Thought of the day?

While listening to a radio show (Coast to Coast AM), Glynnis McCants (The Numbers Lady) was on the air.  She was talking about numerology and what those numbers mean.  During her time on the show she talked about something that truly relates to this quote, and that's when I found this quote.

Some people believe in coincidences, some think it's just chance.  This follows along the same line in that people keep dwelling on older thoughts and clinging to long held memories thinking, hoping something will change.  Nothing won't change until let go of the things which hold us back.

We're not down trodden.

We're not taken advantage of.

We're what we think we are, nothing more, nothing less.

So live to this statement, it'll be YOUR legacy.

C.G. Jung Quote

Tale of Two Scooters

Today we're going on a journey of two scooters that were linked together for a brief moment of time  One part of the scooter is the one featured in this blog post, and the other is my Aprilia Scarabeo 500 which carry with me.

The great scooter club I belong to, Firkin Scooter Club, sent me marching with a stern, and very serious, directive.  That directive was to keep an eye out for an older scooter that could be refurbished for possible use as a raffle prize at the rally.  It is with this directive in mind that the tale begins.

After I left the Ann Arbor, MI area (home of Zingenman's, and my post) started heading east again.  Decided to stop around Jefferson, OH as there's a great little Thousand Trails Campground there.  Stayed here for two or three weeks and had some memory issues while there.

Also while in Jefferson, made contact with a nice older gentleman who we'll call Bob (forget his name).  Bob came out and checked out my scooter while was in a grocery store parking lot (he worked inside).  We got to talking and Bob told me of his childhood and riding a scooter out on an island where his grandparents had a summer home.  You could see the joy in his eyes as he was reliving that.  Soon as he told me which scooter it was, a Lambretta, I immediately remembered my directive and asked him if he was willing to part with the scooter, for a good cause.

We exchanged numbers then I went east to Buffalo then back down to Connecticut where said a final goodbye to Mia.  At this point Bob and I traded pictures, I went back and forth with the Scooter club, and finally Bob and I settled on a price.

Lambretta

 

When I made my mad dash West, swung briefly by Bob's in Jefferson and the meat of the saga begins.  Didn't really have a place to put the Lambretta so cleaned off the couch in preparation for it.  Figured it would have a nice and comfy, not to mention safe, ride on the couch.  Well, this is the truly the start of a "bond" between my scooter and the Lambretta.

Bob and I managed, with some effort, to get scooter inside and situated on the couch.  We completed the business end of things, title, cash, etc., and off I went.  As a side note, went to what was left of Bob's farm and this scooter was in the old barn, dusty and unmoved since brought back from the island soo many years ago.

We (new scooter and I) didn't get very far before something struck, well, me turning a corner and the scooter went toppling over. (ssshh, don't tell the Firkin's).  I drove with the Lambretta on it's side for quite a few miles until got to a place where could right it.  When did raise it from the side, I also sashayed it to the floor in the walkway from the front to the back.  I was hoping not to do this though it stayed this way until the end.

Not thinking about it anymore continued my journey to a little store called Better N Bulk, just off the main road (and south of a Waffle House).  Came here to get some bread, Amish butter, and couple other things for the trip.  The lady who owns the store also owns quite a few head of cattle and sells that meat in her store.  Of course, after hearing this, I had to pick some up.  It's very very difficult to get better food than from small family owned farms.

All strapped up

I took a right, and another right, out of Better N Bulk, going along the side road to the main road.  Didn't want to bother crossing the double lane road as was kinda busy that day (and there was cheap diesel down this road (thanks to GasBuddy)).   Well, come to find out, less than half a mile later someone comes up behind me frantically flashing their lights (turns out it's a he).  This is because my scooter fell over...I didn't grab a picture of it until after righted it, and secured best as I could.

It took some doing, and a painful lesson, to get scooter loaded back on.  When it fell off, one of the straps (by rear tire closest to engine) snapped somehow.  The strap holding throttle side down tried to keep scooter upright, but the handlebar gave way and the whole thing went careening on it's side.  While the scooter didn't fully fall off (was held in place by one strap and something else I think), did drag it on the side for a while.  Thinking about it tonight have a feeling the tie down strap snapped while turning the corner, at which point it fell, and I didn't notice it till saw the headlights.

close-up

 

The painful lesson I learned was holding the piece of metal that was scraping against the asphalt.  I held onto this while lifting up so it pressed into my flesh between two fingers (where it forms a V).  This is a tender area and well, you know the rest.  Uber pain for quite awhile.

After getting scooter secured as I could we continued our journey, checking rearview camera frequently for next couple hours.

Now, fast forward a week or two as I arrive around Portland, OR.  Stopped at a truck stop, which I normally did, in Troutdale, OR.   There are couple truck stops in a row, if memory serves me.  The one I stayed at is a TA, Truckstop America.  Here the synchronicity between my scooter and the Lambretta clicked for me..

I spent the night at this truckstop and woke up in the morning to begin work.  I decided to go inside to get breakfast, but when stepped outside looked to the rear and saw the backend of my scooter laying on the ground.  Befuddled I sauntered back and saw this sight (after cleaned things up a bit)...

Straps, straps everywhere

An album of the scooter images is here, scroll down and will see all I took at this truckstop.

Lookie at cute hole...

What I gather happened, is that they wanted to steal my Scarabeo 500 so the straps were cut and it was pulled off the back.  After being pulled off the back the would be people who wanted it noticed that the handlebar was all dorked up (see above).  At this point they were probably upset to have wasted time so a decision was made to show their displeasure that I was carrying a severely damaged scooter and the tires were slashed.

Wound up filing a police report and contacting main corporate office of Truckstop America (as manager didn't really care).  My contact with the truckstop (and corporate) was only to inform them what occurred and not to cause a rukkus or seek any damages (pretty sure it's a park at own risk place).


It finally clicked that the Lambretta I was carrying started getting impatient and wanted to get to it's new home.  The Lambretta had two flat tires and it probably had a feeling that it was stolen, yet it wasn't (had original title).  It had to tell me, in some manner, to get going.

Am sure people will look at me quizzically now that am writing it down, but I truly believe that the Lambretta I was carrying had a personality attached to it.  This personality wasn't truly mean, but it wanted to be recognized, and remembered.  I am also guessing that it somehow got attached to the scooter within the barn when it was sitting there for so long.  Feel free to disagree, no matter how vehemently people disagree it won't change my feelings.

It took me until arrived in Florida (think November 2014) to get everything to replace scooter handlebars with (tires were easy from American Motorcycle Tire).  This was about a 5-6 month time frame.  However, I would like to send a big Thankyou to NW Motor Scooters who I ordered the handlebars from.  After a rocky start they came through big time and am quite happy with the final result.  So many thanks again!

FINAL note:  This happened last year.  Can't believe how long it's been since have updated blog.  About to get on road again so need to clear things up and shake off that funk.

Solomon's Castle

It's been a long while since have been here.  Arrived early, way too early, as there wasn't a single car in the parking lot so I got my pick of spots.  Of course, picked one closest to the entrance.

I don't remember all the details so this post will be shorter than average, but did want to highlight a couple of things.

Exterior view

With exception of a little help on things that were too big, or required specialized items, the owner/artist of Solomon's Castle did everything himself.  The shiny-ness that is the exterior of the building is actually used printing plates from one of the local newspapers.  If were to look on other side of it would see news for that day in the aluminum.

Choo Choo

One thing that truly amazed me is all the sculptures, and other artwork, he has made, seemingly from junk.  Wish I was able to get his creative inspiration and do things like saw on the tour, like this train.  In the album can see another picture of the inside of it.

Scream

Last item I'll highlight (but take note of the chess set) is this framed thing he did.  It's a replica of a famous painting, but pretty sure it's more of a sculpture instead of a painting.  One of my old co-workers who helped me learn COBOL (thanks Frank) was a huge fan of the original artist that made it famous.

Will be leaving Florida in a month or so to start my westward trek.  Really miss the west coast!  It's starting to get warm and icky here....

More Breakthroughs

This past weekend, well, Friday and Saturday, I attended Nikken's 40th Anniversary Celebration in Orlando, Florida.  It is hard to believe this company has been around so long, yet their vision remains largely unchanged.  The vision includes an understanding that total wellness rests on the 5 Pillars of Health. Healthy Body, Mind, Family, Society and Finances.

I did get some great realizations.  In no particular order:

• Forgiveness is Key, for those that can forgive, and right any wrongs, will excel in the end
• "If we wish to be a person of Greatness, there must be a stunning release of Love"
• Once identified, Purpose drives us.
• The side we feed the most (good or bad) is generally the one which wins

Forgiveness

I have been a person which remembers, for who knows how long, things that have caused me grief, and seek to avoid those situations with a passion.  This probably explains more than I care to admit, or remember, though is integral to my life.. Not sure why have always been like this, but will be finding out in due time.

In my notes, I have two entries about this.  Verbatim they are:
Forgive, and correct, yourselves
Forgiveness is key

Not really sure what triggered me to write those specific things down, or what was said before or after.  What matters is I thought it was important enough to jot down..

I would like to take this opportunity to truly forgive anyone who I believe could have wronged me, albeit direct relatives to corporate entities (they're "people" too), and anyone else.  I do not wish to be forgiven if other people believe I have wronged them, as that is not up to me.

I have carried some things way too long, and for some truly stoopid reasons.  Doesn't mean I'll go back to talking to them right away, probably eventually, but it's the first step in my reconciliation.

Surprising Story

One of the speakers at the event, Susan Carver, surprised me with an experience she shared about a recent trip to Central (South?) America.  It's a lesson that I feel the need to share, and giving her all the credit.  Might not get the whole story correct, or accurate, so please forgive me, the meaning for me is still accurate.

Susan was on a business trip to Central / South America, I want to say Peru but might be mistaken.  Her business building tour was coming to an end with couple more meetings and presentations left.  She had checked into a hotel in the city, got to her room, and something felt strange, odd, the energy wasn't quite right.

She then went back to front desk, checked out, and went to another hotel elsewhere.  When she got to the other hotel, asked if she could be taken to one of the rooms to get a feel on whether it was a good place or not.  After checking out the room and liking it, she and the bellman went back to the lobby to get her checked in.

Upon coming back to the lobby Susan saw a mother and her daughter in a corner of the lobby, crying.  Turns out the mother was staying at the hotel as her daughter was being treated at a local hospital for something, maybe cerebral palsy?  Can't remember the sickness exactly.  They were crying as mother had to leave the town (or hotel?) due to not being able to afford it.

Susan then invites her to a presentation she's putting on just to get the daughter on Nikken products.  Mother accepted and brought daughter to the event.  At the event, the daughter is put on a mattress pad with special comforter, and some other things to potentially help, in a separate room.  Susan ended her portion in the event sooner than normal to check on Mother and Daughter.  Turns out that the daughter was helped immensely, and I'll probably get this wrong, but the daughter was so relaxed just laying down that she was no longer scrunched up, and tense, from whatever was causing her problems.  She was so relaxed that the mother was able to lift daughter up on shoulder, like a rag doll, and mother was crying tears of joy.

This type of story is fairly common with Nikken products, but what caught me by surprise was what Susan said next.  It sounded like she, herself, purchased the items for the daughter that the mother couldn't afford.

Now, most, if not all, Nikken people are very generous.  However, for some reason, this struck a chord with me in that in my previous dealings with Susan it seemed like she was always all business and never showed compassion such as this.  Guess what, I dun goofed in my thinking.

Most every time I have heard her talk it's all about the business and nothing about the emotional side of the business, that is, helping the people, such as this lady's daughter.  Susan gave without thinking "what will I get in return".  She gave because it truly helped someone beam with hope where there was a dim dark future before.  It turns out Susan really benefited but didn't do it to benefit.

This, for me, is one of the meanings of life.

One Final Thought

Came across this cartoon on Reddit.

This quote is the topmost comment at the time I write this.

Wherever I've worked, my co workers and I knew that we, and those below us, were just wage slaves who cared somewhat about work quality, somewhat about customer satisfaction, but were mostly motivated by self interest.

Money.

Benefits.

Perks.

But there was an insidious assumption---we all seemed to believe that those ABOVE us were company men, loyal only to the cause. Whether they fucked us, whipped us, fired us, there was a company driven rationale behind it.

But now I'm older, and i know: it's self interest all the way up.

Self interest at for profits and non profits, self interested doctors, lawyers, judges, CEOs, mayors, governors, congressmen, senators, and presidents.

Those CEOs would rather sit pretty on a slow boat than row on a fast one, and if sinking the ship means they get their own islands, the ship is going down.

You can explain ago much behavior This way, and its the first place I look when trying to understand why something is happening.

It explains sweat shops and homelessness and the Koch brothers and Kim Jong Un and Nicholas Cage's career choices.

People's loyalty is first and foremost to themselves, and a mission statement is nothing but a convenient smoke screen.

Self sufficiency

 My whole life, well, ever since can remember, have been keen to be able to do everything myself, without having to rely on others.  This is because, when rely on others, something generally breaks down in the process.  This breakdown could be no fault of either party, just something happened, but yet impacts view of the people we relied on.  This has been my religious belief up until now.

This is one of the main steps I need to overcome, mentally, and is a key part of The Meaning, and also a key piece in my self improvement.  Not truly sure what kicked off my need to be a fully self contained unit, maybe something in childhood, maybe past life experiences, really unsure.  It has persisted my whole life, not being able to open up, always building a wall around myself, not letting anything, or anyone, in, and very rarely letting anything out.

Some of the recent turning points was when jotted down The Meaning, as well as loss of both my cats, my companions for 18 (or so) years, Pia (Pia 2) and Mia., and some recent legal items.  These life events were very substantial (at least to me), in that have never experienced them before.  I've always insulated myself from things, and people, so that would never experience the ups and downs like have on this trip so far.  I couldn't deny the emotions that crept over me, or more like flooded me.

There was a specific word thought of several days ago when came to this realization that we can't be self sufficient in everything we do, yet can't recall it now.  We need support, we need to ask people, we need a lot of things that one person cannot fully provide.  Examples would be diaper changing (infancy), work (for most people), any relationships, and pets.

If I wasn't so bent on being the only one I can depend on, there are a lot of things that would be different in my life right now.  But, this all boils down to some mental blocks that are still holding me back from being able to rely on others.  Scatter is helping me immensely with this as we speak.  He is doing things Pia and Mia would do, but I would always push them away, yet I accept him.  It's strange how this all works.

I don't think this holding back is due to trust issues, as I really do trust most people, probably more than I should.  It's now a matter of retrieving the mental blockage, acknowledging what happened, then releasing and letting it go.  It's simple as that, but the first key is memory, remembering and unlocking it...


Now it's time to find the key....

Image taken from this blog post.

Valentine's Day

A typical gift, from what I gather, on Valentine's day is chocolate, and what better place to get chocolate that melts in your hand, and not your mouth, than Florida.  Yes, know got that reversed, just a poke at the warm and humid environment here.

There is a chocolate store I was recommended to go to, by same person who suggested I go to Zingerman's, in Florida, specifically in Ft Myers.  Now, being the intrepid person I am, had to venture into the unknown lands of a chocolate connoisseur,  As a caveat, I went here week or so ago, not sure if they're open today.

A chocolate store?

Enter, stage left, Norman Love's Confections.  Truly the best, and prettiest, chocolate I have had the pleasure of tasting.  Sure, there are some rivals to this, like the wholesomeness found in Theo's Chocolates (they have factory tours), or the smoothness of some European brands, but this is special.

Have some good friends wintering in Florida and they're within spitting distance of the store.  I made a day trip to check out what all the fuss was about, and my oh my, was splendidly surprised.  Now, have a confession to make, person who told me about this place also gave me one of their chocolates, and I was blown away, even with it being dark chocolate.  Not by the wonderfully satisfying dark chocolate piece, but by their generosity in freely giving up one of their best treasures!

Delivery too?

My first impressions upon seeing the building was it's so TINY, really tiny.  At the moment there was a line 15 people deep waiting to get chocolate and it snaked through the store to the front door.  Was amazed at how small the store truly was.  When enter, on the right is store area and on left is a small seating area, like a cafe (they had a small solid chocolate alligator on the shelf).

Yumminess inside

After a short while wandering around and checking things out, hopped in line to get some true goodness.  I got the mix n match and truly have no idea what I mixed and matched.  One was banana something, another had a fruity type thing (cherry or strawberry?).  They're truly like works of art, each and every one is done to perfection.  Due to the line went rapidfire to get my box filled (16 or 24) with these works of art, naming things at random that looked (really, they all were) great and the names on the panel sounded tasty (to me).

After picking out chocolates there was also a selection of baked goods like croissants (told the almond one is to die for), cookies, brownies, etc.  I chose to go with a good ole standby, the chocolate chip cookie.  This cookie was nothing have ever tasted before.  It was great, and while not the best, will go down in the memory banks as being a very good one.  Nice and think and scrumptious with a flavor all it's own.

Dark chocolate sampler

As my camera was misbehaving (due to phone software), was unable to capture more pictures of the interior, and the display cabinet, but suffice to say there was all sorts of things on display, from chocolates to pastries, to little deserty things, and each one was a piece of artwork.  Truly felt guilty biting into my little chocolate pieces, until that taste flowed throughout my mouth.

And, to top it all off, there is more goodness to be had elsewhere in this area.  Next door in a little strip mall type place, they have an Artisan Gelato store.  Not much to say about gelato other than it was very delicious.  I don't pretend to be a gelato expert, and have only had it twice before, but this was excellent.  Once was when in Barcelona (or someplace in Spain) and the other was at place off one of the ferry stops in Washington state (north of Seattle).  Had the mint chocolate chip with a dap of cookie something.

At back of the chocolate store (not gelato place) was the kitchen where it seems like all the chocolates are made.  It wasn't a factory per se, but more like a commercial kitchen, with what looked like everything being hand crafted.  Couldn't really see too much in there, though people were working and saw some dirty (guessing) chocolate molds stacked haphazardly on end of the counter.  These molds could've just been waiting to be filled?  Not sure.  There were quite a few people in the kitchen toiling away, was interesting to watch for a brief minute.

If ever I have the need to send chocolates to someone, anyone, can rest assured they'll be getting some Love'in from Norman Love's!

I leave this entry with a picture of MY chocolates...  Hearts and all..

Self Development in Far Eastern Wyoming

Most everything I've done over the past year or so, ever since starting this RV Lifestyle, has to do with The Meaning.  This meaning is becoming clearer with each passing day and experience.  This past summer I was hanging around my parents place in Connecticut, waiting for word on a commitment I had.  After received word that I was "off the hook" for this commitment, boogied straight towards Idaho/Wyoming border, with a brief stop in Ohio to pick up a scooter, a scooter with a presence.

The scooter isn't reason for this entry though, it is the weekend I spent in Wyoming.  Strange that only way to get there was through Idaho.  It was so remote wasn't even given an address to get there, only some vague directions down a long (and I mean LOOONG) road far away from civilization.  There was still some semblance of cell phone service here, though had to be in one specific location.  Any deviance from said location resulted in no signal at all.

Road to goodness?

Here is the general location of where we were at.  It is a little North East of Driggs, ID.  There is a dirt road that goes off into the mountainous area where people do wildernessy things.  As the picture shows we were very remote, though had electricity out here.  When I took the right to come into the location, ran into a HUGE pothole that rocked the RV back and forth violently.  It was so rough broke one of the wardrobe doors, and the mirror that it contained..

If it wasn't for the cold temperatures and snowfall, this location would've been the top place I would live, even surpassing Vashon Island.  It was beyond beautiful and the couple pictures I have doesn't even come close to doing it justice.

Trees everywhere!

I was packed right above a babbling "brook", more like a tiny river.  The river reminded me of a similar one I saw in Germany as headed towards the Neuschwanstein Castle (or some other castle in that area).  That stream had pure blue water coming down from the glaciers.  It was wonderful to see and one of the treasures of Germainy!

Sweet river o' mine

I spent some of the free time I had just sitting near the stream and listening to the water babble, gurgle, and just make watery noises.  It is like the water was alive, and not in the freaky sense.  While this isn't a good picture, it's straight out, and down, from the entrance to my RV and the river.  River was a good 15 feet below where I was parked.

This was a "typical" Humans Being More course, put on by Nikken, yet it was different.  All the portions that were feasible to do outside we did outside.  Once or twice it decided to rain when we were out.  Will definitely do this again next time it's offered!

My partner during this class closely resembled another friend I met during the permaculture course I attended in Montana, right down to mannerisms and beliefs.  She was there with her husband and they didn't take the course together, which is recommended for the first time.  During dinner the first night I actually got a feeling why they didn't take course together.  Though at the end he seemed completely changed!  This is why I feel everyone should attend the course regardless if they're affiliated with Nikken or not.

Ever since attending this one course I've been keeping a journal of sorts.  This journal identifies the items I want to have happen.  Out of this list I've been keeping, quite a few have already happened with more yet to come!