Dave & Teds Most Excellent Adventures 2013

[CyncySpyder]

OK, so here's my latest learning lesson that I eluded to previously

As y'all know, the past almost 4 years of Spyder'n around the country has been our very first foray into the 'MotorCycle' world and we've been learning alot as we cruise around, usually (thanks to me) the hard way pps:

Well, our latest endeavor is no different & I thought I'd go ahead and share our experience, albeit a bit embarrassing, but that's nothing new for us, right? .... :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

It all started with me really liking this Cal-Sci Tinted Shorty windshield that Teddy picked up from our buddy Richard when we were at the KY Lake/Lake Barkley Spyder Get-Together not to long ago. Come to think of it, every vehicle that I've ever owned has had Tinted Windows, so it only makes since that I would still be drawn to them, even for Teds Red Sled & I have to admit, I really like the distinctive, more aggressive nature that it lends to the front end of Teds Sled,

not to mention, it just naturally goes with its color scheme, which for the most part, matches Teddy to a T of being Black & Red :thumbup:

Admittedly, Teddy also has a few touches of white, like having 3 white toes on his rear right paw, along with a blaze of White Chest Hair

& as he ages, he's getting more and more of the white Go-Tee around his muzzle
that he never had as a pup as evidenced in this pic here -

and we just top the sled off with Chrome accents to mimmick the white :2thumbs:

OK, so that's a bit of history, so now back to our latest learning moment .................

So I was really liking the Cal-Sci TintedShorty but there were a couple of things I didn't like :sour:

The first being that the shield is so small compared to our previous Cal-Sci Clear Medium shield as seen here:

and WAY smaller than the OEM stock 2010 or even the OEM 2011 shields that we've had in the past as seen here:

and the two small upper wind deflectors that nuzzle in right behind the shield stuck out on both sides and since they were still clear, they really looked out of place to me, compared to the black of the Tinted Shorty. We have our XM puck on one deflector & a Park Pass sticker mounted on the other as you can see.

You can see what I'm talking about in this pic, look right above the mirrors and you can see the small clear plastic deflectors that I'm talking about. While not a MAJOR issue, it bothered me :banghead: that they were clear & I thought if they were also tinted black, they'd fit right in & you wouldn't even notice them :clap:

The second problem, and in the summer, I think it won't be a problem at all, but an asset, but being so small, and since we're heading into winter and we're already getting into freezing temps overnight, the Tinted Shorty didn't provide nearly the coverage that any of our previous shields provided, even with it in the fully raised position :sour:

Richard had also warned us about the tint being really dark and that he wouldn't advise us trying to ryde in dark using it, if we thought we'd have to have it raised high enough to look thru it, and after a few weeks of use now, I understand what he was saying. While the shield is darkly tinted, I'm guessing around a 20% Limo Tint on auto windows, during the day, you can still see perfectly thru the shield. And since it IS so little, even with it all the way raised, I can still easily see over top of it without having to strain any at all, so I thought that wouldn't really be an issue, and to be honest, for the most part, it isn't


So all this got me to thinking (Uh Oh, this is where it always leads to trouble, now doesn't it :lecturef_smilie & to think, I used to make fun of my best friend by calling him Tim Allen of computers, and lookie at me ......... the Tim Allen of Spyders pps: just can't leave well enough alone ................:banghead: Hey, but I'm learning :thumbup:.... :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

Anyways, I was thinking, you know, if our Cal-Sci Medium shield was tinted instead of clear, that would just be the ticket for meeting just about all our needs ..... err..... wants also. I mean can one really call looks or style a need??? :dontknow: Better wind protection for winter ryding, YUP, that's a NEED, but it being tinted really isn't but it just looks really cool & fits Teds Red Sled so much better.


TBC............... :banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Latest learning lesson that I eluded to previously about Tinted shields Continued

So yeah, I was thinking that if our Medium Clear Cal-Sci shield was tinted, that would be the best of all worlds for most (if not all) of our ryding needs So just in the off chance, I decided to pull up the Cal-Sci site to see if they offered any of their other sized shields in the tinted variety, but was sadly disappointed and a little shocked :yikes: as well, cause shields are rather pricey :shocked: & while I whole heartedly think their worth it, with Teddy & I in our somewhat strained financial situation, we've not been strangers to picking up things like shields etc... second hand and with Teddy being so well liked, we've been getting pretty good deals on the few mods that we've aquired from our fellow SpyderLovers family :cheers: and are very greatful indeed :bowdown: but there's just no way Teddy & I could afford a new one :lecturef_smilie: and I knew that going in, but I just wanted to see if they actually offered any of their other sizes tinted ....... which they do NOT

http://www.calsci.com/motorcycleinfo/SpyderRTprod.html

:dontknow::hun:So whats a fellow to do???:hun: :dontknow:

​

Hows that 'ole say'n go??? Necessity is the Mother of Invention (Uh Oh!!! This is where the Tim Allen part comes in ...:roflblack

So while Teddy & I were out on a ryde last week, we stopped by Auto Zone to pick up a couple of things we needed for the sled and we got to talking with one of the sales clerks that's a really big fan of Teddy's, and I mentioned that I was trying to figure out a way to tint the 2 little side deflectors so that they would match the Tinted Shorty that we currently had on the sled that day. The guy came out to look (& also snap a couple pics of Teddy ham'n it up) and see what our need was & if they stocked anything that could remedy our issue for us, and if not, what he might suugest that could work for resolving our issue :thumbup:

Now let me say right off :lecturef_smilie: usually when it comes to doing something I'm not familiar with, I'll usually go on-line and google/Utube etc... whatever it is that I'm thinking about, and often times, run things by many of you right here on SpyderLovers :2thumbs: this however was the exception to that 'norm' for me, and I basically went with the clerks suggestion and kind of ran away with it ...... going Wayyyyyy Over-board :shocked:

TBC .................... work work work :banghead::banghead::banghead:

 

[CyncySpyder]

A short break from Lessons Learned about shields to one of Personal Enjoyments/Limits

I'm thinking as I'm getting older that I may very well be getting 'Soft' & a bit 'Lazy' as well and even tho I don't like admitting it, it IS reality pps: Point being, today was the first day for me to ryde in to work, cause the past 3 days its been not only cold, but wet also :sour: Years past, barring too much snow or ice on the roads, or gail force winds, little would stop me from ryding to work & most here at work thought I needed mental help. Little do they realize tho, Spyder Ryding IS my therapy

But as time has passed, I think I've been learning my limits of what I personally constitute as being enjoyable as opposed to just down right surviving when it comes to ryding in the elements. This years SpyderFest trip taught me that while I can handle the heat, the cold, the rain, the snow & ice (within limits) I now draw the line at Wet & Cold :lecturef_smilie:

Cold & Dry, I'm just fine, but after our SpyderFest trip this year, in pouring down 42 degree cold rain, and subsequently my 1stGear Thermo Suits Water-Proofing abilities giving out after 3 seasons of ryding, I learned right there that the combination of being frigid and wet to the point that your teeth are chattering so much that I couldn't talk to myself, well...... I won't make that mistake again :lecturef_smilie: and that right there is now my limit

Warm & Wet = Fine :thumbup:
Hot/Warm/Cool/Cold & Dry = Fine :thumbup:

I've recoated my 1stGear Thermo Ryding Suit with the ScotchGuard Water Repellant, but I have to admit, I'm a little gun-shy at testing its abilities :sour: I realize I should do so now in a little test before finding myself in a situation where its too late to test & its needed to perform, cause by then, if it doesn't work, its a little too late to do anything about it :cus: So hopefully, I've learned something here & just thought sharing might help someone else in a similar situation

BTW, this mornings ryde in was at 32F degrees & Dry & I was happy as a Spyder Ryder could be :clap:

 

[OJ UK]

First off: Don't be tempted to try using a can of that spray tint! Definitely a no-no.

Have you got an auto-glass tint shop near you? Because the screen is easy to dismount
you could take it in and I'm pretty sure that the film they use would work on your screen
either way if you don't ask them you'll never know. Should be cheap too.
Here's some I found near you: (Jay's gets a very good write up...)



[h=4]Eclipse Window Tinting
eclipseoh.com
8060 Reading Rd #9
Cincinnati
+1 513-821-5008

Tint Masters
tintmasters.org
102 W Wyoming Ave
Cincinnati
+1 513-761-9111



Jay's Window Tinting & Vinyl Graphics
jaystintandvinyl.com
893 Ohio Pike
Cincinnati
+1 513-753-8468[/h]

 

[CyncySpyder]

For any locals that are interested, tomorrow is the Mainstrasse Villiage PawRade

http://www.mainstrasse.org/2013/09/12th-annual-dog-pawrade/

MainStrasse Village 12[SUP]th[/SUP] Annual
Dog Costume PawradeSunday, October 27
1 p.m. until 5 p.m.Goebel Park, MainStrasse Village

Teddy & I will be there starting around noon until ???? We went to this a couple years ago & Stan joined us for the festivities and we all had a good time. Fun to see all the dogs & their owners in costumes :joke: Hope to see some other locals there as well. If your not sure where to meet or would like to meet up and maybe go for a ryde before the event (or after) just let us know :thumbup:
http://goo.gl/maps/o3jXM​

 

[CyncySpyder]

Ahhhhh Yes, the lessons we learn ..................

First off: Don't be tempted to try using a can of that spray tint! Definitely a no-no.
Have you got an auto-glass tint shop near you? Because the screen is easy to dismount
you could take it in and I'm pretty sure that the film they use would work on your screen
either way if you don't ask them you'll never know. Should be cheap too.
Here's some I found near you: (Jay's gets a very good write up...)

If only I posted about this sooner, I would've had your insight of not trying to do what I done did :banghead:
But ...... all's well that ends well ........... right

Not that this saga is anywhere near finished just yet ...............:roflblack:

So yeah, the guy at the auto parts store suggested trying the VHT NightShades since it is made for plastic and still allowing for light to pass thru :thumbup: seemed just like the ticket I was searching for

but then I got lazy :lecturef_smilie: which is never a good thing

To remove the clear upper side deflectors on the RT's
You have to first remove both the mirrors
Then the fascia around the headlights
Then you have access to the 2 bolts that hold each deflector on each side :banghead:

I know I shoulda not been lazy & just gone ahead & done what needed to be done, but I didn't :lecturef_smilie: & instead grabbed the Bull by the Horns and just went Whole Hog & did the entire shield instead :banghead: Hey, nothing ventured, nothing gained, right :dontknow:

Well, this was done on the Cal-Sci Medium shield that I had previously scratched up pretty badly upon install when my index finger wasn't working properly so if it didn't work out, it wasn't really that much of a loss, since the shield was far from new condition, albeit still very useable

The directions say to apply no more than 3 coats:lecturef_smilie: otherwise it will be too dark to allow light to pass thru. This stuff is originally used for Blacking Out a cars rear lights so it gives it a 'European' stealthy look, but when you press your brakes or turn signals, it still allows the light of the bulbs to shine thru.

After one coat, it was tinted pretty well, but you could noticeably see lighter and darker areas on the shield, so I went ahead and did a second coat, and that DID even out the consistancy & I liked the look of the shield, tho I worried it would be too dark :shocked:

I really liked the look of the shield, & with the entire thing being tinted, (and I did it on the inside of the shield, so that road grime/bugs could still be wiped off the out side without damaging the tint) you hardly even noticed the scratches when it was complete :clap: So that seemed like a Win Win :clap:

But then I reinstalled the shield and tried to use it & while I really do like the look :shocked: it was really just too darn dark to actually see thru when ryding in dark. If I only rode durring day-light hours, I would've kept it just like it was, but since I ryde to work every morning at 4:30am, its still dark out every day I ryde so that just wasn't going to work :sour: You can see here in these pics how dark it came out, and remember, these are taken in bright sunny conditions, so you can imagine how it would be ryding in the dark

So while I did like the look and it being the larger Medium Cal-Sci Shield, it provided more coverage and also was large enough to hide the clear upper side deflectors that stuck out before when using the Cal-Sci Tinted Shorty shield hyea: So I figured I'd give it a try for a day or two before making up my mind if it would be useable or not. Well, on my first morning ryde in to work, I figured I'd just keep the shield almost all the way lowered so I could easily see over-top of it on the ryde in & that worked just fine, except for the fact that I really didn't like the fact that I really couldn't see anything directly in the path in front of the sled within about 8-10 feet, so it made it more difficult to try in ryde around bumps and road debris :shocked: & I didn't like that :sour:

Luckily for me, I did a little more research and found several videos on uTube showing ppl removing the VHT Tint using aresol Goof Off in a can and spraying their tail-lights that it had been aplied to and the tint basically melting right off :clap: What the hell, its basically a 'throw-away' shield anyways, can't hurt to try... right? :dontknow:
Well, I'm happy to report after 2 cans of Goof-Off, the tint completely 'melted' right off the shield leaving it none worse for the wear :clap: YAY!!! I got lucky on that one :cheers:

So after this little adventure and then reading Geof's post about 'NOT TRYING IT' :lecturef_smilie: & instead, contacting a tinting place to have them do it, I decided to give that a try. I just went to our local tint place a few blocks away, since he's done our past 3 vehicles and is a fan of Teddy's, I knew we could trust him as we've always been very pleased with his past work.

His response was, "Nope, sorry bud, can't do it. Being plastic, there'd be issues with the tint adhearing correctly & holding over time, then also being not a flat surface, we couldn't use a heat gun to get the tint to apply cause we'd risk warping the plastic of the shield, sorry. You know if I thought we could do it, and do a good job, we'd try, but from past experiences, we can't, sorry." :banghead:

 

[CyncySpyder]

A bit more on our shield tinting adventures & where they lead us to next

So with the sad news from our buddy that's a professional tinter, and me being stubborn and not wanting to give up :banghead: I did a little digging in the garage and found a roll of tint that we had left over from another project and decided ............. :dontknow: What the hell, might as well give it a try ourselves.... right :dontknow:

Yes, I like to learn the hard way :chill: but this is already a well known charector defect of mine that poor lil Teddy has little choice but in dealing with :helpsmilie: and so far, I haven't killed either of us ... yet :helpsmilie:...:roflblack::roflblack:

So yeah, I got out the tint and watched a few more uTube videos on how to do it (on auto shields) and thru trial and error, basically found everything that our buddy at the tint-shop told us .......... to be spot on :lecturef_smilie:

Thankfully, we don't have a heat-gun :bowdown: so I redneck improvised and used Teddy's Hair-Dryer (which he hates with a passion anyways:cus and while it worked somewhat, we found what our buddy told us about the tint not wanting to apply uniformly, especially to the convexes of the shield, along with issues of small bubbles around the center whole opening and then issues again with the tint not wanting to stay adhered around the small cut-outs for the mounting holes :cus:

All in all, it was a bust :chill: I took pics but haven't uploaded them yet opcorn: but the clarity & visibility of the shield was good, just not how it looked over-all and I now understand what he meant by the tint wouldn't stay adheared to the shield, especially over the long haul :lecturef_smilie: Seems like they'd make a tint specifically made for plastic/lexan applications, and maybe they do, I just haven't gotten that far in my research efforts thus far pps:

But me being me (poor Teddy:gaah I decided to go an entirely different route:shocked: and removed the tint entirely from the shield. Once again, luckily for us, the tint was easy enough to remove and just required a little elbo grease in cleaning off a little of the left over adhesive residue, but we were once again, left with a clear shield no worse for the wear of my second learning attempt

So last night, I got another bright idea :yikes: and decided to take a page out of Petes:bowdown: (PowerSportsWraps) Play-book and instead of tinting the entire shield, how about just blacking out the lower portion of the shield so the mounting bracket and upper wind deflectors are once again hidden :clap:


(I really can't stand how dirty behind the shield gets inbetween the shield & mounting bracket & there's no way to clean that area without having to remove the entire shield)

And this also went along with a suggestion our buddy from the tint-shop gave us, to just use flat black spray paint and paint the shield black. Only problem, doing the entire shield solid black leads us right back to our original problem of not being able to see directly in front of us anytime, let alone ryding while dark :yikes:
so I had immediately discounted that suggestion when he made it:lecturef_smilie:

But then I remembered where Pete was making wind-shield wraps to hide the lower mounting bracket area because many ppl were also complaining about not being able to clean that area without actually removing the shield. Well, if its covered by a wrap, you can't ever see if its dirty and needing to be cleaned :thumbup: so it wouldn't really matter anymore. And if the wrap only covered the lower portion of the shield, then hopefully, you'd still be able to see close enough in front of you that you could miss all those pot-holes and road debris :clap:

At least this is my thinking pps: and right or wrong, we'll soon find out opcorn: So with deciding to take this route, and hopefully still trying something that if it didn't work :cus: as hoped, that I could once again reverse or remove the application, I searched thru the garage once again :shocked: and found our next attempt at resolving our issue :clap:

But............... its not done yet and I don't have the results, be it positive or negative, so I'm gonna have to leave you hang'n for another day or two to finish it and then give it a day or two's worth of testing before I report back :bbq: Don't you just hate the suspence that adventurous ppl subject you too :lecturef_smilie:.............. :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Pics from the Mainstrasse Villiage 2013 Paw-Rade & from when Teddy won 2nd in 2011

http://www.rcnky.com/articles/2013/10/27/photos-dogs-show-pawrade-mainstrasse-village


This was from 2011 when Teddy won 2nd Place
Biker! by MainStrasse Village, on Flickr

This is the winner from 2011- Mini-Budwiser (PupWeiser) Clydesdale & Beer Wagon- This Lady/dog deserved 1st place:bowdown:

Pupweiser at PawRade by MainStrasse Village, on Flickr

:firstplace:This was this years winner, a mini-zebra done by their owner who's a professional groomer :clap:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Teddy & I had a humbling experience at this years doggy PawRade... OK.......... I did

There must have been over a hundred dogs dressed in costumes along with their owners as well :joke::clap: and Teddy & I got to experience a very humbling first :shocked:

While mingling thru the crowds and vendors, there were many times that I actually thought about leaving, cause it seemed just about everywhere we went, I'd over-hear the comment made something to the effect of
"OMG!!! Check out that biker-dog with the cute lil red mowhawk! Hands down, that's gotta be the winner!"
Seriously, we heard this at least 5 or 6 times just in walking thru the crowds, and this was just with them seeing Teddy strut'n along and not even wearing his doggles nor actually seeing him on his Sled :doorag: so I was actually starting to feel a little guilty that others that had potentially put alot of work and effort into their dogs costumes might not even have a fair chance against Teddy.

I mean, we don't do what we do for any other reason than to bring joy, not only to ourselves, but to all those that get to see Teddy 'Strut'n his Stuff' as It just brings a smile to your face :2thumbs: and I'll be the first to admit, we've kind of grown use to being somewhat popular these past few years.

But yesterday was a first for us, cause as the contestants lined up to form the procession for the actual Paw-Rade, we found ourselves following in line right behind one of the smallest Chihuahua's I've ever seen, but the poor lil pup was so small, you couldn't even tell what was under its costume........ a baby chick the size of your fist :yikes: OMG!!! It was so cute, I'll gladly admit that:bowdown: and as we'd walk, ppl would look down and be amazed at the cute looking baby chick waddling along side its owner & all the surprise "Ooooohhhhhsssss & Aaaaaaahhhhhhsssssssss" that I had grown accustomed to hearing from surprised ppl about Teddy, were now being directed to the cute lil chick that we were following behind. (sorry, I searched everywhere I Could think to look, but can't find any pics of the baby chick)With most of the ppl's attention drawn to the baby chick, Teddy was somewhat 'over shadowed' I guess you could say and while I know Teddy probably could of cared less, it was just a new experience for me :bowdown:

Wow, I guess that sounds conceited, huh? I don't mean it that way at all, just sharing our experience with y'all as usual, and this was just one that I had never experienced before. I wasn't mad or jealous and was actually happy for the cute lil chick. I thought for sure with all the attention the chick was getting from the crowd, that they would surely WIN or at least Place for honorable mention, but I think with him being so tiny, he probably got overlooked by the judges

When I saw the dog done as a zebra, I knew that he would be Teddy's 'competition' so to speak, and we went to talk with their owner about how she came up with the idea and how she was able to do it :dontknow: cause I personally had never seen anything like it before. In talking with their owner, she confided that she was a professional groomer so she got lots of practice at the grooming part and trying different things for her clients.

Then I kind of felt somewhat deflated, knowing this lady was a professional and does this kind of thing every day, when theirs others like Teddy & I who are total amatures to most of this and have been learning as we go thru the years But its all in good fun, tho I'll talk with the directors and suggest that maybe next year they might do a pro-class and an amature-class to give every body a fairer chance at winning :clap:

Ahhh yes, there goes that ego thing I guess pps: cause its not about winning, its about making ppl happy and seeing all the smiling faces :2thumbs:
But I digress pps: and sure enough the Zebra won and Teddy, well............. he didn't even get Honorable Mention this year But that's ok, we got what we wanted, and we made a whole lot of ppl happy and brought many smiles to their faces :2thumbs::clap:

And on a side note, tho I can't find it anywhere, we apparently made our local12 news Sunday night and again yesterday, cause my best friends mom called me yesterday while we were on the way to his house to let me know that she had seen Teddy & I in a pic on the local news when they ran the story about the PawRade Then after I got to my buddies house, I got a text msg from a co-worker I hadn't worked with in a few years saying that he just saw us on the news as well But I checked their web-site and can't find any pics from this years PawRade listed & I know we didn't get interviewed, but I did see a couple of video cameras from local news stations set up, so maybe they got us in a video clip or something and aired it then, but didn't post it to their web-site :dontknow: No clue really, and the thought of actually being famous scared me a bit & I was a little worried if we were going to get a deluge of callers, but nope, just 2 So I guess that's our 15 seconds of pseudo fame :thumbup:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Ha Ha...... Check this out ....... my co-worker alerted me to a Conspiracy Theory!!!!

Funny ...... sometimes I'm really amazed at just how dense I really can be :shocked:

I was showing the pics of the past PawRade when Teddy came in 2nd & of this years PawRade to my co-worker Mary, and was explaining how I wasn't upset when Teddy came in 2nd in 2011 cause I thought the lady that did the 'PupWeiser' costume was a total amature like Teddy & I and how creative & unique her idea was and how great her dog & costume looked and that she deserved to win :firstplace: hands down:bowdown:

Then I was explaining how when I found out that this years winner was a Professional Groomer and that just seemed a little unfair to compete amatures against professionals, and I was showing Mary the pics, she brought something I hadn't noticed before to my attention :dontknow:

Can you tell what it is:hun:

Here's the 2013 Winner :firstplace:

And here's the 2011 Winner :firstplace:

 

[retired1]

Conspiracy? It's the same woman and her husband is the promoter for the event.:roflblack:

 

[OJ UK]

As my old granny used to say:"It's not the winning that counts....it's the taking part!" :thumbup:

You didn't spend hours and hours prepping Teddy for this. The lady who won (twice?) obviously did!
People will see that.
Teddy's charm is his ability to be natural and folk notice that he isn't "trained"....he's just Teddy!!
It has to be said though that he's got you very well trained!! :clap:

 

[stillriding]

Aren't zebras white with black stripes not black with white stripes? Still cute, though.

 

[RTVIPER]

it's the same breed of dog or maybe even the same dog :gaah:

 

[eddieshep999]

Dave

Be ready for next year - I bet she will be back with Stars and Stripes

 

[CyncySpyder]

Yup, I was a little slow at catching on to this one

it's the same breed of dog or maybe even the same dog :gaah:

:banghead: Yup, I couldn't believe I didn't connect the dots, but its the same owner just with longer, blonder hair and her same cute little dog :banghead:

No worries tho, I just had to laugh at myself cause at the time, I had absolutely no damn clue ... :roflblack::roflblack::roflblack:

And as has been said, it really wasn't about winning or loosing, was just a new experience for us and we did our part just by being there an making so many ppl smile :2thumbs:

And no doubt Teddy has me VERY WELL TRAINED :bowdown:

 

[CyncySpyder]

Gadgets, Social Media and Tails of Whoa ..............

You know the ole say'n

Ignorance is bliss

That usually goes against my way of thinking (personally speaking) but sometimes, it can be hard to argue against that logic :lecturef_smilie:

It was cloudy when I got home from work yesterday, but at least it was a bit warmer than it has been (50s-low60s) and I knew we were do for rain today with a high chance of ThunderStorms for Halloween tomorrow, so I decided Teddy & I would take his sled and run some errands.

So I get him bundled up in his BatMan shirt & tags, got his heated pad warmed up for him in the bottom of his carrier and we set out for a nice ryde around town to let Teddy do what he does best, and make ppl smile wherever he goes :2thumbs:

If you've never heard or read about it, it seems everything in life, social, economies, etc.... tend to go around on a 30 year cycle, and for the most part, I've personaly witnessed this to be true for various reasons thru lifes cycle.

I'll tell you tho, while I'll fully admit to personally being a tech. gadget enthusiast, I can't wait for the backlash to arrive, where ppl finally get tired of being 'Plugged-In' 24/7 to one gadget or another, cause Teddy & I are on the other end of it......... so to speak.

You're probably thinking to yourself, "Dave, I think you've finally gone over the deep end, cause I have no idea what the hell your talking about." and I get that, so let me explain.

It seems, we're in an age of society that could be deemed the 'Gen ME' generation, where everything revolves around the individual..... ITS ALL ABOUT ME! With ppl sharing every minute of their lives 24/7 thru numerous Social Media outlets..... but its ALL Virtual.

While they may be out in the real world, waiting on a busy corner for the bus to pick them up, their totally unaware (for the most part) of all the real life going on around them at that very moment, cause they have their dang heads, eyes, ears & thumbs burried into their Smart-Phones or whatever devices they use to update their 'LOOK AT ME' accounts & to check on others who want them to 'LOOK AT ME TOO' and all the while, their missing out on all the real life encounters that are just passing them by, cause their just too dang busy to experience the real life thats passing them by at that very moment.

Wow, the things a hypocrit writes, right? :lecturef_smilie::roflblack: I mean, look who's talking herepps: Yeah yeah yeah, I know, but I guess in a way, we're all hypocrits in one way or another, and I'm just as guilty as any, although to be fair, this is our ONLY real Social Media site that we post on regularly & I usually only do it while I'm at ..... ummmm, better leave that unsaid :lecturef_smilie: but I think you know and because of past issues, we don't even do FaceBook or any of those others, tho I'm sure at some time, we probably will.

Anyways, I bring this up, cause I guess I've allowed myself to get a little frustrated with ppl ...... in general I know I shouldn't, because its beyond my control & to allow ones self to get frustrated by something that is beyond their control, well, that's just fruitless :banghead: and a waste of emotion.

You're still probably a little lost for understanding at reading this post, so let me just put it out there so its clear.

I know the sheer JOY that seeing Teddy, donning his doggles surrounding his bright eyes atop his muzzle, his bright red mowhawk sticking up and flailing in the wind, usually with his tongue sticking out just a little bit, all atop a bright red 3 wheeled transformer looking vehicle most haven't seen up close for themselves

brings to just about every living person, young or old, male or female that gets to witness it for themselves:clap:

Granted, it may be fleeting, but I think thats part of what makes it so special, ITS JUST NOT SOMETHING THAT YOU SEE EVERY DAY. So when a person does, usually their immediate response is to from ear to ear & I love seeing that. I love being a part of that. I love the fact that Teddy & I are just out doing something that WE both Love so much, and by doing that, we're bringing a to so many ppl's faces that didn't have one before they saw us.
We bring JOY to ALL those People :yes:

So it gets me frustrated when some ppl are so 'Into' their devices of Social Media, that they can't bare to take the time to lift their heads and see what might be passing them by, missing an opportunity to bring a smile upon their own faces to bring a little more Joy into their lives More than all this, their missing the REAL life & opportunities that's passing right by them :lecturef_smilie: and that makes me sad & frustrates me to be honest.

Sometimes, I feel like yealling at a person to get their attention so they'll look, cause I know they'd be happier if they did, but that's just not right :lecturef_smilie: so I smile to myself, and feel a little sorry for them, cause they missed an opportunity to bring a little more joy into their own lives, even tho it may only be like Real Lyfe & only for a short fleating moment

 

[CyncySpyder]

Talk'n about Taking a Wizz in a persons Wheaties ..........

So we stopped by Ace Hardware yesterday, and this isn't our local Ace, its further on out in Burlington closer to where my buddy lives out by the Greater Cincinnati/Northern KY International Airport (CVG) because I like the people that work their better and they ALL seem to Love Teddy :bowdown: & can't get enough of him.

Well, we stopped by and as soon as we entered we didn't see a soul around which is unusual, cause there's usually always someone at the cashier station, but not yesterday. So we just headed back to the Nuts & Bolts area & I began searching for a bolt we needed for the sled. As soon as I started looking, a new person popped up and asked if we needed assistance & I showed him what I needed and we went about our search. Within a couple of minutes we had what we needed in hand & then proceeded to 'explain' Teddy to the new fellow and all about his 'Sled' & his ryding Adventures from Florida to New York etc.... and Teddy soon had a new fan at the store.

After thanking the new guy for his assistance we proceeded back to the front and the young girl that's the regular cashier was now there and all smiles at seeing Teddy again. She had commented that the last time we were in & she took a pic of Teddy, that she posted it to her "Instagram" ??? account and she got the most comments ever posted on her account from Teddy's picture :clap: Yay (I think) good for you :thumbup:

She's always loved seeing Teddy, and Teddy likes to schmooze with her as well, especially since on Fridays they pop fresh pop-corn opcorn: in one of those 'ole time' pop-corn opcorn: makers for customers of the store, and Teddy usually does tricks for a kernal here and there, so this girl holds a special place in Teddys heart, and he'll even begin drooling a little upon seeing her with anticipation that its Friday & he'll be get'n a treat opcorn:

This however was yesterday, so no pop-corn was available but he was still friendly & schmooze'n with her just the same hyea: and as we were finishing up and about to leave, the young girl looks at me and makes the comment, "He really loves you, you can see it in his eyes and the way he looks at you." Which I readily agree & commented that the feeling was mutual She then made a comment that .......... well........ was a little of a 'buzz-kill' so to say, and I know that she didn't mean it that way, but she said "Wow, your going to be so lost when he dies. What will you do then?" :cus: Are you FREAK'N SERIOUS :cus:

I know it was an innocent observation and comment, and she was spot on, but still :chill::cus: This is where that "Ignorance Is Bliss" comment I made on the other post came in to play. Cause as I told her, "Its just not something I want to think about at this time." :chill: :lecturef_smilie: and we left, a little sadder than we entered

 

[OldCowboy]

My wife and I are 'animal people.' We have six indoor cats, six outdoor dogs, six horses and four chickens. Our oldest cat has been attached to me since we birthed her in 1997 and is thus in the autumn of her life. I'm not looking forward to the day I have to say goodbye to her.

Many people don't appreciate the emotional bond one can get with one's pets. In some ways it's just as strong as the bond with a good spouse.

 

[CyncySpyder]

When Good News .................................................. ............. Isn't

Been busy here at work today running around like a chicken with its head cut off and I glanced over to my break area and see a fellow standing there looking at all the pics I have plastured on the lockers of Teddy & his Red Sled and all the BRP Spyder info I have everywhere. It took me a minute, but I soon realized this was our plants 'other' Spyder Ryder :clap:

We've chatted a few times and seen each other out a time or two & he joined us once at our Sunday Spyder get-to-gethers the other Spyder locals used to do on Sundays at Eden Park, but other than that, we really haven't communicated all that much. As I've said, I'm not really all that social, especially at work, I pretty much keep to myself.

Anyways, it was good to see him, so I finished up a few things and came over to chat with him. He's got a 2012 White Limited RT & would frequently take my parking spot when he'd beat me in to work :lecturef_smilie: which I laughed about. He was wanting to know if I knew who the other ryder was that worked here that also had a White Limited RT, which this was news to me :dontknow: Reality is tho, we have around 1600-1800 employees here and the plant runs 24 hours, so it was no surprise that we'd have company. He said he hadn't seen their Spyder personally, but one of his co-workers told him there was an Electrician that rydes one and parks in the A-lot, while he & I both park at the opposite end of the plant in the D-lot, so it makes since that neither of us had ever seen this other one No surprise tho, cause the plant has 4 different parking lots :doorag:
:yes:

After that chat, I started asking him if he was aware of all the changes that BRP is making to the 2014 RT models, and he had no clue. So I pulled up SpyderLovers and started showing him all the changes their making and he was really impressed. Made the comment that it sounds like BRP is really listening to the Owners wants & needs and have made most of the changes (for the better) that we are wanting :bowdown: Good News ................. right?

He then made the comment about checking into possibly trading his 12' in on a new 14' & then I had to give the 'Not So Good News' that some BRP Dealers are listing Brand New 2013 models for $7 Grand off MSRP in an effort to reduce inventory before the 14' models hit the showroom in late December. I also told him that I had done a search this morning of Ebay recent sales on RTs, and some were going as low as $15 Grand to a high of $22 & after a minute of thinking, he realized there'd be no way in hell he could even get pay-off for his 2012 RT-Limited (at least in todays market) & that really soured otherwise great news :sour:

Not that it helped any, but I let him know I was in the exact same position myself :banghead: as well as the rest of the RT owners out there:sour:

Great, BRP listened to all of our complaints and made the changes to correct all of our problems pray:Time will tell) but what good does that do all of us :dontknow: