FOLLOW-UPS, UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS VI

Re: Bike Shop in the Shopping Mall:

http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2012/04/bike-shop-in-shopping-mall-bully-of.html

Originally posted April 26, 2012

Passing through Sacramento’s Down Town Plaza shopping mall recently, I noticed that, while the signage is still up, the backsides of the PowerSports display windows are papered over.  Inside the displays still rest (as of late June) a Vespa 150, a Piaggio three-wheeler and a motorbike or two, along with related clothing and gear.  Unfortunately, not being able to sell machines out of the site – due perhaps to poor test riding conditions on city streets – a sign in the window indicates the mall store will reopen for the holiday season and invites people to visit their main store in Elk Grove.  While still a boffo marketing idea, I’m sure it is tough to staff such an outlet on the proceeds from t-shirts, ball caps and the occasional Shoei helmet or logoed leather jacket.  I look forward to seeing them again in November.

In the meantime, if some entrepreneur were gutsy (or foolish) enough to open up a Fiat-studio-pizzeria-restaurante-gelato-Italian-dress-and-shoe-shop and Moto Guzzi outlet in western Placer County, CA, I’m sure something there would entertain my lovely spouse while I drooled over the bikes.

Re: Celebrating Arnold Horshack:

http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/celebrating-arnold-horshack-and-those.html

Originally posted August 15, 2012

Early on in my teaching, the woman who had been my fourth grade teacher years before (we’ll call her Nasty Ol' Mrs. Smith), was part of a visiting Monitor and Review Team on our campus.  [Back in that day, MAR Teams visited campuses to peer review the practices of neighboring elementary schools, ensuring compliance with state and federal regs and providing feedback on the teaching and learning witnessed during the visit.  Under a different acronym, the practice is still in place today.  It’s a good thing.]  My old fourth grade teacher saw me sitting in the staff room and asked: "What are YOU doing here?"  I said, "Teaching."  She flushed and replied, "Oh my God."  I guess I was her Arnold Horshack.

Re:  Clearwater Krista Running Lights: 

http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2012/08/clearwater-krista-running-lights.html

Originally posted August 18, 2012

I took a little dusk/evening ride home from a meeting the other night - first opportunity to check out the Kristas. Here are my "findings":

·      With the GSA's Hi beam on and the Kristas at full, more than a few drivers flashed.

·      With the GSA's Hi beam off and the Kristas at full, same result.

·      With the GSA's Hi beam on and the Kristas ratcheted down about half way, no one seemed annoyed.

·      With the GSA's Hi beam off and the Krista's off, I felt at a disadvantage against the lurking, inky blackness. EEEK!

At about half strength, the Kristas give what I would estimate to be about 150 yards of illumination to the shoulders of both sides of the road. Full blast, as someone on Pashnit (a fabulous motorcycle touring forum) commented, you can see a great distance. I'd estimate 1/4 mile. The Pashnit response said 1/2 mile. Not sure.

Degree or width of beam? Someone suggested 30 degrees. Can't say for sure. Just know that there is greater illumination than I experienced with the stock running lights on. I like being able to see what's going on on the shoulders of the roadway. I think the Clearwaters are a great improvement over what came on the BMW, however, it will take some time to learn to reach for the dimmer dial on the Kristas - which requires moving the left hand from the grip - than moving a thumb to dim the Hi beam.

These get a thumbs up from me.

o0o

PICTURE/POST CROSS-REFERENCE! Again: by popular demand (well, actually, one reader asked if this could be done) I have linked many of the pictures in the right hand column to the story in which they first appeared. By simply clicking on the picture, magic will happen, and that story will pop onto your screen. To quote Gomer Pyle: “Shazam!”

© 2012

Church of the Open Road Press

FOLLOW-UPS, UPDATES AND CORRECTIONS V

Navigating the Church of the Open Road Blog-site

PICTURE/POST CROSS-REFERENCE! By popular demand (well, actually, one reader asked if this could be done) I have linked many of the pictures in the right hand column to the story in which they first appeared. By simply clicking on the picture, magic will happen, and that story will pop onto your screen. To quote Gomer Pyle: “Shazam!”

Further, at the bottom of each post is a list of labels. By clicking on a word in the list, “Shazam, agin!” stories related to the one you’ve read, the place where the story took place or the road taken will appear.


MORE ABOUT PHOTOGRAPHS found in posts: The vast majority of the photographs in the posts are those of the author. By clicking on any photo, it will expand – Gomer? – and provide a strip of photos related to that post with front and back arrows. Why it needs to do this, I don’t know. But many of the pictures look better when they’re bigger. Sorta like a one-per center’s stock portfolio.

WHEN A POST HAS ONLY A PICTURE of the old typewriter, know that the post is opinion and likely non-motorcycle tour oriented. The author would opine that he is pretty middle-of-the-road on politics. Neo-conservative readers will argue this point. True liberals wish he’d just keep his mouth shut.


REGARDING THE MARCH 17TH POST: Why Local Boards Make Lousy Choices http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2012/03/why-local-boards-make-lousy-choices.html was published that day in the Sacramento Bee. Thanks, Editor Reed for the ink. I’m looking forward to hearing from the Pulitzer folks any day now. Comments from readers outside my corner of the blogosphere proved to be interesting.


REGARDING THE FEBRUARY 27TH POST: Why Our Democracy Doesn’t Work http://thechurchoftheopenroad.blogspot.com/2012/02/why-our-democracy-doesnt-work.html got at least one concept wrong. The uptick in gasoline prices, true, has little to do with actions taken by Mr. Obama, as his opponents may claim. But sinister oil folks are not exactly manipulating the prices either. The fact of the matter is that US oil companies can make more money exporting refined gasoline to markets overseas than they can by selling it here. The price of gasoline here at home is influenced by demands elsewhere on the globe. Damned inconvenient, capitalism is.


NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS AT WORK: I long ago resolved not to make New Year’s resolutions. But since I no longer answer the bell, I had to do something to keep myself on some sort of straight and narrow. So now, posted where I can’t avoid looking at ‘em, is a to do list. Some of the components include

Writing and Literacy:

• Compose no more than two blog posts per week. Proof ‘em better to reduce errors.
• No more than one in every four post should relate to politics, but at least one in four should be non-motorcycle/non-travel in nature because life isn’t all about a breezy spring day on a strip of asphalt on a finely crafted and balanced European motorcycle.
• Finish reading a book every two weeks. (Already falling short of that one.)
• Find a local fiction writers group to attend regularly. (Found one – but not attending regularly enough.)
• Dust off the “Pug LeBreaux” novel draft; get a good rewrite done and hand it off to an editor or a publisher. This is why you can’t afford to spew out so many blog posts in a week. (In progress.)

Self-Actualization:

• Ride the bikes regularly. Give each equal time. Practice riding in the rain. Wear all the gear all the time: ATGATT.
• Exercise more. (Not doing it.)
• Acquire less. (Doing it.)
• Patronize locally owned businesses. (The cigar store is locally owned.)

Family Stuff:

• Repair the brickwork out back that’s been sagging for six-and-a-half years. (That took less than three hours.)
• Fix the roof and the side door to the garage. (Okay! Okay! Quit nagging myself about it!)
• Digitize mom and dad’s slides. (On going.)

FINALLY, to those who read the blog regularly, “Thanks.” Your comments and feedback - whether directly to this site or to a linked site - are part of the conversation and make the effort worthwhile.  Thanks also, for sharing with your friends and doubters.

© 2012
Church of the Open Road Press