The Rider - Chapter 4: Storm Clouds

As the rays from the rising sun pierced the dusty windowpanes of David's bedroom, the illuminating streaks made the shadows of the slats of the wood and caulk grow ever thinner and longer. The beams danced over the colorful, yet well-worn apache rug that surrounded David's bed. The light fell into his old boots lying haphazardly next to the old cedar chest that rested against the foot board. A few seconds passed, and to any observer it would have appeared that the light had jumped out of the boot directly onto the denim vest that hung on the bedpost. Then it slowly and surely crawled up along the down comforter and the still form atop the mattress, finally reaching its limits on the soundly sleeping man's face. The thin membranes of his eyelids could not prevent the assault, and abruptly he was stirred awake.

It had not been more than two hours since he had arrived home after finding himself sleeping under an old highway bridge. How he had found himself there and the strange dream he had experienced was still fresh in his mind. As he rolled over and sat up on the edge of the bed he thought, "It must be due to overwork." After all, the extra hours he had been putting in at work to save for the upcoming trip to the Sturgis motorcycle rally had surely had begun to take their toll. But, despite having only spent two hours asleep, he found he was surprisingly refreshed.
He rose up and walked over to his bureau and shook the stuck drawer loose to slide it open over the protesting sounds of wood on wood. He reached in a pulled out a pair of raggedy old black jeans, a pair of holey socks and a pristine black t-shirt that showed a flaming skull silk-screened on the front and back with the letters AZ Bike Week Glendale…2045. He got dressed quickly; pulling on his old snakeskin boots, and headed out the backdoor to the still-warm sporty.

He sat astride the bike and lit up a smoke, enjoying the morning air. When he glanced at watch on his left arm and saw that it was still too early to head into work just yet, a plan came to mind of a long ride around some of the back roads not usually taken on his normal routes and hopefully finding a breakfast diner. It seemed like just the thing. Finishing his smoke, he stubbed it out with the heel of his boot, switched on the key and pushed the starter button firing "Annabelle" to life. With the toe of his boot he snapped the shifter into gear, released the clutch, twisted the throttle, spinning tires and gravel blasted out on to the pavement.

There is simply no better way of life than tooling down old country roads on a Harley in the warm, clear morning air of the Sonoran desert. As he took the long route through the old canyons and desert plains, David realized that this stretch of road was one he had ridden several years ago and he tried to recall if there were any diners along the way. The only one that came to mind was an old abandoned one from the 1950's that was about a mile ahead. "I guess I'll just have to wait til I get back into town," he thought. As he crested the small hill on the road, the old diner came into view. There were old cars and period trucks parked in front of it, and the old sign looked restored. "Must be a car show," he surmised as he pulled up to the front entrance.

The diner was open for business. The bike was leaned over onto its stand; he reached down turned the fuel off and switched the key back and out, and dismounted in one fluid motion. Briefly glancing skyward on his way into the diner, he noticed the sky had swiftly and suddenly gathered dark clouds. "Lucky I found this open. Looks like it's gonna rain like hell with those black thunder busters forming." The waitress didn't reply she just smiled and closed the door behind him.

The "Breeze" carried herself aloft the desert sky and surveyed her surroundings. In the distance she saw dark clouds forming and thought, "There were no storms scheduled for today in this area, "and drifted over to investigate. When she arrived, the remains of a long forgotten and crumbling building came into view just below the ominous clouds. The well-worn and barely legible sign out front read: Bob's Diner. Parked near what was the front entrance was a shiny old bike, which upon investigating she knew to be her namesake from her mortal life. It now belonged to her grandson. She knew that he would never leave his precious steed out in the desert, abandoned. The wind howled... David???

The Rider Chapter 3: Betcha Can't

The three Riders headed across the highway to the rendezvous with the "Boss". A slight fog drifted along the road and began to envelop the path ahead. D twisted the throttle and smiled, surging ahead. Kingpin saw this and responded, "Betcha can't," and throttled up to pass. A-rod, watching all this from behind, just laughed and watched the two race toward the mist.

The two racing riders reached the summit of the road and left the pavement flying wheel to wheel and proceeded to race across the sky. A-rod watched as he also headed upwards to the heavens. Kingpin shifted down a gear and twisted the grip, pulling ahead and twisting his mount through the canyons. D slid sideways accross the sky and took the high path over the mountians. The two Riders exited the desert sky neck to neck leaving contrails in the air. Both Riders ran side by side into the white horizion. The clouds melted away to reveal a bridge leading up to a floating mesa. And on the plateau was a simple, yet large cabin. Kingpin and D screeched to a sliding stop in front of the doorway at exactly the same instant. A-rod arrived just moments later, parked alongside the two bikes and dismounted. A-Rod said, "That was impressive as always, but as usual it was a tie." Kingpin responded "I was taking it a little slow so as not to embarrass D and his sporty." "Yeah, right," D responded, "that rolling couch you ride belongs in a living room parked in front of a television!"

A-rod just laughed and said "You know, neither one of you can outrun my pan." D replied, "Your pan? I thought this was a race not a Sunday putt. I could outrun that thing in neutral!" Kingpin smiled and said "Betcha can't!"

Laughing, the three Riders entered the cabin. The "Boss" was sitting at the head of a large wooden dining table drinking from a large mug shaped like a panhead cylinder jug. He looked over at the three Riders who joined him at the table. He didn't speak for a few minutes. Then he looked over at D and said, "A snowstorm in June? I don't even want to hear the explanation for that one." Kingpin and A-rod laughed at that comment. The Boss looked over at those two and said, "What are you laughing at? You two are just as bad, with you, Kingpin, becoming visible to mortals and racing across the highway tormenting the radar officers who used to give you tickets back when you were a mortal. Then disappearing into the ether when they pull you over. And you, A-rod, you know you're not supposed to interfere with the lives of your mortal family; sneaking in and changing events to their advantage. Its noble and all, but we have guardians to do that." He continued, "And then the fact that all three of you keep pulling jokes on the four elementals Fire ,Wind ,Water and Earth just because they were your wives and friends in life! They have duties to perform and you clowns are just screwing around. You get them all riled up and then I get an earful about it. I'm not gonna stop them when they decide to fix your little hijinks! But I'll deal with those transgressions later. Right now, we have more serious concerns."

"David has disappeared."

The Rider chapter 2 Snowstorm

"Damn it's cold. At least the bike's running great, as always." All the years David has owned his grandfather's bike, it had never missed a beat, David thought to himself as he rode along toward home. It almost seems like it's gonna snow. He chuckled under his breath and replied to himself, "as if it ever really snows here in the valley and certianly never in June." The wind seemed to have picked up quite a bit and David was having a hard time keeping the bike rolling in a straight line. Small snowflakes started to fall across his face. The weather had changed dramatically in the space of just a few miles. It was getting harder to see. He slowed almost to a crawl when the snow started really coming down. This almost looks like what my grandfather used to call a Nor'easter, he thought. The bike started to falter in it's smooth running cadence and then stalled. "You've got to be kidding me!" yelled David at the now silent bike. "All these years and now you pick to break down?" He quickly scanned his surroundings. He needed to find shelter and it had to be now. Off in the distance he could see a gully that ran under the highway bridge that was just up ahead.


As he pushed the bike toward the underpass, the lone figure of a young man sitting there, tending a small fire seemed to have appeared almost out of thin air. David swung the kickstand down and leaned the bike over on its mount. The man sitting at the fire motioned towards a small crate on the opposite side of the flames from where he sat. David nodded and thanked the man for this unexpected hospitality. "Hell of a sudden storm and damn unusual for these parts," said David. The man nodded in assent but didn't speak for some time. He just looked over at David and seemed to smile just a bit. After a good long while the man spoke. "Is that an old evo sporty?" he asked. "You don't see those much nowadays." David replied. "No, I guess you don't, it was a gift from my grandfather; he left it to me after he passed. Smoothest running bike I ever rode, until tonight." he joked.
"Maybe the bike is like it's former owner; it just doesn't like snow." replied the man.
David laughed and said, "How did you know he hated the snow?"
"Just a guess." said the man as he gently prodded the fire.
"How is it you come to be under here?" asked David.
"Just waiting on a old friend," the man said. "He's gone to check up on his loved one and should be back before dawn."
"Well, I hope he doesn't try riding back in this weather," said David.
"I wouldn't worry about him, I've ridden with him many a mile and the weather doesn't seem to affect him much anymore. He'll be fine."

As the man stoked the fire with more wood, David could see that just behind him was parked a sporty identical to his bike. And the man seemed to look almost familiar to him. David couldn't explain it but he seemed to feel a connection with this stranger he had just met. As the night wore on they chatted on about bikes and what riding meant and the brotherhood that accompanied it. As it neared dawn the rumble of a sweet running V-Twin could be heard coming closer. The bike and it's rider drove up under the overpass and David saw the sharpest looking old panhead he'd ever seen.

The Rider dismounted and walked over to the campfire. He was a young man around David's age. He looked at David almost with a sense of recognition. He pulled a flask from his vest pocket and offered David a drink. David took a swig and almost immediately felt sleepy. He laid on his side and drifted off to sleep.

The Rider spoke to the man at the campfire and said, "Dammit D, when we were on the other side of this veil you never could follow rules worth a damn, but I always figured on this side you would at least try. A Nor'easter here in the valley in June?"
The man at the campfire laughed and replied, "Yeah, well I wanted to see my little shit grandson one more time, and I figured that was a funny way to get him here. I figured no harm done, and he wouldn't recognize us as young men as he never knew us then."
Pointing skyward "Well, you took a hell of a chance and the Boss upstairs is gonna be pissed that you did." chuckled A-Rod.
"That's all right," replied D, laughingly, It was worth it.

As they mounted their bikes and rode out to the highway Peter was waiting on his iron steed and with a smile said, "I gotta escort you two clowns to see the boss." Laughing, all three rode off down the highway.

David awoke to find himself sitting next to his Sporty in the warm desert air and wondered how the hell he got there. He was half-expecting to see snow on the ground, while realizing that it had to have been a ridiculous dream. As he got up and turned the key on, the bike fired instantly. He rode out, and for some reason he kept thinking about his grandfather all they way home.

Armegeddon

Hell has just frozen over, the end signs are here, Big Daddy put a windshield on his bike. These are the kind of remarks I've been hearing for that last two days. I don't understand how people can be so flippant about the world ending....How can it be ending? Well...........

I'm overly sensitive and cry easily. So as I ride along thinking about everybody picking on my windshield, I start to cry. The tears in my eyes make it difficult to see. I veer into the oncoming lanes while wiping my tears. The car in the oncoming lane swerves to miss me, thereby hitting a telephone pole. It falls across the lanes of traffic and starts a multi-vehicle pileup. A rig fully loaded with hazardous chemicals plows right into this melee of confusion and spills it's load. This causes the fire department and local police to respond. Upon arriving they call out the hazmat team to contain the spill. Being so close to Luke Air Force Base, homeland security is notified. Naturally, the base goes on high alert. Fighter planes start sweeping the sky. Over in Russia, the satellites spot this flurry of activity. They go on high alert and start circling their planes. This gets noticed by their allies in China and they respond in kind. Of course all this activity spooks the hell outta Japan and Israel. So up go those planes. Iran figures that since all the big players seem to be going defcon 1 they'd better get their shit together before bombs start falling on them. Meanwhile...... Diplomatic relations start trying to contact President Bush about what the hell is going on. Not having any brains to call his own, he decides he'd better call daddy and ask what to do. This causes Papa Bush to mutter to himself, "Oh, shit. What's my dip shit son gonna say stupid in public today?" He remembers that when Junior first started talking, that it freaked out mama Bush so bad her eyes popped and it became a permanent condition. All the while wondering how in the hell of all the swimmers he had, that was the fastest one that created him. He spends the next few hours trying to think of simple words that Junior can understand and pronounce.

The rest of the world now on on extremely high alert and not hearing anything from President Idiot decides his silence is evidence of a preemptve strike and in defense start launhing misslies at each other. This escalates into full blown nuclear war. Armegeddon has arrived. Mankind's day is over..............all because insensitive people picked on my windshield. Big Daddy

Decade

A Decade.......Ten years. That's 3650 wonderful days......and even better nights! that I have had the pleasure of calling myself ANN'S husband. From starting out with absolutely nothing but old debt, we have built a life. From Massachusetts to Arizona; no questions asked. We knew together we could do it. Never wavered in our support or belief in each other. Struggled through extremely hard situations financial, medical and personal. Suffered through the loss of dear friends and family. The good days far outnumber the bad...though sometimes it might not seem so. But in the final tally, it's been awesome living and loving with Ann by my side.

On her blog page is a musical number....I'm not blog savvy enough to pull that off. But the next time you hear Jerry Rafferty's song "Right down the Line" Just know that was written for her ....Every Damn word of it!!!

{perhaps she'll read this and post the song for me...so all who read this will know the song} Note: to the right, the 2nd video from the top is "Right Down the Line".

I always use a Dave Mann photo for a caption to the post....Today IT'S ALL ABOUT MAMA!!! 143 !!! I LOVE YOU !!! BIG DADDY

The Rider

Dawn broke swiftly and silently over the top of the mesa. As the the fluorescent multi-hued rays illuminated the plateau. A lone figure astride his iron mount coalesced into view. A gentle warm breeze floated up the side of the mountain and enveloped the rider. As the breeze wrapped itself around the rider's shoulders, it whispered in his ear, "bring him home". The rider nodded and placed the bike in gear and proceeded down the path. The rider was aware of the honor that had been bestowed upon him by his boss. Not many received this honor. Only those who, in actions and deeds, had stayed true to the concept of brotherhood.

It had been some while since the rider had been on this stretch of road and yet, his familiarity had not abated even a tiny bit. He cracked open the throttle and felt the bike surge ahead. He smiled as the wind cascaded over his body and through his hair. He inhaled the sweet aroma of the desert flowers, which were in full bloom. The bike's sound came alive in his ears. He heard the drumming of the tires on the pavement, and the whine of the primary chain, the resonance of the V-twin as it echoed through the canyon walls. To him it sounded just like summer thunder.

The ride only lasted a short while when the turn he needed to make came up ahead. He crossed onto the gravel driveway; the bike was silent as he coasted up to the front door of the house. The rider dismounted and strode up to the door and silently entered. He passed down the long hallway to the back of the residence and opened a door at the end. He walked up to the left side of the bed and placed his hand on the man's shoulder that was lying there. Gently he patted the man's shoulder as he whispered, "It's time to go". The man stirred awake and clarity came into his eyes. He glanced over at the woman laying beside him and for a brief moment, there was sadness in his face. A young man in his prime sat up and raised himself off of the bed, glancing back at the old weathered body he had just left. The rider observed all this and thought back to when it had been his time. The rider he had known as "Kingpin" had come for him years earlier. And he remembered when "Julie" had come for his Beloved. Only the truly chosen Friend that became brother or sister were afforded the right to escort the newly arrived to his family waiting on this side of the veil. The rider glanced at the still sleeping form of the lady sleeping in the bed and understood the trials ahead for her, whether it be days, weeks or years. To her, time will seem to slow to infinity until it is her time to go. And to those family and friends she knows, her time will seem way too short. When two souls truly find each other, the wait to be reunited feels like an eternity.

The rider walked over to her side and whispered in her ear "Patience, it will only be a short while." The sleeping form did not stir, but seemed to relax with a deep sigh. The young man understood that time in this realm had no meaning, but still, it will seem to be forever until they are together again. The rider spoke to the young man before him and called him by name. "A-Rod my brother, it has been far too long". To which A-rod replied, "Yes, it has, D." With one glance back at the room, they walked down the hallway and out of the house.

In the driveway sat the rider's bike and just beyond it there appeared a new bike. A-Rod understood this to be the boss' bike that was placed at his disposal for the ride out. The choice was his; there were two paths ahead: one leads straight to home the other kept you on this plane until your spouse's time. The rider's mission was to escort him on whichever path was chosen. A-Rod walked over to the bike and threw a leg over and with a twinkle in his eye said, "I guess the old adage is true... He really does ride a Panhead." He fired it up, and with that they both lit out on down the path.

Lucky Man

I never have thanked those service members I am Related to in a public forum. I need to fix that.

First my father Lief H. Nelson WW2 belly turret gunner in a B17 shot down a Focke-Wulf and survived 27 missions over Europe.

Went to Korea as a foot solider and served with honor. rescued two wounded off of a hill and took out two enemy while doing so with his sidearm.......Has been written up in the Stars and Stripes twice. Retired after full service. DFC w/4 oak clusters Airmedal Combat ribbons down his arm and more. And as a footnote, he was the first to cross the 49th parallel in the Korean war on a motorized vehicle........A WLA '45 Harley! Way to go DAD! Proud to be your son.

My Brothers Walt, Gary and Mark......Vietnam. Various Distinctions.

My Brother Gene. National guard and currently serving for the Pentagon.

My Proudest moments are listed below.

My son Rex - U.S Navy served on CVN-73 GEORGE WASHINGTON, now stationed in Okinawa, Japan.

My son Eric - U.S Air Force Aircraft support specialist. Now stationed in Korea.

My daughter Samantha - U.S Navy. Norfolk, Virgina.

My only regret in life is I was unable to serve due to my hearing loss.

To those listed above and many more past, present and future: a big "Thank you"!

BIG DADDY