A Beautiful Day For A Ride

When I was married at 17, I had a BSA with an extended fork. It was a pretty green color, and I rode all of the time prior to having children. Our first was born when I was 21. My riding slowed down a bit with our first child and when seven months pregnant with our second child, I stopped riding until he was 21.

During those years I still rode on the back of my husband's bike, then when we divorced, I took a break and canoed in the boundary waters for outdoor fun and rode 4-wheelers.

When my baby turned 21, I bought a bike. He is 47 now and I have been riding since then. Just as long as I can hold it up and put my leg over the top to get on, I will ride. Oh, and I have to have a mind too. My three conditions to continue riding.

When I was 7 months pregnant with my baby, I slipped off the back of my bike when in some soft sand and my mother flipped out. I got a lecture about how I now would have two children and I needed to stop riding and raise my children. I needed to grow up.

After my children were raised, I guess I still never grew up, and I figure if I haven't grown up yet, I probably never will.

My husband to be interfered with my purchase of a Harley. I had been saving up with a jar labeled Harley fund. When I went to purchase my bike after my baby hit age 21, I thought it may be smart to talk to someone who was riding motorcycle.

He became my husband several years later. He said that if I bought a Harley that he wouldn't ride with me. I didn't invite him to ride with me anyway, so I asked him why. He said pay attention to the bikes broke down on the side of the road. He was right it was Harley's.

They have gotten better, but at the time that is what I saw. He said that at work he was always teasing the guys with Harleys as they had to replace transmissions, motors and their bikes were always in the shop. He said that they called him Jap boy John as he wouldn't ride a Harley.

Then he told me that the bikes he had never needed work done other than regular maintenance and he did most of that. That is still true to this day. When I spoke with him about getting a bike he was riding a Goldwing.

For years now, I don't ride as much as I once did. Our riding season is shorter up north where we are living after retirement. And when I had cancer it took me a while to be back up and on my bike. When I work, I always think I would like to ride, but I have too much work stuff to carry.

Our ride today was so much fun. It was a perfect day for a ride. The right temperature, little to no wind, and the countryside is beautiful! It has greened up really well in the last couple of weeks.

First thing on my agenda today was water ceremony, and then we attended two granddaughter's birthday parties and a meeting. Outdoors all day today.

My hubby teases me about his bike being the blue hulk, while mine is little red riding hood.

Then he teases about how slow I go, and how I have a line of cars behind me. Never true. I keep up with him. Oh, and he talks about how clean his bike is versus mine, and that is true, as I have a lot of other things to do and no time to be polishing my bike.

And he will tease about how his bike starts right up and mine takes so much time to start. I guess that is just part of the ride. He doesn't have his work buddies to tease now as we are retired. At least he never puts an oil pan under my bike.

He is a brat, and I am used to him teasing. We do laugh every day, and I love that, so I put up with his teasing. I am hopeful that I will do a lot more riding this summer, than last.