Friday dawned crystal-clear - I mean it was a beautiful day! I was "working" (not that driving a ride-share is actual work) when my friend Terry called. He was out walking his dog, Charlie. "I'm wearing pants today," he blurted right off the bat, which caused me to momentarily wonder if he usually did not wear pants when he walked his dog? It was an image I did not want to conjure up.
Ohhhhhh, pants as in "long pants" and not the shorts he usually wears. Imagine that cop on "Reno 911." Me, I almost never wear shorts. Don't know why. Maybe it's that cop on "Reno 911." And "board shorts" just look stupid on a 64 year-old man, even one in as great shape (round) as me. I mean, it's not like I'm gonna be grabbing my surfboard and hitting the tiny waves we get along the Lake of Mexico, brah'.
Once he cleared up the reason for him not wearing shorts that day, Terry then said, with great solemnity...
"Let's ride." (We do not ride in shorts.)
Okay, okay, I'm all about spontaneity. You don't have to twist my arm to ditch "work" and ride my motorcycle. I needed a good excuse though, so I told the boss I had screaming diarrhea and had to quit for the day. He bought it - such a sucker. Trouble was, I was out Ubering and stuck way over on the west side of town. I told Terry, "Let me drop this next trip and I'll head home." Which I did...and I did.
We met up at the usual rendezvous point and headed, of course, out to the beach. A week or so earlier, we had intended to hit up a place called Juana's on Navarre Beach for breakfast. But our plans got changed unexpectedly - my fault. And so two days ago the stars aligned and we headed thataway, for lunch this time.
At this point I would rhapsodize about riding down the beach road between Pensacola and Navarre, but you've all heard me blather on and on (and on!) about it already. Suffice to say, it's a really nice ride. I don't normally like riding in just a polo shirt, but it really was too hot for a jacket. I did remember (for once) to put on some sunscreen before I left the house, however.
Juana's was great, as usual. I had a very messy guacamole/bacon burger and sweet potato fries, which I never liked until I had them at The Club up in Washington State. Now I love 'em. Weird.
On the way home, the weather out in the Gulf started looking really ominous. By the time we turned northbound towards our respective homes, storms were a-brewing! So our timing was pretty good - this time.
My ride-share passengers will often remark about how it must be nice to "work when you want," as Uber proclaimed in their ads back in the beginning when they needed drivers. I correct them. That's not it at all. The great thing about Uber is that I can not when I don't want to. It's a subtle but important difference.
Who Am I?
- Bob Barbanes:
- A nobody; a nitwit; a pilot; a motorcyclist; a raconteur; a lover...of life - who loves to laugh, who tries to not take myself (or anything) too seriously...just a normal guy who knows his place in the universe by being in touch with my spiritual side. What more is there?
2 comments:
I used to have a bike (Yamaha) that I so enjoyed riding on days like we've been having the last couple days. But after nearly getting run over twice by others in bigger vehicles, I decided I didn't want to tempt fate a third time and sold it. I still carry the endorsement on my driver's license and maybe someday I might get another bike, (a better one than last) but it will probably wait until the kids are out of the nest and not dependent on me so much.
Ed, there is no doubt that motorcycling is risky. If I had a wife and kids, my attitude toward it might be different. We riders are so very vulnerable. In any kind of accident, the rider (and passenger if there is one) will bear the brunt of the injuries.
But then again, flying is risky too, and I've spent my whole adult life as a commercial pilot. I've had two crashes and three mechanical failures that resulted in *VERY* close-calls. If I had a wife and kids, my attitude toward flying might be different as well.
So life is full of risks. We adults understand this, and we work to manage and mitigate those risks as best we can. As a motorcyclist, I don't ride at night anymore. As a pilot, I've been offered flying jobs that I've turned down because the perceived risk was too high. Then again, I drive a ride-share and don't wear a mask(!). Some would say that is too big a risk.
I don't have all the answers, but I know that riding a motorcycle has always given me incredible joy and reward. And so I'll keep doing it until I physically cannot anymore.
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