By request...

 

When I got back from my bicycle ride this morning, Joan had a plate of sliced fruit for me on the deck.  A beautiful Tropical Tip day.  We had breakfast out on the deck.  I brought a guitar out and played music for her... and Rufus.  The big furry boy likes music while he's getting brushed.

No plan for the day.  Just kicking back.  Joan asked if I had another "Staying at Home" video planned.  Then suggested I do an acoustic version of Vaccine, the song Mark and I did in early September, based on the Dolly Parton song, Jolene.  Lyrics by Mark.  It is a "sign of the times" kinda song.

I decided to give it a try.  I'm not content to just plug a mic into the phone anymore.  Some lighting and a second camera (the Insta360 One R) to make these home videos less static.

The results...

Certainly a different feel from the full band sound that Mark and I recorded earlier.  I look forward to the time we can get "back to when."

Purdy...

 

I was putting stuff back into the scoots today and that pretty (purdy) Italian scoot just called my name.  I took it for a short ride around the resort.  Yeah, I had to stop and take a photo or two.  Then played around with one of those photos...

 Here's what the original looked like...

In that same area, there was a view of that structure that came into the turning basin yesterday...

No one seems to know what the exact purpose is of that structure (or, they aren't saying)... some have guessed it may be a launch platform for Space-X.  I dunno.

If you want to dance...

 

... you have to pay the fiddler.

Those words were spoken to me by an Iowa Highway Patrol officer when I was 17... and he was writing out a speeding ticket for me.  For full disclosure: I was not dancing, and if there was a fiddler around, I didn't see or hear him.  Perhaps it was a simile?  Regardless, that phrase has stayed with me 5 decades later.

Out for some scooter time today.  Joan asked where I wanted to ride... "How 'bout across the causeway, up and down the island, then out for some 'Ainta Mountain Road' time?  Joan would rather avoid the island on weekends.  She said, "How about the road where the dogs always chase us?"  Not my idea of fun; one of these days, they're gonna catch us.

 I asked about riding by the Turning Basin - something sizeable got towed in this morning while I was out on a bicycle ride.  It's a start.

 

From there, it was out to "Ainta Mountain Road" - our local ride instead of "Iron Mountain Road" in the Black Hills.  No hills, nothing resembling a good curve... but, the road surface is smooth; not an easy thing to find on a Farm to Market Road around here.  So, we ride it.

Along the way, we stopped in Laguna Vista for a photo op...

You can really see the differences when the scoots are parked like that: the Xmax has bigger wheels than the Vespa.  A longer wheelbase, too.  The Vespa has a "step through," the Xmax has a "step over" frame.  The fairing/windshield on the Xmax sits further forward; it has a motorcycle fork, where the front suspension on the Vespa is a single attachment, more like an airplane landing gear.

I got in there for some size perspective...

That is the Laguna Madre (bay) in the background.  A beautiful clear day here, the temp was in the low 70s while we were riding.  Well, I have to assume that's where the temperature was... Vespa doesn't have an outside air temperature readout on their late model GTS bikes.  Yes, my previous Vespa had a thermometer; it wasn't the most accurate: 2 to 5º warmer than the readout on Joan's bike.  I miss having that, though.

"So, what about this dancing and fiddler stuff," you ask?  Thanks for asking.  No, I didn't get a speeding ticket with the new Vespa.  On our way home today, we stopped to fuel up the scoots.  Joan got 88mpg on her Xmax; I got 70mpg with the Vespa.  That's down 5mpg from the first tank.  It seems that someone did some "roll-on racing" with these scoots.  Probably not the best way to get good mileage.  ;-)  But, it was fun.  I think the worst I got on the other Vespa was 72mpg... which improved when I put more miles on it.  And, really improved when we took the scoots to the Black Hills where they could get non-ethanol fuel.

I'll probably go a bit easier with this next tank.  ;-)  So, "the fiddler" may be playing a slower tempo.

Tropical Tip Glamour Shots...

No, you're not going to see me in a bikini.  Well, not in this post.

When I put the scoots back in their trailer yesterday, there was one small drip of oil on the ramp.  On the Vespa side.  I wanted to let the scoot set for a while, then check on the trailer floor and run a fresh paper towel along the underside of it to see if something was leaking.  Nope; clean as a whistle.  As long as I have the Vespa out, I may as well ride it a bit.

It's another cool, breezy day here; low humidity.  A crisp blue sky.  I decided to take a few "glamour shots" of the Vespa...

What's a glamour shot without a bit of undressing - here's that lovely Italian without her top case...

 

When telling about the roll-on competition yesterday on my favorite scooter forum, I ended the post with "This new Vespa makes me smile."  One comment was: "that last sentence is the one that counts."

Yeah.  They get me.  ;-)

Halloween costume...

 

Day two of taking the testosterone inhibitor.  I don't feel any different.

On an unrelated subject: for Halloween, I think I'll go as a sexy schoolgirl.

 

(Yeah, it's OK to laugh.)

The Great Scooter Competition...

 

Joan's Xmax easily walked away from my previous Vespa GTS.  This newest version of the GTS, the HPE (High Performance Engine) pulls stronger - today, we have the chance for some roll-on competitions...

We took the scoots out of town, where we'd have no traffic and smooth road.  The wind was blowing above 22mph, so that may be a factor.  We'll try this again sometime on a calm day... calm days are rare here in the Tropical Tip.

It was in the low-70s during our ride; comfortable in our mesh jackets.

If you don't want to watch the video, here are the results:

Race 1: The Xmax pulled ahead.

Race 2: We swapped bikes; the Vespa pulled ahead.  Joan thinks it is the rider... it may be someone jumping the gun.

Races 3, 4, and 5: Swap back and reasonably close.

In the end, the Xmax still out-pulls this new GTS.  For now.  The Vespa will "open up" as it gets more miles on it; it may get closer.  ;-)

 

 

Good news, bad news...

 

It's the start of plenty of jokes, not something you want to hear in a doctor's office.

This blog has been a bit of a diary for me.  I write about what we're doing, generally avoiding politics and other divisive topic... I keep those thoughts to myself.  Oh, there have been times when I've been accused of over-sharing; generally with some humor.

I will be dealing with some medical stuff, but don't intend to turn this into a medical accounting.  The short story: I have been diagnosed with prostate cancer.  That was the "bad news" in the title.  I waited for the "good news," but finally had to ask, "So, where's the good news?"

The "good news": I'm young (tell that to my achy bones) and in "good shape" (tell that to my mirror).

This started with an elevated PSA number and my doctor telling me I needed to see a urologist.  I knew that wasn't a good sign.  The urologist suggested a biopsy, and I had that done a couple weeks ago.  Basically, they shove something up your ass (well, my ass) that looked a bit like a demented cattle prod, and then take "snips" from different areas in your prostate.  "You may feel this..."  Yep.

A week later, the results: 12 samples, 9 clear, 1 suspect, 1 level one, 1 level five.  His recommendation: you need to do something about this now (the level five).  I get that.  After a few minutes of shock, it was time to put together a plan.  There are options and I had to weigh what I feel is best for me.

After the hip surgery, I had said, "No more cutting."  Probably not a good idea to be adamant about that.  I discussed it with my internist, read what I could find, and determined that robotic surgery is my choice.  That can't happen until swelling from the biopsy goes down.  Also recommended that I have a bone scan done to determine if there has been any spread.  That happens next week.

So, I will be occupied with medical appointments and a surgery date at the end of November.

In the meantime, I plan to live my life, doing what I enjoy... riding the scoots, making some music, taking Rufus for walks, and spending time with my Honey.  Joan and I support each other, and she has been right there with me, and foremost in my decision making process.

The visits with the urologist were somber.  I don't envy his job, because no one goes to him for "good reasons."  He set me up with his partner, also a urologist, who does the robotic surgery.  She had more of a sense of humor.  While I'm waiting to get the surgery done, she prescribed something that will decrease my testosterone production temporarily (not a cure, but may help slow the spread while waiting).  I asked, "Will this make me want to wear my wife's clothes?"

She said, "You may feel the need to watch Oprah each day."  Yep, a sense of humor.  One other good trait: small hands.  She did another "exam" and it was apparent that her hands are smaller than her partner's.  That aside, I was comfortable with her explanations and recommendations.

Yesterday, I had two doctor appointments, several hours apart.  The storage unit where we keep the motorhome is near Harlingen, where all this will be going down (about 45 minutes from where we live).  It was a nice break to go to the motorhome between those appointments... a place to sit, visit, watch some TV, and cocoon.  Having the motorhome there will give us a closer base, as needed.

We have kept Steph in the loop since the diagnosis.  Yesterday, she asked, "Was Mom in the room during this discussion and exam?"

"Yes.  She has another job description: manager of medical appointments."

"Did she watch during the exam?"

I had to relay that question to Joan - she said, "Yes, he has a nice butt."  Probably not what your daughter wants to hear.  I appreciated it, though.

It was a cold, dark, drizzly start to the morning yesterday; we had to leave the house early to get to that 8:00 appointment.  48º when we left.  We turned on the heated seats in the car; they don't get used often.  Long pants and jackets.  In October.  By early afternoon, the sun was back out and it eventually warmed to the mid-60s.  Nice enough for some time with Rufus on the deck.  Certainly cooler than the 80s we've had since returning home.

Living normal.  I took that first testosterone inhibitor this morning.  Another cooler day today; I was thinking I might get a scooter ride in, but it is supposed to be windy this afternoon... maybe I'll just stay inside and do my nails.  ;-)