Skilled Rider’s course

It’s been a nice weekend here weather-wise, with temps in the 70’s and sunny. Mowing aside, I spent most of yesterday on the bike.

I took the Harley-Davidson Skilled Rider’s course Saturday, which essentially is a closed course where we got coached and time to practice slow speed and confined space maneuvers, like U-turns in limited space, and emergency maneuvers like quick stops in curves or swerving, or both together. There were 6 riders and two instructors, with 9 course exercises to complete.

Overall it was time well spent, getting the chance to practice things that we simply don’t have the opportunity to perfect on the street in a safe environment. In addition, going through the exercises on our own bikes gave us the chance to see how our bikes respond to our inputs.

Cleo continues to be a bit of a concern. I’ve read up on ailments in older dogs like Cleo, and I’m having trouble coming to grips with the thought that she may simply struggle with this issue for the rest of her days.

It’s not as if she is living a poor life. She still takes pleasure in so many things that this is simply an inconvenience, much like in a human with arthritis that may have difficulty with some activities but still lives a rich and rewarding life. I just hate seeing her living with it. It was not long ago that she ran with me regularly and to see her trip a couple times a day just walking around the house seems strange. Other than that, she seems like the same old Cleo, good energy, great disposition, etc.

Marnnie and Travis celebrated his birthday by visiting Germany, and from the picture they sent it looks like they had a good time. Maybe we’ll be lucky and she can post a comment here about the trip!!! (hint, hint)

Memorial Day weekend

We had beautiful weather for the long weekend here, spending most of it getting some outside chores done around here yet mixing in some fun and relaxation.

Unfortunately I'm still concerned about Cleo. While the anti-inflamatory meds seem to have gotten rid of her neck pain, she's still reluctant to put weight on her left front leg, which means she's stumbled a few times and walks in a wider stance, making her unstable on slippery surfaces like the kitchen tile and wood flooring. I'll call the vet tomorrow to discuss.

Saturday I power washed the deck and furniture in prep for restaining, trimmed the trees, then we cleaned up and took the bike up to Chagrin Falls for the street festival. Sunday we stained and treated the deck and furniture.

We've also potted a couple of tomato plants. I've never tried to grow them in pots, but the back yard doesn't really have a full-sun spot for a garden, so we'll see how this goes. I'm hoping by August we'll have some green fried tomatoes and then plenty of red ones by September.

Finally, we've been researching lodging in Paris for vacation. Most apartments demand a minimum 7 day stay, though we've found a few that would allow for 4, but they're pretty pricey... still looking!

Is summer really here???

I’m in the process of trying to coordinate and plan the summer trip schedule.

In a few weeks, Kim and I plan to visit Marnnie (daughter), first meeting up with her in Paris, then going to her place in Ireland for a few days.

In August or early September, a group of us form work are planning a motorcycle trip down the Mississippi, with Dan (boss) and I heading out from the Cleveland area, meeting up with 3 guys out of Milwaukee somewhere around Chicago, then heading across IL to the river and then South to St. Louis to pick up 1 more, and returning along the Ohio River through Kentucky. Probably about 4 days. I’m hoping we can pull it off as it will be my first distance/group ride. I’ll be the novice of the group but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. It’s kind of ironic that most of us on the ride are in the Safety group.

Then there’s the traditional end-of-summer, late September trip with my friends from Cincinnati and Indianapolis to Dale Hollow, TN for a long weekend on a houseboat drinking, blowing stuff up, playing poker, smoking cigars and such.

The weather’s just turned beautiful here, hopefully for the long haul. Springtime in Ohio is digital… on, off, on, off, on, off… and usually doesn’t level out until late May for a beautiful summer. I hope to spend more time on the bike and hiking this year.

We also got some good news about Cleo, who has had a sore neck to the point that she wasn't holding her head up much, seemed listless, etc. We had concerns that there was a degenerative problem with her neck. However, we had some X-rays done, and it appears that, while there is a disc that seems thin, that the major issue is arthritis. We picked up a two week supply of meds to try, and it's like we have a new dog... very lively, no pain, etc. The vet says the meds are good for long term use, so we're hoping this solves the problem. The meds are a little pricey, but Doc says there is a rebate program. But the main thing is that Cleo seems back in good form and living without discomfort.

Sebastian joins the world

Well, Tanja Bartulovic, our Safety Marketing Communicator and one of my favorite Rockwell people had her first baby about 5 days ahead of schedule. We're all very excited for her and David (her husband) and of course, for baby Sebastian Luka (they're Croatian) born yesterday at 4 something PM, weighing 6 lbs and change and 19.5" long.


Mom and baby both doing well.


We're now contemplating what to actually call him... Tanja wouldn't reveal their name selections prior to birth, and they chose not to know the sex until he was born... so we'd been calling him/it "Jake." So now we have some interesting choices... we could keep calling him Jake just for fun... call him "Sea Bass" which is Sebastian Janikowski's (NFL kicker) nickname, then there's "Brasi" after Luca Brasi from the Godfather...

Birthday Festivities

I had a nice birthday yesterday.

I received a wonderful voice message from my daughter, a text message (which followed a gift basket of yummies) from my younger sister, an e-card from my sister in Toledo, and cards from Dianne (sister) in Vermont, Mom and others, then went out for a sushi dinner with Kim.

Life is good.

First Post

First post on my blog... this weekend was Mother's Day, and while Saturday was generally a work day around the house, Kim (fiance') and I went to see Star Trek and loved it.

Sunday afternoon we headed to my sister (Karen) and Bro-in-law's place near Toledo, where we met up with other family members for a little Mother's Day get-together.

My Bro-in-law Paul, nephew Ryan and I spent some quality time on the patio smoking cigars, drinking margaritas and discussing many important things like football and the UFC. I do believe that there are few things better in life than that.