The Seventh Day of Christmas - The Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God

Graham at Villanova Law

It's also the Feast of the Blessed Waldo but the Solemnity of Mary, Holy Mother of God sounds so much better.

The temps were much better on the first day of 2015 so my stepson and I took advantage of that to get two rides in on the MG.  Our first ride was out on my regular commute route to work because I needed to bring some things in to my office.  We did that around 11:00 and when we figured that the temps were bearable (probably somewhere in the low 40s) we took a longer ride.

The second ride started out Goshen toward Grubbs Mill Rd.  We took a that turn and followed Grubbs Mill past Kirkwood Preserve to White Horse Rd.  I thought we would go out to the Melmark School on Wayland to get a few pics in front of the building but when we got there we found the circular drive blocked off so we headed back Wayland to White Horse.  At White Horse we took a left back to Grubbs Mill and followed that past where it turns back into White Horse Rd and then to Davis out towards Warren.  That road eventually leads to Providence Rd where we made a left and stopped at the entrance the Radnor Hunt Club where I stopped for pictures.

At Devon Hunt Club

We followed providence back to Goshen for the road home.  We saw a fairly big herd of deer in a pasture close to Grubbs Mill Road but they were too far from the road to make a good picture.  I figure that ride was a little over 20 miles by the end the cold was starting to become and issue but luckily we never strayed too far from an easy return home.  I regret not having taken the bike for a quick loop earlier because the future forecast does not look good.

At Villanova Law

At Villanova Law

At Radnor Hunt Club

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The Sixth Day of Christmas - The Feast of Saint Sylvester I

Susan Graham on the cover of Opera News

Another bright, blue, beautiful day but with temps down in the 20s so definitely no riding for the the Feast of Saint Sylvester.  However, my wife, stepson, and I did go out to see Mezzo-soprano Susan Graham perform with the Philadelphia Orchestra, Yannick Nézet-Séguin - Conducting, at the Kimmel Center.  They were amazing, she was awesome.  What a fantastic performance and what a great way to bring in the New Year.  Happy New Year to all!

The program included:

J. Strauss, Jr. - “Thunder and Lightning” Polka
Mozart - “Non sopiù,” from The Marriage of Figaro
Mozart - “Voi chesapete” from The Marriage of Figaro
Mozart - “Parto,ma tu ben mio,” from La clemenza di Tito
Haydn - Symphony No. 45(“Farewell”)
Suppé - Overture to Morning, Noon, and Night inVienna
Lehár - “Vilja,” from The Merry Widow
Offenbach - “Ah, que j’aime les militaires,” fromThe Grand Duchess of Gerolstein
Messager - “J’ai deux amants,” from L’Amour masqué
J. Strauss, Jr. - “On the Beautiful Blue Danube”Waltz

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Happy New Year!

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The Fifth Day of Christmas - The Feast of Saint Egwin

Cycle Gear, Cherry Hill, NJ

Bright, blue, and beautiful but down in the high 20s.  Way too cold for my taste so no riding on the Feast of Saint Egwin.  I had to go to the airport to pick up my stepson so I took the opportunity to go out to Cycle Gear in Cherry Hill, NJ, and get some gear.  The zipper on my left boot has come apart so it my present boots have needed replacement for quite a while.  I've been thinking about a pair of Bilt Sirocco boots but I didn't want to buy them on line because the reviews say they don't run true to size.  I usually wear an 11.5 but these boots don't come in halves, the 12s fit just right with the 13s being too loose.  I'm glad that I tried them on before buying.  I also bought a pair of Freeze-Out glove liners and a pair of Bilt leather cruiser gloves that they had on closeout for $12.00.  I like Cycle Gear stores, the kid at the counter told me that they have a store in Bear, DE, that might be closer to me so I will have to check that out.  I will review this gear as I use it.

Bilt Sirocco Waterproof Boots

Freeze-Out Glove Liners

Bilt Leather Cruiser Gloves

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The Fourth Day of Christmas - The Feast of Saint Thomas à Becket

Willistown Quaker Meeting Graveyard

The Feast of Thomas à Becket broke blue and bright but still cold.  By mid morning the temp had rising to 40 and it stayed there most of the day.  At about 14:00 I stopped by Gene's to talk to Harold the mechanic about the tank on the MG.  He had not found a solution to coating the inside to prevent any further rust and suggested that I look for a kit to do this.  My answer was to replace the tank, as it is not only rusting inside but also leaking from the filling spout.  Harold said that if I could find the right tank he would install it.  

I searched the web and found this 1961-1967 tank to be the closest thing to what I have. According to the website they are on back order but the cost is not bad at around $160 plus shipping.  I would have to find someone to cut and reattach the top of the spout as the stock model would protrude from the hood of the MG.  I will have to do some further research on finding someone to do this but a cursory search on the internet has led me to Angelo & Son in Havertown who might be able to do the work.   

By the time I got home, shortly after my stop at Gene's, the temps had not gotten much better, maybe around 43, but Fortuna fortes adjuvat and I made the decision to roll out the Bullet.  The run did not last long.  

I headed up Goshen and made it as far as the Willistown Quaker Meeting House where I did a quick turn around.  The layering up worked for all my body but not having winter gloves really put the strain on my hands.  I think that by the time I had reached Providence Rd my hands were already frozen but I pushed just that little bit extra to make a good turn around.  If I want to ride in this weather, even for short distances, I have to find a glove solution.  The Meeting House is about 5 miles from my house so the whole trip was just a little over 10 miles.  I did stop at the graveyard there for a couple of pics and to rub my hands together until the circulation returned.

When I left the house the odo read 2663.6 and when I returned it was at 2675.1 

Willistown Quaker Meeting Graveyard

Willistown Quaker Meeting Graveyard

Willistown Quaker Meeting Graveyard

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The Third Day of Christmas - The Feast of the Innocents

Winter came back with a vengeance on the Feast of the Innocents.  It rained overnight and temperatures dropped to the mid 30s.  Morning broke overcast, misty, and cold.  By noon there was a brief break in the clouds and for about 2 seconds I thought I would take the Bullet out to beat last year's record but just as quickly I thought better of it.  So no ride.

The Bullet and the Midget

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The Second Day of Christmas - The Feast of Saint John the Apostle. bis.

St David's Chapel

After returning from the ride in the MG I decided that the weather was too good to waste and took advantage of it for a short ride on the Bullet.  This time I headed out Earles Lane towards Goshen despite the steel plates, I just skirted around them.  Once on Goshen I followed that to 252 for a right turn towards Sugartown Rd.  Traffic was light on 252 and I used that opportunity to open up the bike since the road was free and clear.  The Bullet reached 75 mph without trouble and was able to maintain it but that was as high as it got.  While on 252 I noticed a black Maserati headed in the opposite direction.  That is two exotics in one winter's day.

At Sugartown I turned right towards 30 but I had no intention of going that far, the plan was to go to Devon for a right turn and follow that out to St. David's Church for some pics.  I already have some pics in front of the church but I wanted to go up the hill to have a picture in front of the chapel.  Curiously, the chapel is about five time larger than the church itself.  While on Devon, I passed a group of kids playing in their front yard and one of the little girls stood up to wave wildly at me.  I waved back, it always brings a big smile to my face when kids wave.

I pulled into the empty lot at the top of the hill and no sooner had I set up that a SUV pulled up and parked on the other side of the divide.  A man an two women stepped out carrying cameras and tripods and the man started walking towards me.  It turns out that not only is he an avid photographer but also rides a Triumph.  We talked for a while about bikes and photography and the man asked if he could take a pic of the Bullet.  I of course agreed and asked if he posts his work on line.  Turns out that he has a Flickr account at Live2RideRide2Live with a ton of really awesome stuff.  They were really nice people and it really was a great pleasure to meet them and talk to them.  The pic he took of the Bullet can be seen on his Flickr page here.

After saying goodbye to them I continued on South Valley Forge Rd towards Church.  At Church I made a right and rode all the way back to Waterloo.  There I made a left and followed that to Newtown Rd and then took that to St. Davids to come back to Church.  At Church I caught up with another rider and just followed him out.  He was headed my way but continued past Spring so I followed him.  My intention was to follow him as far as Goshen and then go back home that way.  However, he made a ride at Goshen so I had to continue following him.  When we got to Malin he got tired of me being behind him and he pulled out fast.  I made no attempt to catch him but continued on Goshen towards Earles Lane.  At Earles Lane there was a three wheeler in front of me which I followed until the entrance to my subdivision.

The weather held through out the ride and I'm glad I did not waste the day.  The nicest thing was meeting Rob Royer, his wife, and his sister at St. David's and being able to connect with such nice people.

At the beginning of the ride the odo was at 2643.6 and at the end it read 2636.6.  Twenty mile exactly.  This ride ties my last ride last winter which happened on the 27th of December.  Last year I clocked approximately 2100 miles between April and the 27th of December.  This year, I've clocked 2636.6 miles on the Bullet, not counting the miles I had on the VStar before I traded it.

The exotic car tally now stands at 9 Ferraris, 4 Teslas, 2 Lambos, 3 Maseratis, 2 Cobras, 2 Unknowns, 1 Bentley, and 1 DeLorean.

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