Been Painting Some

 

Sometimes I paint like crazy and sometimes I don’t paint for months or even a year or more but I always seem to get back to painting at some point.I have a couple paintings I have worked on for years,One I call finished only to start up on it again a decade later and make changes then there is this other one that has been an ongoing project since 2015 ! It started out as a desert painting on a 24 X 48 inch canvas looking like this 

I worked on it and wasn’t very happy but kept on going in that direction for a while and got it to this

And then it went to this and I hated it

And I still went forward with it in this same direction to here where I let it sit for quite some time before deciding to sand it down and do something different.

A couple years passed and I got busy working on my camp and started spending lots of time up in the woods . Went up to close the place up for the winter in the Fall of 2017 and when I returned it went in a different direction and morphed into this 

I still had the desert thing going on in my mind but the sky had other ideas and as I looked at it for a few weeks it changed yet again into this

Now I was becoming happy with it and decided I would continue down this road working on it some here and there between other projects I had going on back in 2018 when this last photo was taken. Basically it was left abandoned behind the tv out of sight and out of mind until this year. Yup, now it’s 2021 and I’m back at it.I worked on it some over the past month but haven’t taken any photos so now I’m going to cary it outside and photograph it so I can finish up with this post.I have other stuff to do today like the transmission work on my 1965 Valiant station wagon . This painting is now in it’s final stages and is rainy day work when I have nothing else going on .I think slowing it down like I did was a good thing. It gave it time to grow in my mind from the input that I was getting from my time up in the Adirondacks at my camp in the Fall when I usually just go up to vacation and not work.I liked working this large canvas.I think I’ll get another and bring it up to the camp to work it over the season this year. Well, anyway, here it is as of today.I last worked on it this past Sunday and as it progresses I am starting to see other things in it that aren’t on the canvas yet so it’s going to continue for a bit longer I guess.

The Resto Begins

 

As usual all my projects overlap.As I’m finishing up the shed and working the house renovation over at Steve’s the restoration of my 1965 Plymouth Valiant station wagon is beginning.I’ve spent years gathering what I need to fix this car up.Back in January the transmission failed.As I was coming home from running errands I had trouble getting it into 1st gear at a traffic light.After a few seconds I got her into first and drove off.All 4 forward gears worked fine so I didn’t pay much attention to it.Went to the hardware store and when I went to back out of the parking space I had no reverse.I looked under the car and saw the reverse linkage rod dangling with what appeared to be a piece of the shift lever still attached so I knew right then that I had to push it backwards but could make it home.Someone helped me push it back and I was on my way ! Days went by as I was dealing with this pain from the fall I took but finally I got under the car to change the shifter with a spare I had.Got it all set to go and adjusted right but if I put it in reverse it would jam up and not go into the other gears. At this point I knew I had a problem inside the transmission. The winter snows came and I just put it all off and out of my mind sort of.I did rebuild the broken shifter though and kept forward motion on the shed work.

Now it’s spring . I got the carpentry finished on the shed , the demolition and structural work done at Steve’s and yesterday I pulled out another 4 speed transmission from my inventory of parts to begin the swap so I can start driving my wagon again. I decided to open it up and have a peek inside to make sure all was good with it and spent the day doing that yesterday.

• 

• 

• 

So, what had started out as a repair is becoming the restoration of my wagon .I’ve been wanting to fix my car up for quite a long time now and have bought all sorts of parts. I have a set of good used quarter panels I got from a guy in Oklahoma three or four years ago , a set of rust free straight front fenders from a car I parted out back in the 1990’s ,A good hood ,grill , front valance , four nice straight rust free doors that I traded some other parts for a few years back ,two decent straight bumpers ,and all sorts of other stuff I need . Planned on starting on it last year but the Covid ruined that plan .Well, at least I was able to help Steve get his 1965 Barracuda together . So now when we finish his house we will start tearing into my wagon .In advance of that I need to get her in drivable condition again. I’d like to run her up to my camp in June too so I can supply the place for my summer bike trips up.So much to do. Well,at least I have the means to do it now.I’d be screwed if I didn’t have all these parts .Got most of them for free or next to nothing from cars I parted out back in the 1990’s when no one wanted these cars.Today it’s as if they are made of gold.Just a rusted out parts car is 2000 dollars and anything decent is over 10,000 .Like everything in the land of the rich and the home of the greedy old cars are no longer something working blue collar guys can enjoy without going deep into debt.Sure am glad I kept all this stuff ! I built this car from a 400 dollar rust bucket back in the early 1990’s.This is where all my parts came from.

• 

• 

It took quite a few cars to build and the left over stuff got saved.It became an addiction actually.I’d buy just about every Valiant or Barracuda that crossed my path back then.No one wanted them ! I bought cars for a hundred bucks and took out thousands of dollars worth of good parts. So, now it’s time to use them and then sell off what’s left so they don’t end up in a dumpster when I’m dead and gone. I turn 72 next week so that expiration date could come anytime now, or not , so with the or not in mind I’m still building and planning on moving out west.I’m even planning on getting a 1930’s car after I get settled out in Arizona to play with. Always wanted a 30’s car .

It’s a beautiful day here in New York and you know what that means . Yup , TODAY I RIDE !

The Fun Has Begun

 Last Monday I started ripping apart my friend Steve's house with him.We spent 3 days ripping the place apart and building temporary supporting walls to hold up the attic floor and ceilings in the rooms we are working , getting materials ,and building this massive beam and installing it .It started out looking like this

After the first day it was looking like a construction site and the dumpster was starting to get loaded with debris. We got the temporary walls in place then cut the ceiling to expose the framing we were going to replace and give Steve access to all the wiring . Steve's an electrician .We work together on jobs whenever I need electrical work done and work well together so this job is fun.He saved up his time off from his transit authority job as an electrician to do this project so for the next month we are going at it with all we can.

So,after opening up the ceiling and building our temporary support walls on each sine of the wall we were tearing down  the first day was finished. Spent the next day tearing off sheet rock from the walls so he can do the electrical and then went to the lumber yard to get all our framing lumber to start building this triple 2 x 10 beam to hang the attic floor on. The week went well and on Friday we were building and installing the beam on top of the old existing wall we will be removing .

 

So,after getting it all secured we took down the supporting walls and the remains of the old wall we were replacing with this beam and created a really nice open space for the new look  that we are bringing to this house.Instead of these three confining rooms we are now going to have an open floor plan . This is where we were on Saturday when we finished it up for the week 

So now Steve has a full week ahead of him to get the electric all sorted out and where he wants it before I start  with insulation ,sheet rock, and spackle & tape  . The new cabinets arrive the beginning of June so we have plenty of time to get the space all finished and ready for that phase of the job.This week the floor guy is coming by to have a look and the plumber is due for a visit as well. It's fun building a new kitchen !  Today I ride ,I'm free for the next week so I'm going to do things here like work on the neighbors shed some , do some more yard work , and ride a little.If time permits I'm going to replace the 4 speed transmission in my wagon with another one I have to get that problem solved too. I miss my wagon .It's a nice day today and an even nicer one is on tap for tomorrow so it's motorcycle time for me now.It's nice being retired . I get to make the choice when I do what I do now .

Yesterdays Ride

 Yesterdays ride was really good.My plans changed and I ended going on the Moto Guzzi rather than the Yamaha R5 .I was out in the garage getting ready to start working on the R5 and figured I'd have to spend 2 hours on this beautiful day fooling with it so I decided to leave it for a crappy day instead.Pulled the Moto Guzzi out , set the tire pressure and loaded my tool bag. Also decided to take the highway and just be vigilant looking for the pot holes .As it turned out there were a couple but most have been filled with a crappy repair that will probably fail in a month.It was a good ride out east.The MG runs great ! Went out to the pine barrens where there are some good roads to have fun on and blasted around.Stopped here at this park for a short hike to stretch my legs.

After a brief 15 minute walk I hit the road again and wandered some more. 

Stopped here and there to just check things out.Went to the canoe launch site where I met these two guys trying to repair their inflatable kayak.The one guy said a mouse ate a hole in it ! Wished them luck and headed on down the road  towards the highway and home when I spotted this.

Just had to stop and shoot a photo ! Rode home and arrived around 3:30 PM so I decided to do an oil change on the MG.Just rode her a shade over 100 miles so it was a good time to drop the oil.She's all serviced and ready to be ridden to anywhere I choose now. Today it's cloudy ,cold,and damp.I'm going to do yard work and continue getting the place in order so I don't need to waste the nice days fooling with it.Doing yard work seems to be helping my leg some also . I guess it's like physical therapy  and it seems to be helping.Yesterday was the longest I've ridden since this injury happened back in late December. I couldn't even ride in January so I have made serious progress even though it doesn't seem that way day to day. Gotta get back into shape so I can travel !

Sure Feels Good To Be Riding Again

 Well,today's forecast is for a repeat of yesterday with blue skies and warm temps so I'm going out riding again. There's yard work to do but that can wait until it's not so nice out .Monday I start the demolition at Steve's house so between now(Thursday ) and next Monday I'm going to get the yard work finished and some riding time in. Yesterdays ride was really good.The little green DS6C ran like a top and felt so right under me.I kept it local and ran it for a good three hours straight before breaking for lunch .

After a short lunch break I headed out again towards the beach where I go kayaking.It's a nice park with some woods to hike in and harbor & bay  to kayak in.It's still a bit early for the kayak but soon I'll have it in the water. For now it's just two wheel fun .Took these pictures out at the beach .

After riding I did some cleaning in the shed so I can have a parking space for my little DS6C .Today's plans call for some work on the throttle cable on my 1971 Yamaha R5 and then a day of riding on it.

When I had it out the other day the throttle got stuck open .I managed to free it up without ever pulling over but this tells me it needs some attention. Rather than fool around with the old upper part of the 4 cable system I am going to replace the upper part with a good one I've been saving.You see,around 4 years ago some asshole backed into my bike in his fucking BMW while he was fooling with his damn cell phone while attempting to back into a parking space.It took every bit of self restraint I could muster to not get into an altercation with this fool . I was pissed beyond belief but was able to fix the throttle cable he damaged on the spot and ride away so I let it go.Here we are 4 years later and now I'm dealing with it again. So,this morning I'm going to pull a couple bikes out of the garage so I have some working room and finally replace this roadside repair and then go out for another day of riding on my R5. Life is pretty good these days

Another Bike Ridin Day !

 

So,yesterday was an incredible day with blue skies and warm temps .Got out on the Moto Guzzi for a good ride and then cleared the crap out of my shed and got the 1969 Yamaha DS6C to the front so I could pull the battery out and charge it.It held a charge right thru the winter which really surprised me.Still had 25% of it's charge after sitting out there in the cold all winter.I usually pull the batteries and keep them in the basement charged over winter but couldn't get back to this one with all the work crap that was in the way. The snow came in December and that was it.Well,it's at 100% now and today I'm heading out on it ,getting it inspected ,and hitting the back roads out east. 

This is probably my favorite bike.Owned it for 49 years now !I have 3 or 4 that are my favorite bike for various reasons but this one is number ONE for sure ! Should be another nice day of riding with more blue skies and warm temps in the mid 60's forecast. I am starting a search for a riding/travel companion to go on my planned cross country ride in the summer of 2022.I figure I'd try to fine someone now so there is time to get to know them and work on bikes together some.Posted this on NYC VinMoto the other day :

Hi,I'm an experienced rider.Been riding 56 years to be exact and I ride vintage. I'm looking to go on a long, probably 2 or 2 1/2 month ride out west in the summer of 2022 and am starting to search for a partner who also rides vintage to travel with on this adventure.I'd like to get to know this person this year and do some shorter rides up to my camp in the Adirondacks or perhaps New England and PA .Looking for someone who also knows how to wrench on bikes as I do.Gonna spend next winter in the garage getting my machine all set for the trip and could also help with yours.My last cross country ride was back in 2010 on the same bike I plan on using for this ride, a 1975 Moto Guzzi 850-T . I ride this thing all over the place Had it up in the Canadian Maritimes in 2014 for a couple months and many times up to my camp on the Canadian border upstate NY.Riding cross country will be mostly 3 to 400 mile days with breaks in nice places on secondary roads (no or at least very few interstates) .Camping most of the time and avoiding the cities.I know there is someone out there looking to do something like this so if it's you get back.Here are three links to blog posts about the past cross country ride and the ride up to Eastern Canada.Each link is to a specific post.

https://motoguzzi850t.blogspot.com/2015/02/in-my-tent-again.html

https://motoguzzi850t.blogspot.com/2015/02/back-in-usa.html

https://motoguzzi850t.blogspot.com/2015/11/a-post-from-past.html

So, now the search begins and with any luck I won't be doing this ride alone.I will though if there is no one out there but it would be nice to have a riding partner for this one.
I can be reached at valiantwagonguy@gmail.com
Thanks ,Ed 

So now I wait and see what comes of it.I'll probably post it in some other places as well. Don't really want to do this trip alone like the last two but if I have to you know I will.

Well,it's starting to warm up some , the morning madness on the roads will be over in an hour or so and I'll be hitting the road again.Gonna bring my camera with me today.Been too long since I have been shooting photos.So,there you have it,another day begins in the life of this somewhat retired biker .

Today I Ride

 Finally pushed ahead with the shed work and got it to a place where it's pretty much ready for paint.Spent all day Sunday and  Monday making the batting strips and hanging them  so today I'm taking off and going riding !

 I'm feeling pretty good,my leg is finally starting to hurt less and I'm able to ride the Moto Guzzi again without any real serious pain.Seemed like forever but it has really only been a little over two and a half months with this problem.So,the battery is on the charger getting topped off , after breakfast I'm going out to the garage and putting air in the tires then heading out somewhere for a good day of riding. I have most of the yard cleaned up so my spring cleaning is also moving along , riding is my reward !

 

Now the big questing is where to ride. The highways are all full of really dangerous pot holes so heading out east can be somewhat problematic . Two years ago I was almost killed after hitting one of those in the HOV lane in the Long Island Expressway at 70 mph. I hit that thing so hard the forks bottomed out and I went into a tank slapper .It took all I had to keep the bike upright and the idiot behind me was riding my ass.If I lost it that buttplug would have run right over me ! So,I'm having second thoughts about the LIE .Guess I'll hit the back roads and just wing it and go where I go.It's supposed to be a nice day today with temps in the mid 60's F so wherever I end up going I'll enjoy the ride.

I thing when I return I'm going to pull the DS6C out of the shed and give her the once over so I can get out on it later in the week.We have this great weather forecast for the whole week, SPRING HAS SPRUNG !

Back To My Roots

 

Been outside working on the shed some and also doing yard work at home.The shed is coming along nicely and in it's final stages of construction.I have the door all built and hung and am now working on trimming the building out.

Next it's the corner trim pieces and then the batting strips to mimic a board and bat constructed shed. Monday I started doing the yard work I put off last Fall when I started working on the shed.Just didn't have enough time to get it all built and secured for winter plus rake leaves and other chores at home.Been putting lots of my personal things off to do these jobs .I really need to retire from doing these big time consuming jobs and focus more on my own self interests.This is what I was thinking as I was raking up the leaves from last year that I should have raked up back in November.As I was doing this it came to me , I love gardening and working on old motorcycles & cars way more that doing work for people. I raked up to a point where I had a pile of paving stones ,one of three , and decided I am going to finally use these to build a nice border around this area that I'm planting flowers and bushes in out in my back yard.So , I started , I moved a bunch of stone from my work space to the freshly cleaned back yard and began. This is going to be a fun project and it will make Celia , my wife, happy. But I still need to get back to my roots ! I have three motorcycle in various stages of restoration that I need to get finished,I need to start selling some of my motorcycles off to raise money to move out west and I love doing this as well as gardening so come June or July when I get the last job I have committed to, Steve's open floor plan renovation with the new kitchen and stuff all finished I'm not taking on any more work until I get my own projects done. It takes a lot of effort to restore a motorcycle . This Drop Box link is to a restoration I did for my friend Tony years ago.It is a replica of his first motorcycle that he had back in the mid 1960's. The bike is a 1966 Yamaha YM1 ,a 305 cc twin cylinder two stroke. I did a ground up on this bike

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/d8rhkqsnq6zarja/AAAS_IP4vQ6jXY94eIDBP92oa?dl=0

Yes, it's time to get back to these :

• 

  Unfinished 1966 YM1

• 

  Unfinished 1970 DS6C

• 

  Unfinished but very close 1970 DS6C

• 

  Waiting to be restored 1970 DS6B

• 

  My 1966 YM1 at Rice O Rama

• 

  Me on my 1969 DS6C

• 

  The Paintwork I did on my YM1

• 

  My YM1



So, you see ,I have plenty of work ahead of me and it's all about my roots.I'm beginning my 57 th year of riding a motorcycle this May ! It all started with this little 1965 Yamaha YJ1 (Riverside55) that I bought new as a 16 year old kid the day I got my drivers license .Knew nothing about motorcycles then.The owner of the shop, a man called Joe Lang ,sat me on this bike in front of his dealership in Huntington NY ,a place called Scooters USA , and showed me how to work the controls ,patted me on the back ,sent me up the street and back then told me " you're good to go kid" and this incredible journey had begun. That red and white unfinished bike in the photos above came from his shop.I bought it from the original owner, a friend who has passed away, back in 2013 or so.It came with 6800 miles on the clock and all the original paperwork signed by that guy Joe Lang . This one is a keeper !