In the Brewer's Capital of the World...Milwaukee!

Well, I am here in beautiful Milwaukee. I have much to tell, so let's start with one of the reasons why I am here: Beth and Vern. Ok, I know I have said that the folks I have visited with are very cool, and different, and creative, and...well, just plain great. Well, it's true and Beth and Vern are no different. They are standing next to one of the passions which brought us together - motorcycles. For them, it is Harley Davidson motorcycles. They are both long time riders, and have 3 Harleys between the two of them. The one in the photo is a dream machine (CVO) sitting in front of the Harley Davidson Museum...we visited today and had a great time!.

Now, Vern and Beth have their own museum...actually it is a "toy store"!. They have several wonderful toys: boats, trailers, motorcycles, trucks, tractors, and mint condition cars. The photo at left is Beth's 1977 MGB...in really mint condition. Triple black, and ready to crank up and ride. I swear, it looked like it had just rolled off the assemply line. The other photo below is Vern's 1983 Camaro. It too is in mint condition and never has been restored...he is just meticulous in maintaining it.

I will say that the "gem" in the garage is the 1950 tractor that I am sitting on in the picture on the right. It is really amazing. Vern hoped up on top and cranked the old diesel up and it ran like a sewing maching...pop stack and all. It was great. I enjoyed seeing all of their toys. Oh, and Beth's second bike! Check it  out! It is a Rusty Wallace special...Miller Brewing sponsored Rusty in NASCAR, and had 3 Rusty Wallace specials, and she bought one. Now Beth is also the same person who occupies the other room in their toy stoy where she experiments with various mediums of art, including stitched, painting, hand crafts...she is an architect by degree and Vern is an engineer. What a pair...like I said, very cool people.

Oh, so we spent the day at the Harley Davidson Museum. It opened on the 105th anniversary of Harley Davidson. You should check out the book "More Than A Motorcycle", by Rich Teerlink and Lee Ozley (http://www.amazon.com/More-Than-Motorcycle-Leadership-Harley-Davidson/dp/0875849504). Really an amazing story. We managed to sneak in and get through the museum before the thousands of riders come in for the Labor Day Rally. The museum is truly one of the most content-rich museums I have ever seen. There were hundreds of motorcycles on the floor and in the "archival storage".

My "dream" was to suit up in some leathers and look very cool. However, I took a second choice and "suited" up in the Evil Kneival look...Quite nice, huh? Tell me you don't like the hair...man, what I wouldn't give to get some of that back on my head! Ok, so I don't put all of the photos on the blog, I will limit to a few that really impressed me. The bike on the right is mostly make of clay, wood, etc. It is out of the integrated Production Design Center (I think that it what it is called) on the site of the factory in Milwaukee. That is the mock up of the V-Rod, and shows the design creativity that goes into the rides. All amazing...great museum.

Ok, so I had one memory of the museum today that stayed with me. I saw a young man in a wheelchair. He was a quad, and had no use of his arms or legs...his manner of mobilitiy was his breath tube that guided him through the museum: forward, back, left, right. Each movement by carefully blowing into the tube in just the right way. He was never going to get the opportunity to drive himself on a ride like an H-D bike...he won't feel the rumble of the motorcycle, the vibration from tire hitting road...cover great distances  on two wheels, except those that are attached to the wheelchair. Yet he was engrossed in every exhibit, and every interation. How lucky we are...we can ride or not...our choice. A choice he doesn't have. Gratitude...never let it slip away.

More tomorrow, after my visit with Paul and his son, John. Great friends again...warmth, and friendship. So good.

More later.