45 and then 127 miles this weekend

It's late evening New Years day. The holidays are done, and the kids go back to school tomorrow. Damn, I wish I could have two weeks like the last two all the time. They were really great. No school, no work, doing what I want every day.

Friday, my son and I went for a great ride. We only had to go about 18 miles up into Miami, to the H-D dealer up there, but we took some side roads that are less traveled by cars, and it was pretty fun.

We left home about 10:30 a.m. At the dealer, we looked at all the bikes inside and out. Since it was a Friday, there weren't as many people and bikes as there would be on a Saturday or Sunday. I guess I like it better this way, because it seems that on the weekends, their are a lot of posers hanging around the dealership.

I enjoy taking my son there because it's what my dad and oldest brother did with me when I was a boy. I really enjoyed it, and I think my son does too. He doesn't have to say anything. I just know he does, mainly because he doesn't complain he wants to go while we're there.

We had another appointment at 2 p.m., so at about Noon, I told him it was time to go as we were sitting on a bench outside, being quiet, while I enjoyed a coffee and a smoke. He said he wasn't ready to go yet, because he wanted to open the motorcycle toy I'd just bought him inside. I also got him a T-shirt, and for my daughter, I got her three pairs of H-D panties, size 8.

I asked him to wait to open the toy when we got back home because we had to get up the street to Walt's Diner, because I wanted to take him to lunch. I didn't get to take him for ice cream during the days before, like I did with his sister, so we were gonna have lunch together.

We get to Walt's, and Walt doesn't take payment by credit card or debit card, so we walk across to a gas station to the ATM. I ask for 100 bucks and only get 80 -- the machine runs out of money on me.

We go back to Walt's and we're the youngest two people in the place. We sit up at the bar in between two older men. One older fella says hello to my son as we sit down, and he winks at me. I smile and nod. No words.

Waitress comes over, we both get water ... and right away my son sees "Grilled chicken plate," as a special on the white board, and says that's what he wants. I tell the waitress that's what I came here for too. It takes the cook quite a while to cook up two chicken breasts. That's what I like about some diners -- you can see what the cook is doing. We each get mashed potatoes, he gets corn and I get green beans, and we share an order of buttered wheat bread.

I always wonder why you get beef gravy on your mashed potatoes when you order chicken. It's just so odd a combination.

We sit quiet and enjoy our meal. I always like to teach my son table manners when we go out someplace. You know, kids eat like kids at home. But, when we go out, it's another story. I teach him how to use his utensils, not eat with his hands, or stick his fork in a huge chunk of meat and take a bite off it; or shove food into his mouth from the side of the plate. He eats like a dog who knows how to use a fork and a spoon, sometimes. My little girl eats just fine. I guess boys will be boys.

It's time to go and we saddle up for the ride home, and make it just in time to clean up, use the bathroom, and head out again to Miami in the car for our 2 p.m.

It was a great ride and a good time spent with my son.

During Saturday and Sunday, I put another 45 and then 127 miles on the bike, respectively.

The 127 was just dilly-dallying between my home and Miami and back again, running all over the place with a gal on the P-pad.

Didn't take the camera ... bummer, forgot again.