tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-90854564102214040872025-07-15T20:03:26.284-04:00A space where I can rant and rave about the happenings of life. If you like you can comment, I look forward to it. If not, it's ok too. Either way you have my blessing.Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.comBlogger24125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-56379215719939446092022-04-06T05:50:00.008-04:002022-04-06T05:53:37.127-04:00

There are many things I enjoy in life; camping is one of the ones that brings most joy. Sadly, it has been an awfully long time since the last time we went camping. It all started at a garage sale. When my son was in kindergarten, he learned from a friend in school, whose family would go camping in the Carolinas, about how much fun they had, and he wanted to experience it. We dropped my wife

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-1487377913245405012022-03-24T06:01:00.000-04:002022-03-24T06:01:12.549-04:00

 As I approach the later part of it, I realize that life truly is a journey. A journey in which we have one single purpose, to learn. We come to this world with some innate knowledge, things like body functions, breathing and eating, but everything else we must learn. It is sad that most of us realize this a bit too late and some, never at all. We get too wrapped up in our everyday, mundane

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-42820282009664381622022-03-23T04:39:00.003-04:002022-03-23T04:39:49.927-04:00

 Times are hard and getting harder. That is a fact! Unless you are in the 1%, you are struggling somewhere. Your bills might be getting paid, your needs met (more or less) but you might be a paycheck or two away from disaster. If these past couple of years have taught us anything is that life is fragile and fleeting.We are all stuck in the crazy carrousel and looking for a way off. If you

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-26402062868111927692022-02-23T03:50:00.000-05:002022-02-23T03:50:36.658-05:00

 Tone impaired, not quite deaf but impaired enough to make it hard to follow a tune. That has been my curse since very early on. I have always loved music! I dreamt of being a musician as far back as I can remember. Sadly, those dreams were shattered when I entered the 6th grade at a new school. The school had a very good choir, directed by the 6th grade science teacher, and my mother

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-91350182499696695692022-02-13T01:01:00.000-05:002022-02-13T01:01:09.175-05:00

Today was a beautiful day in Bellingham! Temperatures reached the upper 40’s and it was a nice, sunny day. We decided yesterday to go early to the Squalicum Park. We were there a few weeks ago and found it to be a beautiful park, full of sky-touching trees and wonderful paths. We went on a spur-of-the-moment, so we wanted to go better prepared today.I set up the alarm to get up no later than 8:30

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-65612973379622490732021-12-01T07:09:00.000-05:002021-12-01T07:09:00.418-05:00

 A lot has happened since my last post. An incredible opportunity presented itself in the Pacific Northwest and we packed our gypsy wagon (ok, it was a U-Haul truck), hitched the car in a trailer and, 3,300 miles later, found ourselves in the beautiful city of Bellingham in the state of Washington. We are about 30 minutes from the Canadian border, as far away from the sunny Florida

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-58018254266999902702021-03-28T18:55:00.000-04:002021-03-28T18:55:12.861-04:00

We can’t help but reflect on our past choices, as we get older. The “what if” question always comes up, in one way or another. It doesn’t necessarily mean regret or dissatisfaction with one’s current situation, just a natural process of growing up. It is through reflection and evaluation of our past choices and actions that we are able to evolve and improve our lives and

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-55408538349478967112021-03-13T10:13:00.000-05:002021-03-13T10:13:56.807-05:00

I am thankful, when I open my eyes in the morning. Thankful for another day to appreciate the beauty all around me. I thank the Sun for the warmth that loosens my tired bones, the Earth for keeping me in touch with my roots and reminding me to honor those who walked before me. I pray to Brother Bear to grant me the strength for one more journey. To Brother Eagle, to

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-66588658830265722232021-02-14T15:22:00.000-05:002021-02-14T15:22:46.961-05:00

  We are all familiar with pain. In one way or another, we have all felt it. Bumps, bruises, cuts, abrasions... bring with them pain. If you are alive, there is no avoiding pain. Is as simple as that.   I've had my fair share of physical pain. I’m not really referring to the little cuts and scrapes that happen all the time, I am referring to the larger kind. I broke a bone on my

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-38676058505705624432021-01-24T19:51:00.000-05:002021-01-24T19:51:26.488-05:00

Life, liberty and the pursuit... What is happiness? Is it really something that needs pursuit? Is it worth chasing? Is it important?  All good questions with infinite answers. Let’s start with the main question, what is happiness? I looked up the definition of the word and found that the dictionary defines it as “the state of being happy.” Incredibly helpful, right? So, I dug a little

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-49654701404280498842021-01-15T10:45:00.002-05:002021-01-15T10:52:23.024-05:00

    “Love Conquers All”. One of the most misinterpreted phrases of all time. People often take it to mean that finding your “true love” will make everything else fall into place. The stars will align and, together, you can conquer all obstacles and have a happy ending. We all know this to be folly. Love, as a magic potion, does not exist.    I have known people that

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-7321408488407109942011-10-06T11:23:00.002-04:002011-12-01T09:31:49.317-05:00

Morning came and, like a rose in bloom, her eyes opened. Those deep, beautiful eyes that cast a glow about them. Eyes that look right through and hold you in their brilliant gaze, like a feather in the wind. Another day had begun. A new day in which to continue her labor of love. And she readied herself going on to meet her charges. All day she sowed and planted, and her words watered

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-7619844526020149972011-09-19T08:40:00.000-04:002011-09-19T08:40:58.171-04:00

Wow! A lot has happened this summer. Since I wrote on this site last, "Bo" came back to us. The guy that bought it could not handled it and, since he was a friend of my son, he agreed to take it back. Now riding season is almost over and if we don't sell it before the winter we'll do some changes to it in the cold months. We took an amazing trip to Spain and had the most wonderful time in

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-37788731185455152132011-07-02T20:33:00.001-04:002011-07-02T20:34:17.351-04:00

The new bike is taking shape. Today we finished the tail and put it on.  It is welded in place. Next we mounted the rear tire and the front so we could get a look at it from the design aspect. By doing this we realized that the front end has to be raked for it to look good. When we return from Spain we'll have to get the fender, seats, tank and other parts but the biggest hurdle is

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-76297480696406798132011-07-01T17:00:00.000-04:002011-07-01T17:00:47.148-04:00

Well, Bo is no longer with us. It was sold to a friend of jochi. We are moving on to the next build. We started out with a similar bike to Bo, only a newer frame. This one is a 1982 frame and we are going a little deeper into the customization. This is what it looked like before we started. Took out the forks, wiring and rear tire and chopped it down and got this: Here the

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-4300577348764162382011-06-07T11:17:00.003-04:002011-06-07T11:21:04.838-04:00

So after riding for a few weeks and having the carbs tuned on Esmeralda (my Virago) Joseito bought forward controls for Bo and we installed them. I tried them out and realized it makes for a much more comfortable ride. This is the brake on the right side of the bike. It extends the control to a more relaxed, front position that allows your leg to be straight forward. This is the other

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-24671312979467059272011-04-27T09:19:00.000-04:002011-04-27T09:19:01.024-04:00

After much work and some minor setbacks she is finally ready. She still sputters a bit but I was able to take my first ride after over twenty years. This is a Yamaha Virago XV920MK or a Midnight Virago as it was named. She is from 1983 and rides fast and comfortably. It was a great ride, even though it was a short one, maybe 30 minutes. The wind rushing through, the roar of the engine

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-91974573497245801472011-04-03T09:33:00.001-04:002011-04-03T09:37:04.299-04:00

The weather is finally good enough to ride, so my son has been riding for a couple of days now. In the meantime, I bought a 1983 Yamaha 920 Midnight Virago. This one is different than the one I owned all those years ago, but it is nice. It is black with gold trim. She runs, but needs a little TLC. I have to save up the money to get the title, tag and insurance, so for now she sits in the

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-88047035130074432012011-03-31T08:48:00.000-04:002011-03-31T08:48:02.287-04:00

We went down to the RMV or We'll Tax You For Life Central, as it is known in Massachusetts, and got the tag for the bike. He put it on and took her out for a spin. We went to pick up Loli at work, he on the bike and me on the car behind, but she would not answer the phone so we had to go home and park it as it was getting dark. The learning permit he got does not allow for night driving. It was

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-81090621492408195092011-03-29T10:22:00.000-04:002011-03-29T10:22:20.769-04:00

There is nothing as satisfying as creating, fixing or working on something with your own hands. When my son bought his motorcycle I was a bit apprehensive about all the work required. I must say, though, that now when I look at it I feel a sense of pride at the amount of work and sweat we put into it. It is a 31 year old bike so there are going to be problems along the way. We had to remove the

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-87641550990842521722011-03-16T22:44:00.002-04:002011-03-17T21:41:00.317-04:00

It has been over twenty years since I sold the Virago. My son is now close to being 21 and he found the love of motorcycling through a coworker. He saved up his money and bought a 1980 Kawasaki KZ550 LTD. I negotiated for him with the seller and we were able to pick up the bike and a second 1980 KZ550 for parts for $300.00 for both. We rented a storage space and started to work on the bike. He

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-54190858070896093142011-03-13T16:24:00.001-04:002011-03-13T16:27:46.267-04:00

After changing the solenoid in my Virago a couple of times I decided I was not going to do it again. So I rode for a few months with a screwdriver in my pocket and started her that way. I got quite good at it, I could get it at the first try, sometimes faster than with the starter botton. I got a job as a salesman and would ride from the house to the job every day, my tie flapping in the wind

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-86878697846240201872011-03-08T21:26:00.002-05:002011-03-09T09:37:01.911-05:00

A few years went by before I was able to purchase another bike. This time it was a more powerful machine, the 1984 Yamaha Virago 920. This was a beautiful motorcycle in a deep purple, almost black color. It had a comfortable seat and a powerful V-twin engine. The only trouble with it was that the starter solenoid needed to be replaced often. I purchased this bike from a private seller. It had

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9085456410221404087.post-71373513465298674492011-03-07T17:36:00.000-05:002011-03-07T17:36:31.624-05:00

I was 20 years old when I bought my first motorcycle. It was a 1980 Honda, 125 cc red beauty, which I paid cash for and rode out of the showroom in Alexandria, Virginia. I can't remember the cost, but I remember I looked at it for a couple of months while I saved my paychecks to be able to get it. I got on and, without a single lesson drove it out of the parking lot of the showroom and right

Jose Gomezhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00806315352215157081noreply@blogger.com0