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!

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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!

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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.

31 days...

... hath December.

This is the second year that December sees me still in the saddle. My last jaunt on the Vespa in 2015 was on the 8th of December.

On Thursday the first of the month I rode downtown for a fruitful meeting at the University of Toronto Faculty of Law.

Scribbled - Voting in a Democracy

Susan is a little concerned. She may be right.

Lately I have taken to sending e-mails to Toronto Star columnists. I have also written to the Prime Minister on two or three occasions.

We're not talking about angry Tweets, or dozens of e-mail messages, or about indiscriminate rants, much less unpleasant ad-hominen diatribes aimed at reporters and politicians. Still, Susan's concern is certainly warranted (she doesn't want me morphing into either Statler or Waldorf, those angry old muppet men).

That said, I may be done with the few topics that recently prompted me to take to my keyboard.

This morning I was ingesting my daily ration of news (Toronto Star, New York Times, and Quartz) and found it largely indigestible. This is a steady diet of worrisome stuff, after all. I can't write letters every time I read an item that rattles my cage. I'd spend my days doing nothing but. I certainly shouldn't devote too much time airing my concerns here, right? Who cares what I think, anyway?

So that may be it for a while.

Let me say this though.

PMS

We humans are ruled by hormones, pheromones, and craveomones.

Many years ago we were sitting around the kitchen table. We were eating something good, but it couldn't have been entirely healthy. The kids began to read the ingredients on the labels of the jars and other containers on the table. That's when someone discovered that one of the condiments claimed it contained "flavonoids".

It only took mere fractions of a second for us to invent "tasterenes".

In that same vein, yesterday I discovered that craveomones were ruling my body.

Life after snow?

Winter is here.

I was rummaging in the storage locker today. For a brief moment I considered the Vespa's winter storage cover. Then I tossed it back on the shelf.

Snow, shmow. I'm in no mood to close the book on riding for 2016. It might happen, it might not.

The truth is that Toronto is new to me. I'm pinning my hopes on the lake effect.

Fall riff

Summer lasted forever.

And then there was fall. As often happens, when summer ebbs and leaves us contemplating the looming winter, life gets busy.

What have we been up to? We've been busy.

In mid-October I joined fellow members of the Toronto Moto Scooter Club and headed northeast towards Georgian Bay.

This is the ride that marked the arrival of fall.

Requiem for an epoch

My life began as we emerged from horrible decades of genocide, world wars, and depression. The lessons we learned at unimaginable cost gave rise to an era of stability, growth, and prosperity accompanied by unprecedented international cooperation.

Today we stand at the edge of a precipice. A very dangerous time in history.

Canadians are a rare breed

If you are not yourself Canadian, the best way to understand what it means to be Canadian, is to study the ways of a quintessential Canadian.

It's a little like birding. You need to learn the habitat, haunts, and habits of the quintessential Canadian.