I broke my 40 year-old Ray Bans!!!

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I love, love, love my sunglasses.

I've posted before about my Ray Ban Outdoorsman aviators. My optometrist had told me, way back in 2011, that the Ray Ban Outdoorsman had been discontinued.

Lucky for me that he was wrong, wrong, wrong.

I just bought a brand new pair of Outdoorsman aviators.

Currently aviators are back in style.

In the years I have owned them, they have been out of style, in style, out of style, back in favour, outcast, and now, really back in style. I don't care, truly I don't. I love my Ray Bans.

They broke (actually only the left temple broke) because I subjected them to poor treatment. I admit this freely now, just as I admitted it in the past. First off, they are intended for use they way they come from the store, i.e. not with prescription lenses. I forced the frames to accept prescription lenses (which in fairness, is not really a problem).

The real abuse happened as my eyesight deteriorated over time. As my eyes got funkier, the lenses got way curvier, and well, there's the rub. Literally.

Watch the video. I think that I succeeded in describing the failure in exquisite detail that even the  most casual viewer will immediately understand.

Now for the good news.

If you have had similar issues, if you have given up wearing Ray Ban aviators because your prescription is interfering with the actual operation of the frames, then especially watch the video, because all these years later, I finally found the cure. Watch the video.

I am content, chuffed, happy, ecstatic really, that I now have a pair of Ray Ban Outdoorsman aviators that will outlive me, no matter how pathetic my eyesight becomes.

Yay!

Detailed show notes:

My Ray Ban sunglasses are the Outdoorsman model (model number RB3030) purchased in 1977 and worn pretty much daily ever since. The left temple snapped three weeks ago. The lenses are my existing prescription lenses. Here’s a link to the glasses.

The music for this episode of Life on two wheels was sourced in the excellent YouTube Audio Library and is Cop A Feel by Audionautix which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license.
Artist: http://audionautix.com/ 

A conversation with Steve Williams

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Why would anyone in their right mind choose to write a blog?

Well... if that is a question that occasionally pops up as you browse among the more than 650 million web sites currently cluttering the interwebs, while you keep bumping into some of the estimated 200 million sites that are blogs, and you scratch your head wondering what on earth could possibly drive a person to blog, here, on a silver platter, is a golden opportunity to learn why two of us are driven to post aspects of their daily lives for all to see. Watch the video.

In fact, for all you social or behavioral scientists and psychiatrists out there, this is particularly exciting, because as Steve Williams and I, both of us seasoned well-followed, and (hopefully) well-respected bloggers candidly expose our respective motives, it will no doubt thrill you to know that I started blogging in some measure because I felt compelled to follow Steve's example. Somewhere in that overly long, tangled sentence, there is the tip of an epidemiological study in psychiatry begging to begin. Watch the video.

Anyway... I'm afraid you'll be compelled to watch the video if you really want to learn what makes us tick. Good luck with that. Watch the video.

If any of those social scientists and psychiatrists I alluded to watch the video and have insights into our character flaws they'd care to share in the fleeting hope that both, or either of us, might use those insights to mitigate our failings, please leave a comment below. You just never know. Please watch the video.

Steve and I thank you in advance.

The music for this episode is Laid Back Guitars by Kevin MacLeod and it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license and is made available courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library 
Source: Incompetech.com
Artist: Incompetech

Riding a Zombie

Can a Vespa rise from the dead?

Is it possible for a blown head gasket, something akin to a brain aneurysm, to heal spontaneously?

If not, was the gasket in fact blown?

And if not, whence the coolant leak?

So many questions. For the time being no satisfactory answer.

Here are the facts as I know them. I need your insight.

After a long day’s ride from State College to Niagara falls, some 370 kilometers, a coolant leak in the engine compartment brought the day’s ride to an abrupt end.

It was impossible to see the source of the leak. The coolant was running down onto the center stand pivot or axle and dripping from there. You can see this symptom in the video I posted as episode 22 of the vlog.

Other symptoms: when I opened the saddle to refuel, steam was rising from the engine compartment. When I removed the underseat bucket to reveal the engine, there was coolant everywhere, as if there was a spraying coolant leak. The underside of the seat compartment bucket was wet. When I started the bike with the bucket out, the coolant was dripping from the stand below the motor, but there was no evidence of a leak seen from above the engine.

That’s all I’ve got.

Last week I needed to get my bike down from its P1 parking spot to a temporary spot on P3 because the P1 level was being pressure washed.

I refilled the cooling system with tap water, up to the lower fill mark on the reservoir. I fully expected to see the water begin dripping down the stand. But there was no leak. I started the motor. Still no leak. I left the motor running until the bike reached normal operating temperature. Still no leak.

I rode down to P3. Still no leak.

Two days later I checked on the bike before riding back up to P1. Yup, still dry.

I discussed the situation with Ed Thomas. Ed thought that perhaps the water was leaking into the oil pan via the blown gasket rather than leaking to the outside. He suggested checking the coolant level in the reservoir, and checking the oil level. If both were at their normal levels, it would be reasonable to conclude that the coolant wasn’t leaking into the oil. I checked and the levels were normal.

Today I decided I would hop on the Vespa to run a few errands and eventually make my way over to Ed’s workshop, to talk, well... talk shop, and zombie Vespas. You guessed it, still no evidence of any leak. That, and I kept an eagle-eye on the instrument panel: the engine temperature remained normal the whole way. The check engine light lit up a couple of times, but reset itself with an engine restart. That happened three times on the way to Ed’s, each time shortly after one of my little errand stops. It never happened on the way home.

Ed’s as stumped as I am.

The only other thing I can think of, is that close to the Pennsylvania New York border, I refueled at a tiny country gas station, and I realized that the helpful attendant handed me a nozzle switched to regular gasoline with ethanol. I only realized it had happened further down the road when the engine started stumbling slightly. Three tanks of 91 octane fuel later, the performance symptoms disappeared. I don’t think that’s relevant. I just mention it because it’s the only other engine-related issue that occured on the trip.

So there you have it. The Vespa seems for all the world to be running like a top. Or at least running as well as it did when I set out for the wilds of Pennsylvania.

I know many of my readers have what I’ll call mechanical literacy. What is your take on this little Italian mystery?

Is there any chance that the coolant leak might have come from the coolant bleed valve at the top of the engine?

Can a blown gasket heal itself?

Should I overhaul the engine on the assumption that there is a defective gasket?

What would you do?

Like I said, I am stumped.

Thanks for reading.

PS: I also posted this mystery to the ModernVespa forum: here’s a link.

PPS:

In this shot taken from the Episode 22 video, filmed within 15 to 20 minutes of the discovery of the leak:

• The circle is the thermostat housing and the nubby thing in the circle at the twelve o'clock position is the coolant bleed valve.
• The arrows point to the areas that are wet as a result of the leak. 
• Remember that the pet carrier / underseat container was in place when the leak was leaking. It seems consistent with a leak from the thermostat that the wet areas are aft of the thermostat. 
• The areas forward from the thermostat are dry.
• Whatever that evidence points to, it is not really consistent with a head gasket leak, or so it seems to me.

Another MV'er (whom I believe to be another mechanically literate person) had this to say: "It is very rare to have an external coolant leak turn out to be a head gasket. It would usually go into the engine oil or out the exhaust."

Yet another MV commenter had this to say: "Hmm. Not clear whether you mean the gasket at the base of the cylinder (possible) or the one which seals the two halves of the crankcase (unlikely). You don't develop anywhere near as much pressure in the crankcase and spraying coolant all over does not seem likely to me. You would lose engine oil if anything. I think the thermostat/bleed valve area sounds far more likely as you suggest. Probably time for a trip back to Vespa Toronto West for reconsideration."

1K klicks in the Sticks

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Yes it actually is the long-awaited little Vespa tour way down south to State College Pennsylvania where I get to enjoy a guided tour of the mountains and valleys made famous by Steve Williams on his blog Scooter in the Sticks.

I got to spend a couple of nights at Paul Ruby's home which was a privilege all of its own. Paul is an electrical engineer who traded his job at a Fortune 500 company to become an intrepid re-seller of scientific equipment on e-Bay. It's a big deal! I fully intend to respect Paul's privacy, so no lurid details of deal-making, wheeling and dealing will be told here, suffice to say, that Paul is social media royalty. It is an honour to count Paul among my friends.

It's impossible to create a video that comes even close to conveying in any accurate way the world that Steve portrays on Scooter in the Sticks. In an upcoming interview with Steve, you'll hear in his own words the sources of his motivation and his art. In this video I offer a glimpse of that world, the mountains and valleys that surround State College and provide Steve with his inspiration.

Scooter in the Sticks was a key source of information and inspiration for me when I was thirsty for information on Vespa ownership and riding in the many months that preceded my plunge into that world. My decision led to everything I had hoped for and it slowly unfolded into a life-changing and life-affirming pursuit that far exceeded even my fondest hopes and daydreams. Steve's blog made a big contribution to that transformation, and I am deeply indebted to him.

In those early days, I never dared to imagine that I would meet Steve, much less enjoy Steve and Paul's hospitality, and have the good fortune to call them friends.

The music selections for this episode of Life on two wheels are One more chance and Livin' up by Otis McDonald, I wear headphones and Yard Sale by Silent Partner, and Walk the dog by Coyote Hearing, made available courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library, as well as Think Tank by Audionautix which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license and also available in the YouTube Audio Library.

Episodes 24 and 25 of the vlog are ready to be posted so you'll be spared the long wait you had to put up with anticipating the release of episode 23.

See you soon, on Life on two wheels!

Requiem for a Vespa

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My 2010 Vespa GTS Super Sport 300 i.e. (it's appropriate use the complete full name on solemn occasions like this) is dead. Just over 50,000 kilometers on the clock, young for a Vespa. It led an action-packed life.

The gory details are in the video.

It started its life in Pontedera Italy, a little industrial town near Pisa, in Tuscany. I visited its birthplace a few years back at the end of the Tuscan Loop in the company of Sonja and Roland.

Bob Leong (aka BobSkoot, may he rest in peace) invited me to join him and Karen (aka V-Star Lady) for an epic Atlantic Ocean seaside jaunt back in 2013. He said I could come if I upgraded from the Vespa LX150 I was riding at the time, to a Vespa GTS. In the early spring of 2013 I purchased the Vespa from Carl Normandeau who was moving up to a brand new BMW R1200GS (what a thing of beauty). Carl had already logged twenty some-odd thousand kilometers on the Vespa by the time I took over. Last I heard, Carl was longing for another Vespa in his garage to keep his BMW company. I wonder if he pulled the trigger on that.

In the time the black Vespa and I spent together we commuted day after day, after day, and toured all over the place: Montreal, Cornwall, Ottawa, Toronto, Niagara Falls, Buffalo, State College, Hartford, Ogunquit, Kennebunkport, Portland, Old Orchard Beach, the Adirondacks, Kingston, Belleville, Stouffville, Wasaga Beach, Midland, St-Catharines, Buffalo, State College, and finally, Niagara Falls, where our adventure came to an abrupt end.

Along the way that Vespa and I met moto-blogging legends and, to be honest, my relationship with that bike has been life-altering, truly it has.

I assure you, my life on two wheels doesn't end here. It's just going on a little hiatus, that's all. In the meantime this blog and the new vlog will continue to plow along. There are riding episodes to come that are still in the works, some social commentary, preparing for the Vespa's departure and documenting the de-farkling (it will be sold as a project bike to an as yet-unfound kind soul whom, I hope, will drag it back to life on the road), maybe some food rants and recipes, and rest assured, so much more.

So keep an eye on this space.

The music for this episode of Life on two wheels is Doctor True by Jingle Punks, made available courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library.

The expert but sad diagnosis for my 2010 Vespa GTS 300 i.e. was performed by Lou DiBiase of Vespa Toronto West. When it comes to Vespas, Lou has no equal.

The 2017 Distinguished Gentleman's Ride

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Come along with me as I ride my Vespa GTS 300i.e. in the Toronto edition of the 2017 Distinguished Gentleman's Ride.

What I don't show in the video is that when the bikes started rolling at the start, my Vespa stubbornly refused to get going. It just wouldn't start and left me stranded in the parking lot on the lake at Woodbine. I took off my jacket, pushed the bike into some shade, hauled out my tools and set to work. The symptoms (no starter, no lights, no power to the 12 volt outlets, nada, zip) indicated to me that the culprit had to be the battery. My heart sank as I faced the fact that not only was my Gentleman's Ride sunk, but so was an epic ride scheduled for Monday through Wednesday. "Drats" doesn't begin to cover the vocabulary I chose to express my immense frustration.

I tore into the battery compartment, removing the Classic Racks floor cargo rack and the battery cover. You'll recall from the last episode that I had removed the battery recently when I replaced the high tension lead. Everything seemed fine. Just to be sure I checked the battery terminals to make sure that they were tight. I managed to get a turn or two out of the terminal screws, but not enough to explain the electrical issue, I thought.

I put everything back together and began to ponder my fate. Just to convince myself that I was thoroughly screwed (pardon the pun), I flicked the ignition back on and punched the starter. Lo and behold, the bike fired right up.

I straightened myself out to look dignified, and set off to join the ride. I managed to track them down at the Queen's Park scheduled stop. All in all the malfunction didn't interfere all that much with my mission.

I hope you enjoy the video.

There is much more to come on Life on two wheels: the Monday to Wednesday trip happened (at least two videos to come), I broke down yet again (coolant leak, again, and again, this time somewhere in the engine compartment, impossible to see), and I have some technical videos coming on an oil change, my commentary on police services in Toronto (5.0 in the Six) and so much more.

The Distinguished Gentleman's Ride is a charity motorcycle ride that takes place world-wide each September. This video chronicles the 2017 DGR in Toronto. Proceeds from the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride go the Movember Foundation. Please give generously.

The music for this episode of Life on two wheels is Forget Me Not by SE's Jammy Jams, and Gypsy Dance by Topher Mohr and Alex Elena, both made available courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library.

Parts are fun!

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OMG!! Things must be picking up in the Life on two wheels studio, because YES, it's another episode!

Viewer beware, this is the very first technical episode. Those of you who thought that there would be another wild bar-hopping episode following the previous episode on the wonders of St. John's Newfoundland, will be sadly disappointed.

In this episode I dig into the guts of my Vespa to rip out the ignition (or high tension) wire that sank my trip to Pennsylvania, pick up replacement parts from Vespa Toronto West, build another high tension wire from scratch (coil to spark plug), install it on the bike, and PRESTO!!! My untrustworthy ignition is a thing of the past.

I made this episode in honour of Ken Wilson, who provided moral support in the background. Ken was a little let down that I chose to end my trip failure video without delving into the root of the problem, choosing instead to focus on Texas barbecue (now come on, who can blame me, honestly??)

I plan to post this episode on ModernVespa.com on the off chance that anyone suffering with a similar issue will find this episode to be helpful.

The music for this episode of Life on two wheels is Give by Silent Partner, made available courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library.

That's it for now folks!

See you  next time, on Life on two wheels, the vlog! 

Conchscooter prevails with panache!!!

Screech!!!!!!

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It's another episode of your favourite vlog, Life on two wheels! Screech¹!!!!! in this case is not what you get when you spin your wheels or slam on the brakes. Fasten your seat belts, this is by far the most ambitious vlog episode to date.

In this episode I take you all the way to easternmost Canada. That's right, you're coming along for a trip to St. John's Newfoundland. It's a nice bookend for the earlier episode when you got to come with me to Victoria British Columbia. From one end of the Trans-Canada Highway to the other, in two painless clicks. You have to admit, that's not too shabby.

The annual conference of Governance Professionals of Canada was taking place in St. John's, and Susan had never been to Newfoundland, so off we went. I had been there for the first time back in 2009, and was already an honorary Newfoundlander, so I wisely considered, having already been screeched-in, that I was dispensed from having to kiss the cod a second time. Besides, on Tuesday night, in the midst of the rowdy mayhem on George street, I looked that blessed, twisted, frozen, lifeless fish in its muddy dead eye, and I'm pretty sure it was the same slimy character I kissed on the lips back in '09.

The conference was a resounding success and Susan and I left The Rock with memories to last a lifetime. Newfoundland has a kind of mystical wonder to it. Its ubiquitous pastel-coloured jellybean clapboard row homes, cottages and sheds brighten its rocky shores wherever Newfoundlanders live, from Come-By-Chance to Cornerbrook, and from Burgeo to Bonavista.

Tag along with me for a taste of Celtic Canada at its very best. You're just a click away!

The music for this episode is Celtic Impulse by Kevin MacLeod and is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license and is brought to you courtesy of the excellent YouTube Audio Library.

For the story of my new (old) pirate hat, please click here, and for my obsession with Rick Mercer, please click here. For the lyrics to Rant and Roar, please click here.

Things have been hectic in the Life on two wheels studio and there are plenty of episodes to come. You have 5.0 in The Six and Parts are Fun to look forward to, as well as a long delayed jaunt down south of the border to spend some time with legendary fellow moto-blogger and dedicated Vespa-holic Steve Williams. Unfortunately that might be delayed into 2018. There are some technical bits to come relating to an oil change, and ignition work on the Vespa as well. So the upshot is that there's lots to look forward to.

Stay tuned!

-------

1. Screech.

The bike that quacks me up!

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This episode of Life on two wheels is just a placeholder and a mollifier.

I have been tied up with amazing stuff, some of which is fit to share, some of which I can't, but all of it is amazingly good.

Fortunately there are other videos in the works and I just have to get cracking.

Speaking of cracking, and cracking up, there are few things as amusing as ducks. Just consider what Walt Disney accomplished with that other Donald. Donald mesmerized and quacked up generation after generation of little kids, myself included.

On Monday night at the Toronto Moto Scooter Club regularly scheduled hang, emcee Ed Thomas showed up on his very, very rare vintage 1961 Puch Cheetah. It's definitely not a moped (no pedals, semi-automatic transmission), it's definitely not a scooter (no step-through), so if it's anything, it's a really puny motorcycle. But that's not all. Capping off the strangeness of this rather unique bike is its totally weird (and surprisingly loud) horn.

Check it out in the video.

To those among you who checked up on me fearing that my uncharacteristic silence was other than golden... thank you, thank you, thank you.

Fear not, I am hearty and hale, just a little tied up with non-social media stuff. In my defense, I am more committed to being a YouTuber than ever, and I fear that if I revert to plain old blog posts, it will be a slippery slope, like dieting or exercising (both of which I have hopefully only temporarily set to the side).

So cheer up! There are more videos in the works and life goes on, as merrily as ever it has!

Vimy Ridge, so close to home

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Welcome to episode 17 of the vlog.

In this episode you come with me as I explore the amazing ties that bind the City of Toronto where I live, to the World War I epic battle for Vimy Ridge in France.

This year marks the 100th anniversary of the battle, and the 150th anniversary of Canada as a nation. It was as a result of those anniversaries and the press coverage they received that I learned of some very intimate links between the City of Toronto, the battle for Vimy Ridge, and the Vimy Memorial that stands on the battlefield. The battle for Vimy Ridge was a Canadian victory, and, in the fullness of time, it has come to symbolize the point where Canada truly became a nation.

The music for this episode is Phife for life by Otis McDonald, made available courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library. The images Canadian troops on the battlefield and of the Vimy Memorial are from the Canadian War Museum.

Summer is in full swing and there will be much more to come on the vlog, so stay tuned!

Stutter, stall and a Texas strut

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Yes it's another episode of Life on two wheels, but regrettably, I'm not broadcasting from the Sticks.

Check out this episode to see how, when handed a bushel of lemons, I stumbled on the finest barbecue joint north of Austin Texas.

Canada: 150 years young!

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Happy Birthday Canada!

This is how Susan and I celebrated Canada Day: a trip to the roof terrace to take in the fireworks popping and crackling all over the city.

Next stop: the Boalsburg Moto Hang!

The music for this episode is Darling Ranch by Jingle Punks, courtesy of the YouTube Audio Library, and the national anthem of Canada.

Father's Day and Vespas

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Welcome to another episode of the Life on two wheels vlog.

Here are the detailed show notes.

Godmorgon to you, and Odensvik!

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I'm hoping that all my blog followers and vlog subscribers are suitably impressed.

If you haven't noticed, I'll blow my own horn with impunity and a total complete lack of humility.

It's another episode of the vlog, and it's landing in your inboxes within something crazy like 48 hours of the previous episode. Believe me when I say that, even a month ago, I would have said that was a shear impossibility.

What changed?

Well, like anything else, it's possible to get to a point where producing a half-decent YouTube video becomes a little more routine, and a little less of an unaccompanied hike in a steamy wild jungle. That's because you begin to learn where the path lies among the myriad complex and bewildering choices you are faced with when you open a powerful video editing suite on your computer.

This episode was prompted by one of the basic things that motivated me to begin blogging in the first place.

You have the need to get something accomplished, like in this case installing an Ikea Godmorgon - Odensvik - Rinnen floating bathroom vanity.

In short order you hit a foggy wall in the plumbing section at your local Rona, Lowes and Home Depot stores, and you don't get any further at a couple of professional plumbing supply houses, and in spite of having Googled and YouTubed for hours, you are still scratching your head stymied in your attempts to solve what ought to be a very, very, very simple task: hooking up the Ikea Rinnen drain system to the drain rough-in that pokes out of your bathroom wall.

Eventually I figured it out, and quite elegantly I have to say, speaking as a non-plumber. More elegantly than some of the examples I found in my online searches, here, and here, here, here and here.

Once all the running around and cursing is done and the job is a success, I for one react this way: "Holy crap, if only I had come across a video like the one I'm going to make explaining how to get from Eh!?! to beeee-you-tiful!"

So there you have it. Another public service like some of the other examples you can find right here in the Gear Guide, and the Touring Guide. Only it has absolutely nothing to do with riding a motorbike. It's about life. Life on two wheels.

My work here is done!

You're welcome!

And now the credits:

The music for this episode is Tribal Song by Silent Partner, a royalty-free selection from the YouTube Audio Library: https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music

The vanity is from the ingenious folks at Ikea.

The blood, sweat, and tears are all my own.

Hmmmmm.... butter tarts!

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Welcome back to Life on two wheels!

In this episode of the vlog, a small band of intrepid scooter desperadoes from the Toronto Moto Scooter Club hits the road bright and early on an impossibly sunny Saturday morning and heads up north, way up north.

This ride was destined to be an eye opener on so many levels.

Wikipedia debunks the myth that Yonge street (where Susan and I live in the north end of Toronto) is the longest street in the world. I generally trust Wikipedia, so when I was about to head back home, and my GPS told me to "turn left on Yonge street" I felt like an explorer discovering something new about the planet. Wikipedia says categorically that Yonge street ends 80 kilometers north of Lake Ontario. Yet here I was, more than 150 kilometers north yet still on Yonge street!! Cool! The thrill of discovery!!

But that's nothing!

Any excuse is a good reason to swing your leg over a saddle and hit the road, destination irrelevant. But what if there was a prize at the end of the road? How about an annual butter tart festival? When I saw that on the club's news letter, I was SOLD!!

The ride up was just what a moto trip ought to be. There were some nice hills to give you that soaring feeling when you cross the ridge line, some really nice twisties that I failed to record, sweeping left and right arcs, and gorgeous green countryside along every mile.

The event in Midland was well worth the trip all on its own, including the guy riding the Emu, not to mention the sinfully good butter tarts.

I hope that the video does the ride justice.

And now for the credits:

The music for this episode is Clap Along by Audionautix which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/) by the artist:  http://audionautix.com/. This is one of the many excellent royalty free music selections from the YouTube audio library.

Check out the comments on YouTube. The guy doing drum duty for the Canadian Legion bagpiper chimed in! How cool is that?

ExPrEsSiOn - Conclusion

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At long last, another episode of the vlog.

This one has had a ridiculously long gestation period.

What I needed to express was how I see blogging and vlogging as a form of art. I certainly see my writing efforts as a form of artistic expression. As for my videos... well, there lies a challenge. My technical skills are still very much ramping up, and my ability to tell a story as a video is in its infancy.

Vloggers who are much more talented express the view, with which I agree, that the story is where the art lies, much more so than in the technique of cobbling together a series of video and sound clips. In that spirit, I honestly try not to get wrapped up in the technology more than I absolutely need to.

There will always be better choices in terms of equipment and software, but even the most modest setup should allow plenty of room for creativity and is certainly no excuse for a boring, annoying, or pointless video. Heaven knows there are enough of those.

As I try to transition from blogger to vlogger, the blog suffers, my attention to fellow bloggers suffers, and along with them I suffer too. What I am trying to do in this episode is to express to you how I see this process and how this experiment is having an impact on me. I have literally lain awake at night, nursing the story for this video, imagining what I could do express my thoughts and point of view effectively. I imagined all kinds of fanciful wizardry that is quite frankly beyond my grasp at this point.

As for future posts, there is a club ride tomorrow for what I am told is the epicenter of butter tart magic up in Midland and that will be fun to document, and in early July it's off to tour the Sticks with Steve Williams and Paul Ruby which will be epic fun.

In the absolutely mundane department, I finally completed our guest bathroom update and that involved three difficult days wrestling with the installation of an excellent Ikea floating vanity. I Googled and YouTubed that project to death seeking advice. Given what I found, I am determined to offer the YouTubeOsphere a little ditty on my installation that may just save some future handy men a litany of florid cursing and needless treks to the hardware store.

So stay tuned, there's more in store.

And now the credits:

The music for this episode of Life on two wheels is:

I'm Everywhere Remastered by TeknoAXE hosted on http://www.teknoaxe.com which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License,

and

It's Always Too Late to Start Over by Chris Zabriskie which is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Source: http://chriszabriskie.com/dtv/
Artist: http://chriszabriskie.com/

The short footage of the Bellagio fountain is used with permission from the copyright owner.

eXpReSsIoN - Part one

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In this episode of the vlog, the first of two parts, I explore the mystery of what drives us to attempt art.

Not everyone develops an artistic bent, but

they are not that hard to find.

In part one you get a glimpse of me helping my dear friend Marc by editing a new book he has written and is busy publishing. It took two very full days of fairly grueling work on my end to deliver the comments that Marc was after, so that his publication target could be met.

As I worked to help Marc, it got me thinking again about what art means to me, and my own artistic process. You may not agree with me of course, but I consider the stuff I publish here on the blog, and up there in the new vlog, to be art.

It's a great conceit, and you may not believe that I am writing this with genuine humility, but when I go back into the depths of this journal's history to re-read stuff I posted a ways back, I actually enjoy what I read. I imagine that others enjoy it too. I think it would be a whole lot more difficult to do if I thought that I was producing drivel that was painful to read and difficult to watch. Well... maybe the videos are painful to watch. I've been learning to write in earnest since... I think grade 5. So those skills have been honed for a decent time. My video editing is in its earliest infancy.

But here's the thing, there's something in it that is very compelling for me.

That's my next challenge. Trying to explain what the blog and the vlog mean to me, how they drive me, and why I think they are art.

If I manage to get it halfway right, it will be art, about art.

I'm curious to hear what my fellow bloggers (who are suffering my neglect as I spend long selfish hours on my 'art') think. Not about the quality of what I do, but about their own blogging (and vlogging of course, if any vloggers happen to stop by).

Speaking of art, the music for this episode of the vlog is Hall of Mirrors by Bird Creek and is available in the YouTube audio library.

Flashback!

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In this episode I revisit the place where my life on two wheels began, in Victoria, British Columbia. My experience there nine years ago changed my life in ways it was impossible to imagine. Those ways are all documented on the blog and are well-worth exploring.

The music for this episode is Deep Hat by Vibe Tracks, available for download in the YouTube audio library (https://www.youtube.com/audiolibrary/music). Mood music was incidentally provided by talented guy in the video thumbnail.

The detailed narrative for this episode may be found in these posts: The opening post of the blog from March 2010 Getting started... and this post from December 2011 How and Why I got into Motorbikes. Each of those posts provides some key insights into what living life on two wheels means to me. The only way to gain a more complete understanding is by viewing this episode of the L2W vlog, and by exploring this journal. One of the easiest ways to do that is to click on the link above to the version of this journal in chronological order.

I hope you enjoy this episode.

Later on in the season I'll have more to say about the mysteries of Vimy, you'll get to tag along as I take a trip south to the sticks of Pennsylvania to hang out with Steve, and there will be much, much more in store.

Catching up with Dar Duncan

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Oh Boy!!

A fresh episode of the vlog!

In this episode you'll hear from Dar Duncan (#MotoDiva) herself. She gives us the inside scoop on what it takes to be a professional motorcycle instructor, plus you get a glimpse of Dar in her star persona on Farkle Garage, and Dar does a great sales job on the Honda NC700SA.

The trip to Victoria was a long one, no doubt about that, but so, so worth it. The view of Mount Baker from Dallas Road all by itself is well worth the visit.

I'll be back to provide more complete show notes a little later on... so keep an eye on this post...

In the meantime, please enjoy episode 8 of Life on two wheels!

-----

Well that did take some time.  The only thing I'll add on this episode is that I'd been wanting to meet Dar as far back as the spring of 2012 when I met up with other moto bloggers on the West Coast. Now at last this episode of the vlog checks that box. Finally!




The music for this episode is "I Like Peanuts" by Audionautix and it is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/...)
Artist: http://audionautix.com/

Rider profile: Dar Duncan

Name: Dar Duncan
Find me on Earth: Victoria, British Columbia
Find me Online: Scootermayhem.blogspot.com, @Moto_Diva on Twitter and Instagram, @Motochat and #motochat also on Twitter, and on Farkle Garage, a motorcycle show broadcast on Shaw cable TV and available on the Farkle Garage channel on YouTube, and at farklegarage.tv. Finally see Dar's Life on two wheels interview
Interview Date: Saturday, April 15, 2017
Interview Location: Victoria, British Columbia

Life on two wheels: When did you start riding, how old were you?

Ken Wilson and the Oyster Tour wrap up

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Yes! It's another episode of Life on two wheels.

In this episode you get a short and sweet interview with Ken Wilson where you find out what makes him skip, tick, and talk.

The musical selection is Acoustic Blues by Audionautix courtesy of the excellent YouTube audio library.

Peering into my looking glass into the future, I see a meet up with a moto blogger on the west coast, and more insight into my "Is it possible?" puzzle.

Stay tuned, there's more to come folks!

Is it possible?

This is the year I celebrate my 65th birthday.

It's a milestone like few others.

Turning fifty was a major event, so was 21. But 65, that one really does loom large. This may be the season for something big. Perhaps something really special.

These past few weeks I have been thinking a lot about my grandfather. He was my mother's father, Georges Terroux. He was in the Canadian Armed Forces and he fought in World War I. His fight ended in a fog of mustard gas. He was lucky. Lucky because he didn't die, and lucky because he met the love of his life in England, my grandmother Margaret, his war bride.

Truth

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When I was a kid, truth seemed simple. Over the last sixty years I learned that truth is not really simple at all. Truth can be surprisingly elusive, and finding it can require a whole lot of intelligence, energy and time.

Some devote their entire lives to finding truth.  They search for decades in the hope of discovering the truth about tiny slices of our reality. Think of astronomers, particle physicists and cancer researchers. Some philosophers have devoted their careers to thinking critically about the very meaning of truth. Those explorers are the vanguard in the quest for truth.

For most of us truth is more mundane than the study of cosmology and the meaning of life. "It's raining"; "I'm hungry"; "that shirt doesn't fit me well"; "it's dark out". Statements like these are easily verified. We measure truth with our eyes, our gut, our skin.

When it comes to things that others tell us, truth is more complicated, though we can usually verify what we are told. I test your honesty when you tell me "It's raining". Your coat is wet, I see the rain, I know it's true. As I learn that you speak the truth, I come to trust you. Once I trust you I simply accept what you tell me in the same way as when I see the rain myself. The truth we speak, and the trust we earn and share, are the bricks and mortar of our society.

How is the truth complicated?

The people you meet

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That's right, episode 5 of the vlog has landed.

Here are the show notes:

Unexpected recognition: Top 100!

I received word over the weekend that Life on two wheels was recognized, based on social media metrics, as one of the top 100 motorcycle blogs.

I can't begin to express what a pleasant surprise that is.

Coasting for oysters: Lostboater's Oyster Tour

I know some of you have been anxiously waiting for episode four of the vlog.

But first I have incredible news!!

On Monday, February 27th, 2017, I rode my Vespa all the way to the south western end of greater Toronto to fetch some parts for our living room lighting. That was a first. I feel almost bullish about global warming (no, not really).

Well back to the matter at hand. Wait no more, here is episode four. If I were a more proficient producer, director, editor, sound man, camera man, script writer, and cinematographer, episode four would have landed in your inbox yesterday.



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Hangin' with legends

Thanks for your patience.

Here at last is Episode 3 of Life on two wheels, the vlog.



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In this episode I meet up in northern Florida with three Vespa legends. Ken Wilson, Jim Mandle, and Bill Leuthold.

Rider profile: Bill Leuthold

Name: Bill Leuthold

Find me on Earth: Jacksonville, Florida in the historic neighborhood of Avondale.
Find me Online: Rocket and Me
Interview Date: Thursday, February 9, 2017
Interview Location: Cedar Key, Florida

Bill near Klosters, Switzerland

Rider profile: Ken Wilson

Name: Ken Wilson
Find me on Earth: St. Petersburg, Florida, sometimes
Find me Online: lostboater.com, Motorcycle Men Podcast interview and the Life on two wheels YouTube channel tnterview
Interview Date: Thursday, February 9, 2017
Interview Location: Cedar Key, Florida

I hit the road, Jack

At long last, it's episode 2 of Life on two wheels, the Vlog.

I has been a long day folks.

Episode 2 crashed my iMac, at least twice.



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As promised I returned and added some show notes, useful links, a hint or two about what I'm up to, a list, and some other stuff too.

Leap of faith

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This is a first, and you are witnessing history.

Last week I got a little lift courtesy of Ted Kettler's Motorcycle Men podcast when he interviewed me. I say a little lift because that interview took me from publishing my thoughts here in writing to sharing my thoughts in audio on his podcast.

I have had to scramble the rest of the way up to the windswept pinnacle of video blogging (or 'vlogging').

Let me know what you think.

I am brimming with a few vlog topics so this may not be the end (unless you are particularly cruel, in which case I'll take you on in a Twitter duel).

Finally, in response to David Blackburn, here are pics of those business cards. They are hot out of the mailbox:

 

So what the hell am I up to?

That's what Sonja asked a few days back. But so much more politely, I hasten to add.

I feel that I need to say something to break the suspense, you all deserve some kind of an accounting.

Things have been hectic and I have had my hands full (Christmas and the holidays, professional stuff, estate settlement tax reporting stuff, the stuff below (read on), and on, and on.