Red Helmets Ride

On Saturday we had a full day planned - The Red Helmets Ride to the National Fallen Firefighter Memorial in Emmitsburg, MD. We had set the alarm to allow enough time for a quick McDonald's breakfast (Stu's concession to my fast food addiction - now broken - LOL!). We got up and out, dressed to the 9's for the cold temps. First McD had a tour bus....not a good thing so we continued on to the next one (good thing they are so prolific).

From there we headed to Stu's old headquarters where we would meet up with the local riders before continuing on to the ride start. Stu chatted with many old friends and co-workers while we enjoyed free coffee & donuts. Before we knew it, it was time to saddle up and head out.



We had a police escort which always makes a group ride more enjoyable. I have no idea of the number of bikes but it had to be in the 200-300 area. The day was perfect and we while we took mostly interstates, the ride couldn't have been better. We arrived at Costco in Frederick, MD where the rest of the riders were waiting (and more continued to filter in). Once again, Stu ran into many old friends and former co-workers. Costco went over and above, opening the in-store restrooms to over 500 bikes and probably over 800 riders. More coffee and donuts were in the offing but we opted to wander around, looking at bikes and chatting with folks till it was time to depart.





Once again, an escorted ride over the interstates, then into the little town of Emmitsburg itself where the streets were lined with town folk. The reasoning was to get all the bikes back together for the procession into the National Fire Academy campus.



We went through town on one road, then looped tightly back around another road that took us through town in the other direction.



From town we proceeded into the campus...the road was lined with the family & friends of fallen firefighters - recent and past. They snapped our photos as we rode in honor of their heroes.





Parking went very smoothly considering the number of bikes. A little chatting was followed by the official ceremony...short but meaningful.







From there everyone visited the campus, as Stu and I did a couple of weeks ago, shopped in the store and then headed off to lunch, home or just to ride. I took a minute to enjoy the bagpipes playing around the parking area. Then we opted for lunch with friends, followed by a great ride home.



What a honor to be a part of this ceremony...we hope to do it again next year.

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu

My Vista Repair

Just a quick update...my Vista was unrepairable and I had to reinstall it which means my hard drive was wiped out. So, now I will be using my spare time to reload all my software and try to get back to some semblance of normality. Yeah, right....LOL! The laptop may still have a hardware issue but I won't know until I use it for a while.

I had backed up everything but still managed to lose a lot of my email....like everything I've ever received under my Froggi Donna email address is gone...kaput...disappeared. Because I started with Gmail in the early days, I had it set to delete my email from the webmail page. Needless to say, it has been changed to archive it instead.

So, if you emailed me in the last week or so and were expecting a reply....try resending (if you can) or writing a new message. It may be a bit before I have time to reply, but without a message I have nothing to reply TO. Sigh....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna

What a weekend!

It rained, it rained again and then it rained once more. We opted to take the truck to our lunch in Prince Frederick, MD on Saturday but the rain didn't deter the other motorcyclists coming from VA, PA & MD. Here's a couple of pics...



On Sunday we had breakfast with family & friends then most of us headed off to the Renaissance Festival in nearby Crownsville, MD. There was some rain in the forecast but supposedly just a shower at noon and maybe again at five so we rode the motorcycle. I'd never been to a RennFest and was excited to attend.

When we went to park they directed us to motorcycle only parking....right AT the entrance. Much better than slogging through the wet grass and muddy dirt roads that everyone else had to deal with. We had already purchased tickets so entry was quick and painless....well, until we walked inside the walls.

My eyes were darting everywhere....the people, the costumes, the smells, the sounds, the MUD! It was everywhere....remember what I said about yesterday...."It rained, it rained again and then it rained once more." We hadn't taken that into account but fortunately motorcycle boots (especially waterproof ones like mine) meant dry feet, albeit with muddy boots. Some of our friends weren't so lucky with their choice of shoes (but still better than those attending in sandals & flip-flops).



Interesting building styles, a wide variety of shops and items for sale, period dress and entertainment everywhere we looked, plus food of all sorts. We attended a great show with two storytellers who pulled kids (and one adult for the part of the Sheriff of Nottingham) from the audience. The kids were great and their improv reactions were priceless.



We also watched a great comedic tumbler/high wire artist. He also involved audience members...a crew of three to help him with a balancing act while he juggled some knives and a little 4 year old to help him with another act (she was a perfect choice). His final act was to recruit a gentleman from the audience to hold the wire taut as he walked across and again when he walked back while juggling those same knives.



Shortly after he finished the skies opened up....big time! We tried to wait it out but ended up huddling under a building overhang along with anyone else that could fit underneath. It passed and we headed to the "privies" before getting something to eat. Our friends all called it a day at this time. We wandered a bit more, found something to eat and slowly worked our way towards the exit. Then the skies let loose once more....we hit a few more vendors, trying to stay out of the worst of it and eventually it stopped and we made it to the bike. Once again, we were SO glad to be right by the entrance!



All in all, a good day....lots of new experiences, lots of laughs, interesting things to see and a general good time for all! Yes, I'd do it again.....

Till next time - keep on rollin',
Donna & Stu