Germany 2014

We set off on Saturday afternoon, it's always the same; you have to wear or carry a heavy coat and sweater to go somewhere cold and it's 90 degrees when you leave home.












We got on the plane on time, and it seemed like it was good to go but then we got the "We have a slight problem" comment, fortunately it was a short delay.

Off we went in the big aluminum tube.









Oh, look at that there must be another bike nut sitting over there, I wonder who that could be.








We got to fly over all the exclusive places, British West Hartlepool to name but a few.

Then on into Frankfurt; after walking about five miles we met up with our luggage. The luggage was intended to be carry on but an over zealous check in clerk was being pedantic.
So we waited and we waited, eventually we got the bags and set off on another monumental trek to get the rental car.
That was an experience in itself, it has all kinds of ECO shit on board, it turns the engine off at stop lights, it has a nine speed transmission and is diesel!
Go Figure.
Off we went to Duseldorf, not much traffic to start but it got busy as we got closer.
The GPS was totally confused by the road closures in the center of Dusseldorf, fortunately I wasn't.
We made it to the hotel OK and of course they only had one room ready.

The luggage was deposited in one room and we decided to walk around until the second one was available.

Man was it cold!









It was so cold that this outdoor restaurant had a giant video screen with a blazing fire. I swear you could feel the heat.
Of course it begs the question "Why eat outside when it is so cold"

On we went and took a couple of pictures in the old city hall square.











I wonder if we know anyone who has ridden on this Carousel?


Or

Been in this cozy little bar?











When we got back to the hotel it was time to unpack, that's when I found my Ukulele babes waiting.









Work on Monday, more soon from the road when we get back.

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Germany

Germany 2014

This trip will be almost a repeat of the trip we took in 2008 for my 60th birthday.

There are a couple of notable exceptions.

This time it will be only my friend and colleague James Wilbourn and me taking the trip.

We will not be going to Belgium.

There will be GPS in the vehicle.

No more driving down the street the wrong way and meeting the tram!

The timing is almost exactly the same.

We leave on November 29th and return on December 5th.

During the trip we will celebrate my 66th birthday!

I remember when we first met Barb and Leon, Barb had a helmet sticker that said:

Damn, I Got Old Quick

How right that was!

Some changes, this time we have a different pilot.

I'm not taking the Rolls after what happened last time.

Gretchen is staying home.

It probably will not snow.

The best ever Ambassador to Europe will be enjoying the Arizona sun.

A few of the gang will be missing.

I will add a few more candles to the birthday cake!
Erik, Thank you for the one in the picture.

Check the blog for updates as the trip progresses.

And,

Yes we will be working.

More of the never ending birthday!

More Parties

Friday night we re-celebrated Ms Annie's birthday along with the birthday of our good friend and neighbor Charles.

As usual, the celebration was arranged by the birthday gal, and I must say in retrospect, a great job she did too.

The crew assembled at a local Italian restaurant we all love, Que Pasta, not a truly Italian name but...

At least the waiter is really Italian, Luca is our favorite server in this place, a great guy with a beguiling scar on one cheek, gained in a duel perhaps?

As you can see Ms Monroe graced the event with her presence, OK it's not really the late Marilyn but at least she was late.

Put another candle on your birthday cake you are... well you know how it goes.

The things you see when you don't have your gun.

Thank you Fiona for the cake, it really raised some eyebrows, way to go girl.

The birthday duo together.

Just kids behaving badly. (With a combined age of 135 years)

The entire crew.

Brent gives Anne a twirl.

Doesn't he look like Bryan Ferry?

Moving on to Saturday Night

We had dinner on Saturday night with our friend Cherie and her family in Cerritos, more birthday celebrations.

This time even I made it on to one of the pictures.

See that grin, that's what happens when you are at the end of an extreme party season.

Thank you to you for sharing these great experiences with Anne and me.

We love you all.

The Never Ending Birthday

We seem to have been celebrating Anne's birthday for a month now!

Really it's just because she has had all kinds of different events going on.

I gave her my gifts on Wednesday, the day before her birthday.

 All in all they were very well received, several books, DVD, a map of Madrid and a guide to the Prado museum. (We plan to go to Madrid next year and a visit to the Prado is on the list).  She had to explain to her girlfriends that it was Prado, not Prada, as some of them were wondering if she would be buying any new dresses!

There was another small gift,

 A champagne stopper in the form of a leopard high heel shoe.  This last item is more for novelty value than anything else because she can usually polish off a bottle of champagne before it needs a cork to stop it from going flat!


On Friday we went to Long Beach in the afternoon and checked into the Westin Hotel on Ocean Blvd.

We planned ahead  to spend the night there and walk across to the Sky Room where we were having dinner.

This was the view from the room looking across to the Queen Mary.

The outdoor area next to the hotel (AKA smokers hangout)

Ready for the party, OK one of the parties.

The picture was taken in the hotel elevator by a BA flight attendant.

She was on her way to the airport for a flight back to London; best of luck with that airport.

Finally we were in the Sky Room.

We clean up pretty well for a couple of oldsters.

The whole experience was wonderful.

Good food, live music and dancing, what more could you ask for?

Well here is a good start.

Then the festivities were over and the check arrived.

Really! 

I expected it to be more.

To be continued.

Old Bikes and Old Guys

OC Vintage Bike Meet

Yesterday was the OC Vintage Bike Meet in Huntington Beach, a really great day with lots of participants and their bikes.

Three Honda CBX machines in attendance, a pretty unusual event in itself.

It just got me thinking and you know how dangerous that can be!

The bikes we like are called survivors, not tarted up and over restored but showing their age and maybe just a bit rough round the edges.

They may be a trifle incontinent and drip a little oil here and there, but so what? That's what happens.

This is where the thinking part came in. In fifty years time with a bit of luck and some TLC these bikes will still be survivors.

Most of us who were there yesterday...

Anyway that's enough thinking for one day.

Here's a couple of pictures.

This is a 1937 Big Base Indian speedway bike owned by the same man since 1940, he is now 94 and still running his own company.

A turbo charged 1000 cc six cylinder Honda CBX, the word rocket springs to mind.

A wonderful old BMW in very nice condition, it still leaks oil I'm pleased to say.

When I got home, I wanted to work in the shed Mk 1 for a while.

As you know the days are shortening and the nights cut in and darkness falls earlier and earlier.

So I have installed lights in the shed, next comes a heater so that I can work out there once winter really starts with a vengeance.

I'm thinking of ordering a snow blower from Amazon so that I can get out to the shed in January.

Sarcasm is just another of the services I offer!

Ciao Bella

Norm

Bank Notes

Bank Note Answer.

The portraits used on U. S. currency have changed over time. Portraits of former presidents of the United States typically adorn U. S. currency, although there are a few exceptions. The current notes are: 

$1 George Washington 1st president (1789-1797) no party 
$2 Thomas Jefferson 3rd president (1801-1809) Democratic-Republican 
$5 Abraham Lincoln 16th president (1861-1865) Republican 
$10 Alexander Hamilton * 
$20 Andrew Jackson 7th president (1829-1837) Democratic 
$50 U. S. Grant 18th president (1869-1877) Republican 
$100 Benjamin Franklin ** 

U.S. currency denominations in excess of $100 were last printed in 1945 and were officially discontinued in 1969, though they remain legal tender. 

$500 William McKinley 25th president (1897-1901) Republican 
$1,000 Grover Cleveland 24th president (1893-1897) Democratic 
$5,000 James Madison 4th president (1809-1817) Democratic-Republican 
$10,000 Salmon P. Chase *** 
$100,000 Woodrow Wilson 28th president (1913-1921) Democratic 

People depicted on U.S. currency who were not U. S. Presidents: 

* Alexander Hamilton (1755-1804) was one of the founding fathers of the United States. First Secretary of the Treasury (1789-1795) Hamilton was a noted economist, and political philosopher and served as Aide-de-camp to General George Washington during the American Revolutionary War. He was a leader of nationalist forces calling for a new Constitution and was one of America's first lawyers, Hamilton was the primary author of the Federalist Papers. 

** Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) was one of the founding fathers of the United States. He was a noted author, printer, satirist, political theorist, politician, scientist, inventor, civic activist, statesman, soldier, and diplomat. Franklin was U. S. ambassador to both France and Sweden and President of Pennsylvania (1785-1788). 

*** Salmon P. Chase was a U.S. Senator (1849-1855), Governor of Ohio (1856-1860), Secretary of the Treasury (1861-1864) and Chief Justice (1864-1873) and is regarded as being responsible for the current U.S. bank note system. Chase National Bank, later Chase Manhattan and currently J.P. Morgan Chase bank was named after him, though he had no interest in it. 

So now you know.

It is always a great feeling when you have a pocket full of Bens.

Velocette at the DMV

Today was the day for the visit to the DMV

For those of you on the other side of the pond, a visit to the DMV is like root canal surgery.

Something to be avoided if at all possible.

However with the requirements to register a motor vehicle and of course pay tax, registration fees, standing in line fees, fees for paying fees...

It is a necessary evil.

You know how it goes.

The Velocette was transported to the DMV on the back of my truck, but you must take it down from the truck and put it on the ground for the inspector.

Thanks to Girvan for providing the assistance with the loading and unloading and reloading of the bike.

Once verified, it was back inside the DMV for the paperwork. Fortunately I had made an appointment and did not have to wait in the "Stoopid" line.

I have to say that despite their reputation, the people I encountered who worked for the DMV were both efficient and polite. Which is more than can be said for most of the customers!

I left with the temporary registration document which allows the Velocette to be ridden legally until January. 

Of course the great State of California wants a few pictures of dead presidents for the privilege of having this temporary document.
I must admit that I was a bit surprised at just how many they wanted!!!!!!!!!!

OK, now we just have to wait for the deadbeats in Sacramento to send the permanent documents and the tags.

Here is a quick question for you American trivia fans:

"Name someone whose face appears on the front of a US Treasury bill who was never President"

Enjoy your weekend.


On Sunday we are headed for the OC Vintage bike meet.
I'll send a report about that later.


Ciao Bella,

Norm

Five Bikes In One Day

Wrench Guys Rule

Check the link at the bottom of the page to see a short video on You Tube.
I set myself the goal of starting all of the bikes in one day, the video is the proof of success.




On Saturday we took the Yamaha to have its' first run on the dyno and considering this was right out of the box we were quite happy with the nominal 45HP produced.
Now we have to go back to the design stage so that we can add fuel injection and  a blower.

Despite a clutch problem and a coolant leak we judged the day a success.

Here is the junior member of the team, Kai.

 I sure hope that we get the Yamaha completed before he wants to ride it.

However, he shows a lot of promise, he does not mind getting his hands dirty.

I'm not sure what Mom thinks of that!

Video  Link.


Five Bikes

Ciao Bella

Norm

The Tourists Go Home

All too soon it was time to take them back to LAX

The saloon at closing time.

Aw! ain't that cute!

At the airport ready to go.

Well, ready or not the pilot was.

So off you go...

"We'll meet again..."

Imagine violins in the background and the voice of Vera Lynn.

We must bid you

Auf Wiedesehen, Pet