[Ptbnl]

New kid on the block. I'm from Baltimore and grew up down the Magothy when the chickens out numbered the people. I live in Jacksonville Florida today. I root for the O's, Ravens, Jaguars, Gators, and Navy.

Retirement hit in June 2007, and going on long motorcycle rides is something I'm passionate about. The longest trip has been a little over 6,000 miles on a 1988 Honda Shadow. My last long trip I took a 1999 BMW F650 to Durango Colorado, ran it up and down 6 mountains, taking 30 mph turns at 60, and left it in Ft Smith Arkansas. It had broke down once too often. It tried to kill me three times on successive trips, so after the third attempt I left it before it succeeded.

On the final run the chain locked up at 65 mph...it wasn't pretty. Came to a stop at the bottom of a long ramp.

Guy behind me pulled up alongside, wound his window down and said, "That was awesome!"

I told him, "Not from where I was sitting."

Let's see. Longest single day run was a little short of 840 miles, and that was followed by a 743 mile run with about 250 in a driving rain. Had a trucker ask me in a restaurant what I did when it rained...I told him I got wet, and he thought that was pretty darn funny. Most of the time I try to do around 450 miles and get off the road by 4PM. You'd be surprised how many more nuts there are on the road after 4PM...and how many more drunks there are on the road every minute after 5PM. I've yet to see anybody get very far on a bar stool.

I've got a new Honda VTX 1300 and the next trip is being planned for Watkins Glen and the Finger Lakes region of New York state in a couple of weeks.

[Bette]

Hey yourself ptb. Welcome to the forum.
So, when you're not trying to kill yourself on your bike, what else do you do for fun?

[Ptbnl]

Wisconsin! Nice riding in Wisconsin. The Dells...very cool. Running alongside the Mississippi was really something I'm looking forward to doing again. A friend of mine was from Wisconsin, but she died about a year or so ago. Cancer got her. She worked as a Wire Chief and then as a Dispatcher for the old B&O RR before it was absorbed into CSX Transportation. Quite a feat for a woman given the time and place, but Toni was quite a woman.

Well, I like to read and just finished THE THIRTEENTH TALE by Diane Setterfield and have started reading COMSTOCK LODE by Louis L'Amour and am working through Roger Stauback's autobiography, TIME ENOUGH TO WIN.

Teaching little ones how to play baseball, especially the ones that don't know how it's done, is very satisfying. Right now I'm working with 7-8 year olds, most of whom have never played very much. They have to be taught to throw properly, correct fielding positions, glove work...the whole ten yards.

Since turnabout is fair play...what do you like to do?

[Bette]

Beautiful country by the Dells. And the Mississippi is full of history.
Me, I have a passion for pro football. This forum fills that passion. I love to read. Just finished Tony Dungy's "Quiet Strength." Usually I just read mystery and suspense, but sometimes branch out. Read Kite Flyer and One thousand splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Just finished a great book by Christian writer Lisa McKay called "My hands came away red" It was about the fighting in Indonesia. I did read one by Staubauch a long time ago but dont remember the name. My husband's uncle was a great Louis L'amour fan. I think he read every book by him. There is our grandchildren, our garden, etc. I so admire those people who coach the kids. Its fun watching the kids as they get older and how much better they play. And its all due to some patient understanding coach.
Ravens and Jags, huh? I have always liked Steve McNair and Ray Lewis, but looks like they are getting past their prime. Gerrard is doing well for the Jags and with their defense, they should be getting better all the time dont you think? What do you think the Ravens need to do???

[Ptbnl]

They need a good young QB, but an offensive line would be a good place to start. The Jags second string QB, Quinn Gray, would fill the bill. The guy has an unbelievable arm...he can stand flat footed in one end zone and throw a lazer into the other end zone. I think he's played almost one full half of football...21 of 36 for 266 yards 2 TDs no INTs and rushed 5 times for 27 yards and 2 TDs. He also led a European League team to a World League championship. He'd look awful good in purple.

Garrard is showing a lot of people why Del Rio pushed him to the front of the QB line in Jax. We've got our fingers crossed...now if we could just manage to get people in this town as excited over Pro ball as the get over college ball we'd be okay.

L'Amour is my favorite...I've read all of his novels and short stories...collect them actually.

Have you read any of Max Lucado's books? He's a favorite of mine. TRAVELING LIGHT was the first of his I read and about half way through the second page it suddenly dawned on me. I blurted out, "Hey, this guy writes like I think."

[Bette]

Originally Posted by Ptbnl

They need a good young QB, but an offensive line would be a good place to start. The Jags second string QB, Quinn Gray, would fill the bill. The guy has an unbelievable arm...he can stand flat footed in one end zone and throw a lazer into the other end zone. I think he's played almost one full half of football...21 of 36 for 266 yards 2 TDs no INTs and rushed 5 times for 27 yards and 2 TDs. He also led a European League team to a World League championship. He'd look awful good in purple.

Have you read any of Max Lucado's books? He's a favorite of mine. TRAVELING LIGHT was the first of his I read and about half way through the second page it suddenly dawned on me. I blurted out, "Hey, this guy writes like I think."

I have never seen that quarterback. (After Dallas's sloppy game last night the no int's intrigues me.) In one half he did all that! Wow!

I have read many many of Lucado's books. I know many people who like him as much as you and I do. If you like him, you might like Rick Warren.

[Ptbnl]

Rick Warren sounds like he's worth a try...thank you!