2008
Hello, Everybody,
A few of you have sent an account of your experiences – good or bad – over the years. I have always enjoyed reading these, so finally, I have decided to share with you something significant that happened in the Ginzery household this year.
This past March it was my fiftieth (yikes!) anniversary of being in this wonderful country and in June Mary and I celebrated our fortieth wedding anniversary. We had to celebrate these momentous milestones with more than just a greeting card or a dinner out.
As most of you know, motorcycling has been my passion ever since 1981, when I bought my first one, a 1981 Yamaha Maxim 550. After picking it up at the dealer, which was located at the intersection of Route 95 and 1, an extremely busy road even then, I was faced with making a left turn on a four-lane road to go home. Mary had already left in the car. I didn’t think I had sufficient experience to venture across three lanes of traffic, so I chose to make a right-hand turn instead. Motoring along my self-confidence soared with each mile under my belt.
Next thing I knew I was miles from home with not a hint of wanting to go home and a few miles later I pulled into the driveway of Bob and Jane Schreiber, a friend and a colleague at the time. I showed off my new toy and as usual, they shared in my happiness and made me realize that Mary must be worried by now. I headed for home, my self-confidence now spilling over the brim. I was an experienced motorcyclist!
I came back down to earth the next day when my brother-in-law, Ty asked me if I wanted to accompany him and some of his friends for a little ride to get a couple of their bikes inspected. It was early on during this ride that I failed to completely negotiate an s-curve and went off the road, barely avoiding being impaled by a bent-over sign-post. Ty saw the whole incident happening and was wondering how he was going to tell his sister how her husband died when, miraculously, I managed to avoid the obstacle and drove back onto the pavement. By the time I remembered that I should be scared, it was over and I tried to act as though nothing had happened.
Since then many other incidents happened, with some ending nicer than others but I am still alive and still enjoying the freedom of being on two wheels, albeit at an admittedly slower pace.
Digressing aside, the way we decided to celebrate these auspicious events was to have a special sidecar rig built using a 2008 Kawasaki Concours 14 hooked to a Hannigan sidecar. Once completed, we would then drive it cross-country with no time-lines, very few schedules to keep, visit friends, family, and motorcycle dealerships (BMW, Kawasaki and Moto Guzzi), attend motorcycle rallies and see National Parks along the way. The yearly international rally for the BMW club I belong to was in Gillette, Wyoming, a town that represented the West in my mind. Our motto for this trip, as well as all others in the past was that it was all about the journey and spontaneity was to be the order of the day.
We left on the 10th of July and arrived back home on 11th of September, covering 12,342 miles. The western-most city in our travels was Vancouver, British Columbia. We met some wonderful people, saw gorgeous scenery and made some life-long memories. We had a communication system built into the helmets so we could make each other aware of points of interest. We sang a special song to each other daily and fell deeper in love with each other. We took over 700 digital pictures and kept a daily journal along the way on the laptop. This wound up to be a 46-page Word document, containing 118 pictures. I am currently working on converting it to be put on the web. There is already an “introduction” to this celebratory trip out there under smithjon.com/geza/. Please view it and feel free to give us feedback mginzery@nycap.rr.com. The pictures have also been uploaded to Picasa.
Mary and I wish you a healthy, joyous and love-filled Christmas season. May you spend it with family, friends and loved ones.
Fondly thinking of you all,
Mary and Geza
2009
Hi, Everybody,
As many of you know, our vacation in 2008 was a unique one. We covered over 12,000 miles in our sidecar and saw many sights, met many wonderful people and made many life-long memories. If you are not familiar with that trip, please let me know and, for a small fee, I can send you the CD. The only down-side was: How do we top it this year?
I am not sure we topped it (you can be the judge) but we sure had fun trying.
This past June we packed the sidecar again and set out to visit the Florida Keys. There were a few planned stops along the way, the first of which was in The Appalachian Mountains of North Carolina, to attend the Kawasaki Concours Club’s national rally. The weather was horrible when we got there, so instead of camping we stayed at a resort in one of their last two remaining rooms for $190 a night. As I always say: “Thank God we can afford it!” We had no choice but to pay it and were damned happy to be out of the weather. The rain stopped by the next morning, so we got a chance to look around a bit. We stopped by the campgrounds, which would’ve been our accommodations were it not for the rain and were very happy about our expensive rooms. The sidecar was a big hit and there were always people milling around it, looking at it
from every angle, asking questions ad infinitum.
Since the “dragon” was close-by we decided to “slay it”. It’s a road, North Carolina 129, which resembles the tail of a dragon. It touts having 318 curves in 11 miles, making it a Mecca of motorcyclists from all over the world. There are several thriving photography businesses along the route, whose representatives take pictures of traffic going by, shortly after which those will be posted to their websites on the Internet. For a reasonable fee you can order prints of yourself for treasured mementos. Naturally, we have several samples. YouTube has many clips of motorcyclists tempting their fate going around these curves. Some are not successful and the shattered parts of their bikes end up littered on and around a large tree in the parking lot of a small motel in Deals Gap, NC. The tree is appropriately nicknamed the Tree of Shame.
The Sharohala Highway was our next adventure. This was our first trip on it and for a nasty rainstorm that blocked our progress; it turned out to be a very nice road. I would recommend this road to anyone, even in a car.
Our next stop was in Cookeville, Tennessee, to visit a friend and ex-colleague from GE Schenectady. They are both excellent hosts and they made us welcome, so that we didn’t want to continue. But our next destination, the Natchez Trace was calling us and we found it not far from its northern end, south of Memphis. This adventure too turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It is a 444-mile car-road, recently completed,
to commemorate a foot-path worn by animals in search of salt licks and the many boatmen, who worked on ships carrying goods from as far north as Hudson Bay down to Natchez. Once their journey terminated, they walked back to Pittsburg on the Natchez Trail. (I’ll pause a little while you think about this.) Parts of the original Trace can still be seen from some of the many rest stops along the way. The temperature was at least 10 degrees cooler on this road, making it perfect for us Northerners. The road is lined on both sides by trees, shielding the traveler from seeing the bustling cities and super highways. Periodically the trees are replaced by agricultural fields, which are quite often worked by their farmer owners. One of the cultural stops was to visit the Mount Locust Inn (pictured above) where one can step back in time and learn about the difficult life in the 1780s. All in all, it is a very pastoral, idyllic and relaxing drive we thoroughly enjoyed. We were so enchanted by the scenery that we forgot about two rather important pre-planned stops.
One was the SkipBarberMotorcycleMuseum but the more important was the Florida Keys. Enjoying this road for more than 400 miles I neglected to look at the big picture, so I didn’t realize how far west we had traveled, making the Florida Keys even farther out of reach. Once I looked at the atlas it became evident that the Keys will have to wait.
With that decision behind us we set sights on a new one: New Orleans. I had been there before, compliments of RCA, attending a computer conference but Mary had not seen the sights. As it turns out, she still didn’t because by the time we drove to the city, we were pretty drenched in perspiration (the temperature and the humidity we both above 90). I couldn’t find a place to park (we were chased from an outdoor parking lot because were on a motorcycle), so we just drove around a little bit then headed back to Baton Rouge to the air-conditioned motel room. Hopefully another opportunity will present itself and I can show Mary some of the sights I enjoyed.
We headed back to the BarberMotorcycleMuseum in Birmingham, Alabama. I had read about this place and wanted to see it, despite Mary’s objections. I don’t understand her! Sometimes she wants nothing more to do with motorcycles! The museum is part of a motor racing complex. The museum itself is a four-story building, made of mostly glass, packed FULL of motorcycles. (See picture.) There were examples of some marques I never heard of. It is a wondrous place in which you can get lost for hours and not see the same motorcycle twice. In the end, even Mary enjoyed herself. From the top floor we were watching the Porsche club member racing around the immaculately kept track. I would LOVE to do that someday. Motorcycle or car, I don’t care!
We headed for the monument on Stone Mountain in Georgia, a site Mary wanted to see. I had already seen it, compliments of (you guessed it!), RCA, during another computer conference. There was a laser show a night but we didn’t have a bead on a motel room yet, so we passed on it.
A large BMW motorcycle dealer, Blue Moon Cycle, was the next stop. We went through their collection of BMW and other makes of motorcycles in their museum. I was shocked to see TWO examples of a Hungarian sidecar rig called Pannonia. I had seen my share of these in Budapest growing up.
Years ago, I had seen a show on TV about a little village in Georgia that resembled one in Switzerland. We headed for Sautee and were not disappointed. It wasn’t quite as nice as Leavenworth, Washington, a village we visited last year but it was done very nicely. We had a nice lunch in a German-style restaurant by the Chatahoochie River (which is more like a large creek. I don’t care what Alan Jackson thinks). I ordered my favorite is Wiener schnitzel (veal cutlet) and wasn’t disappointed. A nice glass of German beer washed it all down and I happily continued on the foot-tour of the village, taking many pictures along the way.
The temperatures were very high again, so we headed for the Blue Ridge Parkway, a favorite ride of ours. The road winds for 469 miles from just outside the SmokeyMountainNational Park to the entrance of the ShenandoahNational Park. We camped in one of the many campgrounds and shared some stories with a Harley couple admiring the hauling capacity of our rig.
We saw a sign for the World War II Memorial in North Carolina and decided to visit it. It was a very moving and solemn experience to all who fought on our side in the war. I highly recommend spending the better part of a day here and learn about an important era in world history. It was refreshing to see a sign shortly after entering to lay down the law. Paraphrasing it, it forbade picnicking, bike or skateboarding, as this
was not a park to have fun in, rather to reflect on those who gave their lives defending freedom.
All before too long we found ourselves among family and friends in New Jersey, then a few days later, back home. This trip was only slightly more than 4,000 miles in length but we both thoroughly enjoyed it and can’t wait for next year to trek to another fun location.
Between our part-time job being very slow and a use-or-lose time-share week we decided to finish our June trip and visit the Florida Keys. One of the nice perks about being retired. We packed up the Honda and away we went. We spent a warm week in Fort Myers Beach in the time-share and took turns between walking on the beach, cooling off in the pool and taking side-trips. Our first air-boat ride in the Everglades was a unique experience in a very unique environment. The gigantic banyan tree imported from India greeted us as we entered Thomas Edison’s winter home. We drove through Sanabel and Captiva Islands and wondered how some people can live so luxuriously in-between hurricanes. And one day we did drive to the Keys, looked around a little, never really getting out of the car (neither of us wanted to). We decided that it was nice that we were here, but it wasn’t for us.
We visited friends in Florida and family on the way home. Thanks to all who welcomed us with open arms, be it for a week or a few hours, we enjoyed the time shared with each and every one of you.
We had a family tragedy when our niece’s husband, in a state of depression, ended his life with a gun. We were not surprised at his funeral when hundreds of people showed up to pay their respects. We knew he was well liked. We can only say with tears on our faces that we miss you, David. The rest of this year plays out sadder due to our loss, but it does go on.
In-between and after these trips we are content to stay home. Mary enjoys playing games on the computer and thoroughly enjoys her latest toy, the iPod Touch, while Geza is totally enamored with his iPhone. Before Mary bought it for him, he always made fun of people our age carrying cellphones, saying that he never thought he was important enough for someone to be able to reach him immediately. I guess all those years of carrying a beeper 24×7 for work left a mark. He never understood our friend, Sonny, who has had an internet-capable device for years, why he spent so much time on it looking at such a small screen. Now finally Geza made it over to the dark side and he is seldom without his buddy, the iPhone, checking weather around the world, the results on Wall Street or a hundred other things. Oh, yes and in his spare time Geza plays Guitar Hero in the basement with the surround system turned up loud. He can proudly say that he is capable of playing many songs on the “expert” level, on guitar, bass or now on his new drum set.
As winter is upon us with full force we are thinking more and more of spending some time in Florida during the winters. The older I get the less tolerant I am of the cold weather and of being cooped up in the house, not being able to spend much time outdoors.
We both have a lot to be thankful for this year. We’re relatively healthy (as Mary puts it: “We’re medicated to perfection.”) and happy living in our home. I thank God for all we have, most of all, for having Mary by my side. She has been my rock, my wind beneath my wings. I will not live long enough to thank her for all she’s done for me.
So, this Christmas we wish all of you the best of everything. May all your dreams come true, your fears never realized, your stockings always filled and may you be as happy all year round as you are during these holiest of holy days. God bless America and each and every one of you.
Mary & Geza
2011
Mary and I hope that this letter finds all of you in good health and spirits, awaiting the magic of the Christmas Holy Days.
We neglected to compose and send out a Christmas Letter 2010, as the end of that year was filled with sadness, so let me give you an account.
My friend, Steve Danberry, was diagnosed with lung cancer earlier in the year. He decided to undergo several rounds of chemotherapy, during which time he and I talked quite often on the phone. He always thanked for calling him if I initiated the conversation and his mood was always up-beat. He chose not to let the cancer interfere with his lifestyle. He continued to take his two dogs for walks. By this time he was relegated to using his electric scooter and was on constant oxygen. He sold two of his motorcycles and only kept his beloved 1982 Suzuki 850L. He could no longer ride it but took pride in keeping it clean and caressed it with his eyes each time he walked through the garage.
His daughter had met a man she chose to marry and moved up the wedding date to November, so Steve could walk her down the aisle. Mary and I were invited to the wedding and we gladly attended. He was happy to see us and spent as much time with us as he could. Son, Larry, organized an event for him to, with the help of local Vietnam veterans and firemen, to “welcome him home” from the war. As some of you may remember, veterans of that war were not treated very nicely upon their homecoming. We both wanted to participate in this parade on a motorcycle, so we drove the sidecar rig down the day before and stayed with relatives in New Jersey. The event was held in the middle of December, so we were prepared for the cold. The parade was about five miles in duration and I had goose bumps during the whole trip and not from the cold. He was totally surprised and touched at the sight of everybody and kept telling us that he would not have done this for us (but I know he would’ve!). It was dark by the time we entered the New York State Thruway and the temperature in the sidecar was hovering around 20 degrees but we both felt great! Sadly, Steve had passed away in February and I’ve missed him terribly.
Pictures of this event can be seen at http://maryandgeza.photoshop.com
On to 2011! This year, again, has been a busy one for us. There were lots of motorcycle-related activities scheduled in the beginning of the year and we tried to attend as many as we could. The following are events we/I attended, in no particular order:
- The USCA (United Sidecar Association) National Rally in Dayton, Ohio was held in the middle of this summer’s terrible heat. Our friends Charlie and Peggy from Vermont have a sidecar identical to ours. Charlie asked me early this year if we wanted to go together and I immediately said yes. They met us at our house in the morning, having traveled 90+ miles. After a short meeting I was elected Road Captain (I had a working GPS) and we got under way promptly. Charlie has much more experience driving sidecars, so I was a little intimidated at first but it didn’t take long before we were riding well together. I had a great time and before too long it was time to stop for the night. We made it to Central Pennsylvania before we stopped for the night. The next day’s travel was uneventful and we made it to the campground before dinner.
The campground was very nice with lots of mature trees offering shade from the stifling heat but, thanks to Charlie, a spacious and air-conditioned cabin awaited our arrival. There was a bedroom for Charlie and Peggy and Mary and I took a smaller room with bunk beds. There was a kitchen/living area with a couch and a bathroom. Perfect for the short duration of the rally.
After moving in we had a chance to look around and we noticed that there were quite a few other sidecars there already.
2013
We had a blast this year!
It started out by honoring one of Mary’s long-time-coming wishes to see the Mummers’ Parade in Philadelphia. Oldest son, Roger, spent Christmas with us with his two boys, Garrett and Nick, and left them with us while he drove back home and continued to earn a living. On the 30th of December the four of us drove to South Jersey and stayed at our favorite B&B. The next day nephew, Donnie, the owner of the B&B, and I chauffeured everybody to the High Speed Line from where Philadelphia is a fifteen-minute ride. A great time was had by all, coming home with rosy cheeks and many memories. My favorite part was the knowledge that Mary will not be asking me to take her for a while.
Nancy, the co-owner of our favorite B&B came to visit us with her two photogenic children, Carly and Donnie, who are 6 and 9, respectively. This has become a yearly event and I always look forward to these visits. We have a good time whenever they visit us and it always starts with setting up the tent in the backyard with everybody helping. Aunt Mary sleeps with them outside but first plans are formulated as to the methods of scaring Uncle Geza in the house. Using flashlights, howls, and screams, many attempts are made to accomplish this task. My plan is to do the same, so we all have a good time. Grandpas always win over younger people, so I usually wait until they’re asleep and then go to work on them.
On a special occasion Mary’s sister Sharon came up with them. It was special because she rarely travels outside of New Jersey. We were very happy to see her and were even happier when she accompanied everybody on a kayaking and canoeing outing to a nearby lake. She tried kayaking for the first time and we almost had to pry her out of the kayak to give someone else a turn.
Despite being an old fart I still cannot shed my occasional need for speed. My current car is a four-door hot rod capable of speeds of around 170 mph. While there is no place locally I can stretch its legs, I thought the next best thing would be to take it to a race track. My membership dues were paid to the Audi Quattro Club and plans were made to attend a track day at the internationally known racetrack in Watkins Glen, New York. Mary and I watched many, many races at this facility and have many unforgettable memories.
I have attended a couple of these events in the past with other Audis and have enjoyed myself immensely. The last of these was almost ten years ago, so for my first few sessions this time on the track an instructor accompanied me. Shortly after lunch I was given solo status and continued to produce massive amounts of adrenalin. I shared the track with drivers of other make of cars (Porsches, Lotuses, Corvettes and other Audis), some of which were definitely not stock. There are only a couple of areas on the track where you can pass, namely the start and finish straight and the back-stretch, the longer of the two. I was going at 100 mph at the start/finish line, at the end of which is a 90-degree right-hander and 132 mph at the back-stretch. I had to go down to the village three times to fill up the gas tank, as the car was only getting 8.9 mpg! I learned a lot about the car and my driving abilities and I think I did pretty well at keeping up with the younger guys.
Mary, of course, came with me and for the first time, she was happy and willing to be the official photographer, taking MANY pictures. She even solicited the help of some corner workers to let her know when I was coming. Surprisingly, many of her pictures were pretty good. Thank God for autofocus.
In the middle of June we departed with our friends Charlie and Peggy for a week-long journey to the National Sidecar Rally of the United Sidecar Association held in Mountain View, Arkansas. On the way we drove on the Tail of the Dragon, a public road on the border of North Carolina and Tennessee, which has 318 curves in 11 miles. We also found another road called The Snake, which was awesome as well. I waved to Elvis as we skirted Memphis, managed to avoid a bad accident when someone hit a strip of tractor trailer tire tread laying in the middle of the road right next to me in very heavy traffic.
We fell in love with Mountain View, a typical little Midwest town located in the mountainous Northwest corner of the state. A sign displayed at edge of town declares it the folk music capitol of the country. We stayed at a charming ten-unit motel a block from the town square.
We had a great time exploring the surrounding area, listening to music every night at the town square and enjoying Charlie and Peggy’s company.
You can read more about this memorable trip on our website at http://maryandgeza.com/page19.php
Charlie expressed a desire to attend the so-called three-wheeler/Moto Guzzi rally held in Massachusetts, in the fall. Plans were made, routes picked and interests peaked. We met Friday morning at a New York Harley Davidson dealer, had some coffee, kicked some tires, and then set out on the four-hour-or-so ride. The weather was cool but sunny and with Charlie in the lead our spirits were high with anticipation of attending a rally none of us had frequented before.
We swapped lead a few times and I was leading when the gas gauge only showed one bar, so I looked for a gas station. We just entered a little town, when I saw a Stewart’s, so I pulled into a spot right in front of the door. I needed to use the restroom quickly. When I came out of the store, there was a guy looking under the bike and upon seeing me he informed me that there was antifreeze dripping from the engine. I told him that he must be mistaken but when I looked, I saw what he saw. There was a tiny hole in the radiator.
After a short meeting of the minds we determined that we could not continue, so a tow truck was called. He finally showed up and took us to the nearest Kawasaki dealer, this one in Vermont. When we got there they refused to work on it because it had a sidecar attached to it, so we continued on to the dealer I bought the bike from in 2008. They said they could fix it and so we left it there. Granddaughter Gabrielle and fiancé Marvin met us at the dealer in Queensbury, NY and we all went home. Charlie and Peggy stayed the night and the next day we continued to the rally, Charlie and Peggy in their rig, Mary in the Honda and I rode the Moto Guzzi, as Mary isn’t keen on riding solo behind me anymore.
We were on the Mass Turnpike (Mary and Peggy in the S2000, Charlie and I in our respective rigs) trying to get by traffic, driving rather spiritedly. I turned up the wick a little higher to get by a group of cars but when I looked back, I didn’t see anybody familiar behind me. Long story, short, there was a speed trap a while back and Mary was motioned to the side by the cop, whom I didn’t even see. They clocked her at 93 but let her go with a diminished speed of 84 in a 65-mph zone, a $190 fine, saving us $90.
On the positive side I won an award for the best-looking Moto Guzzi and another for the hard-luck story of the rally. This was an expensive weekend. When we picked up the rig the next week, another $613 was added to the total for the repaired radiator.
We managed to spend quite a bit of time in New Jersey, visiting relatives, using the B&B as a stop-over on the way to somewhere else. One of these occasions was the wedding of our niece, Donna. This was her third, marrying her high school sweetheart. Donnie and his family from Ohio wanted to attend, so we made plans to have them come to the house for a two-day visit before we caravanned to New Jersey together.
Donna is a very special and popular person whose many friends came to the celebration. She really made it a special occasion for all her relatives. She even prepared welcome baskets delivered to us when we checked in the hotel.
A trip to New York City in July included a visit to the 9/11 site. The memorial is awe-inspiring and it’s hard to experience it without a tear in the eyes. There was a lot of walking and anxious moments hurrying to meet the bus for the trip home.
We drove to New Jersey in November to spend the night and continue with Donnie and Nancy to West Virginia to help celebrate Mary’s ex brother- and sister-in-law’s surprise 60th anniversary celebration. I went to bed early, as usual, after taking my bedtime medications. I developed chest pains shortly afterwards and didn’t get to sleep until 4 AM. I woke up a couple of hours later and the chest pains were still there. I decided not to go to West Virginia and since I didn’t want to be stuck in a New Jersey hospital, I asked Mary to drive us home. We went to the ER and it was determined that I was, for a short time, in A fib. I was put on a blood thinner and have been fine ever since.
Granddaughter Gabrielle and Marvin talked to us last year about moving out of Minnesota. Son-in-law Don graciously agreed to help Marvin get a job with the State of New York, so long as Marvin passed the test that he took months before. Mary and I agreed to have them stay with us for a month, until employment was secured. They came and took over the basement and the stay ended up a little longer. They brought their dog, Maddie, a pitiful excuse for a dog, a Chihuahua. As it turns out, she became the only thing Mexican that I like. So, “the young couple in the basement” moved out to an apartment of their own about 25 minutes from us and we are all very happy. She works at a Stewart’s store outside Saratoga Springs and he works in Albany installing microwaves and dishwashers, while waiting to hear back from applications to the State.
We had 19 people for Thanksgiving, most of them staying at the house, which was bursting at the seams at times. Great-granddaughter Keagan was also visiting, so there were four generations at the table. Now that they are all gone, the house seems very, very empty.
We will have fewer for Christmas, youngest son, Chris and family and Don and Catherine will be in attendance.
If you’re still with us, we wish you a very merry Christmas and a prosperous and healthy New Year. We send all of you much love, hugs and kisses (or just a handshake, if you’re one of those)
Mary and Geza
2014
As with most years in our life, 2014 turned out to be one with many blessings but not without considerable sadness.
Our granddaughter, Gabrielle and fiancé, Marvin have been living in the area for quite a few months, having moved from Minnesota. After living with us for a month or so, they were able to find jobs and an apartment and became self-sufficient. They have been very helpful to us jumping at the chance to give us a hand with chores around the house, big or small.
Then, seemingly out of nowhere, an announcement was made by them: “We’re getting married next week!” It seems that plans for a bigger wedding were ditched in favor of a very small one. Grandma, Aunt Catherine and Grandpa met at the courthouse and before you knew it, the two young ones were happily hitched.
On a sad note, another suicide happened in the family, this time it was son, Roger’s brother-in-law, who took his life unexpectedly. His family is still without clue as to the reason. Suicide leaves many open wounds for a long time.
This June saw our godson, Jake, graduate from Providence College in Rhode Island. He just missed graduating with honors and we are very proud of him. Now, if he can only get a job …
This year’s United Sidecar Association’s rally was held in Hardeeville, South Carolina. Located in the southern part of the state, close to the Georgia border, so Savannah was within easy reach. With our friends, Charlie and Peggy, we took a day-trip and took in all the tourist attractions. Savannah is a wonderful city with a rich history and we truly enjoyed our stay. Charlie is past his eightieth birthday and is still going strong, despite a little setback late this year, when two stents and a pacemaker were installed. I jokingly tell him that he’s trying to keep up with me. He has been my idol ever since I met him and I hope to have him around for a long time.
So long as we are on the topic of idols, let me mention my brother-in-law, Don. The man is only four years younger than I, yet he works six days a week at his shop and has only taken a week’s vacation a year since I’ve known him. He has always done everything for family and he has done more for Mary and me than we can ever repay him. By the way, he has never taken a dime from us for all the work he’s done. Thank you, Don!
Mary and Catherine decided to organize a family get-together, dubbed the Clan Gathering. After much planning and organizing the event was announced on Facebook and family members signed up readily. It was to be a camping outing and a campground close to Don and Catherine’s cabin was chosen. Before too long all the campsites were reserved and everyone was looking forward to the event. Many relatives from West Virginia also signed up and, much to everyone’s delight, Arda was also going to be present, since her husband, Bob, only passed away a few weeks before that. Bob Gilbert was Mary’s brother-in-law from her first marriage. I had much respect for him and he always credited me with “allowing” the two families to keep in close contact. I always enjoyed Bob’s company, his wonderful ability to tell stories.
I will never forget the twinkle in his eyes as he was spinning yet another yarn. Bob got sick and cancer took over his body this year. He fought it valiantly for as long as he could and never lost his sense of humor. He finally succumbed and died at home with many of his family members around him. Mary and I attended his funeral and we found out just how well respected a man he was. I will miss him terrible, knowing that yet another man, who cannot be replaced, left us forever. The Clan Gathering was a huge success and people are already making plans for next year’s event.
Another sad event occurred late this year when the second of only two of my relatives died unexpectedly in Hungary. With her died the knowledge of how we are related but this never seemed to matter as we always had a great time whenever we saw each other. Marika and her daughter, Kati, lived together in an apartment in Budapest. The apartment was always our first stop when we visited Hungary. I enjoyed the many cigarettes and cups of espresso we shared and the conversation, for the most part, was enlightening. Unfortunately, neither of them enjoyed or understood the free commerce enjoyed under democracy and they openly wished to return to the communist era. This viewpoint was always cause for tight lips and red faces on my part. Mary and I have invited both of them for a visit but since they were both deathly afraid to fly, it never happened. Marika’s mother was in her nineties when she took her first aspirin for a headache and was close to a hundred when she died, so I fully expected Marika to live for another twenty years. She’s had some debilitating problems over the years with an ankle and a knee and refused an operation, so she sat around too much. She came down with pneumonia which killed her in less than two weeks. We are still stunned and will miss her terribly for a long time. The really bad part of this is that there is one less reason to go back to Budapest.
That brings us to the last topic which happened this month. I’ve been having problems with my left hip, to the point that it was making me limp. The quality of my life nosedived and I felt I had to do something about it. So, on the 10th of December I had a hip replacement surgery. After the operation I had a nasty reaction to the painkillers given to me after the surgery. It made me hallucinate (scary stuff) and it temporarily changed my personality to one that’s even nastier than my normal one. After four miserable days and nights in the hospital I am now home and recovering nicely. I discarded the walker and am walking with a cane. The incision is healing nicely. I will walk with a limp but for a different reason: My right leg is now shorter than my left. God does have a sense of humor!
Our love to you all
Mary and Geza
2015
Hello, All,
I hope this letter reaches everyone in good health and spirit. I’d like to relate some of this year’s events, in no particular order of importance:
- A little over a year ago I made a decision to have hip replacement surgery. My left hip was bothering me enough that it made me limp whenever I walked. When I awoke in the recovery room on the day of the surgery I was in no pain and felt pretty good. The nurses kept feeding me pain killers. A few hours later I had a reaction to these pills and I started to hallucinate. I saw Mary sitting in the chair at the foot of the bed quite clearly. I looked away for a second, turned back to continue to talk to her and the chair was empty. I gave the nurses a hard time and asked one of them, while holding the TV remote in my hand, which of the buttons I needed to push to make her disappear. I asked not to be given any more pain killers and things improved rapidly.
The irony of this experience is that after the surgery my right leg is shorter than the left, so I ended up with a limp anyway. Thank God, the left hip pains me no more.
- In June we attended a motorcycle event called Americade, where we visited the Hannigan area, the maker of our current sidecar rig. Among many other of Dave Hannigan’s offerings was a strikingly handsome rig that tugged at my heartstrings. We took it out for a test-drive, liked it and made plans to purchase it. Dave has been interested in my Moto Guzzi Norge and I proposed a trade for two of my bikes for the BMW rig. One catch was that I had to wait for later in the year to pick it up. I had to transport two motorcycles to Kentucky and trailer the rig back. We purchased a used motorcycle trailer and with the much needed help of favorite nephew Donnie we trailered the Italian stallions down to Kentucky and brought the BMW rig home, using his truck.
The two Italian stallions On the way home, at the Corvette Museum
Mary nicknamed the new rig Stinger. We managed to put over three thousand miles on the rig already and are enjoying it very much.
- Christmas in July was the theme for our second annual family reunion. West Virginia, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Ohio and New York states were well represented. Many are making plans for the 2016 event, whose theme is Halloween. Please plan to attend. Here are some pictures:
Who’s got the biggest tent?
- This year’s USCA National was in Sturgis, South Dakota. Our friends Charlie and Peggy accompanied us on this trip, as they have on the previous four. Using Charlie’s itinerary, we managed to see many wonderful sights, some for the first time. We traveled through Yellowstone with a few other sidecarists, sharing much comradery. Here are a few pictures:
Somewhere in Yellowstone
Ready to leave the hotel The Staavkirche in Rapid City, South Dakota
A native American dancer in Deadwood, South Dakota Mary in the House on the Rock, a must-see
- Soaring is something I’ve wanted to try for a long time. I finally fulfilled that wish and enjoyed a very smooth and pleasant flight at Harris Hill, just outside Elmira, New York. I even got to fly the plane myself! Mary and friend Shirley shared the experience, although Mary chose not to go up.
- As a side note, Mary is actively using and learning her very first smartphone. She has discovered facebooking (God help us all) and is a prolific texter.
- Geza has made an appearance in a local production of The Music Man in which he played a member of the schoolboard and attempted to sing base in a barbershop quartet. He received rave reviews from friends and family and, in the end, who else matters?
- Thanksgiving was a special time this year. We had 22 people for a sit-down dinner at the house. My son, Steve came with his wife Jennifer and our newest granddaughter, Mia, pronounced My-uh.
It was just like old times and we’re looking forward to another family get-together soon.
2015 was another wonderful year spent with the love of my life, without whom I cannot picture life.
Life has been good and Mary and I wish you the same
Mary and Geza
2016
We’ve been extremely lucky in the past few years to report on various long-distance trips. Historically we attended the USCA’s national rally held at various locations across the country. Our friends Charlie and Peggy accompanied us on these journeys, using Charlie’s itineraries. He made these poring over many maps, using his magnifying glass with the built-in light. Wonderful memories were made during these trips, lovingly stored in our brains to be often retrieved later. Unfortunately, this year we couldn’t go. Charlie and Peggy spend their winters in Florida, enjoying their sidecar the whole time. This past March Charlie was on his way to Daytona for Speed Week, piloting his rig by himself when he was involved in a hit-and-run accident. Someone ran him off the road, hitting an Armco barrier. He suffered a severed aorta, losing much blood and coding twice before arriving in the hospital. The long-term damage suffered in the accident was paralysis from the stomach down. The driver causing the accident was never found.
Charlie is a positive person. He remained that way even after the accident. He is in good spirits, performs his physical therapy willingly and lately he’s been making plans for the future. He wants to have another sidecar rig which he can drive from the sidecar, rather than sitting on the motorcycle. The sidecar would have a platform with a fold-down ramp for the wheelchair. There are rigs like that around. Mary and I are looking forward to be part of Charlie next ride.
Last year we bought another sidecar rig. This prompted me to write a few paragraphs about Needs and Wants:
Note: The following are my own personal observations and experiences. I realize these occurrences did not happen to everybody.
Wants ARE different than needs. As a child your needs are hopefully provided by your parents and family. At this time your wants are many and are prioritized by your parents and selectively given to you by the same people, leaving many wants on the waiting list. As you think you reach adulthood your attention is turned to this list again and you foolishly go about crossing out some from this list. Foolishly, because you don’t know how to properly prioritize yet. Much money and needless effort is wasted during this period. If you are lucky enough to be a man, you’ll soon acquire some type of vehicle, which quickly becomes the target of monies spent on unneeded, but much wanted “goodies”, to make it look cooler and/or go faster.
Then you get married and start a family and many items on the wanted list are put on the back burner. Your time and mind are filled with providing and loving your family. It is a wonderfully long era in your life.
Then, as you grow older with children out on their own, your “wanted list” emerges again and you realize that some can be crossed off the list rather quickly. You should learn to appreciate these wonderful days in your life, for it will be replaced by a sense of urgency, a realization that life is finite and will not last forever, as previously thought. Your previously honed sense of priorities seems to fly out the window and you decide to get yourself ANOTHER sidecar rig!!!! I woefully realize that I am “too old” to have a toy like this but inside I am still a much younger man. Mary always says “Smoke ’em if you got ’em!”, so with her necessary blessing we’re off to Kentucky to pick up the rig. My two Italian stallions (Moto Guzzi Norge and MV Agusta F4) were sacrificed in the trade and were the first two occupants of the new trailer.
This did not happen without much thought, sweat and effort on many people’s parts. We are trading two bikes in to get this, which need to be transported. We looked into box trucks (59 cents a mile, no tie-downs or ramp), a huge disappointment. I even asked someone who just bought a new Cadillac SUV if it had a trailer hitch. The final arrangement involved buying a motorcycle trailer from someone in New Hampshire, who delivered it to the house! My favorite nephew, the nicest guy in all of New Jersey, stepped up to the plate and offered the use of his pickup truck. It is with this trig that we are traveling. Thank you, Donnie!
We’re more than halfway to our destination and the excitement level is increasing and the questions remain unanswered for another day. How does the new trailer hitch on the rig look? Will the rig fit on the trailer or am I going to have to drive it all the way home? How will Mary do with the truck and the trailer on the way home?
The rig, now known as Stinger, fit with at least an inch to spare. This picture was taken in the parking lot of the Corvette museum in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in good company with a red Ferrari.
The rest of the trip home was blissfully uneventful.
Roger, the Good Lookin’ Son (a self-proclaimed title) and I met in Summit Point Raceway in West Virginia on a Friday night and watched motorcycle races all day, both solo and sidecar. Sadly, I was the only one to represent the High-Performance Sidecar owners. I say sadly because I was really looking forward to a couple of parade laps in Stinger, like summers before. But then God smiled on me: A voice came over the PA system: for a contribution to charity, you could get a ride in a racing sidecar rig. I knocked over two women, one with a small child, to get to people at the line of sidecars to find out more info. Turns out I met all qualifications; except I didn’t have a leather suit. Several people offered theirs but knew they wouldn’t fit. Finally, Pete (pictured getting me dressed) came back with one. After much loss of dignity, I found myself in my skivvies and after even more sweat, the pants were on. Unfortunately, my girth prevented me to even partway zip it closed, so a kind gentleman offered his belt right off his body. The next hurdle was the jacket, which, of course, didn’t zip either. Seeing the dilemma, Pete came back with a strap used to hold a motorcycle in place while being towed. He wrapped it around me, and I was ready to go. I have a feeling that all around me laughing their behinds off were not laughing WITH me.
The ride was one I will not soon forget. The exhaust note is intoxicating and addictive, the acceleration, cornering and braking forces indescribable. The whole experience makes me want to be a better sidecar pilot.
Thanks to all who helped me to realize a dream. Remember, inside every old guy is a young one, wondering what the hell happened!
We did accompany daughter, Catherine, to South Carolina, as they are planning to retire to the Myrtle Beach area. We looked at houses ad nauseum. We’ll see. On the way back we stopped at the Biltmore House and met up with Sharon and Donna, Mary’s sister and niece. Visiting America’s largest privately owned house with 43 bathrooms brought back many memories of visits past. If you haven’t seen it, see it!
Mary and I wish you all a merry Christmas spent with people you love and a New Year filled with good health and more love.
With all our love
Mary and Geza
2019 was a good year, despite growing older by a year.
At this point in my life I welcome new experiences, so long as they are pleasant. Earlier this year I learned what it is like to be a “Plus One”. This phrase is not to be confused with number two, which has entirely different connotations.
I got to be a Plus One when earlier this year the Hallmark company helped Mary celebrate her 25th year with the company. They flew both of us to the Kansas City, Mo headquarters and shuttled us to a very nice hotel in the city. The Hallmark company has a large presence in downtown Kansas City. It occupies an area about 6×6 city blocks, and it looks clean and fresh. The buildings house Hallmark offices as well private condos/apartments. Everyone you meet in this area seems to have a smile. Mary visited the museum, in which originals of many of the cards produced in the past reside. The Hallmark family was gifted by many famous people of art that they produced. Some of Winston Churchill’s paintings are proudly displayed, along with some that Johnathan Winters had painted.
All the celebrants got to bring their Plus Ones with them. This was a new experience for me, as in the past I was always the one in the limelight. It was nice to be able to sort of being in the back, observing everything, all the while being extremely proud of my Number One.
At the end of April my eldest son, Roger and I attended a motorcycle sidecar rally in North Carolina, called Sidecars in the Smokies. Since I was traveling with a sidecar with lots of room, I carried the 8-person tent for the two of us to sleep in. We both use CPAP machines, so we needed room and electricity. Roger really enjoyed himself and made plans to attend in 2020 before the end of the 2019 rally. As we haven’t been geographically close to each other for years, we are both happy to spend time together. The site of the rally is within a half-hour of an infamous motorcycling mecca called the Tail of the Dragon; a public road that resides on the North Carolina and Tennessee border with MANY curves. People come from all over the country bringing their motorcycles and cars to drive/ride on this road.
The two of us “slaying the dragon”.
In July we attended the sixth annual family reunion in central Pennsylvania. The attendance was customarily high, and a good time was had by all. The theme this year was Hippies Gathering and even I looked the part.
This fall a long-time friend visited us from Maryland. The two of us worked for RCA at the Cherry Hill, NJ facility in the seventies (my God, almost fifty years ago!). He stayed with us for three days and we rode our motorcycles every day.
Roger and I met at the Finger Lakes BMW rally in Watkins Glen, NY. This is always a good rally and this year it didn’t disappoint. We ran into Claude of Freedom Sidecars, a sidecar manufacturing facility in central Pennsylvania. He is a very knowledgeable and nice man, and we had a great time together.
We were able to only attend a couple of BMWMOV breakfasts. My friend, Charlie and family were able to join us. He is paralyzed from the chest down but didn’t want to stop motorcycling, so his son found him the three-wheeler he is pictures on. He handles it like a pro!
From right to left Charlie’s grandson 1, his son, Charlie, Charlie senior, grandson 2 and yours truly on a rare solo bike outing.
I saved the biggest news for last. Not all of you know that after my Mother died in 1995, I inherited her apartment in Budapest. We used to visit my parents regularly, in fact we took most of our grandchildren to Hungary as a graduation present. After 1995 things didn’t feel the same, so the visits dwindled. The last time Mary and I were there was in 2012, visiting with good friends, the Woods. The apartment sat there full of furniture but unoccupied. I couldn’t bring myself to disturb things. Earlier this year I finally decided to let go and we sold the apartment! The bittersweet end of an era.
Next year I will be 80 years old/young (time will tell which). To celebrate that milestone, I plan to participate in two events: a track day at the Watkins Glen racetrack with my car and a track day at NJMP (New Jersey Motorsports Park) with my Triumph motorcycle. I would very much like a cheering section, so come out and help me celebrate.
In closing Mary and I wish all of you a happy Christmas and a healthy and prosperous 2020!
2020 Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
As we all know, 2020 was an unusual year, to say the least. With many travel restrictions coming, Mary and I managed to take a few trips worth mentioning, and accomplished some tasks. They are, in no particular order:
- Since all of the motorcycle-related events had been pushed to next year, oldest son, Roger, and I wanted/needed to get away. Last year’s father/son camping trip to North Carolina’s mecca for motorists the world over, the Tail of the Dragon, was a success, we wanted to enjoy that part of the country again. He wanted to explore the magic of the Blue Ridge Parkway and I wanted to include another twisty road, The Snake, in our itinerary. The plan was to camp as much as possible, but the campgrounds did not have electricity for Roger’s CPAP machine. The campground on the BRP was virtually empty and peaceful. During the ride the air was fresh and the scenery beautiful, as we experienced some of the 469 miles of this wonderful road built on top of the Appalachian Mountain range.
On the way home we both must have been a little homesick, so I suggested that we rise early the next morning and start the day in the dark but with no heat or traffic. We were enjoying the cool air by 4:30 and were making good time on I81. During lunch we hinted at trying to travel as much of the 700+ miles left as we could but at that point it seemed too hard to achieve. At the end of I81 we connected with I88, a deserted stretch of road ending in Albany. We encountered a few stretches of rain and I guess it was during one of those that I decided to make it all the way home. It was 9:30 at night that we pulled into our driveway after a little over 700 miles of wonderfulness. We were both feeling accomplished coming home a day early, surprising Mary. Roger blurted out to her: “Dad’s still got it, Mom!”.
- Last year I decided to celebrate my 80th birthday by attending another track day at the world-famous racing facility in Watkins Glen in Upstate New York. When I told family and friends of my celebration, many wanted to attend. After signing up I spent many nervous days, thinking that this event would also be canceled. As the date of the event neared, there was no notice of cancellation, but they dropped a bomb, saying that only two people were allowed to accompany me. I chose my two sons to be my “mechanics”. The few friends, who came along to watch me turned their attention to taking wine tours of the many vineyards in the Finger Lakes area and at night, we all enjoyed camping out in the state campground. As usual, the friendship and wine were both very enjoyable, despite a heavy rainstorm the first night.
I have always enjoyed driving on this track in the past. Rocketing down the back-straight at 135 MPH in your own car is exhilarating!
- Mary and I took a trip earlier in the year to attend the 85th birthday celebration of Arda, Mary’s ex-sister-in-law. Many of Arda’s friends and countless relatives shared in the experience. Those people know how to organize a party. It was good to see many of my adopted family members. Arda was genuinely surprised to see us. I spied a Seiko clock on the wall of niece Becky’s house. It was one I had seen before in a store. The face of the clock is divided into sections and as the clock plays one of many songs, the sections rotate in unison. At the end of the song all the pieces are back in place. I made such a fuss about it, that niece Becky gave it to me. Now, that’s Southern hospitality!
- For the last handful of years, the “young” family members had been meeting at the New Jersey shore. Mary and I had not been interested in the past. I am not supposed to be in the sun, and it makes it a long day. This year daughter Catherine talked us into it, so we got up super early and journeyed down to Island Beach State Park, a place we always visited while we lived in Pennsylvania. Everybody was surprised to see us, and we had a wonderful time. The young people, as always, were in the water constantly, despite the blue lips. Keegan was supposed to stay out of the sun, so her answer was to wear a tee shirt. Good job!
- This summer our brother-in-law, a man who has owned a car repair shop for most of his life, was celebrating a birthday. We drove down to New Jersey and join in the family party. This man has always had my respect. He has always helped me and any of my family with car-related problems. He still, at the age of 76, works six long days a week and only takes a week off for vacation. Thanks for everything, Don.
- Thanksgivings in the past have always been mingling with family members, who come to the house from near and far to share in the food, love, and togetherness. We have celebrated with as many as 20 people, most of whom stayed at the house for the weekend. This year was different. We were only seven, so we had plenty of leftover food and I LOVE leftover turkey. We did try a Zoom webinar, which was well attended. Maybe another one for Christmas?
- Just about a year ago now a monumental task has been completed: my parents’ apartment in Budapest was sold. My Mother, brother, and I moved into that apartment in 1947 and have lived there ever since. My Father joined us in 1948 when he finally came home from Russia after serving 3 ½ years as a prisoner of war. Many, many memories were left behind, not to mention the material items my Mother has collected over the decades. Thank You, Kati.
- I try to visit the gym three times a week and exercise as much as I can nowadays. My right hip and knee interfere with this necessary pastime as much as they can. I have appointments to have Cortisone shots for both before year-end.
- Another family reunion is in the books, held with much success. The theme was red, white, and blue. Like the others, this one was well attended also, The Ohio Harrisons were missing this year, hopefully we’ll see them next year.
Well, we have bragged about all the wonderful things we managed to experience, so, now it’s your turn. Tell us about how you managed to cope with the pandemic of 2020. In the meantime, we wish you nothing but good and wonderful for the coming holy days and wish for a pandemic-free 2021,
2021
Hello, All,
It’s that time again, the time to acquaint you with the events in the Ginzery family, transpired during the 2021 year.
Vivi La Tua Vita – Live Your Life
Charlie’s Ride
A memorable event transpired for Mary and me earlier in the year. We were invited and attended a four-hour motorcycle ride in the beautiful Green Mountains of Vermont. The invitation came from Young Charlie (whose father is Charlie, my BFF), who invited many of his motorcycling friends.
I could probably write a short novel about Charlie, describing our yearly trips to sidecar rallies, held at a different spot in the country. Before each trip Charlie would spend many hours poring over the pages of his atlas planning our trip. His itineraries were masterpieces, worth keeping. They contained all necessary data, e. g. mileage for the day, name, phone number and reservation number for lodging each night, etc.
One awful day five years ago, while en route to Daytona Beach, someone ran him off the road, making him a paraplegic for the rest of his life. Charlie was 82 at the time. Other people would have retreated into a shell, never to go near a motorcycle. Motorcycling is Charlie’s passion. He has traveled around a half-million miles, most of them driving a sidecar rig. A few short weeks after his accident he announced that he didn’t want to stop riding. Young Charlie set out to find his father a vehicle. He found a business in Southern Ohio, which specialized in building or modifying vehicles for handicapped drivers. When the owner of this business found out that Charlie was a veteran, he donated a partially built three-wheeled vehicle, along with many spare parts. May God bless him for that. You’ll see the finished vehicle in the attached picture:
Back to Charlie’s ride. It lasted for around four hours. That’s a pretty long ride for an 87-year-old healthy person, let alone a paraplegic. Mary and I were directly behind Charlie, so we were able to observe him. He handles that large vehicle like a pro.
I try never to blow my own horn and I dislike people who do but we live two hours from the start of this ride, so if you do the math, our ride for the day lasted eight hours. Not bad for an 81-year-old!
As I had said many times before: “I want to be just like Charlie, when, or if, I grow up.”
The 2021 Sidecars in the Smokies Rally
A few years back my son-in-law bought a 1994 BMW K1100LT. We nicknamed it Big Blue. He rode it for a few years, then bought the ideal bike for his physical stature: a BMW GS Adventure with an 8+ gallon tank and a 34” seat height. He sold me Big Blue. I rode it for a few years, less and less each year. Big Blue is a fat lady at 695 pounds dry.
In 2019 oldest son, Roger, and I attended a rally called Sidecars in the Smokies held at the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge in Robbinsville, NC. By Saturday Roger announced that he wanted to come next year. Then the pandemic reared its ugly head. As the date for the 2021 rally neared, he was more and more excited about it. Then he suggested that we talk to his younger brother, Chris, about selling Big Blue to him and the three of us go to the rally. The last time Chris rode a motorcycle was in the eighties, so he was obviously rusty. I noticed right away that he was unsure of himself at parking lot speeds. I was sure he would gain enough self-confidence along the way.
Chris didn’t have many of the necessary equipment, such as jacket, pants, gloves, etc. I gave him one of my pants, his mother offered the use of her motorcycle jacket, and a pair of gloves were a present from Roger. Chris opted not to take the jacket and, against our advice, took the top case and packed it full of stuff, raising the center of gravity even higher.
We were planning on camping at the rally, so the nine-person tent went into the trailer, along with other camping equipment. The weather wasn’t all that great at the beginning. It was barely above 50 degrees, and the skies were threatening. We were heading south, so it was bound to improve.
Roger met us early evening, coming from Pittsburgh. The next morning, we started for the next leg of the trip, hoping to reach Harrisonburg, Virginia before stopping for the night. It was a straight shot on Route 81 and our spirits were high. I led with Roger at the back, leaving Chris in the most protected position, the middle.
Then the temperature dipped a little and the wind reared its ugly head. It was gusty and blew from the right, at times strong enough to move the rig and me half-way into the left lane. Chris did fine, although he admitted to a strong dislike to those same eighteen-wheelers. I might add at this point that Chris was starting to be cold. Lesson learned. The weather forecast for our destination didn’t look promising. After riding through a few showers, at the next gas-stop I decided to scrap our plans and asked Mary to call the campground and change our reservations from a campsite to something under cover. It was here that Chris dropped Big Blue. He forgot to put down the side-stand. Another lesson learned. We checked into the motel and asked for a roll-away bed.
We woke up to a chilly morning. The temperature didn’t get above sixty for the rest of the day. We made our way to the rally. I was outside when I saw Chris drop the bike again. He was on gravel, his feet slipped, and the bike was down. People came rushing to help him up but the damage was done. In trying to prevent the bike from falling, he stretched a tendon in his right leg. He couldn’t even sit on the bike without severe pain. Maybe, it’ll be better tomorrow. We checked into the bunk House and occupied one of five beds in there. He felt no better on Friday, so I emptied the sidecar and gave him a ride to the nearby Bryson City for lunch. It was an organized ride and the thirty-plus rigs made quite a spectacle.
Saturday started with rain and cool air. A ride to Maggie Valley was planned, visiting the Wheels Through Time Museum. We opted to stay behind, exploring all the possibilities for getting Big Blue home. None seemed plausible. I suggested
Chris talk to someone at the front desk. A solution emerged: “Leave the bike by the front entrance for as long as you need to. We’ll keep an eye on it and won’t even charge you for it.” WOW! That’s what I call Southern hospitality.
Saturday night was set aside for the dinner. There were about eighty of us gathered in the main room of the building. After dinner, the results of the Chinese auction were announced. There were quite of few prizes to be given out, and as time went on, I became quite embarrassed. It seemed like every third prize was claimed by our table. Earlier in the day I was complaining about forgetting my baseball cap. Roger won three, I think, so he gave me one. The three of us amused ourselves by discussing a long list of stupid questions asked of us sidecar drivers. At the head of that list is “Where is the button you push to separate the sidecar from the motorcycle?”. As luck would have it, there were two of these in the auction and my sons filled their bags with tickets. We won both, as well as a quart container of liquid car wash, two microfiber towels, a $47 denim shirt with a nice embroidery of the main building in the back, a tee-shirt for great-granddaughter, Keegan, a gift certificate for a night’s stay at one of their Conestoga wagons and a nice rain jacket for Mary. I also won the oldest driver award and when the 50/50 ticket number was announced, my thumb was resting on the winning ticket.
Chris wasn’t the only one to learn lessons. The three of us decided that next year we will stay at a Conestoga wagon, so I won’t have to drag the trailer behind,
Wagon ho!!! We’ll be sleeping here next year, God willing.
Over a month after the rally sons, Roger and Chris rented a trailer and drove down to the Iron Horse Motorcycle Lodge today and picked up Big Blue, which remained complete and unmolested for almost a month. Thank you, Ironhorse Motorcycle Campground
Like Father, Like Son
My son, Steve, hasn’t seen many doctors in his lifetime. During last summer he wasn’t feeling like himself and finally sought the help of a professional. He was diagnosed with a condition called a-fib, short for atrial fibrillation. I have been carrying that cross myself for a few years. Your physical strength diminishes to barely above zero along with your willingness to get off the couch. A procedure, called cardio version, was scheduled, but a couple of blood clots were in the way. Medicine was administered to break up the clots. It worked but the cardio version was unnecessary, as the a-fib disappeared. An x-ray showed no trace of lung cancer or extensive liver damage. Thank God, it was all over. The medical staff at the hospital advised him to stop smoking. I hope he and his wife can overcome this large hurdle.
Mary and I wish all of you a joyous Christmas filled with love and happiness. May the next year be healthy and prosperous.