PIC OF THE WEEK - SMOKEY MOUNTAIN VIEW

Harley and I have been to the Smokey mountains many times on the Glides and it is one of our favorite places to visit.  The coolness of the mountain air would embrace you as you rode along the twisty curvy asphalt and provide some of the most breathtaking scenery ever.  I was perusing through some of our old trip photos and realized I was getting a renewed excitement to revisit these beautiful old mountains.  Now that we have a Jeep, I'm ready to find some new "out of reach" places that need exploring.


SMOKEY MOUNTAIN VIEW

Somewhere in the Smokeys.

Beautiful view!

It only takes us about 3 to 4 hours to reach our Tennessee/North Carolina playground, and I realize it's up to us to tap into all that wilderness.  We've been toying with the idea of a camping trailer, but a nice quiet cabin up the the Smokey Mountains sounds kind of nice too. Hmmmm... decisions, decisions. I know I'm not a fortune teller, but I see some mountainy explorations in our future.

Have a great week everybody!

Lady R

INDIES UNLIMITED WRITING COMPETITION

Indies Unlimited

I've been contemplating my writing skills lately and what I can do to improve and entertain with my words. I've posted some interesting stories and exciting experiences during my four years of blogging, but lately I feel like I'm missing a key element to good writing... and that's passion. It was easy for me to come home and write about a day's ride, or share a road trip I've experienced, because I felt so passionately about riding and loved it so much. Not to mention how much fun I was having. Putting to words my innermost thoughts, just seemed to flow out naturally.

Now... take away the motorcycle. Not only am I missing something I loved to do, I have nothing to write about. Have I lost my passion to write? Yeah... kind of.  It took some time, but after a while I realized that my writing passion didn't go anywhere... I just had to find it again.  For me, writing was, and is about memories and as long as I'm healthy minded, I'll have some great memories.

I came across an interesting website for folks who like to write, and now I'm hooked.  Actually, Donna's blog, 2 Taking a 5th, is where I stumbled upon it, and I'm so glad I did. She has been writing fiction for a while now and whether she knows it or not, she has been an inspiration to me to get my thoughts and ideas on paper.  Or, as we say now days... in Microsoft Word.

Indies Unlimited is comprised of a team of successful authors who wanted to break down the barriers for writers of all skill levels and provide exposure as well as inspiration, thoughts and ideas. They hold writing competitions and provide great information to authors new to the business of getting published.  I've been lurking around over there for a while now, and decided to enter one of their contests.  See here.

The Contest...

A picture is posted.

Photo by K.S. Brooks

Instructions: Your character waits beneath the streetlight as per the arrangements. The hour grows near for the meeting. Is the rendezvous with a lover, a blackmailer, or perhaps an informant? In 250 words or less, tell me a story incorporating the elements in the picture.
*Voting is open to the public on Wednesday morning.

For what it's worth, here's my entry:

Katy tilted her head and looked up at the light.  The dusky sky behind it was beginning to brighten as she dropped her gaze and peered down the street again, looking for Max.  Where was he?  She tried to keep herself from feeling anxious, but today wasn’t the day to be running late. 

Her heart skipped a beat as thoughts of her test crept into her mind. Having spent the last two days on the tarmac, she imagined herself back out on the course. Her instructor’s voice was a calm reminder in her mind, guiding her through the exercises. Eyes up… look into your turn… watch your mirrors.

The sounds of sputtering and clacking valves interrupted her thoughts as she turned to notice two dim and yellowing headlights bouncing toward her.  "Finally",she thought.  Checking her watch, she told herself she had plenty of time, but she would need to hurry.

As the rickety old truck came to a stop under Katy’s street light, Max shouted his greeting, “Sorry I’m late Katy, but this old gal just didn’t want to get rolling this morning.”

As Katy climbed on the bumper to get her bundle of papers out of the back, she answered, “That’s okay Max, I’m going to make it, but I don’t have time to chat today!” 

Max smiled knowingly.  He was proud of his young carrier.  Not many fifteen year olds can boast of earning a motorcycle endorsement while saving their newspaper money to buy their first motorcycle.  ~ DS

I realize using Max the "newspaper guy" as an informant is stretching, but I still had fun with this exercise. I invite you to go and peruse through the other entries, and if your so inclined to vote... I would appreciate yours!

Fiction writer in training...
Lady R

FRIDAY FUNNY - WALKING THE DOG

WALKING THE DOG

A woman was flying from Melbourne to Brisbane. Unexpectedly, the plane was diverted to Sydney along the way. The flight attendant explained that there would be a delay, and if the passengers wanted to get off the aircraft, the plane would re-board in 50 minutes.

Everybody got off the plane except one lady who was blind. A man had noticed her as he walked by and could tell the lady was blind because her Guide dog lay quietly underneath the seats in front of her throughout the entire flight.

He could also tell she had flown this very flight before because the pilot approached her, called her by name and said, "Kathy, we are in Sydney for almost an hour. Would you like to get off and stretch your legs?” The blind lady replied, “No thanks, but maybe Buddy would like to stretch his legs.”

Picture this:
All the people in the gate area came to a complete standstill when they looked up and saw the pilot walk off the plane with a Guide dog! The pilot was even wearing sunglasses!

People scattered.

They not only tried to change planes, but they were trying to change airlines!

True story.

Have a great day and remember…

The Pilot and his pal Buddy

 ...THINGS AREN'T ALWAYS AS THEY APPEAR.

PIC OF THE WEEK - THE JACK B. VENABLE BRIDGE

CR 50 in Elmore County is a nice little road that delivers you to The Cherokee Ridge Alpine Trail, a beautiful scenic overlook of  Lake Martin. On the way there, however, you get to ride cross the Jack B. Venable bridge and the Tallapoosa River.

JACK B. VENABLE BRIDGE

Coming up on the bridge seems uneventful, however, as you ride across, you get a dose of interesting scenery and old history as your mind jumps into action as it registers your "snapshot" to memory.

The "old" Jack B. Venable Bridge

 The history behind old broken bridges like one this interest me. These retired, crumbling bridge abutments stand as haunting reminders of the original structure that once graced this spot. They almost seem like a sad memorial to an era gone by, and the history they hold deteriorates with them as they age and weather.

... kind of like us!

Have a great week everybody!

Lady R

FRIDAY FUNNY - BUT... BUT... BUTT

I can't take credit for any of these photos, BUTT... I think you'll find them as funny as I did.

Shew... I sure am glad I ate those beans this morning. I'd never make it!

Hi... YA!

The f*#king ball ain't up there you moron!!

Have a nice weekend everybody!

Lady R

PIC OF THE WEEK - THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM

A couple years ago, while camping in the infield at the Atlanta Motor Speedway for a NASCAR event, some of us broke out for a while and went downtown to the Georgia Aquarium. It was a very cool place to kill some time and I would definitely make another trip over just to see it again.

THE GEORGIA AQUARIUM

Star Subject

Graceful swimmer

Say cheese!

Beautiful Clowns

I could sit and watch the graceful beauty of the underwater world for a long time. It's so relaxing.

I hope you all had a great weekend, and now it's time to get to work! Have a great week everybody!

Lady R

FRIDAY FUNNY - IT ALL BEGAN WITH AN iPHONE

IT ALL BEGAN WITH AN iPHONE... by some unlucky f#*ker.

March was when our son celebrated his 17th birthday, and we got him an iPhone... and he just loved it! Who wouldn't?


I celebrated my birthday in July, and my wife made me very happy when she bought me an iPad.

Our daughter's birthday was in August, so we got her an iPod Touch.


My wife celebrated her birthday in September, so of course, I got her an iRon.


It was around then that the big fight started...

What my wife failed to recognize, is that the iRon can be integrated into the home network... with the iWash, iCook and iClean.

Warning: This inevitably activates the iNag reminder service.

I should be out of the hospital next week!!
 

PIC OF THE WEEK - OBJECTS IN MIRROR...

I've been reminiscing a lot lately over our past riding adventures.  When Harley had his wreck this past Spring, it was clear that his riding days were definitely on hold, if not permanently expired. Since we are the kind of couple that deals with life's ups and downs together, I made my very difficult decision to support him and not ride... for now.  He's been doing very well, but his strength and limberness has been severely compromised.  Daily activities serve as constant reminders that he would have a very difficult time trying to ride right now and not be a danger to himself or others.

That's not to say that I've not been missing our weekly adventures because I have... big time!  I've been looking over old ride pics and found these that were taken during a chilly ride back in January of 2010.

OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR...

Following the leader

Making my move!

... BEFORE THEY PASS YOU!

Lady R... riding on a cold day in Wilcox County, Alabama

Harley was always my go to man, as he was great at catching good pics on the fly.  I miss riding my Glide, at times, so much it hurts. But then, all I have to do is take a nice long look at Harley and realize there is more to life than motorcycles. Thank you God, for helping me keep that in perspective. 

Have a nice week everybody!

Lady R

FRIDAY FUNNY - NEVER ASSUME

A young engineer was leaving the office at 5:45 PM when he found the CEO standing in front of a shredder with a piece of paper in his hand.

"Listen", said the CEO, "this is a very sensitive and important document, and my secretary is not here.  Can you make this thing work?"

"Certainly!" claimed the young engineer. He turned on the machine, inserted the paper, and pushed the start button.

"Excellent, excellent!" said the CEO as his paper disappeared inside the machine, "I just need one copy."

Lesson: Never, ever assume your boss knows what he's doing!

PIC OF THE WEEK - BANDIT BOY

Today's Pic of the Week is not an awesome road, nor a cool landmark. Instead, I will share a subject you may have seen before, as he is usually large and in charge. This little creature holds a special place in my heart, and besides... he's so cute!

BANDIT BOY

My handsome "little man"... who helps me keep the rest of the brood in line. No one can get a correction from me, without Bandit jumping in and giving his two cents worth. He loves the fact that we have a Jeep now, and he loves going for R-I-D-E-S. (I have to spell it... or else!)

I'm going for a ride!

"I think we go up here and take a right, dad..."

He's is a great little navigator and loves to help drive.

Let's go mom!

I should have named him "Clown"... because he's always making me laugh!

I hope you all had a nice holiday.  Today is my last day off before settling into the new year and I'm going to relish in it all I can.  I think I'll let Bandit help me with some laundry... he likes bringing me socks!

Have a great week everybody!

Lady R