Modern Vespa

Pouncing on his prey.

(Not the best of photos but it is classic Bruno).

My 13" wheels and tires i ordered from Falan on 31 october sent DHL 3-day Express are finally arriving today.

The color palette in the Museum, Gelato!
The depth transports

Just realized my China visa in my old passport is actually good until September 2025. Now I don't have to go through that miserable G3 visa process.

I miss the shady effective travel agent I used to use in Oakland.

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The Mule Deer along Wyoming Hwy 450 chose to not stand, walk, or run in front of the mine bus this morning.

As always in these situations, I was cheered up by their casual indifference to the 50,000 pound juggernaut rolling by them at 70 mph.

Interesting fact: When dogs use to run free, they mostly chased all wild animals out of urban areas. With the introduction of leash laws (Dogs must be on a leash when out of the house), all form of wild animals are everywhere.

I have had fox, raccoons, deer, possum, beaver, coyotes, (everything but a bear) in my backyard. The local police actually hunted and killed the coyotes who were jumping fences and killing small dogs. I was sitting in my garage with the door open smoking a cigar when a coyote walk by half way up the drive way. At first, I thought someone had left their dog out. When I realized it was a coyote, I exclaimed "Holy Shit" and went inside and got my pistol. Although, I do understand, from our local police, that a coyote would generally not attack or approach a full grown adult. The reason they were hunted and killed was due to the small dogs being killed and mothers concerned about their small children playing outside in the fence enclosed backyard unsupervised.

That is the animal report from Lake Wobegon Minnesota.

Bob Copeland

Just a few weeks ago I got a panicked call from my wife. What appeared to be a sick or injured skunk had taken refuge in our back yard. We are right in the burbs. So, first of all, possibly rabid. Second of all, skunk. She wasn't going to touch it.

I called all the local agencies and none of them provide any type of service for those problems. They all told me I'd have to call a private pest control service.. I called several and finally got ahold of one that could help. He was even already in our neighborhood.

My wife said the guy who showed up in a beat up old truck must have been 80 if he was a day. He could hardly walk, but he ambled into the back yard with some tongs and a trash can and charged us $200.

It was like one of those bad spaces on "The Game Of Life" - Rabid skunk in your back yard. Pay Phil $200.

Veer away from politics folks, even jokes that touch on them. Sensitive times...

All I said was 'rabid skunk' ... sheesh.

No carrier pigeons were harmed.

I just now realized that the above is a haiku.

A grown woman who has technical mechanical experience. 55555

Yep.

Driving through Custer South Dakota yesterday, I discovered that the 25 foot tall 'Dino', THE last surviving vestige of the long defunct Flintstone's Village amusement park there, has been restored, and now stands alone, but proud and beautiful once again.

Before, and after...

Wish I was there. 😀

I just saw that and fixed it. Interesting typo though.

The Flintstone's Village amusement park in Custer, South Dakota, covered 62 acres, was opened in1966 and ran until 2015.

My wife and I made an impromptu stop at a familiar second hand shop this weekend. I'm always looking at musical instruments. So when I opened the cheap cardboard guitar case I wasn't expecting much. It took me 10 seconds to look at my wife and say, "This one's going home with me."

Japan era Alvarez model 4103 for $89. Not the deal of the century, but when I bought a set of strings at Guitar Center, the sales guy told me I stole it.

I strung it up and it's a right proper little classical guitar.

The back story is, I've beat on the other classical guitar in the picture for thirty years, always hoping for something better, but never pulling the trigger because I couldn't warrant the cost.

I think the right one just finally found me.

Also ... lots to be happy for today ... the FIAT got new shoes this week. I went with the Falken Aklimate. Good rating for all season performance, good EV roll rating, nice stopping distance. All at a decent price.

They feel great. Totally different than the worn out Firehawks I had.

Got my first pair of riding jeans, from bike shed. What a cool place, a little too cool for me, but the jeans look niiice, and come with ce-rated protectors:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C_7jwKXoaLZ/?igsh=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

Lol. Not too good at that. Almost like our deer on ice.

Riding to work a month ago a deer and fawn passed in front of me on a dry road. Doe did a quick U-turn when she saw me, fawn slipped and fell down which had to increase it's panic, but managed to scramble up and off with mom just before I got there....

You know you're in Australia when

"Bizarre scenes as snake on a plane delays Virgin flight to Perth"
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-11-21/snakes-on-a-plane-disrupts-virgin-flight/104631330

It's November the 21st, and I was able the ride Trixie's Triumph (chosen for it's medium height windshield and heated grips) up to Deadwood for coffee, a cup of chicken and rice soup, a delicious coffee cake and a conversation with a small group of old guys, the result being that almost certainly, we solved at least several of the world's
pertinent problems.

On the way home, I stopped off at a Deadwood casino, shoved a total of $120 into a slot machine, and took $303 back with me.

Altogether, a pretty decent time, perhaps even, dare I say it?........'Cheery'?

As I was about to depart from the casino, a very shiny black pickup truck that was parked next to the bike provided an interesting, if distorted, 'selfie' opportunity...

This should be table-worthy....

Fork that.

Ooooh, I can hardly contain myself...

Glad to see he's still playing out at clubs.


I remember seeing him play a set in the UK back in 94

Eggnog in my coffee, finally

enjoying reading about folks trying to install tires makes me smile.

I remember, when working at a Honda dealership, installing tires when the rims had rimlocks on them. Bitch-and-a-half!