There's a local shop that I like to deal with whenever I need parts or advice. Depending on where you, the reader, reside, you may even be familiar with this place. The shop bears the last name of Jon, the proprieter; Cook's Cycles.
I've known Jon (and his father Arthur) for years upon years. They're both upstanding guys and while Arthur started the shop many years ago as snowmobile garage, Jon has since assumed the reins and has weathered the shop through a bit of a transition to where they now service both snowmobiles and motorcycles.
It's fun talking with Jon as he has a good sense of humor. This sense of humor has even extended to periods of frustration when he's had to deal with some moronic situation or person. When these times occur, Jon takes marker to paper and comes up with a a shop sign. (You can tell when his frustration has peaked anew, as there will be a new sign the next time you pay a visit.)
His current signs read as follows;
"Labor Rate: $78 per hour. $125 per hour with customer-supplied parts."
"Please tell us how to install your internet-ordered part. Nothing makes us happier!"
"Feel free to tell us about the 25 cents you saved by buying on eBay. Small businesses of America thank you."
"Please have your credit card ready so I can charge you for the 15 minutes I spend telling you which tires/parts are the best for you so you can then go buy them elsewhere for $5 less. Thank you."
"Do you bring your own steak to a restaurant? Then please don’t bring your own tires to us to mount and balance. Have your computer do it. Thanks."
"Your bike will be ready after it’s done and I call you. The person working on your bike (Jon) also answers the phone, does parts, walks the dog, etc. This is not a dealership, don’t treat us like one. Thanks."
And lastly, my personal favorite;
"No conversations about politics on Saturdays. Only conversations about beer and women. Thank you."
I was over at the shop this past Saturday and we were shooting a bit of the breeze and I commented that there hadn't been a new sign in a while and he smiled and said "Yeah, things have been pretty good lately."
Hopefully things stay good for him...for a while, that is. We gotta have new signs every now and then, right?
Ride Hard, Support Your Local Wrench!
http://www.cookscycle.com/
.
.
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
The Bell Tolls
Arriving home last night, I noticed a box on my front steps. Hmmm…this is interesting…I’m not expecting anything. It ain’t Christmas time, and my birthday is months away…why would I be receiving anything? I figured it was best to play it safe, so I pulled out my phone and began dialing.
But, as I sat on hold with the bomb disposal unit, my curiosity began to get the better of me. The box doesn’t appear threatening, and as I got closer, I could see that a hole was in the side of the box. Well either a rodent had taken up residence inside the box, or the contents were banged around enough during shipment to punch outward from the inside. Either way, I figured if there was anything dangerous inside, it’d been rendered harmless one way or the other.
Putting the phone away, I approached carefully…well, there’s a shipping address on the front (mine) and a sender’s address in the upper corner. Getting a bit closer, I was finally able to see who it was from. (Yes, I blurred the street before posting the pic.) And that was when the panic set in!!
But, as I sat on hold with the bomb disposal unit, my curiosity began to get the better of me. The box doesn’t appear threatening, and as I got closer, I could see that a hole was in the side of the box. Well either a rodent had taken up residence inside the box, or the contents were banged around enough during shipment to punch outward from the inside. Either way, I figured if there was anything dangerous inside, it’d been rendered harmless one way or the other.
Putting the phone away, I approached carefully…well, there’s a shipping address on the front (mine) and a sender’s address in the upper corner. Getting a bit closer, I was finally able to see who it was from. (Yes, I blurred the street before posting the pic.) And that was when the panic set in!!
As I lurched wildly backward off the front landing, I grabbed frantically for my phone again, desperate to hit redial and get the bomb techs back on the phone. The suddenness of my retreat, combined with the sheer stress that came with the realization of who’d sent the package, was too much for my brain to handle at once, and I tumbled to the ground. Unfortunately, instinct took over and I reached outward with my hands to try and catch myself. I say ‘unfortunately’ because I still had my phone in my hand…which proceeded to splinter into pieces when the full weight of my fat ass came crushing down upon it.
So there I lay; in a heap at the foot of the stairs, no phone for which to summon help with, and an ominous return address leering down at me.
And then it hit me – only half of that household is pure evil. The other half is loving and kind…and literate.
Figuring the odds were with me, I once again approached the box, and after nudging it gently with my toe a couple of times, took a chance and picked it up. No explosions, no puff of noxious gas, nothing untoward. Glancing sheepishly around me to see if any of my neighbors had seen anything, I headed inside with my newfound guest.
Carefully, I sliced the tape holding the package closed and gently eased the flaps up. Nothing jumped out at me and it soon became apparent what was inside;
Yep, that’s my ‘legal’ lid that I’d left in King’s Jeep from the Maine vacation. Thanks King!
I loved the packing supplies. Empty Bud Light cans, inside of freezer baggies. Ingenious! Ingenious and funny as hell!
Here’s another shot of the packing “peanuts”…
But wait…there’s something lurking inside that Bud Light box…
I carefully lifted the box out onto the counter and peered inside…
Holy Crap!! It’s a bar bell!!!
No, not a barbell from the gym, but a bell you can have in your bar!!! Wait, wait, wait…I’ve seen this bell before!! It’s from Mark’s shop in NY!!!...no…no, that’s not right…think, dummy…where did you see it…Holy Crap! It’s Big John’s!!! When I was out in NY before Labor Day, John and Steph had me, Coose & Mary over for dinner. The bell was on his porch and I commented that I thought it was really cool, and that I was going to be looking for one to put into my basement bar at some point. So that generous bastard wound up taking it down, cleaning it up and sent it to me! Man, what a great thing to do! But that’s the kind of guy John is. Always giving to others. Thanks Man!!!
I can’t wait to get this thing mounted downstairs!!
And the next time I get out there to NY (or he gets out here to Mass), I’m gonna get together with him and we’re gonna knock back some drinks!
Hey Barkeep! Ring That Bell!!
Monday, September 19, 2011
6th Annual Lance Crprl Shayne Cabino Memorial Run - 2011
The day started early; this was my first year of being a part of the Shayne Run Committee, and I met the rest of the Staff @ 7am for breakfast. From there, Greg and I rolled out and checked on a segment of the run to make sure things were in good shape (I actually posted that pic on Saturday morning but just logged on and saw that it didn't post, so it's up there now, but looks like it was from today. It wasn't.)
Anyway, we then made it back to the Legion and set to prepping the parking lot for the coming masses. Things moved slowly for a while and I was nervous that the other run going on that day (one town over) was going to rob us of many numbers. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded, for once the start time approached, scores of bikes began pouring in and we were soon scrambling to find places for folks to set their kickstands.
When the K'stands-up time was a mere 10 mins away, it was time to bolt inside for a quick cold one, and then back out to fire things up and roll on out.
The ride was good, three bike cops leading the way. At one point, they were lined up three abreast, all in one lane, and it was quite a cool sight. Would have been great to get a pic, but oh well.
Returning to the Post, we set to the food and drink with reckless abandon. Everyone had a great time and many, many raffles were grabbed up by many a happy folk. Not everyone can be a winner, as I plainly demonstrated. None of my $1 tickets were good for anything other than soaking up spilled beer on the table. In fact, my luck was so bad, that, as some folks had to take off early and were leaving me their tickets, at one point I must have had close to 75 tickets in front of me...all worthless. When the last of the regular raffles were claimed, I gathered up my useless pieces of paper and tossed them, then headed off for more mingling and laughter.
Suddenly, I heard my name being called out over the speakers, and folks were yelling at me to go up front. Holy crap, I'd forgotten about the "premium" raffles! I'd pitched in some tickets toward the Sam Adams prize pack and whaddy know - I won it! You've seen the pic, so you already know the story, but just think; 12 cases of Sam Adams beer. How frikkin' sweet is that!!
The rest of the afternoon wound down with more laughter and libations. The weather had been great, the turnout had been great, and I can't wait to hear how much money we raised for Shayne's scholarship fund. Every year, this thing just seems to get better and better.
From there, the decision was made to head to Ziggy's for an apris-party, complete with a fire and a keg, courtesy of George's brother. We managed to kill that thing, as well as many of the individual cans and bottles found in cases and 30-packs scattered about. A great way to end a great day.
In summation; thank you again, Shayne, for your fight and sacrifice. Your name lives on in the hearts and minds of your family, your friends, and hundreds of folks you never even met.
http://www.shaynesrun.com/
Ride Hard, Take Chances, and Thank a Vet!!
Anyway, we then made it back to the Legion and set to prepping the parking lot for the coming masses. Things moved slowly for a while and I was nervous that the other run going on that day (one town over) was going to rob us of many numbers. Thankfully, my fears were unfounded, for once the start time approached, scores of bikes began pouring in and we were soon scrambling to find places for folks to set their kickstands.
When the K'stands-up time was a mere 10 mins away, it was time to bolt inside for a quick cold one, and then back out to fire things up and roll on out.
The ride was good, three bike cops leading the way. At one point, they were lined up three abreast, all in one lane, and it was quite a cool sight. Would have been great to get a pic, but oh well.
Returning to the Post, we set to the food and drink with reckless abandon. Everyone had a great time and many, many raffles were grabbed up by many a happy folk. Not everyone can be a winner, as I plainly demonstrated. None of my $1 tickets were good for anything other than soaking up spilled beer on the table. In fact, my luck was so bad, that, as some folks had to take off early and were leaving me their tickets, at one point I must have had close to 75 tickets in front of me...all worthless. When the last of the regular raffles were claimed, I gathered up my useless pieces of paper and tossed them, then headed off for more mingling and laughter.
Suddenly, I heard my name being called out over the speakers, and folks were yelling at me to go up front. Holy crap, I'd forgotten about the "premium" raffles! I'd pitched in some tickets toward the Sam Adams prize pack and whaddy know - I won it! You've seen the pic, so you already know the story, but just think; 12 cases of Sam Adams beer. How frikkin' sweet is that!!
The rest of the afternoon wound down with more laughter and libations. The weather had been great, the turnout had been great, and I can't wait to hear how much money we raised for Shayne's scholarship fund. Every year, this thing just seems to get better and better.
From there, the decision was made to head to Ziggy's for an apris-party, complete with a fire and a keg, courtesy of George's brother. We managed to kill that thing, as well as many of the individual cans and bottles found in cases and 30-packs scattered about. A great way to end a great day.
In summation; thank you again, Shayne, for your fight and sacrifice. Your name lives on in the hearts and minds of your family, your friends, and hundreds of folks you never even met.
http://www.shaynesrun.com/
Ride Hard, Take Chances, and Thank a Vet!!
Last Minute Verification
Saturday, September 17, 2011
Friday, September 16, 2011
Faith
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Shayne Prep
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Screw The Rules
Saturday, September 10, 2011
Evening Wrapup
Done w/side job inspection now raiding Willy's kegerator. Heh heh heh don't t
Decisions Decisions...and they're both bad!
Eating While We're Cooking
Thanks Irene
Friday, September 9, 2011
Murphy Is Kicking My Ass
Murphy's Law states that anything that can go wrong, will go wrong. So it's only fitting that I invoke his law at this point in time. For you see; we've had almost 5 straight days of rain, and that has made for some less than thrilling commutes to and from work.
I have two sets of rain gear and they both were put through the ringer this week, with me having to hang them in the porch with a fan on them to dry them for the following day and then swap them out the next day with the other set.
So today, the weather has finally broken and we're looking at a stretch of at least 6 straight days of sunshine and clear skies. I would be happy about this, but this is where Murphy comes in; my bike went into the shop last night (so of course the weather would turn beautiful).
I suppose I shouldn't complain - I was on vaca last week and only had to deal with a little bit of rain. Certainly, it's much better to have the rain hit this week, rather than last week, when camping! So yes; I shouldn't complain.
But what fun is there in that?
I have two sets of rain gear and they both were put through the ringer this week, with me having to hang them in the porch with a fan on them to dry them for the following day and then swap them out the next day with the other set.
So today, the weather has finally broken and we're looking at a stretch of at least 6 straight days of sunshine and clear skies. I would be happy about this, but this is where Murphy comes in; my bike went into the shop last night (so of course the weather would turn beautiful).
I suppose I shouldn't complain - I was on vaca last week and only had to deal with a little bit of rain. Certainly, it's much better to have the rain hit this week, rather than last week, when camping! So yes; I shouldn't complain.
But what fun is there in that?
Thursday, September 8, 2011
2011 Labor Day Extravaganza
I suppose I should get a bit of wrap-up on here. Most of the story has already been laid out in the pics along the way, but here’s a bit of summation…
On my way out, the weather was treating me well and I was making great time. I’d been keeping an eye on the time, and as I got closer and closer, I could tell I had a chance to beat my best time for this trip; 6.5 hours. So, at roughly 50 miles out of Olean, I ratcheted things up a bit (going from ~80 to ~95mph), all while thinking; “Ya know…it’s gonna really suck if I get just outside of Olean, only to get pulled over…” Sure enough; 18 miles outside of Olean city limits, the lights came on behind me. I could bore you with the whole story, but suffice to say that manners and respect go a long way, and having brought both of those with me on this trip, I luckily managed to elude an expensive piece of paper. (I still managed to make it in 6.5 hours, too!)
Mark was busy at work, as usual. This time around, he was working on his logging truck, replace brakes and calipers. He soon had things running and we took a jaunt up into the hills across from his house. There are old logging trails up there and we did our best to follow them, stopping occasionally to cut some trees that were in the way. There was one shot where Mark had that poor truck almost face-up the hill – it would have made for a great pic, but I missed it. Oh well, such are the perils of relying on a stupid flip-phone as your camera.
Anyway, we were soon back to the house and then it was off to the Rally in the Valley, to catch up with friends, knock back a few coldies, and check out the bikes. I’d heard of this event in the past, but had expected a bit more out of it. Talking to many of the others, it seems that is a general consensus. Still, it was fun, and if the timing is right next year, I’d like to check it out again.
From there, it was off to the V for more handshakes and hugs, as well as beers and shots, and a run evening with more great friends.
The next morning, Mark and I met up with Jerry and hit the mountain roads of PA. The air was cold and crisp, but eventually the sun found it’s way through the fog and began warming us up. Our destination for the day was something called Hyner View. I’d never heard of it, but it turned out to be a fantastic overlook, with a view for miles and miles. We even had the good fortune (we thought) to have some hangliders show up and get their gliders set up. Unfortunately, the winds didn’t cooperate with them as much as they wanted, so after two hours of waiting, we departed, without seeing them take off. From there, it was more great roads that eventually found us back in NY, and then it was off to…surprise, surprise; the V once again. Love that place!
The next day, I awoke to the sound of a tractor running outside. So I grabbed my phone and went to see what was up. Mark was spreading out a bunch of dirt that had been dumped for him. In my earlier posts, I’d joked that he was killing the lawn, but he was actually looking to expand his yard. All right! More fun green stuff to grow and mow!
He was kind enough to let me take a stab at things…
Not sure you can make out my face on that pic, so here’s a closeup…
Yeah, if that’s not the look of inspired confidence…Not!!
Anyway, I soon had a semi-hang of things and was off and running. That dirt never had a chance!
(Neither did the pole…sorry about the power outage!!)
Anyway, we did some more riding around that day and then it was off to John and Steph’s for dinner. Mmmm, dinner!! John had just gotten a new grille, complete with a pizza stone in the middle. Yeah, a pizza stone. (It actually lifts off when you’re not using it, and there’s a round grill plate underneath.) First, they started us off with stuffed jalapenos, then a pizza, then pork loin, potatoes and squash and THEN a chocolate-peanut butter pie! Holy Fatness! Here’s a shocker for you; I ate way too much, and then, combined with the beers and shots, my eyelids began to get heavy. I actually wound up dozing a bit by the firepit afterward – hey, it’s tough being on vacation! :-D After that, we wound our way home and it was lights-out once again.
The next day, it was time to earn my keep. Mark had been talking about some apple trees out on the hills behind his house, but the overgrowth was getting out of control. With loppers and shears in hand, we set out to locate these elusive trees and began hacking our way through all the thorns and other crap that stood in our way. Eventually, a bit of a path began to take shape, and we were able to retreat back to the house for cleanup and cooling off. From there, it was off to King’s for another short visit with Pat and Alyssa, and then I headed off to…(cue the suspenseful music)…the V! More Harley Oil, Bud Lights, and even some karaoke…all that was topped off by getting home to find that Mark was cooking breakfast! All right, Mark!! A hearty meal, a couple of last BL’s, and final packing – tomorrow morning, we head toward Maine!
Thursday morning, I woke very early to flashes going on outside the window. Listening intently, I could tell there was no rain, just lightning. Cool, ok that means the storm is still far off. Excellent, it’ll mean I have a chance to stay dry while…uh-oh…was that thunder? And more lightning? Awesome…and checking the forecast didn’t cheer me up at all. Oh well, there was a schedule to keep, so I said my goodbyes to Mark and Mary and headed off to The Hibernian’s hall to meet up with the rest of the crew heading to Maine. (Mark and Mary had warned me about the River Road, saying there would be some big puddles – they weren’t kidding! I was up to my axles a couple of times!)
Anyway, after another rib-sticking meal, we were off. The weather eventually cleared off and we began to make better time. We cruised easily out of NY and tried to make our way across VT, but Hurricane Irene had made sure to thwart us at every turn. Bridges were out, roads were out, and we encountered Detour signs which merely sent us into la-la land, with no idea how to find our way eastward. We eventually had to head down into Mass and pick up Rte 91 to head back up into VT, but we eventually got to the hotel, checked in, cleaned up, and ordered some grub. It wound up being an early night – it’d been quite a long day!
Friday treated us rather well with the weather and we eventually found our way to The Clearing. Sweet! Arrival!
On my way out, the weather was treating me well and I was making great time. I’d been keeping an eye on the time, and as I got closer and closer, I could tell I had a chance to beat my best time for this trip; 6.5 hours. So, at roughly 50 miles out of Olean, I ratcheted things up a bit (going from ~80 to ~95mph), all while thinking; “Ya know…it’s gonna really suck if I get just outside of Olean, only to get pulled over…” Sure enough; 18 miles outside of Olean city limits, the lights came on behind me. I could bore you with the whole story, but suffice to say that manners and respect go a long way, and having brought both of those with me on this trip, I luckily managed to elude an expensive piece of paper. (I still managed to make it in 6.5 hours, too!)
Mark was busy at work, as usual. This time around, he was working on his logging truck, replace brakes and calipers. He soon had things running and we took a jaunt up into the hills across from his house. There are old logging trails up there and we did our best to follow them, stopping occasionally to cut some trees that were in the way. There was one shot where Mark had that poor truck almost face-up the hill – it would have made for a great pic, but I missed it. Oh well, such are the perils of relying on a stupid flip-phone as your camera.
Anyway, we were soon back to the house and then it was off to the Rally in the Valley, to catch up with friends, knock back a few coldies, and check out the bikes. I’d heard of this event in the past, but had expected a bit more out of it. Talking to many of the others, it seems that is a general consensus. Still, it was fun, and if the timing is right next year, I’d like to check it out again.
From there, it was off to the V for more handshakes and hugs, as well as beers and shots, and a run evening with more great friends.
The next morning, Mark and I met up with Jerry and hit the mountain roads of PA. The air was cold and crisp, but eventually the sun found it’s way through the fog and began warming us up. Our destination for the day was something called Hyner View. I’d never heard of it, but it turned out to be a fantastic overlook, with a view for miles and miles. We even had the good fortune (we thought) to have some hangliders show up and get their gliders set up. Unfortunately, the winds didn’t cooperate with them as much as they wanted, so after two hours of waiting, we departed, without seeing them take off. From there, it was more great roads that eventually found us back in NY, and then it was off to…surprise, surprise; the V once again. Love that place!
The next day, I awoke to the sound of a tractor running outside. So I grabbed my phone and went to see what was up. Mark was spreading out a bunch of dirt that had been dumped for him. In my earlier posts, I’d joked that he was killing the lawn, but he was actually looking to expand his yard. All right! More fun green stuff to grow and mow!
He was kind enough to let me take a stab at things…
Not sure you can make out my face on that pic, so here’s a closeup…
Yeah, if that’s not the look of inspired confidence…Not!!Anyway, I soon had a semi-hang of things and was off and running. That dirt never had a chance!
(Neither did the pole…sorry about the power outage!!)Anyway, we did some more riding around that day and then it was off to John and Steph’s for dinner. Mmmm, dinner!! John had just gotten a new grille, complete with a pizza stone in the middle. Yeah, a pizza stone. (It actually lifts off when you’re not using it, and there’s a round grill plate underneath.) First, they started us off with stuffed jalapenos, then a pizza, then pork loin, potatoes and squash and THEN a chocolate-peanut butter pie! Holy Fatness! Here’s a shocker for you; I ate way too much, and then, combined with the beers and shots, my eyelids began to get heavy. I actually wound up dozing a bit by the firepit afterward – hey, it’s tough being on vacation! :-D After that, we wound our way home and it was lights-out once again.
The next day, it was time to earn my keep. Mark had been talking about some apple trees out on the hills behind his house, but the overgrowth was getting out of control. With loppers and shears in hand, we set out to locate these elusive trees and began hacking our way through all the thorns and other crap that stood in our way. Eventually, a bit of a path began to take shape, and we were able to retreat back to the house for cleanup and cooling off. From there, it was off to King’s for another short visit with Pat and Alyssa, and then I headed off to…(cue the suspenseful music)…the V! More Harley Oil, Bud Lights, and even some karaoke…all that was topped off by getting home to find that Mark was cooking breakfast! All right, Mark!! A hearty meal, a couple of last BL’s, and final packing – tomorrow morning, we head toward Maine!
Thursday morning, I woke very early to flashes going on outside the window. Listening intently, I could tell there was no rain, just lightning. Cool, ok that means the storm is still far off. Excellent, it’ll mean I have a chance to stay dry while…uh-oh…was that thunder? And more lightning? Awesome…and checking the forecast didn’t cheer me up at all. Oh well, there was a schedule to keep, so I said my goodbyes to Mark and Mary and headed off to The Hibernian’s hall to meet up with the rest of the crew heading to Maine. (Mark and Mary had warned me about the River Road, saying there would be some big puddles – they weren’t kidding! I was up to my axles a couple of times!)
Anyway, after another rib-sticking meal, we were off. The weather eventually cleared off and we began to make better time. We cruised easily out of NY and tried to make our way across VT, but Hurricane Irene had made sure to thwart us at every turn. Bridges were out, roads were out, and we encountered Detour signs which merely sent us into la-la land, with no idea how to find our way eastward. We eventually had to head down into Mass and pick up Rte 91 to head back up into VT, but we eventually got to the hotel, checked in, cleaned up, and ordered some grub. It wound up being an early night – it’d been quite a long day!
Friday treated us rather well with the weather and we eventually found our way to The Clearing. Sweet! Arrival!
The rest of the weekend was spent with great people, great times, tons of food and drink, jokes, laughter, stories and poems - and some great memories.
I even did the scenic thing this year! How rare is that? (But, I had a very good reason to!) Here’s a couple shots from the top of Mt Batty, overlooking Penobscot Bay.
One last pic; for those that know the gag behind this, no explanation is necessary. For those that don’t know the back-story, you gotta hang out with us more, because you’re missing out on a lot of great times.
Another fantastic Olean-Maine Labor Day extravaganza. I think I put on about 1,800 miles or so. Not too shabby for one week. Wish I were doing it all over again!
Thanks again to Mark and Mary for playing host to a biker from Mass! Thanks to the Leary’s and the Arey’s for playing host to a whole bunch of bikers from NY and Mass! We all had one hell of a time, and it wouldn’t be possible without all the hard work you guys put in. Thank You!!
Thus wraps up another most-excellent road adventure. But no worries; there are plenty still to come. Plenty of chances still, to…
Ride Hard, Take Chances!
Sunday, September 4, 2011
The annual lobster feast complete w/corn pasta kielbasa beans burgers dog
Friday, September 2, 2011
Gangsta Rich!
Helmets Still Suck
Thursday, September 1, 2011
Long Day = Early Night
Just arrived in Brattleboro VT. 11.5 hours on the road today plus a lot of 'y
The Right Tool For The Job
Break In The Action
Isolated???
'Isolated'
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