Dear Alice

 

In Appreciation of a Well-Told Story

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

 

Dear Alice (Camille Tracy),

Thank you for sharing your story with us the other day, I thoroughly enjoyed it. I know the others did as well. It was a very well told story and spot on, as Lewis Carol’s friends might say. You met and made some marvelous friends during your exploration of Wonderland, as well as some unsettling acquaintances, though they were entertaining.

I feel like it might help me express my appreciation if I organize my thoughts along the lines of your adventures.

Adventure 1: Down the Rabbit Hole

Your natural inquisitiveness and adventuresome spirit moved you to follow the White Rabbit (Milo Bustany) down the rabbit hole and into the land of wonder. He turned out to be a pretty decent guide, as forgetful as he was, though I suspect he used that as a device to draw you deeper into Wonderland and eventually home. Clever bunny.

Did you know your trip to and through Wonderland inspired a saying that is widely used? I have employed the saying myself often as I’ve sorted through my mum’s and dad’s stuff? People use it to describe when they follow a thread of thought that takes them into strange and astonishing places. “Down the rabbit hole.”

I particularly loved the way you interacted with everyone, even the mean Queen of Hearts (Reina Fritz). Off with your head? Well now, I say! Even though threatened with losing your noggin, you did not get angry with her, nor anyone else in the story. Perhaps a little flummoxed but really, who wouldn’t in an upside down world? Outstanding. At least she invited you to play croquet and told you what needs to happen before you could return home.

Appropriately enough, you were a bit nervous at the prospect of having your head chopped off, and again appropriately to story, you reacted in wonderment of it all.

The Queen of Hearts has quite a retinue following her about Wonderland and you had the honor of meeting many of them just as you were adjusting to being in a new place. The Queen didn’t seem to go anywhere without her Executioner (Eowyn Bradley) nearby she and appeared to be kept quite busy.

When you first met the Jack of Hearts (Beckett Arthurs) he was carrying the Queen’s crown and following her around. I suspected he was up to something though. You see Alice, the Jack of Hearts used to be called the Knave of Hearts and my friend Webster tells me Knaves are tricky, deceitful fellows. I thought this one would have an unhealthy taste for tarts. He’s a wily sort and came across just so in your story telling quite well.

Adventure 2: The Pool of Tears

In retrospect, it seems that you faced death in most of the adventures you had in Wonderland. Your pool of tears was no different. I mean no disrespect to the Mouse (Karenna Saleh) but she seemed a bit dour with her recitation of the long and sad tale. But I suppose we can cut her some slack since she, like yourself, was swimming for her life in a pool of your tears. It seemed to me that you began to figure out the cost of giving in to your emotions while in dire situations like that.

Adventure 3: Caterpillar on a Mushroom

Your adventure with the Caterpillar (Marilee Larned) on a Mushroom was exotic, or ‘far out’ as we used to say back in my ‘good ole days’. She taught you how to cope in Wonderland, no easy task that. Learning how to change size by nibbling the mushroom and wishing when the time was right was key for you learning to adapt as needed for your upcoming adventures. Really, you couldn’t have gotten through the adventure without this nugget of advice, as none of us can in our own unscripted exploits.

Adventure 4: The House of the Duchess

Visiting the Duchess (Sienna Shaloub), a lady of beauty and grace, was a nose-tingling and clamorous affair – all that pepper flying about! And the poor baby crying only to get spanked. I sneeze often enough without pepper, it would be tempting for me to wrap the Countess’ Cook (Maddie Weber) in cellophane. Her footman (Diego Barolo Teodores), a frog no less, had a surprising view on answering you at the door when he was already outside. I think my eyes swam a bit as he explained it but you handled it admirably.

Adventure 5: Cheshire Cat in the Forest

Ah the Forest, along with the beaches of Santa Barbara (a Wonderland of its own) is a favorite place of mine to walk and contemplate. Yours was a bit eerie – I suppose that was a factor of being in Wonderland proper and fueled, no doubt, by your having fallen asleep at the foot a fine specimen of treedom. It was here that you encountered the Cheshire Cat (Emma Dichard and Lachlan Martinez). I imagine it was vexing and baffling all at once and made all the more so in that spooky local – especially so with a creature that appeared and disappeared at will, all and in part and in outlandish ways.

A smile without a cat? I’ve never seen one either. Sage advice though, to walk long enough to get somewhere. I like long walks so I imagine I’ll end up somewhere sometime. 

Adventure 6: The Mad Tea Party

Madness! At a tea party? One has to wonder what the Wonderland brew contained for there to be a mad tea party. The Mad Hatter (Crash Hawkins - ever such an apt actor’s name for this character) seemed to be in and out of trouble in the Queen’s court though he turned out to be an able ally in getting you home. I think I would enjoy a tea party with the Hatter and his associates. It was fortunate you were in Wonderland in May and the March Hare (Elise Tsoukalas) wasn’t quite so mad as it was back in March. The Dormouse (Maddie Thomas) seemed a sleepy little thing but made for a nice cushion for the Hatter and Hare.

They rushed you off nicely enough to the croquet grounds with excellent directions allowing you to make it in time to keep your head.

Adventure 7: The Royal Croquet Ground

The gardeners you came across in the Queen’s garden were nervous wrecks. I couldn’t imagine how the 2 of Spades (Henry Challen), 5 of Spades (Maddie Weber), and 7 of Spades (Kat Vochovska) would ever get the roses red in time. Alas, they did not. Maybe this speaks ill of me, but I did get a smile out of their predicament – another part of the story that was nicely depicted.

The Queen’s guards, the 8 of Clubs (Josiah Mitchell) and 3 of Clubs (Haylie Preston-Mendoza), were Keystone-Kop comedic. Since the Queen is alive and well, I have to assume they’ve done their job well even if they elicited chuckles from me and my fellow viewers.

You made a solid ally in the person of the King of Hearts (Tristan Fleming) as he took your side when his wife wanted to have you beheaded using your youth {seven and half exactly} as grounds for forgiveness from the Queen. I think if we could look behind the scenes we would see that he was able to save more than a few Wonderland residents from the chopping block. The croquet grounds were nearly as mad as the tea party. In my opinion, flamingos don’t make adequate mallets. And, the game seemed rigged for the Queen of Hearts to win, such is the result of tyranny.

Adventure 8: Mock Turtle on a Stump

As a guide, the Gryphon (Robby Pallad) seemed on good behavior and got you over to see the Mock Turtle (Hanna Henderson), thank goodness; I’m sure you agree. Gryphons can be rather fierce beasts, not to mention overbearing and dismissive as he was of the Mock Turtle’s predicaments. But he rallied while he helped the Turtle tell his story. I found while doing a little research that the Gryphon has an alias – The Bandersnatch and has been described by incident reports as being able to extend its neck and has fearsome jaws. Gives me the shivers to know you survived your encounter so adroitly.

I was elated to see you dance with the turtle and even happier to see her regain her feet from her fall, something not all turtles manage. Truth be told, I rather liked the Turtle.

Adventure 9: Who Stole the Tarts?

In another venue the trial surrounding the theft of tarts would have been a Kangaroo Court, it was a madhouse. Frightening and maddening for you and it seemed all so unnecessary. After all, we knew who stole the tarts, the poem told us. There were anxious moments here but thankfully you escaped. I think it must have been a bit sad for you seeing the King take such a forceful part in prosecuting the spurious charges against you after having been an ally.

Adventure 10: The Red Queen

Escaping the Queen of Hearts and her minions was no easy task and took you to the edge, even into Looking Glass Land. Try as you might, even with the Red Queen’s (Cosi Arthurs) help you weren’t able to make any progress, running twice as fast as you ran might have done the trick but who could have done that when you were already running as fast as you could?

The awesomeness of your story telling was evident as the Red Queen had you read a poem about the Jabberwocky (Robbie Pallad, Zach Jonson, Diego Bartolo Teodores, Ryan Ewart). Though a fiercesome beast, it was nevertheless mystical and stunning in its portrayal and as I said, a highlight of your story telling. Kudos to your Puppetry, Design & Movement (Christina McCarthy) person. Marvelous!

It seemed difficult to quench your thirst in Looking Glass Land, dry biscuits instead of water? It would never work for us. The great thing here was that you received some instruction to move forward toward the Eighth Square, Queendom, and home.

Adventure 11: Tweedledum and Tweedledee

Tweedle Dee (Ryan Ewart) and Tweedle Dum (Zach Johnson) were as entertaining as we could have hoped, more so even. They were a bit more svelte than I recollect from other readings, and quite acrobatic dancers to boot. But there you go, imagination can sometimes be a fickle thing. Twins to the core, these two put on a masterful performance of the ancient poem, if one can consider 1725 as ancient times. Well done to the both of them. They seemed quite popular with the crowd.

Adventure 12: The White Queen

The White Queen (Will Roberts, outrageous and has quite a future – one way or another) was so very different from the Red Queen and yet, complimentary in the extreme. If I had their exchange on video I would watch it frequently and make different notes each time. Rackingly entertaining. It was good for you to learn all about working toward promotion to Queen in order to return home. Key learnings come in all shapes and sizes.

Regarding the White Queen’s habit of living from future to past – I’m not sure I could, or would even want to live that way, with certain exceptions. For one thing, the White Queen made it obvious we can’t avoid the pain of an episode by knowing it in advance. For another, and this is the big one for me, I wouldn’t know the excruciating joy of watching who my children and grandchildren become as their lives unfold before my eyes. It has been a singular experience thus far seeing them become more exceptional each day.

Adventure 13: Humpty Dumpty

Humpty Dumpty (Olivia Miller) provides some sort of object lesson regarding walls and the climbing and sitting thereupon. I may have benefitted by such a lesson as a young boy myself, but too late, I learned it on my own but seem no worse for the wear these decades later. In the end though Humpty gave you just enough warning to evade the Queen of Hearts. It was a costly warning though that tumbled poor Humpty Dumpty. All the King’s horses, all the King’s men…so sad.

Adventure 14: Alice’s Coronation

Fitting for Looking Glass Land, your coronation was Wonderful. Nice speech you gave to all the creatures, whatever they may be.

Post-Curtain Considerations:

I need to do the Futterwacken* in celebration of your storytelling, yours and that of your compatriots, one and all. This brings me to an insight on storytelling that I had while sitting in preparation for the first curtain to rise.

I am convinced that the part each member of the cast and crew plays is integral to the story being told. Each person enhances the experience of the listener, viewer, or reader as the case may be. If one thing were to be changed from the time the ticket is turned in through to the final bow, it would be a different story. And each of us consumes the story with our own imagination engaged, fully or otherwise.

The San Marcos High School Theater ushers (Claye Bouma, Ashton Johnsten, Jaxon Craig, Kai Binder, Josh Duncan, Kaiah Sandoval, and Kaycee Leemhuis) greeted us with smiles as we entered and set a mood of anticipation beautifully. The program the ushers laid on us were Designed (Nels Henderson) just right, and oh so helpful to me writing this. I suppose this program would not have been as exact and fun without an artistic Copy Illustrator (Will Roberts). The Front of House (Callie Hensman Ralls) was managed nicely, thank you.

Without the crew and set construction people, the story would have been done in the dark, we couldn’t have heard a thing, and poor Alice would have been sitting on an empty stage.

The Stage Manager (Lila Clarke) worked her magic along with the Crew Chief (Evelyn Van Bogelen) who had the Run Crew (Calvin Bustany, Shane Johnson, Eden Miranda, Mia Hernandez, Diana Ybarra Bribiesca, Roman Trovato, and Karina Castillo) perfectly synchronized. I never noticed a dropped set piece or missed cue. Now these folks took the direction and design from higher powers; Technical Direction & Set Design (Nolan McCarthy) and Lighting Design & Set Design (Jonathan Mitchell).

The sound for the production was flawless and a masterful operation of the Soundboard Operators (Xanthe Bodnar and Fia Torrey). I heard every line just right.

Let’s face it, without Construction Assistance (Roman Trovato and Evelyn Van Bogelen) the design would have been nothing but imagination and they wouldn’t have been up to the task without Construction Training (Ben Ewart).

The lighting for this production was astounding and a thing of beauty. The Lightboard Operator (Teya Cornelius) was spot on, pun intended. And her bio is what inspired me to write this tale of storytelling and I deeply appreciate it. I haven’t had the heart for writing as much as I would like and this has been fun.

Your Fly System Operator (Caden Semenza)? Truly awesome. I don’t recall one sandbag falling on any actor or run crew member. And yes, I had to research what a Fly System Operator is. I’d imagined some maniac running around behind the scenes with a fly swatter.

Every prop was in proper position and condition thanks to the Props Mistress (Megan Dalke). The costuming was fabulous due to the masterful efforts of the Costume Crew (Isabelle Chabinyc and Valentina Thomas) implementing the great scheme of the Costume Designer (Renee Levey) and her sidekick, Assistant Costumer (Hanna Chilton).

I don’t imagine we’d have made it to the play at all without the School Assemblies PR (Alexis Henderson) being done just right, might not have known about this fine storytelling opportunity. And I suppose the production might have gotten closed down were it not for expert Grant Management (Gary Gemberling).

Photography (Jeff Aquilon) is important in ways that may never been seen during the performance itself but it is appreciated all the more for memories and PR. And this production is well worth remembering, I know I will remember it well.

I loved the movement of all on stage, the dances, the seamless integration of characters moving about the stage and this would not have taken place without Additional Movement (Katie Hahka). It was a magical performance from the opening of the doors through each adventure, change of lighting, and sound adjustment. Magic of this sort is the best and must be coordinated (Isaac Lewis, Magic Coordinator).

Now you might be thinking I left the most important person out or put her last and least. Not so. If you printed this piece out and taped it to a wall you would see that this paragraph is at the bottom or the foundation. The foundation of a good story told on stage like this is the Director (Shannon Saleh). I imagine the weight of the entire enterprise rested on the director’s shoulders at some point in time. It was done with class and grace.

I believe I have covered everyone from the Production Staff, Crew and Set Construction, and Cast and that is because this story could not have been told as it was without every last one of them. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Well done.

Thank you,

 Opa

jj white (Opa, a part I play that I wouldn’t give up for the world)

 

* The Futterwacken is the name on a dance for which The Mad Hatter is well-known to perform in moments of great joy and celebration.

Dear Jordan - 2022 RTTF

 

Dear Jordan,

You were prepared to pay the ultimate price in the service of your country - our country. I admire you for that. In many respects, the price you’ve paid, and continue to pay on a daily basis, is steeper still than you were prepared for. Every day you put down a deposit that most of us will never consider making.

However, judging from what I’ve read about you so far and heard you speak of in the Ride to the Flags (RTTF) video, you are squeezing every benefit you can manage from surviving a horrendous Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), the loss of a leg, and the loss of much of the use of your right arm: you have a wife and two kids who are amazing in and of themselves and more so with you at their side; you are waging a continued fight for your wounded comrades and speaking on their behalf; you are a better father, husband, and friend (your words).

It’s funny though – from the perspective on old unpaid writer, your benefits look like a lot of work. I admire you for that.

It will be my honor to ride for you on 9/11 in the RTTF. I’ve been stirred by the 9/11 commemoration at Naval Base Ventura County - Pt. Mugu in the past and getting to know you through the various media sources will make it that much more poignant for me. Thank you.

Speaking of ‘thank you’, I don’t think I can find sufficient ways to say it for the amount of sacrifice you are making. I guess I will just need to keep trying, keep praying, and keep looking – looking for the opportunity to thank you and your comrades.

Keep the iron side up.

Respectfully submitted,

Jerry ‘Shakespeare’ White

Iron Side Up Riders fundraising page: 

https://ridetotheflags.funraise.org/team/iron-side-up-riders

EOD2 Jordan Stevenson video: 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T7DWSo3_1Es

Prime Ride

 

Can't quite get myself to call this bunch the 'Dirty Dozen' but this is us

My first group ride in what seemed like ages was set for June 5, 2022*. Home to Buellton and back, hosted by Jed and Sue with a visit with others for lunch. (I didn’t know who all would be there when I started) I set out a little early for the meet point just off Golden Valley Road and was on my own for the first twenty miles. The weather was excellent and boded well for the ride up. Prime number = 1.

Jed and Sue arrived at the pumps just as I was topping off. Warm greetings were exchanged in the cool of the morning. The days since we last rode together had rushed by like the Rogue River on a storm-swollen day. They are a joy to ride with and Jed always sets a great pace on a well-chosen route. Before mounting up he laid out our route for the morning run – over Newhall Ranch Road to Highway 126, through the agricultural area and Fillmore and Santa Paula to Highway 101 and on up the coast to Buellton. I love this section of the Pacific Coast Highway and travel it often to see my daughter’s family. I waved to them just after passing their offramp in Santa Barbara; pretty sure they didn’t see us flash by. The weather held perfectly; the traffic was agreeable for us but not so much the southbound traffic. Prime number = 3.

We arrived at Flying Flags RV Resort (that’s code for glamping) right around 10:30 a.m. and we were able to locate Tim and Bev’s nifty trailer to park our Victories behind it. Another long overdue series of hugs ensued. I miss these guys. We availed ourselves of a key resort facility and hung out for a little while hoping for the next pair to join us. During the wait I was gifted two excellent journals from Bev, a gift I felt was from all of them. I put my new “Sin City – Victory Motorcycle Club, 20^th Annual National Meet Journal to work right away for this posting, pen and journal helping me keep the momentum up for me getting back. Prime number = 5.

We didn’t have to wait long for Kevin and Jeanie to join us as they pulled into the space next to the trailer, Kevin on his Victory Vision, Jeanie on her touring Cam-Am. They were packed and ready for a stay at a hotel within walking distance of the RV resort. More hugs and more catching up. I love it! Their ride over from Bakersfield over Highway 166 and south on the 101 was a bit more congested than our ride in but was nevertheless appreciated. Prime number = 7.

We ambled over to find Karen and Keith and were joined by Karen’s mother, Norma and thus ended my theme of prime numbers but I wasn’t about to be the one to tell her she couldn't hang out with us and I wasn't willing to stand apart. Norma and I were the only unattached attendees and made our number eight when she joined our stroll. Nevertheless, it was prime time for friendship. Norma fit in the group like a glove and I found myself calling her ‘mom’ like everyone else.

We arrived at Karen and Keith’s space and I found myself touring the most luxurious motorhome I’d ever been in. Slide outs for the length of the RV made it spacious and I was informed that the group, as assembled just then, had broken it in with style and grace with a dance. I’m reserving my own assessment on the grace until I have a chance to see them in action. I made two new friends here in Calvin and Lisa though our interaction was limited. And then we were a dozen.

Lunch for our group of twelve was at Firestone Walker, a brewery/restaurant. The food was excellent and conversations even better. I had a nice corner seat that allowed me one of my favorite pastimes, watching people loving being with each other. An observation worth mentioning is that three of the five couples were made up of a husband and wife who had each lost a spouse. Love had found a way, several times over and in my estimation included the other two couples. I will attest that each of these five relationships are made up of people with large hearts capable of holding on to memories of lost loves and still able to hold on to the one found – without remorse and likely made all the stronger. I’ve seen it and written about it for them in the past. I was honored to be there and watch it happen and honored to watch it continue. Thank you, friends.

Now, I need to make a confession here. I know one of the other two couples are holding fast to second (and third chances) but I don’t quite know about my ride-mates for the day and I am flummoxed that wouldn't know them down to the day they wed. But, I love researching my stories…

Our ride home was more eventful than anybody ever wants.

We stayed off of the PCH and thus missed the southbound grind above and into Ventura. Jed had us winding through foothills and canyons, twisting and turning and loving nearly every moment. Our route back was on Hwy 246 through Solvang with its smorgasbords on to Hwy 154 taking us by Lake Cachuma on to Hwy 192 through the foothills above Santa Barbara to Hwy 150 through Ojai where we fueled up to continue down to Santa Paula and on home.

The downer was along Hwy 192 (I think). We were in a long string on vehicles on the two-lane highway with a long string of cars heading the opposite direction as well. I spotted a deer grazing at the edge of the highway on our side. Just as I was passing a signal to the following cars the deer picked her head up and stepped in front of Jed. Jed swerved and narrowly (within inches) missed the deer who leapt to clear Jed but directly into an unsuspecting oncoming car. Sue swerved further to the right to miss the poor beast while I moved on to the shoulder in case the car who struck the deer lost control. It was over in a flash.

By the time we fueled up in Ojai the adrenalin rush was over and we were spent. We related the event to each other from our various perspectives and splashed down some Gatroade. We headed home somewhat heavy hearted. This was a sobering part of our day, an event that brings a harsh reminder that when we ride we have to be ever vigilant.

Ride safe and keep the iron side up. And for God’s sake, keep your big hearts open and love.

Jerry ‘Shakespeare’ White

* Jed, Sue, and I actually got together for a short ride on 2/27/22 to Ojai for lunch.

The Comfort of an Old Friend

 

STICKII at Triunfo Pass

True friends are gifts from God, blessings given sometimes when we least expect it or feel we deserve it. They come in dressed up as best friends, BFFs, Best of Friends (if you are so lucky fortunate as to have more than one), sisters/brothers from another mother, pals, chums, homies, four-legged friends, any number of other terms, or one of my favorites – ride buddies. Some might be new, some old both in age and term of service.

A hallmark of a true friend is the ability to pickup where you left off even if it’s been months, perhaps years, since you’ve seen one another. Once you are with each other, the talk might seem as though you are catching up with each other but the flavor of it is that of reminiscing. It is uncanny. Indeed, it can be unsettling and can leave us with thoughts of why we let so much time go by without seeing our friend.

I am fortunate to have true friends within all the above listed categories and some of these friends fit nicely within more than one. Regarding the term ‘fortunate’ and my strikeout of the word lucky – I had the occasion to discover the difference when someone I love and care about made some poor decisions and paid a dear price for them but recovered over time. Someone said he was lucky but I thought he was fortunate. Luck would have had him found passed out on the couch. Good fortune got him to the ER instead of someone finding him when it was too late.

I’m writing this because one of my Old Friends is an inanimate object, allegedly. STICKII, my Victory Cross Country is certainly an old friend to me and the two of us reconnected today when I rode her church. Also, I am writing this because I feel like it and all these thoughts about friendship crossed my mind as we rode along. Names and faces flitted across my memory pages and each of you made me smile. True friends.

As planned, I took the long way home, the route unplanned with the exception of the first leg which was through La Tuna Canyon to a good lunch stop, Yoshinoya in Sun Valley. Once there I was regaled by the symphony of laughter and voices from a family gathering, better than any piped in music the restaurant good of put out. Most Sunday rides home are a simple run up Sunland Blvd. and across Foothill Blvd. to home but I hungered for more and chose a nice little route – up Sunland, over Foothill to Oro Vista Ave. and then up to where it ends at Big Tujunga Canyon Road which I took on up to the Angeles Forest Highway and then down Angeles Crest Highway to take Foothill and on home.

That made a nice loop with plenty of juicy twists and turns. On any given Sunday I would normally avoid this route because there are too many people out challenging their riding or driving limits on bikes or in cars of every description. With the exception of one pack of sport bikers and an irritating Hummer H2, it was pure pleasure with perfect weather and clear roads.

This being late Spring, the chaparral is now ablaze with blooming Yuccas, scientifically known as Hesperoyucca whipplei. Colloquially, they are known by many names like the chaparral yucca, our Lord's candle, Spanish bayonet, Quixote yucca or foothill yucca. Mostly, they look like giant Q-Tips stuck in the ground with a fan of spikes guaranteed to remind you of why they should not be run into, I can attest to that from personal experience but it is a tale for another telling. The shapes of some reminded me of the Grinch’s hat or giant lollipops. The size of their blooms is impressive, some that would be as tall as me. Okay. Maybe not as tall as me but certainly as tall as Shawn.

It amazes me that I can throw my leg over STICKII and feel right at home as though it hadn’t been weeks since my last little ride. I’ve been fortunate like that since the day I first rode after my quarter of a century fast from riding.

So, get comfortable and connect with an old friend today, maybe more than one.

Keep the iron side up.

Jerry ‘Shakespeare’ White

Patina of a Remembered Romance

 

I dressed for church – Kevlar lined riding pants, Sunday ride-shirt, mesh riding jacket for the unseasonably warm day (70s in February?), and my western boots suitable for riding (They saved my ass from a spill on the Mulholland Highway once).

I took my open-face half helmet down because this would be a short ride to church followed by taking the long way home, a twenty-mile putt. The gloss of the black helmet was covered with a patina of dust. As I looked over my bike, I could see that they matched with the same dusty haze dimming the tank, saddlebags, fenders… You get the picture. I hadn’t ridden in a while.

It seems my riding has been reduced to quick solo rides when I’m going somewhere by myself. I don’t want sympathy here, I’ve had plenty of that. Here is a short list of why there is a coating of dust on STICKII, which I love to ride, a romance well remembered: Pandemic and the closures of great destinations, caring for and losing my parents over the last two years, and now the duties of closing out their estate, and a calendar rife with responsibilities that need tending to and I can’t shake the guilt if I take a day off for a ride (my own darned fault there). Those last two pretty much shut down any multi-day rides.

I haven’t had a group ride over these past two years either except for the brief one-way ride when I crashed Jed and Sue’s New Year’s Day lunch at Duke’s. Was it two New Years ago? My memory is dusty as well. Along with all the culprits mentioned above we suffered a momentous loss within the core group of riders I have shared the road with. Mr. Tim Robertson was forced into riding-retirement due to health issues resulting in pain that puts him at risk if he rides.

Tim is a master planner of rides and get-togethers. His destinations are creative, fun, and inclusive. His route planning is meticulous and while challenging, never dangerous. The pace he sets from the front of the formation never stresses me, I can fall back if needed and be assured of catching up. Within the group I have learned comfortable lines on twisties and discovered how to be at ease with my bike and in my own rider’s skin while growing my skills.

I have missed my gregarious friend, his warm smile scarcely hidden beneath his beard, feeling welcome and appreciated, and knowing that at the end of the day I will have had a good ride and get home safe. I am saying special prayers for him as he has sold his bike, The Enterprise, the pride of our little fleet. I know it was a sad day for him and I felt a bit of kinship in that as I considered the same fate for STICKII, my Cross Country. After all, it should never get dusty just sitting there, dirty from a well ridden road, yes, dusty in the garage, no.

Tim’s rides and those of the other planners in the group and riding with this group inspired me to write about them, both rides and riders. My Iron Side Up posts have been appreciated by many of you and earned me a ride-name that Tim bestowed on me. Shakespeare. I’ll keep that one, thank you very much, and work to find ways to keep it dusted off.

So, what’s a rider to do now that he’s confessed to ignoring his bike and taking her for granted? Back her down the driveway, washer her down and shine the beauty up. Make opportunities to go out and get some good old fashioned road dirt on her – bugs on the windshield and roll bars, splash marks from wayward puddles, you know – a down and dirty date, long and luxurious and speeding up at just the right moments.

Dust off the helmet, clean the face shield, and plan a destination ride while writing about the planning. What better thing for a writing rider?

Remember friends, don’t let the dust and rust build up, keep the romance fresh and keep the iron side up.

Shakespeare

Me and my Sunday Ride-shirt