Together again!

Today we hauled Rags up from lockup in Magdalena. The OSSA also joined the reunion in the garage. I wonder which one will stain the floor with oil first?

The perspective of this photo looks odd. Everything looks so tiny. I guess because they are tiny!

It's the stuff you carry with you.....

....that kills you.

A small agave-inspired rant tonight.

Thirty years ago the love of my life was Italian motorcycles. Ducatis, Moto Guzzis, Benellis, Laverdas. I owned both Ducatis and Guzzis. I rode with friends on Benellis and Laverdas. We enjoyed their scarcity and brilliance of design.

This was a time when I was a student, also working part-time. My bike was also my transport, to/from University, work, home, play. I was a minimalist, owning only what I could carry on my bike. Futons had to be borrowed for sleep. I can recall rebuilding a Guzzi gearbox in an open carport using a toolkit that I carried in a small fisherman's box, not much larger than a tool-roll. And it worked. I often conducted major surgery on my bikes, often in much less desirable locations, but always with the small toolkit. There is such simplistic beauty in older motorcycles.

Fast forward to the present. I still have that old Guzzi, but now I have a 1,200 sq foot toolbox (the GarageMahal). What the hell happened? Where is my fisherman's box tool kit? Why do I have all this stuff today?

Until I post a picture of the Guzzi at rest amongst the pinyon-juniper forest on our property, I've attached an image taken shortly before leaving Maryland. It is really my #1 project and I must get it running soon. Rags will have to proceed slowly as a result.

So much for simplicity. Sigh.

Mohawk: Made in the USA

Another milestone. Installed a Mohawk lift in the shop. Mike Green is the SouthWest distributor for Mohawk, so he drove the lift over from Phoenix (some 7 hours away). We started the install last night, and completed it today. The test was to raise JR which it did with ease. With Rags being about 1.3 of the weight, I suspect the lift will not even notice Rags' miniscule weight.

Now I can start bringing all my junk into the shop. Rags will be the last to break out of storage. No doubt that will deserve an entry in this blog. After a 1-year hiatus, it will be good to work on her again.

GarageMahal nearing completion

Here it is, almost 6 months in the making. 30'x40' toy shop for Rags and the bikes. More on this later.

Woohoo! Garagmahal on the way

Things have been quiet as I have been planning my new garage/workshop. Rags has been dormant in a lock-up in town as I have no place to store it and work on it. But that will change with the new garagmahal. Stay tuned as we build this monument, and Rags will have a new home.

"JR" comes home

Here is the new truck. Good for hauling us through the mountains, hauling us out of snow, and hauling the Triumph. Picked up today a 2008 Chevy 2500HD Silverado 4x4, with 6.6L Duramax diesel and 6-speed Allison transmission.

We have decided to call it "JR", after my folks Jack and Rona. Maybe it also stands for "JR Ewing", from the 80's TV series "Dallas", about Texas oilmen. JR will certainly be keeping the oil industry going.

Here it is at the dealer in Socorro, NM. Looks clean, eh?

Big smile from the captain's chair.

Heading home to the Magdalenas. Still looks clean, eh?

Uh-oh, here we are at home. It was a warm day and what is left of the snow is melting leaving the dirt roads muddy.


The happy couple in their new truck. Don't they look sweet?


Here is a picture of Pam by the monster. Maybe next I'll buy an elevator for her.