At roughly 5 am as I was making the transition from I-84 to the southbound lanes of I-5 near downtown I spotted a lone motorcycle heading north on I-5. I remembered Irondad mentioning in a recent post that he would be going to Kirkland, WA for a meeting. Since I wouldn't expect to see too many motorcycles out at that time of morning in that kind of weather it really caught my attention. I noticed it had the twin slanted headlights that are a tell-tale sign it could be an FJR. Then I saw a Givi top case similar to mine. I thought to myself, I'll bet that's Dan. Sure enough it was. Anyway, I thought I would start off with sort of an interesting tidbit.
With my wife back east and our kids entrenched in their own lives, it leaves the dogs and cats and me to fend for ourselves. And as the title of this post states, I'm not a cook. But like a trooper I press on every year at this time and we manage to pull through. Have I gotten any sympathy points yet?
There's one meal that Amber has taught me to make that we have often. It's chicken and vegetables with fajita mix added for seasoning. I like it over rice and she likes it wrapped in a tortilla. Pretty simple right? That's the way I like it. The only ingredients I didn't have for tonight's meal were a green and a red bell pepper.
We've had cold weather and even hail the last couple of days. Because of the weather I've been driving the car so it was nice to ride. I decided to go to a grocery store that I don't often go to.
Let's see, which one of these is a good one?
Oh yeah, this one looks good. By the way, when you go to the store, you do wear all your gear, right? Because taking it off and stowing it for just 10 minutes is a pain. Okay, I'm just kidding, I don't wear my helmet but I do carry it so people don't wonder why I'm dressed like a storm trooper.
While doing this stunt I learn a new phenomenon. If you ask the produce guy to take your photo while shopping with your helmet on, it draws a crowd.
On the ride back home I stopped a couple of times to enjoy how green the trees and shrubs are.
In the Northwest we get tired sometimes of all the moisture falling from the sky but the benefits outweigh any negatives there might be, in my humble opinion. Even though we have about 4 more months of wet weather here, starting Sunday we all get the gift of more light each day. That might translate into more riding time.
I hope you were able to ride today!
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LOL - You kind of remind me of the jack in the box fellow! If you carry the helmet it can make a useful little basket for peppers or whatever. What are the odds of spotting Irondad on his trip north.
ReplyDeleteThat road looks like a pretty ride. There's an interesting little shed hiding in the first one.
That is totally awesome in the produce department! I love your style. Of course, I'm one of those crazy enough to be out in the predawn hours on a nasty day, too! So maybe my opinion isn't a reasonable one.
ReplyDeleteI'm glad somebody else carries their helmet. One would think we'd be a bit more secure by now.
Mike:
ReplyDeleteYou're one up on Mr Irondad who only takes photos of produce and fruits. You had a live remote shutter release.
Is that the same parking lot as Irondad's header photo ? Looks familiar
I am like you, not a cook so just cereal or fast food
bob
bobskoot: wet coast scootin
Kari,
ReplyDeleteI guess I do look a little like him. It sounds like you might not take your helmet into the store. BTW, I only carry it if I'm wearing the rest of the gear. :)
That's actually not a shed. It's a house tucked up in the woods. Pretty lush area, huh?
Dan,
Thanks. I think blogging is beginning to have some sort of effect and I think you're right, the word crazy probably fits in there somewhere! And what are the odds of see you 70 miles from home at that hour?
Bob,
I like that description of "live remote shutter release". The guy was really cool about it. He was up for it as soon as I asked him. There probably aren't too many exciting things going on in the produce department on any given day. Not that this was exciting but it was different. :)
No, it's not the same parking lot. Dan and I live about 70 miles apart. I've been trying to figure out where his header photo is though.
I, like you eat a fair amount of cereal and Subway sandwiches when the Mrs. is gone. :)
I seem to read a sort of challenge in Bobskoot's comment for some reason.
ReplyDeleteIf I were to have been the one in the photo, bystanders would be saying,
"Imagine, a fruitcake in the vegetable section!"
The header photo is at Lancaster Mall. Lancaster Street side to the north. Since you seem to navigate by places to eat: if you were standing facing the bike you would be looking at Baja Fresh!
That comment about the vegetable section is funny! I figured it was the Lancaster Mall in your header. I don't really navigate to food places. I just do the food court thing on Fridays. Subway is my idea of dining out. :)
ReplyDeleteIf you don't navigate by food places, how do you account for the fact that you knew right away what the mexican restaurant was in the Firestone tire rack photo? I'm just askin'!
ReplyDeleteOh, that was Chipotle! That one I know. Amber brings dinner home from there (one near our house) almost every Friday night. I just recognized the name on your post. I really didn't know about that one in Salem. And the only reason I know there's one near the Lloyd Center is my regional manager and I ate there once.
ReplyDeleteYou seem to be in Salem a lot. You must have been there today because you validated your motorcycle ride at Best Buy. :)
This is SO funny Mike! You have a lot of guts to ask someone to take pictures of you!! Very funny. And how cool is it that you saw Dan along the way! Great post!
ReplyDelete