Rest easy mom, the bikes are gone...

Empty nest indeed.
My mom always worries about me having motorcycles because they are dangerous.
She worries about me drag racing, road raging, 130 MPH straightaways with hard braking in corners at ridiculous speeds and passing in non passing zones and  splitting lanes in traffic. I don't blame her, sometimes I don't know why i'm still alive.
So mom, you can rest easy now, I'v sold the motorcycle.
With the need in my life for toys that make my mom nervous, I didn't last long before replacing the bike with a little slower vehicle.
We bought a boat.
Not a speed boat, nothing too fast, nothing too scary.
We bought a fishing boat, an Aquasport 175 Osprey with a 90 HP Johnson. It tops out at 40MPH.
More sedated than the breakneck speeds of Harley Davidson powered Buell motorcycles.
We live on an 8 square mile island with thousands of miles of reef around us.  It just makes sense that we take advantage of the bounty of the ocean.
Fishing for permit, snapper, grouper, and cobia and deeper water fish like tuna and mahi-mahi.
Spearfishing too. That's the only way to catch tasty hogfish.
So mom, rest assured that were not driving fast and taking as many chances.
All you have to worry about now is sneaky storms, getting lost, running aground, sharks, and mild cases of drowning...
Dont worry mom,  we have life jackets.
Lets hope we dont have to use 'em!

...empty nest blues

I sold my last motorcycle today.
Its a sad day indeed.

I have had as many as 7 bikes at any one time in the garage in the last few years. Some ride-able  some projects, some ride-able projects.
Slowly; I've either lost interest, finished and sold them or just plain gotten rid of them one by one.
I also sold my mountain bike...
I think I was more sad to see that one go.
Its amazing what you don't need here in Key West.
I am keeping the Vespa though. White lightning is running as good as ever.
It really rattles alot but its a good ol' scoot... Its gonna rust out like everything does around here. It's kind of a shame as the Vespa is 34 years old. But all good things will pass. Like owning a fleet of motorcycles or too many bicycles... or living in Key West...
Although the wife reminded me today why I sold the bike.... it was to finance a little fishing boat...
so keep a watchful eye out for the next installment... afloat!

Vespas in paradise and other ramblings

Life is a funny.
Its funny what what people do to simplify their lives.
I wanted a simpler life.
I needed a simpler life. Slower. Mellower.
I needed a place I could get back inside myself and let go of anger and frustrations I have been feeling for a long time... Ive been cold, indifferent and not the father and husband I wanted to be. So I made a change.

Key west has been calling my name for a number of years. The little island with big charm.
Fishing, relaxing, kicking it back "Buffett" style. Although not really MY style. As most of you know, I'm high strung. (all 0 of you reading this).
I was close to moving here in 2007 when i lived in Fort Myers, Fl.. It was a twist of fate and a rash decision to move home, back to Beaver County . Yeah, THE SAME beaver county, TOUGHER THAN GOD.
Fast forward 4 years, 8 months and 4 days. I picked up my family and left everything I know and love including my relatives and all of my friends.
I took them 1355 miles so I could simplify my life and to find something within myself again.
I think that i'm finding lots of things.
For starters, Im finding that I don't need all the stuff I've been hoarding for years, stacking in my garage, in the basement and under the bed. It was hard but I detached myself from a lot of it and I sold, tossed or gave away a virtual ton of good shit I just didnt need anymore. It was liberating and my first step in simplifying my life.
Im finding that its increasingly hard for me to relax. (again, Im high strung.) but I feel that this will soon fade as I find that thing inside myself.
Im finding that I like seeing a beautiful sunset every day. I cant recall the last time I looked forward to seeing something as simple as a sunset.
Watching a sailboat cruise across the horizon and disappear into the setting sun is amazing.
Its like the key west version of "stopping to smell the roses". Its awesome.

To further simplify my life, I bought a little white 1979 vespa. I always wanted a cool little Vespa scooter. I know that "cool scooter" is a contradiction but its entirely possible. The main form of transportation down here is disposable Chinese scooters.  Nothing like the sexy little Italian I brought with me.

I may possibly have the fastest and coolest scooter on the island.  Here is a picture of it by Smathers beach. This was one of my first days after we moved here. I was actually lost even though I was about a miles from my apartment complex, I had no idea where I was. This island is only 2x4 miles. Not real easy to get lost in but I somehow managed to.
Anyway, my old vespa, or as a former co worker called it "white lightning", is my "simplified" form of powered transportation. I got rid of my car. I havent beeen without a car since I was 17 years old. I guess i have always needed one until now.

My bicycle is my main mode of getting around now. As most people around here realize, cars are stupid, unnecessary and far from simple. Most everyone in Key West is either walking, riding a scooter or riding a bicycle. Bikes are everywhere, its worse than Portland. They are literally all over.  Most are kmart cruisers, some are painted all one color  or decorated with colored duct tape. Some just bare frames hanging on a stop sign attached only by a cable lock! All of them are rusty. But thousands of people are all riding a bike everywhere. Recently, I saw a guy moving a set of 4 chairs in his handlebar mounted basket! I have no idea how he was able to see. Its nuts.
That Lemond poprad cross/commuter bike I bought all those years ago from Keith is now a daily driver and a really is a perfect island ride. Its light, sits upright, has fenders, a loud ringy brass bell and is super comfortable. Of course, most of all, its simple.
I added a pull behind trailer that I got from Kevin. Its perfect for Donovan. He absolutely loves it.

It may take some time to learn to relax down here and try to live a simpler life and to enjoy all the things that life and nature has to offer. Its beautiful here, it shouldn't be too hard. If  I can find myself again and learn to grow and appreciate what I have and keep life simple it will all have been worth all the hassle.