Curt Miller's Place

Friend Peter's struggle with severe flooding in England

2007-07-24T21:32:00.000-04:00

My "mate," Peter Bryenton and his Partner Jane, live in the small village of Birlingame, Worcester, England. Over the past several days, the waters of all rivers in central England have flooded and produced devastation, the likes of which haven't been seen in generations. Peter maintains communications and here is his letter to me today:

Thank you for your thoughts and prayers, Curt. Be assured we are both safe.

Jane and I manage the risks we take, making carefully considered choices. We are warm, well fed, dry and have clean drinking water with electrical power. We have plenty of dry provisions and tinned goods, with a multi-fuel stove on which we can cook, and an oil lamp for the power cuts.

We are reaping the fruits of successive governments under-investing in our national infrastructure since 1947. Thatcher's privatisation of the public transport and utilities was a death blow to the warp and weft of our social fabric. Blair spent five billion pounds on a pointless war in a far away place, but not even one tenth of that amount will go to renew our Victorian sewers and storm drains, in spite of massive house building programs over the decades. Our fields have been made ever larger, for more profitable yields, but the hedges and ditches which have traditionally drained England's agricultural systems for centuries have been filled in, against all the advice of those who know better. We put up new homes on flood plains, but do not construct adequate defences, if any. All of our leading civil engineers are now saying "We told you so, but you wouldn't heed us". They were right in their prophecies.

Well, there are one hundred and fifty thousand domestic dwellings without power and water only ten miles from us, in Tewkesbury, where the rivers Severn and Avon meet. Jane and I have driven out to survey the countryside this evening, in deceptively cruel sunshine, but some of the roads are still under deep water, where the usually tiny brooks are still swollen. Abandoned cars litter the roadsides, reduced to scrap value in a moment by their inexperienced drivers, have either been dragged or shoved out of the way by tractors and lorries. These oversize 4WD (SUV) vehicles are merely fashion items, and not at all the off-road dream machines peddled by the marketing people. This is a tiny country, with narrow lanes. I have no idea why ordinary people feel the need to drive a 4.5 litre Jeep or Chrysler. You would need a military spec snorkel system with waterproof electronics to survive this lot, plus plenty of common sense, training and some sound mechanical aptitude. It's about greed.

The disaster has polarised citizens. We now have two distinct classes: the selfish and the selfless.

Cheers,

B.

Peter Bryenton
www.brypix.com

A letter I sent today to a fellow myasthenic who characterized herself as "ill."

2007-04-05T20:38:00.000-04:00

I have MG and it has been so severe at times that I couldn't walk, talk or eat. I almost died from it last year. What I have is a simple (though buried under some very complex biochemistry) electrochemical disorder - as do we all who suffer from MG. Not for one moment, though, have I ever considered myself "ill." Ill is where someone needs to stay at home in bed or be in the hospital.

My symptoms have been far worse than a great many of the people in the forum (an English on-line forum for MG victims) and I still don't consider myself "ill," and never wiil (at least not with MG). The condition has not caused me time off from work from my stressful job, even when I couldn't talk (I used e-mail for communication). When I couldn't eat, I drank protein shakes (and lost 50 pounds from malnourishment). And, when I couldn't walk, I took a bus.

I'll I'm not.

Regards and best wishes for the future!

Curt

2007-04-01T21:22:00.000-04:00

Church on the hill - Weston

Old Homestead and carriage barn - Weston

Looking up the road to Landgrove - Weston

"A river runs through it" - Weston

2007-02-10T21:40:00.000-05:00

New-to-me 2004 Harley-Davidson XL883C - Sportster, on the showroom floor. 6,700 miles on its gorgeous chrome clock. The bike is beautiful and in mint condition. It has all the farkles on it I wanted on one of these and it save thousand$ over new.

2006-12-03T14:37:00.000-05:00

Stockbridge (Mass) at Christmas. Every year on the first weekend in December, the villasge of Stockbridge invites antique car owners to come into town and host an afternoon of festivities where all the shops are done up as in Norman Rockwell's iconic picture that covered the Saturday Evening Post back in the 1950s.

2006-11-26T18:03:00.000-05:00

Here is the obituary for my brother's wife, Chi, who was killed when she crossed into the oncoming lane of traffic on Route 32 in Cornwall-on-Hudson and struck two cars head-on. She was ejected from the car but, apparently, the car was in unsurvivable condition. Tragic.

MARIANNE "CHI" WILSON-MILLER Salisbury Mills, N.Y. Marianne “Chi” Wilson-Miller of Salisbury Mills, died tragically in a motor vehicle accident on November 15, 2006 in Cornwall. She was 49. The daughter of John L. Wilson and Mary Kissick Wilson. She was born and raised in New Castle, Pa. Marianne received her Bachelors in Science from West Virginia Wesleyan University and her Masters in Science from Virginia Tech. Marianne was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville and President of their Women's Association, the American Dietetic Association, Daughters of the American Revolution, Order of Eastern Star, Former member of V.F.W. Ladies Auxiliary, Keyport, N.J., former den leader in Pack 717, Washingtonville, former member and Secretary for Blooming Grove/Washingtonville Rotary Club, she received the Girl Scout Gold Award. Survivors include her loving husband, Robert T. Miller of Salisbury Mills; son, Kelson S. Miller; stepson, Kevin S. Miller; father John L. Wilson of Salisbury Mills; brother, William L. Wilson of Pittsburgh, Pa.; sister-in-law, Karen E. Miller of New Windsor; cousins, Leah Kissick of Pa., David Updegraff of Ohio, John Updegraff of Conn., and Kurt Updegraff of Ohio. She was predeceased by her mother, Mary K. Wilson. Visitation will be on Sunday, November 19, 2006 from 2–6 p.m. and on Monday, November 20, 2006 from 2–4 and 7–9 p.m. at the David T. Ferguson Funeral Home, 20 North Street in Washingtonville. Funeral Services will be on Tuesday, November 21, 2006 at 12 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church in Washingtonville with a burial to follow in the Washingtonville Cemetery in Washingtonville. In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the National Kidney Foundation of Greater New York, Attn: Jessie Thompson, 30 East 33rd Street, New York, NY 10016 or the First Presbyterian Church of Washingtonville. Funeral arrangements under the Direction of David T. Ferguson Funeral Home.

2006-11-24T14:01:00.000-05:00

Big deal!? You bet. Last Thanksgiving, I was so weak I wasn't able to walk more than fifty yards without needing to stop to hold my head up with my hands because my neck was so weak it couldn't support my head. I had periods of double vision and couldn't chew or swallow. I had lost about 30 pounds and lived on milkshakes.

This Thanksgiving, I was able to do all my yard work, clean up my garage, level the dirt floor and lay down plywood for a real floor. Yeah, it's a big deal, and I want to thank the likes of George Bush and Rush Limbaugh - undoubtedly two of the greatest minds of the 21st Century - for their compassion and vision in their support for the type of medical research responsible for the minor miracle that has given me another chance: stem cell research. From now on, my medical consultant, Mr. Limbaugh, will help me adjust and time the doses of medicine that help me live so well. Michael J. Fox and I take our hats off to you, Rush!

2006-11-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

New York State Capitol After Election of New Governor

2006-11-05T14:48:00.000-05:00

Glorious day for a trip!

Along Route 112 - Ashfield, Massachusetts

Typical November New England Day, Saltbox Farmstead

Buckland, Massachusetts

Some Color Still - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Riverside Shops - Shelburne Falls, Massachusetts

Lunch, 2006, in a "hotspot bistro"

Shelburne Falls - Autumn

Shelburne Falls Coffee Roasters

Swamp, Dusk - Route 116, Plainfield, Massachusetts

I am so delighted when I awake to a beautiful Sunday morning. Today was such a morning and the day only got better. Decided to take the GS (Orion) out for a ride through the hills, make a few pictures and blog them. I'm finding more and far-flung coffee shops and bistros with hotspots from which I can access the world. Shelburne Falls has a couple and I even found a coffee house in Jamaica, Vermont with a hotspot. Jamaica is truly in the middle of nowhere, as the saying goes.

I'm hoping that the weather stays like this right through New Year's, then two weeks of snow, followed by spring. :)

2006-11-03T21:38:00.000-05:00

Last Light - Albany, New York

Oh, the fun you can have with cell phones!

2006-10-30T22:07:00.000-05:00

Tappan Zee Bridge - Rush Hour

How many dozens of times I've travelled this bridge in my life - alone, with family and friends. Even my parent's bodies were transported over the Tappan Zee after dying 1/4 mile north of its western terminus at Nyack Hospital, and transported to their site at Mt. Hope Cemetery in Hastings-on-Hudson. Lots of memories.

Today, I travelled over the TZB to make a site visit to Yonkers Public Schools, to inspect their facilities. My dad grew up in Yonkers and graduated from Yonkers Public Schools. I even walked the halls of Charles Gorton HS today, 65 years after he graduated.

I've posted a few old family pictures on my family album page.

2006-10-24T19:55:00.000-04:00

Tried to post today but Cingular wireless is down.

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2006-10-23T17:24:00.000-04:00

All the little pufferbellies...

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2006-10-20T16:28:00.000-04:00

Monsoon season

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2006-10-19T08:24:00.000-04:00

Don'tcha just love autumn?

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2006-10-18T09:33:00.000-04:00

Crotch rocket loaner today

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2006-10-17T08:23:00.000-04:00

Clipped and crosseyed

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2006-10-16T21:35:00.000-04:00

Architectural medley - Albany, NY

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2006-10-15T18:01:00.000-04:00

Great color in Brattleboro...still

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2006-10-15T17:52:00.000-04:00

Newfane, Vermont

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2006-10-15T15:36:00.000-04:00

South Londondary, Vermont

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2006-10-15T14:36:00.000-04:00

Scenes from Weston, Vermont

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2006-10-15T12:52:00.000-04:00

Backcountry Vermont

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2006-10-15T12:41:00.000-04:00

North Landgrove, Vermont

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2006-10-15T12:12:00.000-04:00

Route 7 - Manchester, Vermont

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2006-10-14T15:10:00.000-04:00

Boy, talk about New Englandy - Ashfield, Massachusetts

Mums

Look at this rock! Cummington, Massachusetts

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2006-10-14T13:52:00.000-04:00

Orion - Plainfield, Massachusetts

Buckland, Massachusetts

Pumpkin Festival - Buckland, Massachusetts

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2006-10-13T08:22:00.000-04:00

A frosty Friday the 13th in Albany, NY

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2006-10-09T17:46:00.000-04:00

Bash Bish Falls

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2006-10-09T17:06:00.000-04:00

Mount Everett Reservation - Mass

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2006-10-08T17:02:00.000-04:00

Orion - Greenfield, Mass

Fwd: A better pic i think

2006-10-08T16:55:00.000-04:00

Chris' bike

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2006-10-08T14:29:00.000-04:00

Back in Vermont

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2006-10-08T13:07:00.000-04:00

The Kancamagus Highway

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2006-10-08T13:06:00.000-04:00

Lincoln, NH

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2006-10-08T11:40:00.000-04:00

White Mts, NH

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2006-10-08T11:35:00.000-04:00

Bear Notch Road - Bartlett, NH

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2006-10-08T11:33:00.000-04:00

Dolly Copp campground - White Mountains, NH

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2006-10-07T16:53:00.000-04:00

Gorham, NH

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2006-10-07T14:15:00.000-04:00

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2006-10-06T19:58:00.000-04:00

Winglet template

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2006-10-05T18:46:00.000-04:00

Moonrise - Chatham, NY

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2006-10-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

Fogged in

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2006-10-02T17:58:00.000-04:00

Orion, red barn - Columbia County, NY

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2006-10-02T01:23:00.000-04:00

Homemade winglets

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2006-10-01T17:36:00.000-04:00

Orion at Alice's Restaurant - Stockbridge, Mass

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2006-10-01T16:11:00.000-04:00

Orion, winterized.

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2006-09-30T17:40:00.000-04:00

Ashfield, Mass

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2006-09-30T16:56:00.000-04:00

Pegasus, tobacco barns - Amherst, Mass

Old Creamery - Cummington, Mass

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2006-09-29T17:25:00.000-04:00

Orion, waiting.

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2006-09-26T08:23:00.000-04:00

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2006-09-25T17:51:00.000-04:00

Soft bag alternative

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2006-09-24T13:22:00.000-04:00

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2006-09-24T13:04:00.000-04:00

Lots of people!

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2006-09-24T12:51:00.000-04:00

End ofthe ride - Charlemont, Mass.

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2006-09-24T09:50:00.000-04:00

Fall Run - Shriner's Hospital benefit

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2006-09-23T17:26:00.000-04:00

Coffee at Starbucks

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2006-09-22T12:28:00.000-04:00

Just another day at the office.

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2006-09-13T09:58:00.000-04:00

I love trains and motorcyles.

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2006-09-13T09:52:00.000-04:00

At Union Station, Washington

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2006-09-10T15:32:00.000-04:00

Deal's Gap and "The Dragon" - Tennessee and North Carolina.

Self-portrait at Deal's Gap - North Carolina

At "The Overlook"at The DRAGON! (Someday I hope to do it on a motorcycle - instead of in a Honda :)

There are 318 curves in 11 miles on The Dragon...and they are sharp and steep!

Photographer at The Dragon. There are several who set up shop at strategic curves along the route, snapping photos of every rider as they pass, offering them for sale as proof of the ride.

North Carolina state line on The Dragon. The ride winds down at this point. These riders are coming up The Dragon from Deal's Gap, about 1/2 mile south of the Tennessee-North Carilona state line.

A true motorcyclist's mecca.

A sea of motorcles at Deal's Gap

As usual, most of the bikes were cruisers...

...but there sure were a lot of sportbikes, too!

Cherokee National Forest, North Carolina. Great rides continue south of the Dragon in North Carolina. The highway traverses a ridgeline that rises to 5400 feet.

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2006-09-09T11:44:00.000-04:00

No, this is not a redneck joke. This is West Virginia, Virginia.

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2006-09-08T18:45:00.000-04:00

On the road again...Pennsylvania state line on I81.

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2006-09-06T17:19:00.000-04:00

Oh, that delicious honey-colored light of an early autumm evening!

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2006-09-05T17:04:00.000-04:00

Autumn tulips?

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2006-09-05T14:06:00.000-04:00

Back at work on Monday.

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2006-09-04T11:55:00.000-04:00

Breaking camp - Watkins Glen, NY

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2006-09-03T19:20:00.000-04:00

If BMW made it, it's probably here. Finger Lakes BMW Club 32nd Annual Rally, Watkins Glenn, NY.

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2006-09-02T14:57:00.000-04:00

Color in a grey day - Watkins Glen, NY

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2006-09-02T10:07:00.000-04:00

Rain, rain, rain at the BMW rally at Watkins Glen. Time to read and chat.

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2006-08-31T20:28:00.000-04:00

It's amazing what we can do with cell phones these days...

Pothole - Albany, NY
(after editing)

Pothole - Albany, NY
(original cell phone image)

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2006-08-31T17:22:00.000-04:00

Waning light of a late summer afternoon - Hopperesque

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2006-08-31T11:42:00.000-04:00

Enjoying the last days of summer.

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2006-08-28T15:28:00.000-04:00

Picnic time on the Hudson! (co-worker Alicia's retirement party)

Barb Boardman on Curt's K1200RS

Alicia and kin

Watching river traffic

Tom Robert tending the grill

I still can't believe this bridge was built in the 1860s...
and is still active carrying all manner of train traffic daily!

Lots of fun for all!

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2006-08-26T17:32:00.000-04:00

Lubed, waxed and ready to roll!

Whenever I buy a used vehicle (which is infrequently, since I don't want someone else's problem), I always change all the fluids, filters and clean and inspect the machine. Today was Pegasus' turn. I did all the research on-line for doing the work, purchased all the lubes, special tools and filter and tore into the bike this morning. It's a great way to really get into the machine to learn it, clean it and to inspect it for any sign of trouble. Pegasus is in beautiful condition, top to bottom. And, oh, that magnificent German engineering is such a pleasure on which to work!

It's also very satisfying to wrench a new machine with the very same tools - SK socket set and torque wrench - I've owned for 35 years, and with which I worked on the very first car I ever owned, my precious 1970 Fiat Spider. A good torque wrench lasts a lifetime.

Next comes coolant, air filter, brake pads and brake fluid.

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2006-08-24T17:08:00.000-04:00

Colors

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2006-08-23T16:43:00.000-04:00

Miller light

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2006-08-22T18:02:00.000-04:00

Next?

2006-08-22T00:33:00.000-04:00

Pegasus and the balloon - Hyabusa burner meets tortoise
Lebanon Valley, NY

I guess I'm getting old. I've really come to like some of the the finest things in life: music, photography, cities, German cameras, Swiss watches, and now, powerful motorcycles.

I didn't set out to buy a fast bike when I bought Pegasus. On the contrary, I just wanted a stable, long-distance, long-legged miles-burner for highway use. Well, I did get that, but I also got an extremely fast, gorgeously built bike as part of the package. If Leica or Rollei (my favorite cameras) made motorcycles, this would be it. Kids on their 600cc Ninja-type sport bikes pay homage to Pegasus when they see him, knowing full well the sedate-looking, teutonic torpedo can dust their noisy little rice burners.

Respect. Hard to come by.

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2006-08-20T17:37:00.000-04:00

On Greylock

On the occasion of Pegasus II's first trip to the summit.

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2006-08-19T16:44:00.000-04:00

Middlebury

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2006-08-19T16:16:00.000-04:00

Middlebury, Vermont - one of my favorite places and typical New England.

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2006-08-19T15:48:00.000-04:00

Wow!

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2006-08-19T15:36:00.000-04:00

This is Vermont! Rain stopped at 3;!5

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2006-08-19T14:29:00.000-04:00

Crown Point Bridge - Lake Champlain ( NY side). Rainy day!

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2006-08-17T20:24:00.000-04:00

Pegasus at Stockbridge Bowl - Sunset

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2006-08-17T19:40:00.000-04:00

Unknown moun on KRS

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2006-08-15T23:15:00.000-04:00

Pegasus at dusk - Hinsdale, Massachusetts

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2006-08-15T23:12:00.000-04:00

Heavy freight on the Berkshire Plateau

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2006-08-15T07:31:00.000-04:00

Confined to the stable on a rainy day

2006-08-13T22:05:00.000-04:00

At the general Store - Stockbridge, Massachusetts

Nearing the end of a spectacular day, I stopped in Stockbridge for a break. Two doors up from THE Alice's Restaurant is the tourist dollar-driven general store. I strolled about the store and on my way out, spied this adorable little girl patiently sitting on the counter while her mother decided which trinket to buy.

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2006-08-13T20:01:00.000-04:00

In Stockbridge, Massachusetts

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2006-08-13T19:43:00.000-04:00

Stockbridge B&B

2006-08-13T19:14:00.000-04:00

Orion, Bathing - Pittsfield, Mass

On this beautiful sunny Sunday, I couldn't resist the call of the horizon. Orion and I headed east on Route 9 and had lunch at the Creamery in Cummington. Alog the way, I spotted the boosters washing cars and figured they might enjoy giving Orion a bath. They did.

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2006-08-12T16:58:00.000-04:00

At Shelburne Falls

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2006-08-12T15:15:00.000-04:00

In it's element - A-J Cycles

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2006-08-11T18:02:00.000-04:00

Pegasus - dressed and ready to ride!

2006-08-11T00:57:00.000-04:00

Pegasus II

The problem with BMW motorcycles is that once you've ridden one you don't want to ride anything else. They are so smooth, so refined and well finished that competiton fades by comparison.

Meet Pegasus II ("winged Horse" from Greek mythology), a 1998 BMW K1200RS. His name suits him well. His longitudinally mounted in-line four cylinder engine produces 130 horsepower and 86 foot-pounds of torque at 6750RPM (and 65 foot-pounds at 4500!). With a top speed of over 150 mph, 0-60 mph in 3.7 seconds, Pegasus MOVES! I picked him up this afternoon, trading in my Vulcan for him. No regrets, either. Vulcan was my first ride. As everyone knows, you accept that you will move on from your starter bike, there's just no getting around it. The cruiser, with it's upright "Harley" seating position just doesn't suit my long-distance riding (or my spine and butt).

Riding this motorcycle is an awsome experience.

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2006-08-06T23:21:00.000-04:00

In Jamaica, VT

I stopped in this little coffee house along Route 100 in southern Vermont this afternoon, on my way home after a wonderful weekend with son Chris and girlfriend Robia at her family's annual reunion.

Last night about 30 of us either camped in tents or slept in a camp the family rented on the Great Sacandaga Lake. We arrived at the camp at about 9pm and everyone pitched in to set up tents, get a bar-b-que going and cook diiner.

I left Edinberg at about 10:20 this morning, pointing Orion northest to Rutland, Vermont. I took my time, enjoying lots of stops along the way. For the first time of my half-dozen or so through Weston, I stopped at the historical society's grist mill/tinsmith and stayed -mesmerized- for nearly and hours as the hosts explained life, business and the trades in the rural Vermont of the early 1800s. From there, I travelled all of 100 yards to The Vermont Country Store. I actually needed directions to find the place - a mere 20,000 to 30,000 square foot facility in the middle of the village - because it is so well hidden,probobly owing to Vermont's strict zoning and no-billboard laws. The place was an easy hour of the afternoon's jaunt. I picked up a few little items, including a Hohner "Weekender" harmonica.

From Weston, I travelled south along beautiful Route 100 until I stopped in Jamaica to make the last pictures - and memories - of a great weekend.

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2006-08-06T12:14:00.000-04:00

Whitehall, NY