TALLADEGA SCENIC HIGHWAY ON MT. CHEAHA ~ ALABAMA ~ photo taken by Dianna Stover
All material posted here is the original property of Lady R, author of this blog, unless linked from another source or otherwise noted. All material and photos not to be reprinted without permission.

Monday, August 29, 2011

PIC OF THE WEEK - INFINITY AND BEYOND

I just love looking down a long span of railroad tracks. Don't ask me why, but I've always imagined myself being able to ride my Glide down them and slice through the country side without anybody else around me. Also, I think they are a thing of beauty in themselves.

INFINITY AND BEYOND
This tired piece of rail runs through an old abandoned town in Lowndesboro, AL where cotton and other southern commodities were loaded up and sent out on rail cars.

I'm trying to find out more about this cool little place, cause I have some more awesome pics to share with you.

In the meantime... have a great week everybody!!

Lady R

Friday, August 26, 2011

FRIDAY FUNNY - COWBOY BUD

A cowboy named Bud was overseeing his herd in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced toward him out of a cloud of dust.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, RayBan sunglasses and YSL tie, leaned out the window and asked the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, Will you give me a calf?"

Bud looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure, Why not?"

The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer, connects it to his Cingular RAZR V3 cell phone, and surfs to a NASA page on the Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite to get an exact fix on his location, which he then feeds to another NASA satellite that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo.

The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored.

He then accesses an MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Excel spreadsheet with email on his Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer, turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1,586 cows and calves."

"That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says Bud.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on with amusement as he stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then Bud says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"

The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why not?"

"You're an aide in the Obama Administration", says Bud.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked. You used millions of dollars worth of equipment trying to show me how much smarter than me you are; and you don't know a thing about how working people make a living - or about cows, for that matter....

... this is a herd of sheep."
"Now give me back my dog."

Monday, August 22, 2011

PIC OF THE WEEK - BLOGGER TRIPLICITY... PLUS MOM

While in Iowa helping my mom celebrate her big birthday, I had the honor and privilege of getting to meet, and hang out with two other amazing motorcycle bloggers; D-Day from Musings of a Contemplative Biker, and Stephanie, The Iowa Harley Girl.

BLOGGER TRIPLICITY... PLUS MOM!
Me, Dean, Stephanie and Mom

I started blogging four years ago and became friends with both of these inspiring and entertaining authors almost immediately. I was truly humbled that they would travel over three hours (for each of them!) just to spend their Sunday afternoon with me and my crazy family!

I'm really glad they did, cause we had a great time getting to laugh and carry on... in person! Fortunately, Dean and Steph don't scare easily so all was good. lol! Thank you to Miss K (Dean's lovely girlfriend) who gladly took our pic for us. I'm so glad to finally meet her too. You see... (whispering...) "she's one of my Mahong Trails Companions!"

I hope that when I go back to Iowa for Christmas, we'll be able to enjoy each others company once again. A night on the town would be just what Santa ordered!

Have a great week everybody!

Lady R

Sunday, August 21, 2011

DEATH OF A RIDER

There was no funeral, no church service, not even a token memorial to mark the end. Yet, grief and mourning ripped through the rider as the darkness of death surrounded his "spirit".

He was not ready to die. He feared it and fought it... at least to the extent any rider tries to. Coming to the realization that there is something out there, bigger than him, throws him into yet another spiritual turmoil.

Wondering (why?)... his body moves slowly and not without suffering, as he tries to negotiate himself into a more comfortable position.

Most have called him lucky and many remind him of second chances not often given, but yet he lingers in the vast sea of uncertainty. Questions without answers bind his soul from feeling free. "What did I do... What did they do... Just what the hell happened?" Trying to remember the accident left him frustrated beyond measure, as there is nothing in his mind to give the rider comfort... or shame. Just the lost hole of time, and the pain to bear with it.

Bruises fade and bones heal yet, the rider continues to struggle. The demons in his mind won't allow his "spirit" to soar free and while the rider is lost without the road, the man is still hungry for life. Seeking new avenues for adventure puts forth a challenge, but allows him to keep his eyes on the big picture. The man fights for survival in the abyss of self pity while finding comfort and strength in the support of his "foundation".

Coming to terms with difficult decisions can leave a man tired and broken and somehow, the promise of life still feeds him. The rider suffered immense loss, but the man has been spared. His desire to grow old and find happiness will eventually expel those demons and his "spirit" will find a way, once again, to fly free.

The man feels the grief... the sadness... and the loss... that this death brings.

The rider in him has died... but the man has not.

Lady R

Friday, August 19, 2011

FRIDAY FUNNY - WHAT IS THE MEANING OF COURAGE?

What is the meaning of courage?

Is it to fight a Bull in a bullfight without any weapon?
Is it to undertake a cross-country auto trip in a Chrysler Corporation car?
Is it to fly a fighter plane in combat?
Is it to undergo open-heart surgery knowing that the surgeon has a drinking problem?
Is it to practice free fall parachuting?
Is it to perform a root-canal on yourself?
Is it bungee jumping, wild water rafting, or canoeing down the Niagra Falls?

Bullshit... those are nothing!

THIS my friend is COURAGE!!!

Last picture I have of my dog "Lucky"


Monday, August 15, 2011

PIC OF THE WEEK - MIND BOGGLING PHOTO MANIPUTLATIONS

I'm still in Iowa, and yesterday I had the privilege of meeting a couple of long standing blogger friends. The Iowa Harley Girl, Stephanie, and Dean, author of Musings of a Contemplative Biker came to Dubuque to join me and my family for the celebration of my mom's 70th birthday. It was an awesome day and I can't wait to share with you. However, I'm not able to download my pictures here until I return home, so in the meantime, I will post some amazing photos that I have acquired through email.

How's this for some great road shots!

Mind-Boggling Photo Manipulations... by Erik Johansson

Erik J is a 21 year old Swedish photographer....pretty amazing stuff, dont'cha think?

I'm going to miss this nice weather I've had the pleasure of relishing in as I leave today and head back to the furnace I call home. Hopefully, I won't encounter any extreme drop offs or have to avoid any flying people! Have a great week everybody!

Lady R

Friday, August 12, 2011

FRIDAY FUNNY - FIVE NUNS IN A BAR

FIVE NUNS IN A BAR

Sisters Mary Catherine, Maria Theresa, Katherine Marie, Rose Frances, and Mary Kathleen left the Convent on a trip to St. Patrick's Cathedral in New York City and were sight-seeing on a Tuesday in July. It was hot and humid in town and their traditional garb was making them so uncomfortable, they decided to stop in at Patty McGuire's Pub for a cold soft drink.

Patty had recently added special legs to his bar stools, which were the talk of the fashionable Eastside neighborhood. All five Nuns sat up at the bar and were enjoying their Cokes when Monsignor Riley and Father McGinty entered the bar through the front door.

They, too, came for a cold drink when they were shocked and almost fainted at what they saw.


GIVE US A SENSE OF HUMOR LORD,
AND GIVE US THE GRACE TO SEE A JOKE,
TO GET SOME HUMOR OUT OF LIFE,
AND PASS IT ON TO OTHER FOLK. AMEN

Happy Friday to you all and have a safe and wonderful weekend!

Lady R

Monday, August 8, 2011

PIC OF THE WEEK - STURGIS AND THE THREE B'S

As a child, I've been through Sturgis, SD a million times when we would travel to Cody, WY to see my western cousins, but I've never had the pleasure of visiting there during a rally. My brothers, however, were more fortunate than I and had an audacious time a couple years ago when they both went together. Lucky dogs! In order to set the mood for our rally attending brothers and sisters, I decided to honor the mecca of all rallies and post a couple pics from their experience. I bring you Sturgis... and the three B's.

BIKES

BABES

BUFFALO
(no Sturgis rally is complete without them!)
So be on the look out and ride safe!


Also... for all of us poor saps that stayed home, check out these links that show you all the action, live! Web cams are set up so we can share in the fun... at a glance. Check them out!

STURGIS RALLY WEB CAM


WALL DRUG WEB CAM

I'll have to say this about those cams... not a lot goes on up there at 5:00 in the morning. Ha!

Godspeed to you all... and may you have the time of your lives!!

Lady R

Friday, August 5, 2011

FRIDAY FUNNY - LARGEST WOODPECKER ON RECORD

LARGEST WOODPECKER ON RECORD!
Holy peckers Batman... look at the wood on that one!!

Hope you all have a great weekend and for those of you headed out to Sturgis... Ride safe, ride fun, and ride on! (watch for woodpeckers!) Can't wait to hear the stories!!

Lady R

Monday, August 1, 2011

PIC OF THE WEEK - FLAGG MOUNTAIN

Harley and I went 'sploring again Saturday and took the Jeep up across Flagg Mountain in Coosa County. I know you western folks don't consider our little foothills mountains, but they're still fun to ride on and the views aren't too bad either.

FLAGG MOUNTAIN
Taking to the woods and driving on these dirt and gravel roads have been opening new doors of adventure for us and I can't say I haven't been having a good time doing it! Maybe it's just me, but even with 4 wheels under me, I'm still drawn to great road shots! Allow me...

We found a couple new shortcuts, or longcuts... depending on who you ask, and I look forward to the changing seasons from my new viewpoint up on Flagg Mountain. The peace and quiet will be compromised during hunting season, however, when the occasional gun shot pierces the air, and yet another Bambi bites the dust.

Hope you all had a great weekend and here's to an even better week!

Ride free, ride safe... and ride on!! (or just drive if you have to) Just get out... and live!

Lady R