Observations from a Motorcycle

It is motorcycle season again (yaaaayyyyyy!!!!!!!!) and in honour of this I would like to share some observations that I have made over almost 70 000 kms of riding.

1.  Everyone waves at you when you ride a motorcycle.  Little kids..... older men.... babies who are asleep in their mother's arms..... everyone waves at bikers.  Bikers even have a secret "biker wave" that they do when they see each other (I would tell you what this is..... but then I would have to kill you).

2.  Everyone wants to talk to you when you are on a bike.  Pull into a gas station in says Butte, Montana driving a minivan - no one says a word to you.  Drive in on a bike and you will have at least three guys talking to you about where you are from, where you are going, what you are riding, telling you how many bikes they have in the garage, etc.  This actually happened to Lenny and me in Butte.... and it happens all the time everywhere.

Both of those things are sort of nice.  Especially the people talking to you.  I really enjoy that part.

The other interesting thing is that the waves and the conversations are different based on gender.  For example......

1.  Men wave at you in a "Hey, buddy!!!!  I wish I was riding a bike!!!   Rock on, dude!!!!!" (Or whatever it is that the cool kids say now) sort of way.

Women, on the other hand, wave at you in the same way that they might wave at someone walking a tightrope over Niagara Falls or at a lion tamer in a cage.  It is sort of a "Ummm - golly - I am glad you think that is fun, but I don't so I hope you don't hurt yourself" sort of way.

Editor's note:  All kids,  regardless of gender, wave like the guys do..... they are just happy to see someone doing something that looks like fun.  Maybe there is a lesson there too.

2.  Men, as noted, talk about things like where you are headed, what you are riding, how long you have been on the road, etc.

Women talk about the weather..... EXCLUSIVELY!!  I was sitting at a gas station in Brandon, Manitoba when out of the blue this very nice lady walked up to me and asked, "You aren't going to Winnipeg are you?"   When I told her that I was turning north and going to Dauphin she replied, "Oh good!  There is a huge storm outside of Winnipeg!" and then she went on her merry way.

Now, what does all of this mean?  Well, a smart people would realize that one ought to pay more attention to the ladies than the men.  The ladies seem to have your best interest at heart (even if they do not know you at all) while the men just seem to be saying "Have at 'er, dude!!!"

Unfortunately, I am a dude so.........Rock on!  (Or something like that)

One small step for a man........

(Estevan, Sask)  Auto repair history was made last night when Tim Pippus performed the world's first known "mirror-ectomy".

      (Pictured above:  The donor mirror on the left and the newly replaced mirror, ready for install on the right)

"Hero is probably too strong a word", Pippus said.  "People throw that term around way too loosely in my opinion,  I will let history decide how it wants to remember me. I think a statue would allow people to gaze on it and come up with their own words" he mused.

"I have to give a lot of the credit to my father-in-law, to be honest. Many times, when he was faced with difficult situation, he would quote a co-worker who liked to say 'God hates a coward!' Those words of semi-wisdom kept ringing in my head and - in the end - it all worked out".

The procedure involved taking a rearview mirror from a parts car and replacing the actual mirror in it with the mirror from another one that was found in the project car.

"I looked at it several times and determined that the mirrors were exactly the same shape.  Having never heard of this procedure before, I was unsure whether it would work, but my team and I just took it step by step".

The procedure became necessary when Pippus determined that the mirror from the parts car part was too far gone.  "The silver was coming off the back making a bunch of lines across the field of vision.  I am getting old and my hair is getting a little thin, so I did not want to look in that mirror and see a bunch of lines on my face too" Pippus said.  "I had to do something!"

Working with very small screwdrivers, Pippus carefully rolled back the plastic edge on the found mirror and then worked to pry it off the plastic backing.  "It was glued pretty good.  I wasn't sure I was going to get it out without breaking it", he said.

Once it was out, he moved on to the mirror from the parts car.  "This one was glued in a lot tighter, so I worked even more carefully with it...... until I realized that I did not need this one at all.....  and then I grabbed a hammer and smashed it into millions of pieces..... most of which ended up in my hands!"

The next step - after First Aid - was to take the good mirror and wedge it into the frame of the one from the parts car. 

"This part went fairly well.  Truth be told, I thought about the fact that I had just smashed a mirror which some say should bring me 7 years bad luck and I was prepared to see the entire endeavor end in failure, but, fortunately, I dodged that bullet".

Summing up this momentous event, Pippus mused, "Some may read this and think, 'What a cheapskate!!!! Just go buy a new mirror!!!!!  There are like 9438678468765 of them on Ebay!!!.......  but my response is, 'Where is the adventure in that?  How does the science of car repair get advanced with that attitude?  What if Sir Edmund Hillary looked at Mount Everest and said - Bah!  Who cares?  I took a risk here and I think it paid off.......... beside, I am a cheapskate!"  :)

Pippus noted that he has cleared his entire weekend calendar to accommodate the media frenzy that he expects to erupt now that the story has been confirmed.   "I thought Jimmy Fallon had called this morning..... but it turned out to be someone asking if I wanted my furnace cleaned.  His name was James - which is a form of Jimmy - so, clearly, it is just a matter of time!"

A Day of Firsts

Recently, some friends of ours (Darren and Sandra) bought a couple of kayaks.  As we talked about that one day Darren said, "You guys kayak and canoe on the Souris once in a while, right?  We should go together some time".  That sounded like fun, so I told him to pick a day.

Well, today was "sometime" and the maiden voyage for them.  Sadly, Sara was away, so she had to miss out on this one.

As you can tell from the pictures, it was sort of cloudy and a little breezy, but all in all, it was a lot of fun.
 

As we were going along, Darren said, "Look at that guy!" and here is what we saw......



Its a huge snapping turtle.  It was about the size of a basketball (or bigger) and it had a spikey tail (you can see that in the picture) and huge claws.  We always see tons of little turtles when we are down there.  They are always out sitting on the fallen trees in the sun, but this is the first time I have seen a big guy like this.

At first I thought it was dead because it was just laying there, but it turns out that he was just cold.  Darren gave it a poke with his paddle and it started moving very slowly.  I challenged Darren to pick it up and cuddle it until it got warm - just to see what would happen..... but he refused.  Chicken!  :)

As I said, it was a little windy but a good first day on the water. Darren and Sandra had a good time too and so I am sure that the four of us (and anyone else who wants to come) will be doing this a lot more this summer. 

It is always fun to be on the river.  :)

One man's junked car is another man's treasure

Those of you who religiously follow this blog (and why wouldn't you?) will remember that my buddy Nathan rounded up a parts car for my 1973 Dodge Dart Swinger project.  The parts car looked like this......

Well, today Nathan and I went out and starting gathering things I could use from that car and ended up with this pile (and a bunch more stuff in the box that I was just too lazy to display or that just did not make it in the picture)

A perfect grill, signal light lenses, a gauge cluster, rearview mirror, all kinds of trim pieces (inside and out), tail light lenses, a steering wheel and a bunch of other odds and ends that I need now or could possibly use later.

And - the best part - this is just the first go-around.  There is a lot more good stuff out there.

Proving once again - one man's junk is another man's treasure.

Or it proves that it is good to know a guy who knows a guy who has what you need.

Or it is good to have a buddy like Nathan.  :)

Sunday Stuff

Happy Birthday to ME!!!!

I (Tim) turned 48 today. 

I do not tell you that so that you will wish me a happy birthday or tell me how great I am (though the comments section is open below - just saying), but I point that out to say this...... I enjoyed my birthday this year!

In the past, I have not paid any attention to birthdays.  In fact, I normally ask, "Why would you give me gifts on my birthday?  You should be giving stuff to my mom as she is the one that did all the work.  I didn't even get dressed for the occasion!"

But I enjoyed today.

It started with nice cards from my three girls...... then I had a really enjoyable visit with my mommy on the phone..... it continued with one of my church buddies bringing me a Strawberry Sundae as an afternoon snack...... then a supper out (which my future son in law secretly paid for)..... back home for cake and a very nice gift...... I got a small portable battery charger/battery booster that I can throw in my saddlebags and use on bike trips.  I have thought for a long time that I would like to have one.... now I do!

I was going to post some pictures but our email account is having issues for some reason so I can't send them to the computer - but I will post some again tomorrow.

So the Happiness lesson for the day..... enjoy the blessings and the kind, thoughtful people in your life - not just on your birthday, but everyday.

Turns out, birthdays are not so bad after all. 

Old Photos of Estevan

I love old photos, so when I came across a site that had some old shots of Estevan, I thought I would share it.  Click here.   Enjoy!

Mother's Day/Pictures/The Happiness Project #26

It is "Mother's Day".   Around our house, we normally do not do much for either this day or "Father's Day" (cards with mushy stuff written in them etc) but I just wanted to say that Sara and I are super thankful for our mothers and all they have done for us.... and I am really thankful for Sara and all wonderful things she brings to our family. 

I hope you had a good mother, or found someone to step into that role for you, because they make a tremendous difference not just when you are a kid but all through life.

Anyway - we basically hung out this afternoon and so Sara got her camera out and took a few pictures.  I think (if I remember right) the yellow birds are Golden Finches - I think they are beautiful.  The one with the red on him is a Rose Breasted Grosbeak - just so you know.

I never really noticed birds till Sara started pointing them out to me - but they are cool (PS.  The first picture contains only flowers - no birds - so don't strain yourself trying to find one)



As I said yesterday, it is our own little "Wild Kingdom" in the backyard.  You should hear it at night.  Beautiful!

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The Happiness Project:  Use Ambition Wisely

C S Lewis once said, "Ambition! If it means the desire to get ahead of other people…then it is bad. If it means simply wanting to do a thing well, then it is good".

Happy people are not in constant competition.  (And I bet that I am the first one to post that today!  Wooooooooo!!!!!!!....... see what I did there?  I turned a quote about not trying to beat everyone into a....... oh never mind!)  :)



A Quick Update/The Happiness Project Reminder #25

Just a quick weekend update for all y'alls.......

Sara spent most of the last two days working in the yard.  You should see it...... it is beautiful.  Come on down and sit in a our backyard for a while and listen to the 9679376376897 birds she has drawn in back there.  It is really nice.

Speaking of birds, Megan took some pictures of some beautiful yellow finches..... I will try to get those downloaded and posted tomorrow.

Megan is enjoying her last few days of freedom before she starts work on Tuesday so she had a buddy over for a sleepover/hangout last night.

Katie and Kendall went to Regina today as they had a bunch of running around to get done (some wedding related - some not).

Sara and the three kids all went to garage sales last night.  I was going to go, but then I remembered that I sort of hate garage sales.   In fact, I went the week before and half way through, I walked home. I like swap meets where you may see some automotive stuff or some antique interesting stuff..... driving around town to look at a bunch of stuff that should have been thrown out is not that appealing to me (though I will say they did come home with some interesting things).

And me - well I spent most of the weekend working on my project car.  In fact, I cut and welded up my exhaust system up to the muffler  (I still need to buy a tail pipe for it yet - or build one) and installed it.

Then, today, I was out there and I thought, "I wonder how it sounds now" so I dumped some gas in it and ........ it was so nice!!!   In fact, hearing it has made me want to get the thing on the road as soon as possible (not that I wasn't working toward that - but you know).  Anyway, it was nice to see things coming together and feel like there may be a reward coming.

Then I did a bunch of small jobs for Sara - things that she has wanted done but I had not had time to do until now.... and that was most of the day.

It is fun to get away and see new things, but sometimes it is just fun to be home and get stuff done!
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The Happiness Project:  Reminder #25

Someone I follow on twitter posted this from "Life Advice".  If everyone did these 7 things, we would be a long way to something better.

Habits of happy people: 1 don't show off 2 talk less 3 learn daily 4 help less fortunate 5 laugh more 6 ignore nonsense 7 no entitlement

What to Expect this Sunday morning

Beautiful Day for a Ride

Turn it UP!

A fun, summer-ish sort of song. Enjoy! :)

Ba Ha HA!!!!!!

Katelyn had said "goodnight" and headed downstairs to get ready for bed, when she returned with this weird look on her face.

"Megan" she said. "I have a confession to make.... I just used your toothbrush!!!  And not just a little bit - I full on brushed everything - even my tongue!"

At which point, Megan made a sound as if she had just been kicked in the gut!

Then they both stood there shaking their arms going "Oooooh..... eeeewwwww" and stuff like that.

Then Megan proclaimed. "Its like you just made out with me!" - which made them both say "Eeeewwwww!" even more.

The moral of this story is many fold.....

A.  Sleep deprivation is real and dangerous.  Katelyn has been getting up very early lately.

B.  If you share a bathroom with someone and use the same brand of toothbrush, it is best not to leave them side by side.

C.  Having kids is the best thing sometimes!

D.  (According to Megan tonight) It is better to go to bed without brushing your teeth than to brush your teeth with a toothbrush that you and your sister have both used!

They are sweet girls..... bless their hearts! (As Sara's southern aunties would say when they want to say something rude but are stopping themselves)   :)

Weekend report/The Happiness Project #24

A warm weekend meant a lot of activities.....

- I plated my motorcycle on Friday so I took it for a ride around town and then out to Oxbow with a buddy for ice cream

- Sara got out in the yard and cleaned up a bunch of stuff.  We also built some trellises for some vines to grow on

- We had a couple of bon fires

- And the first races at Estevan Motor Speedway took place.  My brother (aka Lenny) came down for them and here a few pictures courtesy of him.

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The Happiness Project Reminder

Sara has this on our wall - I thought I would share it:  

Happiness cannot be traveled to, owned, earned, worn or consumed.  Happiness is the spiritual experience of living every minute with love, grace and gratitude - Denis Waitley



Sunday Stuff

Here is what we are talking about tomorrow.  Come on out....

A Scientific Discovery/The Happiness Project #23

Some of the most exciting scientific discoveries have been pursued.  Take Pierre and Marie Curie, for example.  They chased after an understanding of radiation until the effects of it actually killed them.

Other discoveries are more or less stumbled over.  That is what happened to me last night.

I rode my mountain bike to the church building.  Last summer, I did not ride this bike at all because any day that was nice enough to ride the bike was also nice enough to ride my motorcycle.  Not much of a contest there.

Then this past winter, I hurt my shoulder and for the first time in more than 28 years I did not play hockey (In fact, I am certain that I have been on skates every year for the last 44 or 45 until this past winter too). 

All that to say - I was feeling lazy and out of shape and I thought that riding my bike would be a good way to get back into the swing of things.

And then it happened!  You have heard of "Continental Drift" (the scientific theory that states that earth used to be one big land mass that broke into chunks and moved away from one another).......

Well - last night.....  I discovered "Estevan Drift".

Our house is definitely much, much farther away from the church building than it used to be!!!

I used to be able to bike over there without breaking a sweat.  Last night I was puffing and straining and thinking about how much nicer it was when these two locations were closer together.  My legs were sore and rubbery.  I was really tired.  It was bizarre!  Even more strange is the fact that no one else has noticed this yet, but I can't come up with any other explanation.

So there you go!  Sometimes you chase great discoveries and other times they find you!  :)
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The Happiness Project:  Think in Concrete Terms

We need to be able to measure our progress.  You can't accomplish an abstract goal.  Saying, "I want to be a better parent" or "a better worker" or "a better friend" is almost useless because it is too vague.

To be motivating and bring real improvement, our goals must be specific.  Without this you will always be frustrated.  How would you know if you were a better worker or not? 

A better way to think is to say, "I want to finish this task in half the time".  That way you can tell if you are improving.  You will find out if your goal is realistic or not.  It will give you something to work on.

Happy people think in real, not abstract, terms.

So this Happened/The Happiness Project #22

So most of you have heard this by now, but this happened this past weekend.

I think Katie was a little concerned that we were not a lot more excited when they called to say "We are engaged" (they were in Ontario at the time), but we were/are excited/happy/thrilled/etc.

However, it is not a huge surprise.  They have been dating "FOREVER!!!!" (in her words) and he asked our permission when he was here over winter break, so it is the obvious next step.

It is sort of like...... if you survive basic training you gotta expect that you are gonna be thrown into the war soon, right? (Maybe I should have come up with a different analogy there......)  :)

Anyway, we did not say anything till they told people, but now it is on Facebook so now everyone knows (including some kid in Bolivia who has never met us - that is how the internet works right?)
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The Happiness Project Reminder:  Our lives are very easy (Generally speaking)

One of the phrases I have used a lot lately is "Our forefathers would kick us in the backside".  Usually this is said when people start complaining about stupid things.

For example, whining about having to drive to Regina for something.  I get that it is inconvenient sometimes and that you may have better things to do...... but the trip from Estevan to Regina used to be a two week trip not that long ago.  Riding a horse is fun for an hour..... it is not so much fun when you have to cross half a province on one.

Or when people complain about the taste of tap water.  My Grandfather used to dream of the day that he would own a house that had hot and cold running water.  Only the super rich in some big city somewhere else had that luxury (Mind you, in spite of the fact that I have running water in my house.  I still haul water from the grocery store every week ..... and if anyone is standing near-by I often say, "You know, if my Grandfather could see me he would kick my backside")   :)

I very clearly understand that there are real problems that real people really need to deal with - and I am willing to listen to those and help any way I can.

But most of us are way more spoiled than we know and it would do us good to see our blessings and not just our "problems".  It is a much happier way to be....  and it may avoid your butt getting kicked!

Signs of Spring/The Happiness Project: Reminder #21

It is a little known fact that the ancient Aztecs (or some old-timey group of people somewhere that people often refer to when they want to talk about history), watched for four infallible signs of spring.  They are.....

1.  The appearance of the Majestics Car Show.  In this yearly ritual, colorful automobiles of all varieties gather in one large group in Regina, Saskatchewan.  This gathering is quickly joined by the species "Mechanicus Oilius".  They are easily recognized by their long beards, hot rod shirts and general grease smell.

This gathering, happily, took place this past weekend.

2.  The first sighting of "Motorcycle Experience".  This TV show can be found on TSN and it fills the gap between the time when the weather warms up almost enough to ride and actually plating the bike and hitting the road.  Sitting in the basement and watching other people ride and talk about riding is enough to tide one over till the real thing happens.

I have watched three of them now.

3.  The mountain bike cleanse.  In this ritual, our four mountain bikes are freed from their winter hiding, given a once over and test ridden,

This happened today..

4.  Lastly, the re-birth of the Estevan Motor Speedway.  The lilting sounds of V-8 engines screaming in the cold night air and the intoxicating smell of burnt racing fuel make this the pinnacle of the seasonal celebration.

This glorious event takes place this coming Saturday at 5 pm and lasts throughout the warm summer months.

So there you have it.  Irrefutable proof that spring has surely arrived.  Ask any Aztec.... they know..
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Happiness Project Reminder #21:  You (or I) do not have to have an opinion about everything

Over the past week, I have started saying, "I do not have an opinion to share about that".

Now..... you will note that this phrase allows that I may actually have an opinion - in fact as a breathing, thinking person, I likely do - but here is the cool bit....... I don't have to share it.

In other words, I don't have to tell you what I think about what you choose to do..... I do not have to comment on how you spend your time or your money..... I don't have to have input on how you raise your kids, or what you think about the government or whether you like Taylor Swift or not!

"I do not have an opinion to share about that" keeps me out of needless arguments and out of commenting on situations where I have no influence anyway.   In other words, it keeps me from thinking or talking about things that make me angry or frustrated.

Now, if you start doing something that is actually going to harm you in some serious way, of course I am going to speak up.  However, if you decide to wrap yourself in velvet and wear a fez on your head...... well, actually I may say something about that too.

In general, the less I concern myself with things that have nothing to do with me, the happier I am.

Give it a try  I bet it works for you too!

Beauty is where you find it/The Happiness Project #20

Some do not realize that there is a waterfall in Estevan...... well, ok, it is not a waterfall.... it is more of a weir.... or a small dam..... or a spot that a little water tumbles a short distance. 

However, if you look at it the right way, it is beautiful..... as Megan shows in this picture that she took yesterday when we went for a walk in Woodlawn on Sunday

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The Happiness Project:  Be a Peacemaker

Tonight, we were recounting the numerous times that I have "lost my nut" on someone in the past.  In my experience, it has rarely turned out to be good thing.  In fact it most often just results in more mess.

My happiness book says.... "If your friends and family are upset with one another, or you, then you we feel it.  Try to be a peacemaker.  Be the voice of reconciliation and reason.

That really is a good idea.