You call this spring?

I bring you my backyard on Sunday, March 24, 2013...

Yes, that's snow. At the end of March. In Virginia.

I wonder, can Punxatawney Phil be sued for malpractice?

Supreme hypocrisy

It's interesting, and perversely amusing, to hear conservatives chime in on the Supreme Court consideration of gay marriage. The thrust of their argument seems to be the folly of, as they put it, "five elites" on the Court deciding sweeping political changes for the entire country.

I don't recall these same conservatives holding the same opinion when the Supreme Court handed the 2000 election to George W. Bush, nor do I recall these protectors of our political process complaining when the Court decided that corporations were the equal of citizens when it came to financing campaigns. As usual, the argument is only made when the possible or actual outcome runs counter to the political goals off the commentators.

The blatant hypocrisy of those arguing against the Court hearing cases of gays and lesbians arguing for marriage rights shouldn't surprise me. It does disappoint me that so few seem to notice it, at least in the media.

No-Shame McCain

Remember when Senator John McCain was a respected and honorable member of the government and American society? Neither do I.

Ever since his loss in the 2000 presidential primaries to George W. Bush, McCain has been getting more and more bitter and pandering more and more to the worst, right-wing elements of his own party. McCain was hit by rumors in pivotal South Carolina, whispering that the Bangladeshi girl McCain and his wife adopted was actually his illegitimate daughter. In a state as, shall we say, progressively-challenged as South Carolina, that rumor was more than enough to sink McCain's chances.

In 2008, McCain got his chance as the candidate of the Republican Party and went head-to-head against Barack Obama. We all know how that went. Despite the occasional moment in which he almost redeemed himself, McCain conducted a poorly-run campaign marked by several lurching changes in direction and outright disastrous decisions -- Sarah Palin, anyone? McCain suffered a humiliating defeat.

Since then, McCain has seemed to devolve into a metaphorical old man yelling "Get off my lawn!" at neighborhood kids. Once a champion of immigration reform, he ran as the "Build the dang wall!" candidate in his Senate re-election campaign. Now, after the big Republican losses in the 2012 election due in no small part to the overwhelming preference of Hispanic voters for Democrats, he's back urging immigration reform again. Why? He says bluntly it's because of the election. Way to stick with your principles, Johnny.

His bitterness at having been rejected nationally twice, coupled with being left behind by younger leaders, including the President, is evident in his recent actions.

Two recent examples offer graphic evidence of his descent into irrelevance. He questioned former Senator and Defense Secretary nominee Chuck Hagel -- an old friend, by the way -- as if Hagel was a murder suspect and McCain was Perry Mason. Never mind the fact that McCain himself had recommended Hagel as an excellent choice to head the Defense Department just a few years ago.

Then there's Iran. McCain's burning desire to go to war with Iran is so out there it's scary. What is it with these guys who want America to be in a state of constant war? Is it their ties to defense industries and the ample campaign contributions they produce? Is it some testosterone-induced warrior fantasy? Most of them are chicken hawks who've never served a day in the military, but McCain is a veteran who should know better than to casually postulate sending young Americans to war zones.

Whatever the reason, war with Iran seems to be McCain's primary policy objective. From his ludicrous campaign ditty -- remember "Bomb, bomb, bomb... bomb, bomb Iran"? -- to now comparing Iran's President Ahmadinejad to a monkey, McCain seems to want to dehumanize the citizens of that country so the American public can be more easily convinced to kill them.

We are so fortunate this man never got access to the executive branch of government. The notion that someone so angry, so bitter, so lustful for the blood of others could be in charge of the most powerful military the world has ever known is more than scary. It's downright terrifying.

Fun with numbers

It was 62º at 12:50 pm in Culpeper, Virginia on January 20, 2013. Any way you look at it, that's a nice combination of numbers. Especially since it was 16º at my house three days later.

We the People...

While not as ground-breaking as the first, the second inauguration of President Obama was no less thrilling for so many reasons.

The first, of course, is the fact that we have gone through another transition/continuation of power sans tanks, mobs, and violence. This is so common for us that we all too often take it for granted. But, if you look around the world, you'll find that it is still a model for how a country should behave.

Next was the amazing progressive attitude prevalent in the entire ceremony. From the "Taxation Without Representation" DC license plates on the Presidential limo to the President's incredible speech, it is clear the second term will attempt to move our nation forward more than we've seen in at least a generation.

I was especially struck by the President's mention of "Seneca Falls, Selma, and Stonewall," touchstones to the freedom movements for women, African-Americans, and the LGBT community. While I know he supports those causes, it was heartening to hear him bring them up so boldly in his speech.

The President also mentioned that, throughout history, we have converted former enemies -- think Great Britain, Germany, and Japan -- into best friends. Now imagine you're hearing that in Iran, Venezuela, Cuba, and all across northern Africa and the Middle East. Anyone who travels in those regions knows the citizens of those countries do not hate us or our freedoms, as neo-conservatives would have you believe. The governments of those countries (and, in much of the Middle East, their Islamic religious leaders) are opposed to the United States, but most of the people of the world still see America as a beacon and a leader.

In another nod to the world at large, President Obama pointed out that our security does not require us to exist in a state of perpetual war. After the last ten years, that would be a nice change.

If you missed the address, I urge you to watch it on YouTube or whitehouse.gov, or wherever you can find it. If anyone thought the progressive agenda would fade in light of the other challenges facing our country, you'll find progressive solutions are front and center in facing those challenges. For me, I find that both reassuring and energizing.

To Cape Spear...

For anyone who's ever wondered about the location of the photo to the right -- me at Cape Spear, Newfoundland -- here's a nice little video about the place:



It's truly a breathtaking spot, one of my favorites of all the places I've been. It may be a long way to go, but it's always close to my heart.

My kingdom for a knee...

Of those who believe in intelligent design, who hold that only a god could create such a brilliant creature as man and his surroundings, it might be asked, "But what about the knee?"

If that particular part of the human body were more durable and less susceptible to injury, the Washington Redskins would probably be planning a trip to Atlanta to face the Falcons this coming weekend. When quarterback Robert Griffin III went down with another injury to his already-gimpy right knee, the playoff hopes of my favorite football team took a nosedive.

One man can't really carry an entire team, but Griffin came close this year. He brought physical skills, of course, but he also began every offensive play by forcing the defense to cover a dizzying array of options. Griffin's ability to fake, combined with his skill at running and throwing the ball, meant the opposing team had to try to cover multiple possibilities of plays. That, plus an improving defense of their own and the stellar pay of rookie running back Alfred Morris, were the secrets to Redskin's success the second half of the season.

With Griffin's injury, that threat was gone and the Seattle Seahawks, a very good team in their own right, could use their dominating defense to secure a win last night. Hats off to them, they played well and deserved to win. But, as often happens in sports, we're left to wonder, "What if..."

I was sad the 'Skins lost, but happy and proud of the season they had. Championship football has returned to Washington after a long absence, and the future looks bright. Sweeping the Cowboys was a nice extra. I'm appreciative of the work the players and coaches have done and thrilled at the prospect of more success next season. Let's all hope RG III can rehab his knee in the off-season and return with the same kind of brilliance we saw this season.

Could it be?

Hard as it may be to believe, but we're having a white Christmas in central Virginia!

OK, it was actually Christmas Eve, and it was more like a little white on a mostly green and brown landscape, but I'll take it. We managed to have some heavy flurries that, for an hour or so, stuck to the grassy areas of my property until the rains came and washed it away. Unlike the midwest, we're not getting covered with a cloak of white this holiday season.

That's not all bad, though. With highs in the 40s today, it was another decent opportunity to ride. I headed west along familiar roads through Culpeper and Orange counties.

Historic Orange, Virginia, railroad station on Christmas day 2012.

Spot 2 GPS Messenger

I used the opportunity to conduct a shakedown test of my new Spot 2 GPS Messenger, a tracking device that sends out signals at regular intervals so friends can see where you're going and rescue personnel can locate you in case of an emergency.

Most long distance motorcyclists use a Spot to reassure friends and family while they're on the road, and many competitive endurance rallies require it. I've never used one before, but thought it was time to try it. Besides, there was a rebate program, so the financial risk was pretty small.

The signals sent out by the device are plotted on a Google maps page, so people can see in near-real time where you are. The rider can either share the page openly, share it with select friends, or keep it completely private.

It's not a perfect system, and my results for today's ride were incomplete, perhaps somewhat due to my unfamiliarity with the Spot. I'm planning a multi-day trip that should show off its functions a bit better, once I get the hang of it.

A Spot page showing part of my Christmas day ride.

But I digress. For today was one for enjoying another couple of hours in the saddle, nestled as it was between two days of nasty weather. Yesterday was cold and wet. Tomorrow's forecast calls for ice pellets and freezing rain, perhaps a bit of snow after dark. We must take opportunities as they come and make the best of them. I'm now warm in my house, my GS is parked safely in my garage, and dinner is cooking. Not a bad day so far.

Slaughter of the innocents

Each workday, I follow winding, tree-lined Brock Road past scattered houses and an elementary school on my way to and from work. It's a nice drive in a car, a fun one on a motorcycle. Deer occasionally cross my path, so it's wise to stay alert on the entire 10-mile stretch.

Brock Road Elementary School is one of the landmarks along the semi-rural route. In the morning, I'm always passing it while children are arriving, so there are many cars pulling in and out of the parking lot, and a 25 mph speed limit in force. Oftentimes on my ride, I'll come upon a school bus stopping to pick up small children, seemingly smaller than their backpacks, at some of the driveways that abut the road.

On my way home, the school is nearly deserted, though I've used its covered front entrance as shelter during bad storms while on my bike. More than once, I've sat on the bench outside the main entrance as thunder and lightning played out just yards away. More than once, the principal or other school staff have invited me to come inside and out of the weather, but I've always declined, content to sit under the roof line until the storm eased. Such has been my interaction with that school, and those were honestly my only thoughts of it.

Until last Friday. The ferocious, barbaric attack on innocent children, teachers, and administrators at Sandy Hook Elementary in Newtown, Connecticut, changed all that. I can't imagine passing Brock Road Elementary on my commute without thinking about that carnage. I can't imagine watching those small children climb onto the buses without seeing the faces of those killed by yet another madman with yet another cache of high-capacity, high-caliber weapons.

We can and we should talk about banning assault weapons and high-capacity magazines. We can and we should talk about keeping weapons of mass murder out of the hands of those with mental issues. We can and we should tighten background checks that are inconsistently enforced on those buying guns at gun shows or from individuals.

But we have to do more. We have to look at the kind of culture we have become. Make no mistake, I believe in both the first and second amendments. However, just as I believe the second amendment doesn't mean we should all have access to AR-15s, I think we need to think twice before exposing our children to the most vile and violent video games, movies, and other media.

When I was going to high school in a 1970s-era semi-rural suburb of Chicago, some of my classmates would come to school with a rifle or shotgun hanging on the rack in their pickup truck. There was never a thought that would be a problem. They were coming to school after going hunting in the early morning before school, or they were going hunting after school. The idea that one of them would ever use a weapon against a schoolmate or teacher was as alien as imagining one of us was the king of France.

What has changed? Murder and mayhem are now seen as the basis for numerous video games aimed at children. It's hard to get through a television program without seeing commercials for shoot-'em-up war games.

Lethal violence is perfectly acceptable in PG-13 movies, but if a breast appears on the screen, that brings an R rating. Suggestions of sex are restricted for those under 17, but slash-and-gash horror is considered good fun for tweens and younger.

Maybe I'm becoming an old coot, but things really have changed since I was a kid. Sure, there were scary movies, but the violence was suggested and almost never actually shown. We would get scared, but we wouldn't get desensitized. We didn't get used to seeing dead bodies as just another element in a game.

When I first saw "Saving Private Ryan," the graphic violence of the D-Day landings -- a plot element necessary to understand the horror of war -- brought tears to my eyes and I found it hard not to weep openly. By contrast, this type of violence is the raison d'etre of too many games, movies, and television shows.

So, what to do? I have no quick or easy answers. I truly hope those in power, and even more importantly, those of us who put those people in power, will rally to find some rational and responsible actions and then take them.

As for me, I will write letters, I will communicate with my representatives in Congress and beyond, and I will appreciate just a little more every child I see climbing aboard a school bus on my commute. I don't have children of my own, but I hope those of you who do will give them a hug and a kiss every day. They are your blessing and our country's hope.

Even more thanks

74 degrees Fahrenheit.

On December 3.

My day off.

Do I really need to say anything else?

Downtown Culpeper, Virginia, Monday, December 3, 2012. Amazing.

It was another wonderful day of riding in the Virginia Piedmont, with a stop at the Barbecue Exchange in Gordonsville, Virginia, for lunch. I felt like I had moved to South Carolina, only without the crazy politicians.

Giving thanks

Ah, Thanksgiving. Time to enjoy good food, friends, and family and reflect on our good fortune. So, herewith, a few thoughts.

I'm thankful for days as nice as this one, with clear skies and temperatures near 60F. Today, I rode some of my favorite roads through the rolling hills and valleys of the Virginia Piedmont, took some pictures of Old Rag Mountain -- I still find it hard to believe I've actually climbed it -- and just enjoyed the afternoon.

Old Rag, regarded as the toughest climb in Virginia, looms over farm fields in Madison County.

I'm thankful for the re-election of a president who has a brain, believes in science and fairness, and works harder than some in recent memory. None of us, including me, agrees with President Obama all the time on everything, but he may well be the best president of my lifetime, and I've been around for a while. Long enough to remember John Kennedy, whose death we remember today.

President John Kennedy

Such promise, so many possibilities for true greatness, cut down way too early in life. Thinking of his presidency, I'm thankful he had the courage to handle the Cuban missile crisis thoughtfully and bring it to a close without starting a war with the Soviet Union. Some hotheads on the scene today -- John McCain, I'm talking to you -- could well have ended civilization as we knew it had they been in power.

I'm thankful to have a decent job, health insurance, and no real worries about my living situation. I know how lucky I am. I'm not rich, but I can put food on the table, cover my mortgage, and pay my bills. There are plenty of people who cannot say the same.

I'm thankful for those who serve our country, in uniform and behind the scenes. I'm fortunate to know many such individuals, and they are the best of the best.

I'm thankful the Redskins drafted Robert Griffin III, if only to see him lead the team to victory against the Cowboys in Dallas on Thanksgiving :-) Honestly, RG III is amazing to watch, and incredible when you consider he's a rookie.

Robert Griffin III celebrates with the crowd after a touchdown.

I'm thankful for all who fight for historic preservation. Living where I do, amid Civil War battlefields and homes that date to our colonial predecessors, it's hard for me to imagine not appreciating history, but my conversations with other people bear witness to the fact that not all realize the debt we owe our ancestors.

I'm thankful for writers of history, like Robert Caro, whose four volume (so far) biography is my current read. The depth of research and thus transmitted information in these books is extraordinary. I'm on the third volume right now, and I'm learning more about American politics of the twentieth century than I could have imagined.

I'm thankful for more than I could possibly relate here. I hope you have too many blessings in your life to list them all, too. Did I mention beating Dallas?

Miles of smiles

Some days are just made for riding; today was one of those days.

On a clear day with incredible blue skies, I took a few hours to wander the countryside on my BMW R 1150 GS. My primary goal was to document a mileage mark -- hitting 170,000 miles on the odometer. Four miles from my house, I stopped to record the moment (right).

I've never ridden one motorcycle that many miles before. In fact, the most I've ever put on one bike was about 67,000 on a K 75 RT years ago, so every day is a new record for me. My eventual goal is to eclipse my vehicle record, 187K and change on a 1991 VW GTI, then head for 200K.

With that duty out of the way, I headed west to spend a couple of hours in the saddle. Riding through the town of Orange, I decided to go ahead and cast my vote for the November elections. Early voting started in Virginia last week, and I may be out of the area on election day, so I dropped in at the registrar's office and recorded my vote.

From Orange, I continued southwest on Virginia Rt. 20, a beautiful route through the Virginia Piedmont, and made a brief stop to note the location of The Wreck at the Fat Nancy, a state landmark.

The Fat Nancy was a railroad trestle spanning the area shown at right. Fat Nancy was a name given to an African-American woman who lived nearby and kept watch for problems at the trestle site. As the Piedmont Airline, Virginia Midland Railroad's Train 52, crossed the 44-foot-high, 487-foot-long trestle on July 12, 1888, the bridge collapsed, killing nine and injuring another two dozen passengers. Among the survivors was former Confederate Lt. General James Longstreet.

A little farther south on Rt. 20 lies Montpelier, the home of Virginia native and American President James Madison. The road is called the Constitution Route in honor of Madison's key role in creating the document that governs our nation.

Montpelier is also the site of an original freedman's cabin, a home built and lived in by former slaves of the Montpelier plantation.

George Gilmore built the cabin in 1873 from remains of a Confederate camp nearby. His story is an inspiring one, and you can read the details here.

Also in the area is Montpelier Station, a railroad depot and post office that has been restored as a fully-functioning post office and museum on the days of segregation.

The exterior of the building is beautifully preserved, and the post office occupies the far end of the building as seen in this picture.

The near end includes separate "white" and "colored" entrances and waiting rooms, as was the norm before the end of racial segregation in the 1960s.

Inside the waiting rooms are exhibits explaining the sordid past of our American apartheid. For those not alive during that time, it must be a real eye-opener.

I remember the department store we frequented when I was a child in Alexandria, Virginia, having separate drinking fountains, but I don't recall seeing the level of apartheid preserved here, other than on TV news.


Though I lived in the South, I was still sheltered from the worst of life as a black American.

Across the highway is another nicely preserved building, this one an Esso gas station. For those too young to remember, Esso was the previous name of Exxon, and was created by using the initials of the original company, Standard Oil -- S.O. becomes Esso. If you're riding in the area, you almost have to stop for a photo.

After roaming the countryside for a bit, I found my way to Madison, Virginia, named for -- of course -- the former president.

One of the attractions of that small town is the Pig 'n' Steak restaurant, a well-known purveyor of BBQ and other tasty meats.

Today, I chose a pork BBQ platter with macaroni salad and cole slaw, accompanied by the only beverage allowed to be consumed with BBQ in Virginia -- sweet tea. I'm joking, but it almost should be the law; it's certainly the overwhelming practice.

Combine that meal with a good book (currently Means of Ascent, the second volume in Robert Caro's biographical series on Lyndon Johnson), and you have a recipe for a nice, relaxing lunch in a cozy setting. Just be careful about the sauces on the table. A couple of them are pretty hot!


After lunch, I headed out on Rt. 231, one of the finest country roads anywhere. Known locally as the Old Blue Ridge Turnpike, it's a Virginia Scenic Byway and well worth a trip just to experience it.

After spending Sunday doing yard work, it was great to spend some time in the saddle on a perfect fall afternoon. The crisp air and scattered leaves in the roadway are proof the season is changing, and we're entering prime time for real motorcyclists. Maybe that's why I'm smiling so much tonight...

Lyin' Ryan

Well, there he goes again.

Republican vice presidential nominee Paul Ryan has been caught in yet another lie, this one acutely personal. Ryan, a fitness buff, had previously claimed his best time in the marathon was around 2 hours and 50 minutes, a very good time for even elite athletes. A little too good for Paul Ryan, as it turns out.

Runner's World magazine did a little poking around, and discovered that Ryan's best time was actually 4 hours, 1 minute, and 25 seconds. Oopsie.

As a former athlete -- bicycling, tennis, and volleyball -- I can tell you nobody who cares about competition would make a mistake like that about a world class marathon time. I can also tell you only the worst of athletes lie about their supposed accomplishments.

If this was the only time Paul Ryan confused fantasy and reality, it could be dismissed as merely a braggart boosting his own self-inflated ego. But this falls into a familiar pattern for Ryan. For years, he's been lying about his own positions and those of his political opponents, and this year's election campaign has only served to highlight his mendacity.

For example:

Medicare
Ryan and the Republicans claim President Obama "steals" $716 billion from Medicare recipients. In reality, President Obama's plan for Medicare saves over $700 billion in wasteful payments to hospitals and other providers over the next ten years, but does not reduce care for patients at all. And Ryan's own plan for Medicare starts with the same $700+ billion savings, then cuts more from actual programs, like prescription "donut hole" costs.

Welfare
Ryan and the Republicans claim President Obama is "gutting" the workfare system, an outright lie that has been rebuked by literally every independent arbiter in the business.

Jobs
Ryan spoke movingly about a GM plant in his native Janesville, Wisconsin, being closed despite promises by candidate Obama to keep it open. Couple of problems with that -- Obama gave a speech there in March of 2008 and GM announced in June 2008 it was closing the plant. Obama wasn't even president when GM announced the plant closure!

Speaking of GM
Ryan and ticket-leader Mitt Romney don't seem to mention the auto industry turnaround very often. Perhaps it's because President Obama oversaw the successful salvation of the American auto industry and saved millions of jobs rather than letting the companies go bankrupt, as Romney very publicly advised.

Simpson-Bowles
Much has been said by Paul Ryan about the Simpson-Bowles Commission and its suggestions for ending the deficit impasse in Washington, to wit:

"He [President Obama] created a bipartisan debt commission. They came back with an urgent report. He thanked them, sent them on their way, and then did exactly nothing."

Ryan leaves out the part about him being on the commission, about him voting against the report, and about him leading the House opposition to its conclusions. Perhaps if Ryan had been more interested in helping the country than his narrow political interests, we might have made more progress on our economic situation.

The Republicans are now pushing the question, "Are you better off now than you were four years ago?" They figure this is their key to winning the election, and they'll do everything they can to convince American voters we're on the road to disaster.

You won't hear the Republicans pointing out that President Obama staunched the bleeding of jobs lost under Republican George W. Bush. When Obama took office, we were losing hundreds of thousands of jobs per month. In January 2009, the last month under Bush, we lost more manufacturing jobs than any month since October 1982! Under President Obama, America has added more than 4,000,000 jobs. That's not enough, but it's a beginning of a turnaround from the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression.

The Affordable Care Act (aka Obamacare) has added 30 million or so Americans to the ranks of those covered by health insurance. As time passes, it will help bring down costs while increasing coverage.

Democrats are usually criticized for being soft on national defense, but under President Obama, the leadership of Al Qaeda has been decimated, including the death of Osama bin Laden, public enemy #1. Obama has ended the war in Iraq, and is working to bring home our troops in Afghanistan,. For the record, neither conflict was deemed worth mentioning during Romney's nomination acceptance speech.

America is demonstrably better off now than under George Bush. We're not where we want to be, but we're on the way. We'd be further along if Republicans had not vowed in the first days of President Obama's presidency to oppose everything he attempted, solely to deny him any chance at a second term. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell admitted that on national TV.

At least he wasn't lying...

The end is nigh...

I rode home from work in the dark last night.

That's not really any big deal, as I ride at night all the time. But this is the time of year when the coming of fall, and thus winter, makes itself evident.

Thursday evening, our late night at the dealership, I was heading out the door when I noticed it had gotten almost dark. It was at that dusky stage where the sun has just set but there's still light in the sky. During my 25-mile ride home, it became fully dark, so I actually arrived at my house at night.

And thus draws to a close another summer. I know it's not really gone yet. There are still more hours of daytime than night, the air still shimmers with the warmth of the season (though fortunately not the pavement-melting 100+ temps of mid-summer), and the ice cream stands still have lines at their service windows.

But it's coming. Sure as night follows day, fall and winter will follow summer. Unless... Do you remember the movie Endless Summer? The 1966 film followed a pair of surfers around the world as they pursued perfect surfing conditions no matter the date on the calendar. The basic premise was, if you had enough time and money, you could stay in summer ALL the time.

Few of us have that kind of money, of course. I like to think that, if I did have that kind of money, I'd certainly find the time.

I wouldn't surf, though. I'd ride and ride and ride and ride. In between rides, I'd put my bike on a plane or a ship, and transport it to the next continent on my list. What a journey that would be!

Believe it or not, there are plenty of people doing exactly that. The world is their riding area, and they are making the most of it. Some have retired from a lifetime of work, some have cashed in their 401(k) plans to finance their trip, some are students or recent graduates taking every penny (or Euro or Yen, or whatever) they can scrape together and making the journey of a lifetime. It is possible, though not easy.

Which brings me to Stecoah, North Carolina. I'm quite certain you've never heard of Stecoah, as it barely exists, on or off a map. It's a tiny community set in the shadow of Great Smoky Mountains National Park, a place you ride through to get somewhere else.

But not on the weekend of September 7-9, 2012. That weekend, at the Ironhorse Lodge nestled back in a holler, a band of globetrotting motorcyclists will gather for a Horizons Unlimited Travelers Meeting. This bunch of bikers comes from all over the world, with one mission in mind -- to meet fellow travelers (not the 1950s Communist version) who love to meet those of similar interests and exchange information and experiences. That weekend, there will be presentations on trips from North America to India; classes on how to use your GPS to its best capabilities; how to fix that flat tire in the middle of nowhere, and much more.

But mostly, there will be fun. Old friends will reunite, new friends will meet, drinks will be drunk, meals will be shared. Afterwards, the riders will be on their way, either back home to dream and plan or down the road to the next chapter of their adventure.

If you can't actually be on the road living your adventure, you can be planning it, safe and snug in your home. And is there any better place to be -- barring an endless summer, of course -- when cold weather comes?

Game on

So, it's to be Romney-Ryan.

As others have noted, this will at least give voters a clear choice this November. While Romney has been credited by some as making a bold choice, I see this as more a sign of desperation.

This is the kind of selection you make when, even after all the primaries, you still cannot solidify the support of those within your own party who form the base -- in this case, the most conservative elements of the already-conservative Republican party. Taking fire from the right, Romney has once again surrendered and given them what they want. This isn't the bold choice of a leader, this is a weak person trying to get the mean kids to like him. When you're counting on the VP pick to bring charisma to the team, that says something about the top of the ticket.

I suspect this will work for Romney in the short term. The right-wingers and neo-conservatives, eager to grab the levers of power in Washington they held under George W. Bush and sensing they have a candidate they can push around, will now line up behing the double R ticket. But will America? I doubt it.

The folks in the Obama campaign are as happy about this pick as the right wingers. They'd been hoping to wrap Romney in the deeply-flawed Ryan budget plan this fall, and Romney has now done their work for them. What a stroke of luck!

Expect a campaign highlighting the true effects of the Ryan -- er, I mean the Romney -- plan upon the majority of Americans. When voters learn what is really on tap should the Republicans win, the thinking goes, they will be even more inclined to vote Democratic.

Already falling far behind among women and minority voters, it would seem the Romney campaign has now mostly written off any chance of increasing their share of those voting blocks. As an Obama supporter, I'm happy to see them doing that, of course, but I don't think that attitude is best for our country. I'd prefer both campaigns actually try to appeal to the broad majority of our citizens rather than try to put together just enough of various fragments to create a 50.1% whole.

With any luck, this will carry over to Congressional elections, as well. Democrats, who had hoped to pick up a few seats in the House and hold their own in the Senate, now think they may have an unexpected edge in a number of contests. We can only hope.

Game Change, a book written by esteemed journalists John Heilemann and Mark Halperin, documented the decision by John McCain to select Sarah Palin as his choice for Vice President. They talked about how the McCain campaign hoped her selection would change the dynamics of the race and, for a time, it did. Eventually, however, the truth about Sarah Palin came out, and she was seen as one of the worst choices ever for a national ticket. We shall see what the selection of Paul Ryan means in the end.

Insert clever title here...

Writer's block is a funny thing, or some I'm told by actual writers.

I don't claim to be much of a writer, though I've worked as a writer and editor. I can write, but I don't have to write. I don't live to write and that, to me, is the difference. I know how to put words together, how to arrange sentences, how to tell a story. But I'm not an artist. Even when I was a professional photographer, I knew I was more of a craftsman than an artist.

I've known a lot of artists through the years, and I'm not sure I'd want to be one. While I sometimes envy the single-minded dedication to their art, I think I prefer a more balanced and less stressful existence than what I witnessed with my friends. But it would be nice to create some art, just once.

It's been a while since I've written a blog entry. Most of the summer, actually. It's not that I haven't had ideas. The way the presidential campaign is going, I'd have to be unconscious not to come up with something. My Washington Nationals are still in first place in the National League East, which is truly amazing and certainly exciting, and my motorcycle travels have given me some interesting topics to explore.

So, I'm back at the keyboard and ready to get back to boring you with my non-artistic ramblings. Don't say I didn't warn you.

A Washington Renaissance?

The future may, indeed, be here in Washington. I'm not talking about politics, or diplomacy, or economics. I'm talking sports.

The Washington Nationals, consistent cellar-dwellers in the national League East, have been in first place since the beginning of the season. As I write this, they have beaten the defending NL East champion Philadelphia Phillies seven times straight. They've also won eight of nine series this year, losing only to the best-in-baseball LA Dodgers.

The Washington Capitals are tied in their Stanley Cup second round playoff series against the NY Rangers after dispatching the defending champion Boston Bruins in the first round.

The Washington Redskins, mired in mediocre season after season, have just drafted perhaps the best quarterback in the country, reigniting fan interest and hope for the years ahead.

The Washington Wizards, perennially one of the worst teams in the NBA, are still one of the worst teams in the NBA. You can't have everything.

Perhaps the Nationals are the best story so far. The Capitals are always decent, and they get into the playoffs pretty frequently. The Redskins have had promising off-seasons before, and we won't know the results of their draft selections until the fall.

But the Nats are showing big promise day after day, game after game, and they have some young players making a big difference in the team's prospects. Stephen Strasburg, one of the most gifted pitchers in a generation, continues playing well after surgery on his arm. His record this year does not reflect his pitching; too often, the team has saved its run scoring until the late innings, after he's been relieved.

The big story of the Nats' year may be Bryce Harper, a 19 year-old phenom outfielder. He's shown real batting chops, getting key hits and also being patient enough to work the count to a walk in critical situations. On base is on base. Better to get to first via a walk than to strike out on close pitches most young players would attack.

 Bryce Harper doubles home the winning run against the Diamondbacks.

Harper's arm is a real stunner, though. In his first-ever major league game, against the aforementioned Dodgers, he caught a long fly ball near the warning track in left field. The runner on third tagged and sprinted towards home. Harper uncorked a perfect strike to the catcher, who tagged the runner just before he reached home plate. The umpire called the runner safe, but replays showed Harper had actually thrown him out. You don't always get the call, but the camera doesn't lie. That was the kind of major league throw most pro outfielders could never make, and Harper did it on his first play. He's made similar throws since, and consistently shows a maturity beyond his years. He's a joy to watch in a game.

I'm hoping the teams of Washington will play well enough this year to generate fan interest throughout the area. Anything to relieve the drone of partisanship we're sure to face 'til November and beyond...

Mr. Sincerity

Remarkable.

That's just one of the words that come to mind listening to Mitt Romney give his primary victory speech tonight. Other words include ballsy, incredible, untrue, and insulting.

Taken on its own, it was a good political speech, full of promises and visions of a future of wonderfulness. Taken in context with everything else Romney has said this campaign, it was so full of contradictions and reversed positions, it's a wonder his tongue didn't tie itself into knots.

Literally within days of praising the so-called Ryan plan -- that grossly one-sided financial giveaway to large corporations and rich people -- which would, among other things, double student loan interest rates and cut food stamps, Romney tried to portray himself as the champion of families struggling on food stamps and under the weight of student debt.

This is par for the course for Romney. His whole political career has been rife with changed positions left and right to suit whatever audience he's addressing and whatever office he's seeking. It seems appropriate he's performing political gymnastics as the summer Olympic Games draw nearer.

He's not alone, of course. Just last week, former NY mayor and long-time putz Rudi Giuliani heartily endorsed Romney's candidacy. A couple months ago, Giuliani said of Romney that he'd never seen a politician take so many different sides of issues, changing his position "on a dime." Such rank political hypocrisy is why so many citizens are fed up with politics.

And that's exactly what the pols want. Get those decent people exasperated and convinced that nothing will ever change, and it never will. Once we give up and, through our own inaction, hand the reins over to the cynical politicians, we have given away the store.

Heart to heart

A heart transplant, while literally a change in heart, does not necessarily lead to the more common interpretation of that phrase.

Witness former Vice President Dick Cheney. Just weeks after being granted an extension of his own life through the organ donation of another, Cheney hypocritically attacked President Obama yesterday as being "an unmitigated disaster." His speech included criticism of the economy and many other policy concerns.

This is, of course, the same Vice President Cheney whose administration squandered the economic progress and budget surpluses of the Clinton administration; engaged in two wars on the country's credit card and left office with no end in sight for either of them; granted an expensive extension of prescription drug benefits to seniors, again without paying for it; declared that "deficits don't matter"; outed a CIA operative, endangering the lives of the agent, her family, and countless contacts around the world, solely for political purposes; and was the first administration in American history to take pride in torturing of prisoners. This is the new point man for the Republicans?

Over the years, I have had no overwhelming problems with the Republican party in general. I've voted for some Republicans on occasion. I've run my own businesses and had a major role in running others. I understand the appeal of the Republican's nod to lower taxes and reduced regulations.

But that traditional nod is now more of a nod and a wink; the Republican party is no longer a group of small town business people, the type of folks who populate local chambers of commerce. It is the party of the Chamber of Commerce, the national lobbying body for large corporations and the moneyed interests they represent. It has become the political arm of the 1%.

It amazes me so many miss how out there the Republican party has become. Forget the true crazies, like Congressman Alan West, who see Communists wherever Democrats loom; nut jobs do not a party define, even if their party does nothing to separate itself from their ravings. But when the Republican party in general starts to act like its most fringe elements, the entire organization loses credibility. That this coming presidential election could be close is both hard to believe and scary.

Simple as black and white, continued

For more than a week now, the airwaves, the Internet, and the print media have all been filled with facts, speculation, and opinion about the Trayvon Martin killing. Well-meaning people have been spending hours and using reams of paper and millions of bytes to debate the causes and effects of this shooting.

In America, we're taught to take pride in our justice system being blind. Carved into the facade of the Supreme Court building are the words, "Equal Justice Under Law." In America, no person is supposed to get special treatment, positive or negative, in the justice system.

For me, the core issue of this case comes down to one question: Can anyone claim, with a straight face, that the outcome to date of this episode would be the same if the races of the two people involved were reversed?

Imagine a black man, a self-appointed vigilante in a neighborhood not his own, carrying a handgun. With a pattern of calling 911 almost every day for the first two months of the year, this wanna-be law enforcer follows a young, white boy who is innocently walking from a local store back to his father's girlfriend's house. During yet another call to police, the 911 dispatcher specifically tells him not to follow the young male. The black man continues, regardless, and soon shoots the young, white boy, killing him in the street.

Imagine the local police duly arriving, surveying the situation, and not even questioning the black shooter. In fact, they let him go, still carrying the gun he used to kill a young, white boy. Also imagine local authorities taking away the body, doing virtually nothing to find his family and placing him in the morgue as a "John Doe." Not until days later do the boy's family find out where he is and what has happened to him. It takes weeks for any of this to become an issue.

Can you really imagine any of this happening if the shooter was black and the victim was white? I certainly can't. But this is all exactly what happened in the murder of African-American Trayvon Martin by Caucasian George Zimmerman.

It says a lot about our country that this case has once again highlighted the horror that is racial prejudice and violence; it will say a lot more about our country in 2012 how this case is handled going forward.