Failure!!

I am 70, I have failed thousands of times! A wiser man than I once said, "Either I win, or I learn!" I have felt that way all my life. Thomas Edison failed a LOT while inventing the electric light bulb. I remember a cartoon of Tom Edison looking out the window of his laboratory, on the second floor. and the pile of failures higher than his second floor window. His assistant came in the door and said something like, "No luck yet, Mr. Edison?" His assistant knew he would never,ever quit! His mother needed an operation to save her life and the kerosene lights did not give enough light to operate at night.

My first crusade was bringing troubled teens to Christ about 28 years ago. I was the maintenance department at Oasis Youth Services in Manheim, PA. It was started by Manheim Churches. Many people asked why I was helping Pastor Jim. They said a lot of teen hoods hung out there. DOH! Those same people think why should we help kids not get into a life of crime. It is way cheaper to train teens than to wait until they commit big crimes and put them in jail. 

Mary and I took our three kids to whatever program they wanted to get in. Girl or Boy Scouts, soccer, baseball, basketball. I pulled the kids every year for Manheim parades, for 15 years. I used my service truck. I was an electrical contractor. Burned out 3 clutches over the years. We took the kids to scout camp when the astronauts were there. We camped in the woods, it was 100 degrees in the shade. We help the grandchildren too. Mary is now helping our granddaughter learn parallel parking so she can get her driving license. The second granddaughter will be there in about 2 years. The 8 year old grandson, we get a break for 8 years. LOL

Failure is a great humbler. The first wheelie I did with my first motorcycle, I started on my bicycle at 12  years of age, I was arrested on my Honda 90 for disorderly conduct on a motorcycle. $35 fine. McDonald's was a hangout, and everyone loved to drive under the golden arches. I did a giant wheelie thru the golden arches.

I failed with Mary, I was too pushy because I told her we would get married and have three kids. She freaked out and broke up with me. Eight months later she came back. I know I grow on people. Like a bad rash, I am hard to get rid of. May 20, 2019 we celebrate 47 years of wedded bliss. Change that to Mary putting up with me!

Mary and I both told our kids they can be anything  they want. Laura born 1973, works with paraplegic individuals, she followed Mary into nursing. Tim born 1979, is a Doctor of Childhood Sociology, Autism, for a big firm near Philly. He works out of his home. Jeff born 1983 works at LA Ronald Reagan Hospital, in the Clergy Department. Jeff is  Jeffery Lloyd Caldwell, named after my Father, Lloyd Sylvester Caldwell. I am so glad Lloyd got to hold his Grandson/namesake before he died in 1983. He had high blood pressure all his life.

I have it too. Mary got me on blood pressure pills in 1973. I am jealous of the people who die slowly and can visit their families as they are dying, can say goodbye, and I LOVE YOU. Lloyd had the main blood vessel that feeds the brain stem explode at 9:00 PM on a snowy night. About 3 weeks before he died I hugged him, picked him off the floor and said I LOVE YOU. When we got to the hospital his brain stem had already died. The emergency room Doctor remembered me from one of my failures on the motorcycle. He said the man you know as your father is gone. How long do you want his body to suffer? The brain stem is the man you know and loved, now he is gone. My mom Edith was in no shape to decide, we 3 brothers said let him go in peace.

I am 6'2" , I  was strong physically all my life. All my life I teared up at sad movies and TV. I was terribly mad at GOD for taking Lloyd. He was the first family person I lost. I did not talk to GOD for six months. My greatest failure. 

If your kids fail, recite to them "I win or I learn". They will realize life is a learning experience, and learn to no matter how often they fail, as long as they are still breathing, they have another chance to try; NO, MAKE THAT DO!!

My motto for lloydsrides.org is "I will never, ever, never quit until the tally is Every 24 hrs 0 PTSD Suicides!! Our brave heroes must not die by their own hands."  SEE lloydsrides.org

Fly Over?

There was a road behind Millersville College that if you hit the first peak around 60 miles per hour, you would fly to the second hill, jumping about 60 feet. All the local bikers knew about the thrill of jumping there. Weekends the police would hide during the daytime to catch us. At night it was easy to jump and get away.

I mentioned to a group of fellow bikers about jumping about 4 or 5 in the morning. Only one officer was cruising that late. There were no houses close so if we jumped and took off it was easy to not get caught. We worked out a plan. I was best at jumping, if you pulled up on the handle bars you got higher. I always pulled up when I would pull wheelies, you got more straight up.

We would go at first light.The guys said about 5 guys would take pictures. Both sides of the jump and landing spot. I of course, my bi-polar brain always going a million miles a second, said, "How about one guy lying in the low spot in the middle and snapping a picture as I jump over him". They said a big YES!!

We used two more guys to watch any cars getting in the way, or if I crashed they would prevent me or the guy lying on his back in the middle of the road from getting run over. Now I had an inkling of what Evil Knievel felt before his many over 100 foot leaps.

Finally THE Saturday morning arrived. Bob tuned up the "Quarter Hawg" so it ran good. I prayed GOD let me do this and live. I did not know HE had many better uses of my talents later in life. We stayed up all night, caffeine and nicotine kept us going. About 10 bikers converged on the road. A couple rode around checking for the nightly patrol. No cruisers within several miles, it was a go. I do not remember who was there, but the volunteer that would lie in the road, I told him to take lots of pictures.

He laid down on the road, the side bikers took position in the middle of where I would fly. In Glen Moore Circle was a hill with a manhole cover. You must hit about 50 miles per hour and you would fly about 30 feet, the hill went down the other side, it was a hard landing, and fork dampers and good shocks were years away.

That is why Evel Knievel crashed so much. But like a dedicated biker he kept jumping. I think he had 7 or 8 crashes over nearly 300 jumps. But the misses are very painful. I was 18, nothing can happen to me??

The lookouts signal was GO, I revved the tac to 10,000 RPMS, and dumped the clutch, my tires screamed. We glued the tires to the rims, soft rubber gave good traction, but slid the tire about 1/8 of an inch each takeoff if tire not glued. Yes in 1966 there were only tube tires. The tire moved and pulled the valve stem out. A flat at 80 MPH meant instant road rash.

I did not look at the speedometer, I knew how fast I was going by the tac as I went thru 1st, 2nd,then 3rd gear. I figure I was going over 60 MPH, Evel did well over 100 MPH, and his takeoff ramp threw him VERY high. I saw the last guy standing at the takeoff point. He would point at the guy on his back when to start hitting the button. His camera would take multiple pictures.

The guys on the sides started taking pictures when I took off. I remember the feeling on takeoff. Yes, I am an adrenaline freak! I do not remember flying, but the landing was hard. There was only about 3 inches of rebound in bikes then! I do not know what happened to the pictures. Maybe some old guy somewhere is telling his great grand children, this is Hoss, a real dare devil. This is the worst life risking stunt I did so far.

Please do not tell Mary, she would say, I believe it. Almost 47 years nothing I did or do stuns her. Lloyd, my dad, raced the train to the crossing, the train ripped the tire and back bumper off his model T. That same model T they used to drive across the iced river in York,. Whoever did not break the ice and fall in, car and driver won. Guess where I got my craziness from??

Yes, GOD had better plans for me. Marry Mary, have 3 great kids, we lost one at 2 months in the womb. Help all three with education and 2 get houses, so far.  I think of all idiot stuff I did. THANK YOU GOD!

It's a Man's World??

Since the beginning of recorded history, females have been placed as second class citizens in history by the dominant males. We men are larger, stronger, and (smarter) than females. (Smarter)?? We think so. Yes, we are larger, stronger, but far from smarter. We men start wars, take what we feel is ours, whether it is ours or not. Most terrible criminals are men, remember females have 1/2 of the male in their makeup. Some females have more male than female in them and are as bad as us men.

Mary my wife of almost 47 years has been the boss of me since we decided to get married in 1972. Because of her controlling our money, getting pregnant 4 times, she wanted 4 kids, but we lost one in the second month and making good judgments we have had a great life together.  I always took no crap off any man. Like the song, the bad guys knew me and left me alone. But the females I never said a bad word to. We are not rich, but live comfortable because Mary keeps the finances, and makes all the decisions.

We give a lot of money all our life to help others. Our donations lifetime about $20,000. We helped our 3 children get good  learning, getting their own house, and getting great jobs. Mary went to Nursing School before we met. I learned Electrical work, classes and on the job. I always made more money than Mary until about 2000. She finally started getting the  good wages ladies deserved, because there was a shortage of Nurses.

When I retired, 10 years ago, Mary was making about 30% more per hour than I was. Did I feel threatened, NO! She continued working till she was 69 years of age. January 2018 she quit working all together, 52 years as an RN charge nurse.

In 1972 when we married she was delivering babies. 2018 when she retired at the retirement home she pronounced people dead and helped load them in the silver Astro van from the undertaker. The same van we bought from the Chevy dealer as a used van!

I worked 2 jobs when younger for 15 years. Mary worked 2 or 3 jobs when we needed it. Our 3 kids started working, Laura at 14, Tim at 16, Jeff at 16. Now Laura followed Mary into Nursing, she helps para-pleasic  bound people in their homes. Tim will be a Doctor of childhood autism soon. He works from home, and teaches the parents and teachers how to deal with the autism children. Doctor Tim. Jeff works in California at UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital in Los Angeles. He is working toward teaching the new Pastors in the Clergy department. Doctor Jeff? People tell me I must be smart and passed it to my kids. I answer, luckily they got the great genes from Mary for smartness! The ability to never, ever give up comes from me!!

Many years ago, Randy, I don't remember his last name, why I remember his first name, I don't know LOL. Wrote and sang a song condemning short people, and people were up in arms. If you really listened to the lyrics, the last stanza, it finished with, short people are just like you and me!! He is sarcastic like me. I hope you understand this RANT!

randysravings was Marcy's idea. She knew me about six months, said I need a place to blow off steam. Another very smart lady. Thank you Marcy! When Mary can't stand me any more, she says get your motorcycle and ride, she knows that is my release.

Bob got me a sign that reads, "you never see a motorcycle in front of a shrinks office", because I go to the motorcycle cruise ins for  lloydsrides.org  I heard on a TV show if you kiss your significant other on the lips everyday you two will live longer. If we two have no colds, we kiss every morning. We deserve a longer life than 70 years. Thanks to Mary I have a great chance of living a lot more years.

Carl & me!

  I met Carl thru some guys I knew at the Lititz Twin Kiss. He raced cars, circle track. We both were under 21 years of age. We both liked beer. We were friends immediately. We were both daredevils! We should not have run around together. Two males desiring kicks and alcohol. The first time I picked Carl up at his parents farm, we were going to get beer. He said his dad was a part time cop in Manheim, but don't worry his dad could not smell. The line of first defense is the cop smelling beer on your breath. When Carl opened the passenger's door to hop in, several empty beer cans fell out. Luckily his dad was not around.

  The second time I picked him up, his license was suspended for a long time, it was on the bike. He really dug two wheeled motoring. We ran the loop route a while. About 1:00 AM We was returning thru Manheim to drop him off. We took a shortcut thru a corn field. My bike just fit between the corn plants. They were above our heads. I came out of the cornfield about 200  yards  of road before the all night gas station. I blasted thru the island of gas pumps about 60MPH, hit the back brake, spun around and did a wheelie back beside the pumps. We got off, the old man just stood by the door stunned! I finally hit my kill switch. Now he came out. He said I  rode cycle like I was crazy. I did not argue the point! Many others said the same thing. He said he was not coming out till I shut off the motor. With my no baffle mufflers he could hear me coming a half mile away. 

More later!!

April Fool's Nite!

The people who lived along the Lancaster Loop Route hated us loopers. They gave the police a hard time because they could not stop us. Whenever the police could arrest us for something they were happy. Drag racing in the city bounds was the coup de grace! It meant jail time.

I never raced till after 2:00 AM and not on weekends, Just one block, to about 60 miles per hour. As I was geared super low in my car and cycle I could beat everyone I raced.

When you came to Liberty cross street on Prince Street, there was a gas station on the right, the other side of Liberty Street. The police would park a box truck at the parking lot big enough to hide a Police cruiser behind it. Stopping at the light to get ready to race we could not see the cruiser till we were laying rubber under full power. Then they would have us.

A biker friend stopped at the place we gathered and said the man is in his nest! We all knew what that meant. I said anyone want to join me for an April Fool's joke? I explained what I had in mind. One guy volunteered to be my henchman.

We went on a slow run on the loop. It was about two hours since we had checked for the trap. They did not know we were already there when they set up their trap. We went past the loop cut over, the alley where later Kathy that summer slid down my broken sissy bar. We went two more blocks so we came out on Prince Street at Liberty Street. We started revving our engines and shouted trash talk like "I will blow your doors off". That's hard to do on a motorcycle. Young & Dumb Moment!!

When the light turned green, we lowered the RPM's and pulled into the intersection like a normal ride. The cruiser was already pulling out to bust us. We waved to the officers and laughed.

They pulled us over just in case our paperwork was not right. Both Officers said, I guess you guys think you are smart. We both said, smart enough to not race in front of a Police Officer! They told us GET OUT tonight! We DID!!

Score one for the loopers, zero for the Officers. But my time was coming!!

Another Kathy Story

After Kathy and her sister Barb patched my left leg from the accident that Kathy & I survived, I healed. Barb's husband Butch was 23 years old. If he had been caught with me he would be arrested for giving alcohol to a minor.

Kathy had Mike's 1964 Ford convertible. He worked second shift. He did not  have his license either. We rode around with the top down. Kathy was driving, Barb & daughter Donna 2 years old up front. Butch & I were in back. There were no child seats then.

We stopped and Butch and I went into Helen Weaver's bar. I went in with bikers a lot. They knew me. I was 19, but they did not ask for my driver's license. It was suspended. I had nothing with my age on it. We drank about 4 or 5 beers. When the girls came back we heard the horn and left. We piled in the back seat again.

We drove around a bit, Butch wanted a sub, so we headed for Speed's parking lot. Kathy stopped, Barb got out, so did I. Kathy did not put the car in park. Her foot slipped off the brake, She hit the gas, with the front wheels turned. Butch was thrown out under the front wheel, his lower leg two bones broke. I helped him back into the car and told them not to mention me with Butch. I did not want him to go to jail because I was with him drinking.

I flagged down a friend, said I needed a ride home. The next day the police showed up where I worked. They took me in the board room and questioned me about the accident. They figured we were drinking. They knew I was under legal drinking age. They said where did you get beer, from Butch? I said no, Helen Weaver's bar. Everyone knew they serve anyone who comes in. They let me go. That was all I heard about  the incident. Another learning experience. Another colorful part of my past. I visited Barb and Butch every two or three days to see if they needed anything

I found Barb and Jane on December 1, 2018. Kathy died years ago. Lung cancer from cigarettes.

Jesse

Jesse was a 6'4" body building rugged male. He had a beard, with scruffy hair. He was one of the bad guys in town but he knew me so he left us guys alone. Another song lyric! I would see him walking and take him where he needed to go. I never saw him driving. I guess he had no car or license. I would see him in bars, and he always yelled, "Hi, Hoss!" Being under drinking age having a regular greet you, any place would let me drink, and remember me any time I went in.

I picked him up two or three times a week. He never went out of town, at least not with me. One very hot Saturday night I went to the sub shop on Prince & Liberty Street for supper at 11 PM. Liberty Street was one way then. My passenger side door was on the curb side. The top was up, and the A/C on.

I heard Jesse yell, "HOSS" really loud. I saw him in my passenger side mirror. He was limping with his right leg, not bending at the knee. He jumped in, not bending his knee. He pulled a double shotgun out of his pants leg. Now his knee would bend. He said he was in a fight, and might have shot someone, it was too dark to see if he hit them.

I could see myself in prison for being the getaway driver. I liked Jesse as a friend I could give rides to. I drove out of town, and dropped him at a friend's house. As he got out, he said, "Hoss, I will never forget you were there when I needed you most".

I was afraid to be in town for about four days. That was the longest time I did not appear on the loop. I never saw Jesse after that. The next day I checked the paper and TV news. There was no mention of gun shots, or someone hit by gunfire. I also was waiting for the police to be at my door with hand cuffs. For 50 years I have wondered if Jesse was really in a fight, or just scared someone (besides me).

Putting LADIES in their places!

I heard on a news show that in India they are trying to stop ladies from holding important offices. I say their PLACE should be everywhere.

My wife Mary has been in charge of our family since we decided to get married. I smoked four packs of cigarettes daily, drank a lot of alcohol every day and never went to the doctor. Mary slowly changed my life. I am bull headed, but she is breaking that habit too, 46 years so far. I quit nicotine by our 4th year of marriage. Alcohol by our 25th year of marriage. Nicotine was way harder to quit than alcohol. It is very addictive. These new vap smokes ought to be outlawed!! One vap I am told has as much nicotine as a carton of regular cigarettes. Nicotine is VERY addictive.

If WOMEN ran our world, I am sure there would be less killing of innocent victims. Old men start wars, young men die in them. Woman are equal to men as far as fighting wars, and dying in them. Women should be equal in every aspect of life, I believe. As you read my Ravings, I talk a lot about Marcy. She got me started, and named this blog RandysRavings. She knew I like to talk.

Having this sounding board has helped me cope with life's hard teachings. Yes, the world's happenings are not fair. Good people, young children, innocents of every age are given a bad hand in life, many times dying too soon. We ask WHY?

As an electrician for 52 years, I know much about electricity. I was involved in building cars and motorcycles, drag racing for eight years. I can explain most anything about how to increase horsepower and traction. Why ladies must take a back seat in life, is beyond  my thinking. My ladies take the FRONT seat in my life. Wife, daughter, 3 granddaughters, 1 daughter-in-law, they run things.

If you are a young man in search of a Mrs. be sure and hook up with a Lady that takes no crap from you or any other male. If I kept the finances we would be in terrible money shape. Because of Mary we live in a nice house, have enough money for a great life. We do not blow money on stuff we do not need. Since we decided to marry I gave her my check every Friday. Its been that way since 1972.

We help local people, our kids, Mary's younger sister, and several needy causes. We are not rich in money, but we are very rich in helping others. Mary snips coupons every day. If we won Publishers Clearing House's ten million dollars contest, she, every week would still be cutting out coupons. And many more times what she would save would still go to Charities.

We both grew up with not as much as we would have wished for. Mom took care of the money. We did not starve, our families owned their houses, had clothes that fit and were clean, and LOVE from mom and dad. Back then parents did not hug and kiss kids. We did to our kids and grandchildren, even though when young they wiped the kisses off!!  LOL

YES, I believe in putting LADIES in their place. That PLACE is wherever they want to be!

President of the USA

Queens of Industry

Corporation Presidents

Congress or House of Representatives

Doctors

and especially in The Armed Forces, doing what ever job they want!

I told all my kids they can be whatever they want! Our Daughter followed Mary in nursing, she goes to peoples homes that need 24 hour care. Our first son, getting his Doctorate in Child Psychology, Autism Specialist. Our second son, with his Masters of Divinity, works at UCLA Ronald Reagan Hospital in the Clergy Department. His second year there.

I'm afraid he will not want to come home to Lancaster, PA to the cold, ice, and snow. Last Christmas he called us about 4 PM Christmas day and Mary said, "What did you do?". He took his beagle to the beach, it was 75 degrees. Here in PA it was 31 degrees!!  Brrrr!!

My Miniature Baseball Bat

My Father Lloyd had a beloved Boston Bull Dog, Bossey. I was about seven or eight years old when our cub Scout pack went to a ball game. I think it was at Harrisburg, PA.

We enjoyed the action of seeing the game from the bleachers for the first time. None of the men in our families were sports minded. It was a very big deal for me. I had a few dollars for food and souvenirs. I gave up the food, and bought a miniature baseball bat that had the name of the team on it. I was amazed, in grade school the only game we played was kick ball. We knew nothing of baseball.

When I got home I proudly showed everyone my new prized possession. I thought baseball was something new, and I was the first one to see it. It was about twelve inches long. Tapered, at the thick end and thinner where your hands grasp the bat. A mushroom like cap at the end. A mind blowing discovery for my young mind. I took it everywhere so I could show everyone the fantastic prize I had bought. I was telling people I had  a bat for a great new game. I knew this game would be a big deal someday.

Bossey was laying on the floor near me. I played with him a lot. We were great friends. He played with me, but mostly slept with Dad. He liked to lick faces, shoot gas, and just be a good friend.

I was swinging my bat like the baseball players I saw at the game. I spun around, and pretended I was running to first base. The  bar left my hand, and flew toward Bossey, and hit him on his forehead. He made no sound, just dropped to the floor. He got up, and staggered a little bit, and went to Dad on the couch. Dad rubbed his head, and everyone in the room burst out laughing. Including my little brother Mike. He was about 2 1/2 years old.

We all left the room, except daddy. We went to the kitchen for ice cream. I got a lecture about being careful with toys. Daddy was watching Mike. About ten minutes later Daddy came out to the kitchen. He told mom to get some ice and put it in a dishrag. He had a big bump on the back of his head. My cherished miniature baseball bat disappeared. I was told it was too dangerous for Mike and I to play with it.

I wondered for years what happened to my bat. One time we had company and my mom told the story of what happened to my bat. Daddy was the only one who was not laughing. I did not think it was funny either, I missed my bat!!

Danger is my business.

Yes, I took a lot of chances in my life. I am an adrenaline junkie. No drug you put in your body is better than adrenaline, to us. I believe that is why I stayed away from hard drugs. Sometimes you must take chances. The donor letter I send out has a link to my 15 minutes of fame on YouTube.

https://youtu.be/AofBV0HOtFg
https://youtu.be/LEy6tWWniwg

http://www.townlively.com/local-resident-launches-lloyds-rides

The Town Lively one on the front page of the Manheim edition of the Merchandiser got us a $500 donation from a Manheim couple. The biggest donation to date. I want people to see me. I need the publicity to get more donations to Stop PTSD Suicides in Veterans and First Responders.

If playing the clown brings in more donations, I will do it. If walking around the cruise-in's with a cop cam on my chest to record people telling me about the work on their hot rod, next year I start filming. I will send the video to Marcy, and she will edit it and post it.

I get no kicks from spending at least ten hours every day pounding this keyboard. In summer, out in the hot sun, being careful so that I do not get dehydrated and collapse. Four hours walking I struggle thru.

When I am ready to quit, I remember the poor souls that took my place in Vietnam. I enlisted in the Navy Reserve before Christmas, my senior year. My blood pressure kept me out. That is what killed Lloyd, he was 76. I am 70 now, and have been on blood pressure medicine since 1974.

My Registered Nurse since May 20, 1972 keeps me alive. She's a KEEPER! Marcy, another Gorgeous lady, checks everything I write. She makes me look like I know what I an doing. Mary is my spell checker when she is home. When she is gone, Marcy catches my mistakes. Thank you GORGEOUS ladies for keeping me alive, and catching all my mistakes.

I do not take many chances now. I am tired of being in the hospital, and recuperating at home. Having my own RN is great, but it still hurts to heal. Mary cuts me no slack, she knows I must get up no matter how much it hurts. Movement means quicker healing. Yes, I have had 4 bad concussions. But with a FATHER and SON to watch over me is great. I just don't try THEIR patience like I did when I was young. Pain is a great teacher. You certainly remember the painful lessons better.

Jesus Christ Superstar

I grew up attending St. Andrew's United Church of Christ, Lime and New streets in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Mom saw us kids got there every Sunday. This is where I met another Randy. Later he lived across the street from Lancaster County's Dead Man's Curve.

We attended dances and white elephant sales, though there were no animals there. We had father and son suppers. My dad worked at night, but a kind gentleman was dad to about 8 of us that were alone. He owned a construction company, and his name was Miles Ament, I believe.

I heard the Bible stories, I knew them by heart. I learned the 23rd Psalm by heart. It was Grandma's Hess's favorite. I even recited it in Sunday school adult class upstairs. In my early teens I helped my older brother Richard on the audio visual crew. When he was drafted in 1959, I took it over. I started the sound systems, checked mikes, and set up equipment where needed every Sunday. Later when I was 16, I set up a projector at a big hotel near our house. I had to leave, it was about kids on drugs, adults only. Someone else brought the equipment back to Church.

Mary and I married on May 20, 1972. In 1973 Jesus Christ Superstar came out. When I saw it, this movie changed my life. I knew what took place the last three days of Jesus Christ's life, but it did not burn in my soul till I saw the movie. Hearing a teacher read the story, even reading it yourself, is nothing like seeing what took place, and seeing it on the big screen.

Mary and I were married, ready to raise kids, being a family, and seeing what  Jesus Christ suffered through to save us, it really sank in. The local radio station played the whole album a lot. There was a call in hour on WGAL 1390 AM, that was a way to sound off about what you want. It played a lot of local rock and roll. One night everyone that called in was raving about J.C.Superstar. About half way through the hour show, a gentleman called in with a Dutchified accent. Meaning he was Mennonite, or Amish. He said it is blasphemy, Jesus was not a Superstar, someone in sweaty socks, he was Lord!!

I was always told GOD sent Jesus to earth to learn what being a human being was like. My Jesus would sweat, get dirty, have pains and sore muscles when he overworked them. If he fell he would feel pain, he would feel hunger, go to the toilet like everyone else. He was a male human being. When they whipped him, he felt pain. When two of the twelve betrayed him, he felt loss. But unlike everyone else he knew what he must do.

I ask GOD and Jesus Christ for guidance every day. That night so many kids like me called in with the same feelings I had, they had to answer calls for an extra hour that night.

Thankfully Lloyd found his way to Jesus Christ before he died. It was GOD leading him. He lived a good Christian life. His reward for the life he lived was joining St. Andrew's church. He was saved. His good works were noticed by GOD and his Son.

I am 70, my time is I hope not too soon to leave. I have a lot more work to do with Lloyd. I have made mistakes in my life. I have helped a lot of people. My work at  Oasis Youth Services Charity and lloydsrides.org my own Charity now. I, like Marcy, do not seek that pat on the back.

I have a lot of titanium and stainless steel holding me together. I was an electrical contractor, got thousands of shocks. Spent a large part of my life up ladders, walking across 10 inch wide cement block walls. Taking chances.

When I started in 1966, there were no laws about harnesses to keep us from falling. Now my son-in-law Rich a construction painter, when he goes over six foot high in a cherry picker he must hook his harness to the basket. I worry about Rich, our daughter Laura, their 3 kids if Rich gets hurt and cannot work. I am glad I have a GREAT FRIEND from above to talk to. After all HE watched over me for 70 plus years! You have time to change your life, do it! NOW!

Bike naming; 4 min. not cool!

My  super hawk was "The Quarter Hawg" Quarter mile racer. Old Harleys were called Hawgs. I stole HAWG from the Harley boys. You wanted to wear the name on your gas tank. We were very proud of our creations. The two cycle bikes were called smokers because you mixed the oil with the gas. A two cycle motor had a power stroke every other stroke. A four cycle motor has 1 power stroke every fourth stroke. Yes, two strokes made twice as much horsepower as four stroke bikes, they polluted the air, burning oil with the gas. They sounded different too. They were sold till the EPA banned two cycle motors sold in the USA. If you mixed the oil with  the gas wrong, the engine could freeze up. I mentioned that in another story. When oil injection was used, controlled metering of oil was great, as long as you did not forget to fill the oil tank.

Uncle Mitch, another friend, had "Good Vibrations" painted on his tank. At idle, there wer little vibrations on the handle bars of his Ducati, but when you revved the gas, it shook bad. Harley Davidson's Sportster ran great, but shook very bad. The motor was not balanced, and not rubber mounted. Most Bikes that were not Japanese were known as shakers My bike vibrated some, but was balanced, and not rubber mounted either. The rear light was rubber mounted. I told you my license plate story on a different page. We were TOUGH, we need no stinking rubber mounted anything!! After about 2 or 4 hundred mile days we were feeling great. You believe that don't you. Remember we cannot be hurt!! Now you know why I am so sarcastic today, Heck I was sarcastic as long as I can remember.

Ed's BSA was Bugger Stopped Again. Not exactly right, you can imagine what I mean. Norton, Matchless, and all the English bikes were lymie bikes. Their electrics were prone to failure when it rained and they got wet. Across Prince Street from Helen Weaver's bar, Sunday mornings there were several lymie bikes sitting. The owners kicked, and kicked, and finally accepted a ride home. A 650 or 750 lymie high compression bike is hard to kick when you are loaded with antifreeze. Alcohol, if you don't speak biker language.

One time my Quarter Hawg let me down. I was at a bar, had 3 beers, went out to my bike right outside the main entrance. I had to show off for several young ladies standing right behind my bike talking. I pulled the foot pad out, and put my right foot on the pad. I stood up, my one foot on the starter pad, and put all my weight on the right leg. They were spring loaded to return back in when you moved your foot. NO PROBLEMO right, EXCEPT I did not pull the pad all the way out. It swiveled in from my foot movement, the wrong way. My foot dropped to the asphalt, I lost my balance, my right foot went under my bike. My kickstand was on the left side and I pulled the bike over on me.

Luckily three bikers were coming in. They lifted my bike off my leg. No rips in my jeans, no blood gushing out. Nothing broken, bones at least. My body saved my Iron Horse from road rash, just my leg.  HEY I saved my baby!  Don't tell anyone I was not COOL for 4 minutes!! That day I remember well. Disgrace is hard to forget.  LOL

Drive Carefully!

I mentioned before I am bi-polar, my mind going a mile a second. I don't know if that helps me to keep my eyes scanning both sides of the highway and straight ahead or not. There were a lot of children hurt and I believe five killed within 1 month. The flashing lights of a school bus should jolt any oncoming vehicle to stop. I also warned my kids to not stand on the edge of the road so they could be the first in line for the bus. One morning when it was really foggy I saw a lot of kids standing right up to the road line, any vehicle just over too far to the right would hit them. I guess parents do not think of that and warn their children. 

  

I worry a lot, my mom did too. She must have been bi-polar too. When I raced bikes and cars being bi-polar was a great help. When the light turned green I was always ahead of the racer beside me. You see a lot of people, phone to ear driving. I have noticed a lot of tractor- trailer drivers holding a phone to their ear. 90,000 pounds of terror traveling without two eyes on what's ahead. I think that is why we  were rear-ended by a loaded tractor-trailer, and pushed the back of our Toyota Sienna in 24 inches. Had the grandchildren been in the back seats they would not have survived. He had a high front bumper, hit us above our rear bumper, on the sheet metal. That should be illegal, his bumper should be low enough for all car & van bumpers.

Including myself, I never use phone or text while driving we must change our attitude what is important. NOT the call or text, changing the radio station, that is what killed Motorcycle Dave's brother Danny, or turning your head and yelling at the kids. For us guys, not eyeballing the hot looking girl, either walking or riding in the car beside us. When I was young I had two accidents because of not paying attention to what was ahead of me, from age 16 to 18. Yes I have learned my lessons, and it cost me a lot of money.

My granddaughter is going for her drivers test the end on November 2018. She will be 19 in January. I think it is good the kids wait to get their drivers license. Another granddaughter will be sixteen, one year away. Today the driving tests are tougher than 50 years ago. The kids waiting 2 years have better grown-up attitudes. I am glad my accidents were not serious, no one hurt. I can offer a lot of wisdom now that I am 70. But at 16 or 18, I would not have accepted the wisdom either. At 16 or 18, nothing can happen to us?? I have said that a lot, but it is what the young mind thinks. 

I did not find out I was bi-polar till I was 50 years old. Medicine has helped me a lot. I am on the smallest dose possible. I still have bouts of depression and manic behavior, but now I know why. If you see yourself in my writing, get checked out. Please. Do not suffer 50 years like I did.

Rising Sun, Maryland Keep safe!

Fruitville Pike, road I grew up on turns into Prince Street. Straight thru into Lancaster, Pa. Prince Street goes straight past Willow Valley, Pa. Straight for more miles, you cross the border between Lancaster County PA. and you cross to Maryland. When you come to a T in the road, you turn right.

Left takes you to Rising Sun Maryland. Yes, another 1/4 mile race track. I never raced there. After turning right you travel about 2 miles and you see Conawingo Dam.

A two lane dam. Very high, and on the right side the water was about 15 feet from the roadbed. This dam was the electrical provider for a thousands of buildings, and houses. You traveled the length of the dam, and there was a hill to go up. About 1500 feet past the end of the dam was a road to the left.

There was a park, with picnic tables, and a parking lot for picnic parking, and tours of the demos that made electrical from the falling water. The road started to turn toward the water below.

Several houses were on the road. When you got to the bottom of the road, it turned into a parking lot. The dam was about 80 feet tall. There was a front open roofed area with vending machines with fishing supplies. About 10 stationary grills that you supply the wood or charcoal to cook your fish. With the vending machines was a big counter to clean your fish. Drinks, everything for cooking fish, spices, oil and several things I never knew you need for fish.

We usually got there about 2 AM, parked our bikes and rapped with the people. from the parking lot there was an angled drop of about 16 feet to the waters edge. Lots of flat rocks near the water to sit on while fishing.

About 20 years before this the fish could not get up the dam. People started a ruckus about all the dead fish at the high side of the dam. Try as they could, they tried to get past, and died trying. The Electrical Company put in fish ladders between the dam and the picnic area. The ladders were right beside the roofed vending machine area. The fish were put back in this side, the low side, and hungry.

Fishing was very good. A lot of us bikers were offered fish sandwiches. When they were kids, we gave them a couple bucks. The parents always refused money, they just liked to fish.

In April 2002, Mary bought me a new Kawasaki Vulcan Nomad, yes, she is a KEEPER! It is a bagger, like a Cadillac. Yes, I now enjoy comfort over performance. I am 70 now!! LOL

The end of summer 2002 Mary and I decided to go to see the old fishing hole again. When the kids were young and we had a pickup camper we took them there late at night. We started up the hill, turned to the right past the picnic tables. Past the several houses, and saw the big parking lot again. Memories flooded back, when we saw the parking lot again, memories of bikes, then our camper hit me; BUT there was a big surprise.

There was a heavy chain fence with a guard house with 2 guards. I forgot it was after 911 ! We got caught with our pants down again. It will not happen again! The dam if destroyed, thousands of lives would be wiped out in the flood. We are not so trusting. We can no longer go anywhere we want. There are now cement barriers protecting the White House and many other places. 

It is sad the things we must do to keep safe. Now with the killing with guns is troubling, but we will never quit doing what we can do. I wish I could have taken my grand children down for a fresh fish sandwich. But we will do other things.

We give up a lot for safety. The dangerous things I did at 18 years old, I cannot do now. Since my hit & run motorcycle accident, I lost a lot. Titanium left shoulder and knee. Bad concussion, damage to the left part of my brain. Tests showed my short memory brain cells not getting good blood supply.

Marcy checks everything I write. I have trouble spelling and punctuation, Doctor giving me pills for better blood flow. Some memories coming back. I have sticky notes all over the place. Never caught the person that tried to kill me. I do not hate that person, I feel sympathy for that poor devil. They probably suffering a lot of guilt.

If you U C Something !

If you see something, say something! We cannot let the IDIOTS get away with anything more. If you see something lying there, package, or backpack, DO NOT TOUCH, call 911. The police would rather investigate a false alarm than have something explode and hurt or kill a lot of people.

Three years ago I called 911 about a big blanket piled up in the middle of the road. It was just on the downside of a small hill. I knew if I parked and got out to move it, I could be hit by an oncoming car. I put my car at  the  top of the hill, with my car about 3 feet in the lane with my flashers on.

I walk with a cane and have trouble walking. The people when they saw the blockage in the middle of the roadway were able to pass around it. The officer was there in about 2 minutes. He kicked it, and found nothing. He got rid of it, and waved to me. I saw, I did!

We must reclaim our sense of duty to help our fellow citizens to be  aware of our surroundings. I am bi-polar, my mind goes a million miles a minute. When I drive or ride my motorcycle I am working my eyes left and right constantly. I  see what is passing by. I notice things most people do not. I hope this is not bad. I see what is in front of me each time my eyes are pointing front.

When I played computer games with the kids, I always did better when I went faster and faster. If you are bi-polar, let me know how you are doing.  My E-Mail is  randal3967@gmail.com  I always did my homework better with the TV on. Now I have the TV on at my computer desk on while I type. I am going to donate my body when I die. I want more work done on bi-polar people so Doctors understand it better.

Being Bi-Polar is a blessing; or a curse. I can do 4 or 5 things at a time. I interrupt when someone is talking to me. I think of things differently than normal people. What ever normal is? I am upset when people with money will not help those who do not. Mary and I have put almost $4,000 into our Charity. We are both 70, on fixed income, but we manage to always find money for needy causes. Marcy who does all my computer work doesn't need a pat on the back either. I write this, she makes me look smart by correcting my mistakes.

Bumble BEE, Windshields on Bikes. Biker Jeff!

It is bad if you ride with your mouth open. You learn that soon after you start riding motorcycle. At 60 MPH, big bugs hurt, hitting your face. We rode around town with no helmet in the mid 1960s. Any long trips we wore helmets with a clear shield for our face. We were not stupid, just dumb.

When you are in your teens, nothing can hurt you; RIGHT?? Well we thought so. We were riding with a group of about 9 or 10 bikes. Like when the two cycle bike froze up and locked the back wheel, and skidded off the road. It was toothless Bill this time.

We were about 60 miles from home, on a four lane divided highway. We worked out hand signals to communicate. Need gas, need to drain the lizard, stop for eats, and waved both hands if trouble. Toothless Bill was third in line. I was leader again, and Bob my mechanic was always next to me.

Bob hit his horn wildly and pointed back to Bill. Bill was in trouble. He was clawing at his helmet, trying to get it off. He slowly swung right to the grass beside the cement roadway. With both hands off the handle bars, the bike turned which way you leaned. Bill was trying to get on the grass, it is a little softer than concrete.

On the grass, he grabbed one hand on the bars, hit the rear brake and laid the bike down. He jumped off the bike as it was almost down. A smart move. Bill ripped off his helmet. Out came the biggest Yellow Jacket any of us had ever seen. It was in his ear canal, making noise. Bill had no shield on his helmet, the bug was jammed in where his helmet met his head. I think he was allergic to bee stings. Don't know if this Yellow Jacket would have hurt him.

Next ride, Bill had a face shield. The other guys with us did too.

I never had a windshield until I got my four cylinder 650 in 1982. Jeff was soon joining our family. I was older and wiser. You believe I was wiser?

When Jeff was 18, he would ride this 650 to help with the Louisiana Flood twice, and once to the pan-handle of Florida. At the flood cleanup, Jeff told us he stayed in the Hotel that was flooded. The high water line there was 32 feet. I never realized they had that much water.

When Jeff asked me if he could get his cycle license, I told him he must take the class, and ride like they are out to get you. He did. On the 650, he went to pull out at a stop light, the pickup truck behind him was in a hurry, and rear ended him. He called me and said what to do.

He was 16, I told him call the police. I am glad he did. The guy was self insured, he paid the first $5,000 of any accident. The repair was close to $1,000. Always call the police, people will lie to avoid a bill. It happened to me February 2018. $3,500 damage to my 1998 Astro van. This story later.

I am invincible on my bike 3

Motorcycle Dave, beside getting  thrown by the BMW wheelie by Danny was famous for trick riding. When he was riding single he would hop up and put his folded legs with his feet on the seat and jump up and down. His shoes about 2 or 3 inches jump off the seat. He would stand up on his pegs and stick one leg as high as he could.

Toothless Bill, yes he had no teeth, rode with us often. He would do the same as Dave, side by side. He also had a home made holster by his seat. When we asked him about it, he said some guy in a car forced him off the road onto the grass, and he was going so fast he dropped the bike. He says the next time someone forces me over he will have to replace his windshield.

Big George rode a two cycle bike. They had no oil in the engine, You added oil with the gas. He rode too fast, laid it down in a corner, and the kick starter broke his right ankle. Two days out of the hospital he was running the Loop, in a cast. The shifter was on the left side, and he used his front brake, right hand on cycle bars. YES, we were nuts!

Another time a two cycle bike was in the middle of a pack of about 20 of us. We were running about 65 mph. The two cycle bike overheated and froze up, and the chain locked up the back wheel. Luckily no one got hit. From then on two cycle bikes were always on the outside of the pack. We may be dumb, but we're not stupid. The male species learns from our  mistakes, sooner or later.

More later. I am being called by Sophie and Buddy Holly. Sophie, 1/3 beagle, 1/3 border collie, and 1/3 bird dog. When Mary washes her three blankies, they must be dry before 10 pm. Sophie will not sleep unless she can make her nest! LOL

Buddy Holly, the Shitzu, sleeps on my legs. I have restless leg syndrome, my legs move when I lie down. The cats we had for years slept on my legs, like a massage. The one cat who was sleeping on my legs, I was on la-z-boy. She laid with her head toward my shelf and wall one time. This is how I learned animals dream. She let out a yell, jumped straight up, her claws digging into my legs as she started to run. She hit the shelf, my coffee cup full of pens flew up in the air, and the poor cat bounced back on me and jumped on the couch. Nothing broke, but I had rips on both my legs. Luckily I married a great nurse.

I an Invincible on my Bike part 2

I slid and my tires hit the curb right. Luck was with me again. Not crashing just fed my idea that I would never crash again. I am invincible but Very, Very STUPID. It's the male genes. All males feel we can do anything sometime in our lives. Bi-Polar males know we are smarter than everyone else. We must just convince everyone else we are superior. Very Very WHAT??

The male gene is why the human race survived. Hunter gathers, protect your mate and children, guard your territory, stay alive. The Female gene is why we moved out of the caves, wear clothes, stayed more civil to others, and why males are still here.

There was a girl that rode on the back of her boy friends bike when we went on rides. They were behind me, for some reason I always was the leader of the pack? I could hear them yelling again. She was yelling Hoss pull in beside us. I did, he was right beside me. She stood up on the back right foot peg and threw her left leg over his seat. She grabbed my sissy bar and put her left foot on my back foot peg. I leaned toward her, she pulled on my sissy bar, and she was on my back seat in no time.

We were going over 60 MPH! He looked over, she gave him the finger and she hugged me. The boyfriend turned off at the first chance. I heard later he was a hitter and she got tired of it. I do not know her name. She rode with me the rest of the day. I bought her supper, dropped off at her mom's about 11 PM that night. Another Damsel in Distress saved by HOSS, the knight in the tarnished armor on his Corvette Blue iron horse.

Motorcycle Dave and his brother Danny are another story. I had my bike customized. painted, worked over for more horsepower. Their BMW was stock. It was a cruiser, not a race bike. One night Danny took the mufflers off and rode around. It was loud. I told him he would burn the valves if he continued driving like that. He went right home and put them on.

Another day Dave was riding with Danny. We ran the Loop Route about 10  times. We were at a red light. I was even with Dave, we were talking, more yelling above my open pipes. The light turned green. The exhaust had 6 inch pipes coming out of the muffler at the back. The back fender was about 6 inches off the ground. Danny got tired of me doing wheelies all the time. He would show us.

There was no rear bar for the passenger. Danny did not tell Dave what he had in mind. BMW bikes did not rev high. Danny opened the throttle wide open. He let the clutch handle fly. Dave was left sitting on the road. Danny's wheelie was almost straight up. The chrome muffler pipes and fender bottom scraped the road. I never did a wheelie that high. HE BEAT ME!! I don't see how he did not crash. Male dumb luck, why do you think we made it thousands of years, so far?  Females, that is how!

Hey, I never had bad judgement????

The young Knight in tarnished armor. Playing with wheeled vehicles.

                                          Thanks LLoyd! For the love of wheeled vehicles.

The Quarter Hawg, before the Megaphones mufflers, and the  almost 4 ft. sissy bar.
With chrome front fender from Wildwood New Jersey.

We never do anything DUMB!! ONE

Before you crossed the bridge to Willow Street there was a road to the right, right beside PPL storehouse of equipment to keep electric power going all over Lancaster County. Down the road about 2 miles was a road to the right. It went up a high hill. At the top of the hill, you started down 7 bumps, short level places so the road was not so steep. 7 BUMPS.

A lot of the kids visited the 7 bumps every week. We were on our bikes. Bob, David & I. There is no place to park, so we stopped on the second bump, put our bikes just on the grass. Bob's bike was beside David's brand new BMW 650. Bob's bike was on softer ground than David's, and mine was behind. Bob's center stand sunk in the grass and his bike leaned over toward David's BMW. We were about 20 feet away. Bob's Honda hit the front wheel of the BMW, and over they went. The grass was a small hill away from the road. It took us 3 strong guys to pull it up the hill to the road. neither bike's paint or chrome was scratched.

Bob was working on a friend's BSA. Stood for Bugger Stopped Again. Clean version, ask an old biker! Bob was trying to catch me, (Hare & Hound) and we swung down past the water works. We picked up a cop. He was coming towards me and I was going too fast. He wanted to turn around and chase me. I made the sharp left turn, Bob just came around the turn as the cruiser was in his lane. Bob swerved toward the river bank. I had no license plate on my bike.

I hurried home to get my car. The cop called me as soon as I walked in the door. he said, come back and bring your bike. I came back in the car. The officer knew he did wrong, causing Bob to run down the hill and in the water with the BSA. It weighed about 5oo pounds. Bob had pulled it upright till I got back. My house was about 3 miles away. The officer said, where was your bike. I said it would not start. He laughed and said, I BELIEVE THAT??

Bob was written  for reckless riding. For once I got no ticket. The officer called Bob's mom, she came with her neighbor and his pickup. It was our shop teacher Dean, from school. He brought a plank along. The hardest part was dragging the heavy bike up the hill. As we pushed the heavy bike up the ramp, I jumped up and got on the bike to hold it up. He had no tiedowns, I told Bob's mom, Ann to drive my car.

I put the bike's front wheel against the back of the cab and braced for a hard ride. Bob rode with Dean in the cab. Bob's mom was driving my 400 HP Pontiac. Bob and I forgot to mention to Ann about the three carbs, and as you push the gas pedal down, when you hit a hard spot, push no more. Passing the Lancaster square she hit all 3 carbs.  She laid rubber. Luckily she had a lot of room in front of my Pontiac. No real damage to the BSA, drained, oil, gas, lubed fittings, bike ran better that before.

Kathy was with me again. Five of us were going to a local Farm Show. We were wearing chains around our necks, and I had on my biker blue jean jacket. Yes, I still have it. I got 3/8 inch chain. It was about 4 inches too wide for my head. I did not want it to choke me. I did not realize 3/8 inch chain that long would weight so much after one hour of riding.

I was going too fast, surprise, and went up a small hill, with a hard left turn on to a bridge with cement walls. My right handle bar caught the wall, and my wheel was yanked against the concrete wall. Luckily I got slowed down to about 10 miles per hour before I hit the wall. No blood this time.

As often as Kathy risked her life with me, we were not romantically involved. She was under 18, and girls under 18 for me were off limits, sexually. Even above 18, I was not ready for marriage and kids not yet!

I don't know why I'm still alive

I don't know why I am still alive. I had trouble with booze and cigarettes and cigars. My two boys tried them when they were old enough. Both quit nicotine, thankfully. The older boy is bi-polar like me. He is now off medicine and doing great. The younger boy had a bout of depression. but doing great now. Our first born, our Daughter is doing good. My older brother has troubles with gall stones. and other small problems. When Dick & I talk we comment we gave our kids genes that were not perfect. Now we realize, no ones genes are perfect.

Mary has kept me alive since 1971. I drink no beer or hard stuff anymore. Mary likes wine, and I take a small sip when we have kids over for holidays. I take a lot of pills, and a friend died because he took his pills wrong, and stopped his heart. He was at McDonald's in town and fell over. Too bad no one knew how to keep his heart pumping manually. Another friend has diabetes, when he drinks beer, he loses his eyesight. Idiot!

I have found a saving grace in my Charity. Mary likes it keeps me away from the refrigerator and TV. I have a small TV I listen to when I work on the computer. Why? Ask someone with Bi-Polar. My brain goes a mile a second, The more my brain is tied up with something, the better I can concentrate on my first thoughts.

During school I did my best homework in front of the TV. When I had my Electric Contractor's business I had a TV, regular radio, police radio, and 40 channel CB radio all going at the same time. And I remember all that was said. When the little dish TV receivers came out, I was so busy installing them I got about 4 hours sleep a night, the first 2 weeks. That is why I had the TV in my truck. To catch the satellite beam from an orbiting satellite.

I asked Marcy how she knew I had such a colorful Past? She started me on this path. She said, anyone reading your blog already knows how you are. Females are smarter than males, any species.

I am invincible on my bike! Part One

The day I got my Super Hawk was in mid- February. I never suffered from the cold. It was above freezing, so the roads were not too slippery. I had over a year of riding on my smaller bike.

I made a pass to the Loop Route, it was a Saturday morning. I did not even have gloves on. Having a bike of my own that I could top out about 90 MPH on the straight and not too hilly roads was great.

After Bob & I worked the drive train it was a lot faster. The tires back then were not very wide, and not really soft road grabbers like we have now. The Dunlap tires were good all around rubber. Not much good with corning, but wore great. The Pirelli tires were great in the corners. Pirelli tires were better in corners, but when they gave out, no sense of slipping, you just went down. The Dunlap back tires lasted about two thousand miles. Then I got the better grippers.

I love to take corners fast, leaning way over. The softer rubber, wider tire suited me. Because of drag racing we had to glue the tires to the chrome wheel, as leaving out the clutch at 11,000 RPMs and the softer tire grabbing the roadway if not glued would spin the tire and rip out the valve stem and go flat.

Bob would soon start as the second mechanic at Garber Honda. The manager Lyle would be a great friend. The head mechanic Ken was a race bike builder. Bob would pick his brain and put the improvements on  my bike.

August that same year, 1966, I lost my license for 15 days for speeding. I tore my new bike completely down, painted everything that was black to corvette blue, including the gray fenders. When I tore my bike down in August, it had 10,000 miles on the bike, yes I loved to ride. It took 14 days to strip all the metal parts, clean, rough up the old paint and have it painted.

My dad's body shop guy, Mr. Smith was a master at metallic paint. The silver mixed with the blue was terrific. And it was beside Motorcycle Dave's house. We graduated in June, so we all had jobs and money. I put my bike together in 2 days after work.

The day I got my license back I was working on putting the brakes back together. I got 10  inch ape hanger bars. I could not get a clutch cable long enough. I put it lower on the bar. Worked hard, but did work easy. I had no front brakes. I hooked up rear brake, but it was worn, not much shoe left. Drum brakes front & back were bad then.

The next weekend I got new cables made at the Columbia Triumph shop. Bob had worked the engine, carbs, valves and clutch over. I got megaphone mufflers, no baffles and were suppose to suck the spent fumes out faster than with straight pipes. The faster out, gas oxygen and spark faster in. Bob put racing points in for a hotter spark. Washers in the screws of the Barnett clutch to make it grab, but the clutch did not slip, but my left hand was about 1/3 bigger than my right hand. Like the squeezer to build your hands, but only one. With the carbs sat up very rich, and the valves staying open longer I had more HP.

The first time I ran the Loop Route with my new blue bike I had no brakes. I just wanted to have it seen. I had not been to the Loop for the 15 days I did not have my license. Bob & I worked so hard on my bike we just did not get there. Jake painted  Quarter Hawg on my gas tank when it was black. The Harley guys called their bikes hawgs. And I ran the quarter mile drag races. My bike, The Quarter Hawg.

After I got everything hooked up on The Quarter Hawg, I took wilder chances. The worst one was about 2:00AM  one Saturday morning I was doing about 60 MPH coming out Queen Street headed for the train station. There was a cross street  I had to make a left turn. Queen Street. was asphalt. The cross street was concrete. It had rained, and the streets were a little wet yet. I did not slow down, I knew I would slide, if I did it right my tires would slide right into the cement curb, and hold me up. It worked!

I hit the road, curb line and did not fall. About 400 feet more was a right turn to go up the railroad bridge to Fruitville Pike, and the town limits the city police could not follow me there. I started the turn, I was doing about 40 MPH. This time it was concrete, changing to asphalt. Concrete was more slippery than asphalt when wet. I did not slide on the asphalt like I did on the concrete. The Quarter Hawg threw a violent shake, but I held on tight, my life depended on staying upright. A friend slid into a curb and was messed up for many months.

Part Two coming soon!

The snow storm & JINX

Remember reading about Tom, the guy who learned how to race in my 400 horsepower Pontiac? He and I went out in his 1967 Fairlane. It was a 289 V8 2 barrel carb with three on the tree. We took Tom's car because it was snowing. 400 HP and slick tires on back, bad over winter. And since my name is not JAPP I do not use slicks when snowing, like he did.

We were both under 21 years old, but most distributors though I was older, so a case of beer was easy to buy. We always got it already cold. Tom and I could easily drink most of a case in one night.  A lot of stops to drain the lizard. Alcoholics? YES! The beer was in the trunk. We would take about 6 bottles at a time to the front seats.

I did not have my license back yet. Six months goes slow with no wheels allowed. We were driving around the Speedwell man made lake between Manheim and Lititz. When we had beer we usually stayed away from the Loop. We made about 6 or 8 times around the lake property, it was big. We were traveling near where Tom and I would both buy houses later in life.

Tom had WSBA radio 910 York on, the best songs of the 60's. But on Saturday night from 11 PM to 1 AM WLAN 1390 had an oldies show called, Lovers & Losers that everyone in reach of 1390 had on. He would start by saying; High above the Liquor Store on Queen Street, all you running the Loop Route, We present Lovers & Losers on WLAN. That started the show.

They played the guys and dolls that loved and lost! Makes sense!! Tom's and my favorite song was Sea of Love. I don't remember who sang it, too much alcohol when I was young. We were going down the twisting road that comes out to Rt. 501. The last left bend had a guard rain that the plowed snow was piled like an angled ramp up to the top of the guard rail.

Tom & I were singing Sea of Love as loud as we could. Tom slowed enough, but we slid up the snow bank and the passenger side wheel hung over the rail. It was the beer, I was not thinking. I opened my door and jumped out to assess the damage. The ground sloped away from the rail post, I fell about 20 feet down the slope, more like slipped down.

When I got back up the hill the kids had stopped. Tom was frozen in his seat. His first accident. We could not back up. Some kids came along, about 17 or 18 just younger than us. They stopped to help. Neither of us had a chain to pull with. I told them to take the beer, they did not say no.

They took me to Lititz, 2 miles away, and I got a fellow I worked with, Ron. I knew he had a 4 wheel drive truck, and a Virgin 1964 3 deuce 4 speed GTO that I would have killed for then. That was why I bought the 1962 Catalina 3 deuce 4-speed. It was a sleeper.

Ron pulled us out, I asked him how much, he said 10 bucks. I paid him at work Monday. Now every time I hear Sea of Love, or pass that curve I think of Tom. Tom moved to Florida many years ago. His wife put his obituary in the Lancaster Paper about 12 years ago. He had a lot of friends here yet. He had a birth defect in his heart, it just stopped one day.

The fender was rubbing the passenger side tire till we got home it blew. We did not hear it rub, but it did. Tom I think had a jinx streak like I did. He bought another car later, automatic on the floor. He had his dad push  him when his battery went dead. Both of them knew nothing about cars. When Tom put the trans from neutral to drive, it was like hitting the brake. His dad's front end and Tom's rear end were damaged. But the car started. Same car, Tom was just driving a year later, and the transmission was making noise, Tom was trying to get home when the transmission dropped to the ground.

Another friend ED, his Corvette was overheating. He ran a red light to get home before the motor blew. You guessed it! He hit a car that had the green light with the front of his fiberglass car. Was the Jinx they had coming from ME??

Tears for Cloey Caldwell ( Not Yet )

Cloey was born 18  years ago. Her mom was a very small cat, that we had. Cloey was born under our waterbed. The first time we saw the 4 baby cats, they paraded out to the kitchen for breakfast. No mess under our bed.

We have had cats since our marriage in May 20,1972. In fact I moved into the new trailer two months before our wedding. Mary found a cat 2 weeks before she moved in, on our wedding night. We got married at 8:15 on a Saturday evening. Her father still had milk cows, and lived 1 1/2 hours away near Reading. We had our wedding in Trinity Church, East Petersburg.

The 4 babies were in a cardboard box on the porch. I put Kyra in the box. She could hardly stand, but loved animals even then. She fell, the box was big enough that she did not sit on any of the babies. Kyra now close to 19, works in an animal sanctuary near Harrisburg, about 35 miles away. She is deciding what branch of animal protection she will pursue. Veterenian or tech assistant. Eight years for doctor and figure schooling cost is overwelming.

Since 2008 I have been retired. Cloey became my cat when I started being home all the time, Mary worked full time till 2016. Part time till 2017. My job was filling Cloey's food and water dispensers. The water needed attention, about every two weeks. The food I filled when the beaker was low. I shook the tray to fill up the part she ate in the tray every morning.

It has been about 10 years since Cloey stopped letting Kyra pet her. She came in the cat door every night to eat and climb in her bed on the enclosed porch. The last 3 years we have had Sophie, Beagle-Border Collie, Cloey slept outside, afraid of Sophie. Every morning I checked her food & water. We would see her during the day, but was always running into the woods and cover.

There was an old tree down with hollowed out trunk that gave her protection and warmth. Tonight is 6 mornings that no food was missing. She would miss one night sometimes, but not this many. I told Mary she must have finally died. She said at least she died when it was just getting cold. Nights now are about 50 degrees. At least she will not freeze to death, that is painful.

We tried to love her in her later life. She was feral, did not want human touch. She did for the first 6 years of life. Funny how life changes. At least she knew we loved her, at least when she was young she was not afraid of us.

Don't tell anyone my eyes are watering when I write this, I was once a strong man, a rock people thought. Well us Rocks have feelings too!

Goodbye Cloey; up in animal Heaven. Mary said no more cats last year. Then Kyra called her that they have a female small cat with heart trouble. Probably not live more than a year. Because of tight money, donations keep them going, they were going to end her life if no body takes her. Kyra called Mary, Mary told me we will make a suffering cat's last year  wonderful.

My Charity to help Stop PTSD Suicides in Veterans & First Responders! Mary says no more of our money in your Charity. Last 5 years we put in almost $4,000 we could not afford. Every time I ask Mary for money to Charity, she says this is the last time. Is Mary a Keeper?? What do you think??

UPDATE:
Mary let me know after I posted this: she saw Cloey this morning. It has been 12 nights she did not come in for food. I asked Mary, I wonder who is feeding her? She said, probably some people who do not have two cat crazy dogs carrying on every time they smell her close to the porch cat door. I guess she likes calm in her senior years.

Manheim Cruise four

Bottom headlights removed. In place of light bulb, wire screen to stop stones entering carburetor. At speed, it forces more air in carb. Known as ramair. More horsepower. In earle 60's Ford used it on their Thunderbolts, everyone took notice and copied the free horsepower adder.

YES, when I got photos of all the rods&bikes, I stop in at A&M for my reuban wrap!

This is Joe, owner of A&M Manheim store. Thank you Joe for Gift Certificate for our first raffle.

manheim pics two

only bike that showed up

Everyone though this car for fighting breast cancer, nothing on car saying so?