Sheldon's Ural Deco Diary

Sheldon's 1998 Ural Deco - Week eighteen

"Hedgehog in the Fog"
(1975) I love this title although not much of a listing at http://www.imdb.com

joans house2FS.jpg (29912 bytes) Day 103, Sunday May 16 1999... Received a call from Joan, the one who owns the huge house on the lake that we stayed at last weekend. She has decided to move closer in to the city and is going to be selling her house. She would like to market it on the web and would like me to set up a web site for it. Should be an interesting project.

Christal and I just had a lazy day, lounging around the house, watching a movie and going for a walk. After she left I started to work on web sites but after a couple of hours I needed a break. Went to the garage and pulled out the Sportsman. It fired up on the first kick again. I rode down country lanes, with the smells of new mown grass, newly fertilized farm fields and pine forests helping me to remember why I love riding motorcycles so much. This is something that is rarely experienced in a cage (car/truck/SUV/whatever), and something to be greatly appreciated. Stopped at Gordy's Hi Hat restaurant to get a bite to eat, and watched all the customers ogling the bike. Not one UDF question though. I was a little disappointed. Everyone in the place watched as I rode in and they watched as I rode away but not one question. That is the first time that has happened and I am so used to the experience that it kind of shook me.

When I left home it was 69 f. (20.5 c.) and when I walked out of the restaurant it was 55 f. (13 c.) and the fog was rolling in. I was planning on taking some roads to the South and East home but when I started to go that way the fog got thicker and thicker and the temperature seemed to drop even more so I turned around and decided to head home via roads to the North and West, away from Lake Superior. Had a pleasant ride but could feel the temperature dropping all along the way. By the time I got home it was shrouded in a thick fog so I put the bike in the garage, checked the fluids, then went in the house and back to my web site work feeling a bit more satisfied with life.

Day 104 Monday May 17, 1999... I had planned on riding the Sportsman to work this morning but when I got up, looked out the window, and listened to the weather report I decided to take the car instead. The winds have finally died but the fog was thick, with visibility less than 1/8 mile, and the temperature was 43 f. (6 c.) and with humidity at 100% it was damp, chilly weather that is not hospitable to man or beast. And to make matters worse we are expecting clearing in the morning then more clouds rolling in, with thunderstorms expected by afternoon. I think I will wait until tomorrow.

Spent the day miserable every time I saw, or heard, a motorcycle. Went to dinner with Christal, then down to the lakeshore to sit on the rocks, skipping stones, telling stories, listening to stories, and generally goofing off. Afterwards went home, took the Deco for a short ride, then dove into web sites. I was working on the Jan Hartley web site. She is a fantastic artist and I sit in awe every time I work on her site. I guess Christal and I just can't stay apart for more than a few hours as she showed up on my doorstep at 9:00 p.m. The best part is that I was so very happy to see her.

Day 105 Tuesday May 18, 1999... It was 36 f. (2 c.) this morning and the weather report was for 20-30 mph winds but mild temperatures. By noon it was 69 f. (20.5 c.) and one incredibly gorgeous day. I rode the bike in this morning and rode into the sun most of the way. I guess it is time that I give my goggles a good cleaning. Sure felt good to be riding, even though it was quite cool. Went to lunch at Blackwoods and rode there. Felt great to be riding and I only with the place were much further than a half mile away. I lengthened the trip a bit on the way back but I really could have used a long ride.

Day 106 Wednesday May 19, 1999... Rode the Sportsman to work. What a wonderful ride. Spent the evening with Christal... Not much chance to write..

Day 107 Thursday May 20, 1999... Had meeting after meeting today, and it turned into a windy rainy day, so riding the last thing on my mind.

Day 108 Friday, May 21, 1999... It was a surprise day today. Work was kind of fun. I managed to solve a few problems that had been driving me nuts for months and that is always a good feeling. Then, after work, Christal had told me to come to her house by 5:30. She wouldn't tell me what we were doing for the evening. I love surprises and she is full of them. We pulled into the "Manor on the Creek" bed and Breakfast. Her friends Ken and Mona own it and they had invited us for dinner. We ate a wonderful gourmet dinner in their kitchen dining area, had a tour of the Manor and had a wonderful time. But the evening was not over after dinner. We then got in her car and she headed towards downtown. On the way there I just had this funny feeling that we were going to something at Sacred Heart Music Center and I asked her. She did tell me that was indeed where we were going but wouldn't tell me what was there. Sacred Heart Music Center is a huge old Catholic Church that had been abandoned in the 1980's and a local music foundation was formed to purchase it from the diocese and convert it for concert use. They kept all the magnificent stained glass, statues, stations of the cross, pews and it is a fantastic structure.

Christal has a friend, Jordan, who is the artistic director of a group from Minneapolis called the "Rose Ensemble" which is a group of singers who do medieval music. They have a new program about the life of Joan of Arc and they were holding the world debut here in Duluth. They will be touring the world with this program. It was incredible. The music was so stirring that we cried almost through the entire performance. Afterwards we got together at Sir Ben's with the writer and Jordan. Had a great time, and one of the nicest evenings of my life.

Day 109 Saturday May 22, 1999... Went to breakfast at Louis' Cafe in Superior with Jordan and met another singer from the Rose Ensemble there. She was with her brother who is an actor from Minneapolis. Get a bunch of performers and actors together in the same room and you have the mixture for one rousing time. The conversation never failed to surprise me, the food was beyond belief, Feta omelets, and we had another good time.

Then back to reality for an afternoon of lawn mowing... Oh well...

Went to a party tonight for a former city council member who is just getting his BA. It was a graduation party as he has been working on it for 30 years and the people in the community thought he deserved some kind of recognition for such a long struggle. There were so many people packed into the house that you could hardly move because what was supposed to be a garden/lawn party was forced indoors by thunderstorms. Remember it is our rainy season here.

I ended up being the assistant chef. I was pressed into service when the hostess told me she was going to go outside in the rain and help with the cooking. I couldn't let that happen so they put a kitchen woman's flowered apron on me and shuffled me out into the cold and rain to grill hotdogs, polish sausage, chicken, and salmon. It was tough duty, but I did get to nibble as we grilled under the deck with water pouring down around us, lightning everywhere and smoke hanging around us. There was plenty of good food for everyone and gosh did we have fun...

Monday night.... I know, I know, I'm behind.... big time... I have been going the usual mile-a-minute or kilometer-a-.62mile and haven't posted week 19, and now I have to leave at 5:00 a.m. for Shawano Wisconsin..... On the road again, to return Thursday night. Probably won't hear much from me till then unless something dramatic happens... Like I kidnap a llama from the llama ranch just outside Shawano... or something like that... Later

Next week

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