This is Unit 22 parked in front of a four bedroom two bath house in Aurora. It last sold in 2002 for $193,000 and is now on the market for $93,000. Nice neighborhood, which means it is full of people like me. You know, quiet people, the kind most likely to be minding their own business most of the time. If house prices do a drop here, places like this move within striking distance of what I can afford. And I already know Colorado flies circles around Florida.
I took the Goldwing in for diagnostics and was disappointed. I’ll try again later, as I caught the mechanic at closing time. Wow, what a dour old guy, like a prophet of doom. “They don’t make parts for this anymore,” and “Everything you adjust will throw something else off.” Like it was an ill patient not expected to make it. Hey, to me, if a motorcycle engine runs, the rest of the machine is just bent pieces of metal.It was a grabbing front brake pad (I suspected in Alabama), which he said would cost $300. He’s acting like that is out of [my] range and I’m thinking it is no big deal. I want the headlight aimed, the clutch adjusted, and a metal bracket for the faring. Turns out Sarasota added their own faring as it was not made for a 1979 model, and the it was held on with hose clamps. I like the faring, but one of the clamps broke.
Marion and I did not go see the Da Vinci exhibit yet, but it is getting rave reviews. I tinkered around on the Honda and replaced the factory splices with new heat resistant models. Buying that battery booster was a wise move, as it turns out the alternator on the Honda is just barely strong enough to top off the battery. Any overstrain, like the marker lights or sidecar lights can drain faster than the top off. That must be why Sarasota cut all the wires not required by law. There is no kick starter and it will only start with a completely charged battery.
Nearby is a Thrift I’ve mentioned, and I now consider it the best I’ve seen. All merchandise and clothing is clean and like new or they don’t accept the donations. It is a chain called “Unique Thrift” and, in this economy, expanding and doing a booming business. I may pick up some cool weather gear since I can already tell it is late summer. And they have that big used book section, alas they must clearly have a policy of no text books.
Next, it was Saturday, so I hit Sheabeen’s to see the entertainment. It was nice, but precisely the type of band I would never fit into. One guitarist, loud, and a bassist who was trying a bit too much to be the stereotyped stage entity that I am totally against. The bassist as a backup musician who takes second place because, shucks, he’s glad just to be there. His low end was too low, he tried to dance around like it would inspire the crowd, but tired quickly because he had a Fender bass. I have an aversion to big, heavy bass instruments that look like super-size guitar. Guys, the sound is all in the electronics, there is no need for a bass the size of a war club.
Also, they played 90% originals, which were okay if you are the type that listens to ballad lyrics to get the message. The crowd did not pay attention, but his loud guitar was played well enough that he got an applause after each tune, encouraging him to play more originals. When he finally did play a cover (Folsom Prison), he butchered it. The same happened with his lady singer when they did Jackson. Johnny Cash changes chords to match his vocals, making it impossible to try to sing lyrics off a score sheet. She tried it.
Now, I’m not the hired critic, I’m noting what I would have for competition if I ever play here. That act suffered the same as all do when they try the same thing and I know it when I see it. Originals have their place, and that place is not a working class saloon on weekends. It was blatant how the crowd paid attention only when they played their few cover tunes, but like Florida, that fact was somehow not getting through to the guitar player. They were a great coffee house band.
Another thing I don’t care for is the style of country music that builds a song around some single catchphrase. There must be a term for this. Do you know what I mean about songs like that? I can’t think of an example right off, but that could be the nature of the music. The only part of the song ever remembered is the catchphrase repeated in the chorus, but the rest of the song nobody even recognizes.
I stuck around for two full sets. It wasn’t getting any better, so I left. Why is it all jazz guitarist have a go at lame comedy or protest songs? I did talk to a biker who just got off an 18,000 trip around the country “from San Diego to New York and back”. I’ve taken to wearing neckerchiefs and head scarves, which I once saw as biker uniforms, but have discovered they are entirely practical. That doesn't extend to cowboy gear. The last thing I'd wear riding a horse through the brambles is those furry chaps. They must enjoy picking out the burrs.
Here is an excellent shot of a canyon road. This is from the trail up Lookout Mountain last day. Can you see the mountain stream beside the pavement. I love driving through such terrain and look forward to it in the near future. But, I’ve already got the end of the month blues as I believe I already said that Colorado is not cheap and I’m 23% over budget. I can afford it, but I have to keep focused where I’d rather be carefree. I paid my dues.I’ve found a BK on Iliff that is quiet enough to read in over coffee. They have a big screen TV that some people sit and watch for hours, a nice touch. A hurricane is blasting parts of Florida, and in one of the most asinine things I’ve heard, some newslady is afraid this weather will bounce her daily reports of some political convention off top spot. Disgusting, really, people who think like that. Who was that other lady who opposed the liberation of Kuwaiti because the US bombs would damage the ecosystem? Dumb-think.
Last, I’ve been looking into a motorcycle camper, and have decided on the basic “mini-mate” design. At 235 pounds, that is lighter than my old utility wagon that I could haul with one hand. The problem is the camper price tag of $2,895.00. The literature keeps saying that motels are $160 per night. The most I’ve spent this trip was $45, and it was comfortable and quiet. I’d have to say in the camper over 70 times to break even. The hitch at $275 installed, is also, well, a hitch. But check out the camper, the concept is great—except that you have to completely unload all cargo from the rack before setting it up.
For truly extended camping, there is the Time Out camper ($4095), which is the largest that can be towed by motorcycle safely. And you should have at least 1300ccs hauling, which is 30% more than my rig. I consider only those campers where the entire tent and interior area is completely up off the ground. Anything that contacts the damp, dirt, or worms is unacceptable. Want to see something ridiculous? A camper with about six inches of freeboard.
Note to the grammar police. There is no grammatic rule about putting phrases in quotation marks each on a new paragraph. That is a typesetting technique so the reader can follow who is speaking, and in a dialogue, the assumption is the speakers take turns. Got it? That’s typesetting, not grammar, so when I quote somebody, there is no rule says I cannot do so in the middle of a paragraph. Learn your grammar before you police it.
[Author's note 2016: within a few months of this post, I began developing my own set of typesetting rules based on what looked good on small computer screens. I believe this is the basis of typesetting and punctuation, to make the page or presentation look pleasing to the eye.]
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