The Fryderyk Chopin

There's a new sight every day outside our flat. This is a Polish ship which sails everywhere in the world. She sails with 14 professional crew and up to 39 trainees and special personal. The square rigger is 182 ft. long, 38 ft. beam and has a mast height of 124 ft. Built in 1992 the steel hulled ship has an amazing 12,000 sq. ft. of sail and a weight of 306 tons. These canals in Canary Wharf come off the Thames River which is very close and are deep enough for large vessels like this.

Bad Day

This appears to be a real bad day for someone. At least it's only half sunk so the sailor can still keep dry while he gets some help. This is what I saw in the canal off of my deck today in London. There were several cameras in action including mine. One of the dock workers told me that it might be part of a set for a filming crew. I've seen filming before in this canal. It seemed to a good story for the blog.

ILLY

Look out Starbucks here comes "Illy", from the Novello Coffee Company. This is a tiny mobile coffee vendor that offers everything for the coffee junkies. It can't be any bigger than a golf car, but it's licensed and can go anywhere. I found this just outside our flat in London

Happy Birthday Brooke

Thinking about our only daughter on her birthday. She is grinding out 2 more years at Arizona State University towards a teaching degree. We miss her a lot and wish we could be with her on this special day. We look forward to being with our AZ family and friends in November

Shepherd's Pie

This is the first time I've had shepherd's pie. In a pub in Grenwich London it was on the menu. It actually was the only order of the pie left that evening. I didn't know if it was real popular or an order left over from the week before. But I gave it a try. This was a stew of vegetables and lamb in a light gravy with a cover of mashed potatoes over the top. With some steamed veggies on the side it was a great tasting meal. There are many different recipe's for Shepherd's Pie that sound quite good, but this one sure hit the spot.

US Guests

We are joined here by more US friends. Posing here at the entrance of the Tower of London are Gene, Sara, Duane, and Julie. We now have moved back to Canary Wharf in London, to yet another temporary residence. Our guests stayed in our flat and we stayed in the Hilton nearby. While Julie worked I got to be the tour guide. We toured Westminster Abey and the House of Parliament, which isn't always open to the public. The next day we toured the Tower of London. The tower was built in 1078 on the bank of the Thames River. It was built as a royal residence and later was a jail for very illustrious prisoners. It made me a little nervous because it seemed that most people who stayed there got be-headed. Today it is a museum where the crown jewels are on display for everyone to see. We have had over a week with sun and blue Sky's, which has made touring London a lot of fun with with some great people.

The Harley Fund

Now here is one of the best birthday presents I've ever got, thanks George , Lora, & Gloria. I'll tell you why, if anyone cares. After 12 years I've got no Harley in my garage. I know that a lot of people feel bad because they've missed my birthday Aug 30. Don't worry any more, here's the answer. Give generously to the Harley fund. I encourage all gifts and donations. You can give in US dollars, English pounds, Euros, Francs, or what ever currency you wish. You can even go on the easy monthly gifting plan. So all your worries are gone. I will still love all of my friends even if they send in a late gift. With a combined effort we can reach our goal by the time we move back to the states in few years. What a great way to feel really good about yourself! You just can't help but like an understanding guy like me.

The Albany

So here we are now in yet another temporary house. It is a 12 ft. square room including the bath. It comes fully equipped with a 9 inch tv, and an 8 x 10 inch refrigerator. Of course we are living out of 1 suitcase each, which works fine for me but not very good for Julie. This is the only property that we could find in Guildford that would rent for a short term, to evicted felons like us. Our room is above a popular pub called the Albany, so the noise goes on into the night. Our new property that we were promised yesterday is still locked up because the landlord hasn't got his bank loan yet. So all of our possessions are stored at the moving company. We are evicted renters and nobody want us. The adventure goes on.

Milan

Lake Chelan neighbor Milan Moss has been a good friend since we first met in 1995. This picture is the perfect example of what I mean. In my absence while he was in Chelan, Milan protected my favorite bottle to the last drop. He made darn sure that no one else got any of it. I know it wasn't an easy task but he stepped up and did it and asked nothing in return. I don't even know how to thank him for doing that for me. Year after year we have spent many hours together either fishing or just killing time at Happy hour with our families and friends. As I left to go back to England this year, Milan gave me some advice for the first time. He told me to "slow down". Now I'm a person who's gone through life like it's a 100 yard dash. It's possible that in my haste, I've missed out on people, events and places that probably were important. So going forward I'll take his advice and make an effort to slow it up a little. Thanks Milan for the advice and the friendship, and thanks for taking care of my bottle. Can't wait to see you next summer!

Arizona friends

Here are our best Arizona friends. Paul and Mary rode from Arizona to Sturgis South Dakota, up through Canada and finally to our Chelan house 5000 miles later. They got a 1 week rest at the lake cabin. As any good'ol Harley rider would expect, we spent half the week working on Paul's Honda. We had a wonderful visit and were joined by more great friends, Bruce and Becky from Seattle. We miss our friends and family a lot but we keep well connected with the Internet, and this blog, that tells nothing but the truth.

Innamorata

We're finally home in yhe UK after a 3 week holiday at the Lake Chelan cabin. I can now get caught up on the blog. Our Chelan neighbors Pat and Bonnie treated us to a dinner cruise on the Innamorata. This is a 1956 Chris Craft that was built for the late Dean Martin. The name is Italian for sweetheart, after one of Dean's songs. We kind of took over the boat since we had 12 in our group. It was a wonderful warm summer evening, and the food was great. We were allowed to go below and tour the boat. So guess what! All of the girls had to climb onto the Dean Martin bed in the aft stateroom for a Kodak moment. Left to right are Becky, Lora, Mary, Julie, Bonnie, and Joanne. It doesn't make sense that he died in 1995 and the women still want in his bed. I'm alive and well and they sure aren't jumping in my bed for a picture. What's wrong with me!

Touchdown Brooke

Brooke successfully touches down after jumping from 12,000 feet and experiencing a 100 mph 1 minute free fall. There is probably only 1 in 10,000 people that would overcome their fears and make this jump. Daughter Brooke's life will now change as did mine. It's not about the jump, but it's stepping out of your comfort zone and taking a chance. Many of us find reasons to say no to life's opportunities and challenges. Brooke will now have more confidence in herself going forward in life. We now know that she has plenty of courage, I just wish that I could pass down to her some of my good looks and charming personality. Then she would have the whole package. Can you believe the BULL! Click on the video below.