Harley – Roxie Rides Again

Ride in Peace

May 12, 2018May 12, 2018 Roxie

Last weekend when Harley and I went out for a ride, we were hoping to see some of our riding friends we haven’t seen since last fall. As you all know, winter seemed to last forever and it was followed by a cold and wet spring, so we haven’t ridden much since last fall and were anxious to get out and see familiar faces and share some new stories.

One of my favorite things about riding is the people we meet along the way and the connections we have made with others we normally would have never known. Bikers and riders come from all walks of life but we all have one thing in common … the motorcycle. If you’ve got one it’s because you love it. And you love riding it. And you love talking about it with others who have one too.

It’s such a great feeling to come in from a hot, sweaty ride into a cool, dark bar and belly up to get an ice cold drink. And then the conversations begin. Sometimes it’s just us and the bartender and other times it’s a mixed bag of bikers, weekend riders and locals. We have met some super cool people because of the bike and I am proud to call them my friends.

We met Tophat a few years ago. He roared into a local bike night with loud pipes and a crazy getup. As he blasted by where Harley and I were sitting, we both did a double-take. Me: Was that guy wearing a top hat? Harley: Was that a skeleton tied to the back?

That would be a yes on both counts. Not only was he wearing a leather top hat, but the skeleton sitting on the back of his bike had on a long black wig and was wearing stilettos. To complete the look, on the back of his vest was a huge patch of a skeleton wearing a top hat. GOALS.

We decided then and there that we could never … ever … be as cool as this guy.

Not long after that night, we mentioned to someone that we had seen a dude riding a Harley and wearing a top hat and they said that we had seen Tophat. Everyone knew Tophat. And everyone who knew him liked him. He was funny as $hit. How do I know, you ask? Because we met him.

He was standing next to me in line one night and I thought, “O. Magawd. I’m standing next to Tophat!” So I looked kind of sideways at him and said (in a very Napoleon Dynamite way), “I like your hat.” And he turned to me with a huge grin and said, “Thanks!” I motioned for Harley to come over and we started a conversation that has lasted off and on for a few years.

You always knew when Tophat was pulling up because of his unmistakable silhouette. Not to mention the skeleton. And you always knew when Tophat was around, because his larger than life personality had everyone around him laughing and joking around. He basically caused a ruckus.

So when we were out for our maiden voyage of the year Sunday Funday ride last weekend we were really hoping to see Tophat. We don’t always see everyone every time we are out riding, but we looked for him at each stop nonetheless. Next week, we told ourselves… we will see him next week.

Next week will never come. We found out a few days ago that our friend passed away on Tuesday morning. Tophat’s real name was Justin. He had a life, friends and family who knew him so much better that we ever could. I don’t mean to diminish their loss by writing about my own sadness. I hope that they know how much we enjoyed his company and always looked forward to seeing him when we were out and about.

I’ve got to provide a disclaimer here for the picture. I did not take it and I do not know the person who did, but I found it on Facebook and it basically summed up Tophat as I knew him and I wanted to share it.

Next weekend we will all gather to honor Tophat’s life. Harley and I will forever remember how happy he made us that first night we met him because the coolest biker we’d ever seen welcomed us and made us feel like we were part of the local biking community. Tophat, you will be missed more than you know. Ride in peace, brother.

family

Right Now

April 15, 2018May 12, 2018 Roxie

The problem with not writing very often is that so much has happened since the last time I wrote I don’t know where to start. So I guess the best place to start is just right freaking now. Now. This very moment I am sitting in my cozy living room with Harley, watching the movie Logan and smelling the mouth-watering roast that has been cooking all day.

Out the window I see signs of spring on a wintery day. It’s April 15th and it’s 30 degrees outside but it feels like 17. Our weeping willow tree is barely showing sweet little leaves that have probably just frozen their nuts off. Yes, I know weeping willows don’t have nuts. But if they did, they would be freezing them off … literally and figuratively.

Rocket is running around like a psycho chasing a HUGE fly that somehow managed to escape the freezing weather and get inside. It’s so big I think I can see it’s fur. Three days ago it was 80 degrees and we had the air conditioning on and we had to switch it right from the A/C over to the heat. Rocket can be a spaz, but when it comes to fly-hunting, he is right up there with Mr. Miyagi. You remember him … the patient, chop-stick-wielding, fly-hunting karate teacher in The Karate Kid? I think Rocket must be Mr. Miyagi’s spirit animal. Anyhoo …We have basically experienced all four seasons in the last day and a half.

Speaking of the seasons, I think it was summer the last time I posted. There have been some major changes since then … Trixie married Prince Charming, Bam-Bam proposed to Powerpuff and Clark was promoted to Sargent in the Marines. Our little family is getting bigger and going places!

But right now. I took a break from writing for Sunday dinner. Right now, the dishes are done and Harley and I are settled in front of the fireplace waiting for the season finale of The Walking Dead to start. Powerpuff and Bam-Bam are working on their coloring book masterpieces. PSA – I bought a grown-up coloring book and a pack of colored pencils last weekend and it’s quickly become part of our Sunday family dinner tradition.

But right now. Right now the evening is drawing to a close … the cloudy sky is morphing from a cold, silvery-gray into a dark, starless night. The shadows slowly swallow up the backyard and turn it into a pool of inky darkness. It’s cold outside. The wind flecks sleet against the windows. But inside we are close and warm. The fireplace glows against the faces I love. Right now I am happy. Right now.

Sunday Funday Rides

Sunday Funday Rides – Vol. 1

July 29, 2017July 29, 2017 Roxie

Green. Blue. Gold. Those are the summer colors of Kansas. Green trees … rolling hills ….. farmland. Until I rode through the landscape on a motorcycle I never realized how many colors of green there were here. If you were to draw a picture of what we ride through you would need every green crayon from the 64-color box.

The blue sky is an endless dome over our heads and the depth is only enhanced by the white contrast of the puffy clouds. Even in 100-degree heat, the Kansas sky and puffy clouds look like something out of The Truman Show movie.

Gold. Glorious, beautiful gold is rolled up into round bales to rival Rapunzel’s locks and dot the landscape to break up the green as we ride by. It smells like sweet summertime and looks pretty as a picture.

Yes, even on crazy hot days Harley and I like to ride on the weekends. The wind massages my skin in soft, summer breaths and plays with my hair like Trixie used to do when she was little. Being on a bike is both mesmerizing and breathtaking.

FullSizeRender 4 — Pretty as a picture. Oh wait .. it is!

Harley turned the bike north when we left last weekend to start our Sunday Funday ride. We don’t usually plan out our route, but mostly ride wherever the road takes us. There are a lot of organized rides out there, which we appreciate and sometimes support, but most of the time we like our stops to ourselves, with the exception of a few locals or other random bikers who frequent our favorite spots.

Last Sunday one of our stops was at Helen’s Hilltop in Tonganoxie, Kansas. By the time we got there the sun was directly overhead and I was pretty much sweating like a pig. I made a beeline to the restroom and then found, to my dismay, that getting my tight, sweaty jeans back on was reminiscent of Ross trying to put his leather pants back on in an episode of Friends. Suffice it to say, I didn’t have any powder to help mop up all my sweaty sweat, and thank god for that. But the exertion of squirming and squeezing and jumping up and down trying to get my tight jeans back on made me break out in an all-body sweat all over again. My hair frizzed, my mascara ran and I looked worse than when I had gotten off the bike.

I finally came out of the bathroom to find Harley halfway through his beer. He stared at me for a beat and said, “Everything alright in there?” I gave a slight nod and he looked at me in that way he has sometimes that makes me feel like maybe I am crazier than I am afraid I am. Then the bartender slid me over a Summer Shandy (yep, at a biker bar) and I clapped my hands with glee. And then remembered that I was supposed to act with a bit of decorum and took a long, cold, glorious swig. If there is anything better than an ice-cold beer on a cold day, I can’t think of it right now.

One of the great things about finding places off the beaten path is that you meet some great people and see some strange $hit. We came out of the dark bar and were squinting into the sunlight and saw something I’d never seen before. I had to blink twice to make sure my eyes were adjusting correctly. It wasn’t really a motorcycle. It was a cross between a dune-buggy and a trike and looked like a traveling sofa. They guy who built it was having a beer on the porch and was happy to let me snap some pics.

I love seeing new places and meeting new people and riding with Harley gives plenty of opportunity for both. Being on a bike lets you smell the sweet, fresh air of the country, feel the warmth of the sun and the soft caress of the wind while you take in the rich, vivid colors around you. Riding is a feast for all of your senses and I can’t wait to get my next fix.

FullSizeRender 3