'This is England', motorcycle rain covers, 'House- Season One', soundbar, 'Geologic Journey'

(posted from home)
(This post covers 24 – 31 May, 2010)

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Monday, 31 May-

Today we visited the graves of my parents and my maternal grandparents. We then spent the afternoon in Chambersburg, visiting our new grand-nephew. He was born just under a week ago and he's quite a treasure.
That evening we watched the 'Canadian Shield' episode of the 'Geologic Journey' DVD.

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Sunday, 30 May -

Today's weather forecast looked good for Labashi to finally start spreading the 30-some bags of mulch we bought earlier this week. I rode the GS down to the Tollgate Starbucks and read the Sunday Times and then walked my five-mile loop at Rocky Ridge County Park.
That evening we mowed the lawn. I usually mow the lower section with my 80's-era Briggs and Stratton (I love that mower!) and then use Labashi's fancier Honda/Husqvarna self-propelled mower for the upper section. The plan had originally been to junk the old mower when we bought the new one but I like the old one better and I don't have to worry about using it in our rocky (and 'rooty') woods. After a season of very little use, the new one became difficult to start but since I've started using it more, it now starts much more reliably.

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Saturday, 29 May-

This morning I caught up on notes for the blog and then took Labashi into town. We stopped at the new hhgregg store near the junction of US30 and I-83. This visit was a flashback in time. A phalanx of salesmen stood ready to give us a personal experience. The only problem was the guy didn't know what a sound bar is. He didn't have a clue. He was eager to please and friendly as could be but absolutely helpless. He asked me what kind of TV we have and then ten minutes later again asked me what kind of TV we have as if he hadn't asked just a few minutes ago. He finally asked one of the lead sales guys for help and we found we finally got a look at the one sound bar they had.
We then went over to Best Buy and I had Labashi listen to the alternatives--- two Sony models, a Boston Acoustics one and a Samsung. The Boston Acoustics sounded best and though I'd have preferred to have a a fiber-optic connection rather than RCA-style audio cord, it sounded really good to us.
Late in the day I installed the soundbar in about ten minutes, including the time to 'train' my other remotes (TV, DVD, and cable box remotes) to operate the unit. It has a wireless subwoofer which it connected to without problems. And the unit sounds GREAT!
That evening we watched 'Geologic Journey', a Canadian (CBC) series. This episode was 'The Rocky Mountains'.


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Friday, 28 May-

This afternoon I ran some errands and picked up a bottle of Gumout from the hardware store on the way home. I treated the Concours and the KLR, tested the gas-reserve function (to be sure I've not accumulated any water in the tank) and rode the bikes for awhile.
I also did another set of adjustments and road tests on the GS windshield. I think I've finally got it. I have just a hint of buffeting in some conditions and can get rid of it by simply leaning my helmet out into the wind stream for a bit.
I've not had much luck in trying to clean the lining of my helmet using the spray-on solutions but today found I can remove it and wash it separately by hand. I also found an online source for replacement factory helmet liners. I'll try the wash and if that doesn't do it, I'll order one.
Labashi wanted to go out this evening so we had dinner at the Backwoods Sports Bar. Fortunately she liked her meal but I was less-than-impressed with mine.

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Thursday, 27 May-

This morning I rode the GS to Chambersburg to take care of some wrap-up details with Mother's estate. I had a perfect day for the ride.
On the way home I had a late lunch at Restaurant Sidney in East Berlin-- one of my favorites. That evening we watched more 'House'. At this point we're beginning to wonder why it's supposed to be popular. We seem to have the same formula each time. House diagnoses, the treatment gives the patient a seizure he/she barely survives, House tries and fails again, then finally gets it right, saving the patient's life. Surely the writing gets better....

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Wednesday, 26 May -

Today was dry but very hot. After a morning on the web I rode the GS over to Trans-Am Cycles in Lititz to exercise the bike and look for a few 'necessities'. I bought a power converter to convert the BMW-style socket to a cigarette socket so I can power a GPS on trips. I still have to find a mount for it.
On the way home I stopped at the Best Buy and spent a good hour comparing soundbars for the TV. This Best Buy has six soundbars set up for comparisons. Last Fall I had settled on one, a Samsug, only to learn that that model had just been discontinued. I've been waiting for the replacement model. The replacement came out while we were travelling but now I don't like the look of the new one. But that's okay. I think I have a new favorite. I'll need to look for reviews on the 'net.
That evening we watched three more eps of 'House'- 1/1.

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Tuesday, 25 May-

Today was another rainy one and I spent most of it on the Web. My motorcycle covers came in today so I checked them out very thoroughly. After the rain stopped late in the day I tried them out on the Concours and the GS. VERY nice! They fit very well and confirm my thoughts on important details of the design. The key elements are : (1) A design that keeps the cover off the ground. I paid a good bit for a heavy Dowco WeatherGuard cover years ago and liked it overall but it died prematurely because of rot where it lay against the ground. My new covers are smaller but also have a heavy-duty elastic sewn in the hem, lifting it up off the ground. (2) A belly strap. I've been using Wal-mart covers for the last several years but find them frustrating. They don't have a belly strap, just two light cords which I'd tie to the footpegs. I've never had to chase my Dowco cover after a windstorm but the Walmart covers routinely flew off. I finally solved that problem by putting canoeing tie-down straps on them, not exactly a classy solution. (3) Ripstop material. My older Dowco cover and my three Wal-mart covers all ripped badly (after they had been sun-damaged) shortly after developing a small hole which would have otherwise been insignificant. They would have lasted longer if they had been made of ripstop. The news ones are. (4) A lighter color. For some reason motorcycle cover makers like to make covers in black and dark blue. Though the first Dowco was vented the heat under it in summer was incredible. The new Dowcos are grey so that should be better. I would have preferred white or highly-reflective silver, though.
That evening we watched the first three episodes of 'House'- Season One.

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Monday, 24 May-

I had scheduled a meeting in Chambersburg today and had planned to put some miles on the new bike so I can get its break-in miles done. But it was raining (again!) this morning so I re-scheduled for later this week. After taking our trip out West this Spring all this rain seems remarkable. We were gone a month and a half and had one 10-minute rain shower the whole time we were in Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California. We had a rainy trip back East but I didn't expect so much rain once home.
I suppose this isn't really all that odd. I remember a year in the early Seventies where it rained and was cold something like 12 of 14 weekends that Spring and early Summer, then suddenly turned extremely hot for the rest of the summer. It seemed like we didn't have a Spring that year.
I'm still slowly working toward selling Dad's car and today ordered a set of lower weatherstrip moldings for three of the doors. The price at the local dealer would have been about $260 and my mail order saved me $100. But then again I don't have them in hand yet. If I get the parts (and they're the right ones!) by next week, I'll be happy.
The 'lower weatherstrip' is actually a complex construction of a heavy rubber molding with an internal metal channel to allow it to be screwed securely to the bottom of the door. It's complex but not a good idea given that it allowed road salt to get into the metal channel and corrode it very badly. And when that happened, the corrosion bent the outside of the rubber molding away from the door, revealing white plastic mounting blocks and calling attention to the whole mess. The good news is most of the damage is to the weatherstrip itself and the external portion of the new one will cover up my repair of the light damage (bubbles under the paint) to the door.
That evening we watched 'This Is England', a film about a young kid who gets caught up with skinheads and of course it doesn't turn out well. This one's done well in that we can understand why the kid is interested in joining the gang-- it's his family. The plotline also resonates with our current times. The gang hates all immigrants because they're supposedly taking English jobs and, after all, England once ruled the world. Anyway, it's more thoughtful than many.

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It's motorcycle season! ; baby shower ; 'Frozen River' ; DC visit ; 'Deep Water' ; 'Monarch of the Glen'


(posted from home)
(This post covers 7 – 23 May, 2010)

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Sunday, 23 May-

I spent most of the day on the Web, trying to catch up the blog and doing some family-history research. I took an out-of-the-blue phone call yesterday from a prospective distant-cousin living in Los Angeles. He's a few years older than me and is looking for information about his birth-father, a man who divorced the caller's mother in West Virginia in the Fifties. The geographical information he provided, when coupled with what I know of the geographic movements of key ancestors suggests there's a good chance we have common ancestors in the late 1700's. I also came up short trying to find any new information.
Late in the day I took a break from the computer to try again with the motorcycle windshield. I picked another position and took a short test ride. It seems better but I'll need a longer ride to be sure.

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Saturday, 22 May-

The motorcycle windshield came this morning and I had to pay $15 postage due to get it (!!!!). I'm not sure yet whether the screw-up was by the manufacturer or by the post office but I wasn't about to send it back once it was in my hands. I'll have to follow-up next week to see what happened.
I wanted to install it right away but the first order of business was to get some tools. BMW uses Torx-head screws and bolts on this model and I only have two Torx bits and they're the wrong size for the job. I first had to do some research on the Web to determine all the Torx sizes I'll need for the bike and tried to find them at the local Ace Hardware. I ended up going to Sears and buying a Lisle master-set of Torx bits in order to get all the sizes.
Late in the afternoon I had the windshield installed. I took a test ride and didn't like what I found. This model is highly adjustable, though, and that test was only for one of many, many possible settings of the mounting bracket.
The problem, though, is each setting means I have to take the windscreen off, adjust the brackets, and re-mount the windscreen, a time-consuming and awkward process. I tried a few settings but didn't come up with one which cut down buffeting of my helmet by the wind-stream.
That evening we went out to dinner at Conewago Inn, then watched 'Deep Water', a very-good documentary about Donald Crowhurst, an Englishman who faked his participation in an around-the-world sailing race in the late Sixties. Well done!

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Friday, 21 May-

Today I removed the driver's door lower weatherstrip on Dad's car. What a mess. The rubber is okay but the inner metal channel is badly rusted and disintegrated. Apparently road salt had laid in the channel and destroyed it. The good news is the bottom of the door itself is okay except for one small bubble in the paint. That I can fix. But the lower weatherstrip will have to be replaced somehow. I see the Buick replacement ones run close to a 90 dollars MSRP so I'm going to have to look around for something else. I also checked the other three doors and two of them should also be replaced. They aren't as bad but are noticeable.
I want to work up the mileage on the bike to get to the first oil change before I take the bike North to see Orat in a few weeks. I rode into the Buick dealer to confirm what I was seeing on the web and in fact the prices are even worse than what the Web says is MSRP. I then hit the Lowe's and Home Depot looking for a rubber u-channel I've seen on the web but neither had it. I may be stuck....

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Thursday, 20 May-

Today I spent an hour or so catching up the blog and then worked on Dad's car. I noticed the weatherstrip at the bottom of the driver's door had bent out, revealing a white mounting block. Closer examination is in order but it looks like the bottom of the door is rusted out and this calls attention to it. Rats!

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Wednesday, 19 May -

Today my normally-strong resistance to guilt about house-cleaning developed a crack. I picked-up and put-away in general and vacuumed the house. What can I say. It happens to the best of us once in a while.
In the afternoon Labashi took me over to Trans-Am Cycles to pick up the F650GS. She had things to do so we split up there. After I settled all the paperwork I rode back to East York and hit the Panera and Wal-mart, the former for a capp, the latter looking for some type of bright riding vest. On our travels I've seen quite a bit of construction-worker gear in the highly-visible greens, yellows, and reds but our Wal-mart had nothing at all.
I spent most of the remaining daylight hours riding the new bike.

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Tuesday, 18 May-

More rain today. But I had a dentist appointment anyway and Labashi wasn't available to help pick up the bike so it didn't matter.
After the appointment I dropped in on Mom and Dad (and Labashi) at Bethany Village for a few minutes, then drove over to the local Border's to look for BMW motorcycle books, anything interesting in magazines, and to have a cappucino. I then hit Koup's motorcycle shop hoping to find a rain cover and a new riding jacket but no luck there.

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Monday, 17 May-

After our perfect weekend I suppose some rain was due. Today's rain wasn't hard but it certainly was persistent. The motorcycle shop called and my new bike is ready but I don't want to slop it up in the rain-- at least not on it's first ride home!
I spent much of the day on the Web learning about the new bike. I have a windshield on order and today hit a couple of shops hoping to pick up a rain cover. Surprisingly, nobody has the cover I want so I'll have to turn to the web.
I also called about the windshield and learned it hasn't gone out yet a week later. They have a parts problem but did promise to ship by Thursday.
That evening we watched more 'Monarch of the Glen', season one.

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Sunday, 16 May-

This morning we continued talking with our hosts for the weekend. These folks have so many things going on in their lives and have so many interests that we always have something to talk about and time just flashes by.
Late in the afternoon we headed back to PA, again in picture-perfect weather. We had eaten so well all weekend that we were happy to just have a snack for supper and watch a few episodes of 'Monarch of the Glen', a BBC series which ran from 2000-2005. It's perfect for vegging though we wish it had subtitles since it's tough for us to keep up with the heavy Scottish accents.

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Saturday, 15 May-

Today we took the Metro into the National Mall. Our first stop was the National Museum of the American Indian. We had been there years ago but that day we had too many things going on and were only in the museum for an hour. Today's visit was a much more leisurely one-- over two hours. Nevertheless, Labashi only saw about half of the museum!
We then walked across the Mall to the sculpture garden for a break and watched the crowd around the fountain. We had a perfect day and it was fun to watch the little kids playing at the edges of the water.
We then split up, some to the Natural History Museum and others to the American History Museum. We only had about an hour and a half so it was a walk-through but that was enough for today.
We then walked a few blocks north to the M and S Grill, where we feasted on filet mignon.
Back at the house we watched an episode of 'Geologic Journey', a Canadian series. Sounds like it was quite the party, no? But after our long day of walking and a drink at the restaurant, we all nodded off near the end of the film.

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Friday, 14 May-

We whiled away the morning packing and then left for a visit with Labashi's brother and wife in Northern Virginia. We took the back roads from our home to Restaurant Sidney in East Berlin for lunch, then took US15 South nearly all the way to our destination.
That evening we all went out to dinner at a Bonefish Grill=== yummmmm!

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Thursday, 13 May-

I had a slow start to the work day today after spending the entire morning on the web reading about the new motorcycle. I'm amazed at the variety of accessories for it but the prices are stunningly high. Want a little plastic cover to protect the brake reservoir? Sixy-nine Bucks!!!! Mud-flap extender? $110!!! I don't think so!
I washed Dad's Buick today and while I had the supplies out I washed Labashi's car and then the KLR. I want to sell Dad's car, the KLR, and the Miata this summer.
I had hoped to pick up the new motorcycle today but the hard-bags didn't come in yet.
That evening we watched a Pedro Almodovar film, 'The Flower of My Secret'. We can always depend on Almodovar to do something new and interesting.

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Wednesday, 12 May-

After a morning on the web I took Mocha Joe in for an oil change at Walmart. They had it done very quickly and did a thorough job of the safety checks. The tech said he sees many Ford trucks and vans and mine is by far the cleanest underneath (then again maybe he says that to everyone!). They usually have oil all over the underside. He did notice that the transmission tailshaft is leaking a drip or two so I'll have to keep an eye on that. It's time for an trans oil change and checkup anyway, so perhaps I can get the tailshaft seal changed at the same time (assuming there's no other bad news about the trans).
While waiting for the van I received a call telling me the front-brake switch had come in for the KLR. I made it home from the oil change early enough to go ahead and ride the KLR down to the shop for the switch change and then the inspection. The KLR just turned over 6000 miles this week.
That evening we watched three episodes of 'The Closer', season four, disk four.

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Tuesday, 11 May-

Today Labashi and I worked on Dad's Buick. Labashi cleaned up the interior while I spent my time with the bug-and-tar cleaner to remove tree sap from the pines at the Michigan house.
I also spent a few hours on the web researching the F650GS. That evening we watched several episodes of 'Greensburg', the documentary about Greensburg, Kansas after the May 2007 tornado that completely destroyed the town. We visited Greensburg on our way home from our Desert Flowers trip this Spring and like seeing the series

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Monday, 10 May-

I mowed the lawn today and also ordered a windshield for the new motorcycle. The windshield is a Madstad Engineering kit which will provide a highly-adjustable windscreen mounted on brackets. I never did find a windshield I liked for the KLR but hopefully this one will give me something like the protection I get on my Concours.
That evening we watched 'Frozen River' with Melissa Leo. This one is interesting in that it takes place on a Mohawk reservation on the New York-Canada border. Melissa plays a mother forced to smuggle illegal immigrants into the US and she plays the part quite well.

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Sunday, 9 May-

On this cooler-than-normal Mother's Day we went to Mechanicsburg to visit Labashi's parents for the afternoon. Labashi made a wonderful spiced-shrimp dinner for us and we had a very nice visit.

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Saturday, 8 May-

Today we drove to Chambersburg for a baby shower. A grand-nephew is due in less than a month. We had a nice little family get-together and met some new neighbors.
On the way home we stopped at Restaurant Sidney in East Berlin. I've had lunch there several times in the past as I'd be coming back from Cburg but Labashi has never been inside. We were too late to get a table in the dining room but didn't mind the tavern. We had several new tastes, including home-made waffle chips with Stilton cheese and veggies, a nice, smoky pulled-pork sandwich, grilled prawns and two unique drinks-- a caipirinha (a Brazilian rum-based drink) and an espresso martini for dessert. Yes!

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Friday, 7 May -

I thought I'd run the KLR down to Don's Kawasaki for a quickie inspection today and get that out of the way. Don's has a drive-in inspection service. You drive in, tell them you want an inspection, and they do it-- all without the hassle of scheduling an appointment. If the motorcycle doesn't pass, there's no charge. If it doesn't pass of course they offer to get you the parts and schedule any service time needed. And once that work is done the inspection is completed.
This time, though, my KLR didn't pass. I was very surprised when the guy found the front brake light switch wasn't working. I had done a quick run-through at home but had missed that. I can't really see the brake light while leaning forward to squeeze the brake lever and missed it. The guy ordered one for me and will complete the inspection when it comes in.
We started another 'Due South' episode but gave up about half-way through-- it was just too far-fetched.

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'White Diamond', 'Cocaine Cowboys', 'Due South', 'Georgia O'Keefe', 'Helvetica', new motorcycle

(posted from home)
(This post covers 28 April – 6 May, 2010)


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Thursday, 6 May-

Today I bought a new motorcycle. It's a 2010 BMW F650GS Twin. I saw one of these at White Sands National Monument recently and had talked with the owner at some length. Like my Concours purchase in 2003, this was a situation where I saw a bike and thought – “Yep--- that's the one for me” right away. After returning from the trip I researched them on them on the web and in Motorcycle Consumer News and Rider Magazine. Over the weekend I tried to find one at Velocity Cycles in Mechanicsburg but learned the dealers can't get any more and the ones there weren't quite 'right' for me. On Monday I found the right one at Trans-Am Cycles and took a demo ride on it today and that did it.
I don't pick my new bike up for about a week. I could have it now and take it back to fit the hard-bags when they come in next week but that would just be a hassle.
The new one will need some customization. The only options it has are heated grips and the low seat. It doesn't have the ABS braking option but I'm not sold on that anyway. I will have to add a larger and adjustable windshield and the wiring loom for my electric jacket liner. I may also have to extend the shift lever but may just be able to adjust it for a more natural-feeling position.
Last night we watched 'Helvetica', a documentary about the font.

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Wednesday, 5 May-

I did a couple of small things around the house today. I repaired the outdoor extension cord which had had both the socket and plug ends go bad. I had replaced the obviously-bad socket end a few days ago and couldn't figure out why it still wouldn't work. That turned out to be a bad plug, which seemed very odd given it's a molded-on plug and seemed to be in perfect condition. But the new plug resolved the problem.
I also found the cause of a circuit-breaker trip and burnout of the slide-style light control for the recessed lights in our hallway. That one was a bit tricky. I thought I had it after replacing the switch but only two of the three lights came on. I pulled the recessed inner assembly down on the bad one and found both wires had been pinched or cut somewhere along the line and the black one was cut all the way through. A quick wire repair put that right.
I took the Miata up for its inspection appointment tomorrow and talked with the garage owner about Dad's car. The wheel damage is small enough to be ignored but I do need two tires. I went home and did some online research and then had the garage guy order two of those.
That evening we watched “Georgia O'Keefe” with Joan Allen and Jeremy Irons. Having just returned from Santa Fe and Taos art tours, we really enjoyed this one. It also answered many questions in our minds about O'Keefe and her relationship to Steiglitz.

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Tuesday, 4 May-

This morning I found we did have a bit of damage due, in part, to the storm Sunday night. About five years ago Labashi built three birdfeeders and installed them on several spreading branches of a tree. The storm took the tree down. Two of the feeders look to be recoverable, the other is probably too damaged to repair. These were largely decorative but Labashi had put a lot of work into modifying them to look just right and was upset that this happened.
I worked on Dad's car today, starting the process of preparing it for sale. I removed the front wheels since I needed to repair or replace one wheel and I wanted to see if I could get rid of a brake noise. I found I can't repair the wheel and my work on the brakes made only a slight improvement. Unfortunately, I found a worse problem. The left-rear tire is very bad and I'm not sure it will even make it to a tire shop. Metal tire belting material is sticking up through the casing in a few places and there's a largish bulge, apparently a separation.


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Monday, 3 May-

We had heavy rains last night and I thought we might have some problems because of it but we seem to have not suffered any damage.
I drove over to Trans-Am Cycles in Lititz to look at motorcycles. There I learned I have another seating option on the F650GS. I don't need to buy a low-frame model, I can just get the lower seat-- and there's no additional cost for that option (but $250 for the low-frame option). Back home I began searching through forums dedicated to the F650GS and found there's lots of info and many farkles available for it. I also learned why I don't want the low-frame option-- it reduces payload to 330 pounds. That's just way too little. The regular-frame model carries 521 pounds and the lowered-seat option fits me quite well.
I also see the electrical capacity is 400 watts. That's something I wasn't careful about with the KLR (it's only 238W) and I ended up killing its battery by simply using my electric jacket liner and gloves on my West Virginia trip.
On the way home I stopped at the Apple Store in Lancaster to check on iPhone family plans. I don't know, though. After you pay all the money for the phones you still have to pay $130 a month to use them? When I'm currently paying under $20 a month for our tracfones? On the other hand, I can't use the tracfone to get a radar image of weather ahead of me while travelling into sketchy weather on the bike. Or check Gas Buddy for prices as we travel in Mocha Joe.....


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Sunday, 2 May-

Today I went on a spending spree on tools. I happened upon a coupon to get 40 per cent off an aluminum-body jack at Harbor Freight and found it a decent deal ($60). While there I also looked at an oscillating power tool but I was afraid of the 'Chicago' brand. I went across the street to Lowe's and looked at the Dremel version but then settled on the Bosch cordless version. With accessories it cost over $200 but I think it will be just the thing for preparing our window frames for repainting. I also think I'll need the plunge-cutter, flush-cutter, and sanding attachments for my upcoming project to repair water damage to our barn.
In the late afternoon I again walked the six-mile loop, this time taking along a few Wal-mart bags to pick up trash. I've been surprised to find the creek-side section of my walk relatively trash-free. The last time I did the cleanup I picked up six bags in the mile-and-a-half section. Today it was two bags.
But I did have an odd experience while doing it. I had stepped off the road and stepped down into a drainage ditch to pick up a cup when I saw a black Ford jacked-up pickup coming from the opposite direction. I wasn't paying close attention and was working on placing my feet to get down into the ditch but I believe it slowed down, then sped past. But once on the other side, it slowed down again and I heard it rev up the engine (with it noisy glass-packs). I didn't think much of it but after I stepped back up on the road and glanced that way I saw a green bag. The guy had tossed out a large potato-chip bag and had apparently revved the engine to call my attention to it. I don't know what that's about. Was I clearing the roadside of too much of his trash?


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Saturday, 1 May-

Today I rode the Concours up to Velocity Cycles in Mechanicsburg to check out F650GS like the one I had seen at White Sands National Monument. I was surprised to learn that BMW doesn't have any of them for dealers-- production was way too low for demand. Velocity has 09's but only one ugly-blue 2010 new one and a used one which is priced at brand-new cost.
I took a demo ride on a Honda NV700T and was surprised to find I didn't particularly like it. It's getting good reviews but I thought it felt rough. By 'rough', in this case I mean it's not the super-smooth bike I expected. It whines quite loudly and the gearbox didn't seem right. My Concours gears 'snick' into place while sometimes the NV700T gears 'clunk' into place in a gear change. I was also somewhat disappointed in the power available. I do have to remember, though, to compare it to my KLR, not to my Concours in that department. The KLR makes about 35 horses while the NV700T makes 55 or so and the Concours is in the high Eighties/low Nineties. On the positive side, though, I was pleasantly surprised how well the windshield did in providing protection from wind-blast.
There wasn't a demo F650GS for me to try but I could try an 800 sport model. I knew it wouldn't work for me as soon as I sat down on it and felt the footpeg jab my calf. The high footpeg position means my legs would be bent too much and my knees would object after a couple of hours.
I did, however, enjoy the ride. This BMW felt a lot smoother and the extra horses (Eighties range) felt nice. The sportier riding position is a non-starter for me so when I returned I checked the ST800 bike being promoted as a sport-touring bike but I found the same too-high pegs.
Back home I walked my six-mile loop course. It has been quite a while.

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Friday, 30 April-

We're entering a several-day heat wave today. I was anxious to get out on the bike after such a long layoff and spent a few hours in York. I hit the Starbucks for an iced tea and then checked out the new Samsung sound bar at Best Buy. Early this Spring I had almost bought the previous version of this sound bar but found it had been discontinued. This replacement seems to work very well but I don't think Labashi will like its looks. Where the old model was very sleek and simple, this one has exposed speakers and looks a bit too flashy. I also checked out several Polk versions and don't like the connectivity options. And the Sony model doesn't work for us, again because of connectivity.
On the way home I had a cappuccino at the Seattle Coffee bar in the Borders. For some reason these guys make a much better cap than Starbucks.
That evening we watched the pilot for 'Due South', a TV series about a Canadian Mountie working in Chicago. It takes quite a bit of suspension of disbelief on this one but did have a few interesting moments.

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Thursday, 29 April-

This morning I noticed the battery charger on the motorcycle didn't have the green status light it should have after charging. A bit of troubleshooting pointed to the extension cord and, more specifically, the socket. I picked up a heavy-duty socket from the local hardware store and repaired the socket. It STILL didn't work! I then used an electrical meter to test for continuity and found that all three wires were good. What???
I eventually found the problem. Though the wires had continuity, when I'd plug the plug into a socket part way, everything worked. But if I pushed it the rest of the way in, I'd lose the connection. This didn't seem possible with a molded plug but that turned out to be the case. The cord had had TWO problems-- a bad socket and a bad plug.
I spent the rest of the day working on the motorcycle. There's a hole in the cross-over pipe between the headers and I'm trying to avoid a $500 repair bill. I applied a muffler-repair bandage and that sealed it up but I don't have much confidence in the fix. I think there's just too much vibration and heat for this patch to last.
After supper I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. While we were on our 39-day trip our lawn service had mowed twice but this was the first time I fired up our two mowers. Surprisingly, both fired up on the first pull.
That evening we watched 'Cocaine Cowboys', a documentary about cocaine trafficking in Miami in the Nineties. Very well done and highly recommended.


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Wednesday, 28 April-

Today we visited Labashi's parents at their apartment in Mechanicsburg. While we were away for so long a few chores accumulated so we took care of those. I updated Dad's computer and reviewed its security log. Labashi and I installed an additional medicine cabinet in Dad's bathroom and I rebuilt the electrical socket in one of Mom's favorite hanging lamps.
Dad is becoming quite the chef and gave us scrumptious scallops with new potatoes for supper. They were preceded by his patented 'Mostly Ice' Manhattans. (I can certify that they definitely are NOT 'mostly ice'!)
That evening we watched 'The White Diamond', a Werner Herzog film about a guy who explores the rainforest canopy in a small dirigible. We love to see Herzog films because of their remarkable variety of subject and his knack for finding interesting and unique people.

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