy or religions that are invented and perpetuated by Satan and demons. Has it come to the point that Christian ministers need to preview and edit everything that everyone is going to say or sing at the funeral?

Enough on that, but the best thing I've seen a family come up with in the last umpteen years was at a funeral of a man who loved to make and fire muzzle loading and flint lock guns. The family had a detail of pallbearers who shot off a round at the graveside. It honored the deceased and his interests and that is very appropriate along with the words of comfort that come from God's Word.

what's in Toronto?

2007-06-28T14:41:00.000-07:00

You might not think of Toronto, Canada as a vacation spot but if you never go for a visit you will be missing out on some pretty great stuff.

1. The Tallest Building in the World. Yes, there is some controversy over what is considered a "building" but you won't find a higher observation deck in the world than the CN Tower in Toronto. Most interesting for me was the glass floor where you can walk out and look down past your toes to the ground...over a thousand feet down. It is a freaky, mind bending experience.

2. AGO. The Art Gallery of Ontario. This public institution has an exhibit right now of some of Bernini's work, the 17th century sculptor, considered the best ever. You can get right up close to these sculptures of two popes and a cast bronze crucifixion scene. With especially the popes you can see the veins on their temple and the wrinkles on their forehead. What would it be like to have the wrinkles on your face immortalized in stone. Wooohooo.

3. Casa Loma. This is an amazing castle built by a Canadian who lived in the castle for only ten years until he lost his wealth due to some bad land speculation and other sundry business deals gone bad. Quite an amazing place to tour.

4. Roti. That's what I had for lunch at a quaint local restaurant run by a Korean lady and her son. See the picture. The Roti was curry chicken with white potatoes and sweet potatoes served in a large tortilla shell. I've had Rotis in the Caribbean before but this one was most excellent. We were hungry before going through Casa Loma so we asked two people on the street what was a good local place to eat. They both referred us to this little restaurant. The people know.

5. What you can get for free. The castle tour valued at $15 apiece (Canadian money) was free because a guy in a Toronto information booth felt generous and gave us four tickets for our party of four. The Art Gallery of Ontario was free after 6 pm. We arrived at the door at ten til six so that was pure luck. An art gallery employee encouraged us to try to sweet talk our way into the "members only" exhibition of Bernini and that gave us the confidence to go for it. Yes, they showed us grace and generosity and let us in for free, ($15 value per person).

On the way to Toronto we stopped at Niagara Falls, which by the way is free unless you go on "The Maid of the Mist."

The exchange rate in Canada is tilted in favor of the American dollar but that may not last long.

Bottom line, we got completely out of the country, visited a city of 4.5 million people (there were a few of them that we didn't meet personally) saw some great sights and had some great experiences. Also the company was awesome, MKH, AMH and his girlfriend BG.

jet fueled

2007-06-10T10:59:00.000-07:00

I've been having some problems with the 76 Goldwing. Since this motorcycle was built to run on leaded fuel I decided to try an octane booster. There are several on the market and the labels are very humorous to me. The brand I decided on was STP. they claimed on the bottle that their product was "barely street legal." Another brand said right on the package "not street legal." What a great gimmick to get sales. Of course anyone with a "need for speed" (which would include anyone looking for an octane booster) would want something that would make them go faster whether it was legal or not. In fact, most customers fitting this description probably exceeded the speed limit on their way to the automotive shop in addition to squealing their tires and breaking sundry other moving violations.

The claims this product made:
Made with JET FUEL
Carries active ingredients
Restore performance
Prevent hesitation and stumble

I was just about to take a swig of it to restore my performance...after all...I am an old man, but then I read "Harmful or fatal if swallowed, COMBUSTIBLE.

I hoped, fantasized, and nearly salivated at the thought that my motorcycle would fairly rocket right out from under me. But, alas, I noticed no difference. Another product fails to deliver, as is the case with so many...

another new linc

2007-06-08T05:53:00.000-07:00

Yes, the sidebar on the right is growing. If I can't bring you substance I can point you to someone who can. PKS is Professor Kent Sanders, who is a professor at St. Louis Christian College and who will be running the place some day. Kent and I worked together when he was just starting out in ministry as a very talented, very smart young man with a heart for missions, and a desire to teach. So we thought he would be great as a worship minister. He was, and the church grew and we had some very good years of ministry. So when you come to my blog and you're disappointed to find yet another post about bird nests, motorcycle maintenance, or tattoos, click on PKS for intelligent book reviews, discussions of current ministry topics, Johnny Carson, movie reviews and also practical tips on MP3 players and other technology.

tattoos at weddings and funerals

2007-06-05T05:17:00.000-07:00

I'm at a lot of weddings and funerals. I see tattoos on girls at these formal occasions and I have to believe that as they were getting that tattoo they weren't thinking about how that tattoo would look when they were wearing formal type dress. It seems to me that they were probably thinking that they would always be wearing tattoo flattering jeans and some kind of tattoo flattering top. Maybe they were imagining themselves on the beach, riding a Harley or at the Carnival, not clinging to the side of a casket or standing up in front of 300 people at a church in someone's wedding.

Maybe young guys love seeing that tattoo half peeking out from behind some flaky bridesmaids dress. Also, the bridesmaids don't get to choose a color that coordinates with their tattoo. To me it's about as flattering as if the girl turned aside and spat out a big gob of tobacco juice. And funerals; somehow that great big pretty parrot or happy butterfly seem to look on mockingly when someone is crying and their nose is running.

I'm not against getting a tattoo. In fact I may get one when I turn 70. That way instead of having a smudgey blob of a tattoo on sagging skin at age 70 I'll have a brand spanking new tattoo on sagging skin.

a couple of random thoughts

2007-05-29T08:20:00.000-07:00

Is it alright to use the word "queer" again when referring to things that are odd or unusual? There is a great quote that comes out of the old Quaker heritage that goes like this, "All in the world are queer but me and thee and sometimes I wonder about thee." I haven't been able to say that quote out loud for years and I was just wondering if it would be safe yet. It amazes me how strange and biased and angry people are. It doesn't take much looking beneath the surface to discover the queerness.

What do people who live outside of Indianapolis think of the Indianapolis 500?

Is Rex Grossman going to be any better this year?

What do people like about the current spate of television preachers? I watch them for a few minutes and I wonder what there is that makes thousands of people flock to their services.

On the subject of preaching, do text and context mean anything anymore to the popular preacher or person in the pew who loves the popuar preacher? Are we at a point today when preaching is suffering the same fate as journalism? Does it seem to anyone else that the popular books, Christian songs, and topics that Christians like to talk about today are comparable to stories about Paris Hilton, Anna Nicole Smith's will and the latest conspiracy theory about JFK? Are most Christians today really only capable of reading something along the line of a Max Lucado book? Is there a people somewhere who are wrestling with God in the gut wrenching ways that David and Job did? Can people relate to the deep things that David and Job wrote about their relationship with God?

the underappreciated

2007-05-26T13:44:00.000-07:00

I think many Memorial Days have come and gone without me thinking very much about how much I owe to others who have gone before me. Granted I know that God is the ultimate source of all good thngs and I thank Him often. At the same time I also know that I have a pretty good life and I owe a lot of it to people who have fought for this country and died in the process. Starting with the Revolutionary War and going all the way through history, much of what I enjoy today and at times take for granted, is possible because of the sacrifice of others.

Recently I spoke at a funeral for a man who was an expert with muzzleloading guns. He was a also a veteran. His request was that muzzle loaders would fire a volley at his gravesite. As I watched the fellows load their guns with black power, patch and ball I thought, "Wars were fought with guns like that." Guys would be standing there loading their guns after every shot, each time taking roughly 40 seconds, and there would be other guys falling beside them, all around them from enemy fire. Many tmes those guys did not want to be in that war, they had families at home, they had a lot to live for but they went to war and fought so I and others could live in freedom. That's amazing when you stop to think about it. I hope you think about it this Memorial Day.

I am going to enjoy celebrating my granddaughter's first birthday on this Memorial Day. I will be able to get into my car, drive 3 1/2 hours into another state without having to answer to anyone. I can travel any time, day or night. I can stop along the way in safety that is almost guaranteed. I can eat, shop, visit a rest stop or stay the night in a motel if I want. No one will harass me. No one will ask me questions. No one will be suspicious of me. I am free. There are many countries in the world where I could not do anything close to that.

Right now there are people from this country fighting a war that some question but ultimately is probably more necessary that people want to admit. Most of the problems in the world are solved by war, unfortunately. People are dying right now in other countries because of the big picture of how important freedom is. Parents and grandparents will remember a loved one who died in this struggle for freedom. So while I'm eating birthday cake, and visiting with family I need to be thankful and remember what Memorial Day means. I hope you will too.